User:Rich jj/Sandbox/Archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly called the Church Archives) are a vast collection of records, manuscripts, photographs, oral histories, audiovisual materials, architectural drawings, and other materials relating to the history of the LDS Church. These holdings comprise an important collection on the settlement of the western United States, and the world's largest collection on the history of the Latter Day Saint movement. The archives are preserved and retained in the Church History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

More sources:
 * http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Libraries_and_Archives

History of the archives

 * Adventures

Church Archives contents
access details & issues http://www.lds.org/churchhistory/content/0,15757,3945-1-2123,00.html http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Conferences/2007_Is_the_Church_Archives_Closed.html

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&sourceId=1d473c4d925e1210VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=d1f9ec038356e110VgnVCM100000176f620aRCRD

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&sourceId=d4ad3614325af110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=d1f9ec038356e110VgnVCM100000176f620aRCRD

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&sourceId=f06cec038356e110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=d1f9ec038356e110VgnVCM100000176f620aRCRD

http://saintswithouthalos.com/ss/sc_alpha.phtml

Restricted materials
Anthon H. Lund diary B. H. Roberts Collection First Presidency Letterpress Copy Books Franklin D. Richards diary George Q. Cannon diary Heber J. Grant diaries Joseph F. Smith diaries L. John Nuttall Draft Papers Patriarchal Blessing Book 1 Political and Contractual Documents, 1856–1914

First Presidency's Vault
The First Presidency's Vault is part of the historical, archival holdings of the LDS Church, but is generally not accessible for research or public viewing.

Joseph Fielding Smith, Church historian from 1921 to 1970, kept some documents among his papers, and when he became Church president in 1970, it became part of the papers of the First Presidency. JFS had vault in office as historian, which was moved into the vault when he became church president. Smith had been a councilor in the FP since 1965.

Very private and limited, trusted access to contents. The First Presidency personally grants access. Generally closed to researchers. FP secretary answered inquiries about contents. Gibbons, FP secretary had full charge of the vault. Only Gibbons had the combination and even Hinckley had to go through him. Longtime historical staff didn't have access. The Tanners, critics of the LDS Church, described the vault as "undoubtedly the ultimate 'black hole.'" Some materials have been removed from the vault and opened to general access.

Mark Hofmann claimed he had access, which was denied by Hinckley, but some feel Hofmann still had indirect access through Gibbons. Michael Quinn was denied access to documents in the vault surrounding post-manifesto polygamy. Arrington had been granted access. James B. Allen and Andrew F. Ehat accessed the William Clayton diary, from which they had notes. Hinckley authorized access for Joseph Smith Papers researchers.

Some argue the church suppresses embarrassing documents in the vault, while others argue that real suppression would be in destroying the documents and the vault is more useful for preservation.

First Presidency's Vault contents

 * The Book of the Law of the Lord
 * Seer stones
 * Financial records, some opened in 1974
 * Minutes of the Holy Order in 1844?
 * Minutes of the Council of Fifty
 * Official minutes from Quarterly meeting of the Twelve Apostles
 * Minutes of First Presidency meetings
 * First Presidency's Office Journal?
 * Certain diaries of members of the FP
 * Taylor diaries
 * Cannon diaries
 * Letter
 * In 1985, a forged letter purporting to be written by Joseph Smith linking him to money-digging and magic was privately acquired by the church and stored in the vault. Forged Hofmann letter from Joseph Smith to Josiah Stowell in 1825.
 * Hofmann forgery of letter from Thomas Bullock to Brigham Young
 * Salamander Letter
 * Documents about post-manifesto polygamy
 * William Clayton diary
 * Francis M. Lyman journal
 * McLellin papers, acquired by the church in 1908 and discovered in the vault a month after the Hofmann murders, which were connected to his attempts to sell a similar purported collection.
 * Book of Commandments and Revelations (BCR)
 * Andrew Jenson collection, including interviews with people connected the Mountain Meadows Massacre. These materials were used for the 2008 book Massacre at Mountain Meadows.
 * Portions of the Joseph Knight autobiography

Secretive nature is exploited by rumors and urban legends.

An early manuscript history written by Oliver Cowdery until 1831 was reported to be in the vault, until exhaustive research by the church concluded that it was not in church possession and its existence was doubtful.

More sources?
 * http://www.mormoncurtain.com/topic_churchofficebuilding.html#pub_1817164492
 * http://bycommonconsent.com/2006/03/16/theodemocracy/