December 1899


1 December1 1899 • Friday

I went over to field and stripped shed [p. 348] which had fallen down, of straw &c. and hauled brush, posts, poles &c home.

2 December 1899 • Saturday

Sold lumber did some work on sheds &c. Attended Stake Priesthood meeting & spoke a short time. Joel took George, Jos. Tate & Frank Martin to station on their way to City to School. Took 200 lbs flour for Fast Offerings.

3 December 1899 • Sunday

Home Attended School & Meeting & Circle Bro. Lyman present at school & meeting. I offered closing prayr at fast meeting. I blessed Della Atkin Simpson’s baby & gave it the name of Geo. Forest Simpson. Wrote to grandma &c. Called on Geo. Bonelli who was in a <dying condition>.

4 December 1899 • Monday

Brought load of straw from field & worked on sheds. Attended Irrigation Bd. meeting in evening.

5 December 1899 • Tuesday

Home Weather threatening in morning. Snowed in afternoon. I worked on sheds, attended funeral of Thomas Haynes and spoke a short time.

6 December 1899 • Wednesday

Legrand & I took nine (9) horses down to Millton & put them in Alfred Bells pasture @ 75¢ per month per head. Attended the funeral service of Geo. Bonelli & by family’s request made a talk which I believe was satisfactory. Called on Bro. Foster who has a broken arm. Spent 30 or 40 minutes with him. Did some shopping at J. W. T Store In evening made out Lumber report, wrote up Journal &c. [p. 349]

7 December 1899 • Thursday

Snow on ground, Cold nights.

Home I went down to Swen Nelsons with Bro. Nelson & Bro Gowans & administered to [Arntha?] Nelson who had a ruptured blood vessle in the lungs. She said she felt better immediately. finished putting boards on shed bottom & unloaded a load of straw on same. Hauled brush from yard to woodpile also two trees. Cleaned snow off lumber &c. In the evening I wrote to E. B. Clark, L. E. Abbott, Thos. Steed, Darwin Chaffin & Fred Coombs and Charles Miller all of Farmington offering for sale @ $50. per acre the 12 acres of land owned by Alice & 3 younger sisters. wrote in journal &c.

8 December 1899 • Friday

Weather pleasant.

Home I hauled straw & put on sheds.

9 December 1899 • Saturday

Home Weather windy & snowing all the forenoon.

Legrand, Joel & I hauled feed straw and stacked in yard & put fence around it. at about 5 P.M. I received telephone from my brother Ezra F. Richards at Farmington informing me of the death of my father at his home in Ogden this morning at 12-14 oclock. Bro Lyman handed me a letter of which the following is a copy. See opposite page.

<My Father dies.>2 [p. 350]

Tooele City, Dec. 9th 1899.

Elder Geo. F. Richards

My Dear Brother:

Your revered father Prest. Franklin D. Richards died in Ogden, Utah at 12-14 A.M. today. He was born April 2nd 1821. was 78 years, 8 months & 7 days old. He was ordained an Apostle on Feby. 12th 1849. when he was 27 years, 10 months & 10 days old and thus he held the Apostleship in the flesh 50 years, 9 months & 27 days. Prest. Lorenzo Snow was ordained an Apostle the Same day. Only one man Prest. Wilford Woodruff held the Apostleship longer in the flesh than he.

Your Affectionate Brother

Francis M. Lyman.

10 December 1899 • Sunday

Weather pleasant. Sleighing <fair>.

Home I attended Sunday School Jubilee exercises in morning & evening and review exercises in Afternoon. In behalf of Stake Presidency made a short speech in the morning, was in the mission class exercises on 24 & 25 chapter Matthew in afternoon and in evening I introduced the return Sabbath School workers present & the present Sabbath school workers & welcomed them to the Jubilee [p. 351] also offered the closing prayr. Bro. Lyman being present made a nice closing speech in which he said all our good deeds will be remembered & our bad deeds be forgot. He also offered the closing prayr in the afternoon. The Jubilee was in every respect a pronounced success. Much praise was given the Sabbath school workers for their faithful services. The meetings were largely attended.

11 December 1899 • Monday

Weather stormy.

Home I went to Salt Lake and from there on to Farmington where I staid all night at Nerva’s.

12 December 1899 • Tuesday

Weather cold

Farmington I with Nerva & others went to Ogden on the 10:13 A.M. train to attend My Father's funeral Services, held in Ogden tabernacle at 1 P.M. I with my other brothers C. C. Geo. A. M. J. E. F. Albert & Wm. acted as pall bearers. Myron & I assisted in closing up the casket & carried him out the house. The Presidency & 7 or 8 apostles were present. Had a nice service, and all passed off smoothly. Returned by 5:30 PM. train to S. L. City Staid in same house with Geo at Mr. Berrie’s.

13 December 1899 • Wednesday

Weather Cold

S.L.C. I came home on morning train, assisted Alice in putting carpet down in Kitchen, Cut wood, Wrote an 8 page letter to Mother an account [p. 352] of funeral services &c of my Father. Wrote Fred a short letter; wrote in my journal for 3 days &c. Folks usually well.

14 December 1899 • Thursday

Weather Cold Last night.

Home I put up new novel clothes Line. Cut down apple tree in yard & trimmed it up &c. Attended to Young heifer & calf jus[t] born. In evening attended a Board meeting of Irrigation trustees.

15 December 1899 • Friday

Hauled load straw. Wind blew hard from about 3 P.M. until late at night.

I fixed up wood boxes, cut wood, cared for new milch cow &c. Sister Sarah Richards Robinson & her two boys Loren J. & Franklin Dewey came out on train & up from Station with Mail Carrier. Estella also came from Mercur to spend the winter. In the evening I Attended Annual meeting of Water owners and presided at same as Prest of the Organization.

16 December 1899 • Saturday

Snowed all forenoon

Home I administered blessings to Loren J. and Franklin Dewey Robinson. Took Sarah & boys to train, brought Mama from Estellas &c.

17 December 1899 • Sunday

Attended, School, two meetings & Circle.

18 December 1899 • Monday

Helped Mama wash, sold lumber to several persons &c.

19 December 1899 • Tuesday

Delivered 1 M Shingles to J. T. Dick, lumber to Phipps [p. 353] Bought of John England 320 lbs. lucern seed 37¢ pd cash. Sold him 2065 lbs barley @ $1.00 pr cwt. delivered same, went to mill, repaired bobs &c.

20 December 1899 • Wednesday

Hauled 3310 lbs coal from Batesville switch, repaired harness, scoop & horse blanket. Unloaded load of straw &c. Wrote letters to Prest C L Anderson, Sister Nerva & Junius Tanner enclosing Copy of his Patriarchal Blessing. Recorded work done for Dead & got out & sent to Nerva male names.

21 December 1899 • Thursday

Hauled straw &c. Estellas baby boy was born 4:20 <PM.>

22 December 1899 • Friday

Put clothes line up anew, went Xmas shopping. Geo came home. Legrand met train with team.

<attended Committee meeting in evening at Bro Marks. Irrigation Comm.>3

23 December 1899 • Saturday

Prepared for Xmas. Sold lumber &c.

24 December 1899 • Sunday

Attended School here and meeting at Lakeview. Frank Whitehouse, Prest. Gowans and I spoke each about 30 min. Prepared Xmas. tree &c at night.

25 December 1899 • Monday

Xmas

Christmas The children were all made happy & Satisfied I wrote letters to Mother & all my brothers & sisters & Received letters from all except Stephen & Alice Ann. & Presents from Seney & Mother.

At mid day I married a couple David S. Higgie and Clara H. Pickett at her home on west street.

<Weather foggy & cold for nearly a week past.>4 [p. 354]

26 December 1899 • Tuesday

Weather cold. Ice hauling season.

Home I remained about home all day. Read News, wrote &c.

27 December 1899 • Wednesday

Geo. Hyrum Lee & I went with team & buggy to Ladells’ at Batesville & on to Bell’s at Millton to see horses & see about pasturage. Returned about 2 P.M. & hauled a load of straw from field. Spent the evening at home & retired early.

28 December 1899 • Thursday

The boys hauled a load of straw. I tightened clothes line, took inventory of lumber, shingles &c. Made my report to U.L. Co &c. Never Spent the evening home writing &c. wrote up my Journal from Xmas 25th

29 December 1899 • Friday

Home I made some collections on Lum. accounts and mailed Report and remittance to Utah Lum. Co.,

Attended a committee meeting at Wm S. Mark’s members present besides myself, Wm. S. Marks, A. F. Doremus, Peter Clegg & Henry Marshall. on Irrigation business My self chairman.

30 December 1899 • Saturday

Home I accompanied Prest. Gowans to Batesville taking my team & buggy where we attended a meeting for the election of three trustees for Batesville Ward to hold the property of the Ward. Bp. Orme & his counselors Ormus Bates & Ed Ekman [p. 355] were elected. I spoke to the brethren upon the Subject of tithing. On the way home drove horses out of E. Ekenstain’s stacks

31 December 1899 • Sunday

Home Weather continues foggy but warmer.

I attended, School, meeting & circle. Assisted Prest. Gowans & C. R. McBride in administering to the latter’s wife who is sick having a baby two or three days old.

Cite this page

December 1899, The Journal of George F. Richards, accessed March 19, 2024 https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1890s/1899/1899-12