John M. Cannon papers, 1883-1915

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Cannon, John M., 1865-1917
Title
John M. Cannon papers
Dates
1883-1915 (inclusive)
Quantity
1 box, (.25 linear ft. )
Collection Number
UUS_COLL MSS 270
Summary
This collection contains 137 letters of correspondence, various legal papers, financial papers, and other documents. It also contains personal correspondence between Cannon and one of his father's plural wives, Johanna C. D. Cannon.
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

John Mousley Cannon was born in St. George, UT in 1865. He married Zina Bennion in 1893, and in 1900 took a second wife, Margaret Peart. He may have married a third wife, Harriet Seymore Neff, but information on the marriage is limited. Cannon practiced law with his partner, J. Stokes, Jr., from the Hotel Utah Building in Salt Lake City at the time when Utah attained its statehood. He received many petitions for legal advise from family members, whom he lent his services to a number of times. Correspondence between John M. Cannon and his "Aunt Johanna," who was one of his father's plural wives, demonstrates Cannon's strong connection to his family. Cannon's uncle on his father's side was George Quayle Cannon, an apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1873-1901.

Cannon had eleven children with his first wife, Zina Bennion, and three with Margaret Peart, who appears to have had three children from a former marriage who were adopted by John M. Cannon.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

John Mousley Cannon was a successful lawyer in Salt Lake City from the late 1800's until his death in 1917. He had several financial ventures in mining, real estate, and livestock, and many of the papers in the collection describe these investments. The John M. Cannon papers also contain personal correspondence between Cannon and one of his father's six wives, Johanna C. Danielson Cannon, whom John calls "Aunt Johanna," John Cannon himself had two wives, and possibly a third, although they are not mentioned in the papers.

Legal documents in the collection describe Cannon's law practice in Salt Lake City and contain information about politics, leases, and monetary disputes between Utahns in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Two letters from LDS missionaries are included, one being his nephew, Vaughn, who served in Germany in 1914, and the other a friend, Alfred Jensen, who served in Missouri in 1901.

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 John M. Cannon papers must be obtained from the Special Collections Manuscript Curator and/or the Special Collections Department Head.

Preferred Citation

John M. Cannon papers, 1883-1915. (COLL MSS 270). Utah State University. Special Collections and Archives Department.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Arranged in numeric sequence according to Box and Folder.

Acquisition Information

The John M. Cannon papers were purchased in April 2002 through Charles Apfelbaum of Watchung, New Jersey. The collection included 137 letters and documents.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 1 Business Correspondence: Cannon and Stokes, Attorneys at Law undated
1 2 Legal Documents of Salt Lake City/ Utah and Idaho Territory undated
1 3 Personal Correspondence undated
1 4 Johanna C. D. Cannon, Correspondence undated
1 5 Personal Financial Information/ Statements undated
1 6 Livestock Interests undated
1 7 Mining Interests undated

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Mormons--Utah--History.
  • Polygamy--Utah--History.

Personal Names

  • Cannon, George Q. (George Quayle), 1827-1901.
  • Cannon, Johanna Christina Danielson, 1850-1922.
  • Cannon, John M., 1865-1917.

Geographical Names

  • Utah--Statehood.