Olonzo David Merrill Missionary Journal Collection

The Olonzo David Merrill Missionary Journal collection consists of seven handwritten journals and one notebook created by Olonzo David Merrill during and immediately following his service in the Pacific for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The journals span April 13, 1892, through February 19, 1896, and document Merrill’s missionary experience in Samoa during a formative period in the history of the Samoan Mission. An additional notebook, compiled from December 7, 1887, to April 19, 1895, contains poetry and sayings collected by Merrill.

The journals are arranged chronologically in seven volumes: April–December 1892; January–August 1893; August–December 1893; January–July 1894; July–December 1894; January–July 1895; and July 1895–February 1896. Together, these firsthand manuscript volumes provide a sustained contemporary record of Merrill’s missionary service and are a valuable resource for the study of Latter-day Saint history in Samoa and the Pacific.

Biographical note

Olonzo David Merrill (1867–1939) was born in Richmond, Cache County, Utah Territory, on December 13, 1867, to Marriner Wood Merrill and Cyrene Standley Merrill. A resident of Richmond when called, he was set apart as president of the Samoan Mission on April 13, 1892, and served in that position until August 15, 1895. He was known in Samoa as “Meli.” Merrill’s journals extend beyond the recorded end of his presidency, concluding on February 19, 1896. He died in Logan, Utah, on February 4, 1939.