Anthon-Lund
Photograph of Anthon Lund taken in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1895. Photo courtesy of the Church History Library.This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.
By Trent Toone, Church News
The journals and papers of Anthon H. Lund, who served in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and as a counselor in the First Presidency, are now available digitally in the Church History Catalog of the Church History Library of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The materials, housed in two collections, offer a detailed glimpse into the life and contributions of one of the earliest Church members from Europe, reported Jeff Morley and Scott Marianno in a June 23 article on history.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
The collections are:
- Anthon H. Lund Journals, 1860–1921 (MS 5375)
- Anthon H. Lund Papers, 1869–1920 (MS 1256)
Who Was Anthon H. Lund?
Lund was born on May 15, 1844, in Aalborg, Denmark. His mother died when he was 4 years old, and he was raised by his maternal grandmother, reported Morley and Marianno in “Anthon H. Lund Journals and Papers Now Available.”
Lund was baptized a member of the Church in 1856 at the age of 12. At age 16, he was ordained an elder and appointed president of the Aalborg Branch.
In 1862, Lund immigrated to Sanpete County, Utah, where he married Sarah Ann “Sanie” Peterson in 1870. The couple had nine children.
Lund served as president of the Church’s Scandinavian Mission from 1884 to 1885, and president of the European Mission from 1893 to 1896. He also visited the Ottoman Empire in 1897 to support missionary work in the Turkish Mission.
Lund was called as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve in 1889 and later served in the First Presidency as a counselor from 1901 until his death in 1921. He was the first member of the First Presidency whose native language was not English.
Anthon-H.-Lund
The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1905 are, from left, John R. Winder, President Joseph F. Smith and Anthon H. Lund. Photo courtesy of the Church History Library.Lund died at the age of 76 on March 2, 1921, in Salt Lake City from complications related to a long-standing duodenal ulcer.
Lund is one of many Latter-day Saints featured in “Saints, Volume 2.”
Anthon H. Lund’s Journals
Lund’s 41 volumes of journals span from 1860 to 1921 and provide a comprehensive account of Lund’s life and Church service.
The journals feature his service as a missionary in Denmark; his leadership of the Scandinavian Mission and European Mission; and his six-month visit to Palestine and the Holy Land starting in 1897.
Lund recorded his interactions with the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. He wrote about his service as Church historian from 1900 to 1921, and president of the Salt Lake Temple from 1911 to 1921.
Lund’s journals reveal his thoughts on Utah politics and industry, as well as his devotion to his wife and family. He wrote about the personal toll that his frequent absences for Church-related duties had on his family.
Anthon H. Lund’s Papers
Lund’s collection of papers include personal documents such as letterbooks, correspondence, notebooks and other materials in various languages — Danish, Spanish, French, German, Turkish and shorthand. They tell about his family, business activities and Church service.
Among his papers are:
- Letters to and from prominent Church leaders such as Wilford Woodruff, Joseph F. Smith and Heber J. Grant, as well as personal correspondence with family members, friends and business associates.
- Many talk transcripts and a report of his six-month trip to the Holy Land and more.
- Correspondence with the Turkish Mission.
- Thoughts on gospel principles and doctrine, as well as proposed revisions to the Doctrine and Covenants from his work in the Historian’s Office.
- His contributions to political and social matters, particularly on Scandinavians in Utah.
- His thoughts on plural marriage and the 1890 Manifesto (Lund was one of few monogamists in Church leadership during his time).
- Minutes from Church meetings and reports on sermons by Church leaders.
- Detailed notes from various meetings and other Church matters.
Church History Catalog
The Church History Catalog has hundreds of thousands of collections of documents and media from the history of the Church and is accessible by anyone at catalog.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Earlier this year, the Church made the journals of President Heber J. Grant available in the Church History Catalog. The journals of President Spencer W. Kimball were released in 2023.