May 1895


1 May 1895 • Wednesday

Tooele Weather unsettled.

I had a man helping me half the day & sold over $60.00 worth of hay during the day & received but $5.00 cash on same. Jos. Henson & Georgie did some work on pasture fence H Larson field. I Talked with Charles Simpson & Wm Kaighn of Salt Lake through telephone and assumed debt of Simpson in connection with Mr McCuistion ($57.65) McCuistion & I having Signed Charles Simpson’s bond of appeal & Kaighn threatened to bring action against us. In the even[p. 119]ing I did some writing & recorded Blessing given to Abraham H. Cannon.

2 May 1895 • Thursday

Tooele Weather clowdy.

I sold several loads hay & delivered one. put up wire fence between Apricot orchard & lucern west. Rode over to my pasture & put hooks on gate. Attended Fast meeting and offered the closing prayr. Looked over the papers in the Parmer [Palmer] case going up to 1st Presidency. In the evening I took team & buggy & Alice & three little girls & went down to the sheep yards & bought a sack of wool. Attended to the irrigating and in the evening recorded Rebecca Yates blessing.

3 May 1895 • Friday

Tooele Weather pleasant.

I used irrigating water, repaired headgates, Joel, Georgie & I went over to my H Larsen pasture & hung well buckets & set trough for watering horses, took two three of our horses up in canyon. It was 9:30 P.M. when Geo. & I got back from canyon.

4 May 1895 • Saturday

Tooele Weather pleasant A shower about 1 P.M. Prest Gowans accompanied me to Grantsville where we attended Stake Priesthood & both talked. Put up team at Bp. J. L. Wrathall’s and took dinner with him. I sold 2½ tons hay [p. 120] to J. S. Lee for a hay rack. Used Kelsey water. In the evening I shaved, bathed & retired early.

5 May 1895 • Sunday

Tooele Weather pleasant.

I Attended School at Tooele & offered the benediction. Attended meeting & prayr circle Looked through journal for ordination of Gustave Anderson of Clover & others by request of John Gillespie. Alice feeling blue I staid home with her in evening. Impressed upon My Son George the importance of keeping a Journal.

6 May 1895 • Monday

Tooele Weather fine.

I Attended to Several small jobs, presented matter pertaining to school moneys before the Court, Had George got to Basin pasture for horses & I went over to my H. Larsen pasture & watered horses. In the afternoon we took horses in canyon & did not get home until 9:30 P.M. Used City water.

7 May 1895 • Tuesday

Tooele Weather fine & warm.

I sowed about 6 acres of lucern & had teams harrow it it [in]. Hauled hay in to barn loft, sold hay, repaired forks, put handle in hammer &c. Philip Kirks’ wife aged 74 years & Father Meikle John being & lying dead at their homes & learning of the fact about 6 P.M. I went & [p. 121] saw them & spoke comforting words to the mourners.

8 May 1895 • Wednesday

Tooele Weather warm.

I repaired fence & bridge & put handle in harness I shaved and attended the funeral of Sister Kirk aged 74 yrs. at meeting house and was by request on[e] of the speakers. Talked for about a half hour. H. B. Haynes was 1st H. S. Gowans third & last speaker. Accompanied remains to Cemetery & afterward pruned the trees in South field.

9 May 1895 • Thursday

Tooele Weather cool & pleasant I worked in garden in forenoon and in the afternoon attended the funeral of Father Robt. MeikleJohn. Marched at the head of the procession with John Gillispie, Prest. of the High Priests Quorum from Residence to meeting House Spoke for 25 minutes the last of five speakers. From Cemetery accompanied Prest. Gowans to Sister Feller’s where we heard complaint between her & man who had the place on shares (August Vorwaller) & settle amicably the matter of difference. Took Alice bugy riding in early evening & with Geo. A. Rimingtons assitance revised Kelsey Ditch Tickets until twelve oclock mid night. Folks pretty well. [p. 122]

10 May 1895 • Friday

Tooele Weather quite cool and pleasant. I pruned my young trees on home lots & had Geo. & Joel working in straw berries in fore noon. I plowed amo[n]gst grape vines here on Ranch also finished plowing garden & with boy’s help raked it over ready for planting. I plowed ditch in South field to conduct water & plowed ditches to Box Elder trees set out this spring. Received letter from Abram asking me to get him a mate for Arab. Spent the evening writing & reading.

11 May 1895 • Saturday

Tooele Weather fine.

I went to LakeView to try & get horse for Abram to mate his Arab. Talked with Peter Clegg about his horse & wrote Abram results. Sold two loads of hay. Accompanied Prest. Gowans to Vernon in afternoon where we put up with Bp. J. C. Sharp and in the evening attended a meeting with Bishoprick & three others of the brethren to settle water troubles. The trouble being particularly between the Bp. & his Con. E. J. Pehrson continued over visited the meadow creek & place of disputed rights. Talked with Bp. Sharp about buying a gold watch. Retired after 11 P.M.

12 May 1895 • Sunday

Vernon, Utah.

Tooele Weather fine. Prest. Gowans & I occupied same bed at [p. 123] Bp. Sharp’s last night. After breakfast with team & carriage went down through fields investigating streams, dams, springs &c. Attended School & after school met with and talked to the teachers. Spoke 30 minutes at meeting. After meeting met the brethren again in council where we continued until 6:30 P.M. & gave a decision in regard to water trouble which seemed to be satisfactory & the parties promised to agree to it. I offered the family prayr in the morning at Bp. Sharps and after School by request accompanied Prest. Gowans to Patriarch Israel Bennions & Administered to his little boy afflicted with quinsey Prest H. S. G. Anointing & I confirming the anointing. Took supper at Bro. Pehrsons E. J. & left for home at 6:50 P.M. Arrived home at 11 P.M. Took Kelsey water & retired at 12:20 oclock. Folks well.

13 May 1895 • Monday

Tooele Weather warm & pleasant.

I used the Kelsey water, the Cemetery water and the City water. Made ditches &c Sold hay & made collections Rec’d letter from Stephen and answered same. Assisted My Son George in starting his Daily Record, looking up items in his life of the twelve years past. Shingled the boys’ hair. Did some writing in the evening. [p. 124]

14 May 1895 • Tuesday

My wife’s 31st birth day.

Tooele Weather warm.

I used the Kelsey water, cleaned ditches, sold hay &c. towards evening I took Alice and three little girls buggy riding. Folks all well.

15 May 1895 • Wednesday

Tooele Weather fine but warm.

I attended to the irrigating, Went down to Sheep pens & got nine fleeces of wool. Sheared my 1st sheep took me 32 minutes. Repaired fence & worked water ditch. Received letter from Abram & wrote to Mr. Scribner & to Frank Cooley. Went over to pasture and watered horses.

16 May 1895 • Thursday

Tooele Weather warm.

I used Kelsey water irrigating and in the after noon went up the canyon to look after the horses. George Jr. accompanied me on Pinto.

17 May 1895 • Friday

Tooele Weather pleasant.

I used irrigating water all day. Dug up dead Walnut trees, plowed & harrowed among grape vines. Cleaned out ditches &c.

Mr. Scribner called to see me. The folks took a buggy ride in evening with buggy & gray team. All well.

18 May 1895 • Saturday

Tooele Weather cloudy part the day. Very warm. I used the Kelsey water Put stakes in grape vines & wires on stakes. [p. 125] Repaired windows. Got new water trough from Broad’s cost material & labor $6.75 Took trough over to my pasture & set it solid. With the boys help cleaned out cistern. Sold & loaded a load of hay to Walter Adamson. Shaved &c.

Letter from Mother & card from Nerva. Letter from Frank Cooley about horse.

19 May 1895 • Sunday

Tooele Weather pleasant & cloudy Light rain & thunder. I took my team and buggy & Prest. Gowans accompanied me to St. John where we put up team at Bp. Caldwell’s & attended School & meeting & we spoke in each. I took dinner with Counselor to Bp. John Alstrom & the Prest. took dinner with the Bishop. Called at Evan Morgan’s on our way home.

On our return home found the folks all excited over a run away horseback. Joel got thrown from Berdie mare into wire fence & got cut in several places & the mare also got cut. Retired early. Had Jos. Henson irrigating.

<While at St. Johns after School went with the brethren & administered to a sick lady. Aded [aged?] widow>1

20 May 1895 • Monday

Tooele Weather threatening of storm. I loaded hay & sent to Slagtown, used city & Cemetery water, wrote to Mrs. F. Warr of Eng. about Property here. Called at store & Post office. also shoe shop. Frank Barber called and [p. 126] asked advice of me. Read paper and retired early.

21 May 1895 • Tuesday

Tooele Weather warm.

I pruned grape vines & sold hay. After 7 P.M. took Alice & babies for a ride. All usually well. Besides my regular writing in the evening, I wrote to my Bro. Fred.

22 May 1895 • Wednesday

Tooele Weather pleasant.

I finished pruning grape vines south of the house and tied them up to wires, put uprights in two hay racks & sundry other chores.

Alice & children visited with Mary Ann Dunn in afternoon. Went to Store & shoe shop in evening but both were closed. <Wrote to mother in evening.>

23 May 1895 • Thursday

Tooele Weather pleasant.

I repaired hay racks all day, went down town and settled with Geo. Speirs store, & John England (Sho[e] shop) paid them over $60.00 Alice, Estella & Mary Jane Hammond took my team for a ride. Geo. Gee took them in canyon returning soon after noon.

In the evening I wrote to Jas. Gowans at Ophir & offered him 10.00 boot on horse trade. Letter from Nerva at Nephi.

24 May 1895 • Friday

Tooele Weather pleasant cold nights.

I took team, wagon, tools & material & went to [p. 127] Basin pasture & repaired fence. My son Geo. took his pony & drove animals out of pasture. Went up to Parkers & got lumber. Took my animals out of the H Larson field pasture & put them in the Parker field & arranged with Abel Parker to turn the water into the pipes. Attended a school Trustee’s meeting at J W Tates’ in the evening.

25 May 1895 • Saturday

Tooele Weather pleasant.

I got my hair cut by Alex. Gillespie, shaved & wrote to Abram & F Barber. Georgie & I went in canyon in afternoon to look after horses Had Charles Pocock working. Put the mower in repair & commenced the mowing of lucern. Newman Rimington called in the evening to see about making a change in city water time & while here took supper with us.

26 May 1895 • Sunday

Tooele Wind blowing all the past night & all day. With team & buggy and Prest. H. S. Gowans accompanying me went to Clover where we attended School and meeting & talked in both. I occupied 45 min. in meeting & spoke with freedom. Put my team up at Frank St. Jeor’s & took dinner with Bro. Gustave Anderson. After the meeting we called at Foster Gordon’s & James Gordon’s to learn when & by whom [p. 128] they were ordained High priests but failed to get the desired information. Lunched with Bro Jordan before starting home. The wind made it unpleasant traveling. Arrive home at 7:30 P.M. & went & got Alice & children from Mary Ann Dunn’s on my return.

Did some writing in the evening.

27 May 1895 • Monday

Tooele Weather cold in forenoon wind blowing cold from the north. About 2 P.M. it commenced to rain and rained most of the afternoon & night which was much needed as lucern was suffering & grain soon would have been.

I took the City water at 5 a.m. kelsey at 8 a.m. & Cemetery at 5:30 P.M. used the water, put head gate into ditch to take out Cemetery water. Started George to plowing on the bench for Jos. Henson. Plowed until noon. I brought my mares in from pasture to breed to Scribnes Shire horse & bred two of them.

28 May 1895 • Tuesday

Tooele Weather stormy in forenoon clear & cold in afternoon. I used the irrigating water, engaged hands for haying, Took Alice & little girls with me in buggy for a ride. Drove up to D. G. Adamson’s & let him have the lucern on the Bowden farm to put upon shares 1/2 each. Did my usual writing in the evening and retired early. [p. 129]

29 May 1895 • Wednesday

Tooele Weather Stormy in forenoon & fine in afternoon. I used the irrigating water and went up with Alice & Estella & fixed up the Cemetery lots lot & walks. Transplanted native Balsom tree to Centre of lot. Folks all well. Retired early.

30 May 1895 • Thursday

Tooele Decoration Day. Weather pleasant.

I used the irrigating water. Took folks down to Publick Square to see the Malitia Drill & up to Cemetery where we decorated grave & attended services. Speakers were Prest. H. S. Gowans, H. Marshall & Rev. Hooper. After Services went down to Jos. Henson’s field to get him to irrigate balance of the week but failed to get him. Alice accompanied me. Drove down to G. A. Rimington’s & hitched his horse in & tried him with a view to trading for him.

Folks all well.

31 May 1895 • Friday

Tooele Weather Stormy. Lots of rain fell during the night.

I attended to the irrigating all day. Wrote letters to A Stayner Jr. to Chas. Simpson both of S.L.C. With team & buggy before breakfast called on Jos. Tate, F. D. Horman [p. 130] Prest. Gowans & Wm. Elkington Retired at 9:30 & arose at 4 A.M.

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May 1895, The Journal of George F. Richards, accessed March 19, 2024 https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1890s/1895/1895-05