Microfilm of the diary of William Nelson, kept in St. George from 1877-1900. The first several frames contain a family record for William's grandparents, James Nelson and Sarah Alcock, and a biography of his father Aaron Nelson (1823-1908) and his second wife Selina Palfreyman Nelson (1843-1930). The biography describes Aaron and William's journey to the United States, their work in Salt Lake City, and Aaron's involvement in the Black Hawk Indian War in Sanpete County. William Nelson's diary includes very brief daily entries made from February 1877 to October 1900. He writes of his work shoemaking and of traveling around Cedar Ridge and Parowan playing music, often with his father. Most of the entries focus on his daily activities such as digging ditches and attending choir practice at the St. George Temple, the weather, and news about various family members and acquaintances. The final page of the diary includes notes on William's children. All inquiries about this item should be directed to the H. Russell Smith Foundation Curator of Western American Manuscripts at the Huntington Library, San Marino, CA. Microfilm. San Marino, Calif. : Huntington Library Photographic Dept., 1948. 1 microfilm reel : negative 35 mm. Forms part of the Manuscripts Department's Mormon file, c.1805-1995. William Nelson (1844-1928) was born in Lamley, England, and was the only child of Aaron Nelson and Mary Staniforth Nelson. He immigrated to the United States with his father in 1862 and settled in Salt Lake City. Both Nelsons worked at shoemaking, molasses making, and playing music in a traveling group. In 1868, after briefly working on the railroad, William settled in St. George. He worked as a shoemaker and lived in St. George until his death in 1928.
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