Autobiography of George Washington Brimhall [microform] : c.1888-1889

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  Diary and autobiography of George Lake [microform] : c.1870-1938

  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.

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  Autobiography and diary of William McIntosh [microform]: c.1857-1889

  Manuscripts

  Microfilm of the autobiography and diary of William McIntosh. The early part of the volume focuses on McIntosh's early years in the United States and his emigration to Utah. Many of the entries focus on his involvement in preparations for the Utah War from 1857-1858. He also describes the presence of soldiers in Rush Valley and seeing Indians in army uniforms while traveling around Pond Town (now Salem, Utah) in 1858. The early diary entries end in 1866, and the latter part of the volume resumes with entries from 1884-1898. McIntosh includes anecdotes about his family, his life in Mt. Pleasant and surrounding areas, his work on ditches and other forms of irrigation, water rights in southern Utah, and being advised by a bishop not to vote against Utah statehood. Toward the end of the volume is the transcribed text of "A Fatal Accident at St. Johns," which recalls the death of John McIntosh (probably William McIntosh's son) after he was crushed by wagon wheels in 1889.

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  Autobiography and diary of John Clark Dowdle, [microform] : c.1852-1894

  Manuscripts

  Microfilm of the diary and autobiography of John Clark Dowdle. The volume recounts his childhood and conversion to Mormonism, gives a detailed account of his journey across the plains to Utah in 1852-1853, and recounts his daily life in Utah. Some specific events he writes about include finding the body of Bailey Lake, who had apparently been killed by Bannock Indians, in 1858; his 1862 trip to St. George; his journey to Las Vegas in the mid-1860s; his involvement in Utah schools; and spending 1873 looking for work before settling in Willard City. The last entries were made in about 1894. The first few pages of the volume include a summary of each chapter.

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  The family record book and autobiography of William Leany [microform] : c.1891

  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.

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  Diary and autobiography of Christopher Jones Arthur [microform] : c.1875-1915

  Manuscripts

  Microfilm of Christopher Arthur Jones' diary and autobiography, covering events from about 1859-1915. The diary is in multiple hands and is not always in chronological order. It begins with a brief account of Jones' birth and young adulthood, including the death of his father after being struck by lightening in 1859. It also recounts his arranged marriage to Caroline Haight, the daughter of Isaac C. Haight, and includes diary entries for 1860-1862. A section entitled "A Brief Sketch of my History for the year 1874" includes notes on his work with the United Order in Cedar City and lists of general births, marriages, and deaths. An added note lists Arthur's own death in 1915 (he may actually have died in 1918). Diary entries for 1877-1878 record Arthur's experiences in Beaver, Parowan, and Cedar City. A brief note from 1883 recounts his mission to Great Britain. Portions of the diary are very faint and partially illegible, but the rest of the volume appears to be Arthur's autobiography, focusing on his life in Cedar City and elsewhere in Iron County, Utah. Scattered throughout the volume are records of blessings, dreams, letters, accounts, copied notes such as "the History of King Arthur" and "Facts About the Bible," a list of account notes for the Cedar City Co-op (1889), and a list of volumes Arthur gave to the Cedar City Public Library in 1910.

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  Autobiography of George Pectol [microform] : 1858

  Manuscripts

  Microfilm of the autobiography of George Pectol, covering the years from approximately 1846-1858. Portions of the volume are missing, but it opens with George's examination of the Book of Mormon and his decision to travel to Nauvoo, hearing Mormon preachers, and deciding to join the Mormon Church. He also writes of performing baptisms and preaching the gospel around Jackson County, Missouri, of anti-Mormon experiences in Missouri, of his overland travel to Utah, of leaving home in Iron County due to Indian attacks, of moving to Sanpete, and of life in Washington to 1858.

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