Widtsoe’s Digitally Released Papers Complement Church Historian’s Press Content

In the 1930s, John A. Widtsoe, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, condemned alarming trends in the Mutual Improvement Associations of the church. To the MIA board, Widtsoe said, “Unless we flavor all we do, all we have, with the message of the Prophet Joseph Smith, we are far afield.” On the MIA’s Survey Committee, he argued that every activity should have a clear purpose in the gospel plan. In doing so, Widtsoe voiced the recurring drive to retrench Latter-day Saint youth from the world, a theme traced throughout Carry On: The Latter-day Saint Young Women Organization, 1870–2024, the most recent print publication of the Church Historian’s Press.

Widtsoe’s ideas shaped church education, apologetics, and programming, and his influence can be seen in other Church Historian’s Press titles: as an associate to Emmeline B. Wells, a fellow apostle and scientist in George F. Richards’s circles, and an early source on the importance of the Relief Society.

Now, thanks to an update of the Church History Library catalog, researchers can read Widtsoe’s thoughts in his own hand. In June, the John A. Widtsoe Diaries and Notebooks, covering the period 1881 to 1952, became available digitally to the public on catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org.

Widtsoe’s diaries and notebooks chronicle his early schooling in Norway, his work as president of two Utah universities, and his thirty years of service in the Quorum of the Twelve. The release of his papers aligns with Church History Department plans to more consistently publish church leaders’ records seventy years after their deaths while respecting confidentiality concerns and privacy laws.

To learn more about the John A. Widtsoe collection and other recently released papers—including those of Lorenzo Snow and Anthon H. Lund—browse the Church History Library blog. If you have an account with ChurchofJesusChrist.org (or wish to create one), you can also subscribe to the Church History Library’s newsletter by saving your preferences at your Subscription page.