Elijah Allen Spooner letters and diary
Scope and Contents
Overland diary and fifteen handwritten letters. Most of the letters are addressed to Spooner's wife and were written while on the overland journey by ox team from Adrian, Michigan to Sacramento, California in 1849. Spooner writes of encounters with Indians, buffalo hunting, distaste for Sunday travel, a handful of deaths within his company, and travelling conditions. Spooner also mentions his religious faith in most of the letters. Spooner stopped in Salt Lake City and gives a brief description. The rest of the letters describe life in California and Spooner's distress that he has not received any letters from home.
Dates
- 1849-1850
Creator
- Spooner, Elijah Allen, 1811-1879 (Person)
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 Letters and Diary must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Board of Curators.
Biographical / Historical
Massachusetts native who settled in Kansas in 1857. Spooner farmed and served as a probate judge and county clerk. Also prospector who participated in the California Gold Rush of 1849.
Extent
16 items ((128 pages) + typescripts)
Language of Materials
English
Appraisal
19th Century Western and Mormon Manuscripts.
- Title
- Register of Letters and diary
- Author
- Leslie Evens
- Date
- 2011 December 9
- Description rules
- Appm
- 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
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States