Reigster of the Susa Young Gates Papers,

Susa Young Gates was a strong woman. She was the first child born in the Lion House, the daughter of Lucy Bigelow, Susa rapidly showed herself to be one of the more distinctive of Brigham Young's nearly sixty children. She read and wrote continuously from an early age and was appointed editor, at fourteen, of The College Lantern at the University of Deseret.

She married Dr. Alma Dunford, a dentist, at sixteen but an unfortunate combination of alcohol on his part and extreme youth on hers led to a divorce six years later. Two children, Leah Eudora and Alma Bailey, were born to the couple. In 1879 Susa married Jacob F. Gates, an amiable man who permitted his wife to pursue her own interests, but who was also, as Susa asserted frequently, the master of their home. From this marriage came eleven children. Of her thirteen children, only five grew to maturity. Leah became a noted writer; a specialist in home economics; and the wife of John A. Widtsoe, educator, scientist, and apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Brigham Cecil Gates and Emma Lucy Gates Bowen were both trained to excel in music. B. Cecil was a founding father and managing director of the LDS School of Music; served as assistant conductor of the Tabernacle Choir; and made notable contributions as a composer. Lucy was educated in Berlin and sang with opera companies in Europe for several years before returning to the United States where her talent was widely recognized. For a time she and Cecil cooperated to run a touring opera company. Harvey Gates was an active screenwriter in California. Franklin, after teaching chemistry for a time, became one of the outstanding figures in the early days of radio.

The overwhelming impression left by Susa Young Gates is one of exceptional energy. She wrote innumerable articles on a myriad of subjects, most of which were published in Mormon Church sponsored journals such as the Woman's Exponent, Young Woman's Journal, and the Relief Society Magazine (the latter two of which she founded).

The foundation of Susa's life was the LDS Church, an institution which she loved and supported with uncompromising vigor. Her other guiding interests -- woman's suffrage, genealogy, history, education -- all stemmed from her love of the church. The Young Woman's Journal in October, 1929 reported that,

Mrs. Gates refused the post of secretary of the National Council of Women offered her by Susan B. Anthony if Mrs. Gates would only forsake her militant Mormonism. The price, said the Mormon writer, was too high.

Susa considered herself "one of the most dissatisfied members of my sex," ( Young Woman's Journal, October, 1894) which attitude probably motivated her long-time involvement in the woman's suffrage movement. She prided herself on having been one of the first women in the country to vote (1872) and had a long and happy association with the National and International Councils of Women. But her feminism did not exclude adherence to the patriarchal order contained in the doctrine of her church. At one point she expanded her philosophy:

I was once jokingly referred to by one of the Church authorities as the Thirteenth Apostle. He told me that if he could just breeches [sic] upon me, he would put me in the quorumn [sic] . . . .Apostle Lyman whose keen sense of humour was delightful to me, used to greet me sometimes with--'Jacob still boss, Susa?' 'He certainly is,' I would answer, 'if he were not, I would have left him long ago. No man with wishbones instead of backbones for me.' (SYG Collection)

Furthermore, she felt that woman's liberation was largely a matter of self motivation.

Women have all the liberty and privilege which they greatly wish. . . .They always have had, they always will have. It is quite as easy for women to secure the exercise of her rights and privileges as it is for men. As an individual and as a sex, she has had as many liberties and as many rights as she chooses to exercise. (SYG Collection)

Susa had, obviously, strong and definitely stated opinions rooted in a basically pragmatic soul. An interesting item found among her personal papers is an IOU from her husband which promises to "pay to Susa Young Gates Two Hundred Dollars with interest at one per cent per month from date without defalcation or discount." She took great pride in her family, particularly her father, and saw no reason not to use whatever resources were available to help loved ones.

But I do hope that John [Widtsoe, her son-in-law] will not hesitate to help Lew [Wallace, Widtsoe's son-in-law] get work here. He that will not help his own from some mistaken sentiment is, after all, a poor father. We are willing to give our children money, property, schooling, etc. etc. but we all make a fuss if we or any of our friends help children out in getting established in life. This, I cannot understand and never have. (SYG to Leah D. Widtsoe, 1/17/30)

Susa Young Gates was a remarkable woman who did a variety of things in remarkable ways. Indeed, speaking of her burial in a letter to John Widtsoe, she appears to recognize and take pride in a unique and independent spirit:

Certainly I object to dollars and dollars worth of flowers unless it is Summer time and there are some wild flowers that my grandchildren could pick, unless it is too much trouble. I am kind of a wild flower myself, you know. (SYG Collection)

1856Born in the Lion House, Salt Lake City on 18 March; daughter of Brigham Young and Lucy Bigelow Young1872Married Dr. Alma Dunford1877Official reporter and stenographer for dedicatory services, St. George Templeca.1877Divorced Dr. Dunford1878Organized music department at Brigham Young University, Provo1879Married Jacob F. Gates1885Lydia Knight's History1885Called to a church mission in the Sandwich Islands with her husband (to 1889)1889Attended convention of International Council of Women, London1889Appointed to General Board of Young Ladies Mutual Improvement Association (to 1911)1891Founded Utah Women's Press Club1892Appointed to Board of Trustees, Brigham Young University (to 1917)1897Organized domestic science department, Brigham Young University1898Organized Utah Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution1899National Chairman, Press Committee of the United States National Women's Council1902Only U.S. delegate to International Women's Congress, Copenhagen1905Appointed to Board of Utah State Agricultural College, Logan (to 1911)1909Wrote lesson manual on genealogy for the LDS Church1910John Steven's Courtship1911History of the Young Ladies Mutual Improvement Association1911Appointed to General Board of the Relief Society (to 1922)1914Official delegate to International Women's Congress, Rome1914Organized and edited Relief Society Magazine1915The Prince of Ur1918Surname Book and Racial History1922Asked by First Presidency of LDS Church to write history of women's activities in the church1923Appointed head of research and lesson work, Utah Genealogical Society1930The Life Story of Brigham Young, with Leah E. Dunford Widtsoe1933Died in Salt Lake City on 27 May

Printed chart available in collection.

The Susa Young Gates Collection, comprising eleven linear feet, includes family and general correspondence; a great deal of raw material on subjects relating generally to women, genealogy, Brigham Young, and aspects of Mormon history; and drafts of articles and longer works, notable her biography of her father ( The Life Story of Brigham Young) and the unpublished "History of Women" . In fact, there are several drafts of each of the latter works. The Brigham Young biography was originally written for her children and the earliest copies are by far the most interesting. In them she attaches faults and other distinguishing characteristics to members of her family, as when she asserts that Aunt Harriet was a shrew and Aunt Emmeline had a problem with drugs. However, by the final copy, such details were usually altered to avoid offense.

The drafts are sometimes very rough and are often handwriting and typing combined. Leah and John Widtsoe were utilized as critics of her work. Leah, in fact, is the co-author of The Life Story of Brigham Young. The manuscript for this work was originally rejected by publishers because it was too long and too heavily Mormon in tone. Leah assumed the task of making the biography acceptable to both the book-buying public and to Susa herself.

The manuscript for the women's history is a different situation. It was never published as a whole, although separate chapters were issued by the church as lessons or articles. The material in this part of the collection is organized according to outlines found among the papers, but these do not necessarily indicate Susa's vision of the final work.

The collection, from the earliest letter on, contains material from 1852 to 1933, the year Susa died. However, the bulk of family and general correspondence includes the 1920's plus or minus several years on each side. The manuscripts, both article and book, cover a much broader range. The raw material needed for her various projects, includes material from the founding of the Mormon Church in 1830 to Susa's death. It is a good collection, valuable not only for its scope and variety of material, but also for the insight it affords of Susa Young Gates, her life and times.

Restrictions on Access:

Restrictions on Access

Arrangement:

CorrespondenceFamily correspondence with Leah E. D. Widtsoe, John A. Widtsoe, Anne Widtsoe Wallace, Lew Wallace, Emma Lucy Gates Bowen, and others. General correspondence, including letters on temple work, genealogy, women, and details of daily life.

Creator:

Gates, Susa Young, 1856-1933.

Language:

English.

Sponsor:

Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, 2007-2008

Quantity:

22 boxes (11 linear ft.) and 18 reels of microfilm

Language of the Finding Aid:

Finding aid written in Englishin Latin script

EAD Creation Date:

1999.