January 1876

EVENTS IN EMMELINE B. WELLS’S DIARY FOR 1876

17 February: Visited the Utah territorial legislature with other women.
5 April: Explosion at an arsenal shattered windows in her office and killed four people in the north section of the city.
19 April: Attended dedication of the “Ladies Home Industrial establishment” in Ogden with Brigham Young and others.
4 July: Salt Lake City held a grand centennial Fourth of July celebration.
5–6 July: Daughter Annie helped host the Ladies’ Centennial Territorial Fair, featuring home industries.
13 October: Prepared her first article on grain storage as head of the new movement.

Introduction, 1876

EBW generally divided her time between days working in the office of the Woman’s Exponent and evenings at home with family, attending socials, or catching a performance at the nearby Salt Lake Theatre. She continued supporting the ward Relief Society’s charitable outreach. She served on a planning committee under Eliza R. Snow for the Ladies’ Centennial Territorial Fair, which featured the products of home industries. She followed the legislature and attended the dedication of a women’s home industries building in Ogden with President Brigham Young, Eliza R. Snow, and other church leaders. When Brigham Young saw how effectively she wrote for a cause, he called her to promote the nascent grain storage movement. She started by writing a vigorous article for the 15 October 1876 issue of the Woman’s Exponent and continued rallying women to preserve grain over the next four decades.¹

Through her daughter Mell’s marriage to William Woods, EBW stayed in contact with the business and professional communities in Salt Lake City. When Will’s brother (also Daniel Wells’s nephew) Park Woods died, his body was brought to her house, where Park’s brothers from a fraternal lodge held a wake and Episcopal bishop Daniel S. Tuttle conducted the service.

1 January 1876 • Saturday

Jan. 1. 1876 We did not receive calls neither did any of our family, but a few people (young boys mostly) called in a friendly way;

2 January 1876 • Sunday

Sunday Jan 2. Went to meeting had company in the evening,

3 January 1876 • Monday

<Mon.> Jan 3. I had several persons here to spend the evening Em. [Emeline Whitney Wells] went up to Kittie Heywoods [Lucretia Heywood].

4 January 1876 • Tuesday

<Tues.> Jan. 4. Went out to spend the evening came home very early.

5 January 1876 • Wednesday

<Wednes.> Jan 5. Em. went to the Wasatch [Literary Association]–

6 January 1876 • Thursday

<Thurs. Jan 6.> Mr. [William C.] Hendrie² called to bid us good-by before going to ~~the~~ San Francisco.

7 January 1876 • Friday

Friday Jan. 7. Park [Woods] who was very ill since Sunday night with pneumonia is very much worse, he is dangerously ill. Will [William W. Woods] is nearly sick waiting upon him. His uncle³ has been to see him several times. Lile [Eliza Woods Wallin] who was confined a few days since is not able to see him at all.

8 January 1876 • Saturday

Sat. Jan. 8. Park died⁴ about twenty minutes past four Mell [Melvina Whitney Woods] and I went together to see him. We are going to have him brought to our house tomorrow. The funeral will take place on Monday.

9 January 1876 • Sunday

Sun. Jan. 9. Park was brought towards evening by the Red Men,⁵ two of them came to stay all night Hebe [Heber M. Wells] staid too. The Esquire⁶ came down and staid until real late. We had a very pleasant conversation he seemed much affected by Park’s death; it recalled his sister’s⁷ memory fresh and touched him deeply. Arza Hinckley Joshua [K. Whitney] and Carloss [Don Carlos Whitney] were here John [K. Whitney] too.

10 January 1876 • Monday

Mon. Jan. 10. The funeral was at ten o clock Bishop [Daniel S.] Tuttle presiding; the red men were also in attendance and performed their part of the [p. 57] burial service.

There has been considerable sickness during the last few weeks. Scarlet fever and diptheria are prevalent among children pneumonia among grown up people.

29 January 1876 • Saturday

Jan. 29. The Woman’s Centennial Executive Committee had a benefit at the theatre. The play of Gen. Putnam was performed, we had a 500 dollar house and cleared not quite 200. [p. 58]