Church Historian's Press Releases Joseph Smith Ebook
A new digital volume organizes nearly 2,000 financial records detailing the early history of the Latter-day Saint movement.
Updated on Oct. 31, 2026 in Latter-Day Saints
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The Church Historian's Press has released a new ebook detailing the financial records of Joseph Smith. The publication follows seven years of research and provides a comprehensive look at how financial matters shaped the early Church.
Why it matters
The collection offers deep insight into how Joseph Smith used debt to fund the expansion of the Church and establish communities. It serves to make complex historical financial material coherent and accessible for general readers.
The new digital volume incorporates nearly 2,000 financial documents and spans sets ranging from a few to 400 pages. This release marks the completion of the Joseph Smith Papers Financial Records series.
The players
The Church Historian's Press
This organization is responsible for publishing historical documents and scholarly works related to the history of the Latter-day Saint movement.
Joseph Smith
He was the founder and first president of the Latter-day Saint movement who used debt to build the Church and establish early communities.
The details
Editors Sharalyn D. Howcroft, Jeffrey D. Mahas, Naomi W. Raffensparger, and Elizabeth Kuehn spent over seven years identifying handwriting and compiling these records. The book guides readers through the material with extensive historical context, introductions, and annotations.
Timeline
1837: The United States lacked a centralized banking system.
September 2026: The Joseph Smith Papers Financial Records series was completed.
October 31, 2026: The new ebook was released.
Culture Shift
The release of this volume adheres to the rigorous documentation standards established by The Joseph Smith Papers Project. It reflects a growing institutional trend toward transparency and accessibility regarding the historical financial foundations of the faith.
Readers in Utah can now access these primary financial records through the new digital publication to better understand the economic history of the early Church. This resource provides a practical way for historians and the general public to conduct their own research into the period.
The takeaway
This publication demonstrates how digitized archival research can transform fragmented historical documents into a coherent narrative. Readers can use these documents to gain a clearer perspective on the economic realities that underpinned 19th-century religious expansion.
Further reading
For more information on the history of the faith in the region, visit our Latter-Day Saints section.
More information
Read Additional facts about the series to learn more about the project.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Deseret News.
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