Thomas Edward Cheney (1901–1993) was an American folklorist who made contributions to the field of
Mormon folklore
Mormon folklore is a body of expressive culture unique to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and other sects of Mormonism. Mormon folklore includes tales, oral history, popular beliefs, customs, music, jokes ...
. As one of the first Mormon folklorists, he collected folk songs in
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
and
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...
and authored books and articles on Utah, Idaho, and Mormon folklore. He served as president of the Folklore Society of Utah from 1963 to 1964. Cheney also compiled songs for the
American Folklore Society
The American Folklore Society (AFS) is the US-based professional association for folklorists, with members from the US, Canada, and around the world, which aims to encourage research, aid in disseminating that research, promote the responsible ...
, which were published in 1968. Along with books on Mormon Folklore, Cheney wrote a book about J. Golden Kimball, which was considered controversial. He was also a professor of English at
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 ...
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
s, and Mormon folklore.
Early life
Thomas E. Cheney was born in 1901 in
Victor, Idaho
Victor is the largest city in Teton County, Idaho, United States. The population was 1,928 at the 2010 census, up from 840 at 2000. After graduating from high school, he attended summer school at Ricks College, now known as
Brigham Young University-Idaho
Brigham may refer to:
Places
* Brigham, Cumbria, England
* Brigham, East Riding of Yorkshire, England
* Brigham City, Utah, USA
* Brigham, Wisconsin, USA
* Brigham, Quebec, Canada
People
* Brigham (surname), including a list of people with t ...
. Immediately afterward, he began teaching at an elementary school. He earned his bachelor's degree in English at Utah Agricultural College (now Utah State University). Cheney served a mission 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 nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The c ...
(LDS church) in
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
from 1924 to 1926.
Career
Teaching career
Cheney resumed his teaching career after he returned from his mission and became a school principal. He was introduced to folklore during his master's program at the
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho. It is the state's land-grant and primary research university,, and the lead university in the Idaho Space Grant Consortium. The University ...
in 1930. He completed his master's thesis on Mormon folk songs, attaining his master's degree in 1936. Cheney then became a professor of English at BYU, where he taught English Romantic literature and English, Scottish, and American ballads. He also taught graduate seminars in Mormon folklore. Additionally, Cheney led students through projects collecting their own folklore material in his Introduction to Folklore course.
Folklore scholar
Cheney was one of the first Mormon folklore scholars. A pioneer folklore scholar of Idaho and Utah, he collected and transcribed Utah and Intermountain Western folk songs. He served as a folklorist consultant for the 1965 album ''The Mormon Pioneers'', which included 17 folk songs that he helped contribute.
Memberships and affiliations
Cheney was a member of the Folklore Society of Utah, which he served as vice-president in 1958 and 1967. He was president of the Folklore Society of Utah from 1963 to 1964. During his presidency, he supervised the publication of five newsletters and organized a meeting in
St. George, Utah
St. George is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Utah, United States. Located in southwestern Utah on the Arizona border, it is the principal city of the St. George Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The city lies in the northe ...
in December 1964, where a compilation of articles related to Utah folklore was planned. The compilation, titled ''Lore of Faith and Folly'', was edited by Cheney and published in 1971.
Publications
While teaching at BYU, Cheney continued to collect folk songs, eventually compiling 250 folk songs for the
American Folklore Society
The American Folklore Society (AFS) is the US-based professional association for folklorists, with members from the US, Canada, and around the world, which aims to encourage research, aid in disseminating that research, promote the responsible ...
. These folk songs were published in ''Mormon Songs from the Rocky Mountains'' (originally titled ''Songs of the Wasatch and Tetons'') in 1968. This book helped create a strong foundation of research for Mormon folklore.
Cheney's subsequent book, ''The Golden Legacy: A Folk History of J. Golden Kimball'', published in 1973, was controversial at BYU. This book revolved around the life of J. Golden Kimball, an LDS Church leader and member of the
First Council of the Seventy
Seventy is a priesthood office in the Melchizedek priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Traditionally, a church member holding this priesthood office is a "traveling minister" and an "especial witness" of Jes ...
, and contained a chapter with explicit language (which Kimball was known for using). After 50 copies were sold from a print run of 6,000, the Brigham Young University Press withdrew the book at the request of the LDS Church. Peregrine Smith published the censored book in 1974.
Cheney's final book, ''Voices from the Bottom of the Bowl: A Folk History of Teton Valley Idaho, 1823–1952'', was published in 1991.
Death
Cheney died in 1993 at the age of 92.
Selected bibliography
Books
*''Mormon Songs from the Rocky Mountains'' (1968)
*''Lore of Faith and Folly'' (1971) (editor)
*''The Golden Legacy: A Folk History of J. Golden Kimball'' (1973)
*''Voices from the Bottom of the Bowl: A Folk History of Teton Valley Idaho, 1823–1952 (1991)
Stories
*''Red Hair in the Sacred Grove'' (1971)
Journal articles
*''Scandinavian Immigrant Stories'' (1959)
*''Mormon Folk Song and the Fife Collection'' (1961)
*''Facts and Folklore in the Story of John Wilkes Booth'' (1963)
*''Imagination and the Soul's Immensity'' (1969)
L. Tom Perry Special Collections
The L. Tom Perry Special Collections is the special collections department of Brigham Young University (BYU)'s Harold B. Lee Library in Provo, Utah. Founded in 1957 with 1,000 books and 50 manuscript collections, as of 2016 the Library's special ...
,
Harold B. Lee Library
The Harold B. Lee Library (HBLL) is the main academic library of Brigham Young University (BYU) located in Provo, Utah. The library started as a small collection of books in the president's office in 1876 before moving in 1891. The Heber J. Gran ...
,
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 ...