Schmid and Topham family collection of Richard Benson, Alvin Benson, and William Richard Smith missionary journals

William Richard Smith (1884-1950)

L. Tom Perry Special Collections is pleased to announce the availability of a new digitized collection: Schmid and Topham family collection of Richard Benson, Alvin Benson, and William Richard Smith missionary journals (MSS 8535).  Materials include the original missionary journals of Richard Benson, Alvin Benson, and William Richard Smith, collected by Afton Rowley Topham and Nancy Schmid Topham. Dated from 1840 to 1909. Richard Benson’s journals contain information and stories from his first mission to England and second mission to Europe; the first journal goes from 1840 to 1842 and his second journal goes from April 1866 to October 1867. Alvin Benson’s journal documents his mission to California from 1897 to 1898. William Richard Smith’s journals document his mission to Europe from 1906 to 1909. All of the journals include stories about their missions, addresses of friends and contacts, feelings about their missionary work, and notes from sermons and talks given by Church leaders. The collection also includes facsimiles of the diaries printed on photo paper and digitized images on discs. Dated 1840-1909.