Church Historian and Recorder

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Church Historian and Recorder (usually shortened to Church Historian) is a priesthood calling in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The role of the Church Historian and Recorder is to keep an accurate and comprehensive record of the church and its activities. His office gathers history sources and preserves records, ordinances, minutes, revelations, procedures, and other documents. The Church Historian and Recorder also chairs the Historic Sites Committee and Records Management Committee, and may act as an authoritative voice of the church in historical matters.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

This office is based on revelations to Joseph Smith, Jr. calling for keeping records and preparing a church history[2]. Oliver Cowdery, the first in this position, originally recorded meeting minutes, patriarchal blessings, membership information, priesthood ordinations, and a kind of narrative church history.[1] For a time, the callings of Church Historian and Church Recorder were separate, but in 1842 these callings were merged and now the Church Historian also acts as the Church Recorder.

In 1972, the Church Historian's Office was renamed to become the Historical Department.[3] In 2000, this department was merged with the Family History Department to become the Family and Church History Department.[4] On March 12, 2008, the Church Historian separated again from the Family History Department to become the Church History Department.[5]

While the majority of Church Historians and Recorders have been general authorities of the church, there have been some exceptions to the practice.

[edit] Assistants

Church Historians and Recorders have often been assisted by individuals called to the position of Assistant Church Historian. Research assistants and other personnel are also usually employed within the Church Historian's Office, but the Church Historian and Assistant Church Historian(s) are the only ones to hold priesthood callings.

[edit] Chronology of Church Historians

No. Dates Church Historian
(general authorities in bold)		 Assistants and Recorders
(general authorities in bold)		 Notes
1830–1831 Oliver Cowdery (Acting) Although Cowdery did not receive an official call to be Church Historian, he was Joseph Smith, Jr.'s scribe and is therefore widely regarded as the first unofficial Church Historian and Recorder.
1 1831–1835 John Whitmer Whitmer was called to be the Church Historian by a revelation to Smith, which is now Doctrine and Covenants section 47. He was the first official historian of the Latter Day Saint church.
2 1835–1837 Oliver Cowdery George W. Robinson (Recorder, 1837) Beginning in 1837, the callings of Church Historian and Church Recorder were separated
3 1838 John Corrill George W. Robinson (Recorder) Corrill briefly served as Church historian before he apostatized from the church
4 1838–1840 Elias Higbee George W. Robinson (Recorder)
5 1840–1841 Robert B. Thompson Elias Higbee (Recorder)
6 1841–1842 James Sloan Elias Higbee (Recorder)
7 1842–1854 Willard Richards In 1842, the callings of Church Historian and Church Recorder were merged.
Thomas Bullock was Richards' assistant (as was Charles Wesley Wandell[6]), but the Assistant Church Historian priesthood calling wasn't given until Wilford Woodruff.[7]
8 1854–1871 George A. Smith Wilford Woodruff (Assistant, 1856–1871) Woodruff was the first Assistant Church Historian.[7]
9 1871–1874 Albert Carrington Wilford Woodruff (Assistant)
10 1874–1881 Orson Pratt Wilford Woodruff (Assistant)
1881–1883 Wilford Woodruff (Acting) After Pratt's death in 1881, no official Church Historian was chosen, but Pratt's assistant Woodruff acted as Church Historian until he was formally selected as such.
11 1883–1889 Wilford Woodruff Franklin D. Richards (Assistant, 1884[8]–1889)
12 1889–1899 Franklin D. Richards John Jaques (Assistant, 1889[8]–1900[9])
Charles W. Penrose (Assistant, 1896[8]–1904[9])
Andrew Jenson (Assistant, 1897–1841)[10]		 Penrose became a general authority when released as an Assistant.
1899–1900 Andrew Jenson and John Jaques (Acting) After Richards's death on December 9, 1899, no Church Historian was chosen until July 26, 1900.[9]
13 1900–1921 Anthon H. Lund Charles W. Penrose (Assistant, until 1904)
Andrew Jenson (Assistant)
Orson F. Whitney (Assistant, 1902–1906)[9]
A. Milton Musser (Assistant, 1902–1909)
B. H. Roberts (Assistant, 1902–1933)[10]
Joseph Fielding Smith (Assistant, 1906–1921)
A. William Lund (Assistant, 1911[9]–1971[11])		 Whitney became a general authority when released as an Assistant.
Smith became a general authority in 1910, during Lund's tenure.
14 1921–1970 Joseph Fielding Smith Andrew Jenson (Assistant, until 1941)
B. H. Roberts (Assistant, until 1933)
A. William Lund (Assistant)
Junius F. Wells (Assistant, 1921–1930)[10]
Preston Nibley (Assistant, 1957–1963)[10]
E. Earl Olson (Assistant, 1965[10]–1972[12])		 Smith's tenure as Church Historian is by far the longest in church history.
15 1970–1972 Howard W. Hunter A. William Lund (Assistant, until 1971)
E. Earl Olson (Assistant)
16 1972–1982 Leonard J. Arrington R. Davis Bitton (Assistant)[13]
James B. Allen (Assistant, 1972–1979)[14]		 Arrington was the first Church Historian who was a professionally trained historian and was the first non-general authority Church Historian since 1842.
17 1982–1985[15] G. Homer Durham Durham served as Executive Director of the Historical Department, but was never sustained as Church Historian.[citation needed]
18 1985[16]–1997[17] Dean L. Larson
19 1997[citation needed]–2001[citation needed] John K. Carmack Carmack served as Executive Director of the Historical Department (later the Family and Church History Department), but was never sustained as Church Historian.[citation needed]
20 2001[citation needed]– Marlin K. Jensen Richard E. Turley Jr. (Assistant, 2008– )[18]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b “There Shall Be a Record Kept among You”, Ensign: 28-33, December 2007, <http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=51f141dc0d186110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1> 
  2. ^ Doctrine and Covenants 21:1, 47:1, 69:3, 85:1
  3. ^ Leonard J. Arrington (1998). Adventures of a Church Historian. University of Illinois Press, 74. ISBN 0252023811. Retrieved on 2008-06-06. 
  4. ^ “Family History, History departments joined”, Church News, June 10,2000, <http://www.juvenileinstructor.org/breaking-news-changes-in-church-history-department-organization/#comment-3612>. Retrieved on 2008-06-05 
  5. ^ Jared T (March 12, 2008). Breaking News: Changes in Family and Church History Department Organization. Juvenile Instructor. Retrieved on 2008-06-06.
  6. ^ Van Wagoner, Richard S. (Spring/Summer 2001). "The Making of a Mormon Myth: The 1844 Transfiguration of Brigham Young". Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 34 (1,2). 
  7. ^ a b (Lund 1917)
  8. ^ a b c (Jenson 1914, p. xx)
  9. ^ a b c d e (Jenson 1914, p. xxxiv)
  10. ^ a b c d e (Arrington 1968, p. 66)
  11. ^ Zobell, Albert L.. "In Memoriam: A. William Lund (1886–1971)", Ensign, March 1971. Retrieved on 2008-05-28. 
  12. ^ "Church Historian’s Office Appointments", Ensign, March 1972. Retrieved on 2008-05-08. 
  13. ^ "Noted LDS historian R. Davis Bitton dies", Deseret Morning News, 2007-04-16.
  14. ^ Allen, James B. (1992). "About the Author", Men with a Mission, 1837-1841: The Quorum of the Twelve in the British Isles. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book. ISBN 0875795463. 
  15. ^ "News of the Church: Elder G. Homer Durham Dies", Engisn, Mar 1985. 
  16. ^ Hinckley, Gordon B.. "The Sustaining of Church Officers", Engisn, May 1985. 
  17. ^ Faust, James E.. "The Sustaining of Church Officers", Engisn, November 1997. 
  18. ^ "Richard E. Turley Jr. Named Assistant Church Historian and Recorder, lds.org, 2008-03-12.

[edit] References


v • d • e
Official church historians of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Whitmer (1831–1835) • Cowdery (1835–1837) • Corrill (1838) • Higbee (1838–1840) • Thompson (1840–1841) • Sloan (1841–1842) • W. Richards (1842–1854) • G.A. Smith (1854–1871) • Carrington (1871–1874) • Pratt (1874–1881) • Woodruff (1881–1889) • F.D. Richards (1889–1899) • Lund (1900–1921) • J.F. Smith (1921–1970) • Hunter (1970–1972) • Arrington (1972–1982) • Durham (1982–1985) • Larsen (1985–1989) • Carmack (1989–2001) • Jensen (2001– )
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Priesthood of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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Defunct priesthood callings