Manuscript Histories of the Church in the United States
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In the early 20th century, the staff of the Historian’s Office of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the precursor to the Church History Department) worked to document the early history of the Church by compiling histories of various Church congregations and areas of significant Church involvement. These histories are referred to as “manuscript histories.”
Manuscript histories for wards, missions, and other units are cataloged as standalone collections that you can find by searching the Church History Catalog for the name of a Church unit (for example, “Takasaki Branch manuscript history and historical reports,” “Roy 17th Ward manuscript history and historical reports, 1973–1984,” “Mesa South Stake manuscript history and historical reports, 1962”). The histories focused on geographic areas within the United States were gathered in a single collection: Manuscript Histories of the Church in the United States (MS 4029). Several of the manuscripts cover Church activities in various US states, while others document the Church’s history in certain cities or areas. Manuscript histories also were written about Zion’s Camp and the Mormon Battalion.
A sample from the manuscript history for Washington, D.C., as contained in Manuscript histories of the Church in the United States, circa 1910–1971 (MS 4029)
Much like the Journal History of the Church, the manuscript histories were compiled from journals, correspondence, newspapers, and other documents to tell the history of each area. Each volume typically begins with a general history of the area, some including maps, before continuing with a chronological history of Church activities in the area during the 19th century. The transcripts and clippings generally include citations so that they can be traced back to the records and publications used in compiling the manuscript.
Manuscript histories provide Church-specific historical information about their designated regions, context regarding Church history events that occurred there, and family histories of Latter-day Saints living in these areas. Depending on the area, they can also provide some general (i.e., not Church-specific) history, although these historical facts’ accuracy should be verified using other sources. (For example, the entry for Louisiana lists its 1843 population as over twenty-one million, a figure which is wrong by several orders of magnitude.)
Consider the entry for Cove Fort, Utah, which includes an 1867 letter from Brigham Young to Ira Hinckley inviting him to help settle the area. The letter explains:
B.Y.The object of building a Fort at Cove Creek is to afford protection […] to the Telegraph & Mail Stations and to travelers who are – almost constantly on the road. Also to furnish feed and protection from bad weather to this latter class. There is farming and hay land plentifully, and also herding facilities good, fire wood in abundance, close by.
The manuscript histories can provide background on the people, places, and events that shaped the early Church. Additionally, compiled when they were, they give perspective on how regions around the United States were viewed by the contemporaneous Saints. While their information should be verified against other sources, especially in the cases of older histories, they are an excellent starting place for researching the development of the Church in North America.