Abraham Owen Smoot papers, 1836-1866

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Smoot, A. O. (Abraham Owen), 1815-1895
Title
Abraham Owen Smoot papers
Dates
1836-1866 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.25 linear feet
Collection Number
ACCN 1556
Summary
The Abraham Owen Smoot papers (1836-1866) contain a photocopy of a portion of Smoot's diary, an invitation, and a typescript of brief biographical sketches of Abraham O. Smoot, Catherine M. Stakers, Henry Brown Wilde, Ebeneezer Russel Young, Robert Young, Hannah Hodgson, Job Hensley, and Mary Shaw Hodgeson. Smoot's diary is chiefly concerned with his experiences as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Abraham Owen Smoot was an LDS missionary in Tennessee and Kentucky, resident of Nauvoo, and emigrant to the Salt Lake Valley. He later became a Mormon Church leader, businessman, and government official in Salt Lake City and Provo.
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

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

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Abraham Owen Smoot papers (1836-1866) contain a photocopy of a portion of Smoot's diary, an invitation, and a typescript of brief biographical sketches of Abraham O. Smoot, Catherine M. Stakers, Henry Brown Wilde, Ebeneezer Russel Young, Robert Young, Hannah Hodgson, Job Hensley, and Mary Shaw Hodgeson. Attached to the typescript is a handwritten document giving the same information. Smoot's diary is chiefly concerned with his experiences as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Abraham Owen Smoot (1815-1895) was born to George W. Smoot and Ann Rowlett in Owen County, Kentucky. His family moved to Tennessee when he was thirteen and it was there Smoot was baptized into the LDS Church. Smoot served his mission with Wilford Woodruff who was later the fourth president of the LDS Church. Most of the accounts in the diary are of his teaching experiences and travels during his mission in Kentucky and Tennessee. However, Smoot also included accounts of mob violence against the LDS Church. One account is of Joseph Smith's death, recorded by Smoot in July 1844. In 1838 Smoot was imprisoned for his defense of the LDS Church in Missouri. During his imprisonment, Smoot married his first wife, Margaret T. McMeans. Smoot records missionary experiences with his first wife, as well as later marriages to other wives. In 1839 he and Margaret moved to Nauvoo and later led a company of 120 wagons of LDS pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley. In 1852 Smoot was sent on a mission to Liverpool, England, where he conducted the first organized emigration of LDS Church members from Europe to Utah. During the 1840s and 1850s, in addition to his missionary activities in England, Smoot served the Salt Lake community as LDS bishop, mayor, first justice of the peace, and member of the legislature. Smoot also helped organize the building of a sugar factory, supervised the erection of the first nail factory west of the Mississippi River, and helped bring the first wheat threshing machine and fan separator west of the Missouri River. In 1868 Smoot was elected mayor of Provo, serving fourteen years without pay while providing strong financial support for the Brigham Young Academy. He remained president of the board of trustees for the Academy until his death in 1895.

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

Acquisition Information

Folders 1-3 were donated in 1995.

Folder 4 was purchased in 2006.

Processing Note

Processed by Lindsey Moore in 2006.

Related Materials

Additional information on Smoot can be found in The Paul Thatcher papers, MS 0198.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 1-2 Diary 1836-1846
1 3 Journal and Invitation 1856-1866
1 4 Biographical Sketches

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Latter Day Saint churches--Missions--Kentucky
  • Latter Day Saint churches--Missions--Tennessee
  • Latter Day Saints--Diaries
  • Latter Day Saints--Missionary experiences--Kentucky
  • Latter Day Saints--Missionary experiences--Tennessee

Personal Names

  • Smoot, A. O. (Abraham Owen), 1815-1895--Diaries

Form or Genre Terms

  • Diaries