John Hudson papers

Collection

Identifier: ACCN 0674

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The John Hudson papers (1848-1852, 1980) consist of documents detailing the life and work of John Hudson (1826-1850), an English emigrant who started for the gold fields of California but was forced by illness to remain in Salt Lake City, where he served as a member of the Stansbury Expedition to the Great Salt Lake and became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The John Hudson papers contain 21 letters, 11 pencil sketches, and the Constitution and Minute Book of the Colony Guard, a private emigration company. All documents in the collection were produced between 1848 and 1852. The originals of the documents in the John Hudson Papers are restricted except with permission of the head of the Manuscripts Division. Typescripts and photocopies are available for patron use.

Dates

1848-1852
1980

Creator

Hudson, John, 1826-1850 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

The original items from box 1, folders 2-11 have been removed and placed in Reserve. Access must be given by the Manuscripts Curator and by appointment. An archivist must remain with the items if being used.

Conditions Governing Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Biographical / Historical

John Hudson (1826-1850) was born in 1826 near Manchester, England. His father, a printer and book seller, sent him to private schools. At the age of twenty-two, Hudson embarked upon a career as American agent in his uncle's import business, sailing for New York City in 1848. During his stay in New York, Hudson recorded his impressions of the social scene. Of particular interest is the lively description of his introduction to the traditional New England Thanksgiving celebration, penned in December of 1848. Economic conditions in the city also figure prominently in his early letters. By early 1849 it became evident that Hudson lacked the necessary capital to continue in the import business. With his uncle's financial backing, he joined the Colony Guard as company chaplain and started for California, hoping to repair his fortunes in the gold fields. Prior to leaving New York, Hudson made out his Last Will and Testament, located in folder 10. His letters to his father describe the character of his fellow travelers as well as the organization of the company. Hudson's copy of the Colony Guard Constitution is also found in folder 10. The minute book in folder 11 gives further descriptions of the organization and personnel of the Colony Guard. Hudson kept an extensive record of the journey West, recording his impressions of the landscape in his letters as well as in a series of pencil sketches.

The company was seriously endangered by an outbreak of cholera on the trip west and was forced to reroute to Salt Lake City. A portion of the company went on to California, but Hudson remained behind, securing a job as artist for the Stansbury Expedition, a military survey of the Great Salt Lake. His letters to his father describe the expedition and his impressions of the Mormon community. The sketches prepared for Stansbury, as well as those produced on the trail west, are located in folder 9. Sometime during Hudson's stay in Salt Lake City he was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He died on December 14, 1850, in the Sanpete Valley where he had been among a number of Mormons colonizing the area. Letters of condolence to his family are in folder 8.

Extent

0.25 Linear Feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The material in this collection was obtained from a variety of sources. Hudson's letters, sketches, and copy of the "Preamble and Constitution of the Colony Guard, 1849" were purchased by the Marriott Library in 1980. A copy of the journal kept by Hudson as a member of the Stansbury Expedition was obtained from the National Archives when Everett Cooley, Associate Director for Special Collections, asked Professor Brigham Madsen to edit Hudson's papers for publication. These documents were published by the Tanner Trust Fund and the University of Utah Library in 1981 as A Forty-niner in Utah: Letters and Journal of John Hudson, 1848-50. Shortly after work on this volume was completed, Madsen discovered the presence of documents relating to the Colony Guard in the archives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A trade was negotiated and the Minute Book of the Colony Guard was added to the collection in 1982. Folder 1 contains correspondence pertaining to the acquisition of the John Hudson papers.

The minute book located in folder 11 was published in the Utah Historical Quarterly as "The Colony Guard: To California in '49." Hudson's journal was published again in 1989 as part of the complete papers of the Stansbury expedition, Exploring the Great Salt Lake: The Stansbury Expedition of 1849-50. Brigham Madsen subsequently donated his copies of the Hudson, Gunnison, Carrington and Stansbury journals to the Marriott Library and they became part of the John Hudson papers. These items have been removed to the Brigham Madsen papers (MS 0671). Photographs of items in the John Hudson papers used in the publication of his letters and journal were removed to the John Hudson photograph collection (P0134).