Overview

Welcome to the research guide on missions and missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Missionary work has been an integral part of the Church from the day it was organized in 1830; indeed, ever since Samuel H. Smith, brother to the Prophet Joseph Smith, began his mission in June 1830, hundreds of thousands of Saints have followed the call to preach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. This guide was constructed to aid those researching missionaries and the missions in which they served. The records featured in this guide can help to research information about missions and specific missionaries, including their calls, dates of missionary service, and the geographical areas in which they served.

This guide contains both online and on-site resources. Online resources are collections of digitized content that are accessible from your computer; to access an online resource, click on its title. (You may need to sign in to the catalog to view online resources.)

At the Church History Library, historians and technicians digitize hundreds of items every month. If a collection is not currently available digitally, you can request digital access through the Ask Us inquiry form. Some collections are digitized but, because of copyright law, require that you be logged in to view digital images; in such cases, you may also need permission before downloading items.

On-site resources can be viewed at the Church History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. You can access the item or collection information in the online catalog and request to see the source when you visit the library.