Editors Sharalyn D. Howcroft, Elizabeth A. Kuehn, and Jessica M. Nelson will share their insights about Rise Up and Speak: Selected Discourses of Eliza R. Snow during a special event at Benchmark Books in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, 18 March. The event will go from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The editors will speak at 6:00 p.m. They will also be available to answer questions and sign books. To RSVP on Facebook, click <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/1C3VGa3QAr/" title="Original URL: https://benchmarkbooks.us13.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f467f50f87cdbdcd94331a26a&amp;id=dd41c25eb1&amp;e=03b93c6fdd. Click or tap if you trust this link.">here</a>.


Date: Wednesday, 18 March


Time: 5:30–7:30 p.m. (Presentation at 6:00 p.m.)


Location: Benchmark Books, 3269 S. Main St. #250, Salt Lake City

Editors Sharalyn D. Howcroft, Elizabeth A. Kuehn, and Jessica M. Nelson will share their insights about Rise Up and Speak: Selected Discourses of Eliza R. Snow during a special event at Benchmark Books on Wednesday, 18 March.

Join Benchmark Books for an Evening with the Editors of Rise Up and Speak

Carry On

Journals of Early Sister Missionaries

The Prison Journal of Belle Harris

The Discourses of Eliza R. Snow

The Diaries of Emmeline B. Wells

The Journal of George F. Richards

At the Pulpit

The First Fifty Years of Relief Society

The Journal of George Q. Cannon

The Joseph Smith Papers

News

Publication from the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

SALT LAKE CITY—The Church Historian’s Press today announced the publication of a new book, Rise Up and Speak: Selected Discourses of Eliza R. Snow. This book features fifty-two of Eliza R. Snow’s discourses and reveals the breadth of her service and leadership in the early Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served as a founder, secretary, and general president of the Relief Society, and as a friend, teacher, writer, temple worker, and supporter of organizations for children and young women.
During the mid-to late 1800s, Snow traveled throughout Utah and Idaho Territories, ministering to women and energizing her audiences with her gusto for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Relief Society secretaries and others recorded her discourses in minute books and newspapers. In 2018, researchers from the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began scouring those minute books and newspapers to find and transcribe Snow’s words. More than two thousand such records were examined and nearly thirteen hundred of Snow’s discourses were found, all of which have been published on the Church Historian’s Press <a href="https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/eliza-r-snow?lang=eng">website</a>.
From those discourses, historians selected fifty-two of the most powerful and timeless to be featured in Rise Up and Speak. The discourses have been fully annotated and contextualized to give readers clear insights into Snow’s teachings and times. Additionally, punctuation, spelling, and grammar have been standardized to help modern readers understand Snow’s words more easily.
Snow’s discourses demonstrate her faith in Jesus Christ and her fervor for living and sharing the gospel. Her instruction includes admonitions for women to awaken to their divine potential, remain engaged in their faith, become politically involved and vote, and unite in support of each other. She frequently urged women to “rise up and speak”—to overcome fears in public speaking and to minister to each other and to their communities.
Dr. Jennifer Reeder, a historian from the Church History Department, led the project to gather and digitally publish all the discourses and served as the lead editor for the book. “It was a privilege to come to know Eliza R. Snow,” Reeder said, “to learn more about her life as she shared different stories with different congregations, to understand her gospel teachings, especially about the role of women, and to come to know some of the women she worked with in the widespread settlements of the church.”
A free exhibit will be hosted at the Church History Library to accompany the publication. The exhibit features photographs of Snow, souvenirs from her travels, and original manuscripts of her writings. Visitors can view the exhibit between February 27 and September 8, 2026. The library is located at 15 E. North Temple Street in Salt Lake City.
Rise Up and Speak demonstrates the continued commitment of the Church Historian’s Press to publish and share Latter-day Saint women’s history. It may be seen as a companion to earlier publications from the press such as The First Fifty Years of Relief Society: Key Documents in Latter-day Saint Women’s History, At the Pulpit: 185 Years of Discourses by Latter-day Saint Women, and Carry On: The Latter-day Saint Young Women Organization, 1970–2024.
Rise Up and Speak: Selected Discourses of Eliza R. Snow is available at <a href="https://www.deseretbook.com/product/PR00001560.html">Deseret Book</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Up-Speak-Selected-Discourses/dp/1639935061/">Amazon</a>, and other retail outlets. Visit the <a href="https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/eliza-r-snow/purchase">Church Historian’s Press website</a> for more information.

The Church Historian’s Press today announced the publication of a new book, Rise Up and Speak: Selected Discourses of Eliza R. Snow. This book features fifty-two of Eliza R. Snow’s discourses and reveals the breadth of her service and leadership in the early Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

New Book Rise Up and Speak Highlights the Discourses of Eliza R. Snow

SALT LAKE CITY—The Church Historian’s Press today published fifteen years of additional entries from the journals of George F. Richards, who served as an apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1906 to 1950.
The newly released material, dating from March 1915 through December 1930, documents Richards’s time as president of the European Mission during World War I, his appointment as Salt Lake Temple president, and his continued service as an apostle for the church. His record of such assignments offers insights into early twentieth-century church history and provides biographical information for this important apostolic leader.
At the time of Richards’s appointment as president of the European Mission in June 1916, the “Great War” was raging across Europe. He was instructed not to take his family overseas until it was safer to make the voyage. Richards wrote in his journal that the assignment “<a href="https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1910s/1916/1916-06#:~:text=broke%20up%20my%20wifes%20feelings%20and%20the%20children%20cried%20with%20her.">broke up my wifes feelings and the children cried with her.</a>” He also wrote, “<a href="https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1910s/1916/1916-06#:~:text=It%20is%20pleasing%20to%20the%20Lord%20that%20we%20love%20one%20another%20so%20it%20can%20not%20be%20an%20offense%20that%20we%20sorrow%20at%20parting.">It is pleasing to the Lord that we love one another so it can not be an offense that we sorrow at parting.</a>”
When Richards crossed the ocean in August, German submarines were a constant threat to merchant ships, though passenger boats were ostensibly safe. “<a href="https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1910s/1916/1916-08#:~:text=My%20present%20feelings%20are%20that%20our%20people%20should%20not%20imperil%20their%20lives%20by%20travel%20to%20or%20from%20England%20on%20belligerent%20ships.%20I%20could%20%5Bp.%C2%A0182%5D%20not%20conscienciously%20advise%20it%20after%20my%20experiences%20of%20this%20trip.">My present feelings,</a>” he recorded in his journal, “<a href="https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1910s/1916/1916-08#:~:text=My%20present%20feelings%20are%20that%20our%20people%20should%20not%20imperil%20their%20lives%20by%20travel%20to%20or%20from%20England%20on%20belligerent%20ships.%20I%20could%20%5Bp.%C2%A0182%5D%20not%20conscienciously%20advise%20it%20after%20my%20experiences%20of%20this%20trip.">are that our people should not imperil their lives by travel to or from England on belligerent ships. I could not conscienciously advise it after my experiences of this trip.</a>” The night before landfall, Richards slept poorly due to “<a href="https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1910s/1916/1916-08#:~:text=The%20anxiety%20%26%20fear%20of%20submarines">the anxiety &amp; fear of submarines.</a>” But he arrived in England safely and attended meetings the same day he disembarked.
Upon his arrival, Richards found that the practicalities of war upturned many norms. “<a href="http://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1910s/1916/1916-11#:~:text=These%20are%20war,in%20the%20Church">These are war times when women do men’s work. . . . We are trying to employ our women in officering our auxiliary associations, doing branch teaching, praying and preaching in the meetings &amp;c.</a>” He also utilized sister missionaries effectively: “<a href="http://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1910s/1916/1916-11#:~:text=These%20are%20war,in%20the%20Church">During the past three months we have called, set apart and issued missionary certificates to about 270 lady missionaries. These are doing good work. . . . I feel very much encouraged in my work thus far and believe the Lord has inspired these new movements of woman’s work in the Church.</a>”
Richards’s wife, Alice, remained home for most of her husband’s mission. Richards paid tribute to Alice, whom he frequently called “mother” in his journal, in an April 1918 journal entry: “<a href="https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1910s/1918/1918-04#:~:text=I%20bought%20a%20silk,bless%20her%20for%20ever.">I bought a silk hand bag and registered it to Mother for a birth day present which comes on May 14th. . . . She is the mother of fifteen children and grandmother to nineteen. She is one of the best women alive. As wife and mother she is ideal. It is now more than twenty months since I bid her good bye and started for this country to preside over the European Mission. She is conducting the affairs at home in a highly satisfactory manner and her love of me rings true as ever. I thank the Lord for her and may He bless her for ever.</a>” Five months later, Richards confided in his journal, “<a href="https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1910s/1918/1918-09#:~:text=Absence%20from%20wife%20and%20children%20is%20the%20most%20and%20severest%20trial.">Absence from wife and children is the most and severest trial</a>” and recorded at the end of 1918, “<a href="https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1910s/1918/1918-12#:~:text=I%20dreamed%20that%20I%20held%20my%20wife%20in%20a%20loving%20embrace%20and%20when%20I%20awoke%20I%20was%20hugging%20myself.">I dreamed that I held my wife in a loving embrace and when I awoke I was hugging myself.</a>” After the armistice of 11 November 1918 effectively ended the war, Alice was finally free to leave Salt Lake City and join her husband in early 1919. Upon reuniting after 31 months, Richards simply noted in his journal, “<a href="https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1910s/1919/1919-03#:~:text=It%20was%20one%20of%20the%20happiest%20days%20in%20my%20life%20or%20hers.">It was one of the happiest days in my life or hers.</a>” When Richards arrived home in summer 1919 after three years of service, his “<a href="https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1910s/1919/1919-07#:~:text=Most%20all%20our%20family%20members%20were%20at%20the%20railway%20station%20to%20meet%20us%20and%20from%20there%20we%20went%20to%20our%20home%20on%201010%20Third%20Ave.%20where%20we%20had%20a%20grand%20reunion%20and%20most%20happy%20time.">grand reunion</a>” with his children and grandchildren was a “<a href="https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1910s/1919/1919-07#:~:text=Most%20all%20our%20family%20members%20were%20at%20the%20railway%20station%20to%20meet%20us%20and%20from%20there%20we%20went%20to%20our%20home%20on%201010%20Third%20Ave.%20where%20we%20had%20a%20grand%20reunion%20and%20most%20happy%20time.">most happy time.</a>”
In 1921, Richards began yet another major assignment: that of Salt Lake Temple president. His work in the temple dominated his time and is documented in his journal. Richards near daily spoke of working at the temple “as usual.” He oversaw volunteer ordinance workers and facilitated the smooth operation of the sacred ordinances that occurred in the edifice. During 1924 the temple showed signs of wear, and Richards’s record reports that it underwent some cosmetic remodeling. For example, “<a href="https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1920s/1924/1924-08#:~:text=We%20had%20about%20three%20or%20four%20sq.%20yds.%20of%20plaster%20removed%20from%20the%20west%20wall%20of%20the%20Garden%20room%20this%20morning.%20It%20was%20coming%20loose%20from%20the%20wall%20%26%20falling%20off.%20We%20have%20the%20painters%20at%20work%20also%20the%20Upholster%2C%20and%20the%20cleaners%20%26c.">We had about three or four sq. yds. of plaster removed from the west wall of the Garden room this morning. It was coming loose from the wall &amp; falling off. We have the painters at work also the upholster, and the cleaners &amp;c.</a>” The work of ensuring the sacred nature of the temple never ended. But Richards found comfort in the work. “<a href="https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1920s/1921/1921-10#:~:text=Stormy%20dark%20day%20but%20all%20is%20bright%20and%20pleasant%20in%20the%20Lords%E2%80%99%20house.">Stormy dark day,</a>” he commented one October morning, “<a href="https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1920s/1921/1921-10#:~:text=Stormy%20dark%20day%20but%20all%20is%20bright%20and%20pleasant%20in%20the%20Lords%E2%80%99%20house.">but all is bright and pleasant in the Lord’s house.</a>”
Richards’s journal is a remarkable source for early twentieth-century church history and Richards’s own life. In 1916, Richards commented on his journal: “<a href="https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1910s/1916/1916-03#:~:text=These%20are%20anxious%20times%20Fire%20floods%2C%20war%20%26%20rumor%20of%20wars%20every%20where%20afloat.%20I%20do%20not%20mention%20these%20things%20often%20in%20my%20journal.%20History%20will%20%5Bp.%C2%A057%5D%20reveal%20the%20facts%20better%20than%20I%20can.">These are anxious times Fire floods, war &amp; rumor of wars every where afloat. I do not mention these things often in my journal. History will reveal the facts better than I can.</a>” Later that same year, the constant effort to keep up with his journal became too much: “<a href="https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1910s/1916/1916-09#:~:text=I%20find%20I%20have%20been%20writing%20more%20in%20detail%20of%20my%20work%20in%20my%20journal%20than%20is%20necessary%20and%20to%20save%20time%20I%20intend%20to%20cut%20shorter%20my%20journal%20history%20for%20it%20is%20doubtful%20if%20it%20will%20ever%20be%20made%20use%20of.">I find I have been writing more in detail of my work in my journal than is necessary and to save time I intend to cut shorter my journal history for it is doubtful if it will ever be made use of.</a>” Eight years later—still writing in his journal almost daily—he commented again on the purpose of his autobiographical writing: “<a href="https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1920s/1924/1924-07#:~:text=I%20think%20that%20from%20this%20time%20forth%20I%20shall%20write%20in%20my%20journal%20with%20the%20thought%20that%20it%20may%20sometime%20be%20read%20by%20someone%20other%20than%20myself.">I think that from this time forth I shall write in my journal with the thought that it may sometime be read by someone other than myself.</a>” Richards’s dedication to his journal brings insight, inspiration, and accuracy to those wishing for a glimpse into the life of an early twentieth-century Latter-day Saint apostle.
The transcripts of the journal are available at <a href="https://churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards">churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards</a>.
<h3 xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">About the Church Historian’s Press</h3>
The Church Historian’s Press was announced in 2008 by the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Joseph Smith Papers was the first publication to bear the imprint. The press publishes works of Latter-day Saint history that meet high standards of scholarship. For more information, visit the <a href="https://churchhistorianspress.org/">Church Historian’s Press website</a>.

The Church Historian’s Press today published fifteen years of additional entries from the journals of George F. Richards, who served as an apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1906 to 1950.

Newly Published Journal Entries Document Fifteen Years of George F. Richards&rsquo;s Life

SALT LAKE CITY—The first extended scholarly history of the Young Women organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is available now from the Church Historian’s Press. Titled Carry On: The Latter-day Saint Young Women Organization, 1870–2024, this volume advances the growing body of scholarship on Latter-day Saint women’s history and on women, religion, youth, and childhood generally.
Carry On traces the growth of Young Women—originally called the Young Ladies’ Department of the Ladies’ Cooperative Retrenchment Association—from a small group of Brigham Young’s daughters into today’s global organization. Drawing on the Church History Library’s wealth of correspondence, minutes, oral histories, and other records, the book chronicles the organization’s commitment to its religious mission over 150 years of social change.
Readers will follow celebrated leaders like Ruth May Fox, Ardeth G. Kapp, and Emily Belle Freeman as they shape familiar programs—including Bee-Hive Girls, Personal Progress, and Young Women camp—to engage young women in an increasingly global church. Personal stories from individual young women complement the institutional narrative, showing the organization’s influence in the lives of Latter-day Saint women throughout its history.
“Carry On is a landmark publication for the Church History Department,” said Lisa Olsen Tait, one of the book’s authors and the department’s managing historian for women’s history. “It provides a new perspective on church history through lenses such as generational dynamics, female leadership, institutional development, and cultural change. Joining the department’s growing body of work on the Relief Society and the diaries and sermons of women over time, Carry On deepens and extends our commitment to women’s history.”
Carry On: The Latter-day Saint Young Women Organization, 1870–2024 is available at <a href="https://www.deseretbook.com/product/6071249.html?utm_source=CHP&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=CHP-6071249">Deseret Book</a>, <a href="https://a.co/d/4n2UMJX">Amazon</a>, and other retail outlets. Visit the <a href="http://www.churchhistorianspress.org/young-women">Church Historian’s Press website</a> for more information, including some excerpts from the volume.
<h3 xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">About the Church Historian’s Press</h3>
The Church Historian’s Press publishes high-quality scholarship on Latter-day Saint history, such as The Joseph Smith Papers, The First Fifty Years of Relief Society, and At the Pulpit. The Church Historian’s Press was announced by the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2008.

The first extended scholarly history of the Young Women organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is available now from the Church Historian’s Press.

History of Latter-day Saint Young Women Organization Available in New Book Carry On

SALT LAKE CITY—The Church Historian’s Press today announced the online publication of three additional volumes of the journal of George F. Richards, who served as an apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1906 to 1950. Seventeen volumes of a planned twenty-four are now available to the public.
The newly released volumes, dating from August 1911 to February 1915, document Richards’s travels and activities as an apostle and also cover many family and personal developments. These three journals also document his observations of tragedy, the beginning of international conflict, and war.
In early 1912, Richards wrote about the loss of the Titanic and many of its passengers after the steam liner struck an iceberg and sank in the Atlantic Ocean. He called it “one of the catastrophies of this century” in his 18 April 1912 entry. Little did he know that two years later, World War I would begin. On 8 September 1914, after war had broken out throughout much of Europe, Richards wrote, “The war news of Europe claims a part of my time each day though I scarcely ever mention it in my diary.” Less than twenty days later, however, he commented on the growing crisis in Europe: “The war in France between the Allies French &amp; English and the Germans is being waged with continued fierceness. Also the Russians &amp; Austrians are doing bloody work. Other nations are also at war and Mexico is just in the throes of another revolution which may however, be averted by the Kind offices of the United States government. Surely there never was so far as I have heard such a battle of world powers. The casulties are reported by the thousands almost daily.” But Richards had reason for personal concern: immediately following these comments, he recorded, “My son LeGrand is still in Holland presiding over the Netherlands Mission” (25 September 1914).
Richards wrote faithfully to LeGrand, who had been called to preside over the Netherlands Mission in 1913. The beginning of World War I must have worried both men. On 1 October 1914, Richards wrote that the church’s First Presidency received a “cable gram” giving word of the safe arrival in England of the missionaries from the Swiss and German mission and reporting that “all Continental missionaries released: All well.” Richards interpreted that message “to include Holland so suppose LeGrand &amp; family will soon be leaving Holland for home or some other mission.” However, two weeks later Richards summarized a letter from LeGrand stating that LeGrand’s wife, Ina Jane, was “not in a condition to make the journey home &amp; that they will be obliged to remain in Holland or England for some time” (13 October 1914). Ina Jane was in the final stages of her pregnancy; two and half months later, Richards noted, “A letter from our son LeGrand now in Holland dated Dec 9th announces the birth of a fine baby girl on the 8th” (28 December 1914).
His personal connection likely intensifying the experience, Richards observed and processed in his journal the horrors of the war as reported in the newspapers. He wrote on 28 September 1914: “To-days paper announces that Siberia has declared war against Austria &amp; Germany in Sympathy with Russia. The war news indicates bloody fighting on enormous scale both in Austria and France with thousands laying down their lives every day and many thousands wounded daily. I think of the widows &amp; fatherless; of Parents, sisters &amp; others in mourning, and the poverty &amp; distress &amp; pestilence to follow. May the Lord over rule all for good and strengthen those who are tried for their trials. I thank the Lord for peace here &amp; pray its extension.” Perhaps feeling a sense of helplessness, he wrote in his journal on 1 December 1914 that he “sent to LeGrand in Holland $20.00 to distribute among the poor. Also mailed to him a copy of the Oct. Con[ference] Pamphlet at his request.”
The transcripts of the journal are available at <a href="https://churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards">churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards</a>.
<h3 xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">About the Church Historian’s Press</h3>
The Church Historian’s Press was announced in 2008 by the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Joseph Smith Papers was the first publication to bear the imprint. The press publishes works of Latter-day Saint history that meet high standards of scholarship. For more information, visit the <a href="https://churchhistorianspress.org/">Church Historian’s Press website</a>.

The Church Historian’s Press, an imprint of the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, announces the publication of three additional volumes of the journal of apostle George F. Richards.

Three Additional Volumes of George F. Richards’s Journal Published

SALT LAKE CITY—The Joseph Smith Papers Project has released <a href="https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/articles/legal-records-case-introductions">Legal Records: Case Introductions</a>, a historical study aid that contextualizes Joseph Smith’s interactions with the law as a plaintiff/complainant, defendant, witness, or judge in approximately two hundred cases between 1819 and 1844. Available as an e-book only, Legal Records: Case Introductions is a compilation of historical introductions previously published at josephsmithpapers.org.
The project also announces the completion of its online <a href="https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/the-papers/legal-records">Legal Records series</a>. This series represents decades of dedicated research by attorneys, archivists, and historians who have scoured courthouses, repositories, and private manuscript collections to illuminate the legal experiences of Joseph Smith, founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It features extant case files from 150 legal cases heard during his lifetime; it also summarizes 43 cases for which no papers have survived, as reconstructed from other sources. Finally, the Legal Records series features documents from the 1845 trial of Joseph Smith’s accused assassins, as well as the records of his estate and twelve cases brought against it. High-resolution images and transcriptions of all available documents from the legal cases involving Joseph Smith can now be found on the project website.
Legal Records: Case Introductions brings together in a single volume the historical introductions from the Legal Records series, along with explanatory essays on Joseph Smith’s criminal and civil proceedings, his role as a judge in Nauvoo, Illinois, and the Nauvoo Municipal Court’s use of habeas corpus.
This e-book will be particularly useful for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints studying the life of Joseph Smith, said David W. Grua, lead historian on the series. “These legal papers provide an illuminating window into various aspects of his financial endeavors in building Zion, his interactions with his antagonists, and his efforts to administer the law fairly as a judge. In addition, legal encounters shaped some of his most significant religious teachings and revelations.”
This volume will also benefit researchers interested in nineteenth-century legal and religious history in the United States. It offers glimpses into the treatment of women and racial minorities, as well as religious minorities, under the law during this period.
Legal Records: Case Introductions is available for purchase at <a href="https://www.deseretbook.com/product/6070792.html">Deseret Book</a> and on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Smiths-Legal-Cases-Introductions-ebook/dp/B0D1S6PKHT">Amazon</a>.

The Joseph Smith Papers Project has released Legal Records: Case Introductions, a historical study aid that contextualizes Joseph Smith’s interactions with the law as a plaintiff/complainant, defendant, witness, or judge in approximately two hundred cases between 1819 and 1844.

Joseph Smith Papers Publishes Guide to Approximately 200 Legal Cases

SALT LAKE CITY—The Church Historian’s Press is pleased to announce the digital publication of the diaries of Eliza Chipman and Josephine Booth, two of the first young women to serve as full-time missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The journals and accompanying materials are available online at <a href="http://churchhistorianspress.org/early-sister-missionaries">churchhistorianspress.org/early-sister-missionaries</a>.
In 2012, the church’s First Presidency lowered the age of eligibility for sister missionaries to nineteen years. Since then, women have stepped forward in greater numbers to preach the gospel in every corner of the world. More than ten thousand young Latter-day Saint women are now serving full-time missions.
Chipman and Booth were pioneering figures who served as missionary companions 125 years ago in Scotland. Chipman was the second companion of Inez Knight. In 1898, Knight and her friend Jennie Brimhall became the first young single women ever called to serve as missionaries for the church. Booth was Chipman’s second companion. This first cohort of sister missionaries paved the way for the tens of thousands of women who would follow.
These two significant journals provide a detailed view of the Latter-day Saint missionary experience at the turn of the twentieth century. Modern-day missionaries will quickly recognize just how much that experience has changed in the intervening century. For example, missionaries no longer work independently of their companions, take brief personal trips, teach in mixed-gender pairs, or participate in secular entertainment. Today’s missionaries also use a more uniform teaching approach than their predecessors. On the other hand, many aspects of Chipman’s and Booth’s experience will resonate with today’s readers: frequent rejection, tension between companions with different personalities, anxiety about speaking frequently in public, the excitement of experiencing a new place and culture, and the joy of helping others draw closer to God.
The publication of Journals of Early Sister Missionaries is part of a larger effort to add depth and diversity to the Church Historian’s Press website. “Our hope is to make the website a premier destination for research on Latter-day Saint history,” said Matthew McBride, director of publications for the Church History Department. “One way we do this is making important primary sources available, accessible, and searchable.” The website already features significant diaries such as those of Emmeline B. Wells and George Q. Cannon. “We are also working on improvements to the website, including an updated search that will make it more useful to scholars and others,” McBride added.
Lisa Tait, a manager and women’s history specialist with the Church History Department, observed, “Publishing the Booth and Chipman journals is also a reflection of the Church History Department’s ongoing commitment to highlighting the voices and experiences of Latter-day Saint women.” Significant publications about women’s history already featured on the site include The First Fifty Years of Relief Society, At the Pulpit, and the Discourses of Eliza R. Snow.
<h3 xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">About the Church Historian’s Press</h3>
The Church Historian’s Press was announced in 2008 by the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Joseph Smith Papers was the first publication to bear the imprint. The press publishes works of Latter-day Saint history that meet high standards of scholarship. For more information, visit the <a href="https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/?lang=eng">Church Historian’s Press website</a>.

The Church Historian’s Press is pleased to announce the digital publication of the diaries of Eliza Chipman and Josephine Booth, two of the first young women to serve as full-time missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Church Historian’s Press Publishes Journals of Two Pioneering Sister Missionaries

SALT LAKE CITY—The Church Historian’s Press today announced the online publication of two additional volumes of the journal of George F. Richards, who served as an apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1906 to 1950. Fourteen volumes of a planned twenty-four are <a href="/george-f-richards">now available to the public</a>.
The newly released volumes, dating from November 1909 to August 1911, document Richards’s activities as an apostle and also include many family and personal developments. Within the pages of his journals, Richards frequently documented short summaries of the counsel he gave to fellow Latter-day Saints during speaking engagements. For instance, of a 21 November 1909 meeting, he recorded: “I spoke upon the Subject of the Atonement. We sympathize with those we love when they are in pain or in trouble. Jesus loved his brothers &amp; sisters and his heart was broken by their prospects of sorrow and condemnation as a result of wickedness.” His journals also capture his desire to live the gospel more fully: “I assisted a lady off [a train] car and on to tooele train who had a child and a suitcase,” he wrote on 3 January 1910. “Resolved that I would seek oppertunities to do good and show kindness. Gave my seat in car to a lady as I often do when I have oppertunity.”
Health concerns were particularly challenging for Richards and his family during this period. Richards suffered from excessive moisture from his tear ducts. After trying many alternatives, he finally chose surgery to remove some bones from his nose. The 9 December 1909 surgery was largely ineffective, and his recovery was slow and uncomfortable. Ultimately Richards underwent additional surgery on 3 February 1910, which apparently resolved the issue. Later that spring, his wife, Alice, began suffering from nerve pain in her leg (sciatica), which caused her to remain bedridden for weeks. In July, an outbreak of scarlet fever in the Richards family forced them into quarantine. Despite his concern for his family’s health, Richards enjoyed the respite from his busy apostolic work. On 23 July 1910, ten days into quarantine, Richards wrote that “the confinement is no hardship to me. The oppertunity for study is appreciated. It would be appreciated the more if I could send out letters so I could carry on my correspondence with my folks &amp; friends.” The time alone left him ample chance to reflect upon the past poor health of his family and its slow improvement. On the final day of July, he recorded in his diary: “My health is good: never better that I know of. I have a good appetite, eate heartily and experience no discomfort there from. Alice is free from sciatica which gave her such pain and inconvenience during May and June months. My mother’s health is fairly good. The world is beautiful The Lord is good to us; the gospel is true. May the name of the Lord be praised for ever.”
His family’s good health did not last. Despite his full schedule, Richards dedicated himself to nearly daily visits with his mother, Nanny Longstroth Richards. On 7 January 1911, Richards was in a meeting when he was notified that his mother’s already declining health had turned for the worse. “I was excused [from the meeting] and making all haste arrived at Asenath’s at 1:40 P.M. and Mother died about 1:53 P.M.,” he wrote. “I had not expected her to go so soon but since she had to go, I acknowledge God’s providence and am thankful she did not linger longer to suffer.” Nanny was nearly eighty-three years old when she died.
Richards’s dedication to keeping his journal makes it a remarkable source for early twentieth-century church history. His 25 November 1909 entry provides one of many examples of this dedication: After a full day of visiting family, traveling via train to his home, and visiting with church leaders, Richards reported that he “went to sleep writing [in] my journal.” Richards’s regular and dedicated journaling allows later generations to better understand the life of this man, his family, and the church he served.
The transcripts of the journal are available at <a href="https://churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards">churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards</a>.
<h3 align="left" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">About the Church Historian’s Press</h3>
The Church Historian’s Press was announced in 2008 by the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Joseph Smith Papers was the first publication to bear the imprint. The press publishes works of Latter-day Saint history that meet high standards of scholarship. For more information, visit the <a href="https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/?lang=eng">Church Historian’s Press website</a>.

The Church Historian’s Press, an imprint of the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, announces the publication of two additional volumes of the journal of apostle George F. Richards.

Two Additional Volumes of George F. Richards’s Journal Published

SALT LAKE CITY—The Church Historian’s Press announced today that the seventh Joseph Smith Papers Conference will be held on Friday and Saturday, September 15–16, 2023, at the Conference Center Theater in Salt Lake City.
To commemorate the publication of the final print volume of The Joseph Smith Papers, this conference will examine the entire project and engage with the following question: What have we learned from the Joseph Smith Papers Project? Over thirty presenters will explore major themes of the papers, assess the project’s value for scholars and Latter-day Saints, and reflect on the work of publishing nearly thirty volumes of Joseph Smith’s documents. The keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Laurie F. Maffly-Kipp, Archer Alexander Distinguished Professor, Washington University in St. Louis. Opening remarks will be delivered by President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
This event is free to attend, but <a href="https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/articles/2023-joseph-smith-papers-conference-registration">registration is required</a>. A free, catered lunch will be provided at the conference venue on both days for the first three hundred registered attendees. Those who are unable to attend in person will be able to view a live stream of the proceedings. Registration, the conference schedule, and additional details are available at josephsmithpapers.org.
<h3 xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">About the Joseph Smith Papers Project</h3>
The Joseph Smith Papers Project is an effort to gather together all extant Joseph Smith documents and to publish complete and accurate transcripts of those documents with both textual and contextual annotation. All such documents will be published electronically on <a href="https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/">the project website</a>, and a large number of the documents have been published in <a href="https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/articles/published-volumes">print</a>. The print and electronic publications constitute an essential resource for scholars and students of the life and work of Joseph Smith, early Latter-day Saint history, and nineteenth-century American religion. For the first time, all of Joseph Smith’s known surviving papers, which include many of the foundational documents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will be easily accessible in one place.
<h3 xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">About the Church Historian’s Press</h3>
The Church Historian’s Press was announced in 2008 by the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Joseph Smith Papers was the first publication to bear the imprint. The press publishes works of Latter-day Saint history that meet high standards of scholarship. For more information, visit the <a href="https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/">Church Historian’s Press website</a>.

The seventh Joseph Smith Papers Conference will be held on Friday and Saturday, September 15–16, 2023, at the Conference Center Theater in Salt Lake City. Free registration for the conference is now open.