April 1899

Tooele I went to field and started the boys to work Geo. Drilling & Legrand and Joel harrowing. I attended Stake Priesthood meeting at Tooele at 11 A.M. After meeting Prest. Anderson took Bro. Lyman & Prest. Gowans took me & we went to Batesville where we attended Ward Priesthood Meeting. Bp. Atkin & Counselors were present. After Stake Priesthood meeting the High Council met and decided on Charles Alvin Orme for Bishop of Batesville if acceptable to Batesville people. At Batesville the Priesthood accepted of Alvin Orme and signified their preferance for Counselors by writing the names of their choice upon slips of Paper. In the evening we met at Bro Lymans and decided upon Edw. Ekman & Ormus A. Bates as Counselors.

<This Day Eugene T Woolley brought the two cows from Grantsville which I bought of him last Monday through the phone at $35. each.>¹ [p. 294]

Weather stormy.

Home I went to Batesville with John K. and Charles Alvin Orme where an organization of the Batesville ward was effected with Alvin Orme Bishop, Edw. Ekman 1st & Ormus Bates 2nd Counselor. Jas. C. Wood Ward Clerk, Dykes Janitor and Ward teachers in the following order ordained and set apart as indicated below. Ormus Bates absent. Bros. Lyman & Gowans present. Chas Alvin Orme Ordained High Priest & Bishop & set apart to preside over Batesville ward by Apostle F. M. Lyman. Edw. Ekman Ordained & set apart by Prest Gowans. Jas C. Wood set apart Ward Clerk by G. F. R.

Orvia Bates Teacher <& high priest> By Bro. Lyman.

Geo Tate " "² H S Gowans

Paul Droubay " " Geo. F. Richards

Abraham Sorenson " " F. M. L.

Wm Bryan "³ H. S. G.

Earnest Wood " G. F. R.

Bro Dykes " F. M. L.

I opened meeting by prayr & made a few closing remarks. Sister Simpson was prayed for in meeting both in opening and closing. Bro Lyman went on to City I rode home with Prest Gowans. Wrote [p. 295] up my journal for several days back. wrote letter to Mother in morning.

Tooele Weather pleasant. I hauled manure in the forenoon and at 12 M & 2 P.M. attended the funeral services of Josephine Lindberg Rae & Dan’l Parrys little five year old girl. At the former I offered the opening prayr and at the latter I offerred the a few remarks at Cemetery After which I took Alice & the little girls up to the Cemetery.

Weather pleasant.

Tooele I hauled 12 loads of manure on to the Lot with Legrands help. George was drilling barley with 3 horses and Joel was harrowing lucern with two horses. Geo. brought harrow home and in the evening harrowed grass seed in on meeting house lot. At prayrs all the family present by request Alice was mouth in prayr the first she ever offered in my hearing though she prays in secret and with the children in my absence.

Joels 12th Birth day.

Joel & I hauled 6 loads of manure on to the lot in forenoon, Cut down tree in yard [p. 296] and took out to woodpile and hauled corn fodder into yard in forenoon and in the afternoon cut and planted potatoes. George drilled barley and Legrand harrowed lucern pasture Alice & Nerva cleaning house, windows, carpets all down.

Weather pleasant.

Home I with the boys help finished plowing & planting our potatoes and leveled off the ground. I got 100 feet of lumber from N. K. Whitney and built a pigpen and bought two pigs of John England Jr. Worked late.

Went to Salt Lake on morning special train and attended conference meetings and in the evening went to Farmington where I spent the evening at Nerva’s visiting with Mother, Alice Ann, Asenath, Nerva & others Went down to Henry Robinsons where I staid over night. Slept with Loron J. Robinson.

Farmington Went to Salt Lake in morning & back in evening. Attended the Conference meetings and while at dinner at Naisbet’s lost my hat some one having taken mine & left his a slouchy hat. I staid at night at Aunt Esther Robinsons Slept with George [p. 297] Robinson, visited the evening at Nervas with th[e] folks Fred & Carlie having joined them.

Farmington I went to Salt Lake in the morning. Attended Conference meetings and came home in the evening. Geo. & Nerva met me at Station.

Home I got the boys off to work and then attended to some business pertaining to starting a lumber business here Mr. Murphy <of U. L. Co.> having made me a proposition on those lines. He proposed to give me the common lumber @ $19.50 on cars at Tooele Switch. Payments to be made monthly on lumber sold. Lath were to come at 3.75 & $4.00 for No. 2 & No 1.

I this day visited my fields on horseback. &c In the evening I plowed a piece of ground in garden.

Geo. Seeding, Joel harrowing & I leveled & planted garden as far as plowed, Got trees from Wills & planted, wrote letters &c. In the evening I read the paper & wrote up my journal since Apr 6th. Folks wel[l]. In the evening I wrote Governor Wells a letter of which the following is a copy. [p. 298]

Tooele City, Apr. 11th 1899.

Hon. Heber M. Wells

Governor of the State of Utah

Salt Lake City.

Dear Governor:— Should you decide to make an appointment of a U.S. Senator, you have my opinion that a wiser choice could not be made than in the naming of the Hon. Geo. Q. Cannon. He is the only candidate on whom the majority and minority parties of the Third State Legislature undertook to unite. A number of prominent Democrats advocated his election and voted for him and others were willing he should be elected by others’ votes while the Republicans were all satisfied with his candidacy with perhapse one exception. I think the sentiment of the Legislature pretty well represents the sentiment of the people and should he be appointed and obtain his seat, it would be better than had he been elected by Democratic and Republican votes. I can see no inconsistency in his appointment, should an appointment be made. He is a member of, and has contributed liberally to, the [p. 299] Republican party and he is the only man the Legislature’s action has indicated to you to appoint. The Legislature would therefore share the responsibility, with you, of his appointment and with your Excellency and the people of this state share the honor of being represented in the Senate of the U.S. by a statesman of no mean ability and renown.

Yours most Sincerely

Geo. F. Richards.

Home I leveled and planted garden and about 5 P.M. took team & carriage and Mama & the girls & went down to Jas. Woods & bought two pigs $4.00 & 6 hens 3.00 George finished the spring seeding hauled manure onto the lot and plowed some. Legrand helped with the washing & Joel harrowed lucern. All well.

Home I leveled ground for corn & planted sweet corn 7 rows 15 rods long. Went down to Bro Wills & got 8 trees and planted them 3 apple, 3 pear & 2 apricot. Pruned the trees and bushes. In the evening I read the American Agriculturist. [p. 300]

Home I raked off strawberry bed hauled manure on and did some spading. Went over to the Bowden lucern field & helped Joel load the harrow he having finished the harrowing at noon. Geo. Went down to west field across railroad & tried to plow. Gave it up & brought gang plow home, took dinner & went up on to the bench where he commenced plowing but did not do much as the ground was too wet to scour.

I received group picture of Geo. Southerlands Legislative Supporters a gift from him. I acknowledged receipt of Same and thanked him by letter. I ordered a bill of lumber from the U. I. [L.?] Co. as per mutual understanding that I sell same remitting monthly on all sales made. Kept copy of order.

I went to canyon horseback & cut down a tree 3½ feet diameter for to make a field roller. Geo with Bro. McBride’s Disk worked on lucern patch it having been harrowed twice without much effect.

In the evening I attended a creamery meeting. [p. 301]

Windy, threatening storm.

Home Attended School, wrote up my journal &c. Attended meeting and occupied part of the time Attended Circle &c

Met the train & got Mother. Alice & the little girls accompanied me. We came back via my prarie land west. I visited with Mother worked in garden cleaned up yards &c.

Irrigated garden finished spading & transplanting Strawberry plants, cleaned up yards &c.

I did some work in garden, made mangers full length of yard on east side. Visited with Mother in the evening. Weather cool and pleasant. Geo. finished disking lucern & Joel close up with the harrowing.

Weather pleasant.

Tooele I went up on bench and got gang & chill plows before breakfast.

Wend [Went] down to west field with George and with four horses & gang plow struck off two lands and left Geo. to plow. I came home at noon and in afternoon I put finishing touch on pig pen & mangers Got Sack of seed corn from Jos Tate & shelled 20 25 lbs for seed. Harrowed in lot. Received a letter from Governor Wells [p. 302] in reply to one I wrote him. Jos Tate Gave me a spring for carriage & I sent Carriage to shop to have it fixed. Joel finished harrowing lucern ground after Disk.

Weather windy

Tooele I plowed at west field. Mother still with us. She has bad cough.

Attended Stake Conference at Tooele Present at Conference of the Apostles F. M. Lyman & John Henry Smith. Had Counsel meeting with High Council & Bishopricks at 4 P.M. & High Council at 6:30 Bro. C. L. Anderson, Israel Bennion & I went to the theatre in the evening. Velvet & Rags.

Weather windy

Home Israel Bennion & Boy staid with us all night. Attended school & two meetings during the day. Prayed in Afternoon meeting to open the meeting and spoke about 15 min. Assisted the Apostles to ordain Philip DeLamare a Patriarch Bro Lyman being mouth, & B L Bowen a High Counciler Apostle J H Smith mouth. Had a good conference In the evening I administered to Saml Lee’s baby.

<George’s 16th birth day.>⁶ [p. 303]

Weather still windy.

Tooele I went down to west field and plowed in forenoon & left Geo. & Legrand there plowing and planting. In afternoon & I came home and cleaned up and went with Mother to the City. Preston Richards met Mother at Station & accompanied her on car to Stephens in Sugar House Ward. I called at Utah Lum. Co’s and perfected arrangements to sell their material. Two cars of lumber ordered. I called at U. Imp. Co’s & ordered plow extras. Took 7:30 Pen Car & went down to Stephens where I staid all night.

Weather unsettled.

Sugar House I left Stephens on 6:45 A.M. Car & came home on 7:45 A.M. train. Called on Bro Lyman he having invited me to call on him on my return from the City. We had a good talk on qualifications necessary for High Councilors, Ordinations & Certificate of ordinations &c. In the Afternoon I took three horses & went down to west field where the boys George & Legrand were at work and plowed. Broke eveners & made new piece & repaired them. In the evening I administered Patriarchal blessings to two of Ephraim’s Sons Lafayette & Edwin Orme. [p. 304]

Weather cool & threatening storm.

Tooele I plowed all day at west field & planted corn with the boy’s help. Wrote a letter to A. F. D. in relation to purchase of lumber.

Weather Stormy.

Tooele I went to west field to plow & plant corn. It snowed about 3 hrs while <we> were there. We rested in Section house while it stormed. Received Step Lays for Gang & Chill plows also Mouldboard for the Oliver. Bill 9.00 Put extras on plows.

Weather clowdy & cold. & I have cold

Tooele We got in a good days plowing planting of corn & leveling west field. Hyrum & Estella came from Mercur on a visit.

Clowdy, windy & cold. I have severe cold The boys went to work on west field in the morning and I went down in Carriage later with Hyrum, Stella, Alice & children and relieved Geo. who came home and went to Grantsville. Took Nerva with him where the[y] attended the Concert. Nerva took part.

I received invoice of car of lumber No. 7772 1st car from U. Lum. Co. I signed & mailed Contract to U. L. Co. Wrote to Mother, To Chas Miller Henry Robinson of Farmington.

Tooele Weather threatening storm. I have severe cold. I took my team & buggy [p. 305] Prest. Gowans with me & went to Batesville where we attended School & meeting & I spoke at both. Took dinner with Geo Tate Prest Anderson met us at meeting at 2 P.M. He and Prest Gowans each spoke In the evening I administered Patriarchal blessings to Peter G. Droubay and Nillie Alice McBride. Nerva acted as scribe. Hyrum and Estella with us.