Item Detail
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MSS 881
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Job Smith diary and autobiography
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Overland Trails - Diaries
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Smith, Job
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1849-1877
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Handwritten diary and autobiography. Smith writes about his conversion to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in England, his immigration to the United States in 1843, and life at Nauvoo, Council Bluffs, and Winter Quarters. The account is retrospective until 1849 and some of the early materials are written in Pitman shorthand. Smith returned to England in 1849 and served as president of the Bedfordshire Branch for five years. Smith concluded his mission in 1854 and made the overland trip to Utah that summer by ox team. The diary mentions several deaths from cholera, encounters with Dakota Indians, and Smith's duties as captain of the company. Smith also writes about his life in Salt Lake City, particularly financial troubles and family relations between his polygamous wives.