Perpetual Emigration Fund: History and How It Worked

LDS Perspective

The Perpetual Emigrating Fund (PEF) was a remarkable welfare program established by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1849 to assist poor converts in immigrating to Utah Territory. Following the exodus from Nauvoo, Church leaders recognized the need to help thousands of European converts, particularly those from the British Isles and Scandinavia, who desired to gather with the Saints but lacked financial means. The fund was chartered with the specific purpose "to bring the poor to this place," embodying the principle that no worthy member should be left behind due to poverty. The fund operated on a revolving loan system that exemplified both compassion and self-reliance. Wealthier members donated to the fund, which was then used to provide loans to emigrants for travel ex

Historical Perspective

The Perpetual Emigrating Fund (PEF) was a unique financial instrument established by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1849 to facilitate the westward migration of impoverished European converts to Utah Territory. Organized under the direction of Brigham Young, the fund represented one of the most ambitious privately-financed immigration programs in American history, designed to bring thousands of Mormons across the Atlantic Ocean and overland to the Great Basin. The PEF operated on the principle of revolving credit, where loans were extended to emigrants for both ocean and overland travel expenses, with the expectation that recipients would repay their debts once established in Utah, thereby replenishing the fund for future emigrants. The fund's operational structure was