Archives West Finding Aid
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John M. Cannon papers, 1883-1915
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- John M. Cannon papers
- Dates
- 1883-1915 (inclusive)18831915
- Quantity
- 1 box, (.25 linear feet)
- Collection Number
- UUS_COLL MSS 270
- Summary
- This collection contains 137 letters of correspondence, various legal papers, financial papers, and other documents. It also contains personal correspondence between Cannon and one of his father's plural wives, Johanna C. D. Cannon.
- Repository
-
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives Division
Special Collections & Archives
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
Logan, UT
84322-3000
Telephone: 4357978248
Fax: 4357972880
scweb@usu.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Open to public research.
- Languages
- English.
- Sponsor
- Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, 2007-2008
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
John Mousley Cannon was born in St. George, Utah in 1865. He married Zina Bennion in 1893, and in 1900 he took a second wife, Margaret Peart. He may have married a third wife, Harriet Seymore Neff, but information on the marriage is limited. Cannon practiced law with his partner, J. Stokes, Jr., from the Hotel Utah Building in Salt Lake City at the time when Utah attained its statehood. He received many petitions for legal advice from family members, whom he lent his services to a number of times. Correspondence between John M. Cannon and his "Aunt Johanna," who was one of his father's plural wives, demonstrates Cannon's strong connection to his family. Cannon's uncle on his father's side was George Quayle Cannon, an apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1873-1901.
Cannon had eleven children with his first wife, Zina Bennion, and three with Margaret Peart, who appears to have had three children from a former marriage who were adopted by John M. Cannon.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
John Mousley Cannon was a successful lawyer in Salt Lake City from the late 1800's until his death in 1917. He had several financial ventures in mining, real estate, and livestock, and many of the papers in the collection describe these investments. The John M. Cannon papers also contain personal correspondence between Cannon and one of his father's six wives, Johanna C. Danielson Cannon, whom John calls "Aunt Johanna." John Cannon himself had two wives, and possibly a third, although they are not mentioned in the papers.
Legal documents in the collection describe Cannon's law practice in Salt Lake City and contain information about politics, leases, and monetary disputes between Utahns in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Two letters from LDS missionaries are included, one being his nephew, Vaughn, who served in Germany in 1914, and the other a friend, Alfred Jensen, who served in Missouri in 1901.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.
Permission to publish material from the John M. Cannon papers must be obtained from the Special Collections and Archives manuscript curator and/or the Special Collections and Archives department head.
Preferred Citation
John M. Cannon papers, 1883-1915. (COLL MSS 270). Utah State University. Special Collections and Archives Department.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
1 | 1 | Business Correspondence: Cannon and Stokes, Attorneys at Law | undated |
1 | 2 | Legal Documents of Salt Lake City/ Utah and Idaho Territory | undated |
1 | 3 | Personal Correspondence | undated |
1 | 4 | Johanna C. D. Cannon, Correspondence | undated |
1 | 5 | Personal Financial Information/ Statements | undated |
1 | 6 | Livestock Interests | undated |
1 | 7 | Mining Interests | undated |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Mormons--Utah--History.
- Polygamy--Utah--History.
Geographical Names
- Utah--Statehood.