Ronald and Ilene Kingsbury papers

Ronald and Ilene Kingsbury papers, 1832-1995

Overview of the Collection

Creator

Kingsbury, Ronald, 1905-1986

Title

Ronald and Ilene Kingsbury papers

Dates

1832-1995 (inclusive)

Quantity

9.5 linear feet, (20 boxes)

Collection Number

MS 0522

Summary

The Ronald and Ilene Kingsbury papers (1832-1995) consist of materials focusing on Utah and the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), as well as family history.

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.

Some original items have been removed and placed in Reserve. Access must be given by the Manuscripts Curator and by appointment. An archivist must remain with the items if being used. Photocopies are available in the collection for research use.

Languages

English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Ronald Lovesy Kingsbury was born 21 March 1905 in Salt Lake City to Roy Partridge Kingsbury and Lotta Edmonia Lovesy Kingsbury. He lived his youth in Utah and Arizona and graduated from the University of Utah in 1927. He worked for the International Harvester Company and the Internal Revenue Service before founding his own business, All Rite Accounting, in 1948. He was the national treasurer of the Pioneer Village for twenty-five years and a member of the Sons of Utah Pioneers. He was the state executive secretary of the Lions Club and a member of the Utah Society of Public Accountants and the Utah State Historical Society. He was a member of the Tabernacle Choir for seventeen years and served as his ward's financial clerk. Ronald Kingsbury died on 11 January 1986. Ilene Hanks Kingsbury was born 25 April 1905 in Parowan, Utah, to Samuel and Mabel Whitney Hanks. She married Ronald Lovesy Kingsbury on 20 December 1929 in the Salt Lake LDS temple. Ilene graduated from the University of Utah and taught school. For thirty-two years she was a partner in her husband's accounting business. She also owned her own printing shop for twenty years. Ilene published short stories and articles extensively in LDS Church magazines and western history publications. She helped write history books for the Daughters of Utah Pioneers and contributed to the first LDS Church family home evening manual. She taught theology and literature in Relief Society and served as president of the Utah State Historical Society, the Welsh Club, Lady Lions, and the LDS Mutual Improvement Association. Ilene Kingsbury died on 2 July 1981.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Ronald and Ilene Kingsbury papers (1832-1995) consist of materials focusing on Utah and the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), as well as family history. The collection seems to be more a reflection of Ilene Kingbury's research interests and work than her husband's. Included are correspondence, writings, articles, news clippings, pamphlets, programs, journals, genealogy records, biographies, notes, and music on various people and subjects. The collection is divided into the following three sections: The first section, Personal and Family Materials, comprises boxes 1-4 and dates from 1832 to 1982. The first two boxes deal exclusively with Ronald and Ilene Kingsbury and hold mainly correspondence and materials from classes they took, among some other papers. The last two boxes concentrate on the Kingsburys' family history, namely their ancestor Joseph Corrodon Kingsbury (1812-1898), an 1847 pioneer to Utah. Joseph C. Kingsbury was a prominent LDS convert who held many secular and ecclesiastical positions within his community. His diary, located in box 3, tells of his conversion to the LDS faith, his acquaintance with the prophet Joseph Smith, Jr., and his hardships and joys. The original diary is located in the Manuscripts Division Reserve Collection and is accessible with permission from the division head. Also located in box 3 are Kingsbury's journal of the George B. Wallace Company of pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley and his family's genealogical records. Box 4 continues with the family's genealogy and includes some biographies and patriarchal blessings. Materials relating to Joseph C. Kingsbury date from the 1830s and onwards but also contain genealogy dating back to the seventeenth century. Of interest is the fact that Joseph T. Kingsbury, president of the University of Utah from 1892 to 1894 and again from 1897 to 1916, was the son of Joseph C. Kingsbury. Ronald Lovesy Kingsbury, one of the subjects of this collection, was a grandson of the latter. Box 4 also contains various items written in Welsh. The second section, Research Materials, comprises boxes 5-19 and dates from 1877 to 1981. These materials revolve around the history of the LDS Church, Utah, and pioneers. The section is divided into two categories: biographical files and subject files. The biographical files are arranged alphabetically in boxes 5-7. These files simply consist of hundreds of short biographies, mainly of early pioneers and western settlers. The bulk of the biographies do not contain dates as to when they were written. Also, most of the folders in this section contain obituaries and short articles on various individuals that were grouped together and placed at the back of each folder. Because of this grouping, they are not in exact alphabetical order. The subject files are also arranged alphabetically and are in boxes 8-18. Some of the subjects included pertain to religion, the arts, organizations, medicine, industry, states, cities, counties, wars, buildings, and people. Many of the materials in these files are associated with several subjects, but could only be filed under one heading. The final box in this section contains subject index cards arranged alphabetically. The third section consists of miscellaneous materials separated from a donation of photographs. These materials focus mainly on Myron K. Billings and Joseph T. Kingsbury.

Click here to view Joseph C. Kingsbury's diary.

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

Boxes 1-19 were donated by Ronald and Ilene Kingsbury in 1973 and Louise Kingsbury in 1990-1991 (9 linear feet).

Box 20 was received by Kirk Baddley in Records Management around 1994 and transferred to Special Collections in 2001-2002 (0.5 linear feet).

Processing Note

Processed by Lisa DeMille in 2003 and 2007.

Click here to read a statement on harmful language in library records.

Separated Materials

Photographs transferred to the Multimedia Division of Special Collections (P0029).

Related Materials

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

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Personal and Family MaterialsReturn to Top

The correspondence in the box 1, folders 1-2, focuses mainly on Ilene Kingsbury and her affiliation with various groups, including the Daughters of Utah Pioneers. The Hillside Stake materials in box 2, folder 1, are included in this section because Ilene was a contributor to the stake's newsletter, the "Hillside Journal." Folders 7-8 of box 3 contain genealogy records dating back to the seventeenth century. The Welsh materials in box 4, folder 5, were collected by Ilene and possibly resulted from her membership in the Welsh Club

Container(s)		Description	Dates
		Personal Materials
Box	Folder
1	1-2	Correspondence	1948-1982
1	3	Ilene Kingsbury, "Hand To the Plow"	1962
1	4	Relief Society Talk, Correspondence and Notes Given by Ilene Kingsbury on the subject of women in the LDS Church.	1974
1	5-6	Doctrine and Covenants Class Handbooks Class held during Brigham Young University's Leadership Week.	1961-1962
1	7	History 157W, "Utah and the West" Correspondence, notes, schedules, assignments, writings, and postcards are included.	1963-1968
1	8	History 156R, "Early Utah," Syllabus and Final Examination	1956
1	9	Miscellaneous Class Materials These include outlines, a map, and quizzes.
2	1	Hillside Stake Correspondence, writings, newsletters, and name lists are in this folder.	1974-1980
2	2	Christmas Greetings Letters and cards to and from the Kingsburys.
2	3	Postcards
2	4	Miscellaneous
		Family Materials, Joseph Corrodon Kingsbury
Box	Folder
3	1	Correspondence	1852-1925
3	2-3	Journal The diary recounts events in his early activities in Kirtland, Nauvoo, and Far West, his journey across the plains in 1847 as clerk of the George B. Wallace wagon and later activities in Utah. The original dairy has been removed and placed in Reserve. A photocopied version is available in folder 2 for access purposes. Access to the original must be given by the Manuscripts Curator and by appointment. An archivist must remain with the item if being used. Folder 3 contains a typescript of the diary edited by Ronald L and Ilene H. Kingsbury in 1973.	1846-1864; 1973
3	4-6	Cash Record and Journal Both the cash record and journal are contained in the same volume. The original, a photocopy, and a typescript are included. The typescript only refers to the journal. The cash record includes cash received and cash paid out. The journal is a written record of the George B. Wallace Company of pioneers, of which Joseph Kingsbury was the clerk. It records their journey from Winter Quarters, Missouri, to the Salt Lake Valley.	1846-1847; 1880-1886
3	7	Record of Kingsbury Family in America From Kingsbury's cousin, Benjamin F. Ellis. Ellis wrote most of the record, but contributions were later made by Ronald Lovesy Kingsbury.	circa 1932
3	8	Kingsbury Record Book Includes a brief history of the Kingsbury family, baptismal and other ordinance records, and a patriarchal blessing given to Kingsbury.	circa 1890s
3	9	Genealogy Record Sheets
4	1	Genealogical Sketches
4	2	Bashua Dorcus Kingsbury Fryer, Biography	1939
4	3	Francis T. Whitney, Photocopied Journal Excerpts	1978
4	4	Patriarchal Blessings For various individuals, including Joseph Corrodon Kingsbury.	1843-1898
4	5	Welsh Materials Various materials written in Welsh. Also includes notes written by Ilene Kingsbury.	1850-1858
4	6	The Lucas (ship) Notes and journal typescripts concerning the journey of some pioneers from Australia to California.	1857
4	7	Cards and Invitations	1880-1911
4	8	Notes

Research MaterialsReturn to Top

While boxes 5-7 contain only biographical information, the subject files include an assortment of materials. Biographical sketches, newspaper and magazine articles, pamphlets, maps, notes, lists, genealogical data, sheet music, and other materials are included in many of the folders. Specifics as to what each folder contains are not given because of the similarity of contents from folder to folder. The index cards in box 19 contain information on people, mountains, lakes, streams, and towns.

Container(s)		Description	Dates
Box
5		Biographical Files, A-F
6		Biographical Files, G-O
7		Biographical Files, P-Z
		Subject Files, Ab-Bo
Box	Folder
8	1	Abraham	1954; 1964
8	2	Acrostics
8	3	African Americans	1972-1978
8	4	Antiques and Relics	1937-1961
8	5	Archaeology	1943-1956
8	6	Arizona	1960s
8	7	Arts and Crafts	1950-1977
8	8	Beaver, Utah	1938-1967
8	9	Bible	1955-1968
8	10	Birds	1955; 1975
8	11-13	Book of Mormon	1943-1980
		Subject Files, Bo-Ch
Box	Folder
9	1-2	Book of Mormon	1935-1960
9	3	Brigham Young University	1951; 1967; 1975
9	4	Buildings	1931-1974
9	5	Cemeteries and Grave Sites	1937-1981
9	6	Charcoal	1956; 1966
9	7	Christianity	1955-1964
9	8	Christmas	1951-1974
9	9-11	The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints	1941-1981
		Subject Files, Ci-Do
Box	Folder
10	1	Civil War	1944; 1961
10	2	Cotton	1939; 1956
10	3	Covered Wagons	1975
10	4	Cowboys	1951
10	5	The Danish	1945; 1971
10	6-11	Daughters of Utah Pioneers	1934-1981
10	12	Deseret Alphabet	1954-1978
10	13	"Deseret News"
10	14	Doctors and Midwives	1939-1975
10	15	Doctrine and Covenants	1939-1975
10	16	Dolls	1979
		Subject Files, Ea-Id
Box	Folder
11	1	Eagle Gate	1957; 1960
11	2	Economy	1960-1972
11	3	Education
11	4	Fall of Adam	1952
11	5	"Firsts" in Utah	1948
11	6	Folklore	1970s
11	7	Food	1941-1955
11	8	Fort Douglas	1962; 1964
11	9	Forts	1951-1976
11	10	French Icarians
11	11	Furniture	1937-1956
11	12	Genealogy	1964
11	13	Ghost Towns	1954-1972
11	14	Great Sale Lake	1956-1968
11	15	Handcarts	1956-1957
11	16	Hawaiians	1954-1969
11	17	Historical Writings and Documents	1943-1980
11	18	Homes	1944-1979
11	19	Horses	1950s
11	20	Humor	circa 1960s
11	21	Idaho	1950-1968
		Subject Files, Ir-Mo
Box	Folder
12	1	Iron County, Utah	1951-1976
12	2	Jaredites	1939-1976
12	3	Kennecott Copper Corp.	1954
12	4	Language	1966
12	5	Letters on Hillsides	1961-1975
12	6	Medicine	1945
12	7	Mills	1957
12	8	Mining	1930-1958
12	9	Missionary Work	1950s
12	10	Mississippi	1938; 1959
12	11	Missouri	1979
12	12	Money	1962
12	13	Mounuments	1921-1966
12	14	Mormon Battalion	1920-1974
		Subject Files, Mo-Na
Box	Folder
13	1	Mormon History Association	1977-1980
13	2	Morrisite War	1970; 1976
13	3-4	Music	1894-1975
13	5-6	Name Origins
13	7	Native Americans	1933-1978
		Subject Files, Na-Pa
Box	Folder
14	1	Nauvoo, Illinois	1960
14	2	Nevada	1955-1971
14	3	Notes
14	4	Ogden, Utah	1934; 1953
14	5	Ophir, Utah	1958
14	6-8	Paragonah, Utah	1950s
14	9	Parowan, Utah	1949-1976
		Subject Files, Pe-Ps
Box	Folder
15	1	Pearl of Great Price	1962-1976
15	2	Performing Arts	1948-1957
15	3	Petroglyphs and Inscriptions	1946-1971
15	4-5	Pioneers	1934-1979
15	6	Poetry	1950s
15	7	Pony Express The following items were removed from the folder and placed in Reserve: Robert Lash Robbins, "Thunder before Lightening," stamp series, along with stamps, number 1-100 (35 strips of 5 stamps); and three National Pony Express Centennial Association bronze medals, 1960. Partial photocopied versions are available in the collection for access purposes. Access to the originals must be given by the Manuscripts Curator and by appointment. An archivist must remain with the items if being used.	1956-1966
15	8	Presidents of the United States	1935-1959
15	9	Promontory, Utah	1942-1972
15	10	Psalmody
		Subject Files, Ra-Ut
Box	Folder
16	1	Railroads	1920-1969
16	2	Reading	1955-1964
16	3	Roads	1953-1980
16	4	Salt Lake City Retrenchment Society	1975
16	5	Salt Lake Theater	1959-1962
16	6	Saltair	1960-1968
16	7	Sanpete County, Utah	1946; 1949
16	8	Sericulture	1877; 1947
16	9	Sewing and Washing	1935; 1947
16	10	Sons of Utah Pioneers	1952-1957
16	11	Spanish Trail	1949-1951
16	12	Telegraph	1961
16	13	Temples	1942-1978
16	14	Trees	1934-1948
16	15	United Order	1942-1943
16	16	United States	1962-1978
16	17	Utah	circa 1950s
		Subject Files, Ut-We
Box	Folder
17	1	Utah Cities, Towns, and Settlements	1942-1968
17	2	Utah Heritage Foundation	1966
17	3-5	Utah State Historical Society	1958-1960s
17	6	Wars	1963; 1973
17	7	Water	1933-1977
17	8	Weapons	1943; 1956
17	9	The Welsh	1949-1977
		Subject Files, We-Zi
Box	Folder
18	1	Wentworth Letter	1962; 1966
18	2	Western History Association	1967-1976
18	3	Western Scenes	1939-1960s
18	4	Writers	1963
18	5	ZCMI	1886-1976
18	6	Zion's Camp
18	7	Miscellaneous
19		Subject Files, Index Cards, A-Y

Miscellaneous MaterialsReturn to Top

Box 20 consists of materials separated from an earlier donation of photographs.

Container(s)		Description	Dates
Box	Folder
20	1	Correspondence	1906-1995
20	2	Joseph T. Kingsbury, "Growth and Development of the University of Utah"	1921
20	3	Joseph T. Kingsbury, "Items in the History of the University of Utah"	1937
20	4	Joseph T. Kingsbury, "Polyandry"
20	5	Joseph T. Kingsbury, "Ruth Landon"
20	6	Heber J. Grant, "Treasures I Would Share"	1937
20	7	Agreement and Payment Slips	1912
20	8	Marriage License Between Myron K. Billings and Edith Kingsbury.	1915
20	9	Mining Property Maps For Bingham, Utah, and Dalton-Lark Mine.	1919
20	10	Pullman Train Tickets	1916
20	11	Receipts	1911-1916
20	12	Salt Lake City Souvenir Booklet

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