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The Closedown Of Lds Iowa Settlements In 1852 That Completed The Nauvoo Exodus And Jampacked The Mormon Trail, William G. Hartley

BYU Studies

After the Mormons were forced out of Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1846, many temporarily settled around Kanesville (now Council Bluffs), Iowa. The first Mormon pioneers founded Salt Lake City in 1847, but five years later, many thousands of Mormons were still in Iowa, trying to collect resources to make the long trek across the Great Plains. They lacked food, wagons, and other supplies they would need.

In 1852, the First Presidency sent Elder Ezra T. Benson to organize the scattered Saints into wagon trains. Benson was successful in sharing the message of urgency in gathering, and most of the Saints made …

The Mormon People: The Making Of An American Faith, Matthew Bowman, Armand L. Mauss

BYU Studies

Matthew Bowman is an up-and-coming young scholar of the generation now rising with the relatively new field of Mormon studies. Having completed his doctorate in American religious history at Georgetown University in 2011, he has nevertheless already been very visible for some time at academic conferences and in periodical literature of both Mormon and American religious histories. He has appeared on various public media sites, electronic and otherwise, as a commentator about Mormons and Mormonism, including discussions of his new book.

This book provides eight solid chapters, a brief introduction, and an even briefer conclusion, followed by four appendices, a …

Fire In The Pasture: Twenty-First Century Mormon Poets, Angela Hallstrom, Tyler Chadwick

BYU Studies

In the foreword to the poetry anthology Fire in the Pasture, poet and BYU English professor Susan Elizabeth Howe explains that a poet's desire is "to make readers see what they did not see before, to offer insight, to create empathy, to provoke thought, or to express beauty, soundness, depth." Editor Tyler Chadwick, a poet and doctoral candidate in English at Idaho State University, has gathered into one substantial volume the work of eighty-two contemporary Mormon poets, and the majority succeed in conjuring the emotional, spiritual, and aesthetic rewards Howe describes.

This anthology is the first major collection of poetry …

Monsters And Mormons: Thirty Tales Of Adventure And Terror, Scott R. Parkin, Wm Morris, Theric Jepson

BYU Studies

Short story anthologies are oddly rare in Mormon literature. We publish plenty of single-author collections, but multi-author anthologies tend to be fewer and further between. As such, they tend to be viewed as manifestos of sorts, snapshots of the current state of the Mormon literary art--at least over the past two decades. From Eugene England's Bright Angels and Familiars through M. Shayne Bell's Washed by a Wave of Wind to Angela Hallstrom's Dispensation, we look to these anthologies as signposts of our collective literary maturity and use them as introductions to notable names that we might not hear of otherwise. …

Just Being There, Dixie L. Partridge

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Home Waters: A Year Of Recompenses On The Provo River, Dennis R. Cutchins, George B. Handley

BYU Studies

Herman Melville begins Moby Dick by noting the way humans seem almost magnetically attracted to water. "There is magic in it," he writes. "Take almost any path you please, and ten to one it carries you down in a dale, and leaves you there by a pool in the stream." George Handley would, no doubt, agree with this observation. His Home Waters: A Year of Recompenses on the Provo River is a gentle, slow, and deeply thoughtful book built on this special human relationship with water. Handley uses the Provo River as the locus for a series of contemplations on …

Bountiful Harvest: Essays In Honor Of S. Kent Brown, Andrew C. Skinner, Carl W. Griffin, David J. Larsen, D Morgan Davis

BYU Studies

Bountiful Harvest is a collection of essays written and assembled in honor of S. Kent Brown, recently retired professor of ancient scripture and Near Eastern studies at Brigham Young University. An impressive array of colleagues, former students, teachers, admirers, and friends of Professor Brown have contributed to this handsome volume, resulting in twenty-one essays that are a worthy tribute to Brown's legacy. The volume includes an introduction by the editors in well-deserved praise of Brown's career and significant achievements, and also an appendix listing his many published works.

Bountiful Harvest presents something of interest for almost all readers. Although most …

Latter-Day Saint Missionaries Encounter The London Missionary Society In The South Pacific, 1844–1852, Fred E. Woods

BYU Studies

In fall 1843, four Latter-day Saints were called as the first missionaries to the South Pacific. One, Knowlton Hanks, died on the voyage. In May 1844, Addison Pratt began proselytizing on the island of Tubuai, 350 miles south of Tahiti. Benjamin Grouard and Noah Rogers went on to Tahiti, but after a few months they were forced to leave by the French colonizers and went to other islands. Rogers returned to the US in 1845, but Pratt and Grouard remained. On these various islands they encountered missionaries of the London Missionary Society, who had already been preaching in the South …

Certification And Signaling: The Importance Of Markets And What Makes Them Work, J Michael Pinegar

BYU Studies

J. Michael Pinegar examines financial and labor markets in terms of what makes them work efficiently. Information asymmetry between buyers and sellers can result in market failure. Two common ways to reduce information asymmetry are certification and signaling. Certification refers to a reputable third party, who affirms the quality of a product. Signaling refers to costs the seller incurs to convey the quality of the product to potential buyers. The signal might be something like a warranty. Both of these mechanisms facilitate market functioning. Pinegar gave this presentation as the BYU 2013 Maeser Distinguished Faculty Lecture.

Enticing The Sacred With Words, John Bennion

BYU Studies

Evoking the sacred with words "is like trying to breathe joy as if it is air or to catch the wind in a butterfly net." In an effort to help the students in his writing classes capture the sacred with words, John Bennion of the BYU English faculty employs unusual methods, taking his students out of the classroom and into the wild, where they confront nature and themselves face to face. Rather than requiring writing that preaches, Bennion encourages expressive or exploratory essaying. His own essay depicts some of the successes his students have experienced.

Martin Harris: “A Fals Charge Of Standen”, Robert D. Palmer Iii, Dr. Steven C. Harper

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Though unjustly remembered by some mainly as the man who lost the first 116 pages of the Book of Mormon, Martin Harris was an instrumental character in helping to bring about the Book of Mormon and the beginning of the LDS Church. Not only is he one of the three witnesses to the book, but he was also a benefactor, scribe, financier, and missionary for the new church. After he helped to convert his brother Emer to the gospel, they served together as missionaries from 1832-1833 in northern Pennsylvania. Recently, Mark Nelson discovered court documents of a trial involving Martin …

A Greater Understanding Of The Joseph Smith Translations, Paul W. Lambert, Dr. Thomas Wayment

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible has been the source of religious research and study for years. From the time that the Prophet Joseph Smith began his revisions of the Bible, both believers and nonbelievers have been intrigued by the process and doctrinal contributions of the translation. For many years, it has been very difficult for scholars and others interested in the Joseph Smith Translation to obtain concrete information and perform comprehensive analysis of the revisions. Access to Joseph Smith’s materials, particularly the translation manuscripts and marked Bible, has been limited to scholars of the Reorganized Church of Jesus …

Photographing And Digitizing Argentine Church History. Project Id: 105490, Aaron Disbrow, Dr. Mark Grover

Journal of Undergraduate Research

There is an immense amount of church history throughout the world that is unknown to many of us. It was our intent and purpose in this project to aid the dispersion of this history throughout the church. Through Professor Mark Grover we were introduced to Nestor Curbelo, the church historian for the South America South Area. Brother Curbelo is the author of several books and is working on others that chronicle the history of the Mormons in the distinct countries of South America. These books provide volumes of information, but Brother Curbelo also has a great love of photography, which …

Untitled, Wesley Austin

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I started this project with the idea to research the influences of 19th century Christian religions in America on Joseph Smith’s ideas of the process of deification. I soon found that there was little that I could find on this topic and that I would have to be somewhat of an expert in this particular area in order to make any significant headway.

Lds Church Growth In Brazil, Robert A. Plowman, Dr. Mark Grover

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Ribeirão Preto is a large city in the interior of São Paulo and is well established and a place where the LDS Church has been well established. We spent more than a week in Ribeirão Preto as we studied and interviewed and researched the history of the Church in that city. We interviewed more than 40 prominent members of the Church, all of whom had been members since the earliest years of the growth of the Church in that area. We also worked in 13 other cities and performed more than 130 interviews in Brazil. It was a phenomenal experience …

The Role Of Relationships In The Conversion Process: An Lds Sample, James W. Phillips, Dr. Kristin Hansen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I consider this ORCA project to be a successful one on all accounts. The goals that were originally outlined at the onset of this project (forming an original research paper and presenting at a major academic conference) were met and future collaborations with Dr. Kristin Hansen suggest that we can publish our work in a scholarly journal. From the beginning, through the completion of the ORCA grant project, and continuing until the present, this mentored learning experience has been a fulfilling and productive endeavor.

Artemus Millet: Architect To The Kingdom, Josh E. Probert, Dr. Larry C. Porter

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Kirtland Temple has presided over the Kirtland Flats of Northern Ohio for 164 years as an architectural testimony of the faith and industry of the Kirtland Saints. Much has been said about the Temple and the events that transpired therein, yet there remained a paucity of information about its superintendent of construction – Artemus Millet. References to Millet are only passing ones in works related to the Kirtland period of Mormonism. To me, he deserved to be included among Truman Angell, William Folsom, and William Weeks as one of the great architects in LDS Church History. The goal of …

Bertrand Biography, Richard D. Mcclellan, Dr. Donald Cannon

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Louis A. Bertrand (originally John Francis Elias Flandin) had traveled most of the world when he decided to “settle down” in Paris and became a leader in the Red Republican Party just before the Revolution of 1848.

“And Know The Place For The First Time” The 1851 Ecclesiastical Census Of England And Wales And Early Lds Branch, Evva Courtney Benson, Dr. Cynthia L. Doxey

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The year 1851 was a unique one in England. Not only was it the year of the decennial census, but it was the only time a national census on religion was taken. 1851 was also a year when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had many branches throughout England. The Church had been in England since 1837, but the large decline in membership due to emigration had not yet occurred.

An Annotated Edition Of The Journals Of Joseph W. Booth, Mormon Missionary To The Middle East (1889-1928), David Charles, Dr. James A. Toronto

Journal of Undergraduate Research

With the assistance of a 1999 ORCA scholarship, I was able to make significant progress in understanding LDS Church history in the Middle East during the period 1880-1950. My work was divided between four separate but related projects, each of which will receive brief mention here. The first of these projects are the journals of Joseph W. Booth, long-time missionary in the Middle East, which were the focus of my ORCA proposal. Since receiving the scholarship in January, I have continued proofreading the journal typescripts with my wife, the first step in preparing them for publication. I have also continued …

Mormons And Monuments In “The Green Mountain State”, Keith A. Erekson, Dr. Richard E. Bennett

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Joseph Smith was born December 23, 1805, at the Mack farm in Sharon, Vermont.1 Though his family moved when he was young, the influence of his Vermont heritage was important in the development of the young Prophet and subsequently on the restoration of the Gospel.2 After the exodus of the Saints to the west and their ensuing establishment in Utah, Elder Junius F. Wells returned to the east to seek out significant sites in the history of the Church. He lived at the Mack farm for years and conceived of the idea of erecting a monument.3 Work began on the …

Research Tom Polacca And His Descendants, Sterling Fluharty, Dr. David J. Whittaker

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Tom Polacca was a Hopi-Tewa in Arizona who was known for his leadership, progressive ideas, political involvement, and conversion to the Mormon Church. My intent was to research the life of him and his descendants, examining primary and secondary sources, as well as collecting oral history from descendants still living in Arizona. I expected to find a faith-promoting story of a man and his family’s quest for progress and truth. What happened, though, was a learning experience I had not anticipated.

Clifford Cole: Was He One Of Them Or Was He Them?, Mitchell Mcclellan, Dr. Keith Wilson

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Change is inevitable. Yet the direction of the change is influenced by who is steering. The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints experienced major doctrinal changes throughout its institutional history, especially during the 1960s and 19070s. The types of changes intrigued Dr. Keith Wilson and myself. In particular we wanted to determine who influenced the changes and why they shifted from more traditional beliefs.

Blood And Atonement In The Book Of Mormon From A Near Eastern Perspective, Michael Biggerstaff, Dr. Jared Ludlow

Journal of Undergraduate Research

“Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ; for, for this end hath the law of Moses been given; and all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him” (2 Nephi 11:4). These words of Nephi, concerning the Law of Moses typifying Christ, are echoed by several other Book of Mormon authors, including Lehi, Jacob, Jarom, King Benjamin, Abinadi, Amulek, and Mormon. More authors could be added to this list if it included those who spoke of Christ’s fulfilling of …

The History Of The History: Re-Discovering Joseph Smith’S First Vision, Samuel Alonzo Dodge, Dr. Steven Harper

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The ways in which Mormon historians approach history has changed greatly over time. For years the historical discussion of Mormonism‟s early periods tended to one of two camps, critics who sought to defame Joseph Smith and discredit the religious movement he launched, or Mormon supporters whose efforts to exonerate the Prophet often resulted in excessive glossing of the blemishes found in the Church‟s origins. However, towards the middle of the twentieth century the historical method began to change the way in historians approached the past. Rather than disregard the work done by opposing scholarship, both groups began using the works …

Robert Mccorkle To Joseph Smith: A Poetic Letter, Hal Robert Boyd, Dr. Susan E. Black

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In 1844 Robert Andrew Hope McCorkle (R.A.H McCorkle) journeyed to Nauvoo to familiarize himself with Mormonism and meet the Prophet Joseph Smith. In Nauvoo, McCorkle found many Latter-day Saints.

Latter-Day Saint Involvement In The Civil War, Nathaniel Freeman, Dr. Kenneth Alford

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I decided to research Latter-day Saint participation in the Civil War when Professor Alford, a retired U.S. Army Colonel and BYU associate professor, contacted me regarding his interest in publishing a book on the topic. I had previously worked for him as a teaching assistant and had been interested in war history since I was in elementary school so I agreed and submitted my ORCA proposal. The purpose of my ORCA project was to document the service of Latter-day Saint Civil War veterans and how the Church as a whole was affected by that critical conflict. It was done in …

I’M Glad They Called Me On A Mission: What Young Adults Learn From Serving An Lds Mission, Elizabeth Montgomery, Dr. Brent Top

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Conducting this research project about missionary work in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) has been an interesting and enjoyable adventure. The purpose of this report is to chronicle my experiences and to publish a few of the research conclusions we have reached at this point in time. The research is not yet completed, but it is our goal to submit a manuscript for publication in the Religious Educator by March 2013. This report will begin with a discussion of the research process and what I learned from it, after which I will discuss the results as …

Friends And Enemies In Washington: Insights From A Letter From Joseph F. Smith To Susa Young Gates, Mallory Hales Perry, Dr. David Whichurch

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My project, made possible by generous funding through the ORCA grant program, focused on the social and political situation surrounding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the turn of the twentieth century. Along with the help and guidance I received from my mentor, Dr. David M. Whitchurch, I explored the issue using primary documents and current research on this time in Church history. This experience offered a priceless opportunity to enhance my research skills, write a paper for publication in Mormon Historical Studies, and complete my honors thesis.

A History Of The Church In Irqpuato, Guanajuato, Mexico: Irapuato Stake Church History, Benjamin Jones, Dr. Mark Grover

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In preparation of my trip to Mexico for my project I participated in a field study prep class through the Kennedy Center. This class helped me plan how I would carry out my project, taught me investigation skills, and helped prepare me culturally for Mexico. This planning helped me budget my expenses and resources. The majority of my ORCA funding went towards my plane ticket, with the remainder being used up in rent, food, and travel. While there remained some expenses after applying the ORCA grant, I am extremely grateful for that help that I received and recognize that this …