Benjamin F. Johnson family correspondence and ephemera
Scope and Contents
Letters of the Benjamin F. Johnson family spanning 1864 to 1915. Letters were often written from Latter-day Saint communities within Utah and Arizona, particularly Richfield, Utah, and Mesa, Arizona, and usually to or from women. Includes a small number of ephemeral items such as receipts, a small decorative card with a poem, a small broadside with a song for the Babbitt family reunion in 1909, and a handwritten poem. All items were found in a leather wallet owned by Benjamin F. Johnson, which is included in the collection.
Dates
- 1864-1915
Creator
- Johnson (Family : Johnson, Benjamin F. (Benjamin Franklin), 1818-1905) (creator, Family)
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 use material from this collection must be obtained from Reference Services at specialcollections@byu.edu.
Biographical
The Benjamin F. Johnson family was a prominent family among early members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and pioneers of Utah and Arizona. Benjamin F. Johnson (1818-1905) was a missionary, member of the Council of Fifty, private secretary to Joseph Smith, Utah territorial legislator, and a colonizer of Utah and Arizona. The Benjamin F. Johnson family began in 1841 when Johnson was married to Melissa Bloomfield LeBaron. He would later marry an additional seven wives: Mary A. Hale, Sarah Melissa Holman, Susa Adelaide Holman, Sarah J. Spooner, Harriet N. Holman, Flora Clarinda Gleason, Eliza Perkins Dean Saunders. The Johnson family lived in Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Utah, Arizona, and Mexico, helping to establish several communities including Santaquin, Utah, Mesa, Arizona, and Colonia Diaz, Chihuahua, Mexico.
Extent
2 folders (0.1 linear ft.)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
Arranged in chronological order with undated material at the end.
Custodial History
Donated by Robert Rencher in October 2021. Robert received the collection from his mother Donna Rencher, who obtained it from her mother, Genevieve Brizzee, who obtained it from her mother, Julia Elise Babbitt, the granddaughter of Benjamin Franklin Johnson.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated; Robert Rencher; October 2021.
Appraisal
Utah history (Mormon and Western American Manuscripts Collection Development Policy V.B.5.b, 2020).
Processing Information
Processed; Tayla Boyer; 2022.
- Title
- Register of Benjamin F. Johnson family correspondence and ephemera
- Subtitle
- Johnson (Benjamin F.) family correspondence and ephemera
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Tayla Boyer
- Date
- 2022 April 19
- 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
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States