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John Edwards journal

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 8367

Scope and Contents

Materials include photocopies and transcriptions of John Edwards' journal written four years before his death. Included is Edwards' life history from 1831 to 1894. The autobiographical journal provides details about his joining the church in Wales, immigrating to the United States with his family in 1849 (as well as the deaths of his family around the same time), and his account of settlement and family life in Salt Lake City, Utah. Among other recollections, he writes about his faith, copies blessings and documents into his journal, and keeps a brief family record listing the members of his family. Dated 1894.

Dates

  • 1894

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Open for public research.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material from John Edwards journal must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Board of Curators.

Biographical History

Elaine Merrigan is the great-great granddaughter of John Edwards.

Biographical History

John Edwards (1831-1898) was an early Welsh convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in the Utah War from 1857 to 1858.

John Edwards was born on May 10, 1831 at Hirwaun, Glamorganshire, Wales to parents Edward Edwards and Elizabeth Thomas. Edwards was raised in a religious household: his father was a Weslayan Methodist and his mother was an Armin Baptist. His family joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the 1840s and soon after, in 1849, Edwards and his family emmigrated from Wales to settle in the United States of America. After their arrival, Edwards' father, sister, and mother contracted cholera; while his mother recovered, his father and sister both died of the disease.

Edwards married Charlotte Stephens in 1851 while at Council Bluffs and they had seven children. Together they crossed the plains and arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah, during the October session of General Conference. To support themselves, Edwards found work and his wife made money through her sewing and they built a home in Salt Lake City. During 1857-1858 Edwards left his family to serve in the Utah War where he worked as cook for the generals at the camp.

Edwards died on January 10, 1898, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Extent

2 folders (0.08 linear ft.)

Language of Materials

English

Custodial History

Donated by Elaine Merrigan, great-great granddaughter of John Edwards, through Ronald Dennis, in 2000.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated; Elaine Merrigan and Ronald D. Dennis; 2000.

Appraisal

LDS cultural, social, and religious history (19th Century Mormon and Western Manuscripts collection development policy 1.V, November 2013).

Existence and Location of Copies

Folder 1 contains photocopied scans of the original journal. Folder 2 includes the transcription of the original journal.

General

Located in box 599

Processing Information

Processed; Zoë Brimhall, student manuscript processor, and Ryan K. Lee, curator; 2014.

Title
Register of John Edwards journal
Status
In Progress
Author
Zoë Brimhall
Date
2014 January 30
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English in Latin script.

Repository Details

Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository

Contact:
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States