¹ Great Britain

General

The great success of Mormon missionaries in Victorian Britain has assured that these missions have received the lion’s share of scholarly and popular attention.

The first book–length study, based extensively on material in the LDS Millennial Star, is

Evans, Richard L. A Century of “Mormonism” in Great Britain. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1937; reprinted, 1987.

Because of the 150th anniversary of the introduction of missionary work in the British Isles, many articles and books were published in 1987–1989.

An uneven attempt to update the Evans book was

Bloxham, V. Ben, James R. Moss, and Larry C. Porter, eds. Truth Will Prevail: The Rise of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the British Isles, 1837–1987. Sollihul, England: Corporation of the President, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1987.

A book of essays was published in 1989 that provides further insight on various aspects of Victorian Mormonism

Jensen, Richard L. and Malcolm R. Thorp, eds. Mormons in Early Victorian Britain. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1989.

The Winter and Spring 1987 issues of BYU Studies are devoted to the history of the Church in the British Isles.

The best overall study remains

Taylor, P. A. M. Expectations Westward: The Mormons and the Emigration of Their British Converts in the Nineteenth Century. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1966.

A brief demographic and statistical study is

Cuthbert, Derek A. “Church Growth in the British Isles, 1937–1987.” BYU Studies 27 (Spring 1987): 13–26. Click to view full text

An interesting look at the politics of missionary work is found in

Thorp, Malcolm R. “The British government and the Mormon Question, 1910–1922.” Journal of Church and State 21 (1979): 305–23.

An extended bibliography, which includes many references to missionary work is:

Whittaker, David J. “Mormonism in Victorian Britain: A Bibliographic Essay.” In Mormons in Early Victorian Britain, Richard L. Jensen and Malcolm R. Thorp, eds., 258–71. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1989.

England

Titles are presented in alphabetical order by author:

Allen, James B., Ronald K. Esplin, and David J. Whittaker. Men with a Mission: The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the British Isles, 1837–1841. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1992.

Allen, James B., and Thomas G. Alexander, eds. Manchester Mormons, The Journal of William Clayton, 1840–1842. Salt Lake City: Peregrine Smith, 1974.

Allen, James B. Trials of Discipleship: The Story of William Clayton, a Mormon. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1987.

Allen, James B. and Malcolm R. Thorp. “The Mission of the Twelve to England, 1840–1841: Mormon Apostles and the Working Classes.” BYU Studies 15, issue 4: 499–526. Click to view full text

Armytage, W. H. G. “Liverpool, Gateway to Zion.” Pacific Northwest Quarterly 48 (April 1957): 39–44.

Bushman, Richard L. “The Crisis in Europe and Hugh B. Brown’s First Mission Presidency.” Dialogue 21 (Summer 1988): 51–59. Click to view full text

Cannon, Donald Q. “George Q. Cannon and the British Mission.” BYU Studies 27, issue 1: 96–112. Click to view full text

Cannon, M. Hamlin. “The ‘Gathering’ of British Mormons to Western America: A Study in Religious Migration. Ph.D. diss., American University, 1950.

Cotterill, John. “Midland Saints: Mormon Mission in the West Midlands, 1837–77.” Ph.D. diss., University of Keele, 1985.

Cowan, Richard O. “Opening the British Mission 1837–1841.” In Unto Every Nation: Gospel Light Reaches Every Land,” Donald Q. Cannon and Richard O. Cowan, eds.,  3–26. Salt Lake City: Deseret book, 2003.

Cowan, Richard O. “Church Growth in England, 1841–1914.” In Truth Will Prevail, V. Ben Bloxham, James R. Moss, and Larry C. Porter, eds., 199–234. Solihull, England: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints, 1987.

Cuthbert, Derek A. The Second Century, Latter–day Saints in Great Britain, volume I, 1937–1987. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press for the author, 1987. An autobiographical history by an LDS leader in contemporary England.

Esplin, Ronald K. “The 1840–41 Mission to England and the Development of the Quorum of the Twelve.” In Mormons in Early Victorian Britain, Richard L. Jensen and Malcolm R. Thorp, eds., 70–91. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1989.

Fales, Susan L. “The Nonconformists of Leeds in the Early Victorian Era: A Study in Social Composition.” M.A. thesis, Brigham Young University, 1984. Click to view full text

Some of which she presents in the following chapter

Fales, Susan L. “Artisans, Millhands, and Laborers: The Mormons of Leeds and their Nonconformist Neighbors.” In Mormons in Early Victorian Britain, Richard L. Jensen and Malcolm R. Thorp, eds., 156–78. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1989.

Godfrey, Kenneth W. “Charles W. Penrose: The English Mission Years.” BYU Studies 27, issue 1: 113–25. Click to view full text

Hamerman, Sam. “The Mormon Missionaries in England, 1837–1852.” M.A. thesis, University of California, Berkeley, 1937.

Harris, Jan G. “Mormons in Victorian England.” M.A. thesis, Brigham Young University, 1987.  Click to view full text

A portion of this is presented in her article

Harris, Jan G. “Mormons in Victorian Manchester.” BYU Studies 27, issue 1: 47–56. Click to view full text

Jorgensen, Lynne Watkins. “The First London Mormons: 1840–45: ‘What Am I and My Brethren Here for?’” M.A. thesis, Brigham Young University, 1988. Click to view full text

Lively, Robert L., Jr. “Some Sociological Reflections on the Nineteenth–Century British Mission.” In Mormons in Early Victorian Britain, Richard L. Jensen and Malcolm R. Thorp, eds., 16–30. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1989.

Pritchard, Lily. “Across the Waves: Mormon Emigration of British Saints, 1840–1870.” Ph.D. diss., University of Bradford, 1989.

Sadler, Richard W. “Franklin D. Richards and the British Mission [1847–48].” Journal of Mormon History 14 (1988): 80–95.

Smart, Paul Floyd. “The History of the Early Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints in Preston, Lancashire, England.” M.A. thesis, Brigham Young University, 1989. Click to view full text

Thorp, Malcolm R. “Early Mormon Confrontations with Sectarianism, 1830–40.” In Mormons in Early Victorian Britain, Richard L. Jensen and Malcolm R. Thorp, eds., 49–69. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1989.

Thorp, Malcolm R. “The Religious Background of Mormon Converts in Britain, 1837–52.” Journal of Mormon History 4 (1977): 51–65. A foundational study of social composition, also found in

Thorp, Malcolm R. “’The Field is White Already to Harvest.’ In Men with a Mission: The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the British Isles, 1837–1841, ” James B. Allen, Ronald K. Esplin, and David J. Whittaker, eds. 323–44. Salt Lake City: Deseret book, 1992.

Van Orden, Bruce A. “The Decline in Convert Baptisms and Member Emigration from the British Mission after 1870.” BYU Studies 27, issue 2: 97–105. Click to view full text

Walker, Ronald W. “Cradling Mormonism: The rise of the Gospel in Early Victorian England.” BYU Studies 27, issue 1: 25–36. Click to view full text

Walker, Ronald W. “Heber J. Grant’s European Mission, 1903–1906.” Journal of Mormon History 14 (1988): 17–33.

Ireland and Scotland

The titles are arranged in alphabetical order by author:

Aird, Polly. “Why Did the Scots Convert?” Journal of Mormon History 26 (Spring 2000): 91–122.

Aspinwall, Bernard. “A Fertile Field: Scotland in the Days of the Early Missions.” In Mormons in Early Victorian Britain, Richard L. Jensen, and Malcolm R. Thorp, eds., 104–17. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1989.

Barlow, Brent A. “Highlights of ‘Mormonism in Ireland since 1900.’” Provo: Brigham Young University, 1966. A paper prepared for Graduate Religion 544.

Barlow, Brent A. “History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints in Ireland since 1840.” M.A. thesis, Brigham Young University, 1968. Click to view full text

Barlow, Brent A. “The Irish Experience.” In Truth Will Prevail, V. Ben Bloxham, James R. Moss, and Larry C. Porter, eds., 299–331. Solihull, England: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints, 1987.

Buchanan, Frederick S. “The Ebb and Flow of the Church in Scotland.” In Truth Will Prevail, V. Ben Bloxham, James R. Moss, and Larry C. Porter, eds., 268–98. Solihull, England: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints, 1987.

Buchanan, Frederick S. “The Ebb and Flow of Mormonism in Scotland, 1840–1900.” BYU Studies 27, i ssue 2: 27–52. Click to view full text

Buchanan, Frederick S. “The Emigration of Scottish Mormons to Utah, 1849–1900.” M.S. thesis, University of Utah, 1961.

Buchanan, Frederick S. “From the Missouri to the Clyde: Samuel W. Richards in Scotland, 1846–1848.” Nauvoo Journal 7 (Fall 1995): 24–38. Click to view full text

Buchanan, Frederick S., ed. A Good Time Coming: Mormon Letters to Scotland. Utah Centennial Series, vol. 4 Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1988.

Buchanan, Frederick S. “Robert Lang Campbell: ‘A Wise Scribe in Israel’ and Schoolman to the Saints.” BYU Studies 29, issue 3: 5–27. Click to view full text

McKay, David O. What E’er Thou Art, Act Well Thy Part: The Missionary Diaries of David O. McKay. Stan Larson, Patricia Larson, Marion D. Hanks, Eugene England, and Leonard J. Arrington, eds. Salt Lake City: Blue Ribbon Books, 1999.

Wales

Titles are presented in alphabetical order by author:

Davies, Douglas J. “The Mormons of Merthyr–Tydfil.” B.Lit. thesis, Oxford University, 1972.

Davies, Douglas J. Mormon Spirituality: Latter–day Saints in Wales and Zion. Nottingham: University of Nottingham, 1987.

Dennis, Ronald D. “Dan Jones, Welshman: Taking the Gospel Home.” Ensign 17 (April 1987): 50–57.  To view the full text, go to lds.org and click on “Gospel Library.”

Dennis, Ronald D. The Call of Zion: The Story of the First Welsh Mormon Emigration. Provo: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1987.

Dennis, Ronald D., translator. Defending, the Faith: Early Welsh Missionary Publications. Provo: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2003.

Dennis, Ronald D. “The Welsh and the Gospel.” In Truth Will Prevail, V. Ben Bloxham, James R. Moss, and Larry C. Porter, eds., 236–67. Solihull, England: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints, 1987.

Scandinavia (Northern Europe)

The most successful mission after Britain was Scandinavia.

Titles are presented in alphabetical order by author:

Christensen, Marius A. “History of the Danish Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints, 1850–1964.” M. A. thesis, Brigham Young University, 1966. Click to view full text

Christiansen, Alfred. “Scandinavians and the New Zion in the West.” American Scandinavian Review 60 (1972): 263–71.

Gundersen, Dianne. “With Scriptures in their Backpack: American LDS Women Missionaries in Norway.” Ph.D. diss., University of Oslo, 2001.

Haslam, Gerald M. Clash of Cultures: the Norwegian Experience with Mormonism, 1842–1920. American University Studies, series 9, History, vol. 7. New York: Peter Lang, 1984. Publication of Ph.D. dissertation, Brigham Young University.

Haslam, Gerald M. “Early Norwegian Converts to the LDS Church.” Genealogical Journal 9 (June 1980): 78–89.

Haslam, Gerald M. “The Norwegian Experience with Mormonism, 1842–1920. Ph.D. diss., Brigham Young University, 1981.

Hunsaker, Curtis B. “History of the Norwegian Mission from 1851 to 1960.” M.A. thesis, Brigham Young University, 1965. Click to view full text

Jenson, Andrew. History of the Scandinavian Mission. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1927.

Johansson, Carl–Erik. “History of the Swedish Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints, 1905–1973.” M.A. thesis, Brigham Young University, 1973. Click to view full text

Larson, Andrew Karl. Erastus Snow: The Life of a Missionary and Pioneer for the Early Mormon Church. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1971.

Mulder, William. Homeward to Zion: The Mormon Migration from Scandinavia. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1957.

Mulder, William. “Image of Zion: Mormonism as an American Influence in Scandinavia.” Mississippi Valley Historical Review 43 (June 1956): 18–38.

Mulder, William. “Mormons from Scandinavia, 1850–1900: A Shepherded Migration.” Pacific Historical Review 23 (1954): 227–59.

Mulder, William.  “Mormons from Scandinavia, 1850–1905: The Story of a Religious Migration.” Ph.D. diss., Harvard University, 1955.

Penley, Kaija Hannele. “Leadership of Mormon Missionary Efforts in Finland and Its Influence on Conversion Rates in the Finnish Mission, 1947–1969.” M.A. thesis, Utah State University, 1994.

Seljaas, Helge. “The Mormon Migration from Norway.” M.A. thesis, University of Utah, 1972.

Seljaas, Helge. “Scandinavian Mormons and Their ‘Zion.’” Scandinavian Studies 60 (Autumn 1988): 445–52.

Sjodahl, Janne M. “The Beginning of the Scandinavian Mission. Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine 3 (July 1912): 103–11.

Thomas, John C. “Apostolic Diplomacy: The 1923 European Mission of Senator Reed Smoot and Professor John A. Widtsoe.” Journal of Mormon History 28 (Spring 2002): 130–65. They traveled as ambassadors for the Church to Scandinavia.

Watkins, Donald K. “Notes on the Early Mormon Mission in Denmark.” The Bridge: Journal of the Danish American Heritage Society. 3 (August 1980): 1–5.

Wengreen, A. Dean. “A History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints in Sweden, 1850–1905.” Ph.D. diss., Brigham Young University, 1968.

Zobell, Albert L., Jr. Under the Midnight Sun: Centennial History of Scandinavian Missions. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1950.

Western and Southern Europe

Boone, David F. “The Evacuation of Missionaries at the Outbreak of World War II.” In Regional Studies in Latter–day Saint Church History: Europe, Donald Q. Cannon and Brent L. Top, eds., 65–88. Provo, Utah: BYU, Department of Church History and Doctrine, 2003.

Boone, David F., Sr. “The Worldwide Evacuation of Latter–day Saint Missionaries at the Beginning of World War II.” M. A. thesis, Brigham Young University, 1981. Click to view full text

Boone, Joseph F. “The Roles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints in Relation to the United States Military, 1900–1975.” Ph.D. diss., Brigham Young University, 1975.

Cannon, Donald Q. “The Gospel Carried to the Continent.” In Unto Every Nation: Gospel Light Reaches Every Land,  Donald Q. Cannon and Richard O. Cowan, eds., 28–42. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2003.

Chard, Gary Ray. “A History of the French Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints, 1850–1960.” M. S. thesis, Utah State University, 1965. Click to view full text

Christianson, James R. “Early Missionary Work in Italy and Switzerland.” Ensign (August 1982): 35–46. Click to view the full text on http://lds.org and then click on “Gospel Library.”

Christianson, James R. “The Gathering to Zion—Its Nature and Implications.” In Regional Studies in Latter–day Saint Church History: British Isles, Donald Q. Cannon, ed., 115‑31. Provo, UT: BYU Department of Church History and Doctrine, 1990. Deals primarily with the process of missionary work in, and migration from, Western Europe.

Cottrell, Ralph L., Jr. “A History of the Discontinued Mediterranean Missions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints.” M. S. thesis, Brigham Young University, 1963. Click to view full text

Decoo, Wilfried. “Mormonism in a European Catholic Region: A Contribution to the Social Psychology of LDS Converts.” BYU Studies 24, issue 1: 61–78. Click to view full text

Dennis, Ronald D. “William Howells: First Missionary to France.” In Supporting Saints, Life Stories of Nineteenth–Century Mormons, Donald Q. Cannon and David J. Whittaker, eds., 43–81. Provo, Utah: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1985.

Derr, C. Brooklyn. “Messages from Two Cultures: Mormon Leaders in France, 1985.” Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 21 (Summer 1988): 98–111. Click to view full text

Dixon, Joseph M. “Mormons in the Third Reich: 1933–1945.” Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 7 (Spring 1972): 70–78. Click to view full text

Embry, Jessie L. “Deliverer or Oppressor: Missionaries’ Views of Hitler.” In Regional Studies in Latter–day Saint Church History: Europe, Donald Q. Cannon and Brent L. Top, eds., 47–63. Provo, Utah: BYU, Department of Church History and Doctrine, 2003.

Grover, Mark L. “Migration, Social change, and Mormonism in Portugal.” Journal of Mormon History 21 (Spring 1995): 65–79.

Homer, Michael W. “The Italian Mission, 1850–1867.” Sunstone 7 (May/June 1982): 16–21.

Jarvis, John C. “Mormonism in France: A Study of Cultural Exchange and Institutional Adaptation.” Ph.D. diss., University of Washington, 1991.

Jensen, Richard L. “Without Purse or Script? Financing Latter–day Saint Missionary Work in Europe in the Nineteenth Century.” Journal of Mormon History 12 (1985): 3–14.

Keele, Alan F., and Douglas F. Tobler. “The Fuhrer’s New Clothes” Helmuth Hëbener and the Mormons in the Third Reich.” Sunstone 5 (November/December 1980): 20–29.

Kirby, Dale Z. “History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints in Switzerland.” M. A. thesis, Brigham Young University, 1971. Click to view full text

Kooyman, Frank I. “The Netherlands Mission.” Millennial Star 92 (6 November 1930): 769–75.

McClellan, Richard D. “President Louis Bertrand and the Closure of the French Mission, 1859–64.” In Regional Studies in Latter–day Saint Church History: Europe, Donald Q. Cannon and Brent L. Top, eds., 23–46. Provo, Utah: BYU, Department of Church History and Doctrine, 2003.

Mehr, Kahlile. “The Trial of the French Mission.” Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 21 (Autumn 1988): 27–45. Click to view full text

Mitchell, Michael. “The Mormons in Wilhelmine, Germany, 1870–1914: Making a Place for an Unwanted American Religion in a Changing German Society.” M.A. thesis, Brigham Young University, 1994. Click to view full text

Montague, Terry N. “Mine Angels Round About”: Mormon Missionary Evacuation from Western Germany, 1939. Murray, Utah: Roylance, 1989.

Scharffs, Gilbert W. “History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints in Germany between 1840 and 1968.” Ph.D. diss., Brigham Young University, 1969.

Also published as:

Scharffs, Gilbert W. Mormonism in Germany: A History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints in Germany between 1840 and 1970. Salt Lake City: Deseret book, 1970.

Stokoe, Diane. “The Mormon Waldensians [Italy].” M. A. thesis, Brigham Young University, 1985. Click to view full text

Walker, Ronald W. “Heber J. Grant’s European Mission, 1903–1906.” Journal of Mormon History 14 (1988): 17–33.

Warner, Keith C. “History of the Netherlands Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints, 1861–1966.” M.A. thesis, Brigham Young University, 1967. Click to view full text

Footnotes

1 An even more extensive bibliography and guide to sources can be found in David J. Whittaker, “Mormon Missiology: An Introduction and Guide to the Sources,” 466–486, in The Disciple as Witness: Essays on latter–day Saint History and Doctrine in Honor of Richard Lloyd Anderson, edited by Stephen D. Ricks, Donald W. Parry, and Andrew H. Hedges, (Provo: The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, Brigham Young University, 2000). In addition review James B. Allen, Ronald W. Walker, and David J. Whittaker, Studies in Mormon History, 1830–1997: An Indexed Bibliography, (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2000), and the up–to–date version at http://mormonhistory.byu.edu/.