This section of the site houses research on the so-called “Russian Mormons” or “Samara Mormons”, a small 19th century Christian sect originating in the Volga region of the Russian Empire. Although they are unrelated to the more well-known American Mormon movement, the name “Mormon” has survived in folk Russian religion and been applied to various groups throughout time.
Donald Mackenzie Wallace travelled among the sectarians of the Samara Region during the 1870’s. He documented the rise of Ivan Grigoriev’s sect, a group later known to Orthodox priests as Mormons. Chapter 27 of his book Russia provides information and opinions about other related groups as well. Online book.
Story of Lyubov Korol, daughter of a Russian Mormon who joined the LDS Church in 1996. Korol knew little of the Mormon faith of her parents and joined the LDS Church believing them to be one and the same. The author of the article also makes this assumption, but Korol’s parents were likely Mormon refugees…
The Bulletin represents the single most important primary source in analyzing the history and practices of the Russian Mormons. Published beginning in 1866 and discontinued with the onset of Bolshevik power after the 1918 issue, the Bulletin contains articles, news, and advertisements written by Orthodox priests from many parts of the Samara Eparchy (geographically equivalent…
This Newsnet (BYU student newspaper) article describes the popular interest in the Russian sect. The article is available online.
Professors Eliason and Browning incorporate their findings from research conducted in Russia in May 2000, comparing various accounts and making the first conclusions regarding the origin of Russian Mormonism. Published in BYU Studies, Volume 40, No. 1, 2001, pages 6-34. This journal is available online from BYU (Adobe PDF).
Ms. Lyon’s article recounts the rediscovery of Russian Mormonism by American Mormon missionaries and takes an insightful look into the earliest evidence of their existence. Article published in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Volume 33, No. 1, Spring 2000, pages 1-24. Copies can be ordered online.
Article published by Eric Eliason in the journal Western Folklore (Summer 2002). Provides extensive coverage of the “discovery” of Russian Mormons with a bibliography. The full article can be found free online.
Russian Mormonism: Geographic and Historical Foundations (Adobe PDF). This paper includes my research findings from a trip sponsored by Brigham Young University and Gary Browning, conducted in May 2001. Extensive use of primary Orthodox sources and first-hand accounts of Samara Mormon communities in the 1800’s.
Click on the map thumbnails to view full-screen versions. A note about geography: Some place names in Russia changed during the Soviet era. Samara was renamed Kuybyshev in 1935 and reverted back to Samara in 1991. Other changes included Stavropol (became Tolyatti), Nikolaevsk (became Pugachev), and Simbirsk (became Ulyanovsk), all of which retain their Soviet-era…
Click on the map thumbnails to view full-screen versions. A note about geography: Some place names in Russia changed during the Soviet era. Samara was renamed Kuybyshev in 1935 and reverted back to Samara in 1991. Other changes included Stavropol (became Tolyatti), Nikolaevsk (became Pugachev), and Simbirsk (became Ulyanovsk), all of which retain their Soviet-era…
