Frederick Kesler papers

A collection of 184 items from 1852 to 1898; it consists of correspondence and journals relating to Frederick Kesler and his duties as a master millwright and bishop of the 16th Ward, as well as financial papers and newspaper clippings. Correspondents in the collection include John M. Bernhisel, George Reynolds, Joseph F. Smith, and Brigham Young. A major portion of the correspondence and manuscripts relate to the divorce between Frederick Kesler and Jane Elizabeth Pratt Kesler and Abigail Dow Snow Kesler. The material covers the reasons for the divorces as well as the financial compensation they would receive from Kesler per the instructions of Brigham Young. The 58 journals written by Frederick Kesler primarily contain notes on mills, tithing records and receipts for expenditures in the ward. A journal written by Alexander Ott includes the names of and provisions provided to Mormon immigrants.