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Manuscripts

Autobiography of James McBride [microform] : 1876

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  • Autobiography of David Lewis [microform]: 1854

    Autobiography of David Lewis [microform]: 1854

    Manuscripts

    Microfilm of the autobiography of David Lewis, written in 1854. The front page includes an unidentified photograph. The text begins with an account of Lewis' birth and childhood in Kentucky, including his family history (with physical descriptions of family members), his family's agricultural pursuits, his knife fights with his brothers, and his working at spinning cotton from the age of 12. Most of the manuscript focuses on the expulsion of the Mormons from Missouri and the events of the Haun's Mill Massacre, during which David's brother Benjamin Lewis was killed. Lewis thoroughly describes the event and its aftermath, including a latter meeting with James Campbell. He also writes of being captured by Missouri soldiers and interrogated about whether he was a Danite. Lewis also describes traveling to Illinois in 1838-1839, returning to Kentucky in 1839, and finally ending up back in Illinois in 1840. The account ends with a brief mention of the death of Joseph Smith. It also includes a patriarchal blessing for Lewis from 1839. The next portion of the volume begins with clippings from the Vernal Express on Sinley Lewis Sr. (1931). It is followed by a biography of David Lewis' son Siney Lewis Sr. (1848-1928) written by his daughter-in-law Crystal P. Lewis. It describes his birth in Council Bluffs, his father's work as a cooper, the death of his mother's father, who left her enough money to emigrate to Utah along with "one negro slave called Jerry" (who spent the rest of his life with the family), their journey to Utah in 1850, Siney's school days, and his leading emigrants to Utah in 1866 with a company of "bull whackers" (teamsters).

    MSS MFilm 00157

  • Diary and autobiography of John Clark Dowdle [microform] : approximately 1845-1894

    Diary and autobiography of John Clark Dowdle [microform] : approximately 1845-1894

    Manuscripts

    Microfilm of an autobiography and diary kept by John Clark Dowdle and identified as Nampa, Idaho. The autobiography begins in approximately 1845, and in a mix of reminiscences and diary entries describes Dowdle's family background, traveling overland in 1852, an 1864 trip to California, his mission to aid emigrants traveling overland from Missouri in 1866, and his daily activities in Utah, including school supervision in and around Logan and Willard, through 1894.

    MSS MFilm 00122

  • Autobiography of Samuel Miles [microform]: 1881

    Autobiography of Samuel Miles [microform]: 1881

    Manuscripts

    Microfilm of the autobiography of Samuel Miles, kept in about 1881. It includes a brief family history and descriptions of Miles' childhood and his family's move to Freedom, New York, where they were neighbors to Miles' uncle (by marriage) Warren A. Cowdery; Mormon missionaries in the area; the family's move to Missouri, where Miles worked on his father's farm; persecutions of Mormons in Missouri; a history of the Mormon expulsion to Illinois; various accounts of Joseph Smith; the family's 1845 move to Nauvoo and Miles' work as a teacher; a detailed account of Miles' time with the Mormon Battalion, first under Captain Allen (who died at Fort Leavenworth) and then Lieutenant Smith (who was unpopular compared to Jefferson Hunt), and their overland travels to San Diego and Sutter's Fort; Miles' move to Utah; a trip to California he took in 1858; the formation of the United Order at Enoch in 1874; and various notes on Miles' teaching and farming activities. The autobiography covers the years through 1881.

    MSS MFilm 00829

  • Autobiography of John Powell [microform]: c.1849-1901

    Autobiography of John Powell [microform]: c.1849-1901

    Manuscripts

    Microfilm of the autobiography of John Powell. Powell begins by recalling his early life in England, including his conversion to Mormonism and his mission to Stratford in 1849. He then describes his family's immigration to the United States, sailing from Liverpool to New Orleans on the ship Ellen. The family rented a room in St. Louis, and Powell describes the sickness and poverty that prevented them from starting for Salt Lake City until 1856 (in the interim he mentions his mission to Calhoun County in 1855). He describes the family's overland journey to Utah, including meeting with Indians near the Platte River. Once in Utah Powell joined the Utah Territorial Mormon Militia, and he briefly describes his experiences in Echo Canyon in 1857. The rest of the autobiography focuses on Powell's life in Fillmore, Utah, and includes references to his work on the settlement at Deseret, his furniture store in Fillmore, his trips to St. George in 1877 and 1884, and his time in the Utah Penitentiary after pleading guilty to unlawful cohabitation in 1889. Also included in the volume are descriptions of Powell's visions and dreams; copies of letters; transcriptions of blessings and articles from the Deseret News; and transcribed texts of the Constitution of the State of Utah, The Edmunds Bill (also known as the Edmunds Anti-Polygamy Act of 1882), the Declaration of Principles from the People's Convention (1882), and the Origin and Destiny of Women by John Taylor (1897). The volume ends with lists of local births, deaths, and blessings given; some Powell family genealogy; and a list of the residents of Fillmore in 1858.

    MSS MFilm 00066 item 02

  • Autobiography of Samuel Miles [microform]: 1881

    Autobiography of Samuel Miles [microform]: 1881

    Manuscripts

    Microfilm of a typescript of the autobiography of Samuel Miles, supplied by his daughter Minnie Miles Mathis to the St. George Ward Chapter, Daughters of the Pioneers. The autobiography was kept in about 1881. It includes a brief family history and descriptions of Miles' childhood and his family's move to Freedom, New York, where they were neighbors to Miles' uncle (by marriage) Warren A. Cowdery; Mormon missionaries in the area; the family's move to Missouri, where Miles worked on his father's farm; persecutions of Mormons in Missouri; a history of the Mormon expulsion to Illinois; various accounts of Joseph Smith; the family's 1845 move to Nauvoo and Miles' work as a teacher; a detailed account of Miles' time with the Mormon Battalion, first under Captain Allen (who died at Fort Leavenworth) and then Lieutenant Smith (who was unpopular compared to Jefferson Hunt), and their overland travels to San Diego and Sutter's Fort; Miles' move to Utah; a trip to California he took in 1858; the formation of the United Order at Enoch in 1874; and various notes on Miles' teaching and farming activities. The autobiography covers the years through 1881.

    MSS MFilm 00376

  • Autobiography of James W. LeSueur [microform]: 1929

    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