On-Site Resources

The following on-site resources can be viewed in the Church History Library Reading Room in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Manuscript Histories (Series 2 and 3)

Manuscript histories are unpublished compilations of historical information about individual Church units (wards, branches, stakes, and missions). They are classified with call numbers beginning with “LR” (for “local records”). The California Mission, for example, is “LR 1316,” and anything produced by that mission will include “LR 1316” in the call number. The Manuscript History is always series 2—that is, “LR 1316 2.” Initial information was gathered by staff members of the Church Historian’s Office starting in the 1890s.

Quarterly historical reports from 1925 to 1967 and annual reports from 1968 to 1983 were added to previous Church Historian’s Office compilations. As the Church grew, collecting and compiling these Manuscript Histories became more difficult and the process of collecting history for each unit was moved to individual units, which submitted the histories as part of an annual report. Those are classified as series 3—that is, “LR 1316 3.” Annual reports from 1984 to 1999 were submitted only from stakes, districts, and missions; current annual reports from wards (2000–present) are submitted collectively by each stake and added to previous compilations.

Information includes descriptions (in varying degrees of completeness) of historical events and activities, lists of callings and releases, newspaper clippings, newsletters, programs, sustaining sheets from ward and stake conferences, and photographs. Check the catalog record for each history to see if it is available for research; many of the histories have restrictions because they contain private information on missionaries and members (for more information, see our access policy).

Compiled Histories

Sometimes historians and amateurs have written unofficial histories of missions. These histories generally do not contain the level of detail of the manuscript histories, but they are sometimes easier to navigate and can provide a starting point for looking through other, more in-depth records. These histories are generally listed in the Church History Catalog, but searching a mission’s name in Studies in Mormon History may also point to some.

Published Mission Histories

In rare instances, a professionally written history has been published for a mission, such as History of the Scandinavian Mission, by Andrew Jenson. Other works highlight the growth of the Church in an area or country and often discuss missionary work. One example is Taking the Gospel to the Japanese: 1901–2001. A few theses and dissertations also have been written about specific missions. The Church History Catalog and BYU’s Theses on Mormonism are two places where many of these can be found.

Guide to Mormon Diaries & Autobiographies

Compiled by Davis Bitton, this volume lists diaries, journals, and other biographical writings found at several institutions. It is a useful starting point, but, since it was published in 1977, it is out of date, making it worthwhile to check the institutions’ online catalogs for additional mission-related materials.

Go Ye into All the World: The Growth and Development of Mormon Missionary Work

This book is a compilation of essays on a variety of topics relating to missionary work of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.