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Baldwin Harvey Watts diary and prison papers

 Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: MSS 486

Scope and Contents

Handwritten diary and prison records. Watts kept the diary while serving on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Bristol, England, area in 1875. Also included are records relating to Watts' incarceration in the Utah prison for polygamy in 1888. Watts compiled a list of 668 men imprisoned for polygamy from 1884 to 1889. He included the date of sentencing, the length of the sentence, and the age of the prisoners. He also lists each man's home town. Also included is "Rules for the Government of Convicts." Dated 1875-1889.

Dates

  • 1875-1889

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Originals: Condition restricted; permission to use materials must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services. Transcriptions and photocopies are available for patron use.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to use material from this collection must be obtained from Reference Services at specialcollections@byu.edu.

Biographical History

Baldwin Harvey Watts (1835-1928) was a Mormon missionary and polygamist living in Kanosh, Utah.

Baldwin Harvey Watts was born on April 10, 1835, in Raymond, Mississippi, to Robert Harrison Watts and Elizabeth Heath. In 1842 he moved with his parent to Nauvoo, Illinois. They joined the exodus of the Saints in 1846 and eventually arrived in Utah in 1850, where they located on the Weber River south of Ogden.

In 1855, Watts was called with 26 other men to establish Fort Lemhi on the Salmon River in present-day Idaho. That fall he married Barbara Jane Levi, and together they had seven children, four of whom lived to adulthood. Watts returned to Fort Lemhi in 1857 and was present when the fort was attacked by a local band of Native Americans. Upon his safe return, Watts and his wife moved from Ogden to Springville, where they lived until July 1865, when they returned to Ogden.

In November 1867, Watts moved south to Kanosh. On April 6, 1874, he was called on a mission to England. On April 10, 1876, he married his second wife, Emma Whedon, at Salt Lake City, Utah, with whom he had seven children. Watts was imprisoned for polygamy from 1888 to 1889.

Baldwin Harvey Watts died on December 2, 1928, in Kanosh, Utah.

Extent

1 box (0.25 linear ft.)

Language of Materials

English

Appraisal

History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon and Western American Manuscripts Collection Development Policy V.B.5.a, 2020)

Existence and Location of Copies

Transcriptions available in folder 1. Photocopies available in folder 2.

Title
Register of Baldwin Harvey Watts diary and prison papers
Status
Under Revision
Author
Garrett Schroath
Date
2011 April 1
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English in Latin script.

Repository Details

Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository

Contact:
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States