May 1899


1 May 1899 • Monday

Commenced snowing in the early morning and continued until about 4 P.M. then commenced again in the night. I spent most of the day in the house reading. Wend [went] down town once to P. Office & store.

2 May 1899 • Tuesday

Snowing in early morning and continued until after noon. Lots of Snow & wet Froze hard at night & the fruit crop suffers. I read from American Agriculturist.

3 May 1899 • Wednesday

Pleasant day. The snow disappeared fast under a warm sun. Geo. & I hauled straw from field also a couple loads of poles, posts &c from old sheds. In the evening I administered to Sam’l Lee’s babe

4 May 1899 • Thursday

Weather pleasant.

Tooele Geo. Joel & I went to West field and plowed with Gang & Oliver & planted corn. Received letter from Utah Lum. Co. & answered it. [p. 306]

5 May 1899 • Friday

Weather clowdy & threatening storm.

Home Joel, Geo. & I went to West field and plowed, leveled, pulled & burned sages & planted corn.

6 May 1899 • Saturday

Weather still threatening but no storm.

Home C. R. McBride put his team on my carriage and we with Prest. Gowans & M. B. Nelson went to Grantsville where we attended Stake Priesthood meeting and High Council meeting Prest Gowans & I ate dinner at Bro. Anderson’s C. L. I made opening remarks in Priesthood meeting and talked in Council meeting where [blank] [last name redacted] was excommunicated from the Church for adultery to which charge he pleaded guilty. Helped load a fanning mill at Station for Bro. McBride. Retired early in the evening.

<Boys worked at field>1

7 May 1899 • Sunday

Weather clowdy but no storm.

Home I attended School and offered the closing prayr. Attended the afternoon meeting & Circle. There were five babies blessed, four confirmations. I blessed Geo. McLaw’s baby Ella and Confirmed Horace Bowen. Bro. Hobson was admitted as a member of the ward. Alice and the children (little girls) and I walked up to the Cemetery towards evening. Retired to bed earley. Folks usually well.

<Sister Annie Nelson Lee died at 3:30 A.M. 14>2

8 May 1899 • Monday

Geo. Joel & I went to the field below the RailRoad and plowed & planted corn. The first [p. 307] consignment of lumber came out on todays train 31,133 feet of lumber and 6 M lath.

I wrote U. L. Co. in the evening. Did some figureing & writing in the evening. Received pigs from Woods.

9 May 1899 • Tuesday

Home Weather Stormy in forenoon. For about three hours it rained hard. During the storm I repaired harness &c. After dinner Geo. Joel & I went to Station with two wagons & three teams & got a couple of loads of Lumber.

10 May 1899 • Wednesday

Weather pleasant.

Home We hauled four loads of lumber from the Station. Willard B. and Alma Pratt came out & brought attachment to plow.

11 May 1899 • Thursday

Weather pleasant.

Home The boys went down & got a four horse load of lumber while I took W. B. R. & A Pratt up on Seventies farm where they were plowing and Jos. Tate put his team on my plow with attachment & used it all day. In the afternoon we made two loads. In the evening was asked to go up and administer to Annie Lee who was in a critical condition. Dr. Phipps was there & all feared she was dying. Bro. Mat. Speirs <Jos. Sharp> & I administered to her and She had immediate releaf.

12 May 1899 • Friday

Weather pleasant but warm. [p. 308]

W. B. R. & A Pratt left for home about 9 A.M. <Sister> Nerva k. came on train Alice met her in carriag[e]. We made one trip only to Station for lumber. I administered to Annie Lee at noon and again in the evening. Our folks well. Immediate relief came to Sister Annie Lee through administration. Hauled lumber from station.

13 May 1899 • Saturday

I hauled lumber from Station & finished the hauling. Administered to Sister Annie Lee about 1 P.M. and again about 7 PM assisted 7 or 8 other brethern. She received relief through administration each time. In the evening I was called in to administer to Sister Agnes Lindholm who received relief and blessing. Alice was taken with a pain in the head and faint feeling. I administered to her and she got all right again. Dr Joseph came out arriving at about 10 P.M. to see Annie Lee Preston Richards drove the team. They slept here. Annie Lee died about 3.33 3.30 in the night & Dr. then came down & staid until morning

14 May 1899 • Sunday

Alices 35th birth day today. I went to E.T. and attended School & meeting and between administered Patriarchal blessings to Sister Maxwell & Sister Yates. Came by Clarks & got horse I got from Alfred Bell. Went up to S. Lees. Hyrum & Estella came

<Annie Nelson Lee died at 3:30 A.M. Today.>3 [p. 309]

15 May 1899 • Monday

Geo. Joel & I went to field below Ry. and plowed and planted corn to a finish about 40 acres. of corn. In the evening I called at Sam’l Lees also at Albert Lindholms

16 May 1899 • Tuesday

I administered to Walter Adams a Patriarchal blessing. He left by team for S.L.C. on his way to a mission to S.S. Castrated roan 4 yr old colt. Irrigated the Lot and attended funeral service of Sister Annie Lee and spoke at the services. Towards evening I took Sister Nerva, Alice & little girls for a ride up to Cemetery & over to field. The boys Geo. & Joel worked at field plowing and leveling. Legrand in School.

17 May 1899 • Wednesday

Sarah got up ailing and I administered to her. The boys Geo. & Joel went to field to plow. I repaired shoes, wrote to mother, wrote up my journal for several days and &c. Covered lumber with Sheeting boards. Worked in garden &c. In the evening I accompanied Prest Gowans to Wm Vowles. I was mouth in consecrating a bottle of oil at Prest. office. He anointed & I confirmed.

18 May 1899 • Thursday

Boys went to field & plowed after we had hauled a load of wheat to the mill & harrowed & leveled in the Lot. I worked in garden all day and in the evening Prest Gowans & I went down by request and administered to Wm Vowles. I anointed & he confirmed. I this day planted the Water melons and cabbage. [p. 310]

19 May 1899 • Friday

Weather clowdy, some rain.

Tooele Boys assisted me in garden.

We plowed, leveled, got strawberry plants from Abram’s and set out a bed of about 400, got chop feed from mill, took Sister Nerva to Station on her way home &c Alice & children accompanied me to Station & we came back via our west farm. Administered to Wm Vowles in evening, Prest. Gowans anointed & I confirmed. Sold C. R. McBride 200 bu. of wheat @ 48¢.

20 May 1899 • Saturday

Received from C. R. McBride $96.00 for 200 bu. of wheat to be delivered on demand. Mailed check to C. L. Anderson $24.50 int. to date on $700 @ 7%, mailed ck. to Eugene Woolley payment for cow. Geo. & Joel went to field to plow. Legrand & I worked in garden. Folks well. Prest Gowans & I administered to Horace <Lee & to Wm vowles.>

21 May 1899 • Sunday

Prest. Gowans & I with my team went to Clover attended school & meeting. I had great freedom in Speaking and occupied about 35 min. We put our team & took dinner at Frank St. Jeor’s We consecrated a bottle of oil in meeting H. S. G. being mouth. Administered to Junius Tanner I anointed & Prest. Gowans confirmed We called at Sister Burridges in St. John on our way home & she served us with lunch [p. 311] We administered to Bro. Elijah Larkin. Prest. Gowans Anointed & I confirmed. On my return home Administered blessing (Patriarchal) to Millie McLaws.

22 May 1899 • Monday

Home. I took Willard B. Richards & Son Willard and Alma Pratt to see my farm before breakfast. Willard slept here last night.

Went to the west field and Blowed all Day. W. B. R. went down also to see his attachment work.

23 May 1899 • Tuesday

Plowed all day at West field. Heavy wind.

24 May 1899 • Wednesday

Had three horses shoed and attended to some business with Prest. Gowans & Prest. Anderson in forenoon & in afternoon, Plowed at West field. The business of the Stake Presidency was to decide on two names from Tooele and two from Grantsville to go to Canada answering a call from the Church Authorities.

<Windy>4

25 May 1899 • Thursday

<Heavy wind>5

Received the attached letter from Sec. of Gov. Wells asking me to suggest the name of a suitable man for Special Road supervisor to expend the State appropriation of $1,000 for roads in this county.6 I replied & recommended J. B. Gordon. I plowed this day at west field breaking land. Relief Conference at Tooele today. YLM.IA Con. in the evening. I attended and offered the closing prayr. [p. 312] Sister Cane from S. L. City was present and spoke. Weather clowdy and threatening at night.

26 May 1899 • Friday

Weather Clowdy

I attended Primary Conference in forenoon <I closed by prayr.> Afternoon I administered blessings to Sisters Hunter & Hale of Grantsville. Attended to some business pertaining to bidding on the furnishing of the lumber bill for Tooele Creamery. Towards evening Alice the little girls & I went up to the Cemetery and cleaned off lot & walks. Childrens dance in afternoon & in the evening a dance for grown people (a school dance) in new Brick school House the first held in that place. I had a complimentary ticket but did not use it. In the evening I attended an Irrigation Co. <Bd.> meeting.

27 May 1899 • Saturday

Commenced raining about 7:30 A.M. <Continued until after noon>

Home I rode down to Bro. Wills’ before the storm to see his horse which is for sale. Did some writing and in afternoon went to S.L.C. Legrand took me to station. Attended to some business down town and then went down to Stephens in Sugar House where I staid all night.

28 May 1899 • Sunday

Sugar House. Attended Y Y M & Y. L. Conference meetings and the reception of Admiral Schley [p. 313] at the tabernacle. Took dinner at Sarahs. Returned to Sugar House in evening.

<Rained in afternoon & Evening.>7

29 May 1899 • Monday

Came home on mornnigs [mornings] train. Prepared bid on furnishing lumber for the Tooele Creamery. Recorded temple work &c. Rained about an hour in afternoon.

Folks usually well. I administered to Jas P Skelton, wrote to Abram F. Doremus about lumber.

30 May 1899 • Tuesday

Home I lanced S. W. Lee’s baby’s teeth. Toook Alice & little girls to gather flowers and then to the Cemetery. Afterward Took them to Cemetery & attended Services; Then for a ride.

<Decoration.>8

31 May 1899 • Wednesday

Plowed at west field and brought the gang plows home for repairs.

Cite this page

May 1899, The Journal of George F. Richards, accessed March 19, 2024 https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1890s/1899/1899-05