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Randall Jeppesen, KSL NewsradioIf you've ever wondered what it was like for some of the very first LDS missionaries back in the 1800s, now you can read many of their diaries online.
Underground in the Harold B. Lee library is a collection of old LDS missionary diaries from well-known church members like Hyrum Smith, but mostly regular, everyday people who were sent around the globe.
Roger Layton helped work on the collection.
"Some of these are very frail," he said. "We've digitized them. You can go on your computer and look them up. You can see the original scan of the original page. You can also see a typed transcription, word for word, to match that page," he said. "It took about five years for this project to be completed."
Layton says they've scanned not only the pages, but even the covers. Now anyone can go online and see every handwritten word. You can find a link to the Web site in the Related Links box on this page.
