The John Whitmer Historical Association (JWHA) "is an independent scholarly society composed of individuals of various religious faiths who share a lively interest in .... Latter Day Saint history, especially the history of the Community of Christ." The organization takes its name from John Whitmer

John Whitmer

John Whitmer was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. He was one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon's Golden Plates...

, the first official historian

Church Historian and Recorder

Church Historian and Recorder is a priesthood calling in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The role of the Church Historian and Recorder is to keep an accurate and comprehensive record of the church and its activities...

 of the Latter Day Saint church established by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1830.

JWHA is headquartered in Independence, Missouri

Independence, Missouri

Independence is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Clay. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...

. It was originally founded by members of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now "Community of Christ

Community of Christ

The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , is an American-based international Christian church established in April 1830 that claims as its mission "to proclaim Jesus Christ and promote communities of joy, hope, love, and peace"...

"). The association has always been open to all scholars regardless of their denominational affiliation.

History of JWHA

JWHA was founded on September 18, 1972 by fourteen historians and scholars associated with the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS) now called the Community of Christ

Community of Christ

The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , is an American-based international Christian church established in April 1830 that claims as its mission "to proclaim Jesus Christ and promote communities of joy, hope, love, and peace"...

. The founding members were (in alphabetical order): Alma Blair, Paul Edwards, Robert Flanders, Barbara Higdon, Barbara Howard, Richard P. Howard

Richard P. Howard

Richard P. Howard is historian emeritus of Community of Christ, having served as world church historian of that organization from 1966–1994. He was the first professionally trained scholar to occupy that position...

, Larry Hunt, Warren Jennings, Gerald Kruse, Mark McKiernan, W. Grant McMurray

W. Grant McMurray

William Grant McMurray was Prophet-President of the Community of Christ from 1996 until 2004. He was the first non-descendant of Joseph Smith to head the church, and under his administration, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints changed its name to Community of...

, Gordon Mesley, William Russell

William D. Russell (historian)

William Dean Russell is an American historian focusing on the history of the Latter Day Saint movement. Russell taught at Graceland University for forty-one years, retiring as a professor of history in 2007. He has been a civil rights activist since the 1960s, championing the causes of equality...

, Geoff Spencer, and Pat Spillman.

As of 2007, JWHA reported 402 active members on its rolls, split roughly equally between the Midwestern United States and the Mormon cultural zone in the Western US.

The archives of JWHA are housed in the Du Rose Room of the Frederick M. Smith Library at Graceland University

Graceland University

Graceland is not ranked by U.S. News & World Report, being deemed a Tier 3 institution. It is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission as a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.-Housing System:...

 in Lamoni, Iowa

Lamoni, Iowa

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,444 people, 818 households, and 428 families residing in the city. The population density was 761.1 people per square mile . There were 904 housing units at an average density of 281.5 per square mile...

.

Purpose of JWHA

According to the association's Bylaws, the purpose of JWHA is to:

• Create and encourage interest in Latter Day Saint history, especially the history of the Community of Christ.
• Stimulate scholarly research and publication in the field of Latter Day Saint history,
• Promote communication among scholars of Latter Day Saint history, and
• 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 order to fulfill its purposes, JWHA sponsors an annual conference and other scholarly lectures, publishes a peer-reviewed journal as well as a quarterly newsletter, and also publishes books on the topic of Latter Day Saint history.

Fall History Conferences

Since 1973, JWHA has held an annual conference each September, at which historians in the organization present papers and speak in discussion panels. Traditionally these conferences are held from Thursday evening until Sunday morning in the last full weekend of September. JWHA's first annual meeting was held in Nauvoo, Illinois

Nauvoo, Illinois

Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...

. In recent years conferences have drawn between one and two hundred registered attendees.

Year	Location	Theme	Program Chair
2002	Nauvoo, Illinois Nauvoo, Illinois Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...		Biloine Whiting Young
2003	Far West, Missouri Far West, Missouri Far West, Missouri, was a Latter Day Saint settlement in Caldwell County, Missouri.-Foundation and early history:The town was founded by Missouri Mormon leaders, W. W. Phelps and John Whitmer in August 1836 shortly before the county's creation. The town was platted originally as a square area,...	"Mormonism and the Culture of Frontier Violence on the American Frontier"	Mark A. Scherer
2004	Omaha, Nebraska Omaha, Nebraska Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...	"Places of Decision: The Spatial and Metaphorical Geography of the Restoration"	Jan Shipps Jan Shipps Jo Ann Barnett "Jan" Shipps is an American historian specializing in Mormon History, particularly in the latter half of the 20th century to the present. Shipps is generally regarded as the foremost non-Mormon scholar of the Latter Day Saint movement, having given particular attention to The...
2005	Springfield, Illinois Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...	"Joseph Smith and His Complex Legacy "	Newell G. Bringhurst
2006	Independence, Missouri Independence, Missouri Independence is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Clay. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...	"Scattering of the Saints: The Diverse Expressions of the Restoration"	Alexander L. Baugh
2007	Kirtland, Ohio Kirtland, Ohio Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, USA. The population was 6,670 at the 2000 census. Kirtland is famous for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement.-Origins of Kirtland:...	"Communal Experiments Among Latter Day Saints & Other American Groups"	Barbara B. Walden
2008	Voree, Wisconsin Voree, Wisconsin Voree is an unincorporated community on the outskirts of present-day Burlington, in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States, in the town limits of Spring Prairie. It is best known as the historic and current headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , a denomination of the...	"1844–1859: A Time of Transition"	William Shepard
2009	Independence, Missouri Independence, Missouri Independence is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Clay. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...	"Race, Gender, Ethnicity, and the Restoration"	Jeanne Murphey
2010	Amboy, Illinois Amboy, Illinois Amboy is a city in Lee County, Illinois, along the Green River. The population was 2,561 at the 2000 census. The chain of Carson Pirie Scott & Co. began in Amboy when Samuel Carson opened his first dry goods store there in 1854...	"1860–2010: Sesquicentennial of the Reorganization"	John C. Hamer
2011	Nauvoo, Illinois Nauvoo, Illinois Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...	"E Unum Pluribus" (Out of One, Many)	Steven L. Shields

Future fall history conferences are scheduled to be held in Independence, Missouri (2012), Council Bluffs, Iowa (2013), Denver, Colorado (2014), Independence, Missouri (2015), Kirtland, Ohio (2016), Nauvoo, Illinois (2017), and Independence, Missouri (2018).

Spring Religious Studies Symposium

In 2008, JWHA began to sponsor an annual spring conference in Independence, Missouri, known as the Restoration Studies Symposium. The Sunstone Education Foundation co-sponsors the event as "Sunstone Midwest." The symposium is hosted by the Community of Christ Seminary. In contrast to the fall history conference, which focuses on church history, Restoration Studies focuses on theology and religious studies.

Lecture Series

Throughout its history, JWHA has sponsored a number of lecture series. Since 2008, the association has hosted the Wallace B. Smith Lecture each year at the spring religious studies symposium. Prior to the creation of the spring symposium, Spring Lectures were held prior to World Conferences of the Community of Christ.

From 1998 to 2011, the association sponsored a lecture series named in honor of Sterling M. McMurrin

Sterling M. McMurrin

Sterling Moss McMurrin was an unconventional Mormon theologian and Philosophy professor at the University of Utah. He served as United States Commissioner of Education in the administration of President John F. Kennedy-External links:******]]** by Peggy Fletcher Stack, Salt Lake Tribune, February...

. Beginning in 2012, JWHA will host the Richard P. Howard Lecture at its fall history conference. Occasionally the association has sponsored a "Distinguished Senior Scholar Lecture."

In its early history, JWHA sponsored a lecture series at Graceland University

Graceland University

Graceland is not ranked by U.S. News & World Report, being deemed a Tier 3 institution. It is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission as a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.-Housing System:...

, but the practice was discontinued in the 1990s.

Wallace B. Smith Lectures

Year	Lecturer	Distinction	Address Title
2008	Wallace B. Smith Wallace B. Smith Wallace Bunnell Anthony Smith was Prophet-President of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , from April 5, 1978 through April 15, 1996. Son of President W. Wallace Smith, he was designated as his father's successor in 1976, and ordained church president in 1978 when his...	Prophet Emeritus of the Community of Christ	"Experiences in Growing a Faith: Reflections on a Twenty-year Journey, 1976–1996"
2009	Stephen M. Veazey Stephen M. Veazey Stephen Mark Veazey is the current Prophet-President of the Community of Christ, headquartered in Independence, Missouri. Veazey's name was presented to the church in March 2005 by a joint council of church leaders led by the Council of Twelve Apostles, as the next Prophet-President...	Prophet-President of the Community of Christ	"Stepping into the River of Revelation in the Restoration Tradition"
2010	Don Compier	Dean of the Community of Christ Seminary	"Who is a Christian? The Perspective of Ecumenical Christianity"
2011	Gail E. Mengel Gail E. Mengel Gail E. Mengel was an apostle and member of the Council of Twelve Apostles of the Community of Christ from 1998 to 2005. Mengel and Linda L. Booth were the first women to be ordained apostles in the history of the Community of Christ...	Former apostle of the Community of Christ	"A Woman's Place"

Sterling M. McMurrin Lectures

Year	Lecturer	Distinction	Address Title
1998	Valeen Tippetts Avery Valeen Tippetts Avery Valeen Tippetts Avery was an American biographer and historian best known for her work on Western American and Latter Day Saint history...	Co-author of Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith
1999	Richard P. Howard	Church Historian Emeritus, Community of Christ	"Traces of a Peace Gene in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints"
2000	Mario S. DePillis	Founding editor of the Journal of Social History and of Communal Studies	"Christ Comes to Jackson County: The Social Meaning of Mormon Millenialism"
2001	Steven C. LeSueur	Author of The 1838 Mormon War in Missouri	"Community of Christ and the Search for a Usable Past"
2002	Robert Flanders	Founding president of JWHA	"Nauvoo on My Mind"
2003	D. Michael Quinn D. Michael Quinn Dennis Michael Quinn is a historian who has focused on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was a professor at Brigham Young University from 1976 until his resignation in 1988. At the time, his work concerned church involvement with plural marriage after the 1890 Manifesto, in which...	Author of The Mormon Hierarchy	"To Whom Shall We Go?: Historical Patterns of Restoration Believers with Serious Doubts"
2004	Richard T. Hughes	Director of the Center for Faith and Learning at Pepperdine University	"Rethinking the Restoration Vision"
2005	Ronald L. Numbers	Author of Prophetess of Health: A Study of Ellen G. White	"Comparing Joseph Smith with American Prophetesses Ellen G. White and Mary Baker Eddy"
2006	W. Grant McMurray W. Grant McMurray William Grant McMurray was Prophet-President of the Community of Christ from 1996 until 2004. He was the first non-descendant of Joseph Smith to head the church, and under his administration, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints changed its name to Community of...	Former Prophet-President of Community of Christ	"Reflecting on the Evolving Faith and Culture of the Community of Christ"
2007	Lawrence Foster	Author of The Shakers, the Mormons, and the Oneida Community	"Beyond Black Muslims and Reorganized Mormons: The Transformation of Two New Religious Movements in America"
2008	Roger D. Launius	Curator, Planetary Exploration Programs, National Air and Space Museum	"Darwinism, Creationism, and the Mormon Experience"
2009	John Glaser	Director of the Community of Christ's Hispanic Leadership Project	"Reading the Lamanite Narrative as a Visceral Theology: Negating the Identity, Relevancy, and Catholicity of Mestizo Christianity"
2010	Linda King Newell Linda King Newell Linda King Newell is an American historian and author.Newell co-authored the 1984 book Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith with Valeen Tippetts Avery. During this time she was also editor of the scholarly Mormon periodical Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought with her husband L...	Co-author of Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith	"Emma's Legacy: Life after Joseph"
2011	F. Ross Peterson	Former Vice President of Utah State University	"Community of Christ and LDS Church Responses to Social Issues of the Modern Era"

Spring Banquet Lectures

Year	Lecturer	Distinction	Address Title
1998	Anthony Chvala-Smith	RLDS Theologian in Residence	"The Spirit, the Book, and the City: Retrieving the Distinctive Voice of the Restoration"
2000	Lavina Fielding Anderson Lavina Fielding Anderson Lavina Fielding Anderson is a Latter Day Saint scholar, writer, editor, and feminist. Anderson holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Washington...	Editor of the Journal of Mormon History	"Mormonism's First Mother: Lucy Mack Smith and Gendered Negotiations, 1844–45"
2002	Philip Barlow Philip Barlow Philip Layton Barlow is a Harvard-trained scholar who specializes in American Religious History, religious geography, and Mormonism. In 2007 he became the country’s first full-time professor of Mormon studies at a secular university by being appointed as the Leonard J...	Co-author of Historical Atlas of American Religion
2004	Thomas W. Murphy	Author of Imagining Lamanites: Native Americans and the Book of Mormon	"Sin, Skin and Seed: Mistakes of Men in the Book of Mormon"
2005	Martin E. Marty Martin E. Marty Martin Emil Marty is an American Lutheran religious scholar who has written extensively on 19th century and 20th century American religion. He received a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1956, and served as a Lutheran pastor from 1952 to 1962 in the suburbs of Chicago...	Emeritus professor of the University of Chicago Divinity School University of Chicago Divinity School The University of Chicago Divinity School is a graduate institution at the University of Chicago dedicated to the training of academics and clergy across religious boundaries...	"Keys to the Future"
2007	Susan Skoor	Apostle Council of Twelve Apostles (Community of Christ) In the Community of Christ, The Council of Twelve Apostles is one of the governing bodies in the church hierarchy. They are disciples who hold the priesthood office of Apostle, and are responsible for the evangelistic witness of the church...  of Community of Christ	"Women in Ministry"

Distinguished Senior Scholar Lectures

Year	Lecturer	Distinction	Address Title
2004	Klaus Hansen	Author of Quest for Empire: The Political Kingdom of God & the Council of Fifty in Mormon History	"A New Look at Mormonism’s Quest for Empire"
2005	Richard L. Bushman	Author of Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling	"Joseph Smith and Abraham Lincoln"
2006	Panel	Jan Shipps Jan Shipps Jo Ann Barnett "Jan" Shipps is an American historian specializing in Mormon History, particularly in the latter half of the 20th century to the present. Shipps is generally regarded as the foremost non-Mormon scholar of the Latter Day Saint movement, having given particular attention to The... , Barbara J. Bernauer, Alma Blair, William D. Russell William D. Russell (historian) William Dean Russell is an American historian focusing on the history of the Latter Day Saint movement. Russell taught at Graceland University for forty-one years, retiring as a professor of history in 2007. He has been a civil rights activist since the 1960s, championing the causes of equality...	"Senior Scholar Memorial: The Impact and Legacy of Val Avery"
2008	D. Michael Quinn D. Michael Quinn Dennis Michael Quinn is a historian who has focused on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was a professor at Brigham Young University from 1976 until his resignation in 1988. At the time, his work concerned church involvement with plural marriage after the 1890 Manifesto, in which...	Author of The Mormon Hierarchy	"The Ambiguous History of Us-Verses-Them in the Mormon Experience"

Periodicals

JWHA has published an annual peer-reviewed journal, entitled The John Whitmer Historical Association Journal since 1981. The Journal is known for its focus on the broader Latter Day Saint movement

Latter Day Saint movement

The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...

, i.e., the history of denominations other than The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 2011, the JWHA Journal switched from annual to semi-annual publication: Volume 31 Number 1 appeared in April and Volume 31 Number 2 appeared in September.

Editors of the John Whitmer Historical Association Journal

Ten individuals have edited the journal since its inception in 1981.

Name	Position	Term
Imogene Goodyear	Editor	1981
Clare D. Vlahos	Editor	1982–1983
William D. Russell William D. Russell (historian) William Dean Russell is an American historian focusing on the history of the Latter Day Saint movement. Russell taught at Graceland University for forty-one years, retiring as a professor of history in 2007. He has been a civil rights activist since the 1960s, championing the causes of equality...	Editor	1984–1985
Peter A. Judd Peter A. Judd Peter A. Judd was a member of the First Presidency of the Community of Christ from 2000 to 2005. Judd was also an apostle and a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles of the church from 1996 to 2000.Judd, a native of Enfield, England, became a counselor to W...	Editor	1986–1987
Imogene Goodyear	Editor	1988
Susan Kisslinger	Editor	1989–91
W. B. "Pat" Spillman	Editor	1992–94
Lyman F. Edwards	Editor	1995–97
Jessie L. Embry	Editor	1998–2000
Joni Wilson	Editor	2001–03
W. B. "Pat" Spillman	Editor	2004–08
Vickie Cleverley Speek	Editor	2009–11
William D. Morain	Editor	2012–present

Editors of Restoration Studies

In 2009, JWHA began to co-publish a second annual journal in conjunction with the Community of Christ Seminary Press. Entitled Restoration Studies, this journal focuses on "theology and culture in the Community of Christ and the Latter Day Saint Movement." Eight volumes of Restoration Studies had previously been published irregularly by Herald Publishing House, beginning in 1980.

Seven individuals have edited volumes of Restoration Studies since its inception in 1980.

Volume	Name	Year
I	Maurice L. Draper	1980
II	Maurice L. Draper	1983
III	Maurice L. Draper	1986
IV	Marjorie B. Troeh	1988
V	Darlene Caswell	1992
VI	Wayne Ham	1995
VII	Joni Wilson and Ruth Ann Wood	1998
VIII	Joni Wilson	2000
IX	Joni Wilson	2005
X	Peter A. Judd Peter A. Judd Peter A. Judd was a member of the First Presidency of the Community of Christ from 2000 to 2005. Judd was also an apostle and a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles of the church from 1996 to 2000.Judd, a native of Enfield, England, became a counselor to W...	2009
XI	Peter A. Judd Peter A. Judd Peter A. Judd was a member of the First Presidency of the Community of Christ from 2000 to 2005. Judd was also an apostle and a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles of the church from 1996 to 2000.Judd, a native of Enfield, England, became a counselor to W...	2010
XII	Peter A. Judd Peter A. Judd Peter A. Judd was a member of the First Presidency of the Community of Christ from 2000 to 2005. Judd was also an apostle and a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles of the church from 1996 to 2000.Judd, a native of Enfield, England, became a counselor to W...	2011

Editors of the JWHA Newsletter

JWHA also publishes a newsletter for the benefit of its members. The current numbering of the newsletter began in January 1979.

Numbers	Dates	Editor
1–9	January 1979–August 1981	William D. Russell William D. Russell (historian) William Dean Russell is an American historian focusing on the history of the Latter Day Saint movement. Russell taught at Graceland University for forty-one years, retiring as a professor of history in 2007. He has been a civil rights activist since the 1960s, championing the causes of equality...
10–16	February 1982–February 1985	Betty Winholtz
18–20	June 1986–January 1987	William D. Russell William D. Russell (historian) William Dean Russell is an American historian focusing on the history of the Latter Day Saint movement. Russell taught at Graceland University for forty-one years, retiring as a professor of history in 2007. He has been a civil rights activist since the 1960s, championing the causes of equality...
22–43	January 1988–September 1996	Alma R. Blair
44–45	April 1997–August 1997	Jessie Embry
46–69	January 1998–4th Quarter 2003	Norman Bernauer
70–90	1st Quarter 2004–3rd Quarter 2011	John C. Hamer

John Whitmer Books

JWHA occasionally published monographs in the 1990s. These included Marjorie Newton's Hero or Traitor: A Biography of Charles Wesley Wandell (1992), and Gregory A. Prince's Having Authority: The Origins and Development of the Priesthood during the Ministry of Joseph Smith, (1993). In 2005, a monograph by Matthew Bolton intended for the monograph series was instead published under the new imprint name "John Whitmer Books." The book was entitled Apostle of the Poor: The Life and Work of Missionary and Humanitarian Charles D. Neff

Charles D. Neff

Charles Daniel Neff was a missionary who had a great impact on the mission and theology of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints . He also founded the humanitarian agency Outreach International and the Community One Resources Development Inc...

(ISBN 978-1-934901-01-4).

Two years later, the association established a publishing arm built upon this foundation. The founding editor of John Whitmer Books was John C. Hamer and the founding executive director was Michael A. Karpowicz. In 2011, Vickie Cleverley Speek took over as editor and Hamer became publisher. Jan Marshall became executive director and Erin Jennings rounded out the new team as associate editor.

The imprint shares the same mission as the association and is additionally charged with supporting the historic sites owned by Community of Christ, including Kirtland Temple

Kirtland Temple

The Kirtland Temple is a National Historic Landmark in Kirtland, Ohio, USA, on the eastern edge of the Cleveland metropolitan area. Owned and operated by the Community of Christ, formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , the house of worship was the first temple to be...

, the Joseph Smith Historic Site in Nauvoo, Illinois, "Heritage Plaza" in Independence, Missouri, Haun's Mill in Caldwell County, Missouri, Liberty Hall in Lamoni, Iowa, and the Stone Church in Plano, Illinois.

Title	Author(s)/Editor(s)	Date of Publication	ISBN
Scattering of the Saints: Schism within Mormonism	Newell G. Bringhurst and John C. Hamer (eds.)	2007	ISBN 978-1-934901-02-1
Emma's Nauvoo	Ronald E. Romig (ed.)	2007	ISBN 978-1-934901-03-8
Martin Harris's Kirtland	Ronald E. Romig (ed.)	2007	ISBN 978-1-934901-04-5
Homosexual Saints: The Community of Christ Experience	William D. Russell (ed.)	2008	ISBN 978-1-934901-05-2
House of the Lord: The Story of Kirtland Temple	Barbara Walden and Lachlan Mackay	2008	ISBN 978-1-934901-06-9
Emma's Family	Ronald E. Romig (ed.)	2008	ISBN 978-1-934901-24-3
Mormon Graves in Kirtland: A Biographical Dictionary of Early Saints Buried in the Kirtland Area	Janet Lisonbee	2009	ISBN 978-1-934901-12-0
Alexander: Joseph and Emma Smith's Far West Son	Ronald E. Romig (ed.)	2009	ISBN 978-1-934901-26-7
The Persistence of Polygamy: Joseph Smith and the Origins of Mormon Polygamy	Newell G. Bringhurst and Craig L. Foster (eds.)	2010	ISBN 978-1-934901-12-0
Upon the Temple Lot: The Church of Christ's Quest to Build the House of the Lord	R. Jean Addams	2010	ISBN 978-1-934901-34-2
The Mormon Quest for the Presidency: From Joseph Smith to Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman	Newell G. Bringhurst and Craig L. Foster	2011	ISBN 978-1-934901-09-0
Northeast of Eden: Atlas of Mormon Settlement of Caldwell County, Missouri, 1834-39	John C. Hamer	2011	ISBN 978-1-934901-07-6

Awards

To help fulfill its mission to promote scholarship, JWHA gives awards to scholars in a number of categories.

Lifetime Achievement Award

JWHA's highest award is presented for to recipients who have given a lifetime of service promoting the history of the Latter Day Saint movement

Latter Day Saint movement

The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...

.

Year awarded	Recipient	Notes
2002	Leonard Arrington	First professionally trained church historian of the LDS Church; awarded posthumously
2002	Richard P. Howard Richard P. Howard Richard P. Howard is historian emeritus of Community of Christ, having served as world church historian of that organization from 1966–1994. He was the first professionally trained scholar to occupy that position...	First professionally trained church historian of the Community of Christ Community of Christ The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , is an American-based international Christian church established in April 1830 that claims as its mission "to proclaim Jesus Christ and promote communities of joy, hope, love, and peace"...  and co-founder of JWHA
2003	Alma Blair	Co-founder of JWHA and longtime executive secretary
2006	Paul M. Edwards	Co-founder and longtime supporter of JWHA
2007	Jan Shipps Jan Shipps Jo Ann Barnett "Jan" Shipps is an American historian specializing in Mormon History, particularly in the latter half of the 20th century to the present. Shipps is generally regarded as the foremost non-Mormon scholar of the Latter Day Saint movement, having given particular attention to The...	Most prominent historian of the movement from outside the movement; longtime supporter of JWHA
2009	W.B. "Pat" Spillman	Co-founder of JWHA and longest serving editor of the JWHA Journal

Smith-Pettit Best Book Award

JWHA's annual best book award has been endowed by the Smith-Pettit Foundation since 2001 and includes a $1,000 cash prize for the recipient.

Year awarded	Recipient	Book	Publisher
2001	Lavina Fielding Anderson Lavina Fielding Anderson Lavina Fielding Anderson is a Latter Day Saint scholar, writer, editor, and feminist. Anderson holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Washington...	Lucy's Book: A Critical Edition of Lucy Mack Smith's Family Memoir	Signature Books Signature Books Signature Books is a press specializing in subjects related to Utah, Mormonism, and Western Americana. The company was founded in 1980 by George D...
2002	Glen Leonard	Nauvoo: A Place of Peace, A Place of Promise	Deseret Book Deseret Book Deseret Book is the largest Latter-day Saint book publisher and also owns a chain of LDS bookstores in the western United States. Over 150 people work in its Salt Lake City headquarters...
2003	Will Bagley Will Bagley Will Bagley is a historian specializing in the history of western United States. Bagley has written about the fur trade, overland emigration, American Indians, military history, frontier violence, railroads, mining, and Utah and the Mormons....	Blood of the Prophets: Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows	University of Oklahoma Press University of Oklahoma Press The University of Oklahoma Press is the publishing arm of the University of Oklahoma. It has been in operation for over seventy-five years, and was the first university press established in the American Southwest. It was founded by William Bennett Bizzell, the fifth president of the University of...
2004	Dan Vogel Dan Vogel Daniel Arlon Vogel is the author of a number of books related to early Mormon history. He is a former member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an atheist and a skeptic.- Joseph Smith biography :...	Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet	Signature Books Signature Books Signature Books is a press specializing in subjects related to Utah, Mormonism, and Western Americana. The company was founded in 1980 by George D...
2005	Robert S. Wicks and Fred R. Foister	Junius and Joseph: Presidential Politics and the Assassination of the First Mormon Prophet	Utah State University Press
2006	Melvin C. Johnson	Polygamy on the Pedernales: Lyman Wight’s Mormon Villages in Antebellum Texas, 1845 to 1858	Utah State University Press
2007	Brian C. Hales	Modern Polygamy and Mormon Fundamentalism: The Generations after the Manifesto	Greg Kofford Books
2008	Newell G. Bringhurst and Craig L. Foster	The Mormon Quest for the Presidency	John Whitmer Books
2009	George D. Smith	Nauvoo Polygamy: "...but we called it celestial marriage"	Signature Books Signature Books Signature Books is a press specializing in subjects related to Utah, Mormonism, and Western Americana. The company was founded in 1980 by George D...
2010	Mark Staker	Hearken, O Ye People: The Historical Setting of Joseph Smith's Ohio Revelations	Greg Kofford Books
2011	David L. Bigler and Will Bagley Will Bagley Will Bagley is a historian specializing in the history of western United States. Bagley has written about the fur trade, overland emigration, American Indians, military history, frontier violence, railroads, mining, and Utah and the Mormons....	The Mormon Rebellion: America's First Civil War, 1857-1858	University of Oklahoma Press University of Oklahoma Press The University of Oklahoma Press is the publishing arm of the University of Oklahoma. It has been in operation for over seventy-five years, and was the first university press established in the American Southwest. It was founded by William Bennett Bizzell, the fifth president of the University of...

Kofford Best Article Award

JWHA's annual best book award has been endowed by Greg Kofford since 2011.

Year awarded	Recipient	Article	Journal or Edited Volume
2001	Jan Shipps Jan Shipps Jo Ann Barnett "Jan" Shipps is an American historian specializing in Mormon History, particularly in the latter half of the 20th century to the present. Shipps is generally regarded as the foremost non-Mormon scholar of the Latter Day Saint movement, having given particular attention to The...	"Surveying the Mormon Image Since 1960"	Sojourner in the Promised Land: Forty Years Among the Mormons
2002	Eric Paul Rogers	"Mark Hill Forscutt: Mormon Missionary, Morrisite Apostle, RLDS Minister"	JWHA Journal
2003	D. Michael Quinn D. Michael Quinn Dennis Michael Quinn is a historian who has focused on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was a professor at Brigham Young University from 1976 until his resignation in 1988. At the time, his work concerned church involvement with plural marriage after the 1890 Manifesto, in which...	"National Culture, Personality, and Theocracy in the Early Mormon Culture or Violence"	JWHA Journal
2004	Robert Flanders	“Nauvoo On My Mind”	JWHA Journal
2005	Kim L. Loving	"Ownership of the Kirtland Temple: Legends, Lies, and Misunderstandings"	Journal of Mormon History
2006	Richard Clothier	"Different Drummers: The Diverse Hymnody of the Reorganization"	Journal of Mormon History
2007	David J. Howlett	"'The Making of a Steward': Zion, Ecclesiastical Power, and RLDS Bodies, 1923-31"	JWHA Journal
2008	Erin Jennings	"Whitmer Family Beliefs and Their Church of Christ"	Scattering of the Saints: Schism within Mormonism
2008	Robin Scott Jensen	"Mormons Seeking Mormonism: Strangite Success and the Conceptualization of Mormon Ideology, 1844-50"	Scattering of the Saints: Schism within Mormonism
2009	Bryan R. Monte	"Harvest Hills at Thirty-five: Graying Not Growing"	JWHA Journal
2010	Christopher James Blythe	"The Church in the Days of Alpheus Cutler': New Insights into Nineteenth-century Cutlerite Ecclesiology"	JWHA Journal
2011	Chrystal Vanel	"History of the RLDS Church/Community of Christ in France"	JWHA Journal

Special Awards

From time to time, JWHA has given "Special Awards" in recognition of important works that fall outside the association's specific award categories.

Year awarded	Recipient	Notes
2003	Dan Vogel Dan Vogel Daniel Arlon Vogel is the author of a number of books related to early Mormon history. He is a former member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an atheist and a skeptic.- Joseph Smith biography :...	Editor of the five volume Early Mormon Documents series
2004	David J. Howlett	Best Student Paper for "Memory, Prophets, and Polygamy: The RLDS Church and American Religious Transformations in the Late Twentieth Century"
2005	Newell G. Bringhurst and Lavina Fielding Anderson Lavina Fielding Anderson Lavina Fielding Anderson is a Latter Day Saint scholar, writer, editor, and feminist. Anderson holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Washington...	Editors of Excavating Mormon Pasts: The New Historiography of the Last Half Century
2005	Devery S. Anderson and Gary James Bergera	Editors of Joseph Smith's Quorum of the Anointed, 1842-1845: A Documentary History and The Nauvoo Endowment Companies, 1845-1846: A Documentary History

Presidents of JWHA

In addition to historians from the Community of Christ background, JWHA's presidents include historians who were practicing members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as historians who were not members of any Latter Day Saint church. Presidents take office at the annual meeting in September.

Years	Name	Prominence at the time of service
1973–74	Robert Flanders	author of Nauvoo: Kingdom on the Mississippi (1975) ISBN 978-0-252-00561-9
1975	Alma Blair	Professor of history at Graceland College Graceland University Graceland is not ranked by U.S. News & World Report, being deemed a Tier 3 institution. It is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission as a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.-Housing System:...
1976	Kenneth Stobaugh	Director of Joseph Smith Historic Site in Nauvoo, Illinois Nauvoo, Illinois Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...
1977	William D. Russell William D. Russell (historian) William Dean Russell is an American historian focusing on the history of the Latter Day Saint movement. Russell taught at Graceland University for forty-one years, retiring as a professor of history in 2007. He has been a civil rights activist since the 1960s, championing the causes of equality...	Former editor of Courage: A Journal of History, Thought, and Action and professor of history at Graceland College Graceland University Graceland is not ranked by U.S. News & World Report, being deemed a Tier 3 institution. It is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission as a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.-Housing System:...
1978	Barbara Higdon	Former editor of the University Bulletin and professor of language and literature at Graceland College Graceland University Graceland is not ranked by U.S. News & World Report, being deemed a Tier 3 institution. It is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission as a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.-Housing System:...
1979	Paul M. Edwards	Professor of philosophy at Graceland College Graceland University Graceland is not ranked by U.S. News & World Report, being deemed a Tier 3 institution. It is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission as a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.-Housing System:...
1980	Clare D. Vlahos
1981	W. Grant McMurray W. Grant McMurray William Grant McMurray was Prophet-President of the Community of Christ from 1996 until 2004. He was the first non-descendant of Joseph Smith to head the church, and under his administration, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints changed its name to Community of...	Assistant church historian of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
1982	Tom Morain
1983	Norma Derry Hiles	Author of Gentle Monarch Presidency of Israel A Smith (1991) ISBN 978-0-8309-0577-5
1984	Paul M. Edwards	Professor of philosophy at Graceland College Graceland University Graceland is not ranked by U.S. News & World Report, being deemed a Tier 3 institution. It is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission as a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.-Housing System:...
1985	Richard P. Howard Richard P. Howard Richard P. Howard is historian emeritus of Community of Christ, having served as world church historian of that organization from 1966–1994. He was the first professionally trained scholar to occupy that position...	World church historian of the RLDS Church
1986	Wayne Ham
1987	Robert Mesle
1988	Linda King Newell Linda King Newell Linda King Newell is an American historian and author.Newell co-authored the 1984 book Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith with Valeen Tippetts Avery. During this time she was also editor of the scholarly Mormon periodical Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought with her husband L...	Co-author of Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith, Prophet's Wife, "Elect Lady," Polygamy's Foe is a biography of Emma Hale Smith, wife of Joseph Smith Jr., written by Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery.... (1984) ISBN 978-0-252-06291-9
1989–90	Maurice Draper
1991–92	Roger Launius
1993–94	Lee Pement
1995–96	Jessie L. Embry	Author of Black Saints in a White Church: Contemporary African American Mormons (1994) ISBN 978-1-56085-044-1
1996–97	Danny Jorgensen Danny Jorgensen Danny Lynn Jorgensen is an American professor at the Department of Religious Studies of the University of South Florida, for which he also served as chair from 1999 to 2006....	Author of Participant Observation: A Methodology for Human Studies (1989) ISBN 978-0-8039-2877-0
1997–98	Ronald E. Romig	Church archivist of the RLDS Church
1998–99	Barbara Bernauer	Assistant church archivist of the RLDS Church
1999–2000	Ed Warner
2000–01	Alma Blair	Former executive secretary of JWHA
2001–02	Michael S. Riggs
2002–03	Biloine Whiting Young	Author of Obscure Believers: The Mormon Schism of Alpheus Cutler (2002) ISBN 978-1-880654-27-9
2003–04	Mark A. Scherer	World church historian of the Community of Christ Community of Christ The Community of Christ, known from 1872 to 2001 as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , is an American-based international Christian church established in April 1830 that claims as its mission "to proclaim Jesus Christ and promote communities of joy, hope, love, and peace"...
2004–05	Jan Shipps Jan Shipps Jo Ann Barnett "Jan" Shipps is an American historian specializing in Mormon History, particularly in the latter half of the 20th century to the present. Shipps is generally regarded as the foremost non-Mormon scholar of the Latter Day Saint movement, having given particular attention to The...	Author of Mormonism: The Story of a New Religious Tradition (1987) ISBN 978-0-252-01417-8
2005–06	Newell G. Bringhurst	Author of Saints, Slaves, and Blacks: The Changing Place of Black People Within Mormonism (1981) ISBN 978-0-313-22752-3
2006–07	Alexander L. Baugh Alexander L. Baugh Alexander L. Baugh is a professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University . He has largely written on the history of the Latter Day Saint movement in the 1830s Missouri period, but has also written on such topics as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Great...	Author of A Call to Arms: The 1838 Mormon Defense of Northern Missouri (2000)
2007–08	Barbara B. Walden	Site Director of Kirtland Temple Kirtland Temple The Kirtland Temple is a National Historic Landmark in Kirtland, Ohio, USA, on the eastern edge of the Cleveland metropolitan area. Owned and operated by the Community of Christ, formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , the house of worship was the first temple to be...
2008–09	William Shepard	Author of James J. Strang, Teachings of a Mormon Prophet (1977)
2009–10	Jeanne Murphey
2010–11	John C. Hamer	Co-editor of Scattering of the Saints: Schism within Mormonism (2007) ISBN 978-1-934901-02-1
2011–12	Steven L. Shields	Author of Divergent Paths of the Restoration (3rd edition, 1982) ISBN 978-0-942284-00-3

Executive Secretaries/Directors and Treasurers of JWHA

The chief staff officer responsible for the association's operation has been the executive secretary (retitled "executive director" in 2007). In 2008, some of the executive director's responsibilities were given to the JWHA treasurer, a new staff officer.

Years	Name	Title
1973–75	Mark McKiernan	Secretary-Treasurer
1975–76	Pat Zahniser	Secretary-Treasurer
1976–78	Lorne White	Executive Secretary
1979–81	William D. Russell William D. Russell (historian) William Dean Russell is an American historian focusing on the history of the Latter Day Saint movement. Russell taught at Graceland University for forty-one years, retiring as a professor of history in 2007. He has been a civil rights activist since the 1960s, championing the causes of equality...	Executive Secretary
1982–85	Betty Winholz	Executive Secretary
1986–97	Alma Blair and Kay Blair	Executive Secretaries
1998–2003	Norman Bernauer	Executive Secretary
2004–05	Ken Mulliken	Executive Secretary
2006	Michael A. Karpowicz and John C. Hamer	Executive Secretaries
2007–08	Michael A. Karpowicz and John C. Hamer	Executive Directors
2009–11	Sherry Mesle-Morain and William D. Morain	Executive Directors
2009–present	Lew Weigand	Treasurer
2011–present	Sherry Mesle-Morain	Executive Director

External links

• Official website of the John Whitmer Historical Association
• John Whitmer Books