Category Archives: artifacts

Book of Mormon Census Project

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Back in the summer Robert Messick contacted me as part of his work on the Book of Mormon Census Project, an effort to document all extant copies of seven early editions and printings of the Book of Mormon.  This work is in advance of the 200th anniversary of the 1830 publication of the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon Census Project is an ongoing academic project to catalog and document the surviving copies of various early printings of the Book of Mormon. Understanding the value of this project often starts when the question is asked, “How many 1830 first copies of the Book of Mormon exist today?” The answer is currently unknown and the Census Project makes a plan to answer this as well as document the various characteristics of each copy.

The seven early editions under purview of the census are: the 1830 Palmyra true first edition, the 1837 Kirtland edition, the 1840 Nauvoo edition, the 1841 Great Britain edition, the 1842 Nauvoo edition, the 1869 Deseret Alphabet edition, and the 1899 Nephite Records edition.  All are scarce and notable editions and printings.

ACU holds three of the seven:

–Our copy of the 1830 Palmyra true first edition was in the library of O. C. Lambert, minister and writer among Churches of Christ.  Though it was rebound and lacks some pages, it bears the points necessary to identify it as a first printing of the first edition.  Its Census identifier is A0042.

Book of Mormon, 1830 Palmyra edition, Center for Restoration Studies, Abilene Christian University

–Our copy of the 1841 Great Britain edition is likely bound in the publisher’s original black calf leather (or at least a contemporary leather binding).  It lacks a spine label and a few pages, including the title page.  It was from the library of Maurice Meredith, evangelist among Churches of Christ, whose library was one of the major donations to Abilene Christian College that really established our collection as a significant collection of Restoration literature. Its Census identifier is D0023.

Book of Mormon, 1841 Great Britain edition, Center for Restoration Studies, Abilene Christian University

–Our copy of the 1899 Nephite Records edition retains its original publisher’s cloth binding, with spine lettering intact and original endpapers.  The text is complete and original.  It was from the library of C. R. Nichol, evangelist, writer, and debater among Churches of Christ and bears his signature.  Its Census Identifier is G0013.

Book of Mormon, 1899 Nephite Records edition, Center for Restoration Studies, Abilene Christian University

The Census Project is an ambitious one, but it is off to a solid start gathering data about and images of several remarkable examples of one of the most significant books in American religious history.  The project will establish a degree of relative certainty about the surviving copies of these early printings, and inform our understanding of print culture and the formation of religious identity.  Several very fine editions are already posted in the database, some with fabulous association ties to Joseph Smith and are beautiful examples of the printers’ and bookbinders’ craft.  I was pleased to learn our three volumes are among the choicest editions of the Book of Mormon, and was eager to contribute details and images about them.  They are not only significant in their own right, but given the connection between Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon and the early Campbell reform movement in Ohio and Illinois, they are jewels in our Restoration collection.  I was also delighted to learn that Pepperdine University holds three copies, including two copies of the 1830 first printing.  And to top it all off, we can now see Alexander Campbell’s own copy of the 1830 Palmyra edition!

From the collection: a letter of recommendation from the Church of Christ at Lone Oak, Texas, 1892

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Here is a letter of dismissal from the Church of Christ at Lone Oak, Texas, to Eunice Wells, dated “1st Lord’s day January, 1892.” The letter commends Eunice to a congregation of “Disciples of Christ wherever [it] may be presented.” This was a common practice until well into the 20th century. The occasion prompting the letter was a move from Lone Oak that would eventually take her to far West Texas.

A letter of dismissal from the Church of Christ at Lone Oak, Texas, to Eunice Wells, dated “1st Lord’s day January, 1892,” Texas–Lone Oak, Congregational Vertical File. Center for Restoration Studies. Milliken Special Collections, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Eunice Emily Davis Wells Thompson is the great-grandmother of Dr. Kenneth Pybus, ACU Associate Professor and Chair of Journalism and Mass Communication, who supplies this information: “My great-great-grandmother, Eunice Emily Davis Wells Thompson, was born in 1839 in Tennessee. She moved to East Texas as a child and married Ed Wells. They lived in Lone Oak and had four sons. After she was widowed, she married James R. Thompson and had another son. She and several sons left Lone Oak in 1892, moving for a time to Archer City and ultimately to Quanah, Texas, where she died at age 79. Several of her Wells and Thompson descendants attended ACU, including my grandfather, Sanford Rodgers Thompson, my sister, and several of my cousins. In fact, I know of one third cousin who went to ACU who’s a descendant, Gaylynn Wells Neas. (’92).”

Photograph of Eunice Wells, ca. 1892, Texas–Lone Oak, Congregational Vertical File. Center for Restoration Studies. Milliken Special Collections, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Kenneth’s grandfather donated the letter several years ago. He says, “Sanford Rodgers Thompson (‘41). He was a resident of Lake Jackson, Texas, and was employed as a chemist by Dow Chemical. He served as an elder at Lake Jackson Church of Christ for 40 years and died Feb. 18, 2010.”

Correspondence accompanying a letter of dismissal from the Church of Christ at Lone Oak, Texas, to Eunice Wells, dated “1st Lord’s day January, 1892,” Texas–Lone Oak, Congregational Vertical File. Center for Restoration Studies. Milliken Special Collections, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Envelope accompanying letter of dismissal from the Church of Christ at Lone Oak, Texas, to Eunice Wells, dated “1st Lord’s day January, 1892,” Texas–Lone Oak, Congregational Vertical File. Center for Restoration Studies. Milliken Special Collections, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Kenneth sent us this photograph of Eunice, taken about the time she moved from Lone Oak. This is a very nice example of a church dismissal letter, and one of the few in our collection. It is also especially nice to have a photograph to accompany the letter.

What Does Special Collections Collect?: A Brief Guide for Donors and Patrons

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ACU Special Collections and Archives actively seeks materials from, by and about the Restoration Movement from its earliest days to the present.  We hold books, periodicals, ephemera, photographs, audio and video recordings, archival materials and artifacts.

Books and periodicals:  Ideally we will preserve one copy in as pristine a condition as we can locate.  Where we have two copies, one will be available to researchers as a ‘use copy’ while the other is kept as a ‘preservation copy.’  We are always looking to 1) fill in gaps in our collection; 2) to acquire better-condition copies; and 3) acquire signed or inscribed copies.  In outstanding cases we will retain additional signed or association copies.

Several first editions of the works of Alexander Campbell. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Masthead, Gospel Advance, September 1919, vol. 1 no. 1. Edited and published by Price Billingsley. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Ephemera and photographs:  Printed for the moment then cast aside, ephemeral items open a window into our history that is, regrettably, seldom preserved.  Broadsides, leaflets, posters, advertising cards, clippings and the like can help us understand moments that comprise our history.  Photographs, portraits, snapshots, and slides document the moment without using words.

Campbell Street Church of Christ, Louisville, KY. 3 June 1923. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Scrapbook, Box 1, Folder 1, Mable Fuchs Papers, 1920-1921. Center for Restoration Studies MS #445. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Audio and Video Recordings:  We estimate that we hold over 15,000 recordings in a variety of formats (from magnetic tape reels to phonograph records to cassettes to VCR tapes and DVDs).  Listen below to Lynn Anderson’s sermon Ride the Wild Horses:

Listen below to Zelma Stroop remember David and Margaret Lipscomb:

Archival material: We currently house just under 490 collections of personal papers of ministers, evangelists, professors, editors and missionaries.  Each set is as different as its creator.  Some are rich in sermons or correspondence, others in manuscript materials and some contain records from congregations or organizations.  Many have a little of everything. Congregational records include minutes books, selected bulletins, membership rosters, and directories.

Letter from Carl Ketcherside to Stanley Paregien, 11 February 1970. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Letter of Recommendation for both G.W. Varner and A.V. Varner signed by the entire congregation. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Artifacts: The iconic pulpit used by Thomas Campbell at Ahorey (Ireland) Presbyterian Church may be our most recognizable artifact.  But we have communion ware from the 19th and early 20th centuries, a pew from the Madison, TN Church of Christ and artifacts from across the world from several missionaries.  These items tell yet another side to the story.

Bed-sheet sized sermon chart on Heaven, ca. 1940s-1950s. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Brass printing plates used in the production of Great Songs of the Church. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

If you have materials like these you would like to donate, please contact Mac Ice, Director of Special Collections and Archives at mac.ice@acu.edu or (325) 674-2144.  Mac will be pleased to discuss any aspect of the holdings and work of ACU Special Collections and Archives.