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Lee (John Doyle) Papers
mssLee  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Conditions Governing Access
  • Conditions Governing Use
  • Preferred Citation
  • Immediate Source of Acquisition
  • Biographical / Historical
  • Scope and Contents
  • Processing Information
  • Arrangement
  • General
  • Related Materials

  • Contributing Institution: The Huntington Library
    Title: John Doyle Lee papers
    Creator: Lee, John D. (John Doyle), 1812-1877
    Identifier/Call Number: mssLee
    Physical Description: 4.8 Linear Feet (3 boxes)
    Date (inclusive): 1841-1967
    Date (bulk): 1841-1877
    Abstract: A collection of diaries, letters, documents, and manuscripts of John Doyle Lee documenting early life in Utah and the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
    Language of Material: Materials are in English.

    Conditions Governing Access

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

    Conditions Governing Use

    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]. John Doyle Lee papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

    Immediate Source of Acquisition

    Purchased from Esther Nelson, May 1929; Gift of Rolla B. Watt, June 1939; Gift of Juanita Brooks, June 1949.

    Biographical / Historical

    John Doyle Lee (1812-1877) was a Mormon pioneer who was born in Kaskaskia, Illinois. Lee was the leader of one of the Mormon wagon trains migrating to Salt Lake City in 1848. He helped colonize Southern Utah, was a probate judge of Iron County, and a member of the territorial legislature. Lee is best known for his part in the Mountain Meadows Massacre which was an attack by Indians and Mormons dressed as Indians against a wagon train of settlers passing through Southern Utah in 1857. He was excommunicated from the Mormon church in 1870 and sent by Brigham Young to a remote spot on the Colorado River, now known as Lee's Ferry. When he returned home for a visit in 1875, he was taken for trial, found guilty, and executed in 1877.

    Scope and Contents

    A collection of 99 items from 1841 to 1967; the collection consists of diaries, letters, documents and manuscripts primarily by John Doyle Lee. There is a letter by William W. Bishop that includes a list of names of persons in and present at the Mountain Meadows Massacre (mssHM 31237). There are also letters by and to several of John D. Lee's wives. There are six volumes of diaries by John D. Lee which span the years 1846 to 1876, and one diary of his wife, Rachel Andora Woolsey Lee, from 1856 to 1860. Many of the items in the collection are contemporary copies or facsimiles.

    Processing Information

    Processed by Brooke M. Black in 2011. In 2020, Gayle Richardson created the electronic finding aid derived from an earlier finding aid.

    Arrangement

    Arranged chronologically.

    General

    Individual call numbers included in the collection: HM 26336-26338, HM 31202-31251, FAC 547-548, FAC 550, and FAC 614-621. The collection is made up of several acquisitions.

    Related Materials

    The John Doyle Lee papers form part of the Mormon File, approximately 1805-1995.

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Frontier and pioneer life -- Utah -- History
    Mormon Church -- Utah
    Mormons -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
    Mormons -- Utah -- History -- 19th century
    Mountain Meadows Massacre, Utah, 1857
    Utah -- History -- 19th century
    Diaries -- Utah -- 19th century
    Documents -- Utah -- 19th century
    Letters (correspondence) -- Utah -- 19th century
    Lee, Rachel Andora Woolsey, 1825-1912