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Caroline Barnes Crosby family papers, 1857-1995

Overview of the Collection

Title
Caroline Barnes Crosby family papers
Dates
1857-1995 (inclusive)
Quantity
5 boxes, (2.75 linear feet)
Collection Number
UUS_COLL MSS 229a
Summary
Typescript journals of Caroline Barnes Crosby, correspondence, various histories, and research relating to the lives of Caroline Barnes Crosby and Louisa Barnes Pratt, sisters and first LDS women missionaries in the Pacific. Some materials are copies of originals from the Utah State Historical Society.
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
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Biographical Note

Caroline Barnes Crosby was the sister to Louisa Barnes Pratt. She was born on January 5, 1807 in Warwick, Franklin County, Massachusetts, where she lived for three-and-a-half years before moving to East Canada. While there, her family joined the Church of England, and she also attended school during the winter months. After she was finished with school, she began teaching in the summer months, which she continued until her marriage. After this, she spent the winter months sewing with her sister, Louisa Pratt. She married her cousin, Jonathan Crosby, on October 26, 1832. The summer of 1834 was her last year of teaching, as she moved back to Massachusetts to live with her husband. Her husband had been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for a year previous to the marriage. Caroline was converted, and baptized into the Church January 18, 1835. The next fall, the Crosbys' moved to Ohio. While in Ohio, Caroline's husband, Jonathan, worked on the building of the Kirtland Temple. On December 14, 1836 Caroline gave birth to her only son Alma.

On January 3, 1838, Jonathan Crosby traveled in company with Brother Warren Smith to preach the gospel in Pennsylvania and Virginia. After this, he received a letter from his sister-in- law, Louisa Barnes Pratt, requesting he come and visit her and her husband, Addison Pratt. While there, he preached a sermon on the gospel, and after some debate and hesitation, both Louisa and Addison Pratt were baptized into the LDS church by Jonathan Crosby. In November of 1838, the Crosby family, along with the Pratt family, began to migrate west. They stopped at Pleasant Gardens, Indiana, where they lived for four year before their journey to Nauvoo on June 17, 1842. In the spring of 1848, they headed westward again and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on October 12, 1848.

In April of 1850, both the Crosby and Pratt families were called to serve a mission to the South Sea Islands. Most of the journal entries found written by Caroline Barnes Crosby were written during this time. The families departed on May 7, 1850, and arrived to the islands on October 19. They enjoyed their time preaching the gospel on the islands, and on Monday, July 26, 1852 they set sail to return to their homes. They first lived in San Bernardino until January 1, 1858, when they set out for Salt Lake City. On October 19, 1858 they arrived in Beaver, where they remained for the rest of their lives. Caroline died on February 16, 1883.

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Content Description

The Caroline Crosby papers contain copies of the original journals of Caroline Barnes Crosby, correspondence, and various research relating on the lives of Caroline Barnes Crosby and Louisa Barnes Pratt, first LDS women missionaries in the Pacific.

Boxes 1 - 3 contain copies of the journals of Caroline Barnes Crosby separated by date. Box 4 contains correspondence, research on life in Beaver (1860-1880), and research on the Crosby family. Box 5 contains journals, correspondence, and research relating to Louisa Barnes Pratt.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the Caroline Barnes Crosby family papers must be obtained from the Special Collections and Archives manuscript curator and/or the Special Collections and Archives department head.

Preferred Citation

Caroline Barnes Crosby family papers, 1857-1995. (COLL MSS 229a) Utah State University. Special Collections and Archives.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Arranged by series as well as numeric sequence according to box and folder

Acquisition Information

Donated by S. George and Maria S. Ellsworth. Caroline Barnes Crosby was the sister of Maria S. Ellsworth's great-grandmother.

Processing Note

Collection processed by: Brittney Porter, March 2003.

Related Materials

  • Maria Ellsworth papers (COLL MSS 229).
  • Louisa Barnes Pratt research. (COLL MSS 228f).
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Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid created by the Special Collections Department at Utah State University
2008

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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