Inventory of the Lewis Crum Bidamon Collection, 1837-1962

Processed by The Huntington Library staff; supplementary encoding and revision supplied by Xiuzhi Zhou.

Manuscripts Department

The Huntington Library

1151 Oxford Road

San Marino, California 91108

Phone: (626) 405-2203

Fax: (626) 449-5720

Email: lgarcia@huntington.org

URL: http://www.huntington.org/huntingtonlibrary.aspx?id=554

Inventory of the Lewis Crum Bidamon Collection, 1837-1962

The Huntington Library

San Marino, California

Contact Information

Manuscripts Department
The Huntington Library
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2203
Fax: (626) 449-5720
Email: lgarcia@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org/huntingtonlibrary.aspx?id=554

Processed by:: The Huntington Library staff
Date Completed:: March 1972

Descriptive Summary

Title: Lewis Crum Bidamon Collection,

Date (inclusive): 1837-1962

Creator: Bidamon, Lewis Crum

Extent: 276 pieces

Repository: The Huntington Library

San Marino, California 91108

Language: English.

Administrative Information

Provenance

The Lewis Crum Bidamon Collection was purchased from Stanley B. Kimball in July, 1966.

Access

Collection is open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information please go to following URL .

Publication Rights

In order to quote from, publish, or reproduce any of the manuscripts or visual materials, researchers must obtain formal permission from the office of the Library Director. In most instances, permission is given by the Huntington as owner of the physical property rights only, and researchers must also obtain permission from the holder of the literary rights. In some instances, the Huntington owns the literary rights, as well as the physical property rights. Researchers may contact the appropriate curator for further information.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Lewis Crum Bidamon Collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Scope and Content

The majority of the collection is made up of the business and legal papers of Lewis Crum Bidamon (125 pieces, 1837-1889), his brother John C. Bidamon (26 pieces, 1840-1850), and his son Charles E. Bidamon (32 pieces, 1892-1941).

Lewis Crum Bidamon (1807-1891), Virginia-born settler of Canton, Illinois, at one time served as Lt. Col. of the 32nd Regiment of Illinois Infantry (and was known as Major for the remainder of his life). In 1846, just as the Mormons were being driven out, Bidamon moved to Nauvoo, Ill. There, on Dec. 27, 1847, he married Emma (Hale) Smith (1804-1879), widow of the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith.

Bidamon engaged in various businesses in Nauvoo, including selling stock for the Warsaw & Rockford Railroad Company (1853-1856) and operating the Nauvoo House, an hotel whose construction was begun by Joseph Smith and completed by Lewis and his wife. Bidamon was also greatly involved in acquiring land in Nauvoo.

Of interest in the collection are the papers of Emma (Hale) Smith Bidamon and her son Joseph Smith (1832-1914). Joseph Smith was the founder and lifelong President of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Those items of note are listed below.

The correspondence of Charles E. Bidamon contains a series of letters regarding his attempts to sell the Nauvoo House during the period 1905-1909. In this connection he corresponded with Heman Conoman Smith (Historian of the Reorganized Church) and Joseph Fielding Smith (President of the Utah Mormon Church).

Interesting Items

BIDAMON, Emma (Hale) Smith. Letter to Lewis Crum Bidamon, following letter to Bidamon from David Titus (?). 1871, June 24
HALE, David. Letter to Emma (Hale) Smith Bidamon. 1873, Feb. 12-15
ILLINOIS. Courts. Hancock County Circuit Court. Agreement in case Phineas Kimball vs. Joseph Smith, et al in favor of Emma (Hale) Smith Bidamon and her children. 1851, July 23
ILLINOIS. Courts. Hancock County Circuit Court. To Melgar Couchman: Order to sommon Nathan Prentice, Emma (Hale) Smith Bidamon, Lewis Crum Bidamon, Joseph Smith f, et al. 1849, Aug. 28
McCALLUM, Josepha (Smith)? (daughter of Joseph Smith f). Letter to Emma (Hale) Smith Bidamon. 1871, Dec. 12
MIDDLETON, Julia (Murdock) Dixon (adopted daughter of Emma & Joseph Smith c). 4 letters to Emma (Hale) Smith Bidamon. 1853-1873
SPENCER, Daniel & others. To Emma (Hale) Smith Bidamon: Request that debt of $1000 due John Robinson by Joseph Smith c be fulfilled. 1844, Aug. 22

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