10 July 1875


Retrenchment Association; Fourteenth Ward Meetinghouse, Salt Lake City, Utah Territory

White building with wood trim, Salt Lake City, circa 1890

Salt Lake City Fourteenth Ward meetinghouse and assembly hall, circa 1890. (Courtesy Church History Library.)

[. . .]

Counselor Miss E. R Snow said—In compliance with the request made by Mrs [Mary Isabella Hales] Horne I will give a synopsis of our visit south. We have been absent two weeks and two days. We went in the company of President Young and several of the Apostles and elders going in their company we did not anticipate so much time given to the sisters to hold meetings. We left here on Friday and went as far as Nephi and stayed over Sunday. On Monday we went to Sanpete where a meeting was held by the brethren. Tuesday went to Moroni President [Brigham] Young told me to make arrangements for a meeting for the sisters and as many as the bretheren as wished to attend; we had an excellent meeting after the sisters had spoken the President of the Relief Society [Jane A. Bailey] requested Sister Horne to preside Sister Horne then called upon President Young to speak he spoke to a considerable length as it was the first time he had preached since leaving home. We then went to Mount Pleasant where a meeting was held for all President Young spoke of <the> building <of> temples <and> Home Industry. He said he had little hope of this people as they were partaking of the Spirit of the world; but he thanked God another people was being raised up to bear off this Kingdom if this people would not, He [n.p.] asked the saints of that place if they wanted to have a temple built as he had come to select a piece of ground for one. By the next afternoon the President had learned that the people there had engaged a Presbyterian Minister to teach their children he having one hundred and ten scholars. The President spoke upon this subject to some length—you can see the people there were fast going to sleep. The sisters also held a meeting there I told them I would rather a child of mine should never know its alphabet than to attend the school of those who were not Latter Day Saints. On Thursday and Friday a place was located for the building of a temple. Friday morning we sisters went to Fort Ephraim and held a meeting at that place seven apostles two bishops and one elder were baptised. Brother [Daniel H.] Wells baptised and and President Young confirmed them. While this holy ordinance was being attended to, my sisters who are so faithful in coming to these meetings and attend to their duties came into my mind and I thought they would be ready to receive all those blessings as they came along. On Sunday evening the brethren started home. We sisters went back to Gunnison we held a meeting on Monday afternoon for the Relief Society and one in the evening for the young sisters. We then went to Levan and held a meeting. We returned to Nephi and organized the young ladies and girls, there was over one hundred organized it was a beautiful sight to see so many of them. We then went to Santaquin and held a meeting some of the people coming from Payson took sisters [Elizabeth A.] Howard and [Elvira S.] Barney home with them Sister Horne and myself staying over night at Santaquin. The next morning we held a meeting in Payson and in the afternoon we held a meeting in Spanish Fork The sisters in that place are in excellent spirits, they having <have> been making an effort at sericulture but met with very little encouragement we stayed there over night and went to Springville on Saturday morning we held a meeting there for <with> the brethren and sisters we went to Provo and attended the meeting on Sunday morning and arrived home in the evening. On arriving home I found a note soliciting my company to the terminus of the Southern Railroad the next morning with the minister and his wife of Greece, whose acquaintance I had made while there, the lady was very anxious to know of the people and seemed well pleased with what I told her I had also the pleasure of bearing my testimony to her of the truth of this Gospel. Her father was the first to publish the Book of Mormon; she being very young at that time knew nothing of this people. God bless you my sisters sustain Home Industry and Zion [n.p.] will be established and we will then be an independant people.

Counselor Mrs E. Howard said—I can bear my testimony to the remarks of Sister Snow she has given a vivid description of our visit south. There were fourteen meetings held by the sisters and twenty six in all. [. . .] [n.p.]

Source Note

Retrenchment Association, Meeting Minutes (1871–1874), n.p., CHL (CR 129 1); Margaret M. Groo, Secretary.

See also “Home Affairs,” Woman’s Exponent 4, no. 5 (15 July 1875): 29.

Cite this page

10 July 1875, Retrenchment Association; Fourteenth Ward Meetinghouse, Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, The Discourses of Eliza R. Snow, accessed March 19, 2024 https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/eliza-r-snow/1870s/1875/07/1875-07-10