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. On the same microfilm reel as the Autobiography and Diary of William McIntosh. The Powell material is included in frames 103-307. 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., 1947. 1 microfilm reel : negative 35 mm. Forms part of the Manuscripts Department's Mormon file, c.1805-1995. John Powell (1822-1902) was born in London and baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1848. In 1849 he served on a mission to Stratford before immigrating to St. Louis in 1851. He served on a mission in Calhoun County, Illinois, in 1855 and arrived in Salt Lake City in 1856. He was a member of the Utah Territorial Mormon Militia at Echo Canyon in 1857. In 1858 his family settled in Fillmore, Utah, although they were also actively involved in the settlement of Deseret in the early 1860s. Powell was a skilled furniture maker and ran a carpentry shop in Fillmore, where he was also secretary of the Fillmore Woodworking Company. In 1889 Powell plead guilty to polygamy charges and was sent to the Utah Penitentiary. He died in southern Utah in 1902.
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