H. Grant Ivins was born 2 September 1889, in St. George, Utah, to Anthony W. Ivins and Elizabeth Snow. In 1895, he moved with his family to Colonia Dublan, Mexico. In 1908, Ivins graduated from Juarez Academy and returned with his family to the United States, where Anthony W. Ivins was appointed a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. H. Grant Ivins attended the University of Utah and the Utah State Agricultural College, where he graduated with a B.S. in 1917. Ivins served an LDS mission to Japan and married Bertha Hamblin. He served in various capacities in the LDS Church until around 1945. H. Grant Ivins died of cancer on 18 February 1974 in Salt Lake City.
The H. Grant Ivins papers (1897-1973) contain
Organized in two series: 1. Personal Material; 2. Writings.
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Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.
Gift of Harold Bentley in 1974.
Gift of Guy Ivins, Virginia Ivins, and Sterling McMurrin in 1995 and 1996.
See also the
Processed by Robert Charles Walker and Karen Carver in 1997.
The bulk of the material in this section deals with Ivins' religious beliefs and his attempt to develop his personal philosophy within the context of the official teachings of the LDS Church.
This diary describes Ivins' missionary farewell, the voyage of the
Contains information on Ivins' experience as a missionary including tracting and study, a visit by the "Messenger From The Desert," Sister Kogi's farewell, Bible class, the Tokyo Americans baseball team, an imperial coronation parade, and Ivins' account of money spent from November 1910 to November 1913.
Description of Brother Satow's baptism, the illness of Elder Marriott, a journey to Morioka, the Mt. Fuji climb, the closing of the Morioka branch, a journey to Matsushima (Pine Islands), the departure of Elders Sowcroft, Miller and Emmett to open the Osaka branch, and a journey to Iwabuchi.
An account of the mission reorganization, the departure of Elder Jensen to take charge of Osaka, the death of President John Henry Smith, Mr. Kim's dream, Ivins' experience studying and teaching, the funeral of Archbishop Nicoli, a Buddhist hot water ceremony, the baptism of Miss Fujimoto, baseball games, and Elder Anderson's departure.
Ivins describes the departure of Elder Stimpson, a tour of the battleship California, the police investigation of Ivins and Mr. Kim, the death of Emperor Mutsuhito, Mr. Kommagamine's request for baptism, Ivins' appointment as mission president, a trip to Kofu, President Thomas' farewell and departure, the arrival of Elders Cutler, Allen and Crowther, a trip to Osaka and Kyoto, the Kofu lawsuit, Ivins' glimpse of the Crown Prince, the departure of Elders Emmett and Jensen, and a trip to Sapporo.
This diary recounts Ivins' studies with Brother Satow, the departure of Elder Barton, the excommunication of Brother Nasa, mission administration and President Thomas' advice, the arrival of Elders Stringham, Bennion and Clark, a visit to Brother Satow's country home, writing articles for the Era, the Emperor's birthday celebration, a conversation on polygamy, tracting in the hinterlands, Brother Satow's apostasy, and the arrival of Elders Adams and Turner.
Contains an account of the conflict at the Kofu branch, a scandal at the Japanese Mission, the departure of Elders Bennion, Miller, Chipman, Harrington and Stringham, the arrival of Elders Amott and Kingsford, Elder Scowcroft's operation, Ivins' work on an English Life of Christ, the funeral of the Dowager Empress, the illness of Elder Hatch, work on a Japanese songbook, the departure of Elders Scowcroft and Hatch and a visit to the "New Prophet."
Ivins continues his description of the visit to the "New Prophet," and contemplates the year's trials. The diary also recounts the translation of Talmage's
This diary describes the funeral of Patriarch Lyman Woods, the acquisition of the Holt ranch, and Ivins' marriage to Bertha Hamblin.
Trip to New York and surrounding area to visit family and attend the World's Fair.
Photocopies of typed correspondence from Ivins to various family members, friends, former missionaries, and church authorities written during the last seven months of his mission. These letters, photocopied from a bound volume put together by Ivins, are arranged alphabetically according to recipient.
General correspondence arranged chronologically.
Letters concerning the management of the Ivins family property near Enterprise, Utah.
Ivins and Nelson, a sociology professor, met at the Utah State Agricultural College and taught together at BYU. This correspondence centers around the role of the church hierarchy in the affairs of BYU in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including the "spy ring" and the so-called "Negro question."
In addition to personal communication, Ivins and Shaw, a former colleague at BYU, exchange opinions on national politics, Vietnam, and the role of the LDS Church in Utah politics.
As a young man in Southern Utah, Ivins served as a mentor to Holt. These letters contain Ivins' criticism of the official Joseph Smith story, his thoughts on the origin and authenticity on the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Word of Wisdom and his opinion on various LDS Church doctrines and on religion in general. Ivins considered this correspondence the most complete expression of his changing view of the LDS Church.
Lambert was associated with Ivins at BYU. The correspondence contains discussion of LDS Church doctrine as well as personal communication.
Correspondence centers around the conflict with LDS Church authorities which resulted in Fitzgerald's excommunication. In addition to correspondence, these folders contain news clippings, Fitzgerald's poetry, documents relating to Fitzgerald's trial before the High Council of Holladay Stake in December 1972 (including Ivins' letter in support of Fitzgerald), and a talk given by Fitzgerald at the First Baptist Church.
Correspondence between Ivins and BYU president Dallin Oaks on academic freedom, religion-science conflicts, and racism within the church.
Ivins' letters to the editor regarding racism at BYU and in Mormon theology, the role of the LDS Church in politics, and prophetic infallibility.
Personal correspondence, letters to the editor and newspaper clippings regarding the controversy surrounding the status of African Americans within the LDS Church. Contains Ivins' thoughts on the theological and cultural roots of Mormon racism.
Contains two versions of a paper submitted to
Contains an undated carbon copy, originally in the possession of Antoine R. Ivins, of the Roberts comparison.
Contains a ledger with 36 pages of handwritten notes. This document is Ivins' chapter-by-chapter summary and analysis of the Roberts comparison. This ledger also contains an inventory of 18 boxes of books.
Photocopies of documents created by Anthony W. Ivins on polygamy, including a list of marriages performed between 1897 and 1904, numbers and ages of marriages, letters to Isaac Russell (1911) and Mrs. R. C. Allred (1934). Also included are two letters to Anthony W. Ivins from George Q. Cannon in 1897 and 1898.
Two letters from David O. McKay to First Presidency in 1929, a paper supporting the stand of the Mormon church against polygamy in response to a pamphlet called "Celestial Marriage," and three 1970 clippings concerning David O. McKay.
Two letters from Martineau to Bentley regarding photographs and biographical sketches of prominent men in Colonia Juarez.
Contains a paper written at Utah State Agricultural College and an article on Japanese Christianity.
Anthony W. Ivins and Edward H. Snow were honored as founders of Dixie.
News clippings, articles, and letter fragments. Also contains Ivins' photo identification from the Office of Price Administration.
This series contains writings which Ivins intended to publish. At the urging of friends and family members, Ivins set out to document his personal experience with the practice of polygamy. He began a series of sketches and reminiscences that served as the basis for three works. "Stories of My Life in Mexico," a compilation of boyhood reminiscences, was completed by the Ivins family after the death of H. Grant Ivins in 1974. This document is in box 4, folders 12-17. The second manuscript to emerge from this material, a typescript entitled "Autobiography of H. Grant Ivins, Sr.," centers on the Ivins ancestry, the lives of H. Grant Ivins' grandfathers, Erastus Snow and Israel Ivins, and the life of his father, Anthony W. Ivins through the 1897 move of the family from St. George, Utah, to Colonia Juarez, Mexico. Two versions of this manuscript are located in box 4, folders 18-21. The third manuscript, developed from personal reminiscences, is in box 4, folders 22-28. This manuscript, edited by Sterling McMurrin, describes (in the context of Ivins' experience) the nature and extent of plural marriages occurring among Mormons in Mexico between the 1890 Woodruff Manifesto proscribing any marriages not in accordance with the "law of the land" and the 1904 Smith Manifesto declaring the proscription in force throughout the church. Boxes 5 and 6 contain the unfinished manuscript of Ivins' memoirs. This manuscript relies heavily on the diaries found in box 1 and on Ivins' personal correspondence. The remainder of the material in this section concerns H. Grant Ivins' views on religion. Box 7 contains Ivins' lecture notes on the subject of religion in general and the Mormon and Eastern religions in particular. Folders 12-15 contain a fragment of an unfinished Ivins text concerning religion, entitled "Application of Life to Religion." Also included are articles written by others on subjects related to religion.
Draft contains McMurrin's pencil editing.
Contains Grant Ivins= rewrite after McMurrin=s comments.
This box contains a typescript of Ivins' memoirs, written between 1970 and 1974. The period of his early boyhood was covered in his "Stories of My Life in Mexico." This memoir begins with Ivins' trip to Salt Lake City to rejoin his family after he graduated from Juarez Academy in 1908 and ends with another move to Salt Lake City after the sale of the Ivins family property in Southern Utah. The typescript is contained in folders 3-21. A photocopy of Ivins' original handwritten draft begins in folder 22.
Contains Ivins' handwritten draft beginning with a description of his grade school days and ending with a description of the birth of Chiyo Thomas at the Japanese mission.
This box contains a continuation of Ivins' handwritten first draft of his memoirs. The manuscript in this box continues the Japanese mission period and ends with the Enterprise period.
Contains notes on lectures and speeches given at BYU, various civic clubs, before the stake High Priests Quorum, and at LDS Church services from Pleasant Grove to Colonia Juarez.
Contains lecture notes for Ivins' BYU lectures on Eastern religions. In addition to discussing the major Eastern religions, Ivins holds forth on the importance of developing a rational philosophy of life. Folder 11 contains a statement of Ivins' personal religious philosophy.
Contains a typescript of a series of lessons developed by Ivins on the place of religion in everyday life. This manuscript is incomplete.