Mark Roscoe Ashurst-McGee (born 1968) is an American historian of the Latter Day Saint movement and editor for the

Joseph Smith Papers ''The Joseph Smith Papers'' (or Joseph Smith Papers Project) is a project researching, collecting, and publishing all manuscripts and documents created by, or under the direction of, Joseph Smith (1805-1844), the founder of the Latter Day Saint ...

project.

Background

From 1988 to 1990, Ashurst-McGee served a

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

for

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church) in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. His wife Angela was a

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of ''Western American Literature'' (an academic journal), a teacher of college English, a freelance editor for the Joseph Smith Papers, and currently runs the

résumé A résumé, sometimes spelled resume (or alternatively resumé), also called a curriculum vitae (CV), is a document created and used by a person to present their background, skills, and accomplishments. Résumés can be used for a variety of re ...

writing service Red Rocket Résumé. They have five children. Ashurst-McGee received a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

and

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

from

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

(BYU) in 1994, and an

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in History from

Utah State University Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...

(USU) in 2000. During his graduate studies he also did a summer seminar course in Latter-day Saint history at BYU that was led by

Richard L. Bushman Richard Lyman Bushman (June 20, 1931) is an American historian and Gouverneur Morris Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University, having previously taught at Brigham Young University, Harvard University, Boston University, and the Univ ...

. His master's thesis on Joseph Smith's religious development won the Reese History Award from the

Mormon History Association The Mormon History Association (MHA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field. MHA was founded i ...

. He then pursued his doctorate in history at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

(ASU), where he also worked on a project for American Indian history and culture. His dissertation was on Joseph Smith's early social and political thought, and won the Gerald E. Jones Dissertation Award from the Mormon History Association. Through this training, he became a "specialist in documentary editing conventions and transcription methodology." A BYU professor of religious education and colleague in the Joseph Smith Papers Project,

Steven C. Harper Steven Craig Harper (born 1970) is a professor of church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University. He was a historian for the Church History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From 2019, he is the Editor-in-Chi ...

, stated Ashurst-McGee "probably knows the field of documentary editing better than anybody that I know."

Mormon studies

In 1999, Ashurst-McGee was an intern in the Church Archives of the LDS Church. After his time at ASU, he joined the staff of the

Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History The Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Church History (later renamed to Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History) was an academic research organization at Brigham Young University (BYU) from 1980 to 2005 that sought to promo ...

. He also worked as an editor for

Deseret Book Deseret Book () is an American publishing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), the ...

and published articles with the

Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) was an informal collaboration of academics devoted to Latter-day Saint historical scholarship. ThFoundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS)was established in 1979 as a ...

(FARMS) and the

. When FARMS printed a coordinated critique of Grant H. Palmer's controversial 2002 book, ''

An Insider's View of Mormon Origins ''An Insider's View of Mormon Origins'' is a 2002 book about the origins of Mormonism by Grant H. Palmer, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) who was a Church Educational System instructor and Institute direct ...

'', Ashurst-McGee wrote one of the five critiques published in the ''

FARMS Review ''Mormon Studies Review'' is an annual academic journal covering Mormon studies published by the University of Illinois Press. Previously, until and including its 2018 issue, the journal was published by Brigham Young University's Neal A. Maxwell ...

''. The other reviewers were James B. Allen,

Davis Bitton Ronald Davis Bitton (February 22, 1930 – April 13, 2007) was a charter member and president of the Mormon History Association, professor of history at the University of Utah, and official Assistant Church Historian in the Church of Jesus Christ ...

, Louis Midgley, and

. Ashurst-McGee is a member of the Joseph Smith Papers Project. Along with

Richard L. Jensen Richard Louis Jensen (born 1943) is an American historian who specializes in the study of the 19th-century Latter Day Saint movement in Europe and of 19th-century European Latter Day Saint immigrants in the United States. Jensen received his Bac ...

and

Dean C. Jessee Dean Cornell Jessee (born 1929) is a historian of the early Latter Day Saint movement and leading expert on the writings of Joseph Smith Jr. Biography Jessee was one of the sons of Phillip Cornell Jessee and Minerva Boss. He was raised in Springvil ...

, he co-edited the first volume to be published from the series, which was on the early journals of

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, he ...

. Released in 2008, the book became very popular and sold very quickly, prompting expanded additional printings. In 2009, it received the Steven F. Christensen Best Documentary Award (Mormon History Association) and a Special Award in Textual Criticism and Bibliography (

Association for Mormon Letters The Association for Mormon Letters (AML) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1976 to "foster scholarly and creative work in Mormon letters and to promote fellowship among scholars and writers of Mormon literature." Other stated purposes have inc ...

). Ashurst-McGee is expected to edit future volumes of Smith's papers.

Work

* *. * * * * * * *

Notes

Sources

Biography
at Joseph Smith Papers Project website (accessed May 4, 2012)
Maxwell Institute listingUniversity of Utah papers listing

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashurst-Mcgee, Mark 1969 births 20th-century Mormon missionaries American Mormon missionaries in the United States Arizona State University alumni Brigham Young University alumni Brigham Young University staff Historians of the Latter Day Saint movement Living people Utah State University alumni Latter Day Saints from Utah Latter Day Saints from Arizona