Just a quick note about the Deseret alphabet. As pointed out already, it wasn't secret at all. In fact it was very public since it was an attempt by early Mormon leaders to help people learn to read and speak English. There were lots of converts coming to Utah from Scandanavia and elsewhere who didn't speak much English. As I remember it, Orson Pratt, one of the Mormon apostles was involved in developing it. They took all the sounds of the English language and made symbols to represent them so they could spell a word the way it actually sounded in English. If it was a sound that was always spelled the same way in English, they used a symbol that was like that spelling so people would recognize it. So English speakers can read most of it without much trouble. They had to make special type for the characters to be able to print it and they printed several readers and the Book or Mormon in it. I've got a couple of copies of Deseret alphabet books in my collection. Don Snow At 08:21 PM 6/12/98 , hulaboy wrote: >I was misinformed about the alphabet. It is not as secretive as I thought. > Can anyone give more info on this so I don't give out the wrong >definition. I want to be sure, too. > >Holly > > >---------- >From: diane epperson <editorz@inreach.com> >To: hulaboy@sprintmail.com; HANDCART-L@rootsweb.com >Subject: Re: secret Deseret alphabet >Date: Friday, June 12, 1998 5:17 PM > >Hi Holly, > >Now you've peaked my interest. Tell me about the secret Deseret alphabet! >Forgive me if this is common knowledge, but I'm not an LDS church member. > >Tschüss >__________________________________________________________ >Diane Epperson >--from sunny Ocotillo in the flaming Yuha Desert of Southern California >editorz@inreach.com > >"Eala Fria Fresena!" -- "Lever Dod As Slaav!" > >Researching . . . >FLESNER, EBER, BUSS, ELLERMEIER of Illinois aus Deutschland >LEWIS, COLEMAN, HART of New Jersey >ANDERSEN, EDMISTON, SNOW of Utah >. . . und mein rottweiler WORF (canis klingon) > >---------- >: From: hulaboy <hulaboy@sprintmail.com> >: To: HANDCART-L@rootsweb.com >: Subject: Re: Re:[HANDCART-L] Re: HANDCART-D Digest V98 #104 >: Date: Friday, June 12, 1998 1:03 PM >: >: My gg-grandfather's journal was donated to the archives (don't know who >: donated it) and I was able to hold it in my hands and feel the buck skin >: cover. It was wonderful. It didn't do me a bit of good to read it due >to >: the fact that it is written n the secretive DESERET ALPHABET. He is a >bit >: of a mystery, anyway, so no one is surprised. I had to prove descendancy >: before they would let me see it, which was fine with me. >: >: Guess what, I happen to live in SLC. I will be more than happy to take >: some time and do some lookups or go to the archives for anybody. It may >: take me a week or two to get it all together, you know how it goes...the >: son's baseball games, part-time job, house, the other two kids, etc... so >: just let me know. I plan to go and request a few patriarchal blessings >: myself. I've really learned a lot from you wonderful friends! >: >: Holly Carmichael May >: >: ---------- >: > From: Durfee_Lynda@tmac.com >: > To: HANDCART-L@rootsweb.com >: > Subject: Re:[HANDCART-L] Re: HANDCART-D Digest V98 #104 >: > Date: Friday, June 12, 1998 6:44 AM >: > >: > The Church Archives are in the Church Office Building off Temple >Square. >: It is >: > behind the Joseph Smith Building (old Hotel Utah). I THINK the hours >are >: 8:30 - >: > 4:30 M-F. I know for sure they close at 4:30, and pretty sure they >open >: at >: > 8:30. Definitely NOT open evenings and weekends. The church history >: library is >: > on the first floor right as you enter from the plaza. The archives are >: on the >: > second floor. I'll summarize some of the resources I've used at the >: archives >: > below, but my experience consists of a few days worth, scattered over >: three >: > visits on trips to Utah. >: > >: > The archives does have a computerized catalog, available ONLY at the >: archives. >: > HOWEVER, this does not include every item. You can search by subject, >: author, >: > surname, etc., but you don't always find something you know to be >there. >: Most >: > of the computerized catalog is on microfilm. >: > >: > There is a separate index on microfiche for ward and branch records. >You >: look >: > up the name of the ward/branch, then get a number which refers to a >: series. Then >: > you need to ask what records are available for that ward/branch (relief >: society, >: > priesthood quorums, etc.). >: > >: > There also is a missionary index to find information on the dates and >: place of >: > service of missionaries, going way back. This is on both film and >fiche. >: >: > >: > When you go to the archives, you need to have a clear idea of what you >: are >: > looking for. You definitely need to know to ask the right question. >The >: staff >: > are very helpful, but if your don't find something, you should ask if >: there are >: > records not in the catalog in your area of search. You might call >first >: to ask >: > about records and sources. Well worth the cost of a long-distance >phone >: call. >: > >: > Good luck. >: > >: > ____________________Reply Separator____________________ >: > Subject: [HANDCART-L] Re: HANDCART-D Digest V98 #104 >: > Author: Cballd@aol.com >: > Date: 6/11/98 7:49 PM >: > >: > Could someone please tell me about the church archives. A lot of my >Great >: > grandfather's papers were donated there years ago. Would I be able to >: access >: > these? Where are the archives? What hours? What's available? etc. etc. >I >: hope >: > to get down there again this summer. I spent a full hour at the FHL >last >: month >: > while my daughter-in-law walked around temple square, then we got back >in >: the >: > car and continued toward home (Seattle.) >: > Thanks for your help, >: > Cindy Alldredge >: > >: > Received: from valhalla.tmac.com (192.206.250.2) by ccmail.tmac.com >with >: SMTP >: > (IMA Internet Exchange 2.12 Enterprise) id 000099BF; Thu, 11 Jun 98 >: 19:52:36 >: > -0400 >: > Received: from fp-1.rootsweb.com (fp-1.rootsweb.com [207.113.233.233]) >by >: > valhalla.tmac.com (8.6.12/8.6.12) with ESMTP id TAA21707 for >: > <Durfee_Lynda@tmac.com>; Thu, 11 Jun 1998 19:59:37 -0400 >: > Received: (from slist@localhost) >: > by fp-1.rootsweb.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) id QAA17578; >: > Thu, 11 Jun 1998 16:55:41 -0700 (PDT) >: > Resent-Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1998 16:55:41 -0700 (PDT) >: > From: Cballd@aol.com >: > Message-ID: <84b46864.35806d0c@aol.com> >: > Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1998 19:49:31 EDT >: > Old-To: HANDCART-L@rootsweb.com >: > Mime-Version: 1.0 >: > Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII >: > Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit >: > X-Mailer: AOL 3.0 for Windows 95 sub 52 >: > Subject: [HANDCART-L] Re: HANDCART-D Digest V98 #104 >: > Resent-Message-ID: <"1DeECD.A.CJE.n5Gg1"@fp-1.rootsweb.com> >: > To: HANDCART-L@rootsweb.com >: > Resent-From: HANDCART-L@rootsweb.com >: > X-Mailing-List: <HANDCART-L@rootsweb.com> archive/latest/741 >: > X-Loop: HANDCART-L@rootsweb.com >: > Precedence: list >: > Resent-Sender: HANDCART-L-request@rootsweb.com >: > >: >---------- > Dr. Donald R. Snow, Dept of Math, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602 (801) 378-2366, snowd@math.byu.edu