Archives West Finding Aid
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John Henry Humphrey Barker papers, 1862-1890
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- John Henry Humphrey Barker papers
- Dates
- 1862-1890 (inclusive)18621890
1871-1890 (bulk)18711890 - Quantity
- 10 folders, (.5 linear feet)
- Collection Number
- UUS_COLL MSS 025
- Summary
- Mostly letters of John H. Barker to his sister, Jenny (1871-1890); also, passenger tickets, genealogical information, and diary (1859-1863).
- 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
On April 5, 1842, John Henry Barker was born in Wandsworth, Surrey, England to John Humphrey and Anna Maria Delap Barker. His father was a lawyer's clerk and his mother often worked as a seamstress. During his childhood, the family moved often, living in several cities in England. As a young boy, he held several jobs, working in a linen button factory and later as a waiter.
In 1848, his family became associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, sometime after this, his father was sent to a "debtor's prison" due to financial difficulties, and the family was broken up, leaving only John and his mother in London.
In 1859, Barker was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and over the next few years, held many leadership positions within his local branch. He met his future wife, Susan Dermott, through this work, and in 1868 they came to America on the Manchester . They were married before starting across the plains later that year.
Arriving in Utah, the couple settled first in Salt Lake City and then moved to Cache Valley, living in Paradise, Providence, and Newton respectively. Throughout the years, he worked as a school teacher, a businessman, a miner, and a farmer. He also held many positions of leadership in both the Church and the Newton community.
Family was extremely important in Barker's life. He and Susan raised nine children in their home in Newton. In 1879, Barker entered into polygamy when he married Christena M. Benson. Together they had eight children. Later that same year, Barker married his third wife, Johanna Jensen. Their marriage produced two more children. In addition to his wives and children, Barker felt a strong connection to the family he had left behind in England. He maintained contact with his three living sisters, especially his youngest sister Jane, or Jenny as she was called.
Always an active member of the Church, Barker was called to serve a mission to England in 1909. The trip was too hard on him, however, because of his age and the stress of travel, and after only a few months there he was sent home. Once home, he was stricken with gangrene and had to have a leg amputated. During the recovery, he caught pneumonia, and on February 27, 1910, he passed away at his home in Newton.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The largest part of the John Henry Barker collection consists of 45 letters, 44 written by Barker to his sister Jenny over the period of 1871 to 1890. The other letter was written to Jenny by George Teasdale, her future husband. Twenty-two of these letters were published by the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers in their Historical Pamphlet for October 1960 as "Letters of John H. Barker" (F 826. D32). This publication also includes three other letters not included in this collection: those of January 20 and January 22, 1881, and June 17, 1888, the last being Mr. Barker's admission to his sister that he was practicing plural marriage.
The Barker collection contains a vast amount of information about the life of an early settler in Utah. Barker writes with great detail about his jobs, his family and home life, and his community. He comments on everything from politics to religion to the weather. His letters urging his sister to come to Utah and join him are full of details about what she can expect from the trip and what the trip was like when he made it. It is interesting to note that even small details, such as the price of goods and the amount of his wages are given.
The letters are organized chronologically from November 16, 1871 to the last letter written in 1890. In addition to the letters, this collection also includes several interesting documents and artifacts. Envelopes and stamps from some of the letters have been preserved. The collection also contains tickets for the passage from England to America for both Barker and Susan Dermott, their marriage certificate, Church family group record sheets, and several photos. The last item is a diary kept by Barker from May 9, 1859 to March 1863. All of these items are organized and preserved in folders following those containing the letters.
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 Henry Humphrey Barker papers must be obtained from the Special Collections and Archives manuscript curator and/or the Special Collections and Archives department head.
Preferred Citation
John Henry Humphrey Barker papers, 1862-1890. (COLL MSS 025) Utah State University. Special Collections and Archives department.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Letters, 1871 - 1873Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 1
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Letter
Letter included in the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers historical pamphlet.
|
1871 November 16 | ||
Letter
Letter included in the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers historical pamphlet.
|
1872 January 16 | ||
Letter |
1872 March 21 | ||
Letter
Letter included in the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers historical pamphlet.
|
1872 May 3 | ||
Letter |
1872 May 17 | ||
Letter |
1872 July 13 | ||
Letter
Letter included in the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers historical pamphlet.
|
1873 January 20 | ||
Letter |
1873 November 2 |
Letters, 1874 - 1877Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 2
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Letter |
1874 February 25 | ||
Letter
Letter included in the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers historical pamphlet.
|
1874 October 18 | ||
Letter |
1875 January 11 | ||
Letter
Letter included in the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers historical pamphlet.
|
1875 July 4 | ||
Letter |
1875 October 24 | ||
Letter |
1876 January 17 | ||
Letter
Letter included in the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers historical pamphlet.
|
1876 June 11 | ||
Letter |
1876 September 6 | ||
Letter |
1876 December 25 | ||
Letter |
1877 April 3 | ||
Letter
Letter included in the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers historical pamphlet.
|
1877 November 25 |
Letters, 1878 - 1885Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 3
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Letter
Letter included in the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers historical pamphlet.
|
1878 April 28 | ||
Letter |
1878 September 30 | ||
Letter |
1879 January 6 | ||
Letter
Letter included in the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers historical pamphlet.
|
1879 May 20 | ||
Letter |
1880 January 25 | ||
Letter
Letter included in the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers historical pamphlet.
|
1880 August 2 | ||
Letter |
1880 October 27 | ||
Letter
Letter included in the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers historical pamphlet.
|
1881 January 9 | ||
Letter
Letter included in the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers historical pamphlet.
|
1882 May 31 | ||
Letter
Letter included in the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers historical pamphlet.
|
1882 October 19 | ||
Letter
Letter included in the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers historical pamphlet.
|
1883 November 13 | ||
Letter
Letter included in the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers historical pamphlet.
|
1884 June 22 | ||
Letter |
1884 December 1 | ||
Letter |
1885 February 26 | ||
Letter
Letter included in the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers historical pamphlet.
|
1885 September 18 |
Letters, 1886-1890Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 4
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Letter
Letter included in the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers historical pamphlet.
|
1886 January 22 | ||
Letter
Letter included in the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers historical pamphlet.
|
1887 December 15 | ||
Letter |
1889 February 3 | ||
Letter
Letter included in the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers historical pamphlet.
|
1889 May | ||
Letter |
1890 March 9 | ||
Letter |
1890 May 10 | ||
Letter |
1890 May 21 | ||
Letter
Letter included in the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers historical pamphlet.
|
1890 June 15 | ||
Letter
Letter included in the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers historical pamphlet.
|
1890 June 25 | ||
Letter |
1890 July 3 | ||
Letter |
1890 July 12 | ||
Letter
Teasdale to Miss Barker.
|
1890 |
Six envelopes from letters sent from J. H. Barker to Jenny Barker in England, Ireland, Italy, undatedReturn to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 5
Note, John Barker to Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company,for $100.00 at 10% annum, 1862 October 15Return to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 6
Passenger's Contract Ticket No. 122, for Susan Dermott,Ship Manchester, 1862 MayReturn to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 7
>£ 3/16. On verso is tipped marriage certificate, J. H. Barker and Susan Dermott, June 28, 1862, Florence, Nebraska. Note by Mrs. Mary Light giving permission for daughter Susan Dermott to marry J. H. Barker.
Passenger's Contract Ticket No. 117, for John Barker, Ship Manchester, 1862 MayReturn to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 8
£ 3/16. Also two photos J. H. Barker:1862, 1907.
LDS Family Group Record Sheets., undatedReturn to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 9
John Henry Barker and wives; 1) Susan Dermott, 2) Christene Martena Benson, 3) Johanna Jensen.
Diary, 1859 May 9 - 1863 MarchReturn to Top
Container(s): Box 1, Folder 10
Also contains financial, tithing, and journal memoranda 1856 - 1874, including mission statistics, 1859 -1860.