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Charles L. Walker and Zaidee Walker Miles papers

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 8222

Scope and Contents

Materials include poetry and histories of Walker and his wife Abigail Middlemass Walker. It contains an undated bound volume of typed poetry on carbon paper by Walker, Walker's history of the St. George Temple copied by his daughter Zaidee Walker Miles, and a brief unbound biography of Abigail Middlemass Walker created by Zaidee Walker Miles. Materials dated 1939-1943.

Dates

  • 1801-1943

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Open for public research.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material from Charles L. Walker and Zaidee Walker Miles papers must be obtained from the Supervisor of Reference Services and/or the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Board of Curators.

Biographical History

Charles L. Walker (1832-1904) was a Mormon poet, hymn writer, and pioneer southern Utah.

Charles Lowell Walker was born in Leek, Staffordshire, England on November 17, 1832. When he was a young boy, Walker and his family joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and immigrated to the Salt Lake Valley.

He married Abigail Middlemass Walker on September 28, 1861 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Shortly after their marriage, Brigham Young called Charles L. Walker to the "Cotton Mission," which was to move south and settle Saint George, Utah. Charles and Abigail left Salt Lake City on November 17, 1862 and arrived in Dixie on December 9, 1862. Together they had eight children.

Walker took a second wife, Sarah Smith (1858-1932), on January 12, 1877 in Saint George, Utah. She also bore him eight children.

Walker wrote hymns and poetry and worked with many other Mormon men constructing the St. George Temple from 1871-1877. He wrote the hymn "Dearest Children, God Is Near You." He also kept journals during the construction of the St. George Temple and witnessed the first baptism for the dead performed in that temple in January, 1877.

Walker died at age 72 on January 11, 1904 in Saint George, Utah.

Biographical History

Zaidee Walker Miles (1863-1951) was a schoolteacher and author in Saint George, Utah.

Zaidee Walker Miles was born on September 4, 1863, in St. George, Utah, to parents Charles Lowell and Abigail Middlemass Walker. She trained as a teacher, and taught school in Saint George. After the death of her sister, Ida, in 1897, she married her brother-in-law Arthur Frederick Miles on May 17, 1900, in St. George, Utah. Together they had three children. Miles was interested in family history as well as the history of Saint George, where she grew up. She was involved in The United States Works Progress Administration (WPA), and wrote stories of the settlers of the area.

Miles died on May 25, 1951, in St. George, Utah.

Extent

3 folder (0.3 linear ft.)

Language of Materials

English

Custodial History

Collection was created by Zaidee Walker Miles and donated to the repository by her grandson, Lawrence O. McCracken, in 2013.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated; Lawrence O. McCracken; 2013.

Appraisal

Utah and the American West and LDS cultural, social, and religious history (20th century Western & Mormon Manuscripts collection development policy, 5.VII, 2007).

Processing Information

Processed; Anne Wiederhold; 2013.

Title
Register of Charles L. Walker and Zaidee Walker Miles papers
Status
Completed
Author
Anne Wiederhold
Date
2013 August 7
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