Sketch of the life of William Morley Black [microform] : c.1915

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  Sketch of the life of Mary Minerva Dart [Judd] [microform]: c.1840-1881

  Manuscripts

  Microfilm of Mary Minerva Dart Judd's autobiography, covering the years from approximately 1840-1865 (some brief notes and genealogical accounts continue into the 1880s). The account opens with reminiscences of Mary's childhood in New York and Connecticut, and with an account of her family's wagon travels to Council Bluffs in 1849 and to Utah in 1850. It recalls the Dart family's settlement in Parowan, where they had an encounter with Indian Chief Walkera (c.1808-1855), and Mary's marriage to Zadok Knapp Judd in 1852. Mary subsequently describes moving to Santa Clara in 1856, traveling near St. George, living in Harmony in 1857, and settling in Eagle Valley in 1865 (a genealogical note includes reference to the family's life in Kanab in the 1880s). Mary also writes of her father's mission to San Bernardino, of her cotton manufacturing, of the 1862 Santa Clara River flood, and of the death of George A. Smith, Jr. (1842-1860), who was apparently shot to death by a Navajo Indian. The account also references Indian children purchased by the Judds, including a boy named Lamoni who died while in their service, an unnamed girl who was purchased in 1858 and died in 1861, and a second girl named Nellie who was purchased in 1862 and in 1867 married a "wild Indian" and left to live with his family (she returned to the Mormon settlement as a washer woman). Also included is some genealogy and hymn lyrics.

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  Autobiography of Joseph Smith Black and related materials [microform]: c.1840-1947

  Manuscripts

  Microfilm of the autobiography of Joseph Smith Black, along with biographies of his parents, a continued biography of Joseph Black by his son Peter Thompson Black, and assorted letters and notes. The volume opens with a genealogy of the Black family; a biographical sketch of Joseph Black's father William Black (1784-1873), who served in the 72nd Regiment of the British Army, joined the Mormon Church in Ireland in 1839, immigrated to the United States in 1842, and helped colonize southern Utah; and a biography of Joseph's mother Jane Johnston Black (b.1801). Joseph Black's autobiography recounts his childhood in Ireland and England, his travels to the United States and later Utah, his baptism into the Mormon Church, his colonizing and homesteading efforts in southern Utah, his mission to Arizona and Mexico in 1886, a detailed account of his mission to Missouri in 1888, and a chronicle of his time spent in the Utah Penitentiary, along with the results of a phrenology exam he was given before his release. Black's account ends in about 1889, and his son Peter Thomas Black extended it in 1947, writing of Black's work in building water reservoirs in Nevada (1893), his contract to deliver lime rock to Leamington, Utah (1895), and his work clearing farm land (1906). Following the autobiography is a typescript entitled "Visit to Millard County Recalls Fate of Capt. Gunnison and Party," which recounts Black's 1888 expedition to locate the site of the Gunnison Massacre, as well as later efforts by the Andrew Jensen party in about 1922; copies of letters from Black's children and friends; letters sent to Black by fellow prisoners while he was at the Utah Penitentiary, as well as copies of some letters sent by Black; and a newspaper obituary for Black (1910).

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  A short sketch of the life of Levi Jackman [microform]: c.1832-1848

  Manuscripts

  Microfilm of Levi Jackman's autobiography and diary, which begins with an account of his childhood and conversion to the Mormon faith. He also gives an extensive account of mob violence in Missouri in 1833 and of his journey to Kirtland by way of Louisiana. He describes his missionary work in Illinois from 1835-1836, writes of the death of Joseph Smith in 1844, and mentions his work on the temples at Kirtland and Nauvoo. Much of the volume is a detailed diary account of his overland travels to Utah with the first company of Mormon pioneers in 1847. He gives a daily account of scenery and landmarks passed, as well as an account of camp life. He specifically describes Pawnee Indians, passing through a prairie dog town, sighting buffalo, and meeting Sam Brannan on the trail near the Salt Lake Valley. Jackman also writes of his reaction to his first sighting of Utah, declaring that "like Moses on Pisgah's top we could see a part of the Salt Lake Valley, our long anticipated home. We did truly rejoice at the sight" (July 19, 1847). The remainder of the volume includes Jackman family genealogy and a brief continuation of the autobiography, in which Jackman describes his life in Utah from 1847-1848, including a mention of the Mormon Battalion. Portions of the text are very faint and may be partially illegible.

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  Some events of the life of Levi Mathers Savage [microform] : c.1876-1935

  Manuscripts

  Microfilm of Levi Mathers Savage's autobiography, begun in 1876 and finished shortly before his death in 1935. Savage opens with a brief history of the Mormon Church, and recounts his childhood in Holden, Round Valley, Kanab, and Toquerville, Utah. He particularly writes of his father's stock business and Indian raids around Long Valley. In 1871 he went to Salt Lake City to attend Morgan's Commercial College, which he left when he was called home by his ill father. He writes of being called to help colonize southern Arizona, but when the mission was delayed he worked on William W. Taylor's saw mill in Salt Lake City instead. Savage writes of the books he read during this time and of the "great financial crisis" of 1873 that prevented him from receiving his wages. He writes of taking a school at Coalville in 1874, and of a trip to Michigan to visit his mother's relatives (this section contains extensive genealogy on the Mathers family). He writes of finally starting on the Arizona mission in 1876 and of serving with Lot Smith's United Order at Yavapai. By 1878 he was teaching school in Sunset, Arizona. Savage writes of the completion of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad and accompanying telegraph lines in 1882 and of concurrent difficulties with the Apache Indians. In 1883 he began teaching school in Woodruff, Arizona, but by 1885 polygamy charges had forced him to flee to Chihuahua, Mexico. He helped settle Diaz and writes of an earthquake there on May 8, 1887. By 1891 he had returned to Woodruff, but in 1900 his first wife Sarah "Marintha" Wright had taken him to court with adultery charges (he had subsequently married plural wives Lydia "Nora" Hatch and Hannah Adeline Hatch). He was arrested and taken to Prescott, and he and Sarah ultimately divorced in 1901 (Savage mentions the difficult relations he had with his and Sarah's children). Much of the rest of the volume through 1919 covers Savage's life in Woodruff, including extensive notes on births, deaths, marriages, confirmations, blessings, and missions, as well as covering a 1902-1903 diphtheria outbreak and problems with the Woodruff Dam. Savage was released as Bishop of the Woodruff Ward in 1919 and writes of moving to Salt Lake City. He worked in the temple there and the volume includes various lists of endowments. He recalls a 1925-1926 trip to California, and most of the rest of the volume revolves around his family life in Salt Lake. Savage's final illness and death are noted in entries made by his wife Nora in 1935.

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  Short sketch of the life of John F. Nash [microform] : c.1927

  Manuscripts

  Microfilm of John F. Nash's autobiography, written in about 1927. Nash recalls his childhood around the California gold mines, including his friendship with a nearby "Company of Chinese" over whom he "held arbitrary jurisdiction;" his family's move to Ventura County and his first experiences of attending school; and of his father's loss of a land grant after oil was discovered on their property in 1874. Nash then describes traveling toward Texas driving livestock, of his experiences in Woodruff and Snowflake, of the theft of his family's livestock, the family's settlement in the Gila Valley, encounters with Indians "on the warpath" and fear of ambushes, and his acquiring of a teaching license. He then describes his conversion to Mormonism in 1888 following his experiences at the Matthews settlement, his 1890 trip to Salt Lake City, his decision to attend the Brigham Young Academy, and his experiences teaching in Loa, Wanship, Pima, the St. Joseph Stake Academy, and the Thatcher Junior High School. He briefly recounts his joining of a local national guard and a mission to retrieve fellow soldiers from a saloon. Nash also recalls his mission to Australia, where he primarily preached in Sydney and Brisbane, and his clash with "Reorganists" there.

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  A sketch of Silas Harris's life, as written by himself [microform]: c.1880

  Manuscripts

  Microfilm of a typescript of Silas Harris' autobiography, written in about 1880 and completed by his daughter Sarah F. Cutler sometime after Silas' death in 1897. In the autobiography Silas writes very briefly of his childhood and conversion to Mormonism, his experiences in the Mormon Battalion, his overland travels back to Council Bluffs from California, his return to Utah, his mission work, and notes on his children. The final few paragraphs were written by his daughter Sarah, and contain reminiscences of her father.

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