Henry William Bigler diaries, 1846-1900

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Summary

Creators:
Bigler, Henry William, 1815-1900
Abstract:
Diaries belonging to American Mormon Henry William Bigler, best known for witnessing and documenting James Marshall's first discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in California on January 24, 1848.
Extent:
0.8 Linear Feet (2 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Henry William Bigler diaries, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

This small group consists of ten diaries written by Henry William Bigler, one letter book, two notebooks, and two facsimiles. Some of the diaries give firsthand details of his missionary trips to the Hawaiian Islands, while others are diaries of his second trip to mine gold in California. Several diaries also contain information about his work while at the endowment house at the temple in Saint George and financial records. The letter book contains copies of letters Bigler sent to relatives to gather genealogical information and copies of letters Bigler sent to historians Hubert Howe Bancroft (1832-1918) and John S. Hittell (1825-1901) in response to their inquiries about his experience at Sutter's Mill when gold was discovered. The notebooks contain financial records and some family information. One diary is an autobiography and retrospective journal that Bigler wrote about his time in the Mormon Battalion traveling from Utah to California through the Southwest and about being at Sutter's Mill when gold was discovered. Also in the collection is a facsimile of this diary (mssFAC 1340) and a facsimile of some typescript portions published in a newspaper relating to Bigler's 1849 California trip and his Hawaiian mission (mssFAC 1341). People mentioned in Bigler's diaries are George Q. Cannon (1827-1901), Hiram Clark (1795-1853), and William Farrer (1821-1906) who were with Bigler in Hawaii. Others include Charles Coulson Rich (1809-1883), George Albert Smith (1817-1875), Wilford Woodruff (1807-1898), and Brigham Young (1801-1877).

Biographical / historical:

Henry William Bigler (1815-1900) was born in Shinnston, West Virginia on August 28, 1815, the son of Jacob and Elizabeth Harvey Bigler. He first heard of Mormonism in 1834 after a neighbor had returned speaking of the new religion of Joseph Smith (1805-1844). Bigler was baptized in July of 1837. As a faithful servant to the church, Bigler helped build the temple at Nauvoo, Illinois, served as a missionary to the Hawaiian Islands, enlisted in the Mormon Battalion in 1846, and worked in the endowment house at the temple in Saint George, Utah. Bigler is best known for being at Sutter's Mill when gold was first discovered in California on January 24, 1848, and for recording its discovery by James Wilson Marshall (1810-1885) in his diary

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Mrs. Jesse Branson, June 1946.
Processing information:

Processed by Peter J. Blodgett in January 1998. In July 2011, Brooke M. Black created a paper finding aid, and in March 2025, she created an electronic copy.

Arrangement:

Organized in two series: Series 1: Diaries, 1849-1895; Series 2: Journals and autobiographies, approximately 1885-approximately 1898.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Henry William Bigler diaries, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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