Archives West Finding Aid
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George D. Smith papers, 1825-2009
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Smith, George D. (George Dempster), 1938-
- Title
- George D. Smith papers
- Dates
- 1825-2009 (inclusive)18252009
- Quantity
- 0.5 linear feet, (1 box)
- Collection Number
- ACCN 0677
- Summary
- The George D. Smith papers (1825-2009) contain essays, symposium presentations, letters, and othe items relating to central and controversial questions in LDS history and belief.
- Repository
-
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860
Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
George Dempster Smith Jr. (b. 1938), a New York City native, earned a B.A. at Stanford University, and later an M.B.A. from New York University. In 1981 he co-founded Signature Books, whom he has served as president and publisher. He has participated on the national advisory boards of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought and Sunstone magazine. His writing have been published in both of these periodicals as well as The John Whitmer Historical Association Journal, The Journal of Mormon History, Free Inquiry, and elsewhere. Besides An Intimate Chronicle: The Journals of William Clayton, Smith has edited Faithful History: Essays on Writing Mormon History and Religion, Feminism, and Freedom of Conscience: A Mormon/Humanist Dialogue, and contributed to The Word of God: Essays on Mormon Scripture.
Smith is also president of Smith Research Associates, which he founded in 1985. The Association has, independently and in association with Signature Books, published numerous works in the field of Mormon studies.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The George D. Smith papers (1825-2009) contain essays, symposium presentations, letters, and othe items relating to central and controversial questions in LDS history and belief.
Materials in folders 1-9 deal with Book of Mormon authenticity and B. H. Roberts. Folders 10-20 deal with LDS polygamy and theology. Folders 6 and 18 contain material purportedly dating to the early nineteenth century, but are now known to be Mark Hofmann forgeries. Folder 13 contains an early version of Gary James Bergera's essay, "Joseph Smith and the Hazards of Charismatic Leadership."
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library's Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.
Preferred Citation
Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Acquisition Information
Donated by George D. Smith in 1997 and 2002.
Donated by George D. Smith (box 1, folder 22) in 2009.
Processing Note
Processed by Kirk A. Watson in 2003.
Addendum processed by Betsey Welland in 2013.
Related Materials
See also the Mormonism collection (ACCN 0858) and the B. H. Roberts papers (MS 0106) located in the Manuscripts Division of Special Collections.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 1 | "Looking at the Book of Mormon" | 1979 |
| 1 | 2 | "The Nineteenth Century Background of the Book of Mormon" | 1983 |
| 1 | 3 | "Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon," with Letter to Edward Ashment | 1984 |
| 1 | 4 | "Book of Mormon 'Wordprints' Reexamined" | 1981 |
| 1 | 5 | "The Book of Mormon as Seen in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism" | 1992 |
| 1 | 6 | Phone Conversation with Mark K. Allen | 1981 |
| 1 | 6 | Lucy Mack Smith Letter, 1829 [forgery] | |
| 1 | 6 | George D. Smith, Letter about the Book of Mormon | 1981 |
| 1 | 6 | "Isaiah Updated" | 1982 |
| 1 | 7 | "B. H. Roberts as Book of Mormon Apologist and Critic" | 1997 |
| 1 | 8 | Introductory Notes, "Book of Mormon Questions" | 1984 |
| 1 | 9 | Journal of James E. Talmage | 1922 |
| 1 | 9 | Journal of James H. Moyle | 1932 |
| 1 | 9 | Michael Coe, Letter to George D. Smith | 1980 |
| 1 | 9 | Richard S. MacNeish, Letter to George D. Smith | 1980 |
| 1 | 9 | "Concerns about Mormon Authenticity" | 1981 |
| 1 | 10 | "Mormon Plural Marriage" | 1991 |
| 1 | 11 | "Nauvoo Roots of Mormon Polygamy" | 1994 |
| 1 | 12 | Richard P. Howard, "Changing RLDS Resonse to Mormon Polygamy" with Imogene D. Goodyear's Response | 1983 |
| 1 | 13 | Gary James Bergera, "Joseph Smith in His Final Years" | |
| 1 | 14 | "Concepts of Deity: A Brief Overview from Yahwist Writings to the Mormon Jehovah-Is-Jesus Doctrine" | 1987 |
| 1 | 15 | "The Freedom to Inquire" | 1997 |
| 1 | 16 | Statements from Smith regarding being the recipient of the Alice Paul award and ERA | 1982 |
| 1 | 17 | William E. McLellin, Letter to Joseph Smith DI | 1872 |
| 1 | 18 | Joseph Smith, Letter to Josiah Stowell, 1825 [forgery] | |
| 1 | 18 | Digging Agreement, 1825 [forgery] | |
| 1 | 18 | Dean C. Jessee, "Authentication of [forged] 1830 Martin Harris Letter" | |
| 1 | 19 | Marvin Hill, "Joseph Smith's First Vision Story" | 1981 |
| 1 | 20 | "Plural Marriage During the Life of Joseph Smith" | 2002 |
| 1 | 20 | "Pre-teen to Plural Wife: How Joseph Smith Cultivated Young Women for Plural Marriage" | 2002 |
| 1 | 20 | "How Joseph Smith Found Thirty Women to Become his Plural Wives and How this Changed his Life" | 2002 |
| 1 | 21 | News Clipping | 2004 |
| 1 | 22 | Review of Nauvoo Polygamy by William D. Morain | 2009 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Latter Day Saints--Polygamy
- Polygamy
Personal Names
- Smith, Joseph, Jr., 1805-1844
- Smith, Joseph, Jr., 1805-1844--Magic practices
Form or Genre Terms
- Articles
- Correspondence
Finding aid created by Kirk A. Watson.
2003 (last modified: 2019)
