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

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

  Manuscripts

  Microfilm of the life history of William Morley Black, probably in the handwriting of his daughter Eva Minerva Black Palmer. Black opens with recollections of the difficulties of frontier life in Ohio and Illinois, his work as a farmer and mason after his father's death, and his marriage to Margaret Bonks in 1846. While living in Illinois in 1848, Black notes that "news of the discovery of gold in California created quite a fever in our town, and I caught the fever in the spring 1849." He describes joining William Maxwell's joint stock company, passing through Nauvoo, and crossing the plains. His overland account is limited except for his notes on buffalo hunting, of which he reflected "sad indeed it was for the Sioux nation when the white man made a through fare [sic] thru [sic] their well stocked hunting grounds." The party entered the Salt Lake Valley in July 1849, and "were all on tip toe to see what kind of civilization the Mormons would exhibit." Black learned of the "martyrdom" of Joseph Smith, was impacted by the persecutions the Mormons had suffered, and was so impressed by a church sermon that he wrote "if that is Mormonism then I am a Mormon." He writes that "any desire and ambition for gold was swept away," and he abandoned the California company to remain in Utah. In February 1850 he was selected to go on a mission to the Sanpete Valley, which he was not eager to do. "I could not see just what right the President had to call me. I understood and expected them to guide me in spiritual matters, but this was of a temporal nature and beyond their jurisdiction." Black ultimately submitted to the call and writes of paying tributes to Indians on the road to Sanpete, quoting Brigham Young as saying that it was "cheaper to feed them than it was to fight them." Black describes living with a Father Morley at Manti, building a grist mill, and marrying his first plural wife. In 1851 he was finally allowed to travel back to Illinois with the J.M Grant company to retrieve his family. He broke his ribs falling into a well and was in poor condition when he arrived in South Canton in December. He writes that he was "full of enthusiasm" for Mormonism, and when he told his family about his conversion his mother-in-law was "wild with rage" and his father-in-law would not share a house with him. His wife and two children, as well as a brother and sister he converted, traveled back to Utah in October 1852. Along the way he was cheated out of wages by a Brother Leonard, but Brigham Young convinced Black to let Leonard use the money to fund a mission to China instead of paying him. Back in Utah Black partnered with a Brother Washburn in tanning and shoemaking. When local grist millers were killed during the Walker War in July 1853, Black took over the mill. He describes running various mills, including those at Nephi (he writes that with the establishment of Camp Floyd in 1858 his "wheat was turned to gold"), Ephraim, and Circle Valley, where he was held under siege by Indians (two brothers recently arrived from Illinois were killed). After abandoning the Circle Valley settlement in 1867, Black moved to Beaver before being called to a mission in Washington. He later helped John R. Young build a grist mill at Kanab. He praised the establishment of United Orders and lived at Orderville until the late 1870s. He describes moving to Mexico in 1889 "not out of choice but of necessity," and of his various homes there. He writes that when war broke out between the Madero and Diaz parties in Pacheco, his family fled to El Paso and later returned to Utah. The final pages of the autobiography contain genealogy and a note on Black's death probably written by Eva Palmer.

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  Autobiography of Joseph Grafton Hovey, compiled by M.R. Hovey [microform], 1953

  Manuscripts

  Microfilm of a typescript version of Joseph Grafton Hovey's autobiography, adapted from his journals by his grandson M.R. Hovey in 1953. The volume opens with a note on "The Hovey Book" and a page tracing Joseph Hovey's descent from Daniel Hovey, the "First American Progenitor of the Hovey Descendants." The autobiography begins with as account of Hovey's childhood in Massachusetts, including the death of his father, his move to Boston, and his interest in religious revivals. It then describes his move to Illinois and conversion to the Mormon Church, includes Hovey's critical reaction to John C. Bennett, and describes the days leading up to and following the death of Joseph Smith at Carthage. Hovey then gives an account of Sidney Rigdon's departure from the Church, of Hovey's own ownership of shares in the Seventies Hall, and of his departure from Nauvoo in 1846. He then writes of traveling to Winter Quarters with Joseph Young and of his experiences there from 1846-1848, including the death of his wife from illness in 1847. The first part of the account ends with a description of his overland journey to Utah and his colonization of Iron County through about 1854. The rest of the volume consists of portions of Hovey's writings from about 1855-1856, which cover his life in Palmyra, Utah, and his mission to Provo. This portion of the volume is annotated by M.R. Hovey. The volume concludes with a portion of Hovey's wife Lusannah Hovey's record of the family's move to Cache Valley in 1860 and of Joseph Hovey's death in 1868. Also included is some Hovey family genealogy.

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  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.

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  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.

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  Autobiography [microform] : 1837-1874

  Manuscripts

  Microfilm of a typescript of Goudy Hogan's autobiography, typed by Muriel Hogan Hunter in 1935. This copy was owned by Margaret Hogan Traveller. Included are descriptions of Hogan's life from the time of his arrival in the United States from Norway until his travels to Dixie, Utah, in 1874. Hogan writes of his family's life in Illinois and Iowa and their journey westward to Utah, his experiences driving a government oxen team from Council Bluffs to Salt Lake City, his desire to joint the Mormon Battalion, and his involvement in several grist mills, including those at High Creek and Mink Creek. Hogan frequently details aspects of his daily life such as the raising of crops, the building of log cabins, and the types of clothing required for overland travel. He also describes his sorrow at the news of Joseph Smith's death, the debts acquired from his grist mills, his years of crops lost to grasshoppers, and the deaths of many of his children from illnesses. The microfilm also contains a portion of Hogan's original handwritten manuscript and a typescript portion of his biography/autobiography, written with his daughter Josephine Hogan Adair.

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  Autobiography of Asahel Woodruff Burk [microform]: after 1947

  Manuscripts

  Microfilm of A.W. Burk's autobiography, covering events through approximately 1947. The account opens with some family history and notes on Burk's childhood in Arizona, and briefly covers his move to Utah, educational endeavors, teaching positions, his assignment to the 1942-1943 Northern California Mission, and his sons' enlistment in the military during World War II. Much of the autobiography focuses on home events such as family illnesses, church activities, and agricultural work. Portions of the manuscript are in lightly colored ink that is partially illegible.

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