Microfilm of Joseph L. Heywood's diaries for the years 1855-1857. The diaries begin with Heywood accompanying Orson Hyde to help settle Carson Valley, Nevada. He then describes a subsequent trip to California his trip to Washington, D.C. as part of a delegation to petition Congress for Utah statehood his visits to his family on the east coast and his journey back to Utah via St. Louis and Independence, Missouri. Of particular interest is Heywood's description of his trial and acquittal on a charge of bribery brought against him by a clerk in the First Auditor's Office of the United States Treasury Department. The diaries (frames 1-83) are on the same reel as a biography of Lydia Ann Smith Johnson. The Huntington also has typescripts of the diaries (HM 66622). The original diaries are located at the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University. All inquiries about this item should be sent 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., 1946. 1 microfilm reel : negative 35 mm. Forms part of the Manuscripts Department's Mormon file, c.1805-1995. Joseph Leland Heywood was born on August 1, 1815, in Grafton, Massachusetts. At the age of 22 he became a merchant in Illinois, where he married Sarepta Blodgett in 1841. Joseph first heard Joseph Smith preach while visiting Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1842, and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Mississippi River on the same day. He and Sarepta moved from their home in Quincy to Nauvoo in 1845, and Joseph was made a trustee of the Church property in the area following the expulsion of the Mormon leaders. In 1848 the Heywoods departed for Salt Lake City with the Willard Richards Company. Joseph was appointed by the federal government as postmaster of Salt Lake City in 1849 and in 1850 was made the U.S. Marshal for Utah by President Millard Fillmore. He also remained active in Mormon activities, becoming a Patriarch in 1874 and helping to settle the town of Nephi, Utah. Joseph married three plural wives (Sarah Symonds, Martha Spence, and Mary Bell) and had a total of twenty children. He died in Panguitch, Utah, on October 16, 1910.
Heywood, Joseph Leland, 1815-1910 Bribery--United States Frontier and pioneer life--Missouri Mormon pioneers Mormons--History--19th century Trials (Bribery)--United States Diaries United States 19th century. (aat)
Source
Mormon Manuscripts at the Huntington Library Mormonism and the West, Huntington Digital Library
Provenance
Microfilm of original diary loaned by Robert de Long through Juanita Brooks, April 1946.
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
