"Letter for My Wife," a heartfelt exploration of Mormon history, has become a valuable resource for many seeking lesser-known yet significant details about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Originally intended for my family, it's grown organically to help thousands on their faith journeys.
Readers appreciate "Letter for My Wife's" calm and respectful approach. Facts are presented clearly with visuals and linked sources. However, some links, particularly to "The Joseph Smith Papers" and official church resources, may need updating due to website changes. For this reason, I've tried to include as many original images as possible.
The irony isn't lost on me that the one person I originally wrote the letter for, my wife, still hasn't read it. Back then, it was a printed document intended solely for her eyes; however, our ward leaders advised her against reading it. Despite that, 'Letter for My Wife' has resonated with many on similar journeys. I hold onto the hope that someday we can all have open and honest conversations about faith, including the contents of this letter.
I began sharing the letter with some of my friends and eventually made it available on Reddit in PDF form for a number of years before putting it on a website. I hope that truth seekers can benefit from the months and months of research and writing that I put into it.
About Me
I was born in the covenant to two faithful Mormon parents. My progression through the nursery, primary, Boy Scouts, and young men’s programs was integral to my upbringing. The knowledge and testimony I gained during this time prepared me for the full-time mission I served. Upon returning from my mission, I was lucky enough to marry and become sealed in the temple to my amazing and beautiful wife. I have held numerous church callings throughout the years. My time spent as a Sunday school teacher is where my love for exploring church history began to develop.
This project began in July of 2009 while reading the Ensign article, “The Joseph Smith Papers: The Manuscript Revelation Books” by, then Church Historian, Elder Marlin K Jensen. The article was used to promote the first volume of the Joseph Smith Papers project, published just a year earlier. The project set out to publish all manuscripts created by, or under the direction of Joseph Smith Jr. This ambitious endeavor consisted of a published first volume and a complementary website and remained largely unknown to the general membership of the Church at that time. I visited Josephsmithpapers.org and my love for exploring Church history grew into a passion.
My wife can confirm that, at times, I can get bit by the curiosity bug and spend large amounts of time researching and involving myself in new niches of life. I spent hours a day reading the original journals of Joseph Smith. That led to the Journal of Discourses, the History of the Church, early Mormon periodicals, journals, and many more.
Soon after I started studying, several discrepancies began to emerge. Discrepancies between well-known church history events and the canonized stories we’ve all grown up learning. Not only was I finding conflicting stories, but I was also finding new stories of uncomfortable events I’d never heard of. Since I have a terrible memory I started a little list so I would not forget these interesting points and where to find them. Little by little, the list grew into the paper you have before you.