The Journal of Mormon History

The Journal of Mormon History is a quarterly peer-reviewed periodical dedicated to scholarly work on the history of the Latter Day Saint movement, with emphasis on studies related to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Community of Christ, and other Restorationist bodies. Founded by members of the Mormon History Association and affiliated with regional and academic centers such as Brigham Young University, Utah State University, and the University of Utah, the journal publishes archival research, book reviews, and historiographical essays that engage figures like Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Emma Smith, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and events such as the Nauvoo Expositor, the Missouri Mormon War, and the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

History and Development

The journal emerged from the activities of the Mormon History Association and early conferences that convened scholars connected to institutions including Brigham Young University, Graduate Theological Union, University of Chicago, and Harvard University. Early editors and contributors included historians associated with BYU Studies, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Sunstone, and the Utah Historical Quarterly, drawing on archival collections at repositories such as the Church History Library (Salt Lake City), the L. Tom Perry Special Collections, the Harold B. Lee Library, and the Library of Congress. Over its history the journal has documented methodological shifts influenced by scholars trained at Princeton Theological Seminary, Yale Divinity School, Oxford University, and University of California, Berkeley, and it has been shaped by debates echoing in venues like American Historical Association meetings and panels at the Mormon History Association annual conference.

Scope and Content

The journal covers research on leaders including Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, Parley P. Pratt, Eliza R. Snow, and scholars of antislavery and westward expansion such as Harriet Tubman references when intersecting with Mormon history; studies often address migration and settlement topics tied to places like Nauvoo, Illinois, Salt Lake City, Jackson County, Missouri, Pottawattamie County, San Bernardino, California, Montgomery County, New York and events like the Extermination Order (1838). Articles analyze doctrine and practice in interaction with texts such as the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, and they examine legal and political episodes involving the Revelation on Priesthood controversies, the Utah War, the Edmunds–Tucker Act, and court cases conducted in venues like the United States Supreme Court when relevant. The journal publishes quantitative and qualitative work on topics ranging from missionary activity in Great Britain, Hawaii, Samoa, Mexico, and Chile to biographies of lesser-known saints tied to congregations in Ogden, Utah, Provo, Utah, St. George, Utah, Cedar City, Utah, and Logan, Utah.

Editorial Board and Publication Practices

The editorial board has included editors and reviewers affiliated with Utah State University, University of Utah, Brigham Young University, Arizona State University, Southern Virginia University, University of Cambridge, Columbia University, Loyola University Chicago, University of Michigan, Stanford University, Duke University, Princeton University, Yale University, Harvard University, Chicago History Museum, and the National Archives and Records Administration. Peer review standards follow protocols common to journals indexed by services such as Scopus and Web of Science, and the board issues guidelines for submission length, citation style, and ethical use of primary sources including documents from the Joseph Smith Papers project, missionary diaries, and probate records from county courthouses. Special issues have been guest-edited with scholars connected to centers such as the Center for Mormon Studies (Claremont Graduate University), the Leonard J. Arrington Mormon History Program, and the Mormon Studies Faculty Group.

Indexing and Distribution

The journal is abstracted and indexed in bibliographic services used by historians and religious studies scholars, frequently listed in catalogs maintained by the Library of Congress, WorldCat, JSTOR holdings, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, and regional collections available through the Utah Academic Library Consortium. Distribution channels include subscriptions managed by Utah State University Press and holdings in research libraries at institutions like the Brigham Young University Harold B. Lee Library, the University of Utah Marriott Library, the New York Public Library, the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, and the Newberry Library. Back issues circulate among members of the Mormon History Association and are cited in monographs published by presses such as Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, University of Illinois Press, University of Nebraska Press, and University of Utah Press.

Reception and Impact

Scholars across fields—those affiliated with American Historical Association, Southern Historical Association, Association for Mormon Letters, American Academy of Religion, Society of American Archivists, and regional historical societies—cite the journal in research on topics intersecting with figures like Emma Hale Smith, Lucy Mack Smith, Samuel Brannan, William Law, Thomas L. Kane, and controversies involving the Kirtland Safety Society. The journal has influenced public history projects at sites such as the Joseph Smith Historic Site, the Beaver Creek Historic District, the Mountain Meadows Monument, and museum exhibits at the Church History Museum (Salt Lake City), and its articles appear in bibliographies accompanying documentaries and biographies produced by entities like PBS, History Channel, and academic presses. Critiques and debates about methodology and perspective have played out in responses published in companion venues including Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Sunstone, BYU Studies Quarterly, and regional journals, shaping ongoing conversations about archival access, editorial transparency, and the autobiographical work of key figures such as John D. Lee and William Clayton.

Category:Religious history journals