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Library of Congress Collection of Mormon Diaries < PAGE TITLE

What is the Library of Congress Collection of Mormon Diaries
The Library of Congress Collection of Mormon Diaries is a collection of transcripts of journals, diaries, biographies, life sketches, historical sketches of localities, and other documents pertaining to early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the history of the state of Utah. The transcripts, chiefly typewritten, were made in 1936-1937 by the Utah Historical Records Survey of the Works Progress Administration Federal Writers' Projects. Transcripts were created in Logan, Ogden, Provo, Salt Lake City, St. George, and elsewhere in Utah. Transcripts list, where applicable, the name and locality of the possessor of the original from which the transcripts were made.

Indexes
Two indexes exist for the collection:


 * 1) Name Index to the Library of Congress Collection of Mormon Diaries, by Utah State University, Merrill Library Special Collections & Archives.
 * 2) Early Church Information File, by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Family History Department.

Name Index to the Library of Congress Collection of Mormon Diaries
The Name Index to the Library of Congress Collection of Mormon Diaries indexes the names in the diaries. The first 11 pages are an alphabetical list of diaries (journals, biographies, sketches, etc.) in the collection. Each entry gives the item author, type, length, reel number, and item number. (The same information, sorted by reel and item, is included in the Inventory table, below.) In the example, below, Elizabeth Hillyard Thompson is the item author, the item is a life sketch, 2 pages long, and is the 39th item on reel 8:

THOMPSON, Elizabeth Hillyard Sketch (2 p.) Reel 8:39

The remaining pages (12-391) contain an every-name index. Following each name is the page number and author name where that name appears. Here, the author's name may be abbreviated. In the example, below, Elizabeth Wool Hillyard appears on page 1 of the E. H. Thompson (Elizabeth Hillyard Thompson) diary (just a life sketch in this example):

HILLYARD, Elizabeth Wool p. 1 Thompson, E. H.

This book is available online in text-only format on a Utah State University, Special Collections and Archives web page. It is easily searchable using a browser's Find function (control-F).

Early Church Information File
The Early Church Information File indexes many sources, including this collection. However, the index is not as complete as the Name Index... book, above. Index cards for this collection have this format:

LDS Film Microfilm: Area      Item: Diary of: Page: The above person appears in this source: Library of Congress Collection of Mormon Diaries. Washington, DC: filmed by the Library of Congress Photoduplication Service, 1950. 1950 microfilm of Univ. of Calif., Berkeley transcripts made in      1936-1937 by the WPA of diary, journal, and       life sketch manuscripts at various Utah             locations.

To see an example card, click here. Item separators do not appear on the microfilm. A limited number of frame/image numbers for items are in the Inventory table, below.

[WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO INSERT AN IMAGE OF A CARD?]

Using the Collection
To find an entry, 1. consult the name index, 2. note the page number and item author, 3. find the item in the inventory, 4. note the reel and item numbers, 5. determine the correct FHL film number, 6. view the film or images of the film, 7. search the film for the item, 8. look for the page number.

For example, research Elizabeth Wool using only the available online tools:


 * 1) Go to the name index online. Use control-F to search the page, looking for Elizabeth Wool under maiden or married name, Elizabeth Wool Hillyard.
 * 2) Note the page number is 1 and the diary is "Thompson, E. H."
 * 3) In the inventory table below, use control-F to search for a diary matching the abbreviation "Thompson, E.H." Searching the table shows the match is "Thompson, Elizabeth Hillyard."
 * 4) The row of the inventory table indicates the diary is on reel 8, item 39.
 * 5) That row also indicates the FHL film number for reel 8 is 485,339.
 * 6) Search the FamilySearch catalog for that film number. Navigate to the film note and select the camera icon to view the images.
 * 7) Before manually searching the film for item 39, check the Frame/Image column of the Inventory table for the frame/image number. Not all items have frame/image numbers. In this fortunate example, the frame/image number is indicated: 856. Navigate to that image.
 * 8) Remembering the desired page number is 1; there is no need to advance to a later page.

Inventory
The 13 microfilm rolls contain the following items. The list of image numbers is incomplete. Readers are invited to contribute additional numbers while using the collection.

Interview Transcripts (Surveys)
Some items are interview transcripts (surveys). Transcripts contain numbered responses, but not the questions. At different times, different questionnaires were used. Two questionnaires are included in the diary collection and are reproduced below. Other interviews used similar questions.

W.P.A. Questionnaire

 * 1) Pioneer's name
 * 2) Address
 * 3) Present occupation
 * 4) Previous occupation
 * 5) Date of birth
 * 6) Place
 * 7) Present age
 * 8) If from a foreign land, give country and name of ship.
 * 9) Date left for Utah
 * 10) Place arrived
 * 11) Date of arrival
 * 12) Leader of company or train
 * 13) Method of travel (handcart, ox team, mule team, horseback, etc.)
 * 14) What was the method of making bricks in the early days and how were they cemented together?
 * 15) What was your first home constructed of?
 * 16) What form of lighting do you recall as being used in your first home in Utah?
 * 17) What type of fuel was used in your first home?
 * 18) What kind of food did you have in pioneer times?
 * 19) What type of clothes did you wear and how were they manufactured and from what?
 * 20) What comparisons can you give between cost of food and clothing in early days and the present time? (Such as one bushel of wheat, one sack of flour and one pound of sugar)
 * 21) Do you recall seeing any buffalo or hunting any wild game?
 * 22) Were fish and game plentiful upon your arrival in Utah?
 * 23) Was there any wild plant life at that time such as wild hay growing in the meadows or on the plains?
 * 24) What was the first type of cultivated plant life introduced in your vicinity?
 * 25) What were the first farm implements used on your farm?
 * 26) Did you bring them with you or purchase them here?
 * 27) From whom did you purchase them and at what cost?
 * 28) What was the first industry or industries created in your town?
 * 29) Did you have any early day mining experiences, if so where and at what time?
 * 30) Do you know of any early day hotels, boarding houses, or stage coach stations?
 * 31) First school attended in Utah.
 * 32) Location of school
 * 33) Name of first teacher
 * 34) First tuition paid
 * 35) School books used (title and author).
 * 36) Can you give the names of several books in your immediate family or in the homes of early day pioneers?
 * 37) What newspapers do you recall in your home or locality?
 * 38) Were they published locally?
 * 39) Do you recall the first telegraph station in your locality?
 * 40) Did you ride on the early day horse cars?
 * 41) Do you remember the first automobile you ever saw? (When and where)
 * 42) When did you first see a train?
 * 43) Do you recall your first ride on a train?
 * 44) Do you recall any early day theatrical entertainments?
 * 45) Were these local people or traveling stock companies?
 * 46) Do you remember any celebration in or[---illegible---]tion of any individual [---illegible---]?
 * 47) Were you acquainted with any outstanding women such as "Calamity Jane"?
 * 48) Do you recall any of the early day "Boothill" Cemeteries?
 * 49) Can you remember any early day characters buried there?
 * 50) Do you recall any tombstone instruptions?
 * 51) Do you recall any of the early day disputes over water rights; if so give details?
 * 52) Have you had any association with any "Squatters" or "Nesters" (homesteaders) or their troubles with cattle braons
 * 53) Do you recall any bank robberies, stage holdups, executions of horse thiefs [sic], cattle rustlers, etc., if so give details?
 * 54) What do you recall in connection with the voting to put the state of Deseret into the Union?
 * 55) Do you recall any political strife or violence in connection with early government?
 * 56) Have you had any interesting or outstanding religious experiences such as participation in the establishment of a local mission, stakes of Zion, United Order, etc.?
 * 57) Were you affiliated with any military organization or mobilization?
 * 58) What was your first contact with the Indians?
 * 59) What customs did you notice among the Indians?
 * 60) What was their method of shelter (tepees, etc.)?
 * 61) Did they ever harvest any crops (such as corn)?
 * 62) What places were their crops grown?
 * 63) Did the Indians have any method of irriggation?
 * 64) Did you ever learn any of their languages or dialects? (If so what language?)
 * 65) Do you recall the locality of a mound or prehistoric site?
 * 66) Give your experience in horse-trading with the Indians.
 * 67) what are your impressions of early Utah Days?
 * 68) Total number of your descendants.
 * 69) Names and addresses of any sons or daughters.
 * 70) Names of a few grandchildren.
 * 71) Have you written any books, diaries, journals, sketches or newspaper articles; if so give details?
 * 72) Whom did you marry? When? Where?
 * 73) Relate some of the interesting incidents of early days....

Questionnaire For Handcart Pioneers

 * 1) Full name and where born? Date of birth?
 * 2) When did you leave for America?
 * 3) Who had charge of the emigrating party?
 * 4) How many in your family party?
 * 5) How much money did the family have?
 * 6) On what ship did you travel?
 * 7) Describe experiences between landing and arrival at end of railroad.
 * 8) Where did you start from with hardcarts?
 * 9) What time of the year?
 * 10) Why was the handcart company delayed? Why did they have to make such a late start?
 * 11) Did they expect to get through before snow fel?
 * 12) How many in your company
 * 13) Who was the captain?
 * 14) What church officials were with the company
 * 15) What other companies did you travel with or near on the trail?
 * 16) Describe in detail daily experiences on the journey, as for instance, one complete day's travel, on any section of the route, from starting in the morning until camping at night.
 * 17) Give any humorous incidents you can remember.
 * 18) When did you first discover that troubles were ahead?
 * 19) What was the cause of the handcart disaster?
 * 20) Who was to bblame?
 * 21) Was there a shortage of food?
 * 22) Describe in detail some of the troubles in the snow, near Devil's Gate, Rock Creek, Martin's Hollow, etc.
 * 23) What excuses did the leaders give for the disaster?
 * 24) What attempts were made to rescue the party?
 * 25) How may died in your company?
 * 26) Did they freeze or starved?
 * 27) What was done for them when they arrived in Salt Lake Valley?
 * 28) Where did you settle?
 * 29) Give any other information you remember, anything which impressed itself upon your journey at the time.
 * 30) When did you [illegible]. When? Where?

Record Location
The 13 rolls of microfilm in this collection were copied from films at the University of California at Berkeley, which obtained them from the Library of Congress in 1950. The films at Berkeley are titled "Mormon Biographies" and are numbered BANC MSS P-F 319 Reel 1 through 13.

The records at the Library of Congress are part of the "United States Work Projects Administration records, 1524-1975" collection, "Historical Records Survey: Archival and Manuscript Records, 1681-1937" group, "State File, 1681-1937" series, boxes B208 to B219. They have been reorganized since filming.

The transcripts were typed with four carbon copies. The original copies were sent to the Library of Congress. The first carbon copy was sent to the Utah State Historical Society. An almost complete copy was given to the Bancroft Library at the University of California at Berkeley. Parts of the remaining copies were shared variously with Brigham Young University, the University of Utah, and Utah State University.

Some of the original diaries were discarded by families in favor of the typewritten transcripts. Others might be found in public or private collections of libraries, universities, or historical societies.

The story of the creation of the transcripts is recounted by Mrs. Juanta Brooks, the first project leader, in "Jest a Copyin' - Word f'r Word," Utah Historical Quarterly, vol. 37 (Fall 1969), 379-384.