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History of Joan Walker Fotheringham [microform] : after 1877

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  • Reminiscences of John Langston [microform] : 1877

    Reminiscences of John Langston [microform] : 1877

    Manuscripts

    Microfilm of the autobiography of John Langston, covering his childhood through 1875. Langston recalls growing up in England and briefly moving to the United States before his father's interests failed and the family returned to England. Langston worked at iron works in Staffordshire and Wales before returning to the United States at the age of sixteen. He writes of working at iron works in New Jersey and Pittsburgh, and of spending the early 1840s looking for work in Missouri, Illinois, and Kentucky. He eventually got hired as a steamer fireman in St. Louis and settled in Independence, Missouri, in 1844. Langston then describes a serious illness he suffered and his subsequent decision to join the Carmelite Church. He briefly covers his time in California, his journey to Council Bluffs, and his decision to join the Mormon Church after much internal debate over the practice of polygamy. After briefly writing of his overland journey to Utah, Langston focuses on the Utah War of 1857-1858, including his time in the Alpine militia at Echo Canyon. He believed that the U.S. Army was "sent out ... with the intent of hanging and killing all the leading Mormons." The last few pages of the volume trace Langston's move to Rockville and his cotton growing experiences through about 1875.

    MSS MFilm 00124

  • Autobiography  of James McBride [microform] : 1876

    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

  • Remembrances in the life of Charles Edmund Richardson [microform]: approximately 1934

    Remembrances in the life of Charles Edmund Richardson [microform]: approximately 1934

    Manuscripts

    Microfilm of a typescript autobiography of Charles Edmund Richardson, edited and typed in approximately 1934. It opens with recollections of the early life of Richardson's mother Mary Ann Darrow Richardson (1818-1872), including her conversion to Mormonism while stuck in Salt Lake City on the way to Oregon (despite her early fears of "dreadful Mormons"). He also writes briefly of his father, Edmund Richardson (1816-1874). The autobiography then recalls Richardson's early life in Manti and Springville, and includes many anecdotes of his childhood and school days as well as family life. It also covers his work at the Shoebridge Mill and in the mining camps, his learning Spanish at St. John for missionary work while teaching school, traveling along the Rio Grande, studying law and moving to Mexico, the "depredations of Texas outlaws" around Canyon Creek, Indian attacks near Wilford, and many anecdotes about life in Mexico. Portions of the document were written by Richardson's wife Sarah Louisa Adams ("Sadie") and his brother Sullivan Calvin "Sullie" Richardson. The second portion of the microfilm includes an autobiography of Sullie Richardson (1861-1940). Sullie also includes a variety of childhood anecdotes, including his school experiences, his father's work in the Nevada mines, and other family stories. He also describes traveling through Provo Canyon, encounters with Indians near Prescott, confrontations at Fort Defiance, working on the railroad near Rio Puerco, working for the water service in Brigham City, moving to Mexico and meeting President Diaz, teaching school, working on the Arizona Eastern Railroad, and moving to Thatcher, Arizona.

    MSS MFilm 00188

  • Diaries of John B. Fairbanks [microform] : 1877-1902

    Diaries of John B. Fairbanks [microform] : 1877-1902

    Manuscripts

    Microfilm of nine diaries kept by John Fairbanks from 1877-1902. The first diary opens in Payson in 1877, and recounts Fairbanks's mission to the southern states, including Alabama and Tennessee, in 1883; the second opens with a list of subscriptions for the Zion's Cooperative Mercantile and Manufacturing Institution in Payson (1869) and also includes an 1881-1882 diary kept at Payson and on the southern states mission; the third diary opens in 1881 when Payson was traveling to St. Louis and tracks his mission through 1882; the fourth diary is a continuation of the third diary; the fifth diary is another notebook and diary kept during his mission from 1882-1883; the sixth diary is also from 1882; the seventh diary is undated but also appears to be from the southern states mission; the eighth diary is dated 1890 and was apparently kept in Utah; and the ninth diary was kept while Fairbanks was traveling in Central and South America, including to Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Colombia, in 1901-1902. It closes with a brief biography by an unknown author tracing Fairbanks's artistic endeavors from 1914-1917. Also included on the reel is a typescript by an unknown author entitled "South America Trip," which recalls Fairbanks's travels there.

    MSS MFilm 00063

  • Diary of William Nelson [microform] : 1877-1900

    Diary of William Nelson [microform] : 1877-1900

    Manuscripts

    Microfilm of the diary of William Nelson, kept in St. George from 1877-1900. The first several frames contain a family record for William's grandparents, James Nelson and Sarah Alcock, and a biography of his father Aaron Nelson (1823-1908) and his second wife Selina Palfreyman Nelson (1843-1930). The biography describes Aaron and William's journey to the United States, their work in Salt Lake City, and Aaron's involvement in the Black Hawk Indian War in Sanpete County. William Nelson's diary includes very brief daily entries made from February 1877 to October 1900. He writes of his work shoemaking and of traveling around Cedar Ridge and Parowan playing music, often with his father. Most of the entries focus on his daily activities such as digging ditches and attending choir practice at the St. George Temple, the weather, and news about various family members and acquaintances. The final page of the diary includes notes on William's children.

    MSS MFilm 00086

  • Three essays on Mormons in Arizona [microform] : after 1913

    Three essays on Mormons in Arizona [microform] : after 1913

    Manuscripts

    Microfilm of three typescript essays by Evans Coleman, and which primarily trace the history of the Alpine, Nevada, area. The first essay, entitled "Firsts in Alpine," describes early events in shaping the settlement, including the arrival of the first settlers and the introduction of agricultural implements, a school, and mail service. The second essay, "Land Transactions in the Eighties," is a brief account of the influx of Mormon pioneers to the Alpine area and the decision of the first settler, a non-Mormon named Bush, to sell his land in the area. The final essay is a biography of Coleman's mother, Emma Beck Coleman (1840-1913). The account reads like an autobiography and is written in the first person as Emma. It describes the nomadic lifestyle Emma and her family were forced to lead as they faced persecution in Illinois and Missouri, and describes the hardships of traveling in wagons, specifically focusing on the discomfort suffered by the pack animals and Emma's recollections of going hungry. It briefly traces Emma's life in southern Utah, her move to Alpine, Arizona, in 1881, and her eventual settlement in Thatcher in the Gila Valley in 1899.

    MSS MFilm 00128