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In 1965, Hyrum L. Andrus purchased a copy of the microfilm of the Lundwall Collection from Lundwall, and the library copy was made from these reels. The rest of the collection was donated to the Library in 1975, by Lundwall's son, Nelson J., of Bloomington, Utah.
This collection is open to use in accordance with the policies and procedures of the Department of Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University. To call for items in the collection, ask for the call number Mss 1447 and folder numbers as indicated in the following inventory.
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.
Permission to publish material from Nels Benjamin Lundwall Collection must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Board of Curators.
Nels Benjamin Lundwall, compiler and author, was born February 26, 1884, in Bozeman, Montana, to martin and Hannah Larson Lundwall. The Lundwall family were members of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and Nels was baptized a member of that church at the age of eight. In 1898, he heard the missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) (Utah) preach. Said he, "By studying, analyzing, and using what little brain power I had, I followed the dictates of that research and study. I joined the Mormon Church on July 24, 1904, being about twenty and a half years old at the time".
Lundwall married Maude M. Haskins, on August 11, 1909, in Butte, Montana, and four children came from that union: Nelson J., Marvin, Joseph, and Florence. Their marriage was later solemnized for eternity in the St. George Temple, St. George, Utah. After studying business administration at the Montana State Agricultural College, in bozeman, Nels workedas a clerk in various city and county offices. He was later employed by the U.S. Forest Service, but the health of his oldest son, Nelson J., necessitated a a move to a different climate, so Lundwall requested a trasfer to St. George, Utah, where he worked for several months. In 1916, he resigned his position with the Forest Service and, after living a year in Bozeman, was employed at the University of Utah, as a secretary to John A. Widtsoe. He later returned to Bozeman.
At the time of his conversion, Lundwall became acquainted with Melvin
J. Ballard, who was then serving as President of the Northwestern States
Mission, which included the state of Montana, and in 1923 Elder Ballard
recommended Lundwall for the position of secretary to the First Council of
Seventy. After serving for twelve years as Council Secretary, during which time
he came to know and admire B.H. Roberts, James E. Talmage, Orson F. Whitney,
and other leading figures of the church, he felt that there was a need to
compile doctrinal articles and personal experiences of Latter-day Saints, "to
get the truth to the people." Consequently, he resigned his position as
Secretary, in 1936, and spent the next 32 years compiling and selling his
books. He traveled extensively, doing research, speaking in church meetings,
and promoting the sale of his books, which include such volumes as
Lundwall's wife, Maude, died on May 22, 1931, and he married Minnie Mae Knight in the Salt Lake Temple, on May 17, 1933. However, this relationship did not work out, and they were divorced. Lundwall later married Josephine Farr, on October 30, 1942, in the Salt Lake Temple. Together they served a short-term mission in the Central States Mission, in 1946-47. Josephine died on July 13, 1960, preceding Nels' death by nine years, which occurred on March 24, 1969, in Salt Lake City.
Though his works were essentially compilations of existing documents he had considerable influence among the Latter-day Saints. In a letter to Lundwall, written in 1951, Elder John A. Widtsoe of the Council of the Twelve said: "I feel impressed to say to you that out of your work much good has come for the building of the Kingdom of God. The Lord has inspired and guided you."
The Nels B. Lundwall Collection is divided into two parts: A manuscript section and a microfilm section. The microfilm section contains the bulk of the collection, consisting of five reels of filmed materials which Lundwall collected over a period of many years, up to the early 1960's. These materials were filmed before he sold the collection. They include Lundwall's personal correspondence, including letters from Melvin J. Ballard, Joseph Fielding Smith, John A. Widtsoe, and other prominent men of the LDS Church; discourses and articles about the LDS Church, politics, and other subjects; unpublished primary and secondary accounts of experiences related to LDS history and theology; blessings; poetry (non-original); and personal memorabilia.
The order of the materials on the film is mostly random. To aid in the use of these films, a detailed table of contents, subject index, and an extensive name index is provided in the register.
The manuscript portion of the collection is made up of material
similar in nature to that which is on the films. In addition, it includes the
original manuscript of two fo Lundwall's unpublished books, "Conspiracies of
Men and Devils in the Last Days," and "Higher Spiritual Truths," as well as the
manuscript of his
The following materials may be found in the Special Collections area of the library:
Four books compiled by Lundwall:
Periodicals:
Millennial Star, April 7, 1932, March 16, 1933, June 1, 1933, February 22, 1934, August 9, 1934, August 16, 1934, December 20, 1934
The following items were discarded:
Booklets and pamphlets: Herbert W. Armstrong,
From R. J. Lemert, of the Masonic Lecture Bureau, 1915. (1 item)
From Edward J. Wood, 1924. (1 item)
From B.G. Clay, of the Utah Liquor Control Commission, 1944. (1 item)
Concerning obtaining information about the martyrdom of Joseph Smith: Includes letters to and from John Blackmore, RLDS Church Historian; Israel C. Smith, RLDS Church President; Earl E. Olson, LDS Church Librarian; several libraries; and others; 1951-1952. (30 items)
To and from Thomas Sugrue, 1951. (2 items)
Seeking permission to publish speeches: to J. Reuben Clark, Jr.; to David O. McKay; 1953. (3 items)
From Mrs. Rowena J. Miler, Secretary to J. Reuben Clark, jr., 1953. (1 item)
Concerning obtaining information about political matters for publication: to and from several political publications and groups, 1959-1964. (6 items)
To and from H. Roland Tietzen, Hawaiian LDS Temple President, 1961. (3 items)
To and from Ward Forman, 1962. (2 items)
To Jack Verhal, 1962. (1 item)
To and from Percy L. Myer, 1962. (3 items)
Refusal to publish manuscript of "Assorted Discourses:" from A.H. Parry, of Deseret Book Company, 1963. (1 item)
From A.C. Gonzalez, Jr., 1964. (1 item)
To and from William M. Hansen, 1964. (8 items)
Concerning obtaining information about political matters for publication: to and from several political publications and groups; to and from other publications, individuals, and the U.S. Government Printing Office; 1964. (23 items)
To and from Percy L. Myer, 1964. (6 items)
To and from Percy L. Myer, 1965. (3 items)
To and from Herman O. Ruf, 1965-1966. (8 items)
To and from Hyrum L. Andrus, 1965-1966. (4 items)
To and from William M. hansen, 1965-1966. (7 items)
To Fred A. Schwartz, 1965. (1 item)
To and from Ward H. Magleby, 1965. (2 items)
To and from Truman Madsen, 1965. (2 items)
To and from Jay M. Todd, of the Improvement Era, 1965. (2 items)
To and from Ogden Kraut, 1966. (3 items)
To and from Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1967-1968. (4 items)
To and from Arthur K. Parker, Jr., 1967. (3 items)
To and from Richard L. Anderson, 1968. (4 items)
To the Library of Congress, reference Dept. Division of the Blind, 1968. (1 item)
To and from Anthony I. Bentley, 1968. (2 items)
From the Claytons, 1968. (1 item)
To American Mercury. (1 item)
From Patty S. (Hatch) Mann. (1 item)
From Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2 items)
From Kenneth Kerpen, of Groton Press, Inc. (1 item)
To and from several LDS seminaries and institutes, bookstores, and individuals, 1963-1969. (72 items)
To Maude Haskins Lundwall from Bonnie, 1931. (1 item)
To Mrs. Fred L. Goodrich, 1950. (1 item)
To and from James H. Lundwall, 1959. (2 items)
From Clare Middlemiss, Secretary to David O. McKay, 1963. (1 item)
To and from Bro. and Sis. (Bernice) Doud, 1963-1964. (2 items)
To "Dear Folks," 1964. (1 item)
From Debbie, 1967. (1 item)
From Richard L. Evans, 1967. (1 item)
From Marion G. Romney, 1967. (1 item)
From Marvin J. Lundwall and family, 1968. (1 item)
From the Lancasters, 1969. (1 item)
To and from Bankers Life and Casualty Co., 1963. (2 items)
To and from George C. Miller, Director of Utah Driver License Division, 1964. (2 items)
From
To Ned Sullivan, 1967. (1 item)
To Spa Health Resort, 1967. (1 item)
To Melvin Sullivan, 1967. (1 item)