History Revisited

After two decades, Church celebrates final volume of the Joseph Smith Papers project

‘Those who opposed Joseph Smith thought that his death would be the end of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In fact, it was just the beginning,’ says Elder Bednar

By Trent Toone June 27, 2023 7:51 p.m. EDT

The final print volume of the Joseph Smith Papers is pictured at the Church History Library in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, June 27, 2023.

History Revisited

After two decades, Church celebrates final volume of the Joseph Smith Papers project

‘Those who opposed Joseph Smith thought that his death would be the end of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In fact, it was just the beginning,’ says Elder Bednar

By Trent Toone June 27, 2023 7:51 p.m. EDT

After more than 20 years of work and 27 volumes, Church leaders and historians gathered in the Church History Library on the morning of Tuesday, June 27, to celebrate the release of the final Joseph Smith Papers volume.

The last volume, “Documents, Vol. 15,” which features documents from the last six weeks of Joseph Smith’s life, was published on the 179th anniversary of the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith in Carthage Jail in Carthage, Illinois.

Final Joseph Smith Papers volume examines Prophet’s last 6 weeks and martyrdom

Speaking to a room full of historians and editors, Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said it seems appropriate that the final volume be released on this significant date.

“In a rather parallel way, those who opposed Joseph Smith thought that his death would be the end of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In fact, it was just the beginning,” Elder Bednar said. “Could I suggest to you that the real value of the Joseph Smith Papers has not even been, even in the smallest measure, fully realized?”

The Prophet Joseph Smith Jr. and his older brother Hyrum Smith are depicted in a statue on horseback at sunset in Nauvoo on Monday, June 5, 2023.

Elder Bednar was joined at the event by Elder Gerrit W. Gong, also a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. They were accompanied by Elder Kyle S. McKay, a General Authority Seventy who serves as the Church’s Historian and Recorder, as well as Gail Miller and her husband, Kim Wilson, who contributed significant financial resources to the project.

Elder Bednar said the reach by historians and scholars into the past “portends remarkable things for the reach into the future.”

“What will now be possible, given the lessons learned and all the work that has been done to prepare these documents, will only make us more effective in telling the story of the ongoing Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in all the world as we move into the future,” he said. “There are remarkable blessings that have come because of this work in the lives of individuals and to the Church itself. All I would simply say is, ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet.’”

Elder David A. Bednar, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaks during a Church History Department event commemorating the final print volume of the Joseph Smith Papers at the Church History Library in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, June 27, 2023.

The Joseph Smith Papers

The Joseph Smith Papers project makes available to the public all documents created by or related to Joseph Smith. The project has officially produced 27 volumes and a website, josephsmithpapers.org. All 27 volumes were lined up on a table next to a display of several historical documents featured in the papers.

“It is a marvelous thing, and it represents decades of effort,” Elder McKay said.

Each document has been carefully transcribed and annotated according to scholarly standards. Each volume has been reviewed by an advisory board of respected scholars, including both Latter-day Saints and non-Latter-day Saints.

More than 600 people have worked on the project at various times over the last 22 years.

Represented in the 27 volumes are:

1,306 journal entries
643 letters
155 revelations
18,882 pages
7,452,072 words
49,687 footnotes

Elder Gong noted there are even “meticulous footnotes on footnotes, which our colleagues affectionately call ‘toe-notes.’”

Joseph Smith’s first journal entry, from Nov. 27, 1832, is pictured at the Church History Library during a Church History Department event commemorating the final print volume of the Joseph Smith Papers in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, June 27, 2023.

“This project represents a significant investment by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, unprecedented by almost any standard,” Elder Gong said.

He identified two objectives of the massive project: “First, to be complete and accurate about our past, with full confidence in the integrity of our founding Prophet. And second, to understand our early history and gain a clearer view of God’s hand in that history.”

Careful work by Church scholars in presenting and contextualizing the Joseph Smith Papers has made the project “a leader in the world of document editing, both for its in-depth scholarship and for its website as a matter of accessibility,” Elder Gong said.

Elder Gerrit W. Gong, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaks during a Church History Department event commemorating the final print volume of the Joseph Smith Papers at the Church History Library in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, June 27, 2023.

Church History Department statement

The Church History Department prepared a statement that Elder McKay read during the event:

“The project demonstrates how from its earliest days, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has taken seriously the divine charge to keep a record. The Joseph Smith Papers invites fair-minded people to listen to the voices and read the records of Joseph Smith and the early Saints if they wish to evaluate the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

“We know of no other modern religious leader whose life and papers have been examined and shared with such thoroughness. This project declares to the world that the history of the Church of Jesus Christ can withstand scrutiny and that Joseph Smith’s life deserves to be studied. It allows the Church to speak with full confidence about the remarkable life and divine calling of the first Prophet of the Restoration.”

Brooke Jurges watches a handoff of “Documents, Vol. 15” of the Joseph Smith Papers during a Church History Department event.

Generous support

Before his death in 2009, Larry H. Miller, a prominent Utah businessman, and his family made substantial financial contributions to the Joseph Smith Papers. The Church will honor the Miller family for their generosity at a special dinner.

“We express deep appreciation to the Larry H. and Gail Miller family, who have generously supported the Joseph Smith Papers project from its inception until today,” Elder Gong said. “Their deep spiritual commitment has been crucial to this effort.”

Elder McKay praised the Miller family for continuing to support the project despite Larry Miller’s untimely death and uncertain economic times.

“They have given generously, and we have been blessed by it,” Elder McKay said.

Brent Rogers, managing historian of the Joseph Smith Papers, and Matt Godfrey, general editor of the Joseph Smith Papers, talk during a Church History Department event commemorating the final print volume of the Joseph Smith Papers at the Church History Library in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, June 27, 2023.

Historians express gratitude

Several historians and editors of the final Joseph Smith Papers volume expressed gratitude for the opportunity to contribute to the project.

Sitting on the front row during the event, Ronald Esplin, a general editor who witnessed the project from start to finish, reflected on a kickoff meeting at Brigham Young University in June 2001 in which Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles told scholars that if they did the project the right way, it would, as Elder Bednar said, be “just the beginning.” Elder Maxwell died in 2004.

“Elder Maxwell envisioned something beyond these volumes, and one of my regrets is he didn’t live to see any volumes published. [He said] there are even greater things that will come out of this than you have imagined,” Esplin said. “We look back now 20 years later, and we can see that it’s had an impact beyond the volumes, beyond the website.”

Ron Esplin, general editor of the Joseph Smith Papers, R. Eric Smith, general editor of the Joseph Smith Papers, and Kyle S. McKay, Church historian and recorder, talk during a Church History Department event commemorating the final print volume of the Joseph Smith Papers at the Church History Library in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, June 27, 2023.

Matthew Godfrey, a general editor, said it was gratifying seeing the project come to an end. He sees the Joseph Smith Papers as a symbol of the Church’s effort to be transparent and take its history seriously.

“This is a wonderful resource that I think will benefit scholars for generations,” Godfrey said.

Brent Rogers, a managing historian on the project, stood next to the row of Joseph Smith Papers volumes with a look of deep satisfaction on his face.

“It feels good to look at this run of volumes and know how much work went into all of them and that they are open and accessible to everybody around the world, both in print and online,” Rogers said. “It’s quite an accomplishment, and it’s a monumental project. To be a part of it is very rewarding.”

Adam Petty, a historian and editor, said working on the Joseph Smith Papers changed his life.

“It was an honor and a privilege to work on ‘Documents, Vol. 15,’” he said. “The martyrdom is a pivotal event in the history of the Church, and having the chance to learn more about it by helping to research and write this volume was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

A June 1844 letter from Joseph Smith to Emma Smith is on display during a Church History Department event commemorating the final print volume of the Joseph Smith Papers at the Church History Library in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, June 27, 2023.

David Grua, a historian and editor, started on the papers as a research assistant with a focus on Joseph Smith’s legal cases. He left the project to pursue graduate studies and later returned as a historian in 2014.

“It has been an amazing experience to contribute to volumes and the website,” Grua said. “Being able to serve as a volume editor on the final print volume, again with a specific focus on Joseph’s final legal cases, is a gratifying conclusion to years of rewarding association with the project.”

Brett Dowdle, a historian and editor, has relished the experience and considers his participation to be “sacred.”

“It has meant the world to me to be a part of the Joseph Smith Papers project,” Dowdle said. “I’m not sure whether it has fully sunk in just yet, but in the years ahead, I expect that I will become even more awed by the fact that somehow I was given the opportunity to contribute to this important project. It has been such a great blessing in my life.”

Chase Kirkham, a historian and editor, agreed.

“It’s been humbling to have been part of a project that, for years to come, will be the anchor for any serious study — academic or devotional — of Joseph Smith and the first generation of Latter-day Saints,” he said.