Handwritten diaries with typescripts in four volumes. Volume 1 concerns Hart's overland journey by ox team from Quincy, Illinois to the Humboldt Valley, Nevada, in 1852. Hart is an insightful and descriptive diarist. He writes about cooking and commerce on the plains, encounters with Indians, and dissatisfaction in his company. Hart mentions a handful of deaths from cholera and includes a moving description of one funeral. He also gives a festive account of his company's celebration of the Fourth of July, and describes an anniversary dinner at Salt Lake City which his companions attended. A substantial description of Salt Lake City is included. Volume 2 concludes Hart's journey to California. Hart mined for gold and worked as a shingle maker, and writes extensively about his four years in California. He left San Francisco in December 1856 and steamed to San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. There his steamer was hijacked by Costa Rican forces in an effort to defeat William Walker, an American attempting to capture Nicaragua. Hart spent several months visiting family after his return to New York. Hart also writes about his life in Illinois and contemporary events. The repository has volumes 1, 2, 3, and 5. Volume 4 is missing.