Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Thatcher family papers, 1881-1904
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- Thatcher family papers
- Dates
- 1881-1904 (inclusive)18811904
- Quantity
- 2 linear feet
- Collection Number
- MS 0538
- Summary
- The Thatcher family papers (1881-1904) consist of the missionary journals and letters of Roy Davis Thatcher and Diana Bean Thatcher.
- Repository
-
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860
Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Access to originals restricted except with permission of the head of the Manuscripts Division.
Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Diana Bean Thatcher was born 7 February 1881 in Provo, Utah, to James William and Olive Smoot Bean. She served an LDS Church mission to England from 1902 to 1904. On 21 February 1905, she married Roy Davis Thatcher in the Salt Lake temple. The couple, who met while both serving missions in London, had four children: Paul Bean, Emerson Bean, Olive, and Miriam. From 1909 to 1923, Thatcher resided in Logan, Utah, where her husband practiced law. In 1923, the Thatcher family moved to Ogden where Diana remained for the rest of her life. She was a member of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers and a founder of the Modern Literature Club of Ogden. Diana Bean Thatcher died 14 January 1967 in Ogden, Utah, at the age of eighty-six.
Roy Davis Thatcher was born 17 September 1879 to John Bethuel and Sarah Maria Davis Thatcher. Born and raised in Logan, Utah, Thatcher attended the Utah State Agricultural College and in 1909 obtained his bachelor of law degree from the University of Chicago. Thatcher left Logan in 1900 to serve an LDS Church mission to Switzerland and England, returning in 1903. On 21 February 1905, Roy Thatcher married Diana Bean, a fellow missionary he met while in England. Thatcher began practicing law in Logan in 1909 and served as the Logan District Attorney from 1912 to 1920. In 1923, Thatcher and his family moved to Ogden, Utah, where he became associated with the law firm of Spencer and Young. He was a member of the American Bar Association, the Utah State Bar, and was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree in 1947 from the University of Utah. Active in community and state affairs, Thatcher was associated with the Rotary, Timpanogos, and Aztec Clubs. Additionally, he served on the Board of Trustees of the Utah State Training School, was a member of the governor's committee which formulated Utah's liquor control system, and helped organize and acted as counsel for the First Security Corporation, one of the first bank holding companies in the country. Roy D. Thatcher died 11 August 1955 at the age of seventy-five, in Ogden, Utah.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Thatcher family papers (1881-1904) consist of the missionary journals and letters of Roy Davis Thatcher and Diana Bean Thatcher.
The Diana Bean missionary journals consist of five books, dating from October 1901 to January 1904. In these books, Bean records her daily activities as a missionary in Bradford and London, England. She writes of her feelings of excitement and satisfaction as well as her feelings of loneliness and despair. Additionally, Bean's journals provide a great deal of information regarding her mission companion, Margaret Thurman, and other individuals serving missions in the Bradford and London areas from 1900-1904. Other materials in the collection relating to Diana Bean Thatcher include a copy of a blessing she received from her grandfather, Abraham O. Smoot, at her birth; brief biographical sketches of prominent Bean family members; a biographical sketch of Margaret T. Smoot, Diana's step mother; and a small record book in which Bean made a daily account of meetings attended, tracts handed out, and gospel conversations held while on her mission.
Roy D. Thatcher's account of his mission is contained in three journals, dating from October 1900 to January 1903. Thatcher spent the first year of his mission (October 1900-1901) in Neuchatel, Switzerland. Journal entries during this period tell of his struggle in learning to speak French and describe his day to day activities as a missionary. In October 1901, part of the Swiss mission was closed and Thatcher was transferred to London where he remained until January 1903, when he was released from his mission. In addition to his missionary journals, the collection contains a 1887 journal Thatcher kept prior to serving his mission. In this journal Thatcher writes of the weather, attending Utah State Agricultural College, church activities, and his family.
Box three of the collection contains a series of fifty-one letters Roy Thatcher wrote to his mother while on his mission. The letters are at times an interesting contrast to his diaries, in that Thatcher is often more open in expressing his feelings about his faith and his mission.
Also included in the Thatcher Family Papers is an 1856 edition of The Mormon, a newspaper published by the LDS Church in New York to counter the increasing amount of anti-Mormon literature being circulated on the East Coast. The paper, signed by the editor and church official John Taylor, has been removed to the Rare Books Division of Special Collections.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library's Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.
Preferred Citation
Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
JournalsReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Volume | ||
| 1 | 1 | Diana Bean Journal
The journal begins as Bean is leaving her home in Provo, Utah, to serve an LDS Church mission in Great Britain. She is traveling with a fellow missionary, Margaret Thurman, of whom she often mentions in her entries. Bean describes the trip from Utah to the eastern seaboard and then on to Liverpool where Thurman and she are assigned to the Leeds Conference in Bradford, England. Journal entries written shortly after her arrival in Bradford describe Bean's struggle to adjust to her new surroundings and lifestyle. She often writes of feelings of inadequacy, loneliness, and her desire to return home. Beginning with the entries in February 1912, the journal takes on a more positive tone as Bean begins describing her work as a missionary and her encounters with people on the streets. In August of that year, Bean and Thurman are transferred to the London mission. Bean records her feelings of leaving friends and associates in Bradford, and of the added responsibilities that are assigned to her in the London mission. She also makes lengthy entries after visiting parks, museums, and the Woolwich Arsenal.
|
October 1901-November 1902 |
| 1 | 2 | Diana Bean Journal
Entries in this journal suggest that Bean has become more settled in her life as a missionary. Her daily activities include tracting, street meetings, and visiting with church members and investigators. She writes of sight-seeing in London in her free time and of her impression of the city. Additionally, she writes of her association with the other missionaries in the London area and of preparations for mission conferences. It is also in this journal that Bean makes reference to a friendly relationship with fellow missionary and future husband, Roy D. Thatcher. "It has been hard for us to keep our dignity today. We, Margaret and I, have even been guilty of a two-step around the room with elders Thatcher and Porter" (November 27).
|
November 1902-April 1903 |
| 1 | 3 | Diana Bean Journal
In this, her third missionary journal, Bean continues to describe her daily activities as a missionary in London. Of particular interest in this book is a June 27 entry in which Bean writes of meeting Joseph Smith, III. "This evening . . . I went to the Stratford Town Hall to hear Joseph Smith, the son of the prophet, speak upon 'Mormonism.' He spoke at some length upon faith, repentance, baptism, and eternal judgment, all of which I could follow him in. He made only a few remarks about the Utah Mormons and denounced the law of plural marriage saying his father never taught or practiced it and that the Doctrine and Covenants denounced it. That it was eight years after the death of the prophet that the practice was begun. We met and shook hands with Mr. Smith, but I was very disappointed in him. He was pleasant and genial but I had expected to see a great man and he was not."
|
April 1903-August 1903 |
| 1 | 4 | Diana Bean Journal
This journal contains numerous entries in which Bean describes her growing attraction to Elder Jessie Porter and of the constraints placed on the relationship because they were both missionaries. She describes at some length occasions when the two of them broke away from their missionary work to enjoy the sights of London. Referring to a flower show she and Porter attended, Bean writes, "It was all pleasurable but not more pleasurable than the quiet stroll on such a beautiful Autumn day...I think my companion and I did dream a little and when we awoke to things real, we laughed a little to think we had been tasting forbidden fruit, but twas very sweet to me...I believe I am getting romantic and that will not do while I am a 'minister.' But some of these little stolen hours give me life for all my days." (October 17) At the December 1903 conference of the London mission, Diana Bean and companion Margaret Thurman received their mission releases. In the final entries of this journal Bean writes of her "farewell" visits to church members and friends, and records her feelings about leaving the mission and returning home.
|
August 1903-January 1904 |
| 1 | 5 | Diana Bean Journal
This journal consists of five entries Bean made during the last month of her mission. In these final entries, Bean continues to make a daily record of her activities and concludes with an account of a trip she and Elder Porter made to see an old cathedral in Canterbury.
|
January 1904 |
| 1 | 6 | Roy D. Thatcher Journal
This thirty-seven page journal was written while Thatcher was living at his home in Logan, attending the Utah State Agriculture College. In his daily entries, which consist of one to two lines, Thatcher writes of the weather, family members and friends, church activities he participated in, and his studies at the agricultural college. In a July 22 entry, Thatcher writes of attending a lecture by William Jennings Bryan on bimetalism. Speaking of Bryan he states, "He is one of the best speakers I have ever heard. He seems to be never at a loss for words to express his ideas. He is rather above the average in height and well proportioned...In short, he is very good looking and very impressive in appearance."
|
May 1897-October 1987 |
| 1 | 7 | Roy D. Thatcher Journal
The journal begins 5 October 1900 with Thatcher's ordination and setting apart as an LDS Church missionary to Switzerland. He writes of his journey across the ocean on the U.S.S. Commonwealth and lists the names of other missionaries traveling with him. Thatcher arrived in Berne, Switzerland, October 31, and was assigned to the French speaking town of Neuchatel. In early journal entries, Thatcher expresses his frustration in learning to speak the French language and the seeming lack of support from his companions. He gives information regarding his daily activities as a missionary and writes of experiences he had while attending mission conferences. Of particular interest is Thatcher's account of a conference which began in the city of Berne. After a day of instruction by mission leaders, the missionaries were sent "without purse or scrip to preach the gospel." They were instructed to reassemble in Zurich in a week's time where the conference would conclude. In October 1901, church officials decided to close part of the Swiss mission and Thatcher was reassigned to the London, England, mission. In journal entries after his transfer to London, Thatcher writes that he feels more useful as a missionary in London, mostly because he is able to speak the language.
|
October 1900-July 1902 |
| 1 | 8 | Roy D. Thatcher Journal
This journal is a daily account of Thatcher's activities as a missionary in London. He writes of tracting, speaking at street meetings, and visiting church members and investigators. Along with the accounts of his own work, Thatcher's journal provides information about other missionaries serving in the London area during the same time period. Thatcher records his trips to outlying towns and describes the landscape in some detail. In October 1902, he makes the first reference to fellow missionary, Diana Bean, whom he later married. Ironically, Thatcher seemed to be more impressed with Bean's companion. "At the evening session, Sister Thurman, who came with Sister Bean to replace Sisters Clark and Woodward, gave the best talk I have heard from a lady missionary." In the last twenty pages of the journal, Thatcher makes a monthly record of his missionary work from 1901- 1902. He lists the number of tracts and books handed out, strangers' houses visited, and gospel conversations and meetings held.
|
July 1902-November 1902 |
| 1 | 9 | Roy D. Thatcher Journal
Thatcher continues his account of his missionary work in London. He writes often of his friendly associations with other missionaries and of visiting historic sights in and around London. Thatcher writes of receiving his mission release in December 1902, and of bidding farewell to church members, friends, and fellow missionaries. He writes of his return trip aboard the Ottoman and describes the other passengers on the boat. Thatcher's final entry is written while still aboard the Ottoman on his way home.
|
November 1902-January 1903 |
| Folder | |||
| 1 | 1-2 | "Historical and Biographical Sketch of the Bean Family"
This history provides information on the Bean family armorial coat, family crest, and gives brief biographical sketches of prominent individuals in the Bean family. Folder 2 contains a photocopied version.
|
|
| 1 | 3-6 | "A Short Sketch of the Life of Margaret T. Smoot"
This biographical sketch begins with Smoot's birth in South Carolina in 1809 and provides information about her parents and grandparents. It gives an account of her first marriage, which ended in divorce, and of her baptism into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She married Abraham Owen Smoot in 1838 and was among the Mormon pioneers that traveled to the Salt Lake Valley. The biography contains excerpts from Smoot's diary as well as letters she wrote to her husband while he was on a mission in Europe. The biography also contains numerous tributes written by family and friends to Margaret Smoot on her sixtieth and seventieth birthdays. Folders 5-6 contain a photocopied version.
|
|
| 1 | 7 | Diana Bean Blessing
Blessing given to Diana Bean by her grandfather, Abraham O. Smoot, at the time of her birth.
|
1881 |
| 1 | 8-9 | Miscellaneous
Newsclippings, Thatcher family genealogy, and Diana Bean record book giving a daily account of tracts given out, gospel conversations held, and meetings attended while on her mission in England. Photocopies are in folder 9.
|
Journal PhotocopiesReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 2 | 1-4 | Diana Bean Journal |
October 1901-November 1902 |
| 2 | 5-8 | Diana Bean Journal |
November 1902-April 1903 |
| 2 | 9-12 | Diana Bean Journal |
April 1903-August 1903 |
| 2 | 13-16 | Diana Bean Journal |
August 1903-January 1904 |
| 2 | 17 | Diana Bean Journal |
19-23 January 1904 |
| 2 | 18 | Roy D. Thatcher Journal |
May 1897-October 1897 |
| 2 | 19-22 | Roy D. Thatcher Journal |
October 1900-July 1902 |
| 2 | 23-24 | Roy D. Thatcher Journal |
July 1902-November 1902 |
| 2 | 25-26 | Roy D. Thatcher Journal |
November 1902-January 1903 |
Roy D. Thatcher LettersReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 3 | 1 | Letter to Roy Thatcher from Sarah Thatcher
This letter was written shortly after Roy's departure for his mission. His mother writes to him about the weather, his brothers and sisters, and his bank account.
|
7 October 1900 |
| 3 | 2-5 | Letters to Sarah Thatcher from Roy Thatcher
Within these folders are four letters written while Thatcher was traveling from Salt Lake City to Switzerland. He tells his mother about traveling to Boston and visiting with friends and acquaintances there. Thatcher also writes of his voyage across the ocean, his arrival in Liverpool, and his train ride on to Switzerland.
|
October 1900 |
| 3 | 6-40 | Letters to Sarah Thatcher from Roy Thatcher
These letters were written while Thatcher was in Switzerland. The first letter tells of his assignment to the French speaking town of Neuchatel and of his companion, John Schmutz. He seems to be very concerned about money, often recording in his letters the amount he spends for food and lodging, and asks his mother to send him money from his bank account from time to time. Thatcher writes about his missionary work and his visits to outlying towns and villages. Throughout these letters he tells of the difficulty he has learning the language and the lack of support he feels from the other missionaries. At times Thatcher's letters take on a depressed tone as he expresses his frustration with himself and his surroundings. In later letters, Thatcher eludes to encouragement he has received from his mother and fellow missionaries, and remains in Switzerland until October 1901 when he is transferred to the London, England, mission.
|
November 1900-October 1901 |
| 3 | 41-52 | Letters to Sarah Thatcher from Roy Thatcher
Thatcher wrote these twelve letters to his mother while he was in London. His London letters are of a more positive nature in comparison to those he wrote from Switzerland. He writes that he is spending more time doing missionary work and that he enjoys being able to hold gospel discussions in English. Thatcher also gives accounts of visiting historical sights in London and going to the theatre. He describes how he spends his holidays and inquires of news from home. In his final letter Thatcher tells of making farewell visits to church members and friends, and tells his mother of his travel plans for his trip home.
|
October 1901-December 1902 |
| 4 | Pphotocopies of the Roy D. Thatcher Letters |
1900-1902 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Latter Day Saint churches--Controversial literature
- Latter Day Saint churches--Missions--England
- Latter Day Saints--Diaries
- Latter Day Saints--Missionary experiences--England
Personal Names
- Thatcher, Diana Bean, 1881-1967--Diaries
- Thatcher, Roy D., 1879-1955 (Roy Davis)--Diaries
Family Names
- Thatcher family
Geographical Names
- Utah--Genealogy
Form or Genre Terms
- Correspondence
- Diaries
- Genealogies (histories)
Finding aid created by Allesen Peck.
1989 (last modified: 2019)
