Research Guide
Perpetual Emigrating Fund
Overview
Welcome to the research guide for the Perpetual Emigrating Fund (PEF). This guide was designed to help you in your research of the PEF, early Latter-day Saint migration, and associated topics. The Church History Library houses PEF-related materials that provide insight to Church-organized migration efforts during the 19th century. Records identified in this research guide include PEF Company records, personal papers, journals, financial letters, and circular letters. It is important to note that this is not a comprehensive list of all PEF-related sources and materials available at the Church History Library. Additional items and collections can be found by searching the
Historical Detail
The Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company (PEF), established by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in October 1849, provided financial assistance to individuals and families who wanted to emigrate to Zion. Functioning as a loan program, emigrants could secure passage to Utah. For some, this included the cost of a transatlantic journey, train ride, and supplies for the remaining trek. Between 20,000 and 30,000 individuals received assistance (either directly or indirectly) from the PEF.
Research Guidance
This section will provide you with some suggestions to help guide your PEF-focused research. Also, it is important to keep in mind that original records are not always complete, some records are missing, and others have been lost to time.
Search Terms and Key Words
Many collections and items related to the PEF are digitally available to researchers. It is common to see the company name referred to as the Perpetual Emigration Fund or as the Perpetual Immigrating (or Immigration) Fund in both primary and secondary sources. When conducting research, it is best to search by each possible name. Many items, such as personal journals and correspondence, include references to the PEF. Not all such items have been identified or included in this research guide. However, they can be found by searching thePeriodicals and the Journal of Discourses
Many early Church newspapers and publications, such as theReferences to the PEF can also be found in talks given by General Authorities found in the Journal of Discourses. The
Additional Sources
Not all PEF records are owned or housed at the Church History Library. While many early Church publications have been digitized and are available through the Church History Catalog, others can be found on websites likeOnline Resources
Primary Sources
Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company Collection
Most Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company collections can be found under call number CR 376. The collections within this call number contain items such as journals, ledgers, company lists, ship manifests, financial records, donation accounts, and more.This collection includes minute books, ledgers, agent accounts, immigrant lists, general instructions, and other general information pertaining to the Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company.
Ledgers, company journals, promissory notes and bonds, cash books, receipts, and other financial information can be found in this collection.
This collection contains records (daybooks, ledgers, and journals) kept by PEF agents from 1860–64.
At the encouragement of Church leaders, many people donated to the PEF. Donations were made in cash and other assets. This ledger is a PEF Company index of donors and recipients of donations covering the years 1862–74. After 1870 the information is indexed by fund contributors.
Many recipients of PEF loans traveled across the Atlantic Ocean. Ship passenger lists for individuals who sailed out of Liverpool between 1852 and 1864 and in 1874 are contained in this collection.
Sailing ship leaving Liverpool, George Ottinger. Courtesy of Church History Museum.
Prior to the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, PEF pioneers were typically organized into wagon trains. This collection contains PEF freight manifests, captains’ accounts, and wards’ accounts created between the years 1861 and 1868.
This item is the index to Ledger B. The ledger was indexed for convenience because of the complex and high-volume information recorded by the company.
Donation records were kept by wards and by the PEF offices. This is a PEF Company donation record book. It includes donations made between 1869 and 1885. Included in the record are the names of donors, the dates donations were made, and donation amounts.
This ledger includes the names of people who owed debts to the PEF and the amounts they owed for the years 1878–1886.
This is a copy of a Church-printed and Church-published pamphlet listing the names of those in debt and includes the 1878 circular letter issued by President John Taylor.
Outfitting reports include lists of provisions, wagons, stock, and other items supplied and donated by wards.
Promissory notes, receipts, orders, and other documents related to the PEF accounts of individuals can be found here. In addition, there are documents that show how the PEF interacted with other Church offices such as the General Tithing Storehouse and General Tithing Office.
This collection contains the records kept by PEF agents at the outfitting (supply) stations in Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska during 1855 and 1856. There is also some documentation for 1857, but the documentation for that year is limited. Of special interest are the supplies collected by handcart pioneers in 1856.
Mission, Ward, and Branch Records
Missions, wards, and branches played a vital role in the development and perpetuation of the PEF. Missionaries spread the gospel, baptized converts, and helped organize groups of people who wanted to go to Utah. Members of the Church were encouraged to donate money and goods to the PEF. Ward and branch records generally include the names and donation amounts of donors and identify emigrants. Mission records have similar records but also hold ship manifests and other related organizational documents.This collection includes ship manifests and names of ships and ports and often indicates how an individual or family paid for their passage. Some of the ledgers include specific columns that indicate which passengers borrowed against the PEF.
This collection lists the names of emigrating Scandinavian members, the names of the ships they sailed on to England, and the names of the ships they were assigned to once they reached Liverpool, along with notations about their methods of payment, including PEF funds.
Beginning on image 12, this record includes the names of individuals from the Clitheroe Branch who donated to the fund. It also identifies those members of the branch who emigrated.
The Port Elizabeth Branch in South Africa kept a record of PEF donors and emigrants from their area.
The South African Mission account books provide additional information about how the PEF was utilized in that part of the world.
Circular Letters
This is a circular letter sent in the 1850s with the names of those who owed money to the PEF and the amount of their debts. An accompanying statement from Brigham Young includes a potential “curse of the Almighty” for all those who did not repay their loans.
This is an 1880 circular announcing that half of the PEF debt will be forgiven of “the worthy poor.”
Reports, Correspondence, and Personal Papers
Three letters in this collection cover disputes over money and spending, the introduction of handcart companies; deliberation over migration dates; and the Hunt, Hodgetts, Willie, and Martin companies.
This collection contains progress reports and schedules from emigration companies. A few reports specifically identify PEF company passengers.
This letter addresses payment for railroad travel of PEF passengers between New York and Utah. It also includes a list of the names and ages of those passengers, dated June 13, 1877.
PEF passenger ticket issued to Agnes Anderson and her sons for passage on the ship Enoch Train. Issued by Franklin D. Richards and signed by James Linforth.
In this personal record, Patty Sessions identifies when she donated to the PEF and the amounts of her donations.
In this letter, Willard Richards informs Orson Hyde of the creation of the PEF.
On-Site Resources
Primary Sources
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 Church History Catalog and request to see the source when you visit the library. You may receive a microfilm copy for use at the library; for preservation and conservation purposes, originals are not generally circulated.This collection contains PEF passenger tickets, receipts, correspondence, and financial account information for Church immigration business conducted through the PEF office in New York City. The following collections are not corporate records. They represent how individuals recorded their personal donations to the PEF.
Among Peter Hansen’s papers is his PEF loan contract and a receipt for a PEF payment he made on behalf of Anna Marie Johannsen.
Found within this collection is a list of PEF subscriptions for 1869.
Hopla’s diary includes an account of donations made to the PEF.
This journal includes account donations made to the PEF.
A book of poetry composed by John Lyon, “published for the benefit of the Perpetual Emigrating Fund,” as indicated on the title page.