All quotations in this project come from the Journal of Discourses, a 26-volume collection published between 1854 and 1886. These materials are in the public domain and freely accessible.
We encourage readers to verify our citations independently.
Primary Source Archives
BYU Library Digital Collections
contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/JournalOfDiscourses3
The official academic archive maintained by Brigham Young University. This is an LDS institution’s own preservation of the Journal of Discourses.
- High-quality scans of original volumes
- Searchable text
- Academic resource
Archive.org
archive.org/search?query=journal+of+discourses
The Internet Archive’s collection of original Journal of Discourses scans.
- Multiple scan sources
- Original page images
- Downloadable PDFs
Wikisource
en.wikisource.org/wiki/Journal_of_Discourses
Community-transcribed text versions of the Journal of Discourses.
- Full text searchable
- Easy to navigate
- Cross-referenced
Mormon Research Ministry (MRM)
A searchable interface for the Journal of Discourses.
- Clean, readable format
- Direct page citations
- Quick navigation
Public Domain Status
The Journal of Discourses was published in Liverpool, England between 1854 and 1886. Under United States copyright law:
- Works published before 1928 are in the public domain
- No permission is required to quote from these materials
- Anyone may freely reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works
This project’s quotations are taken from public domain sources and require no license or permission.
How to Verify Our Claims
For any quotation on this site:
- Note the citation — We cite as
JoD Volume:Page(e.g., JoD 10:110) - Access the source — Use any archive above
- Navigate to the page — Find the exact volume and page
- Read in context — Check the surrounding material
- Evaluate fairly — Consider whether our characterization is accurate
If you find an error in our citations or characterizations, please let us know.
Additional Historical Resources
LDS Church Gospel Topics Essays
churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays
The LDS Church’s own essays on difficult historical topics, including:
- “Race and the Priesthood” (2013)
- “Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo”
- “Plural Marriage and Families in Early Utah”
These essays sometimes acknowledge the same historical issues we document.
FAIR Latter-day Saints
An LDS apologetics organization. Useful for understanding how defenders respond to historical criticisms.
Wikipedia: Journal of Discourses
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journal_of_Discourses
General overview with historical context and references.
Citation Format
We use the standard citation format:
JoD Volume:Page (Date)
Example: JoD 10:110 (March 8, 1863)
This refers to:
- JoD — Journal of Discourses
- 10 — Volume 10
- 110 — Page 110
- March 8, 1863 — Date of the sermon
All sources are publicly accessible. We have nothing to hide.