Trails to Utah and the Pacific: Diaries and Letters, 1846-1869
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Biography, Expository Writing, Creative Writing
Several of the Mormon diarists, such as Andrew Ferguson, Jonathan Oldham Duke, Job Taylor Smith, Orley Dwight Bliss, and Appleton Milo Harman included personal histories in their diaries. Read two or more of these diaries and write a short expository essay that explores the ways in which these brief biographies shed light on the Mormon experience in the 19th century.
- What were the turning points in these people's lives?
- What kinds of experiences did these individuals share?
- To what extent did they face persecution for their religious beliefs?
- What do the personal histories of these individuals reveal about their characters and values?
In the Categories of Materials Index readers will also find Biographical Notes for Diarists. The biographical note for Emmeline B. Wells presents the highlights of her 92-year life, including her early conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, her marriages, and her activities both as a suffragette and as manager of a profitable grain storage program. It begins:
"Emmeline Blanche Woodward was born on 29 February 1828 in Petersham, Massachusetts, to David and Deiadama (Hare) Woodward. While attending a select school for girls and living with an older sister, she learned of her mother's conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Emmeline returned home the following year and was baptized in March 1842. She married James Harris, also a member of Church, in July 1843 at age fifteen. Emmeline and James, along with his parents, moved the following spring to Nauvoo, Illinois, where James' parents abandoned the Church sixteen months later. James left Nauvoo to find work to support Emmeline and their newborn son, Eugene, but never returned. Emmeline learned only several years later that James had died while employed as a sailor on the Indian Ocean. After the death of her son, and seemingly deserted by her husband, Emmeline found herself alone in Nauvoo. . . ."
Use the biographical note for Emmeline B. Wells as the basis for a short story.