William Alfred Moody Missionary Journal Collection

The William Alfred Moody Missionary Journal Collection consists of ten handwritten journal volumes created by William Alfred Moody between September 24, 1894, and July 1, 1915. The journals principally document Moody’s Latter-day Saint missionary service in Samoa from 1894 to 1898 and his return to the islands in 1908, including his service as president of the Samoan Mission from 1908 to 1910.

The volumes record missionary travel, preaching, religious meetings, language study, teaching and schools, baptisms and confirmations, branch organization, correspondence, and interactions with fellow missionaries, Samoan residents, local leaders, and government officials. They also document village life, religious and social customs, plantation and property work, health concerns, and personal and family experiences. Entries describe activity in Samoa—including Apia, Siumu, Fagalii, Savai‘i, Fogatuli, and Tagalii—as well as Moody’s later life in Utah. The later volumes include records of his Church service, family life, education, business and land matters, civic activity, and political involvement.

Biographical note

William Alfred Moody (1870–1967) was born June 28, 1870, in Dry Valley, Lincoln County, Nevada. He married Ella Adelia Williams in June 1894; later that year, the couple was set apart to serve in the Samoan Mission. Ella Moody died in Samoa on May 24, 1895, during their missionary service. William Moody remained in the mission field until 1898. He returned to Samoa in 1908 and was set apart as president of the Samoan Mission, serving until September 25, 1910. His journals offer a long-term firsthand record of Latter-day Saint missionary work, mission administration, and daily life in Samoa across the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.