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Stephanie Young Merzel photograph collection

 Collection
Identifier: P1205

Scope and Contents

The Stephanie Young Merzel photograph collection contains images of an unidentified family at the beginning of the 20th century. No further information is available. All images in the Merzel collection are digital only; the originals were returned to the donor.

Dates

  • circa 1850-1940

Creator

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in English.

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.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the Stephanie Young Merzel photograph collection must be obtained from the Special Collections Photo Archives Curator.

Biographical / Historical

History by Stephanie Young Merzel:

These photographs have survived a long journey. They were uncovered unexpectedly in my parent's basement. My father was dying and it was time to go through his files, trunks and old suitcases. From disarray I organized these images from the past. Each one took time and was a special discovery.

There are three aspects of this collection to appreciate. One such treasure is the work of Charles Goodman, born in New York 1843. He was known as a "traveling photographer" and ended up in Bluff, Utah. He went to the Four Corners region during the gold rush. When the boom was over, he stayed behind. He was the only non-Mormon in the entire community. His work consisted of ancient ruins, one of a kind events, and town photographer. Goodman died in 1912. (Reference: Charles Goodman, Traveling Photographer by Drew Ross, Utah Historical Quarterly Winter 1998)

The other gems are from two prominent Utah family lineages that came together in 1916 with the marriage of Josephine Barton and Harold E. Young, my grandparents. Brigham Young, my great-great grandfather, founded Salt Lake City in 1847 and became Utah's first governor in 1850. He married Emmaline Free in 1846. She was his 11th wife. My great-grandfather, Alonzo Young, was their 7th out of 10 children. Alonzo married MaryAnn Richards in 1858. My grandfather, Harold, was their third child out of seven. He married Josephine Barton in 1916. They had three sons. My father was the second of three boys. Willard, my dad, was born in 1918 and died 2003.

The Barton's settled in Parowan, Utah where Joseph F. was born in 1855. Harriet Ann Richards, his wife, was born that same year. In 1879, they were called by Brigham Young to the San Juan mission. They took on this endeavor which culminated in the Hole-In-The-Wall expedition that ended up in Bluff, Utah in 1880 despite tremendous hardship. The pioneers that finally made it had been through a physical ordeal and their lives had been radically changed. Josephine, my grandmother, born in 1886, was the fifth of eight children. She was the first white female born in the Four Corners region.

These photos depict their lives and the lives of their children.

Stephanie Young Merzel Salt Lake City, June 9, 2006

Extent

67 Items

Abstract

The Stephanie Young Merzel photograph collection contains images of an unidentified family at the beginning of the 20th century. No further information is available. All images in the Merzel collection are digital only.

Processing Information

Processed by Mary Ann Curtis in 2005.
Title
Guide to the Stephanie Young Merzel photograph collection, circa 1850-1940
Author
Finding aid created by Jamie Colton and Mary Ann Curtis
Date
© 2005
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid encoded in English in Latin script.

Revision Statements

  • 2020: Revised by Sara Davis.

Repository Details

Part of the J. Willard Marriott Library Special Collections Repository

Contact:
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City Utah 84112 United States
801-581-8863