Handwritten diaries with a typed copy of one volume. Martin kept diaries apparently in three volumes. The second and third volumes covering the time from 1854 to 1857 are found with the collection. A typed copy of the first diary covering the years from 1853 to 1854 is also included. Martin writes about his work as a missionary for the Mormon Church in England. He returned to the United States in 1857 and traveled by rail to Iowa City, Iowa. Martin writes in detail about preparation for the overland journey. He left Iowa City for Florence, Nebraska, where he continued the overland journey by ox team to Utah. The diary ends near Chimney Rock, Nebraska. Martin is a detailed diarist and describes travelling conditions and trail geography, his duties as captain, deaths from disease and accident, and several disputes within the company. Martin also gives a record of his expenses, the names of his family and their birthdates, and a list of addresses at the end of the diary.
