Preferred CitationInitial Citation: MSS 1634; Mormon
Splinter Groups Collection, 1844-1976; 19th Century Western and Mormon
Americana; L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham
Young University.
Following Citations: MSS 1634, LTPSC.
Scope and Content NoteArrangement
This collection, as it was acquired, was largely in a state of
disorder. Original groupings, where they existed, have been retained.
Otherwise, documents have been rearranged according to the group to which they
refer. The files for each group have been ordered with consideration to the
relationships between groups. The collection includes handwritten notes, typed
documents, printed flyers, and letters from representatives of several splinter
groups, pertaining to their specific histories and theologies.
Brief Descriptions of the Groups
Represented
- Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (RLDS)
- Organized in 1860, with Joseph Smith III as president, this
church is headquartered today in Independence, Missouri.
- D.J. Morgan (RLDS)
- There are a large number of documents pertaining to D.J.
Morgan, a prominent theologian, so they are separated from other RLDS documents
in this collection.
- RLDS Protest
- The giving of "Supreme Directional Control" to the President
of the RLDS Church in 1925 caused a large number of the members of that church
to withdraw in protest, many joining The Church of Christ (Temple Lot). The
documents in this folder relate to the protest and its results, including the
activities of Thomas W. Williams, who, until the protest, was an apostle in the
RLDS Church.
- The Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
- Claiming to be a remnant of the Church of Christ founded by
Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1830, this church was organized in 1863, with Granville
Hedrick as Presiding Elder. Under his direction they established themselves in
Independence, Missouri, and purchased the Temple Lot property there with the
intent to build the temple as planned by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1831. Despite the
large influx of members in the late 1920s due to the RLDS Supreme Directional
Control controversy, the church has been unable to raise sufficient funds to
build their temple.
- Book of Mormon Foundation (Frank F. Wipper) Papers
- A member of the RLDS Church until the Supreme Directional
Control controversy, Wipper joined the Temple Lot Church in 1925, was called to
be an apostle in that church , but left it in 1926 to organize the Church of
Christ, Independent-Informal, which rapidly disintegrated, mostly because of
its informality. Primarily the work of Frank Wipper, the Book of Mormon
Foundation was organized in 1951. Not a church, the BOMF is a forum for
discussion of the Book of Mormon and publishing related materials. Bob Maley
took over after the death of Frank Wipper in 1970. The collection is divided
into Papers (V) and Correspondence (VI).
- Book of Mormon Foundation (Frank F. Wipper) Correspondence
- Order of Aaron
- Claiming not to be a branch of Mormonism, but holding in
common several beliefs including acceptance of parts of the Book of
Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants as scripture, the Order
of Aaron was formed in the 1940s by Maurice Glendenning. His family,
"Glendowyn," of Scottish descent, is said to hold the Aaronic Priesthood by
virtue of being of the house of Levi, wherein the Aaronic Priesthood is handed
down from generation to generation. Since his youth, Glendenning was the
recipient of revelation, which he wrote down, and which now serves the group as
additional scripture. The group practices the United Order, and a healthy,
frugal lifestyle.
- Restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (F. Elwood
Russell)
- Russell was excommunicated after receiving revelation that
the (Utah) LDS Church considered contrary to the will of God. He started this
church which holds, among other things, that God has removed His divine
authority from the LDS Church and given it to him because of priestcraft among
the LDS General Authorities.
- True Church of Jesus Christ Restored, Inc. (David L. Roberts)
- Following a visitation by the Angel Nephi in 1967, Roberts
was visited by Elijah in 1974, anointed, and told to organize this church and
move to Independence, Missouri, where he is to rebuild the temple.
- Other Groups
- Other groups with limited representation in this collection:
- LDS (Utah)
- The Priesthood Groups (Fundamentalists)
- Church of Jesus Christ (Alpheus Cutler)
- Church of Christ (Thomas Nerren)
- True Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (William
and Wilson Law)
- New American's Mount Zion (John Leabo)
- General History Research
- This file includes documents relating to Mormonism in general
and correspondence between David Martin and people whose affiliation is
uncertain.
Bibliographic Note
Shields, Steven L.Divergent Paths of the
Restoration, A History of the Latter Day Saint Movement, 3rd edition.
Bountiful, Utah: Restoration Research, 1982.
Shields, Steven L.The Latter Day Saint Churches,
An Annotated Bibliography. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1987.
For related research material in the BYU Archives, see the Russell
Rich Collection (UA 611).