Microfilm of the autobiography and biography of Joan Walker Fotheringham, written sometime after 1877. Joan recalls her illegitimate birth and unsettled childhood, including her temporary adoption by Robert and Agnes Burns and moving between their various relatives, her discovery of her adoption at age 11, of going into factory work at age 13, of going blind in one eye from measles and catching "brain fever,"of going to work at a mill in 1849 and meeting Mormon girls there, of her baptism and living with neighbors when her adoptive uncle would not let a Mormon live in his house, and of her falling in love with William Richardson, whose family initially objected to her. Much of the manuscript from this point is written in first person of William Richardson, and recalls the couple's financial troubles and work in the mill and mines, of their marriage in Glasgow in 1851, of their travels to Liverpool and sailing to New York in 1856, of their life in Mount Vernon and Scranton, of their overland journey when William was offered work driving a team of cattle to Utah in 1863, and of their life in Utah, including William's work in the mines and at a grist mill, as well as the births and life events of the Richardsons' ten children. All inquiries about this item should be directed to the H. Russell Smith Foundation Curator of Western Historical Manuscripts at the Huntington Library, San Marino, CA. Microfilm. San Marino, Calif. : Huntington Library Photographic Dept., 1949. 1 microfilm reel : negative 35 mm. Forms part of the Manuscripts Department's Mormon file, c.1805-1995. Joan Walker Fotheringham Richardson (also known as Ann Walker) was born in Toolcross, Scotland, in 1827. Her parents were unmarried and she was taken to live with a young couple called Robert and Agnes Burns, who took her to live in Rutherglen. She spent much of her childhood living with the Burns' relatives, and at age 13 was sent to work in a factory. After a serious illness she went to work in a mill where she met several Mormon converts. Joan joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-days Saints in 1849. She married William Richardson in 1851 and in 1856 they immigrated to New York. They lived in Mount Vernon and Scranton, Pennsylvania, before moving to Illinois in 1859. In 1863 they traveled to Utah, where William worked in coal mines and running a saw mill. Joan died in 1901.
Fotheringham, Joan Walker, 1827-1901 Richardson, William, 1829-1904 Frontier and pioneer life--Utah Mormon converts Mormon families Mormon pioneers Mormon women Mormons--Scotland--19th century Mormons--Utah--19th century Overland journeys to the Pacific Transatlantic voyages Scotland--History--19th century Utah--History 1877 Autobiographies Utah 19th century. (aat)
Source
Mormon Manuscripts at the Huntington Library Mormonism and the West, Huntington Digital Library
Provenance
Microfilm of original loaned by Mrs. Clara C. Richardson, November 1, 1949.
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