B0029 Stephen Selwyn Harding Papers, 1862-1901 A Register of the Collection at the Utah State Historical Society Utah State Historical Society 1999 Finding aid encode in EAD 1.0 by Craig Ringgenberg using XMetaL 1.0, 1999. Finding aid written in English.

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Utah State Library Division. Utah State Historical Society 1999
Salt Lake City, Utah

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Summary Description Utah State Historical Society Mss B 29 Harding, Stephen Selwyn, 1808-1891 Stephen Selwyn Harding Papers, 1862-1901 0.5 lin. ft. (1 box) Letters to and from Harding, who was governor of Utah Territory 1862-1863, dated 1862-1901. Topics: Church and state -- Mormon Church. Organizations: Utah (Territory). Places: Colorado -- Politics and government. Utah -- Politics and government. Utah -- Officials and employees. Background Background Note

Stephen S. Harding served as Governor of Utah Territory from 1862 to 1863. He was born 28 February 1808 to David and Abigail Hill Harding in Ontario County, New York. His family moved to Indiana to farm in 1820. Harding was licensed to practice law in 1828 and in 1830 he married Avoline Sprout. They had ten children. In the 1840's, Harding became involved in anti-slavery and Indiana politics as a member of the Whig Party and later as a Republican.

President Lincoln appointed him Territorial Governor of Utah Territory in March, 1862, and he arrived in Salt Lake City on 7 July of that year. He resigned as governor on 30 May 1863 due to difficulties with the Mormons and an appointment as Consulate to Chile. He left Utah Territory on 11 June 1863, but could not accept the foreign position due to the health of his wife. Harding was offered an appointment as Chief Justice of Colorado and took office on 10 July 1863. He served in that capacity until 1 January 1865. Harding's later years were spent as a lawyer in Milan, Versailles, and Lawrenceburg, Indiana. He died on 12 February 1891.

 Scope and Content

The Harding Collection consists primarily of letters written by Stephen S. Harding or his children between 1862 and 1901. The letters include ones written while Harding served as a public official in Utah and Colorado. The collection also contains some miscellaneous biographical material on Harding and his home in Milan, Indiana.

 Administrative Information Preferred Citation:

Stephen Selwyn Harding Papers, 1862-1901, Utah State Historical Society.

Acquisition Information:

Gift of Helen M. West.

 Restrictions on Use

The Stephen Selwyn Harding Papers, are the physical property of the Utah Historical Society, Salt Lake City, Utah. Literary rights, including copyright, may belong to the authors or their heirs and assigns. Please contact the Historical Society for information regarding specific use of this collection.

Processing Information: Collection processed by Gary Topping Finding aid compiled by Gary Topping Finding aid edited by Linda Thatcher, 2000 Collection cataloged by Richard Saunders, 1988 (RLIN ID: UTSX88-A58). Finding aid encoded for the World Wide Web by Craig Ringgenberg, 1999. Separations

Photographs have been removed to Mss C 29.

 Bibliography

Territorial Papers-Utah Series, 30 April 1853 to 3 January 1873 U.S. State DepartmentNational Archives (MIC 59-60)

Stephen S. Harding Journals of the Legislative Assembly (12th)

Wilber J. Harding The Hardings in America Keystone, Iowa The Harding Printing Company 1925

 Container list Box Folder Contents Correspondence and miscellaneous items 1 1 One letter to Harding's children from cousin Edd (Williams) who was at a military hospital for Union soldiers in Parkersburg, Virginia, dated 26 March 1862. 1 2 Seven letters written by Harding's son Attila L. (Till): One to his mother from Salt Lake City dated 24 October 1862; Five addressed to his sister Anna between 1 November 1862 and 16 April 1891; One to his sister Allicen dated 26 July 1901. 1 3 Fifteen letters written by Stephen S. Harding. Thirteen were written to his daughter Anna between 28 October 1862 and 30 October 1879. One dated 9 March 1863 was addressed to his wife and children, and one dated 7 February 1872 to his children. 1 4 Three letters written by Harding's daughter Anna between 31 January 1891 and 12 February 1891, the day of Harding's death. They were addressed to her husband, James Harvey Connelly, and her children. A prose composition entitled "Look on the Bright Side" by Anna, undated. 1 5 Miscellaneous Items 1 5 1 Speech given by Harding as Chief Justice of Colorado on 22 February 1864. 1 5 2 Newspaper clippings dealing with the publication of two of Harding's letters from Colorado in 1864 as reported in the Indianapolis Star in June and July 1928. 1 5 3 An obituary of Harding's daughter Anna from the Baptist Observer of Indianapolis and Greensburg, Indiana dated 15 August 1906. 1 5 4 Obituary of Stephen S. Harding by Major Cravens which appeared in the Ripley Journal, Osgood, Indiana, dated 19 February 1891. 1 5 5 A "Reward of Merit" card from Anna Harding to Churchill, n.d. 1 6 Miscellaneous biographical material on Harding and his home in Milan, Indiana from various sources.