Insights from the Papers: Lyndie Jackson

Lyndie Jackson shares how her testimony has been strengthened by reading about Wilford Woodruff testifying of God to everyone around him; he taught the importance of sharing the gospel through his actions and his words. We are so fortunate to have the gospel in our lives, and we should do our best to share it with those around us.

By Craig Lindquist

A friend recently asked about my thoughts on making repentance less intimidating. My immediate answer was, “Well, perhaps we should get President Nelson to stop using the words ‘daily’ and ‘repentance’ in the same sentence!” We both had a chuckle, but while pondering his question, I recalled my first experience with repentance. It was both challenging and liberating . . .

Preserving a Prophet's Words

By Maddie Christensen

“I know how important it is for all of us to be able to read the words of latter-day prophets,” says Susannah Jensen, a volunteer for the Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation. “I loved the idea of being able to be a part of an organization that helped people do that.” Susannah is a volunteer transcriber for the Wilford Woodruff Papers Project. She helps with the transcription of documents before they are edited and reviewed. She first heard about the Project through BYU’s student service program,

Y-Serve. Susannah has been particularly impressed by the number of records that need to be transcribed. She shares . . .

Courage: An Attribute of Jesus Christ

By Erin Hills

As a biographical researcher for the Wilford Woodruff Papers, I am frequently asked if I have any great stories to share about Wilford Woodruff. Wilford had amazing faith in Jesus Christ. He was an exemplary missionary and Apostle. I am privileged to dive into his personal papers every day and learn straight from his hand, and I love to share his stories. But there are more people in the story than Wilford, and I often find myself focusing on them—the people who had no idea they were entertaining a future prophet. How did their interactions with Wilford Woodruff impact their lives? What can I learn from their examples? . . .

Association for Documentary Editing Conference

We are excited to announce that Jason Godfrey, General Editor of the Wilford Woodruff Papers, will be presenting at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Documentary Editing on "Logistics and Challenges in Editing" with Sharon E. Nielsen of the Joseph Smith Papers and James Bradley and Andrew Wiley of the Papers of Martin Van Buren. The conference will be June 20 to 22, 2024, in Buffalo, New York. To learn more, click here.

Mormon History Association Conference

This year's Mormon History Association's conference, "Conversions, Aversions, Reversions: Mormon Identity from Ohio to Utah" will be held June 13 to 16, 2024, in Kirtland, Ohio. Former Wilford Woodruff Papers employee Jeff Turner will be presenting along with many others who have contributed to the Wilford Woodruff Papers Project. To learn more, click here.

Happy Mother's Day from the Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation!

Wilford Woodruff did not say much about Phebe Brooks Rigdon—only a request in an October 20, 1840 letter for clarification on her name: “Please tell me what is Sidney Rigdons wife christian name is it Phebe, Nancy, or what."

I was recently assigned to research and write a biographical sketch for Phebe Brooks Rigdon, the wife of Sidney Rigdon. I was so grateful for this opportunity because all I knew about her was that she and her husband had left the Church. This lack of knowledge left me with feelings of confusion and perhaps even unrighteous judgment toward the Rigdon family. During my research, I received a witness that Phebe Brooks Rigdon was full of courage and faith. She and Sidney put their lives in the hands of the Lord. They followed the Prophet Joseph Smith, they made covenants, they sacrificed, and they did their best to follow what they thought was right. She buried children and grandchildren. The suffering of the early Saints was great . . .

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