Manuscripts

Autobiography of Edward Walker Clark [microform] : c.1820-1904

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Description: Microfilm of Edward Walker Clark's autobiography, kept through 1904. Clark begins with describing his young adulthood in England, including working as an attendant for a wealthy family and as an apprentice carpenter. He traveled to London in 1840 and describes his conversion to Mormonism in 1847. He mentions working at a furniture store in 1848 before he and his family sailed to the United States on the ship Ellen. Clark arrived in Council Bluffs in 1851 and worked as a coffin maker for emigrants to the gold fields until 1852, when the Clarks traveled to Utah with the Henry Miller company (Clark's eldest daughter was killed by a wagon wheel during the trip). The Clarks settled in Provo, and in 1858 Clark was posted at Echo Canyon during the Utah War. He describes his 1874 mission to England, followed by notes on his life in Utah through 1904.
Type: Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Date: approximately 1820-1904
Call number: MSS MFilm 00094

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.

MSS MFilm 00067

Volumes of Joshua Reuben Clark [microform] : 1865-1889

Manuscripts

Microfilm of various volumes kept by Joshua Reuben Clark from 1865-1889. The reel includes a book of lot claims (1865); an 1867 diary that records Clark's travels overland to Montana, his impressions of Salt Lake City and the Mormons, his conversion to Mormonism, and living in Utah through 1869; a volume that opens with a list of names and dates of enlistment for soliders at Green Township, St. Joseph County, and is followed by Clark's Civil War diary for 1862; a volume with records of the School District No.1, Grantsville City, dated 1871-1889; and a volume labeled Rochester, Minnesota, 1863, and which includes various lists and reminiscences including "Latin and English Names of Plants and Medicines," "Montana as it Was," recalling Clark's 1866 visit, "History of Daily Occurrences from Sauk Center, Minnesota, to Fort Bridger, Utah Territory" dated 1864, assorted notes, and some family history. The reel also contains a few notes and letters related to Grantsville schools, certificates for mining claims in Montana (1865-1866), a typed family record, an autobiography entitled "History of the Early Life of Joshua Reuben Clark, Sr.", and a teaching license for Clark from the General Board of Education of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1898).

MSS MFilm 00372

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Diary and autobiography of John Clark Dowdle [microform] : approximately 1845-1894

Manuscripts

Microfilm of an autobiography and diary kept by John Clark Dowdle and identified as Nampa, Idaho. The autobiography begins in approximately 1845, and in a mix of reminiscences and diary entries describes Dowdle's family background, traveling overland in 1852, an 1864 trip to California, his mission to aid emigrants traveling overland from Missouri in 1866, and his daily activities in Utah, including school supervision in and around Logan and Willard, through 1894.

MSS MFilm 00122

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.

MSS MFilm 00066 item 02

Autobiography of William Henry Solomon [microform] : 1895

Manuscripts

Microfilm of the autobiography of William Henry Solomon, written in 1895. The account begins with Solomon's birth in England and his school days, including receiving academic merits and prizes. Solomon gives a brief family genealogy and notes being the son of a shoemaker (his mother sold the shoes in mining towns). He then writes of his conversion to Mormonism, his marriage and career in carpentry and shoemaking, and of sailing to New York in 1861. He also recalls traveling across the plains to Utah, being called to settle Arizona in 1873, and of his various travels to and from Utah and Arizona. Solomon also writes of his life in Taylor, Arizona, and Kanab, Utah, including notes on the births and baptisms of his children.

MSS MFilm 00191

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.

MSS MFilm 00192

Autobiography of Edward Walker Clark [microform] : c.1820-1904

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

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Diary and autobiography of John Clark Dowdle [microform] : approximately 1845-1894

Autobiography of John Powell [microform]: c.1849-1901

Autobiography of William Henry Solomon [microform] : 1895

Autobiography of James McBride [microform] : 1876