I few weeks ago, I took a fascinating tour through the B Ashworth Bookstore and Collectibles. Located in the basement of the Provo Town Square in Provo, Utah. It is just south of the intersection of University Avenue and 100 North. This incredible collection features “rare books, relics, curiosities, and collectible.” Owner Brent Ashworth provides a guided look at just a fraction of his vast holdings, which encompass both Americana and significant Mormon history documents.

Inside Brent Ashworth’s Extraordinary Collection

Ashworth’s collection is immense, including over a quarter million books and countless other items such as photographs and artifacts. The sheer volume is so great that during his senior missions for the Church, trucks were sent to pick up his donations. He also notably donated approximately 15,000-20,000 books to the new prison library in Gunnison, Utah, including ones he sorted alongside donations for the Church. He considered donating a book titled “The World’s 30 Greatest Escapes” but decided against it, later finding it amusing that Mark Hofmann, one of the individuals whose forged items he helped track down, would eventually be housed in that prison.

Mormon History Highlights

The tour features numerous significant items related to the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Among them are Brigham Young’s oath of office as president of ZCMI. Brigham Young’s favorite rocking chair made in 1869, and a gondola chair made by a carpenter named Brigham Young (yes THAT Brigham Young) for his wife, Emily Dow Partridge. Also present is Wilford Woodruff’s saddle, which he wanted made like Buffalo Bill Cody’s with his name on the back.

A particularly poignant item is the Joseph Smith and Emma Smith family Bible. This Bible contains handwritten entries by both Joseph and Emma, listing the names of their family members, including children. Notably, Emma continued to write their children’s names after Joseph’s death. The Bible reveals the names of the twin children they lost, Thaddius and Louisa, and mentions the Murdock twins that Emma raised. It also revealed the existence of a seventh son, Thomas, who only lived one day in Nauvoo, a detail previously unknown before the Bible’s discovery.

Ashworth possesses a first edition Book of Mormon from 1830 that he has kept for many years because it contains notes throughout its 200 pages. Originally believed to have been used at the School of the Prophets in Kirtland, it has since been identified as Frederick G. Williams’ copy, and researchers believe it may contain Joseph Smith’s handwriting in some notes. Ashworth discusses how Joseph Smith made about 2,000 changes for the second edition, primarily correcting punctuation and conjunctions that affected meaning, changes originally needed because the typesetter, John Gilbert (for whom BYU religion faculty once tried to raise money for a tombstone), did not understand the religious context. The verses we use today were added later by Orson Pratt in 1879.

A truly unique item is the only known complete set of signatures in private hands of the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon: Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris. Ashworth shows examples of their signatures on documents, including a legal case written by Oliver Cowdery after he had left the church and a letter from David Whitmer written the year before he died, asking for a Book of Mormon concordance and study aids. He emphasizes that none of the three witnesses ever denied their testimony, even those who were separated from the church for a time. Martin Harris’s signature is described as the rarest, with the earliest known one dating to 1826 on a criminal bond.

Another compelling piece is the original “escape letter” written by Sheriff William Morgan of Boone County, Missouri, stating that Joseph Smith and others escaped from his custody without his assistance. Ashworth notes that nobody believed the sheriff, who was subsequently tarred and feathered, as it is widely understood that Morgan allowed Joseph and the others to escape. This document is considered important and was shared with Rick Turley for his upcoming Joseph Smith biography project.

Ashworth also has Kirtland Safety Society notes, including a $1 note signed by early leaders like Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and Joseph Smith Jr., noting how they signed over Rigdon’s signature. He also owns a rare $2 anti-banking note, believed to be the very first one signed, which he showed to Rick Turley.

Among other fascinating LDS artifacts are Lorenzo Snow’s prison diary from his time in the Utah Penitentiary, the McLellin manuscript, which is considered the real “lost” document Mark Hofmann attempted to forge. McLellin’s manuscript includes details about the witnesses’ testimonies and reveals McLellin’s mixed feelings about Joseph Smith, at one point writing that Joseph “deserved to get what he got at Carthage,” then crossing it out and elsewhere praising him as the “most brilliant man he ever taught.” Ashworth also possesses a lock of Lucy Mack Smith’s hair and a piece of Joseph Smith’s scarf he wore when he was killed. He shows Governor Thomas Ford’s order to Lieutenant General Joseph Smith to disarm the Nauvoo Legion, issued three days before the martyrdom, and Joseph Smith’s final order to the Legion to comply. Ashworth recounts the historical context, including Joseph’s statement upon receiving the order, “I now go as a lamb to the slaughter,” and how he returned to Nauvoo to ensure the Legion was disarmed before going to Carthage.

He shares a particularly meaningful item: a page on virtue written by Joseph Smith in the album of Susan Ponder during his visit to Philadelphia in 1839, after his release from Liberty Jail. This visit involved Joseph speaking at a synagogue and numerous people, including Susan Ponder, being baptized.

Other items include various sacrament cups (glass and metal), highlighting the shift to individual cups influenced by concerns during the Spanish flu epidemic49….

Americana and General Historical Collectibles

Beyond Mormon history, Ashworth’s collection is rich with diverse historical artifacts. He has full plate camera photo and large early photograph of the Salt Lake Temple, He has a photograph of Triple Crown Winner Secretariat with authograph of the jockey of the famous racehorse, and numerous Lincoln-related items, such as paintings, prints by Courier & Ives, his signature, and even some of George Washington’s hair. A powerful piece is a photo of the Iwo Jima flag raising signed by three survivors.

Other noteworthy items include a Titanic advertisement, signed baseballs from Babe Ruth and Nolan Ryan, a signed photo of the Red Baron, and a photo signed by Mitsuo Fuchida, the pilot who led the attack on Pearl Harbor, who later became an evangelical minister and toured the U.S. He has a Bible from 1784 with wooden boards as the cover, a painting of his father’s ship, the USS Salt Lake City, a Courier & Ives print depicting handcart pioneers, a pre-attack map of Iwo Jima, and a Nazi shell.

Ashworth points out General Ulysses Grant’s poker table, a piece of the seat John F. Kennedy was sitting on when he was assassinated, a piece of the Spirit of St. Louis plane flown by Charles Lindbergh, and a piece of Amelia Earhart’s plane that she flew solo across the Atlantic in 1932. He also has fascinating items like an advertisement showing Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio signed Louisville Slugger bat, and Butch Cassidy items, including his .38 revolver, last known letters, and prison photo.

A more chilling piece is the typewriter belonging to Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, which he used to type his 35,000-page manifesto. Ashworth acquired it at auction and notes it doesn’t use electricity.

He shares stories about meeting celebrities who visited his store, such as Shirley Jones and Marty Engles, who were impressed by his collection, including a green dress worn by Lucille Ball.

Ashworth’s Collecting Journey and Missions

Brent Ashworth’s journey as a collector began at age 7 with a box of his grandmother’s things that were being destroyed. This box contained important items, including la dozen etters from Heber J. Grant and Ashworth’s first autograph.

His connection with the Church History Department is long-standing. He has served multiple senior missions. His first (2006-2008) involved transporting books from his collection to the archives. His second (2009-2013) was specifically to the new Church History Library, where he was put in charge of the Mark Hofmann collection because he was considered “eminently qualified.” He spent months tracking down Hofmann items, including the infamous Salamander Letter. Ashworth recounts how he had previously been offered the Salamander Letter but turned it down because the price was too high and, critically, he believed it was a forgery at the time, partly due to details echoing an anti-Mormon book from 1834. He details the process of finding the original forgery at the Church History Library by holding it up to the light to see the blind stamp with “E.B. Grandin” that Hofmann used for authentication. Ashworth notes that while they identified a lot of Hofmann’s forgeries during his mission, others have surfaced since.

Most recently, Ashworth has been called on his third Church history mission to assist Rick Turley with a new biography of Joseph Smith, sharing documents and insights from his collection that may not be elsewhere.

Brent Ashworth’s collection is a testament to his lifelong passion for history and collecting, providing unique glimpses into pivotal moments and notable figures through tangible artifacts. His B Ashworth store/museum in Provo is open by appointment. To schedule a visit or inquire, you can contact Brent Ashworth via email at b.ashworths @ gmail . com or by phone at 801-368-6001.

Have you been to Brent’s storefront? Do you remember my previous interview with Brent that indicated the 3rd bomb from Mark Hofmann likely had Brent’s name on it?