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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 26 Collections and/or Records:

Rufus C. Allen commission

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230243930]
Identifier: MSS SC 597
Scope and Contents

Printed appointment with handwritten entry of Rufus C. Allen as a captain, Company F, Battalion of Infantry, Cedar and Harmony Posts, Nauvoo Legion.

Dates: 1854

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

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

Nelson Higgins certificates

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230318294]
Identifier: MSS SC 1974
Scope and Contents Photocopies of handwritten and printed certificates, applications, correspondence, patriarchal blessings, and miscellaneous items. Most of the materials relate to Nelson's militia activities in Nauvoo, Illinois and in Utah. They include certificates relating to his various military appointments and applications for pensions relating to his military service. A few items relate to the "Walker War" (1853-1854) with the Ute Indians. A few of the materials were signed by the Mormon Church leaders...
Dates: 1836-1909

John Steele military service papers, 1868-1903

 Series
Identifier: Vault MSS 528 Series 5
Scope and Contents

Contains papers related to Steele's service in military, including the Mormon Battalion and Nauvoo Legion in Utah. Includes materials about Steele seeking an increase in his pension for his service in the Mormon Battalion and subsequent injuries suffered there. Also includes several orders that Steele received as Major in the Nauvoo Legion during the Indian Conflict in southern Utah in 1868-1870. These were collected and transcribed by Cathren Steele Riding in 1936.

Dates: 1868-1903

Aaron Johnson correspondence

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230314012]
Identifier: MSS SC 1598
Scope and Contents

Photocopies of handwritten correspondence and memos between Aaron Johnson and other officers in the Utah Militia, relating to the procurement of supplies, enlistment of men, the settlement of Provo, relations with the Indians (especially Peteetneet and Tabby), muster rolls, and other military concerns.

Dates: 1852-1866

Ledger of Quarter Master Generals Department of G. S. L. City

 Item — Box 1: [Barcode: 31197233242632]
Identifier: MSS 5851
Abstract

Original handwritten leather bound ledger entitled Ledger of Quarter Master General's Department of G. S. L. City, 1857. Financial records are kept for the Nauvoo Legion, for horses and mules, William H. Kimball, Lewis Robison, George W. Grant, Brigham Young Jr., wheat, oats, and barley threshing. Voting records from 1890 are in the back of the book.

Dates: 1857-1896