The Deseret Reckoning - Matthew L. Huffman

Jul 31, 2026

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A Smithsonian acquisitions assistant, Susan Kingsley, balances daily museum cataloging with strained personal circumstances while commuting in 1982 Washington, DC. When Alfred Steggeman from a small Ohio museum calls, she is asked to review recently acquired letters tied to Utah origins. The correspondence, spanning 1868 to 1870 and linked to Margaret Chapman’s estate, offers intriguing leads beyond local Ohio history. As professional duties and private tensions collide, Susan is pulled toward deeper investigation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages247

Reading Time6 h 20 min

AccessFree to download

Chapter 1

Susan: Washington DC, July 1982

Museum acquisitions and research work

A call about newly acquired letters

THE DESERET RECKONING Matthew L. Huffman Copyright 2023, Matthew L. Huffman, all rights reserved ISBN: 9798861994903 [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author ’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. While similar to real places and people, the names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals who may be the inspiration for characters. Any other resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. I realize that although based in part on actual events, some real-life persons may have different memories or different opinions of the events in question. Write your own book. [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Chapter 1 Susan: Washington DC, July 1982 The commute wasn’t long enough most days. Susan Kingsley secretly hoped the train to the Smithsonian complex on the Capitol Mall would take longer than the usual hour and a half. It was her best time to read. Today, she longed for another ten minutes. Susan looked down at her watch, a stainless steel banded and goldrimmed Citizen her father had given her for her thirtieth birthday. That was five years ago. She glanced up from her book and out the window of the second car, listening for the last signal crossing to fade, and clutched the thick cardboard-bound research text. It was part of her job at The Smithsonian Museum, Historical Acquisitions Department. Collections and Acquisitions Assistant Specialist, American History. Middle management. Despite the lengthy job title, one of the perks was travel. And the acquisition of historical artifacts. Days in the office were quieter and more productive than the days spent on the road, collecting museum pieces. And they were more productive than days spent at home preparing briefs and catalog reports. Today was like many others, tying up loose ends from a collection of black and white photographs by Egbert Fowx from the Civil War to be on permanent display in the Smithsonian's American History Wing, the hall of fame for any other history museum. After a predictable commute and a focused walk from the train station to her office, Susan spent the majority of the morning reviewing the final cataloging process for the photos, then lunch at her desk alone. The afternoon seemed to drag on with meetings, an awkward hallway conversation with her boss, and expense reports from last week’s travel. The hustle and bustle of the Northeast always put her on edge. She was just preparing to leave for the day when the phone in her office rang. She picked up on the second ring.“Acquisitions.” "Oh, hello, this is Alfred Steggeman from the Cambridge, Ohio History Museum. Is this a bad time?" "Not at all, Mr. Steggeman. What can I help you with?" Susan was, in fact, clearing her desk and taking home a text on the War of 1812. She hoped to finish reading it on the train ride home if she could manage to leave the office on time. "I was referred to you by a supporting member of the museum. He said you might be interested in some letters we've recently acquired." Susan paused, set down her purse, and opened a new file to record the details of the call. She started with the date, July 22nd, 1982, and sat back in her chair. "What's the backstory with these letters? Tell me a little more, please." "We're a small museum, mostly late 1830s pioneer-type stuff, a few McCormick Farmall tractors in the open-air barns, and a refurbished apple press. We put on a demonstration at the annual Pioneer Festival on the third Saturday in October. You should see the crowd. It's become a tradition to drink cider, walk through the leaves, and almost every year, a young couple gets engaged." "That's very nice, Mr. Steggeman. About the apple cider, I mean. You mentioned some letters." Susan brushed her hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. If Mr

FAQs

Who is Susan Kingsley in the story?

Susan Kingsley works at the Smithsonian Museum in the Historical Acquisitions Department as a collections and acquisitions assistant specialist.

What triggers Susan’s involvement with the newly acquired letters?

Alfred Steggeman calls her after being referred by a supporting museum member, asking for help regarding letters the Cambridge, Ohio History Museum recently received.

Where do the letters originate and what time period do they cover?

The letters originate from Utah and are dated from November 1868 to the last letter in October 1870.

Jul 31, 2026

Upload by Rowan