March 1897


1 March 18971 • Monday

Sugar House Ward Weather pleasant, clowdy some.

I attended to Considerable business and [p. 143] attended Prest Woodruffs 90th birth day celebration in Salt Lake Tabernacle. Shook hands with Prest. Woodruff & wife.

Went out on horse back in evening to meet Geo. & Newel who were bringing in a couple of loads of hay. Roads extremely bad. Met them near race track & had them put both teams on one wagon & go into City arriving there at 11 P.M. Slept at Abrams.

2 March 1897 • Tuesday

S. L. City. Snowing when I got up at 5 A.M. & 4 or 5 in. wet snow on mud. Newel & I took both teams & went back after the other load. Georgie came home on train. We got into Abrams about 8:40 A.M. After breakfast we unloaded two loads baled hay greased wagons &c discovered a broken skin on my wagon & had to take it to the Shop & get new skin & boxing & loaded a few things amounting to about 500 lbs.

In the evening Newel, Georgina Watt, Hattie Doremus & I & Henry Doremus went over to Jennie Thornley Aldous’ & heard the Graphaphone

3 March 1897 • Wednesday

S.L. City Weather clowdy & cold.

Newel & I left Town by teams at 7 A.M. & arrived home at 6 P.M. Dinnered at Spencers. [p. 144]

4 March 1897 • Thursday

Inauguration Day.

Tooele Weather Sun shine & clowdy some snow. <cold at night.> I hitched up my young mares & took hay over to horses at field, got 12½ bu seed wheat of John Marsden & took it to Mill for grist to be cleaned, brought grist home, hauled lum. from Sheds to house, piled lumber, rep. stable &c. Mr Shaffer continues work on the house on porches. Folks pretty well.

5 March 1897 • Friday

Tooele Weather windy & cold.

I sand papered porch materials & cut out & put up north west porch ceiling & cut out the boards for the Ceilings of the other porches. Spent the evening home writing

6 March 1897 • Saturday

Tooele Weather windy & cold.

I recorded blessings, put window lights in window, Had H. S. Gowans take dimensions of house to insure it.

7 March 1897 • Sunday

Tooele Weather Stormy, wind & Snow.

I fasted & attended School afternoon & Evening meeting & Prayr circle & council meeting at Bro Lymans where Peter Nelson was chosen fore one of the seven presedents of the 43 Quorum of Seventies. At School I spoke in Theological [p. 145] class & offered the Benediction.

In meeting, By request of parents, I blessed the female child of J. P. Skelton & wife the only child blessed Although Apostle Lyman & Prest. Gowans was present. In Circle by request of Prest Gowans took Jos. C Orme through [4 words redacted]. Wrote letter to Mother, wrote in Journal &c.

8 March 1897 • Monday

Tooele Weather pleasant. Snow melting. I put ceiling in three porches, Hitched up young mares & went to mill & got my seed wheat 12 bu. In the evening I went up to Geo. Speirs by appointment to examine accounts of Sec. & Treas. of Ward Corporation, Got out names of dead to do work for them in the temple. Mr Shaffer came up from Grantsville in the evening. My Wife & I are preparing to Go to the Temple this week to get our [2 words redacted relating to a temple ordinance] & do work for the dead.

9 March 1897 • Tuesday

Tooele Weather cold.

I worked on the porches with Mr. Shaffer in forenoon & in afternoon went to Town and Staid at Sarah’s. Called on Aunt Alice Watt at Polleys & got written permission to do work for the dead. [p. 146]

10 March 1897 • Wednesday

S. L. City Weather cold & stormy

My Sister Minerva & her husband B F Knowlton met my wife & I at temple and worked for us We were each endowed for one & Alice & I were Sealed for three Couples.

11 March 1897 • Thursday

S. L. City. Weather cold & changable.

We continued work in temple & were endowed for four & Alice & I sealed for two couples. Frank Steed & Alices Sisters Mariar & Annie met us & did work for the Robinson family.

12 March 1897 • Friday

S. L. City Weather same as above cold & wintry. Staid at Dr Stephens last night & Willard & wife, Nerva & Frank were there for the evening. I started off in the morning without my Temple record & had to go back & ca[t]ching Pen. Car got to Temple at 9 A.M. Alice & I received our [2 words redacted relating to a temple ordinance] & were sealed for one couple for whom Frank & Nerva were endowed this day. Staid at Sarahs & did work on Temple records.

13 March 1897 • Saturday

S. L. City Weather cold. Very cold last night Alice Nerva & baby & I returned home [p. 147] George & Joel met us with team & carriage I wrote Mother & Alice Ann & sent the latter 9 couples to do Temple work for.

Took hay to field to horses. Sold a half acre of water to Bro G A Rimington for $30.00 Recorded in New Family record the records of the family, wrote up Journal &c.

14 March 1897 • Sunday

Tooele Weather most pleasant of the Season thus far. I attended School & Y.M. M I Conference of the Stak[e] in afternoon & evening & closed the Conference by prayr. Was mouth at Circle. Recorded three blessings &c.

15 March2 1897 • Monday

Tooele Weather pleasant, indications of opening spring. All well. Our jersey cow calved & we gave the calf to J. O. Dunn. I rocked up cess pool, gave blessing to Hugh Hugo Grollchlick of Grantsville Did Some writing in the evening.

16 March 1897 • Tuesday

Tooele Weather pleasant

I had George helping me & in forenoon we hauled two loads of rock & hauled to mill 78 bu. wheat with two teams. In afternoon I met with the High Priests & Apostle Lyman. [p. 148] Prest. Gowans & Prest C L Anderson were present and about a dozen elderly brethren were called in & ordained High Priests I was mouth in ordaining John Adams & Richard Henwood. Others ordained were Alex Fraser, Geo Mallet, Jerrymiah Whitehouse R. Warburton, F. X. Lougy, John England A. J. Isgren & James Dunn. After meeting Bro. Lyman, Prest Gowans, Prest Anderson & I repaired to Elder Lymans house where we held council meeting & decided among other things to meet once a mo. on 1st Sat of Mo. at 10 A.M. when Stake Priesthood convenes, went as a Presedency to consider the interests of the Stake.

In the evening gave blessing to Sister Walker of Clover. Did some work on records of dead & wrote to Mother. All well.

17 March 1897 • Wednesday

Tooele Weather pleasant most the day. Hauled wheat to mill & hauled rock & finished cess pool. In the evening I attended Dist. meeting at Geo. Judd’s, & spoke. &c.

18 March 1897 • Thursday

Tooele Weather stormy.

I took hay to horses at field & brought [p. 149] straw back. Cleaned up lumber &c. about New house & borrowed scraper to level up about house. In the evening read account of Corbett Fitssimmons fight. Called on Bro Craner &c. Repaired wagon &c.

19 March 1897 • Friday

Tooele. Weather blustery.

I hauled manure all day. Did some writing in the evening.

20 March 1897 • Saturday

Tooele Weather Stormy.

I hauled manure all day to a finish including pig pens. Prepared pen for Sow to pig. Sow had 10 pigs, one died.

21 March 1897 • Sunday

Tooele Weather Stormy nearly all day & cold. Several inches of snow fell.

I attended Tooele School & offered the opening prayr. Took my young mares on buggy & Joseph C. Orme with me & went to Batesville where we held an[n]ual Ward Conference. I spoke about 25 min. & then presented the Authorities & Jos. followed for about 25 minutes. Between School & meeting I gave blessing to Sarah Luella Henwood. Retired early in the evening. [p. 150]

22 March 1897 • Monday

Tooele Weather clear, warm during the day & warm but cold in morning & night I hauled sand all day. Spent the evening at hom[e] reading & writing. Mr. Shaffer came up in the evening from Grantsville.

23 March 1897 • Tuesday

Tooele Weather pleasant. Not very warm Snow still on Ground. Hauled sand in forenoon for plastering & in afternoon plowed & scraped about the New house. Broke the Scraper at 5 P.M. I took it to Gallaher’s shop & got it repaired at a cost of 50 cts Read the paper in the evening. I received letters from Nerva & Mother & Mailed blessings to Elijah Larkin & Wife at St. John & a Brother at Grantsville.

24 March 1897 • Wednesday

Tooele Weather moderating.

I leveled up about house with team & scraper & hauled sand.

25 March 1897 • Thursday

Got up at 4:30 & recorded 3 blessings.

Tooele Weather warm. Snow going. I dug lime hole on South side of hous[e] & put the dirt 6 loads about the house & moved lime & boxes from North to South side. Retired early in evening. [p. 151]

26 March 1897 • Friday

Tooele Weather Clowdy.

I hauled gravel & graded up about the house assisted Mr Shaffer in setting porch steps. Tenders mixed morter preparitory to plastering. Alvin Watkins Painter Came from Salt Lake to commence painting. All well.

27 March 1897 • Saturday

Tooele Weather warm & fine but about 5 in of new snow fell during the night past. I assisted Painter & plasterer in getting started to work. Commenced plastering & painting I replanted tree, hauled gravel &c.

Attended theatre in the evening. Folks Well.

28 March 1897 • Sunday

Tooele Weather heavy wind in A.M. Snow afternoon. I attended School, meeting & Circle. Recorded Several blessings

29 March 1897 • Monday

Tooele Weather cold & stormy.

Painting & plastering continued. Mr Shaffer arrived at eleven oclock A.M.

I put my gang plow in repair, put divisions in pig pens & prepared pens for sows to have pigs & took hay to field to horses & brought Bummer back.

Spent the evening writing [p. 152]

30 March 1897 • Tuesday

Tooele Weather very cold.

I hauled nine loads of dirt & filled in about house. Georgie helped me & towards evening he rode his pony over & took my horses out of the Larson field & put them in the Bench on Parker field. In the evening I read the papers. Did some writing.

31 March 1897 • Wednesday

Tooele Weather Cold, Froze hard last night. My boy Geo & I hauled gravel with two teams to fill in about the house in forenoon & in afternoon made ready & went out with four horses & gang plow & commenced plowing about 5 P.M. the first of the Season. In the evening I I attended lesser Priesthood meeting & talked to the boys & after meeting assisted in ordaining a number of deacons & Teachers. Was mouth in ordaining my son George a Teacher also Frank atkin & Matthias L. Nelson I also ordained to the Office of a Deacon, Elmer Bates, Dan’l J. Barry & Leroy Nix.

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March 1897, The Journal of George F. Richards, accessed March 19, 2024 https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1890s/1897/1897-03