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

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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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  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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  Reminiscences of John Langston [microform] : 1877

  Manuscripts

  Microfilm of the autobiography of John Langston, covering his childhood through 1875. Langston recalls growing up in England and briefly moving to the United States before his father's interests failed and the family returned to England. Langston worked at iron works in Staffordshire and Wales before returning to the United States at the age of sixteen. He writes of working at iron works in New Jersey and Pittsburgh, and of spending the early 1840s looking for work in Missouri, Illinois, and Kentucky. He eventually got hired as a steamer fireman in St. Louis and settled in Independence, Missouri, in 1844. Langston then describes a serious illness he suffered and his subsequent decision to join the Carmelite Church. He briefly covers his time in California, his journey to Council Bluffs, and his decision to join the Mormon Church after much internal debate over the practice of polygamy. After briefly writing of his overland journey to Utah, Langston focuses on the Utah War of 1857-1858, including his time in the Alpine militia at Echo Canyon. He believed that the U.S. Army was "sent out ... with the intent of hanging and killing all the leading Mormons." The last few pages of the volume trace Langston's move to Rockville and his cotton growing experiences through about 1875.

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  Diary and autobiography of Christian N. Lund [microform] : c.1860-1921

  Manuscripts

  Microfilm of Christian N. Lund's diary and autobiography, which covers the years from the 1860s-1920. The microfilm consists of two reels. The first reel opens with Lund's extensive family genealogy, notes on his childhood in Denmark, his family's conversion to Mormonism (which he initially opposed, noting "I was very unfavorable [sic] impressed [with the Mormon Church], and felt indignant almost that my mother should bring this disgrace upon us"), and his time as a "traveling elder" in the mid-1860s. He then recounts immigrating to Utah in 1868, marrying his Danish fiancée, and settling in Mount Pleasant. Lund recalls that he first worked at picking potatoes and in the Flagstaff mine in Little Cottonwood Canyon before being called as a "home missionary" for the Sanpete Stake in 1872. He worked as a store clerk from 1873 and was a secretary and director in the United Order before it dissolved in 1877. Lund recalls his mission to the northwestern states from 1879-1880, the death of his wife following childbirth in 1882, his election as mayor of Mount Pleasant in 1884, and the death of his eldest daughter from typhoid in 1885. He recalls the election process preceding his selection as bishop of the Mount Pleasant South Ward in 1890 and of his appointment as U.S. Court Commissioner in 1894. Shortly after exalting in Utah's admission to statehood ("O glorious day!" he wrote), Lund recalls his reluctance to depart on a mission to Europe, where he served from 1896-1898. He gives a lengthy account of his time as a missionary in Denmark, as well as recounting visits to Norway, Sweden, Germany, England, Scotland, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Much of the rest of the first reel consists of diary entries from 1898-1913, including his attendance of Church conferences; the marriages, births, and deaths of family and acquaintances; and his impressions of events such as the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake ("The greatest calamity perhaps that has ever occurred in the Country") and the 1907 Reed Smoot case. The second reel consists of Lund's journal from 1913-1920. He specifically recalls his election as a patriarch in 1916 and injuries he sustained after being hit by a car in the same year. Lund concludes the volume with a chronology of his important life events, a list of his "Activities in Civil Life," and "Days Notable in My History." The volume contains several newspaper obituaries on Lund's death in 1921. Scattered throughout both reels are various family photographs, letters, newspaper clippings, texts of blessings, certificates, and other ephemera.

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  Autobiography of James McBride [microform] : 1876

  Manuscripts

  Microfilm of the typescript autobiography of James McBride, written in 1874 and 1876. McBride traces his genealogy and family history in Virginia and Ohio, describes his family's conversion to Mormonism, and recalls their moves throughout Missouri from 1834-1836. He gives a detailed account of his father's death in the Haun's Mill Massacre of 1838 and of his own examination of the area in the following weeks. McBride describes anti-Mormon sentiment in Missouri and his family's move to Illinois, where he rented a farm near Nauvoo in 1841. He writes of traveling westward in 1846, living in Iowa until 1850, and traveling overland to Utah (including inscribing his name on Chimney Rock). He then describes his life in Tooele and Grantsville, conflicts with Indians and the building of a fort in 1853-1854, and the Utah War. Includes table of contents and index.

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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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