B.H. Roberts papers

Collection

Identifier: MS 0106

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The B.H. Roberts papers (1825-1976) consist of an autobiography of Roberts, genealogical information, journals, correspondence, scrapbooks, poems, speeches, commentaries on religious subjects, LDS missionary materials, articles, newspaper clippings, manuscripts, and books. The significance of these papers is manifested in Roberts' discussions of church-state relations, the multi-volume history of the LDS Church, the investigation of the scriptural origins of the LDS faith, the reflections upon and analysis of theological and philosophical topics, and the formulation of the church's missionary pedagogy.

Please contact the Manuscripts Curator to access the following books and bound pamphlets: 1) 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon, 2) 1825 edition of Ethan Smith's View of the Hebrews, 3) 1884 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, 4) Strang pamphlets, including letters of Joseph Smith to James Strang and Winfield Watson to B. H. Roberts, and 5) 1832 copy of The Camp-Meeting Hymn Book.

Digitized diaries from Box 2.

Dates

1825-1976

Creator

Roberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry), 1857-1933 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

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.

Conditions Governing 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.

Biographical Sketch

Brigham Henry Roberts was born on 13 March 1857 in Warrington, Lancashire, England. He emigrated to the United States arriving in Salt Lake City in October 1866. A year later Roberts was baptized into the LDS Church. Between 1871 and 1874, B.H. labored at the Dry Canyon Mine after which he resided in Centerville for three years learning to be a blacksmith. In the autumn of 1877 Roberts enrolled at the University of Deseret and completed the two-year course in one year, graduating at the head of his class. A few months later B. H. married Sarah Louisa Smith, the first of his three polygamous marriages. Following graduation B.H. taught school. In early 1880 Roberts was called on his first mission which was known as the Southern States Mission. Prior to his release from his duties in 1882, he was appointed as the president of the Tennessee Conference of the Southern States Mission.

Roberts commenced his career in the world of journalism when he became the associate editor the of the "Salt Lake Herald" in 1886. Before the end of the year B.H. was arrested and charged with unlawful cohabitation. After posting bail, the LDS Church sent him on a mission to England thus assisting him in evading the law. For the next two years Roberts continued his journalistic endeavors working as assistant editor of the "Millenial Star". Upon the completion of his second missionary stint in 1888, B.H. was selected to serve as one of seven members of the First Council of the Seventy, a membership in which he maintained for forty-five years. In 1924 he was promoted to the post of senior president of the First Council of the Seventy. During his third term of missionary service when he presided over the church's Eastern States Mission (1922-1927), Roberts established the first missionary training school. As a pedagogical leader in the LDS Church, B.H. strove to create a curriculum which would instruct the students how to use tracting, preaching, and extemporaneous speaking in their efforts to persuade people to join the LDS Church. He also was very interested in identifying what should be the prerequisite qualifications and personal attributes necessary for all would-be missionaries. An additional part of his exemplary service to the LDS Church was related to his involvement in the church's Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association. Roberts was a member of the Committee of Control, chaired the Committee on Vocations and Industries, and in 1916 wrote "The Church as an Organization for Social Service".

During the process of the Utah territory becoming a state, Roberts participated actively in Utah politics as a prominent member of the Democratic Party. Subsequent to serving a delegate to the Utah State Constitutional Convention in 1894, B.H. was chosen to be the party's candidate for membership in the United States House of Representatives. Losing the 1895 election, he complained that the pro-Republican LDS Church general authorities had contributed significantly to his defeat when they openly criticized him for not obtaining their approval. The leadership's rationale for this position was to prevent church officials seeking political office from failing to carry out their assigned responsibilities. Thus began a long personal and partisan conflict between Roberts, the Council of Twelve Apostles, and President Heber J. Grant. B.H. frequently contended that the LDS Church improperly interfered in Utah politics and alleged that the church dominated state government in violation of prescriptions found in the church's "Doctrine and Covenants". In 1898 Roberts was elected to serve in the United States House of Representatives, but because of anti-LDS sentiment, his 1889 conviction of the charge of unlawful cohabitation for which he served five months in a federal penitentiary, and his openly polygamous lifestyle, the U.S. House of Representatives nullified his election.

Roberts was an avid reader of a panoply of religious and secular subjects and possessing an inquisitive mind, he was willing to study topics which challenged his well-established belief system. A prolific author, B.H. published numerous books, pamphlets, and articles, the bulk of which appeared in the years of 1888-1909. An Assistant Church Historian (1902-1933), Roberts concentrated many of his works upon the history of the LDS religion. B.H.'s publications included a biography of President John Taylor, a multi-volume history of the LDS Church, the travails which the members encountered in Nauvoo and Missouri, and theological discourses. Some of his scholarly labors were not published during his lifetime. Two such manuscripts were by-products of Roberts' investigation of the historicity of the Book of Mormon. They were entitled "A Book of Mormon Difficulties: A Study" and "A Book of Mormon Study". B.H. commenced his research on the origins of the Book of Mormon in 1921 and reported his January 1922 findings to President Heber J. Grant and the Council of Twelve. When four and one-half months later Roberts was appointed as President of the Eastern States Mission, he decided to withhold the submission of a second report to the General Authorities which included more problems related to the question of the Book of Mormon's authenticity. In 1927 B.H. sent Richard R. Lyman a copy of some comparisons between the Book of Mormon and Ethan Smith's "View of the Hebrews" the latter of which predated the former by seven years, was published in Vermont, and was widely available throughout New York and New England. Roberts informed Lyman that these materials called "A Parallel" represented less than one fourth of the total number of similarities which he had uncovered.

Roberts died on 27 September 1933 in Salt Lake City.

(Roger V. Paxton composed the biographical sketch and the scope and content note.)

Extent

10 Linear Feet (23 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by Adele W. Parkinson, Virginia D. Roberts, and Thom D. Roberts in 1976, 1978, and 1979.

Donated by Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah in 1980.

Donated by Adele W. Parkinson in 1991.

Purchased from Curt Bench in 2002.

Separated Materials

Photographs were transferred to the Multimedia Division of Special Collections (P0106).

Processing Information

Processed by Marlene Lewis in 1980-1981.

Processed by Emma McFarland in 2011.

Click here to read a statement on harmful language in library records.