Manuscripts

Diaries of Joseph L. Heywood [microform]: 1855-1857

1 of 82

Description: Microfilm of Joseph L. Heywood's diaries for the years 1855-1857. The diaries begin with Heywood accompanying Orson Hyde to help settle Carson Valley, Nevada. He then describes a subsequent trip to California; his trip to Washington, D.C. as part of a delegation to petition Congress for Utah statehood; his visits to his family on the east coast; and his journey back to Utah via St. Louis and Independence, Missouri. Of particular interest is Heywood's description of his trial and acquittal on a charge of bribery brought against him by a clerk in the First Auditor's Office of the United States Treasury Department.
Type: Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Date: 1855; 1856; 1857
Call number: MSS MFilm 00038 item 01
Creator: Heywood, Joseph Leland (1815-1910)(Opens in new tab)
Provenance: Microfilm of original diary loaned by Robert de Long through Juanita Brooks, April 1946.

Diary of Martha Spence Heywood [microform] : 1850-1856

Manuscripts

Microfilm of a typescript of Martha Spence Heywood's diary, kept from 1850-1856. It begins when Martha was living in Kanesville, Iowa, after joining the Mormon Church and while waiting to travel westward. She gives a brief account of her baptism in Canada and sojourns with various Mormon families in New York State. She also recounts her travels to St. Louis in 1849 and teaching school in Springville. Martha departed with the Joseph Heywood company for Utah in 1850 and gives a detailed account of the company's journey across the plains. The majority of the diary recounts in detail Martha's life in Nephi, Utah, from 1850-1856. She writes personal and insightful insights on polygamy (shortly after her marriage to Heywood she wrote "Tis rather trying to a woman's feelings not to be acknowledged by the man she has given herself to and desires to love with all her heart"), the birth and raising of her children, her illnesses from childbirth, the death of her daughter Serepta Maria from measles in 1856, her loneliness in Nephi (she wrote that she "could not bear" to be left alone by her husband and taught school in 1854 since it was "of much benefit to me as the activity ... and its responsibility prevented lonesomeness that otherwise would have been disagreeable"), and politics within the Mormon settlement at Nephi. She also writes of Indian troubles, including Mormons killed by Indians in 1853, and of the discovery of two bodies dressed in United States livery who were shot to death in November 1852. Martha also writes frequently of her acquaintances in Nephi, visits by Brigham Young, and a variety of other domestic concerns.

MSS MFilm 00161

Image not available

Joseph Leland Heywood diaries

Manuscripts

This typescript was made by Brigham Young University for Juanita Brooks and was copied from the original diaries. It includes a table of contents, a name index, and a short biographical sketch of Joseph Leland Heywood (1815-1910).

mssHM 66622

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.

MSS MFilm 00066 item 01

Diaries of Joseph H. Richards [microform] : 1876-1893

Manuscripts

Microfilm of the diaries of Joseph H. Richards, covering the years 1876, 1881, 1886, and 1892-1893. All of the Utah and Arizona diaries consist of brief entries recalling Richards's daily life. The 1876 volume records his life in Utah and his call to colonize Arizona; the 1881 volume records his life in the St. Joseph United Order; the 1886 diary recalls his travels from Arizona to Utah and California; and the 1892-1893 diary recounts in more detail his mission to England and Scotland, and also includes a brief autobiography.

MSS MFilm 00252

Diaries of Joseph Coulson Rich [microform] : 1860-1869

Manuscripts

Microfilm of five diary volumes kept by Joseph C. Rich between 1860 and 1869. The first diary, dated 1860-1861, begins in Utah and follows Rich's overland travels to New York, his voyage to England, and his experiences during his British mission, primarily in the area around Nottingham. The second diary, dated 1861-1862, was also kept at Nottingham. Between the second and third diaries is a typed essay entitled "Joseph C. Rich in Memoriam" by S.A. Kenner. The third and fourth diaries were also kept in England in 1862, and the third volume also includes miscellaneous notes and poems primarily related to American Indians, as well as some receipts. The final diary volume was begun in 1869 when Rich was departing Uintah with an emigrant train to "perform a mission to our relatives and friends in the United States." It follows his rail travels through Omaha, Chicago, and Nauvoo, and ends while he was at Louisville.

MSS MFilm 00331 item 01

Diary of Jesse Bigler Martin [microform]: 1857

Manuscripts

Microfilm of Jesse Bigler Martin's 1857 diary, kept while he was leading his own company overland to Utah following a mission to England. The diary begins on July 30, when Martin was near Scott's Bluffs, Nebraska. It includes entries on distances traveled, members of his company, and notes on supplies. Martin arrived back in Salt Lake City on September 13, and brief diary entries recount his attention to home matters, attendance of a prayer circle, and his departure from the city on November 10 with his "brethren" to "stop the soldiers from coming into the city." He fell ill and returned to Salt Lake City two weeks later. The final entry recounts his marriage to Ann Clark in December. Additional notes in the diary include a list of Martin's plural wives and children, genealogy, a list of debts and credits, lyrics for the Missionaries Hand Card Song, the Crystal Spring, and the Carrier Dove, and a newspaper obituary for Ann Clark Martin.

MSS MFilm 00095 item 01

Diaries of Joseph L. Heywood [microform]: 1855-1857

Opening Hours

Admission Info and Tickets

You might also be interested in

Diary of Martha Spence Heywood [microform] : 1850-1856

Joseph Leland Heywood diaries

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

Diaries of Joseph H. Richards [microform] : 1876-1893

Diaries of Joseph Coulson Rich [microform] : 1860-1869

Diary of Jesse Bigler Martin [microform]: 1857