Manuscripts

Autobiography and family record of James Bywater [microform] :

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Description: Microfilm of the autobiography of James Bywater and related family records. The first pages of the volume contain a list of genealogies and ordinances for "The Dead" (including dates and places of births, baptisms, deaths, endowments, etc.) that appears to have been kept through 1936, a sealing record of marriages, a Bywater family record and genealogy through about 1939, and a copy of the program from the Centennial Anniversary of James Bywater in 1925. The autobiography was written by Bywater at Brigham City in 1903. In it he describes his childhood in England, his conversion to Mormonism, his travels to and from England and the United States, his journey to Utah, his life in Brigham City, his missions to England in 1873 and 1893, his polygamy trials in 1874, 1889, and 1891 and stays in the penitentiary, and the death of his wife Hannah in 1906. The last few pages of the journal were written by one of Bywater's children after his death in 1909.
Type: Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Call number: MSS MFilm 00121

The family record book and autobiography of William Leany [microform] :

Manuscripts

Microfilm of the Family Record of William Leany (filled in printed family history book, published in Salt Lake City in 1877). The first twelve pages consist of genealogical information. The rest of the volume contains Leany's autobiography, begun January 1, 1888. Leany begins with more genealogical and family history (including the Revolutionary War service of his relatives), and then recounts his early life in Kentucky. His family left tailoring to begin raisin tobacco, and, according to Leany, "thereby sold ourselves to the merchants." During his childhood in Kentucky Leany "toiled under all the disadvantages of frontier life," and he and his twin brother Isaac traveled to Missouri in 1836. While on the way they converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Leany writes that his father belonged to no specific church, his mother was a "Republican Baptist," and his stepmother a "Hell Redemptionist"). Debts and various health issues kept Leany from traveling to Nauvoo until 1843, and in the meantime he was present when Isaac was shot during the Haun's Mill Massacre in 1838 (Isaac survived). After finally arriving in Illinois, Leany describes hearing Joseph Smith preach and deciding to go west to Utah in 1846. In 1850 he was part of the company sent to Little Salt Lake and settled near what is now Parowan. He describes troubles with the Walkers Band of Ute Indians and his later moves to Cedar City and finally Harrisburg. William Leany's account ends with a letter to his "Dear Children and Grandchildren," written at Harrisburg on May 5, 1891. In it Leany describes his spiritual beliefs and what he believes to be the religious and temporal obligations of his descendants. The final pages of the film contain a brief autobiography entitled Struggles of an 1847 Pioneer by I.C. Leany. Leany gives an in-depth account of Isaac Leany's experiences at Haun's Mill and describes traveling to Utah with Edward Hunter's company in 1847.

MSS MFilm 00036

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Diary and autobiography of George Lake [microform] :

Manuscripts

Microfilm of the diary and autobiography of George Lake, beginning with diary entries of his mission trip to England from October 1870 to August 1871. Lake appears to have been living at Workington in Cumberland, although he frequently traveled to Newcastle and surrounding areas. The mission entries focus on Lake's attendance of Church conferences and his interactions with local Mormons, including notes on births, marriages, and deaths. The remainder of the volume is a mixture of autobiography and diary entries, and recalls Lake's move to Oxford in Round Valley, Utah, following his return from England in 1871; his flight to avoid polygamy charges in 1874; his being placed in charge of the northern division of Arizona missionaries in 1876, including a list of names of fellow missionaries; and his involvement in creating the United Order at Yavapai, Arizona, in 1877. The volume includes the text of the "last address by Gen. Joseph Smith the Prophet to the Nauvoo Legion in June 1844," followed by a brief summary of Lake's life in 1879. The final pages, in another hand, include a family record with genealogy up through about 1938 and the texts of patriarchal blessings on the Lake family in 1913.

MSS MFilm 00047

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Autobiography and family writings of Thales H. Haskell [microform] : c.1851-1930

Manuscripts

Microfilm of various writings related to the Haskell family, as well as Thales Haskell's autobiography covering the years from 1834-1855. All of the writings except for the autobiography are typescripts. Included are several poems and songs, including "The Virgin Ditch," "Lochinvar's Ride," "T.H. Haskell's Lament While Exploring," "The Michigan Forest," "Death of Young George A. Smith," "Lines on the Death of My Mother" (1851) by Hannah Maria Woodbury Haskell, and "Deseret Our Home" by Johanna Maria Woodbury Haskell; two biographies (one partially in the first person) of Margaret Johannah Edwards Haskell (1825-1916); biographies on Thales Haskell from the San Juan Record (1920) and the Deseret News (1909); 3 letters from the Church President's office to Haskell on his work with the San Juan Indian Mission (1887-1889); orders from Erastus Snow in St. George regarding Utah settlements and Indian relations (1870); a letter from John R. Young to Sister Harrison (1930); and a brief outline of the life of the death of Hannah Maria Woodbury Haskell by Johanna Maria Haskell Harrison. The autobiography of Thales H. Haskell begins with his father's decision to convert to Mormonism and move to Nauvoo and describes sailing from New York to New Orleans on the ship Gloucester, traveling across the plains to Utah from Council Bluffs, Thales' joining a company of a cavalry company and going to Fort Bridger to "take Mr. Bridger prisoner if possible and put down quarrelling about the Green River ferries & co.", the subsequent taking of prisoners and cattle from Fort Bridger, his running a sawmill in Little Cottonwood, his volunteering for the Southern Indian Mission, and his 1854 trip to Fort Harmony and being asked to be an Indian interpreter by Brigham Young. The autobiography ends in 1855. Included is some genealogy and a family record.

MSS MFilm 00163

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Richardson family record and miscellaneous family material [microform]: approximately 1884-1894

Manuscripts

Microfilm of various materials related to the Richardson family, including a family record, autobiography, and unidentified diary. The reel opens with a family record kept by William Richardson through approximately 1884. It traces his ancestors primarily in Scotland, and includes birth and death dates as well as information on marriages and children.The reel also contains a brief autobiography kept by Mary Muir Hughes Bunnell (a sister-in-law of William Richardson), including descriptions of Mary's childhood in Scotland, her conversion to Mormonism, her move to Utah, and her marriage to Ross Burton Hughes. The reel also contains a diary kept by an unidentified man in about 1894 (although portions are dated 1884-1885 and 1890, and some pages may be out of order on the reel). It primarily chronicles daily activities in Utah such as agricultural work, attendance of religious meetings, and Church and community affairs. The second half of the unidentified diary is included on MSS MFILM 00160.

MSS MFilm 00180

Autobiography of James W. LeSueur [microform]: 1929

Manuscripts

Microfilm of James W. LeSueur's autobiography, completed in 1929. LeSueur includes anecdotes about his childhood, including witnessing the shooting death of Nathan Tenney (which he mistakenly dates to 1884 instead of 1882) and a trip to Fort Bridger, Wyoming, with his father. He includes some genealogy before recounting his mission to Leeds from 1898-1900 and his visit to the family's ancestral home on the Isle of Guernsey. Much of the volume relates to his business activities, including his work at the St. Johns Co-op and his work in stonecutting and land dealing in Mesa, with detailed accounts of his business accounts and savings. He also writes of his work on the Salt Lake Temple and of a situation in which he was accused of "dealing unfairly" with a widow in a land case, although he was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing. Portions of the autobiography are partially illegible.

MSS MFilm 00083

Autobiography of James McBride [microform] : 1876

Manuscripts

Microfilm of the typescript autobiography of James McBride, written in 1874 and 1876. McBride traces his genealogy and family history in Virginia and Ohio, describes his family's conversion to Mormonism, and recalls their moves throughout Missouri from 1834-1836. He gives a detailed account of his father's death in the Haun's Mill Massacre of 1838 and of his own examination of the area in the following weeks. McBride describes anti-Mormon sentiment in Missouri and his family's move to Illinois, where he rented a farm near Nauvoo in 1841. He writes of traveling westward in 1846, living in Iowa until 1850, and traveling overland to Utah (including inscribing his name on Chimney Rock). He then describes his life in Tooele and Grantsville, conflicts with Indians and the building of a fort in 1853-1854, and the Utah War. Includes table of contents and index.

MSS MFilm 00192

Autobiography and family record of James Bywater [microform] :

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The family record book and autobiography of William Leany [microform] :

Diary and autobiography of George Lake [microform] :

Autobiography and family writings of Thales H. Haskell [microform] : c.1851-1930

Richardson family record and miscellaneous family material [microform]: approximately 1884-1894

Autobiography of James W. LeSueur [microform]: 1929

Autobiography of James McBride [microform] : 1876