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Utah. Militia

 Organization

Dates

  • Existence: 1852 - 1887

Administrative History

The Utah Militia (1852-1887), also known as the Nauvoo Legion, was the territorial militia organization for Utah Territory.

Citation:
Bennett, Richard Edmond. The Nauvoo Legion in Illinois, 2010 CIP introd. (the Nauvoo Legion functioned at the behest of the governor of the state of Illinois; a regularly constituted arm of the Illinois State Militia from its chartering in 1841 until its repeal in 1845; after 1845, Nauvoo Legion acted under the direction of Mormon Church leadership until 1849; in 1849 became a militia in the State of Deseret; in 1852 became a [i.e. the] militia in the Utah Territory)

Utah State Div. of Archives and History www homepage, May 26, 2009 (These papers document the administration and activities of various segments of the territorial militia, also known as the Nauvoo Legion)

Encycl. of Mormonism, c1992 (Nauvoo Legion; disbanded as a result of the Edmunds-Tucker Act of 1887)

Found in 32 Collections and/or Records:

George Washington Bean diaries

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 1038
Scope and Contents Handwritten diaries, two autobiographies, account books, patriarchal blessings, biographies of family members, and Bean family history and genealogy. Bean writes about his early life and migration to Utah; his work as an Indian interpreter from 1852 to 1853; his pursuit of the Ute chief, Walker, in 1854; his Indian mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Las Vegas, Nevada from 1855 to 1856; his life in Provo, Utah; his participation in the Black Hawk Indian War; and...
Dates: 1852-1897

Black Hawk committee meeting minutes

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230320886]
Identifier: MSS SC 2233
Scope and Contents

Handwritten entries into a book of blank pages. The entries relate to the meetings of the "Black Hawk Committee" of Springville, Utah. The organization commemorated the Black Hawk War between the whites and Indians of Utah. Also included are financial records and a list of men from Springville who participated in the war.

Dates: 1897-1959

Peter Sutton election certificate

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230348424]
Identifier: MSS 509
Scope and Contents

Photocopy of a printed and handwritten certificate. The document confirms the election of Peter Sutton to be a major of the First Battalion of the Calvary and Infantry of the Utah Militia. The item was issued under the authority of the territorial governor of Utah, Charles Durkee, who also signed the certificate.

Dates: 1865

Brigham Young certificate of appointment for W. S. S. Willis

 Collection — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197233289633]
Identifier: Vault MSS 424
Scope and Contents

Printed form with handwritten notations. The item is dated 11 March 1851 and signed by Almon W. Babbitt and Brigham Young, second president of the Mormon Church. W. S. S. Willis is appointed as captain of Company B, Battalion of Infantry in Lehi, Utah.

Dates: 1851 March 11

James H. Martineau certificates

 File — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 235
Scope and Contents

Printed and handwritten certificates, bonds, and commissions. The items document Martineau's commission in the Utah Militia, his appointment as the Sheriff of Iron County, Utah, and his position as an alderman of Parowan, Utah. Seven of the manuscripts were signed by Brigham Young (1801-1877), the second president of the Mormon Church.

Dates: 1851-1876

Thomas Waters Cropper autobiography

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197232490356]
Identifier: MSS 654
Scope and Contents Photocopy of a handwritten autobiography. Some of the item is in Cropper's own hand. The rest was dictated to his daughters. Cropper was born in Texas, joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and migrated to Utah in 1856. One fourth of the original party turned back in 1853 when they heard of the Mormon doctrine of polygamy. He describes the immigrant group killed by Mormons at Mountain Meadows in 1857. Cropper lived in Fillmore, Utah, and later moved to Deseret, Utah. ...
Dates: 1926

William Horne Dame papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: Vault MSS 55
Scope and Contents

Contains correspondence, patriarchal blessings, financial records, militia records, photographs, and miscellaneous items. Much of the correspondence is between Dame and General Authorities of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The material relates to Dame's life and activities, including his militia service and his connection to the Mountain Meadows Massacre in 1857.

Dates: 1846-1884

Moses Franklin Farnsworth papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSS 1678
Scope and Contents

Correspondence, record books, pension petitions, certificates, pamphlets, articles of incorporation, poems, blessings, poems, and miscellaneous items. The materials relate to Farnsworth's activities particulary in the Mormon Church. Included in the collection are letters from the fourth president of the Mormon Church, Willford Woodruff, patriarchal blessings, letters relating to Mormon polygamy, and a book recording the work done in the Manti Temple of the Mormon Church.

Dates: 1870-1900

James Ferguson military commission

 Collection — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197233292785]
Identifier: Vault MSS 705
Scope and Contents

Printed document filled in by hand, dated 28 March 1854, and signed by Brigham Young as governor of Utah. The item commissions James Ferguson Adjutant General of the "Nauvoo Legion and of the Militia of the Territory of Utah." The appointment was effective 25 June 1849 and carried the rank of Brigadier General.

Dates: 1854 March 28

Jesse Perse Harmon papers

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230348572]
Identifier: MSS 502
Scope and Contents

Photocopies of handwritten and printed letters, notes, military orders, and certificates. The materials relate to the migration of Mormons to Utah, the operations of the Utah militia during the Black Hawk War against Ute Indians, Harmon's Mormon Church activities, and his life in Holden, Utah.

Dates: 1832-1874