Program for the Nauvoo Conference We are always excited when JWHA goes

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1 N o. 90. The Center Place for Latter Day Saint Studies 1st 2nd Qs Program for the Nauvoo Conference We are always excited when JWHA goes back to Nauvoo the 2002 conference stands out as one of our most successful and it brings up fond memories for members who participated. This year s program committee is pleased to announce a lineup that will produce a similarly important event. The conference will kick-off with our annual Sterling M. McMurrin Lecture delivered by F. Ross Peterson, entitled Community of Christ and LDS Church Responses to Social Issues of the Modern Era. During our Friday awards dinner, Community of Christ Emeritus Historian Richard P. Howard will speak about The RLDS Church s Anti-Polygamy Stance Adapted/Canonized : The Specter of Impending Schism. At our closing banquet, JWHA President John C. Hamer will give an address entitled Mapping Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint Movement. Thursday, September 22 Registration will take place in the Joseph Smith Historic Site (Community of Christ) Visitor Center. The Annual Business Meeting, the McMurrin Lecture, and the Opening Reception will take place in the Nauvoo Community of Christ. Continued on page 7. NAUVOO 2011 September 22-25, 2011 Join us as we explore the many communities that emerged from the Nauvoo experience Location: Joseph Smith Historic Site and surrounding Community of Christ properties in Nauvoo, Illinois. Program Committee: Steve Shields (chair), Newell Bringhurst, Lachlan Mackay, Lani Moore, Rich Moore, and Vickie Speek. Registration: Pre-register now at

2 Page The John Whitmer Historical Association Newsletter N o. 90 Presidential Message, Volunteers: JWHA Needs Your Help According to the preamble of our bylaws, the purposes of the John Whitmer Historical Association are: (1) to create and encourage interest in Latter Day Saint history, especially the history of the Community of Christ; (2) to stimulate scholarly research and publication in the field of Latter Day Saint history; (3) to promote communication among scholars of Latter Day Saint history; and (4) to provide an institutional vehicle for the dissemination of the fruits of scholarly research to members of the Latter Day Saint churches and other interested persons. In the past decade, JWHA has attempted to better fulfill these goals by increasing the scope of our offerings. To our annual fall history conference, we have added an annual spring religious studies symposium (Restoration Studies/Sunstone Midwest). The association has adopted the venerable Restoration Studies journal, publishing it as an annual each spring. Beginning this year, the JWHA Journal will be published twice each year. Finally, our John Whitmer Books imprint has published an impressive catalog of fourteen history titles with many more on the way. These new conference and publication venues have allowed the association to stimulate and disseminate historical research as never before. At the same time, the hours of volunteer service needed to keep JWHA running have also increased like never before. The association would very much like to continue to add to our offerings. For example, we have been digitally recording most every presentation at the spring symposia and fall history conferences since 2006 and we have scores of analog tapes going back to the 1970s; we would love to be able to offer these online mpegs or podcasts. We have stepped our toes into the online world of social networking with our Friends of the John Whitmer Historical Association Facebook group, and we would In- John Hamer at the grave of Granville Hedrick in dependence, Missouri. love to make our presence there more useful and meaningful to members. Our website JWHA.info is in need of a complete overhaul. With our current needs and future wants in mind, the JWHA Executive Committee would like to advertise the following positions. Please help us fulfill our goals as an association by volunteering your talents and time. Send queries and information about your skills and experience to: JHamer@JohnWhitmerBooks.com Executive Director of John Whitmer Books. Since Mike Karpowicz retired as executive director of JWHA in 2009, John Whitmer Books has been without its own executive director. The executive director is responsible

3 N o. 90 The John Whitmer Historical Association Newsletter Page for the imprint s accounts, inventory, and fulfillment. Because the imprint publishes on-demand, most fulfillment and distribution is handled electronically, but a director is required to manage the accounts. The executive director position includes a modest stipend. (If preferred, the title of this position can alternatively be Managing Editor of John Whitmer Books. ) JWHA Newsletter Editor. Our newsletter is supposed to be published three times a year. (We only had two issues in 2010 and we are on track to have the same shortfall in 2011.) The Newsletter Editor compiles all of the articles writing most, editing the rest and creates the files for the printer. Skill with Adobe InDesign is preferred, but skill with some other layout program may be sufficient. JWHA Newsletter Copy Editor. We can all use another set of eyes. There s generally between pages of copy per year, making the duties relatively light compared with those of the Newsletter Editor, but both are required to publish the best possible product. JWHA Webmaster. Jason Smith currently donates space on his server for our website, which is programmed in relatively simple ASP code. If you know a little ASP and you re willing to add updates every few months for our executive directors Sherry and Bill Morain, that fulfills our immediate webmaster needs. However, the site has not had a significant overhaul since If you are a webdesigner (whether or not you know ASP) and if you are keen to tackle a more ambitious project, we would love to see you put your talents to work updating the site completely. JWHA Recordings Director. JWHA has digital recordings (in WMA format) of most all our conference and symposium presentations going back to We need a Recordings Director to take charge of the files, go through past printed programs to identify titles and speakers, use audio editing software to trim excess time off the front and back of each recording, and finally to upload finished files to online stores such as itunes and Amazon.com. JWHA Recordings Volunteer. In addition to the Recordings Director, JWHA is looking for a volunteer attending our conferences and symposia to take charge of the three digital recorders used for each session. The recorders need to be turned on and off at the beginning and end of each session, and every few sessions, the recorded files need to be transferred to a larger computer harddrive. In recognition of your inconvenience, JWHA will waive your conference registration costs. JWHA Social Media Director. Do you know how to tweet? That s more than we know. We d love to find new ways to interact with our membership, including especially our younger members. We expect that this new volunteer position would coordinate with the JWHA presidency, executive directors, and newsletter editor to get information out, but we d really be asking you to blaze new ground for us. I began volunteering for JWHA in 2003 because I love the association as a community and because I am personally committed to its goals. For me, the work has been (and will continue to be) a very fulfilling labor of love. If you love the fellowship of our association and if you share JWHA s goals, please consider volunteering your time and talents. The potential of the John Whitmer Historical Association is bounded only by the capactiy and willingness of its members to volunteer. John Hamer JWHA President, The John Whitmer Historical Association N E W S L E T T E R The newsletter is published irregularly by and for the benefit of the membership of the John Whitmer Historical Association. Copyright 2011 by JWHA. All rights reserved. Visit us online and view back issues at Staff JOHN HAMER, Editor SHERRY and BILL MORAIN, Copy Editors Note that this is the first JWHA Newsletter since No. 89 was published in the 2nd quarter of We apologize for the delay. Please send letters and notices to the editor via JHamer@JohnWhitmerBooks.com

4 Page The John Whitmer Historical Association Newsletter N o. 90 Items from the Executive Directors Dear Members and Friends: Bill and I have served as co-executive directors of JWHA for two years, sort of. I say sort of because it is hard to distinguish where one team leaves off and another team picks up. By the time our term is up we will finally be up to speed. You should also know that without Lew Weigand s eagle eye on our accounts we would be nothing. (Thank you, Lew!) We would like to draw your attention to a few items of interest: 1. Some of you about 160 of you know that JWHA has a presence on facebook. You will find us on facebook at Friends of the John Whitmer Historical Association. Our group format was just updated to meet facebook standards by another eagle eye, Jason Smith. (Thank you, Jason!) Please use this site for all things John Whitmer. You may find a ride to Nauvoo for the fall conference. You may discover an old friend you haven t seen since the last time we met in Nauvoo in You may post pictures of good times at JWHA, MHA and Sunstone. Or you may have esoteric discussions about the Temple Lot case. 2. Vol. 31 of the JWHA Journal is being printed in two parts this year, No. 1, which has been mailed out, and No. 2, which will be available at the Nauvoo conference. To cover this added cost the general membership business meeting this fall will include on its agenda an item from the JWHA Board recommending a dues increase from to annually. Please be prepared to vote Yes. 3. JWHA needs a Geek! The Board is prepared to underwrite the full cost of the conference for a reliable, AV-competent person whose responsibility it will be to record every session and upload the sessions onto our website. (See the president s message on page 3.) 4. Greg Bragg has some interesting properties to rent to attendees of the Nauvoo Conference this September. You can reach him at greg@nauvoovacation.com, or by phone at Toll Free or Dorimtory-style housing is available in the Nauvoo House. If you choose this very affordable housing at per person, you will need to bring sheets, towels, pillows, blankets, etc. The beds are twin bunks. Typically males are on the third floor and females on the second floor. 6. Elsewhere in this newsletter you will find an ad for the position of Managing Editor of John Whitmer Books. Please consider applying. We look forward to seeing you in Nauvoo! Bill and Sherry Morain JWHA Executive Directors Seeking Articles for Restoration Studies XIII There is still time to submit your article for publication in volume XIII of Restoration Studies, which will be published in April of Editor Peter Judd is seeking submissions relating to the journal s theme: theology, cultural, and religious studies in the Community of Christ and the Latter Day Saint movement. The submission deadline is October 1. If you have an original paper that falls within this subject, please send it electronically to Peter Judd at: Editor@RestorationStudies.org.

5 N o. 90 The John Whitmer Historical Association Newsletter Page 2011 Nominating Committee Slate The JWHA Nominating committee consists of Bill Shepard (chair), Christopher J. Blythe, H. Michael Marquardt, Michael G. Reed, and Barbara B. Walden. The committee has proposed the following election slate: For President-Elect: R. Jean Addams. To fill the seat of outgoing board member Craig L. Foster, the committee recommends that Craig succeed himself to another three-year term. To fill the seat of outgoing board member Vickie Cleverley Speek, the committee recommends Christpher J. Blythe. (When Christopher s name was proposed by a committee member, he recused himself from that portion of the committee s deliberations and voting.) Vickie Speek will continue to participate on the board as editor of the JWHA Journal. R. Jean Addams is an independent researcher and an active member of JWHA. The author of Upon the Temple Lot: The Church of Christ s Quest to Build the House of the Lord, Jean is an expert on the history of Granville Hedrick and the Church of Christ. Craig L. Foster is the author or editor of a number of volumes on Mormon history including The Persistence of Polygamy (co-edited with Newell Bringhurst). An active member of the JWHA Board, Craig organized last year s successful JWHA silent auction fundraiser. Christopher J. Blythe is a graduate student in religious studies at Utah State University and an active member of JWHA. This summer he has served as a student intern at the Joseph Smith Historic Site in Nauvoo. The election of officers will take place at the annual business meeting, which will be held Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m., September 22, 2011, at the Community of Christ in Nauvoo, Illinois. All members are eligible to vote, and members may propose alternate candidates and slates from the floor. According to the Bylaws, the chair of next year s nominating committee will be this year s immediate past president, Jeanne Murphey. The remaining four members of the committee will be chosen by the membership during the business meeting. Current JWHA Officers and Staff As of last year s conference at Rockford, Illinois, there have been a number of changes in the makeup of JWHA s officers, staff, and committees. The current Executive Committee consists of John Hamer ( JWHA President), Steve Shields (President-Elect), Jeanne Murphey (Immediate Past President), Sherry Mesle-Morain (Executive Director), Bill Morain (Executive Director), Lew Weigand (Treasurer), and Billie Young (Endowment Fund Treasurer). The Boardmembers are Craig Foster, Vickie Speek, Barb Walden, David Howlett, Bill Russell, and Erin Jennings. Vickie Speek is editor of the JWHA Journal, Erin Jennings is associate editor, and Bill Russell is book review editor. Peter Judd is editor of Restoration Studies. John Hamer is editor of John Whitmer Books and the JWHA Newsletter. The position of executive director of John Whitmer Books is vacant (see pages 2-3). The joint Program and Scholarship Committees consist of Steve Shields (chair), Newell Bringhurst, Lachlan Mackay, Lani Moore, Rich Moore, and Vickie Speek. The Article Awards Committee consists of Barb Walden (chair), Kevin Bryant, Jessie Embry, Craig Foster, and Ron Romig. The Book Awards Committee consists of Bill Shepard (chair), Richard Calder, Jessie Embry, Joe Geisner, Eric Rogers, Bill Russell, and Mel Smith.

6 Page The John Whitmer Historical Association Newsletter N o. 90 Dues Increase and Bylaws Proposals The JWHA BOARD recommends to the membership that the standard dues be increased from the present to per year. The purpose of the increase is to offset the increased costs of publishing the JWHA Journal on a semi-annual basis. The board voted unanimously to recommend this increase to the membership in its September 26, 2010, meeting in Rockford, Illinois. Notice of the recommendation is hereby published in the Newsletter in accordance with the JWHA Bylaws. The membership will consider this recommendation at the next business meeting, which will take place Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m., September 22, 2011, at the Community of Christ in Nauvoo, Illinois. The JWHA Executive Committee also proposes amending Article VIII 7 of the JWHA Bylaws regarding the composition of the Scholarship Committee to bring the Bylaws into line with current practice. The section currently reads: 7. Scholarship Committee. The scholarship committee shall consist of, but not be limited to, a chair, the current president and the immediate past president. The chairman of the committee shall serve three years or until his/her successor is selected. The chair may succeed him/herself without restriction. The purpose of the scholarship committee is to determine and select those who qualify for whatever scholarships as may be established by the board of directors. The amended section would read: 7. Scholarship Committee. The scholarship committee shall consist of at least three members. At the discretion of the board of directors, the scholarship committee may be coterminous with or a subcommittee of the program committee. The purpose of the scholarship committee is to determine and select those who qualify for whatever scholarships as may be established by the board of directors. In current practice, the Program Committee functions as the Scholarship Committee. If the amendment fails, the Executive Committee will see to it that practice is brought into line with the Bylaws. According to the Bylaws, these proposed changes require the approval of a majority of the membership at a business meeting of the association. The JWHA Journal Goes Semi-Annual For the first time in its history, the JWHA Journal will issue two numbers in one year. Volume 31, Number 1 (Spring/Summer) was published in time for the Restoration Studies Symposium, and Volume 31, Number 2 (Fall/Winter) will be printed in advance of our fall history conference. For a number of years, the JWHA Journal has had the happy problem of receiving many more quality original research articles each year than can be included in a single issue. Additionally, publishing just once each year has frequently meant that our book reviews have been less timely than we would like. Journal editor Vickie Speek has long championed adding a second volume as essential to fulfilling JWHA s core mission of encouraging and publishing original research. The JWHA Board agreed, voting unanimously in favor of her proposal. Both journals will continue to be received as a benefit of membership in JWHA. To offset the increased cost, the board has recommended a dues increase. The f irst two semi-annual JWHA journals.

7 N o. 90 The John Whitmer Historical Association Newsletter Page September JWHA Program (continued from page 1) Conference Registration, 4:30 pm 7:00 pm Annual Business Meeting, 7:15 pm 7:45 pm (1) Sterling M. McMurrin Lecture (Plenary), 7:45 pm 9:00 pm Community of Christ and LDS Church Responses to Social Issues of the Modern Era F. Ross Peterson, Emer. Prof. of History, Utah State University Opening Reception, 9:00 pm 11:00 pm Friday, September 23 Between 7:30 11:00 am, coffee and light refreshments will be provided in the Joseph Smith Historic Site Visitor Center. Snacks and drinks will be available again in the Visitors Center from 3:00-5:00 pm. Concurrent sessions labelled A will be held in the Visitor Center; sessions labelled B will take place in the Nauvoo Community of Christ; sessions labelled C will take place in the Nauvoo House (Riverside Mansion). (2A) Concurrent, 8:00 am 9:00 am Lessons Learned from Missouri in the Early Settlement of Nauvoo Richard Bennett, BYU, Provo, Utah The Twelve Had Swallowed Up the Thirty- Eight: Minority Views of the Council of Fifty Christopher J. Blythe, Florida State University (2B) Concurrent, 8:00 am 9:00 am Early Canadian Converts Who Chose the Midwest Alpheus Cutler s Role in the Succession Crisis: Sustaining Joseph s Measures Danny L. Jorgensen, University of South Florida (2C) Concurrent, 8:00 am 9:00 am Debating Joseph Smith s Legacy: An 1846 Brighamite-Strangite Debate and the Battle over Early Mormon Theology Presenters: Benjamin E. Park, University of Cambridge and Robin S. Jensen, Joseph Smith Papers Project Nineteenth Century Polygamists Who Joined the Reorganization Lew Weigand, JWHA Treasurer (3A) Concurrent, 9:30 am 10:30 am Nauvoo s Inner Circle of 32 Men That Took Celestial Wives Into the West George D. Smith, Smith-Pettit Foundation Rockland Ranch: A Case Study of Independent Mormon Fundamentalism and the Development of Utopian Communities Christine E. Blythe, Utah State University (3B) Concurrent, 9:30 am 10:30 am The Writings of Oliver H. Olney: Early Mormon Dissident; Would-be Reformer Richard G. Moore, BYU, Provo, Utah Lyman Wight: Wild Ram of the Mountains Melvin Johnson Allen LeBaron, Logan, Utah Continued on page 8.

8 Page The John Whitmer Historical Association Newsletter N o. 90 (3C) Concurrent, 9:30 am 10:30 am The African American Experience in Mormon Nauvoo, Joseph Johnstun, Hancock County, Illinois Harvest Hills: From Pioneer Monoculture to Heterogeneous Community Bryan R. Monte, Tilburg University, The Netherlands (4A) Concurrent, 11:00 am 12:00 noon The Hymns of David Hyrum Smith, Nauvoo s Tragic Sweet Singer Richard Clothier, Emeritus Professor of Music, Graceland University, Lamoni, Iowa (4B) Concurrent Panel, 11:00 am 12:00 noon Life in Nauvoo Chair: Panelists: William D. Russell To be announced (4C) Concurrent, 11:00 am 12:00 noon Presiding in Zion: The Almost Forgotten Missouri Presidency, Alex Baugh, BYU, Provo, Utah The Duty of the Lord s Clerk: A Partial Analysis of Joseph Smith s Nauvoo Journals September JWHA Program Alex Smith, LDS Church History Department, Salt Lake City, Utah Lunch, 12:30 pm 1:30 pm (continued from page 7) Lunch will be served at the Camp Nauvoo Lodge, and is included in the price of conference registration. (5A) Concurrent, 2:00 pm 3:00 pm John C. Bennett and Nauvoo Spiritual Wifery : Sifting the Cyprian Saints Brian Hales, Independent Researcher, Layton, Utah Augustine Spencer Richard Sadler, Weber State University, Ogden, Utah (5B) Concurrent, 2:00 pm 3:00 pm The Church of Christ (Temple Lot): Its geographical beginnings and historical settings Jean Addams A Sneak Peak at Volume Two of The Persistence of Polygamy Presenters: Newell Bringhurst and Craig Foster (5C) Concurrent, 2:00 pm 3:00 pm Dealing with Religious Diversity at Kirtland Temple: Strategies and Tactics since 1965 David J. Howlett, Bowdoin College Standing High Council Gwendolyn Blue Hawks, Community of Christ (6A) Concurrent, 3:30 pm 4:30 pm Law and The Prophet: William Law the Reformer vs. Joseph Smith the Restorer Adam Christing Tales from the Stone House: A view of Strangite history from The Stone House on Mormon Road in Voree, Wisconsin Lauren Rick, Voree, Wisconsin

9 No. 90 Page The John Whitmer Historical Association Newsletter Visitor Center Jose p h Smit h Hi stor ic Site NAUVO O, ILLI N OIS H Y D E S T R Sidney & Phebe Rigdon Home E E T Brick Stable foundation Mansion House hotel wing IN R A S Bidamon s Office T R E E T D ST M SI Y NE T EE Homestead William Marks Home WA R TE ST R T EE Smith Family Cemetery Nauvoo House Joseph, Emma, & Hyrum graves Red Brick Store Mi ssi ss i p p i Rive r Most of the conference events will take place at the Joseph Smith Historic Site (diagram by John Hamer). (6B) Concurrent, 3:30 pm 4:30 pm Sidestepping Revealed Truth David Landrith, Milton, Massachusetts, On the Separation of Church and History : Proposing an Academic Name for the Movement Steven L. Shields, Community of Christ, Lee s Summit, Missouri (6C) Concurrent, 3:30 pm 4:30 pm Looking After the First Family of Mormonism: LDS Church Leaders Efforts to Support the Smith Family after the Martyrdom (7) Plenary Panel Discussion, 5:00 pm 6:00 pm This plenary session will take place in the Joseph Smith Historic Site Visitor Center. Roots of Division in the Nauvoo Era Chair: A Glimpse into the Dark Side of Nauvoo: Panelists: How Real and Imagined Mormon Stealing Affected the Mormon Diaspora from Nauvoo Bill Shepard, Burlington Wisconsin Kyle R. Walker, BYU-Idaho Newell Bringhurst To be announced Continued on page 10.

10 Page 10 The John Whitmer Historical Association Newsletter N o. 90 September JWHA Program (continued from page 9) (9C) Concurrent, 8:30 am 9:30 am Seven Secular Pre-Restoration Prophets (8) JWHA Awards Banquet, 6:30 pm 8:30 pm Lofte Payne, Frazier Park, California This plenary session will take place at Nauvoo Community of Christ. The RLDS Church s Anti-Polygamy Stance Adapted/Canonized : The Specter of Impending Schism Richard P. Howard, Church Historian Emeritus, Community of Christ Saturday, September 24 A light continental breakfast will be available in the Joseph Smith Historic Site Visitors Center on Saturday morning at 8:00 am. Concurrent sessions labelled A will be held in the Visitor Center; sessions labelled B will take place in the Nauvoo Community of Christ; sessions labelled C will take place in the Nauvoo House (Riverside Mansion). (9A) Concurrent, 8:30 am 9:30 am Community of Christ s Journey into the National Council of Churches (NCC) Dale Luffman, Council of Twelve Apostles, Community of Christ Reforming the Reorganization: The impact of the RLDS Leadership on Theological Changes, Presenters: Mitchell McClellan and Keith Wilson, BYU, Provo, Utah (9B) Concurrent, 8:30 am 9:30 am Brahman Has Many Faces: Embracing Religious Pluralism The Rosetta Stone Discovery Leading to the Caractors (Anthon) Transcript Translation Blair B. Bryant, EdD, Community of Christ (10A) Concurrent, 10:00 am 11:00 am Competing for the City of Joseph: Interpretive Conflicts in Nauvoo s Restoration Scott C. Esplin, BYU, Provo, Utah Up the River: The Growth of the Church in Minnesota from Daniel M. Kelty, Headwaters Mission Center Historian, Minnesota (10B) Concurrent, 10:00 am 11:00 am Mobsters and Masons Debra J. Marsh, University of Utah Neighbors and Arsons in Southern Hancock County: Interactions between Saints and Settlers that led to the Burning of Yelrome (Isaac Morley s settlement) Doug Major, independent historian (10C) Concurrent, 10:00 am 11:00 am Mark Hoffmann 25 Years Later Steven L. Mayfield, Layton, Utah Shi ite Mormons; We ve been here before Michael L. Humiston, J.D., Vernal, Utah Bob Mesle, Graceland University, Lamoni, Iowa Continued on page 14.

11 N o. 90 The John Whitmer Historical Association Newsletter Page 11 Remembering Two Wonderful JWHA Members Susan Ann Kissl ing er Susan Ann Kissingler died peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday, March 15, 2011, in her room at Centerpoint Medical Center in Independence, Missouri. Susan was born in Independence on January 21, She attended Graceland and graduated from the University of Wisconsin with an M.A. in English literature. She taught English literature at William Chrisman High School and later became librarian until her retirement. She was a long-time member of the Community of Christ Walnut Gardens congregation in Independence, Missouri, where she served as an elder. Susan was also a long-time and devoted member of the John Whitmer Historical Association. She will be missed by us. J une Al ison Lesl ie June Alison Leslie died peacefully in Toronto on Wednesday, June 15, June was a graduate of the University of Toronto (University College Ontario College of Education). She taught history in Windsor, Ontario, for three years before beginning thirty years of teaching history and serving as a librarian in three secondary schools in North York, Ontario. She was an active member of the Community of Christ Greater Toronto Area West congregation. She was a lifelong promoter of history education and research and she was an active, long-time member of the John Whitmer Historical Association. Her presense will be greatly missed at our annual conferences.

12 Page 12 The John Whitmer Historical Association Newsletter N o. 90 Remember to Bring Silent Auction Items! by Craig L. Foster Last year JWHA experimented with its first silent auction. It ended up being a lot of fun and it was a great fund-raiser for the association. Last year s silent auction was so successful that we decided we wanted to try to repeat the experience in Nauvoo in the hope that this will become a regular JWHA tradition. This is a reminder to bring a little extra money to purchase things and also so you can think of books and other items you might bring to donate for auction. For those of you who missed last year s conference, let me briefly outline how the silent auction works. Everyone registering for the conference, including those who register on the website, will be given a number. Then all items included in the auction will have a label where a person can write their number and their bid. For example, if my number is 349 and I was interested in bidding on a book that was marked at 1.00 for beginning bid, I would write down 349 and then in the bid area write down 1.25, making the new bid Someone else may come along and raise the bid by another 25 or they might try to scare me off by raising the bid several dollars. The bidding will go on until a pre-announced time before the Presidential Banquet on Saturday. Shortly before that time, we will announce to everyone that bidding will close in a certain amount of minutes so people can go and check any items they have been bidding on in the hopes to be the last and highest bidder. It really is a lot of fun and will help raise money for JWHA! Regarding things to bring to bid on: please feel free to bring any books you think might be of interest Community of Christ, LDS, Church of Christ (Temple Lot), Strangite, and everyone else. Bring collectable books if you like (they will be set at a higher initial bid to make sure we are not just giving them away). Also, other history or theological books might be of interest, as well as books on other topics. (I m not sure how popular any bodice-rippers might be, but who knows?) Remember that we are going to auction off more than just books collectables, photos, mementos, and other items of historical or Latter Day Saint religious interest are welcome. Please consider bringing anything you re willing to donate. We would also welcome everything from homemade jams, to gift certificates to national chain restaurants, gift baskets, etc. Plan on donating and plan on being a part of the bidding we know from last year s experience that this is going to be fun!

13 N o. 90 The John Whitmer Historical Association Newsletter Page 13 Name Address City, State, Zip Phone CONFERENCE REGISTRATION AND MEMBERSHIP FORM Please register for the September conference online or use this form. If a notice to renew your membership appears above your name and mailing address of this newsletter (see page 16), please take this opportunity to renew your membership in JWHA and also your membership in the Mormon History Association (MHA). Spouse (List if your spouse is registering for a Spouse Membership) JWHA 2011 Conference Registration Please register immediately for our 2011 conference. The price listed is the cost per individual. Write the amount on the lines provided. Multiply by two, if registering an additional person. General Conference Pre-registration Regular Member Student Member Non-member Meals and Events: McMurrin Lecture & Opening Reception Friday Lunch Awards Dinner (Fri.) Saturday Box Lunch Presidential Banquet (Sat.) Bus Tour (box lunch not included) gratis JWHA Membership New Member: Regular Membership Spouse of Member Student Membership Sustaining Membership Patron Membership Lifetime Membership Please add postage for Non-U.S. Membership MHA Membership New Member: Regular Membership Spouse of Member Student Membership Institutional Membership Sustaining Membership Patron Membership Donor Membership Please add postage for Non-U.S. Membership JWHA Subtotal MHA Subtotal Less 5.00 for combined JWHA & MHA membership Renewing Member: , Renewing Member: Membership Total JWHA Conference Registration Total 5.00 Make my meals vegetarian: Conference Pre-registration Subtotal Note: Pre-registration prices held only through Sept. 1, For checks mailed after Sept. 1, add 15% to all prices. Yes No Total amount enclosed Make checks payable to JWHA and send them to: JWHA c/o Lew Weigand 1401 Potter Rd. Bellevue, NE

14 Page 14 The John Whitmer Historical Association Newsletter N o. 90 (11) Lunch, 11:15 am September JWHA Program (continued from page 10) Box lunches will be distributed to those who ordered them at the time of registration. (11A) Concurrent Tour, 12:30 am 5:30 pm Bus Tour of Hancock County Area Sites A bus tour will visit the sites of Webster (formerly Ramus), Warsaw, and Carthage. (Note that pre-registration and an additional fee are required.) (11C) Concurrent Event, 1:00 pm Session at Nauvoo Illinois Temple (special arrangement for LDS recommend holders). (12) Presidential Banquet (Plenary), 6:30 pm 8:30 pm This plenary session will take place at the Warsaw Brewing Company, Warsaw, Illinois. Chair: Steven L. Shields Mapping Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint Movement John C. Hamer, JWHA President (11B) Concurrent Tour, 12:30 am 5:30 pm Walking Tours of Joseph Smith Historic Sites and Old Nauvoo (on your own). Sunday, September 25 (13) Hymn Festival, 9:30 am 10:30 am This plenary session will take place in the Nauvoo Community of Christ. N E W E D I T I O N I N P A P E R B A C K Nauvoo Polygamy by George D. Smith 730 pages / Signature Books This is an unsurpassed, detailed view of the beginnings of the Latter-day Saint practice of polygamy in the American Midwest. The author is to be commended for his precise accounting of the unfolding of the practice and such a lyrical narrative presentation. Thomas G. Alexander, Professor Emeritus of History, Brigham Young University On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this book a Richard P. Howard, Church Historian Emeritus, Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) Nauvoo Polygamy is a meticulously researched and skillfully written work on Mormon polygamy. The author does not take sides in this tangled web of theology and practice, but instead has produced what may well be the defi nitive work on polygamy. I highly recommend it. Linda King Newell, co-author, Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith George Smith shows how many of the prophet s followers embraced plural marriage during a period when the LDS Church was emphatically denying the practice [and he tells this in] a lucid writing style. Daniel Walker Howe, Pulitzer Prize winning author of What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, An extremely important contribution to the history of polygamy that allows us to see how Joseph Smith s marriages fi t into the context of his daily life. Todd M. Compton, in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought

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16 Is your membership up-to-date? A notice will appear above your mailing address! John Whitmer Historical Association c/o John Hamer 1710 South Blvd. Ann Arbor, MI PRSRT Standard US Postage Paid Ann Arbor MI Permit No 150 Return with JWHA to Old Nauvoo The Nauvoo experience changed everything for the Latter Day Saints. The last gathering place in the lifetime of Joseph Smith Jr., Nauvoo saw a final evolution of his theology and practice as Nauvoo became the site of his ultimate triumphs and tragedies. Even prior to Joseph s assassination on June 27, 1844, a number of factors divided the Saints. Joseph included only a select group of the Nauvoo elite in his most secret and controversial practices. Meanwhile, his public disavowels of polygamy were believed by those beyond the initated core, especially including the ungathered Saints in the branches outside Nauvoo. These and other divisions were factors that divided families in the succession crisis of 1844 and beyond. All the churches of the Restoration today are in great part defined by their response to 1844 by their competing memories of what Nauvoo meant. Return with JWHA this September to the city that changed it all! Ruins of the original Nauvoo Temple.