Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
- Overview of the Collection
-
Biographical Note
- Content Description
- Use of the Collection
- Administrative Information
-
Detailed Description of the Collection
- Incoming correspondence to Orson F. Whitney written by Zine S. Whitney during their courtship and after their marriage
- Outgoing correspondence of Orson F. Whitney written to Zine S. Whitney during their courtship and after their marriage
- Outgoing correspondence of Orson F. Whitney written to his parents
- Miscellaneous Correspondence of O. F. and Zine Whitney
- Miscellaneous Correspondence of O. F. and Zine Whitney and their granddaughter Emily Smith, genealogy, and notes
- Names and Subjects
Orson F. Whitney letters, 1868-1957
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- Orson F. Whitney letters
- Dates
- 1868-1957 (inclusive)18681957
- Quantity
- 5 boxes, (3 linear feet)
- Collection Number
- UUS_COLL MSS 167
- Summary
- This collection is predominantly a mixture of original and photocopied correspondence.
- 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
-
No restrictions on use, except: not available through interlibrary loan.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Orson Ferguson Whitney was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Sunday, July 1, 1855. His father, Horace Kimball Whitney, was the eldest son of Newel Kimball Whitney, the second presiding bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His mother, Helen Mar Whitney, was the eldest daughter of Heber Chase Kimball, one of the original Twelve Apostles and later a member of the First Presidency of the Church of the Latter-day Saints.
Early in Orson F. Whitney's life, he was educated in the common schools of Salt Lake City and worked for the Union Pacific Railroad. Thereafter, he attended the University of Deseret, now the University of Utah. His final year at the university (1873—1874) was followed by a one-year mission for the Church of the Latter-day Saints in October of 1876. During the spring of 1877, Elder Whitney went alone to northern Ohio, preaching, baptizing, studying the gospel, and writing for the Salt Lake Herald. Whitney returned to Utah in the spring of 1878, arriving home on the first day of April. Two weeks later he was employed by the Deseret News. In August of 1878, he was promoted to city editor of the Deseret News.
On July 14, 1878, Orson F. Whitney was made bishop of the Salt Lake City 18th Ward. During that winter (1878—1879), Bishop Whitney went on a preaching tour of Cache Valley, Utah. In the fall of the following year, on December 18, 1879, Whitney married Miss Zine Beal Smoot of Provo, Utah. Over the course of their twenty-year marriage, Zine bore Orson nine children; Horace Newel (1880), Emily (1885), Helen Margaret (1887), Margaret (1889), Charles Byron (1891), Albert Owen (1893), the twins—Paul Van Cott and Virginia Clayton (1899), and Heber Kimball (1899).
In February of 1880, a year-and-a half after their marriage, Orson F. Whitney was called on a church mission to Europe to labor in the editorial department of the Millennial Star in Liverpool. While on this mission, Whitney's second son, Heber Kimball (whom he had never seen), died. Whitney labored in England for three-and-a-half years until his return home to Salt Lake City on July 7, 1883.
Upon his return, Whitney resumed his position at the Desert News, but he later resigned in December of 1884 to become the city treasurer. He was reelected every two years until 1890. During this time, and perhaps in secret, on July 24, 1888, in Colonia Diaz, Mexico, Orson took a second wife by marrying Mary Minerva Wells of Salt Lake City. Residing together at various time in Logan, Utah, they had two children; Murray Wells (1892) and Wendell Webb (1895). In 1896 Whitney accepted the chair of philosophy at Brigham Young College in Logan, were he resided until July of 1897. On May 20, 1900, at the age of 41, Zine Beal Smoot Whitney died, leaving eight children in the care of her husband and his second wife Mary. Later that year, on October 11, 1900, Orson and Mary were remarried in the Salt Lake Temple. In 1901 Orson sat in legislature pushing for the adoption of the Evan's Bill. In 1907 Orson was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a high calling within the Latter-day Saints Church. Thereafter, his spiritual profession required him to travel a great deal, often to various towns and cities across the United States.
Over the course of Orson's public career, he published many articles and books, among them Baptism—The Birth of Water and of Spirit, The Strength of the Mormon Position, Voices from the Mountains, Gospel Themes: a Treatise on Salient Features of Mormons, Popular History of Utah, History of Utah, The Life of Heber C. Kimball, and Through Memory' Halls: The Life Story of Orson F. Whitney. In addition to publishing, during the 1920s Orson delivered spiritual lectures that were broadcast live on Sunday evenings over KSL Radio, Salt Lake City.
On May 16, 1931, Orson F. Whitney died at the age of 76. Mary M. Whitney died four years later on January 25, 1935.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This collection consists of five boxes containing a mixture of original and photocopied correspondence. Box 1 consists of letters written by Zine S. Whitney addressed to O. F. Whitney. Box 2 consists of letters written by O. F. Whitney addressed to Zina S. Whitney. Box 3 consists of letters written by O. F. Whitney addressed to his parents. Boxes 4 and 5 consist of correspondence addressed to and from Orson and Zine Whitney between their friends, colleagues, and the extended Smoot and Whitney families. In addition, box 5 also contains a genealogy record, notes, and three letters written by Spencer W. Kimball addressed to Emily Smith (the granddaughter of O. F. Whitney) commenting on various letters written to O. F. Whitney.
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 Orson F. Whitney Letters must be obtained from the Special Collections and Archives manuscript curator and/or the Special Collections and Archives department head.
Preferred Citation
Initial Citation: Orson F. Whitney letters USU_COLL MSS 167, Box [ ]. Special Collections and Archives. Utah State University Merrill-Cazier Library. Logan, Utah.
Following Citations: USU_COLL MSS 167, USUSCA.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Arranged by sender.
Processing Note
Processed in July of 2004.
Related Materials
For additional study on O. F. Whitney, see MSS COLL 188 : Orson F. Whitney diaries.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Incoming correspondence to Orson F. Whitney written by Zine S. Whitney during their courtship and after their marriage, 1879-1898Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
1 | 1 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1879 June |
1 | 2 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1879 July |
1 | 3 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1879 August 2—9 |
1 | 4 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1879 August 11—15 |
1 | 5 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1879 September |
1 | 6 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1879 October—December |
1 | 7 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitneye |
1880 March |
1 | 8 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1880 September & 1881 January |
1 | 9 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1881 June—December |
1 | 10 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1882 January |
1 | 11 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1882 February—March |
1 | 12 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1882 April—May |
1 | 13 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1882 June—August |
1 | 14 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1882 September—October |
1 | 15 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1882 November—December |
1 | 16 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1883 January—March |
1 | 17 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1883 April—May |
1 | 18 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1883 September—November |
1 | 19 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1884 April—June |
1 | 20 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1885 March |
1 | 21 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1887 July |
1 | 22 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1895 January & 1896 April |
1 | 23 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1896 June—July |
1 | 24 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1896 August—September |
1 | 25 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1896 November |
1 | 26 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1897 April—August |
1 | 27 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1897 September—December |
1 | 28 | Incoming correspondence from Zine S. Whitney |
1898 January - September |
1 | 29 | Undated and incomplete letters (3) |
undated |
Outgoing correspondence of Orson F. Whitney written to Zine S. Whitney during their courtship and after their marriage, 1879-1898Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
2 | 1 | Outgoing correspondence to Zine S. Whitney |
1879 June |
2 | 2 | Outgoing correspondence to Zine S. Whitney |
1879 July |
2 | 3 | Outgoing correspondence to Zine S. Whitney |
1879 August 1—7 |
2 | 4 | Outgoing correspondence to Zine S. Whitney |
1879 August 8—13 |
2 | 5 | Outgoing correspondence to Zine S. Whitney |
1879 August 14—28 |
2 | 6 | Outgoing correspondence to Zine S. Whitney |
1879 September 3—15 |
2 | 7 | Outgoing correspondence to Zine S. Whitney |
1879 September 17—25 |
2 | 8 | Outgoing correspondence to Zine S. Whitney |
1879 October |
2 | 9 | Outgoing correspondence to Zine S. Whitney |
1879 November |
2 | 10 | Outgoing correspondence to Zine S. Whitney |
1879 December 2—10 |
2 | 11 | Outgoing correspondence to Zine S. Whitney |
1879 December 13—17 |
2 | 12 | Outgoing correspondence to Zine S. Whitney |
1880 September |
2 | 13 | Outgoing correspondence to Zine S. Whitney |
1881 June—December |
2 | 14 | Outgoing correspondence to Zine S. Whitney |
1882 January |
2 | 15 | Outgoing correspondence to Zine S. Whitney |
1882 May |
2 | 16 | Outgoing correspondence to Zine S. Whitney |
1882 July - November |
2 | 17 | Outgoing correspondence to Zine S. Whitney |
1883 January—February |
2 | 18 | Outgoing correspondence to Zine S. Whitney |
1883 April - June |
2 | 19 | Outgoing correspondence to Zine S. Whitney |
1886 March - December |
2 | 20 | Outgoing correspondence to Zine S. Whitney |
1887 August |
2 | 21 | Outgoing correspondence to Zine S. Whitney |
1897 January- 1898 July |
Outgoing correspondence of Orson F. Whitney written to his parents, 1868-1883Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
3 | 1 | Outgoing correspondence to his parents |
1868 September |
3 | 2 | Outgoing correspondence to his parents |
1873 July |
3 | 3 | Outgoing correspondence to his parents |
1873 August |
3 | 4 | Outgoing correspondence to his parents |
1873 September |
3 | 5 | Outgoing correspondence to his parents |
1874 August |
3 | 6 | Outgoing correspondence to his parents |
1875 October - December |
3 | 7 | Outgoing correspondence to his parents |
1876 January—February |
3 | 8 | Outgoing correspondence to his parents |
1876 November—December |
3 | 9 | Outgoing correspondence to his parents |
1877 |
3 | 10 | Outgoing correspondence to his parents |
1877 January |
3 | 11 | Outgoing correspondence to his parents |
1877 February |
3 | 12 | Outgoing correspondence to his parents |
1877 April—June |
3 | 13 | Outgoing correspondence to his parents |
1877 July—September |
3 | 14 | Outgoing correspondence to his parents |
1877 October—December |
3 | 15 | Outgoing correspondence to his parents |
1878 February—March |
3 | 16 | Outgoing correspondence to his parents |
1881 October |
3 | 17 | Outgoing correspondence to his parents |
1882 July |
3 | 18 | Outgoing correspondence to his parents |
1882 December |
3 | 19 | Outgoing correspondence to his parents |
1883 January - March |
Miscellaneous Correspondence of O. F. and Zine Whitney, 1872-1911Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
4 | 1 | Letter written by O. F. Whitney addressed to his family |
1880 |
4 | 2 | Incomplete letter written by Helen Mar Whitney addressed to O. F. Whitney |
undated |
4 | 3 | Letter written by Susa Y. Gates addressed to O. F. Whitney |
undated |
4 | 4 | Letter written by Margaret Y. Smoot addressed to Zine Whitney |
1872 |
4 | 5 | Letter written by Maggie addressed to Zine Whitney |
1873 |
4 | 6 | Letters written by Rob addressed to Zine Whitney |
1876 - 1877 |
4 | 7 | Letter written by Clara addressed to Zine Whitney |
1878 |
4 | 8 | Letters written by Maggie addressed to Zine Whitney |
1880-1887 |
4 | 9 | Letters written by O. A. Smoot addressed to O. F. Whitney |
1880-1889 |
4 | 10 | Letter written by Maggie and her sister |
1880 |
4 | 11 | Letter written by Teen addressed to Zine Whitney |
1880 |
4 | 12 | Letter written by O. A. Smoot addressed to Zine Whitney |
1880 |
4 | 13 | Letter written by O. A. Smoot addressed to O. F. and Zine Whitney |
1881 |
4 | 14 | Letter written by Heber M. Wells addressed to Zine Whitney |
1883 |
4 | 15 | Letter written by M. E. Bond addressed to O. F. Whitney |
1883 |
4 | 16 | Letter written by L. W. Peck addressed to O. F. Whitney |
1884 |
4 | 17 | Letter written by Susa Young Gates addressed to O. F. Whitney |
1887 |
4 | 18 | Letter written by Susa Young Gates addressed to Zine Whitney |
1887 |
4 | 19 | Letter written by H. N. Whitney addressed to his parents O. F. and Zine Whitney |
1895 |
4 | 20 | Letters written by Maggie addressed to O. F. Whitney |
1900-1903 |
4 | 21 | Letter written by Aunt Em addressed to O. F. Whitney |
1908 |
4 | 22 | Letter written by John Phillips Meakin addressed to O. F. Whitney |
1911 |
Miscellaneous Correspondence of O. F. and Zine Whitney and their granddaughter Emily Smith, genealogy, and notes, 1879-1957Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
5 | 1 | Letter written by Zine Whitney addressed to her mother |
undated |
5 | 2 | Letter written by O. F. Whitney |
1879 |
5 | 3 | Letter written by O. F. Whitney addressed to A. O. Smoot |
1882 |
5 | 4 | 1886-1957 | |
5 | 5 | 1881-1957 | |
5 | 6 | 1882-1957 | |
5 | 7 | 1882-1957 | |
5 | 8 | Letters written by O. F. Whitney addressed to Musser |
1877 August—November |
5 | 9 | Incomplete letters written by O. F. Whitney |
1881—1883 |
5 | 10 | Unidentified notes |
undated |
5 | 11 | The genealogy of John and Elinor Whitney, compiled by Dottie Olson |
undated |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Journalists--Utah--Salt Lake City--Correspondence
- Mormon Church--Apostles--Correspondence
- Mormon Church--Missions--England--Liverpool
- Mormon missionaries--England--Liverpool--Correspondence
Corporate Names
- Brigham Young College (Logan, Utah)
Geographical Names
- Salt Lake City (Utah)--History
Titles within the Collection
- Deseret News
- Latter-day saints Millennial Star