Item Detail
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24574
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3
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0
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English
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Diaries of William Huntington
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Provo, UT
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Brigham Young University
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April 11, 1841 to August 2, 1846. Huntington participates in the newly-announced baptisms for the dead and is elected as an officer in the Nauvoo Legion. Skipping to 1844, he mourns the deaths of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. Huntington notes the formation of apostate groups, and Sidney Rigdons rejection as guardian. A stone-cutter, he chronicles the progress of temple, a visit to Nauvoo by Governor Ford, and the prosecution of those charged with Josephs death. Nauvoos charter is revoked, increasing tensions between Mormons and their neighbors. Tensions boil over as the Mormon settlement of Lima, Illinois is attacked by a mob. The violence escalates as Mormons and mobs clash throughout the county. Huntington writes of the decision to leave Nauvoo and the organization of the exodus. Continued violence forces the Saints to cross the Mississippi River in February. Huntington crosses the river several times, bringing his children and grandchildren to Iowa. He joins Amasa Lymans company and travels to Mt. Pisgah. Huntington finds the trip difficult, noting accidents and deaths. He is appointed President over Mt. Pisgah, Iowa. Exhausted physically and financially, Huntington reflects his sacrifices for religion. His daughter, Prescindia arrives in Mt. Pisgah, after running away from an abusive marriage. Huntington greets recruiters for the Mormon Battalion, giving the men a letter of recommendation to the Twelve. As the diary concludes, many Saints have moved on to Council Bluffs, Iowa, and a contagious fever has broken out. Huntington is administering to the sick in the final entry.