DOCSLIB.ORG

The Emergence and Development of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–Day Saints in Staffordshire, 1839–1870

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Emergence and Development of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–Day Saints in Staffordshire, 1839–1870 UNIVERSITY OF CHICHESTER An accredited institution of the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON Department of History The Emergence and Development of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints in Staffordshire, 1839–1870 by David Michael Morris Thesis for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy This thesis has been completed as a requirement for a higher degree of the University of Southampton November 2010 UNIVERSITY OF CHICHESTER An accredited institution of the University of Southampton ABSTRACT DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY Doctor of Philosophy The Emergence and Development of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints in Staffordshire, 1839–1870 By David Michael Morris This thesis analyses the emergence, development and subsequent decline of the LDS Church in Staffordshire between 1839 and 1870 as an original contribution to nineteenth–century British regional and religious history. I begin by examining the origins of the US Mormon Mission to Britain and a social historical study of the Staffordshire religious and industrial landscape. In order to recover the hidden voices of Staffordshire Mormon converts, I have constructed a unique Staffordshire Mormon Database for the purposes of this thesis containing over 1,900 records. This is drawn upon throughout, providing the primary quantitative evidence for this fascinating yet neglected new religious movement. From the data I explore the demographic composition of Staffordshire Mormonism using a more precise definition of class than has been the case previously, whilst also considering gender and age variables of Mormon converts. Subsequent chapters explore the qualitative dimensions of the conversion experience as a dynamic rather than event–based process, the demands of Church membership and commitment, the formal and informal institutional structure of the LDS Church and the hazards of emigration to the US in order to illuminate a number of key questions around which the thesis has been structured: Who were the Staffordshire Mormons? What was it about the Mormon message that appealed to the impoverished men and women of the newly industrialised Midlands? What was the nature of religious authority in the Mormon faith and in what ways did the formal Church administration adapt and respond to shifting urban contexts? Mormonism declined as rapidly as it had grown; this thesis investigates this little–known working–class religious movement and the lives of those Mormon men and women of Staffordshire who, against much personal, social and physical opposition, strived for what they regarded as a better future for themselves and their families. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................... II TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................... III LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................... VI LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................ VII DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP .................................................................... VIII ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS & ABBREVIATIONS .................................................... IX INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. XI The Historical Landscape of Staffordshire, 1839–1870 ........................................... xii Structure of Thesis ................................................................................................... xiv CHAPTER 1 THE EMERGENCE OF THE BRITISH MISSION, 1837–1870 ............. 1 The Origins of the British Mission .............................................................................. 1 Dissent and Leadership, Kirtland, Ohio ....................................................................... 4 The Significance of the British Mission ...................................................................... 7 The First Apostolic Mission (1837–1838): Family Estrangement and Denominational Rivalries .......................................................................................... 10 The Second Apostolic Mission (1840–1841): Consolidation .................................... 18 Mormonism in the British Isles: Ireland .................................................................... 22 Mormonism in the British Isles: Scotland ................................................................. 24 Mormonism in the British Isles: Wales ..................................................................... 26 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 31 CHAPTER 2 BRITISH MORMON HISTORY: SOURCES AND APPROACHES ........ 32 The LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City ............................................................... 33 Unpublished Primary Sources: Diaries and Correspondence .................................... 35 Church Membership and Institutional Records ......................................................... 39 The Staffordshire Mormon Database ......................................................................... 40 Published Primary Sources: Periodicals and Publications ......................................... 44 The Latter–day Saints’ Millennial Star ...................................................................... 45 Published Primary Sources: The Journal of Discourses and Welsh Periodicals ....... 47 Published Primary Sources: the 1851 Census of Religious Worship ........................ 49 Approaches to British Mormon History: The Historiography so Far ........................ 50 Unpublished Theses ................................................................................................... 58 CHAPTER 3 WHO WERE THE STAFFORDSHIRE MORMONS? A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS .................................................................................................... 60 iii The Historiography of British Mormon Demographics ............................................. 60 Staffordshire Mormon Dataset – Methodological Approaches ................................. 63 Social and Industrial Landscape of Nineteenth–Century Staffordshire ..................... 68 Comparative Class Analysis of Staffordshire and its Mormon Population ............... 71 Comparative Class Analysis of Three UK Mormon Samples ................................... 75 Comparative Class Analysis between Staffordshire Mormonism and Primitive Methodism ................................................................................................................. 77 An Age and Gender Analysis of Staffordshire Mormons .......................................... 80 An Analysis of the Age Patterns of Staffordshire Mormon Baptisms ....................... 82 A Gender Analysis of Staffordshire Mormons .......................................................... 87 Age and Gender Comparisons with Other Nonconformist Studies. .......................... 91 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 92 CHAPTER 4 THE CONVERSION EXPERIENCE ................................................. 94 The Historiography of Conversion: Sociological and Historical Reflections ........... 95 Catalysts for Conversion .......................................................................................... 100 Baptism and a New Birth ......................................................................................... 112 New Life in the Church – The Conversion Career Fulfilled ................................... 115 Hymnody.................................................................................................................. 118 CHAPTER 5 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE BRITISH ISLES ............. 122 Priesthood and Authority within the LDS Church ................................................... 122 The Leadership and Organisational Structure of the British Mission...................... 126 Organisational Responsiveness in the British Mission: the Formation of Conferences, Pastorates and Districts ...................................................................... 131 Branch Life in the Staffordshire Conference ........................................................... 136 The Decline of the Staffordshire Conference .......................................................... 143 Mormon Reformation in the Staffordshire Conference ........................................... 147 CHAPTER 6 EMIGRATION AND THE DECLINE OF STAFFORDSHIRE MORMONISM .............................................................................................. 152 The Doctrine of the Gathering ................................................................................. 153 Organisational Aspects of Emigration ..................................................................... 157 The Perpetual Emigrating Fund ............................................................................... 159 The Perils of Emigration .......................................................................................... 163 Emigration Patterns in the UK and Staffordshire .................................................... 170 The Impact of Emigration upon Declining Membership in British Mormonism .... 177 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................. 180 APPENDIX A BRITISH ISLES STATISTICAL REPORTS 1837–1900
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Jacob and Sarah Scott Family History
    TTHHEE JJAACCOOBB AANNDD SSAARRAAHH WWAARRNNOOCCKK SSCCOOTTTT FFAAMMIILLYY 11777799--11991100 BY JAMES WESLEY SCOTT Fourth Great -Grandson of Jacob Scott Written June 2002 CONTENTS 3 INTRODUCTION 4 ABBREVIATIONS, INDEX TO PHOTOGRAPHS P. JACOB SCOTT & SARAH WARNOCK 5 History 5 Origins of the Scott Family 6 Conversion to Mormonism 8 Rebellion and Apostasy Under Isaac Russell at Far West 10 Nauvoo: Tragedy, Disappointment, and Division 11 Jacob Scott Ordained a Teacher 11 Isaac Russell: The Far West Letter 12 Letter from James Mulholland to Isaac Russell 13 Letter from Jacob Scott, Sen. to Joseph Smith, Jun. 13 Jacob Scott, Sen.: Nauvoo Letters 25 “Hiram Smith” Poem by Jacob Scott, Sen. ANN SCOTT & CHARLES DAVIS 1. 26 History 27 Property Sale Record 28 Note from Joseph Smith III to Ann Scott Davis 28 “Spiritual Reminiscenses in the Life of Sister Ann Davis” 33 Obituary for Ann Scott Davis 33 Obituary for Charles Davis JANE SCOTT & ISAAC ASKIN 2. 34 History 35 Obituary for Jane Scott Askin MARY SCOTT & WILLIAM WARNOCK 3. 36 History 37 Mary Jane Warnock Letter 38 William and Mary Scott Warnock Affidavit 39 Obituary for William Warnock 39 Obituary for Mary Warnock Scott JOHN SCOTT & ELIZABETH MENEARY 4. 40 History 47 Patriarchal Blessing given by Joseph Smith, Sen. to John Scott 47 Journal Excerpts, 1847-1848 (States Mission) 49 Journal Excerpts, 1855-1856 (Irish Mission) 52 Documents registering John Scott as a United States Citizen 53 Confrontation between John Scott and Stephen Markham 54 Photograph: Sons of John Scott and Elizabeth Meneary 1 ISAAC FRANKLIN SCOTT & SARAH SOPHIA HALL 5.
    [Show full text]
  • The Secret Mormon Meetings of 1922
    University of Nevada, Reno THE SECRET MORMON MEETINGS OF 1922 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History By Shannon Caldwell Montez C. Elizabeth Raymond, Ph.D. / Thesis Advisor December 2019 Copyright by Shannon Caldwell Montez 2019 All Rights Reserved UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA RENO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL We recommend that the thesis prepared under our supervision by SHANNON CALDWELL MONTEZ entitled The Secret Mormon Meetings of 1922 be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS C. Elizabeth Raymond, Ph.D., Advisor Cameron B. Strang, Ph.D., Committee Member Greta E. de Jong, Ph.D., Committee Member Erin E. Stiles, Ph.D., Graduate School Representative David W. Zeh, Ph.D., Dean, Graduate School December 2019 i Abstract B. H. Roberts presented information to the leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in January of 1922 that fundamentally challenged the entire premise of their religious beliefs. New research shows that in addition to church leadership, this information was also presented during the neXt few months to a select group of highly educated Mormon men and women outside of church hierarchy. This group represented many aspects of Mormon belief, different areas of eXpertise, and varying approaches to dealing with challenging information. Their stories create a beautiful tapestry of Mormon life in the transition years from polygamy, frontier life, and resistance to statehood, assimilation, and respectability. A study of the people involved illuminates an important, overlooked, underappreciated, and eXciting period of Mormon history.
    [Show full text]
  • 30 June, 2000 Update
    6 January 2013 update 18 June 2006 update 1785 To 1888 England to Utah Timeline starts on page 3 akrc PC:Word:RowWmTmLn april coleman, 2608 E Camino, Mesa, AZ 85213 (602)834-3209 email [email protected] “The exodus would ever be more trial than trail.” “Come, calm or strife, turmoil or peace, life or death, in the name of Israel’ s God we mean to conquer or die trying.” Pres. Brigham Young, as quoted by, Richard E Bennett, “Winter Quarters,” Ensign, 40-53 “In all its history, the American West never saw a more unlikely band of pioneers than the four hundred-odd who were camped on the bank of the Iowa River at Iowa City in early June, 1856. There were more women than men, more children under fifteen than either. One in every ten was past fifty, the oldest a woman of seventy-eight; there were widows and widowers with six or seven children. Most of them, until they were herded from their crowded immigrant ship and loaded into the cars and rushed to the end of the Rock Island Line and dumped on the brink of the West, had never pitched a tent, slept on the ground, cooked outdoors, built a campfire. They had not even the rudimentary skills that make frontiersmen. But it turned out, that they had the stuff that makes heroes”. Wallace Stegner, The Gathering of Zion SARAH ANN, ELIZA, ABIGAIL, SUZANNE Pioneer Sesquicentennial Project - akrc March 1997 SARAH ANN, ELIZA, ABIGAIL, SUZANNE, What did you leave when you left your home land? When you followed a husband, who followed his God? Would you have come, if you had known the path your feet would trod? Suzanne back in France so long ago, across waters, wide and deep, That long trip to New York, And a language you couldn't speak.
    [Show full text]
  • Sir Ferdinando Gorges
    PEOPLE MENTIONED IN CAPE COD PEOPLE MENTIONED IN CAPE COD: SIR FERDINANDO GORGES “NARRATIVE HISTORY” AMOUNTS TO FABULATION, THE REAL STUFF BEING MERE CHRONOLOGY “Stack of the Artist of Kouroo” Project The People of Cape Cod: Sir Fernando Gorges HDT WHAT? INDEX THE PEOPLE OF CAPE COD: SIR FERDINANDO GORGES PEOPLE MENTIONED IN CAPE COD CAPE COD: Even as late as 1633 we find Winthrop, the first Governor PEOPLE OF of the Massachusetts Colony, who was not the most likely to be CAPE COD misinformed, who, moreover, has the fame, at least, of having discovered Wachusett Mountain (discerned it forty miles inland), talking about the “Great Lake” and the “hideous swamps about it,” near which the Connecticut and the “Potomack” took their rise; and among the memorable events of the year 1642 he chronicles Darby Field, an Irishman’s expedition to the “White hill,” from whose top he saw eastward what he “judged to be the Gulf of Canada,” and westward what he “judged to be the great lake which Canada River comes out of,” and where he found much “Muscovy glass,” and “could rive out pieces of forty feet long and seven or eight broad.” While the very inhabitants of New England were thus fabling about the country a hundred miles inland, which was a terra incognita to them, —or rather many years before the earliest date referred to,— Champlain, the first Governor of CHAMPLAIN Canada, not to mention the inland discoveries of Cartier, CARTIER Roberval, and others, of the preceding century, and his own ROBERVAL earlier voyage, had already gone to war against the Iroquois in ALPHONSE their forest forts, and penetrated to the Great Lakes and wintered there, before a Pilgrim had heard of New England.
    [Show full text]
  • Joseph Smith Retouched Photograph of a Dagurreotype
    07 the joseph smith retouched photograph0 of a dagurreotypedaguerreotype of a painting or copy of daguerrotypedaguerreotype from the carter collection LDS church archives parting the veil the visions of joseph smith alexander L baugh godgrantedgod granted to the prophetjosephprophet joseph thegiftthe gift of visions joseph received so many that they became almost commonplacecommonplacefor for him the strength and knowledge joseph received through these visions helped him establish the church joseph smith the seer ushered in the dispensation of the fullness of times his role was known and prophesied of anciently the lord promised joseph of egypt that in the last days a choice seer would come through his lineage and would bring his seed to a knowledge of the covenants made to abraham isaac and jacob 2 nephi 37 JST gen 5027 28 that seer will the lord bless joseph prophesied specifically indicating that his name shall be called after me 2 nephi 314 15 see also JST gen 5033 significantly in the revelation received during the organizational meeting of the church on april 61830 the first title given to the first elder was that of seer behold there shall be a record kept and in it thou joseph smith shalt be called a seer a translator a prophet an apostle of jesus christ dacd&c 211 in the book of mormon ammon defined a seer as one who possessed a gift from god to translate ancient records mosiah 813 see also 2811 16 however the feericseeric gift is not limited to translation hence ammon s addi- tional statement that a seer is a revelator and a
    [Show full text]
  • Defending Mormonism: the Scandinavian Mission Presidency of Andrew Jenson, 1909–12
    Go Ye into All the World Alexander L. Baugh 14 Defending Mormonism: The Scandinavian Mission Presidency of Andrew Jenson, 1909–12 n December 9, 1908, assistant Church historian Andrew Jenson received Oa letter from Joseph F. Smith, John R. Winder, and Anthon H. Lund, the Church’s First Presidency, notifying him of his appointment to preside over the Scandinavian Mission, headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he would replace Søren Rasmussen, who had been serving as president since November 1907. It is not known if Jenson anticipated receiving the call, but he accepted the call in spite of the many responsibilities associated with his work in the Historian’s Office. It was expected that he would leave as soon as he could get his affairs in order. The next five weeks were busy ones for the newly called mission president, both at the Historian’s Office and at home. In addition, he set aside time to visit family members and acquaintances and enjoyed farewell dinners and social get-togethers hosted by well-wishers. President Joseph F. Smith formally set apart Andrew Jenson on January 12, 1909. Five days later, Jenson delivered a farewell address to Alexander L. Baugh is a professor of Church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University. Go Ye into All the World a large congregation in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. The following day, January 18, at the Salt Lake train depot, he said his last good-byes to his two wives, Emma and Bertha (the two women were sisters), his immediate family, his colleagues, and Church officials and boarded an eastbound train.
    [Show full text]
  • “For This Ordinance Belongeth to My House”: the Practice of Baptism for the Dead Outside the Nauvoo Temple
    Alexander L. Baugh: Baptism for the Dead Outside Temples 47 “For This Ordinance Belongeth to My House”: The Practice of Baptism for the Dead Outside the Nauvoo Temple Alexander L. Baugh The Elders’ Journal of July 1838, published in Far West, Missouri, includ- ed a series of twenty questions related to Mormonism. The answers to the questions bear the editorial pen of Joseph Smith. Question number sixteen posed the following query: “If the Mormon doctrine is true, what has become of all those who have died since the days of the apostles?” The Prophet answered, “All those who have not had an opportunity of hearing the gospel, and being administered to by an inspired man in the flesh, must have it hereafter before they can be finally judged.”1 The Prophet’s thought is clear—the dead must have someone in mortality administer the saving ordinances for them to be saved in the kingdom of God. Significantly, the answer given by the Prophet marks his first known statement concerning the doctrine of vicari- ous work for the dead. However, it was not until more than two years later that the principle was put into practice.2 On 15 August 1840, Joseph Smith preached the funeral sermon of Seymour Brunson during which time he declared for the first time the doc- trine of baptism for the dead.3 Unfortunately, there are no contemporary accounts of the Prophet’s discourse. However, Simon Baker was present at the funeral services and later stated that during the meeting the Prophet read extensively from 1 Corinthians 15, then noted a particular widow in the congregation whose son had died without baptism.
    [Show full text]
  • University of Utah History 4795 Mormonism and the American Experience Fall Semester 2017 T, Th 2:00 – 3:20, WBB 617
    University of Utah History 4795 Mormonism and the American Experience Fall Semester 2017 T, Th 2:00 – 3:20, WBB 617 W. Paul Reeve CTIHB 323 585-9231 Office hours: T, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.; W, 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. [email protected] Course Description: This course explores the historical development of Mormonism in an American context, from its Second Great Awakening beginnings to the beginning of the twenty-first century. It situates the founding and development of Mormonism within the contexts of American cultural, economic, social, religious, racial, and political history. A central theme is the ebb and flow over time of tension between Mormonism and broader American society. How did conflicts over Mormonism during the nineteenth century, especially the conflict over polygamy and theocracy, help define the limits of religious tolerance in this country? How have LDS beliefs, practices, and culture positioned and repositioned Mormons within U.S. society? Learning Outcomes: 1. To situate the development of Mormonism within broader American historical contexts and thereby arrive at a greater understanding of religion’s place in American life. a. To understand the impact of Mormonism upon American history. b. To understand the impact of American history upon Mormonism. 2. To formulate and articulate in class discussions, exams, and through written assignments intelligent and informed arguments concerning the major developments and events that have shaped Mormonism over time. 3. To cultivate the critical mind in response to a variety of historical perspectives. Perspective: This course studies Mormonism in an academic setting. In doing so our purpose is not to debate the truth or falsehood of religious claims, but rather to examine how religious beliefs and experiences functioned in the lives of individuals and communities.
    [Show full text]
  • Lessons in Genealogy
    — — =f=== a? ^ LESSONS IN GENEALOGY PUBLISHED BY THE GENEALOGICAL BOCIETY OF UTAH SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 1915 ^ A Daughter of the North Nephi Anderson's splendid new story,—interest- ing, instructive, full of the gospel spirit. It is recom- mended for young and old. Beautifully printed and bound. Sent prepaid by the author, 60 East South Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah; price, 75 cents. OTHER BOOKS BY NEPHI ANDERSON "Added Upon", "The Castle Builder", "Piney Ridge Cottage", "Story of Chester Lawrence", 75 cents each by all booksellers, or by the author. John Stevens' Courtship BY SUSA YOUNG GATES A love story of the Echo Canyon War Times PRICE - $1.00 On sale by all Booksellers and by the Author Room 28, Bishop's Building, Salt Lake City, Utah LESSONS IN GENEALOGY PUBLISHED BY THE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY OF UTAH THIRD EDITION SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 1915 The Genealogical Society of Utah Organized November 13, 1894 ANTHON H. LUND, President CHARLES W. PENROSE, Vice President JOSEPH F. SMITH, JR., Secretary and Treasurer NEPHI ANDERSON, Assistant Secretary JOSEPH CHRISTENSON, Librarian LILLIAN CAMERON, Assistant Librarian DIRECTORS: Anthon H. Lund, Charles W. Penrose, Joseph Christenson, Joseph F. Smith, Jr., Anthony W. Ivins, Duncan M. McAllister, Heber J. Grant. Life Membership, $10, with two years in which to pay Annual Membership, $2 the first year, $1 yearly thereafter The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine Published by the Genealogical Society of Utah Quarterly, $1.50 per Annum Anthon H. Lund, Editor Nephi Anderson, Associate Editor Subscription price to life and paid-up annual members of the Gen- ealogical Society, $1.00 a year.
    [Show full text]
  • Professionalization of the Church Historian's Office
    “There Shall Be A Record Kept Among You:” Professionalization of the Church Historian’s Office J. Gordon Daines III University Archivist Brigham Young University Slide 1: The archival profession came into its own in the 20th century. This trend is reflected nationally with the development of the National Archives and the establishment of the Society of American Archivists. The National Archives provided evidence of the value of trained staff and the Society of American Archivists reached out to records custodians across the country to help them professionalize their skills. National trends were reflected locally across the country. This presentation examines what it means to be a profession and how the characteristics of a profession began to manifest themselves in the Church Historian’s Office of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It also examines how the recordkeeping practices of the Church influenced acceptance of professionalization. Professionalization and American archives Slide 2: It is not easy to define what differentiates an occupation from a profession. Sociologists who study the professions have described a variety of characteristics of professions but have generated very little consensus on which of these characteristics are the fundamental criteria for defining a profession.1 As Stan Lester has noted “the notion of a ‘profession’ as distinct from a ‘non-professional’ occupation is far from clear."2 In spite of this lack of clarity about what defines a profession, it is still useful to attempt to distill a set of criteria for defining what a profession is. This is particularly true when studying occupations that are attempting to gain status as a profession.
    [Show full text]
  • Mormon Baptismal Site in Chatburn, England
    Carol Wilkinson: Baptismal Site in Chatburn, England 83 Mormon Baptismal Site in Chatburn, England Carol Wilkinson The location of a baptismal site in the village of Chatburn, England, used by Mormon missionaries in the 1830s and 1840s has been identified. This village, along with the neighboring community of Downham, was the location of a large number of Mormon conversions when the message of the restored gospel was first preached to the inhabitants during this time period. The first Mormon missionaries to England arrived in Liverpool in July 1837. These seven men (Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, Willard Richards, Joseph Fielding, Isaac Russell, John Goodson, and John Snyder), quickly moved to Preston where they were successful in receiving converts and orga- nized a branch of the Church in that city. After organizing the Preston Branch they decided to separate and carry their message to other parts of the surround- ing country. Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, and Joseph Fielding stayed in the Preston area and continued to proselytize and organize branches. Kimball and Fielding also began to venture into the upper reaches of the river Ribble Val- ley, teaching in Walkerford and Ribchester, where they experienced further success and organized additional branches of the Church.1 Further upstream from these villages lay the small communities of Chat- burn and Downham, just south of the river Ribble and north of towering Pen- dle Hill. Some of the most spiritual experiences of the missionary effort in the upper Ribble Valley occurred in these two villages. When Heber expressed a desire to visit the villages he noted receiving a negative response from some of his companions: “Having mentioned my determination of going to Chat- burn to several of my brethren, they endeavored to dissuade me from going, CAROL WILKINSON ([email protected]) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Exercise Sciences, Brigham Young University, and an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Church History and Doctrine, BYU.
    [Show full text]
  • Melvin L. Bashore and Linda L. Haslam Historical Department The
    t} MORMONS ON THE HIGH SEAS OCEAN VOYAGE NARRATIVES TO AMERICA (1840-1890) GUIDE TO SOURCES IN THE HISTORICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS AND OTHER UTAH REPOSITORIES by Melvin L. Bashore and Linda L. Haslam Historical Department The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 1990 3rd Revised Edition Copyright 1990 by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints All Rights Reserved rt.e.HUUJ B ~ !: L: Li HHid-!, • GniCfl/\!1;1 YULH'-JC UNlVERSiT'l PHC'"_~\/(). U I ,·\H INTRODUCTION During the nineteenth-century, almost 85,000 Mormon emigrants crossed the oceans to America. Motivated by the doctrine of gathering, they were drawn to the Great Basin in droves. The missionaries who converted them also accompanied them on their ocean voyages and across the continent. While compiling a source guide to Mormon pioneer companies crossing the plains, we realized that a source guide to ocean narratives might also be valued by family researchers and historians. Past experience in providing reference assistance to researchers and historians di eta ted the focus of this source guide. Na r ra ti ves of ocean travel and shipboard life of Mormon emigrants and missionaries found in published and unpublished letters, reports, and journals were included. These were further limited to primary accounts of voyages across the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean to America. Accounts of voyages in large organized companies, small groups, or single Mormon individuals were included. Accounts of the ocean travels of Mormons departing from American ports to other countries were not included in this guide.
    [Show full text]