Ella Mae Donohoo Bills diary [typescript], 1915

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Bills, Ella Mae Donohoo, 1896-1986
Title
Ella Mae Donohoo Bills diary [typescript]
Dates
1915
Quantity
0.25 linear feet, (1 box)
Collection Number
MS 0291
Summary
The Ella Mae Donohoo Bills diary [typescript] (1915) is an autobiographical account describing this woman's move from East Cresent, Utah, to Lontree, Wyoming. The account was written for her family. A brief family history is provided with the diary.
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

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Ella Mae Donohoo Bills was born about 1891. She married David L. Bills in July 1919. Her parents were married in December 1884 in Virgin, Utah.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Ella Mae Donohoo Bills diary [typescript] (1915) contains Bills' short, daily diary kept from 29 April 1915 to 10 May 1915. She describes a move from East Crescent, Utah, to Lontree, Wyoming. The account was written for her family: her father, Robert Burns Donohoo, a Civil War veteran from Tennessee, her mother, Ella Rebecca Workman, of Arizona, and her ten siblings. A brief family history is provided with the diary; it details moves of the Donohoo family throughout Arizona, Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming. The diary of Ella Mae Donohoo begins when the family cattle, chickens, and wagon are loaded and moving along the Cottonwood Road. She describes the Cottonwood Canyons and the "old paper mill," Millcreek Canyon, Parley Canyon, and Echo Canyon. Also mentioned are the towns of Wanship, Hoytsville, Coalville, Wasatch, Evanston, Mountain View, and Lonetree. Of particular interest in this diary, are the contrasts drawn between Utah and Wyoming. Utah is described as greener, more agricultural, more urban, while Wyoming is unfavorably described as "behind-the-times" and "less-fashionable." Settlements in Wyoming are described as isolated, set in sagebrush, with more log cabins and pole fences, and more cattle and cattlemen, than Utah towns. Bills says Wyoming salaries and prices are higher than Utah's, but little quantative information is given.

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

Gift of Eloise Goodrich in 1963.

Processing Note

Processed by Nancy Coulam in 1983.

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Related Materials

Forms part of the Aileen H. Clyde 20th Century Women's Legacy Archives.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s) Description
Box
1 Diary [typescript]

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Frontier and pioneer life--Utah--20th century--Sources
  • Frontier and pioneer life--Wyoming--20th century--Sources
  • Herding--Utah--20th century--Diaries
  • Herding--Wyoming--20th century--Diaries
  • Moving, Household--Utah--20th century--Diaries
  • Moving, Household--Wyoming--20th century--Diaries
  • Women farmers--Wyoming--20th century--Diaries

Personal Names

  • Bills, Ella Mae Donohoo, 1896-1986--Diaries
  • Bills, Ella Mae Donohoo, 1896-1986--Family

Geographical Names

  • Utah--Description and travel--20th century
  • Wyoming--Description and travel--20th century

Form or Genre Terms

  • Diaries
  • Family histories
  • Typescripts