Church History

Sealed Together
Saints from Manaus, Brazil, tell the story of the first caravan from their city to the temple in São Paulo
Ezra Booth and Isaac Morley
Many of the missionaries who traveled to Missouri in 1831 were disappointed at first at what they found. But they would each deal with that disappointment in different ways.
Miracles of Christ
Featured artwork from the Church History Museum collection and exhibits
Whitmer Farm in Fayette, New York
Visitors to Peter and Mary Whitmer’s farm learn about the place where the Book of Mormon translation was finished and the Church was organized on April 6, 1830.

Pioneers
in Every Land

“The Least I Could Do”

What One Tasmanian Family Sacrificed to Go to the Temple

When the Hamilton New Zealand Temple was dedicated in 1958, the Bender family sacrificed everything they could to be there.

The majority of Latter-day Saints in Africa are first-generation pioneers who joined the Church following the 1978 revelation that extended the priesthood to every worthy male member. Matthew K. Heiss will present the stories of these incredible Saints and discuss what their journeys teach us about faith, enduring to the end, and understanding the blessings that the gospel brings into our lives.

Women
of Conviction

A Love for Words

The Legacy of Mabel Jones Gabbott

At a baptismal service, eight-year-olds dressed in white often join with family and ward members to sing of how “Jesus came to John the Baptist, / In Judea long ago, / And was baptized by immersion / In the river Jordan’s flow” (

Treasures
of the Collection

John Taylor, October 10, 1852

Reflections on Government and War

Shortly after his return from missionary labors in France, Germany, and Great Britain, John Taylor gave this sermon in the five-year-old city of Salt Lake. The sermon gives insight into the climate of the times and the sense of possibility Latter-day Saints felt as they began to create their own communities in the Rocky Mountain region.

Brigham Young, September 1864

Sermons during a Trip to the Southern Settlements

Extracts from sermons given by Brigham Young at various settlements in Utah during a trip south in 1864.

Church History Daily

Likening the Scriptures

As WWII dragged on, Joseph Fielding Smith reflected on the nature and future of armed conflict. Reminding his soldier son that an army is “a necessary evil” to be used “only when people are called on to defend their rights,” he emphasized the promise of peace. “The time will come when the people will have no further use for war and they will beat their swords into plowshares,” he wrote. “What they will do with their tanks is not stated, but I suppose they will make tractors out of them.”

Joseph Fielding Smith letter to Douglas A. Smith, July 2, 1944, Joseph Fielding Smith family correspondence, Church History Library, Salt Lake City

Follow:

Prophets
of the Restoration

Ezra Taft Benson Exhibit

13th President: 1985–1994

An early career in agriculture prepared Ezra Taft Benson to, as an Apostle, lead Church relief efforts in Europe after WWII and build relationships for the Church. As prophet, he challenged Latter-day Saints to flood the earth with the Book of Mormon, to heed its warnings against pride, and to let Christ transform their inner natures.

Upcoming Events

2015 Lecture Series

Pioneers in Every Land

"Pioneers in Every Land" is the theme of the 2015 Lecture Series at the Church History Library in Salt Lake. Videos of each presentation will be available online after the events.

Revelations
in Context

Ezra Booth and Isaac Morley

D&C 57, 58, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 71, 73

Many of the missionaries who traveled to Missouri in 1831 were disappointed at first at what they found. But they would each deal with that disappointment in different ways.