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William Bowker Preston (1830-1908), prominent Mormon pioneer leader and fourth Presiding Bishop of the LDS Church, was born in Virginia of a family of Scots-Irish immigrants. In 1852, after a youth spent farming and working as a store clerk, Preston joined the California gold rush. His professed motives were not to mine, but rather to observe the social and economic effects of the phenomenon. After satisfying his curiosity, he settled down as a farmer and stockman in Yolo County.
The most dramatic and significant part of his life was just beginning, for among his neighbors were the Thatcher family, Mormons from Utah, who converted him to their faith. Romance blossomed between him and Harriett Thatcher and they married early in 1858 shortly after their arrival in Salt Lake City in response to Brigham Young's call. During the "Utah War," Preston was active in preparing resistance to the Federal troops and in conveying supplies to Utah from the East.
In 1859 Preston joined the Thatchers in establishing the Mormon colony in Cache Valley, Utah, where he was appointed the first bishop. During subsequent years, he served in the British Mission, the Territorial Legislature and as Presiding Bishop for Cache Valley. In 1884 he succeeded Bishop Edward Hunter as Presiding Bishop of the LDS Church and continued in that capacity until poor health forced his resignation in 1907. He died in Salt Lake City in 1908.
The Papers of William B. Preston are a significant supplement to the Preston papers at the Library-Archives of the LDS Church. Chronologically, they are mostly confined to the period 1891-1894 and the bulk of the collection consists of business correspondence with his partner L. H. Martineau and his son, Lee Preston, who acted as his agents in many aspects of running his businesses. The businesses concerned include the Central Milling and Elevator Company, the Preston Stock and Dairy Company and the Cache Stake Bishop's Storehouse. Another interesting series of letters is from J. B. Thatcher, Jr., reporting news and requesting advice regarding the Mormon settlement of Afton, in Uintah County, Wyoming.
Finally, the collection includes a large group of business receipts and land records. These documents record a wide range of Preston's business transactions and offer an important glimpse into the economy of northern Utah in the 1890s.
William Bowker Preston Papers, 1887-1891, Utah State Historical Society.
Gift of James B. Preston
The William Bowker Preston 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.