E. LaRetta Gibbons missionary diary, 1933-1934

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Gibbons, LaRetta, 1914-2000
Title
E. LaRetta Gibbons missionary diary
Dates
1933-1934 (inclusive)
Quantity
1 box, (.25 linear ft.)
Collection Number
UUS_COLL MSS 288
Summary
This collection consists of one diary written by E. LaRetta Gibbons during her missionary travels for the LDS Church during the years 1933-1934.
Repository
Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives Division
Special Collections & Archives
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
Logan, UT
84322-3000
Telephone: 4357978248
Fax: 4357972880
scweb@usu.edu
Access Restrictions
Restrictions

Open to public research.

Languages
English.
Sponsor
Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, 2007-2008

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Eva LaRetta Gibbons was born on July 25, 1914, in small town of Garden City, Utah. Her parents, Joseph Weston Gibbons and Lydia Luetta Cook, both also born in Garden City, raised LaRetta and four other children. During the early 1930s, LaRetta studied home economics at Utah State Agricultural College, now Utah State University. In December of 1933, at the age of 19, LaRetta was called to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Serving in the Western States Mission during the Great Depression, she traveled to places such as Pueblo, Colorado and Lincoln, Nebraska. Later, on March 15, 1941, LaRetta married Oswald Ralph Myers in Cedar City, Utah. After settling in Minersville, Utah, they had four sons; Gerald, Fred, Ron, and Max. Thereafter, LaRetta taught school in Milford, Utah. Oswald Myers died on April 12, 1994, at the age of 76. Four years later, on March 13, 2000, at the age of 86, Eva LaRetta Gibbons Myers died at her home in Delta, Utah.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This collection consists of one diary written by E. LaRetta Gibbons during her missionary travels for the LDS Church during the years 1933--1934. The 242 page diary contains a log of LaRetta's daily life as a missionary while serving with another female missionary. The two went tracting, held meetings, taught lessons, and visited church officials, and went to the movies. The diary tells of LaRetta's decision to serve a mission, her acceptance to serve a mission, her time in the LDS missionary training center in Provo, Utah (September 1933), her travels and time spent in Lincoln, Nebraska (September of 1933--April of 1934), and her travels and time spent in Pueblo, Colorado (May of 1934--October 1934). The diary ends abruptly on October 20, 1934 with no explanation. In addition, the diary also contains predictions that a fortune teller said about LaRetta (pages 298--300) and a paper insert with the song "Western States Mission Song," composed by LaRetta Gibbons.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Copyright

It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Utah State University Libraries, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright.

Permission to publish material from the E. LaRetta Gibbons missionary diary must be obtained from the Special Collections Manuscript Curator and/or the Special Collections Department Head.

Preferred Citation

E. LaRetta Gibbons missionary diary, 1933-1934. (COLL MSS 288). Utah State University. Special Collections and Archives Department.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

The diary of LaRetta Gibbons was purchased by USU Special Collections and Archives on April 15, 2004 from a dealer of historical materials.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box
1 The LaRetta Gibbons missionary diary 1933 October 7 - 1934 October 20

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Great Depression--Sources.
  • Mormon Church--Missions.
  • Mormon missionaries--Colorado.
  • Mormon missionaries--Diaries.
  • Mormon missionaries--Nebraska.
  • Women missionaries.

Personal Names

  • Gibbons, LaRetta, 1914-2000.