March 1903


1 March 1903 • Sunday

Grantsville. Weather cold at night pleasant at day. Attended Sunday School session of the Conference at Acadamy building and offered Closing prayr. Attended meeting in Opera House in afternoon and offered opening prayr. We had good meetings all through conference and the business of the Conference was attended to. New lot of home missionaries Sustained and Owen Barrus chosen to fill vacancy in High Council occasioned by the moving away of Thos. H. Clark Jr. We returned home after the afternoon meeting.

2 March 1903 • Monday

<made Monthly Report, issued bills &c.>1

I called on Prest. Gowans and considered with him Some matters of business of an Ecclesiastical nature The selling of coffee by our young people at parties & the Neglect of Bishops to attend Conference.

At night I attended a meeting of the Lesser Priesthood and spoke to the boys. The meeting was disturbed by one boy Bert Gowans. I advised the bishop that if a boy presisted [persisted] in making light of [p. 120] sacred things; and in disturbing the peace of the meetings that by the consent of the members of the Lesser priesthood I would expel him from the meetings & his quorum if a member. This course in extreme cases Bro Craner indorsed it, and later when explained to Prest. Gowans he indorsed it.

3 March 1903 • Tuesday

Attended to regular business of the place, answered correspondence. &c. In the evening I attended Y.M.M.I.A. meeting.

4 March 1903 • Wednesday

I attended to the regular business of the place, correspondence &c. Receiving new invoices of consigned good and new price lists keeps me busy now with my business. Edith Came out of Town Joel met her at Station.

5 March 1903 • Thursday

Stormy day and night. Concert at hall by Bro. Giles & Co. Elders meeting at Vestry. I attended the latter and spoke with force & power. Made Contribution at close of meeting.

6 March 1903 • Friday

Looked after my business. Bp. M. M. Stookey Called & staid all night to be present at Priesthood meeting tomorrow. In the evening I called on Prest Gowans where we talked over the matter of distribution of 10% of the tithes paid in the Stake and arranged a plan to be submitted to Bishops at special meeting of Bps & Prest’cy tomorrow.

7 March 1903 • Saturday

Attended Stake Priesthood Meeting at Tooele also a meeting of the Bishops & Presidency. At former The Home Missionaries were set apart and Owen Barrus was set apart as High Counselor. I was mouth in setting apart Geo A Remington and Bro. Huntington Jno Gillespie & B. L. Bowen assisted. Prest. Gowans set apart Owen Barrus H. Boothe & J. A. Bevan. I papered Ceiling & part of walls of my office room with advertising papers. Attended to business &c.

<Sat. Night I had three distinct Dreams each of a heavenly character.>2

8 March 1903 • Sunday

I attended S. School and afternoon & evening meetings also Circle. At afternoon I spoke about 40 minutes. In evening I offered benediction. [p. 121]

9 March 1903 • Monday

21 years ago this day I married Alice Robinson in S. L. Endowment House My father performed the Ceremony. I this day was kept busy with my business, sales, books & letter writing In the evening Alice & I and the two youngest attended the Theatre by the [blank] Troupe Kateleen Mavoureen.

10 March 1903 • Tuesday

Wrote up journal since Feb. 26th from memory. My memory is bright & clear on what I have written but some important truths may have been overlooked. I attended to correspondence and general business of the place. Attended Y.M.M. meeting in evening. Bro. B. L. Bowen took issue with me on question of whether the blessings promised through Keeping the word of wisdom were not predicated upon not only the Keeping of the word of wisdom but the other commandments, the Word of Wisdom not having been given as a commandment.

11 March 1903 • Wednesday

Joel & I took basket rack off trucks & put on box and Joel hauled manure. We put family sleigh away for winter. I attended the business of the place including the Sale of a buggy to Mr Baker of Honorine Mine Engineer. In the evening the family attended theatre by the Vodervil [Vaudeville] troup Madison Square. Play 10 nights in a bar room

<attended High Priests Meeting at 2 P M & Spoke.>3

12 March 1903 • Thursday

I attended to the regular work of the place and worked on my books, marked prices of goods &c. In the evening I attended Elders Meeting and after meeting I went down to Lillia Smiths and assisted in administering to & blessing Edmund Horman’s baby there & naming same. After meeting I played Croconole [crokinole] with Joel.

13 March 1903 • Friday

Attended to regular work of place including Keeping the books, writing business letters &c. Spent the evening at home played croconole with Geo Lawrence He & Nerva being with us in evening All at home except Sarah she at party. [p. 122]

14 March 1903 • Saturday

Weather warm and ground drying up. Was kept busy in my business this day. Spent the evening at home. Wrote a number of letters &c.

15 March 1903 • Sunday

With my team & Prest. Gowan’s buggy we went to E.T. where we took dinner with W. E. & W. F. Moss. Attended School & meeting and I spoke at both. At former I presented the authorities of the School and at latter I presented the Gen’l, Stake & Ward officers. No opposing vote. Good spirit prevailed. I spoke upon Temple work mainly and my remarks were indorsed by both Prest Gowans & Bp. Feller. Returned home about 6 P.M. and attended meeting at Tooele presided over by Seventies. Retired to bed at 9 P.M.

16 March 1903 • Monday

I attended to the business of the place. Sent to E.T. to Bp. E. Feller 1 attachment & plow and sold attachment and th[i]mbletrees to H Dun[n] & other Sales.

Took out row of Apple trees east of Imp. house Jos. Tate helped me & took the trees for pay. Raked up weeds &c prepared for gardening. Joel hauled manure. Albert Lee commenced painting implement house contract price $20.00 he furnishes material. In the evening I attended Seventies meeting and by invitation spoke a short time.

17 March 1903 • Tuesday

Stormy day alternating snow & sunshine. Did some business, put up two attachments and plows, did some cleaning up in lot, and did some letter writing. In the evening I attended mutual meeting and lectured. Alice visited at Sister Marks while I was at meeting & I called there for her after meeting. Joel helped wash

18 March 1903 • Wednesday

Snowed during the night and continued to snow & blow during the day. Joel met train in storm. Snowed about 14 inches.

19 March 1903 • Thursday

I made pathes, shoveled Snow &c. Attended to business of the place &c.

20 March 1903 • Friday

Snow going fast. Worked about the place attended to business Correspondence &c. Read from [p. 123] Era in evening aloud to family.

21 March 1903 • Saturday

Traded for Surray.

Listed material for car load order &c.

In evening Alonzo Gowans called in my office & we had a lengthy talk upon Religious & other matters. I finished reading to the family “Castle Builders.” by Nephi Anderson in the evening.

22 March 1903 • Sunday

I took my team & Prest Gowan’s bug[g]y and he & I went to St. Johns and attended Ward Conference. Attended to the business of the Conference, preached to the people and returned home in evening. On our way over we called at Wm Bracken’s Jr Stockton and Administered to him he being very sick of Pneumonia. We also called on our way back & administered to him again. While at St. Jnos we administered to Bp Ahstrom he feeling quite indisposed.

23 March 1903 • Monday

Attended to business of place. Sold Queen mare to Alex McLaws for $80.00 took family for ride the first in our surrey Attended a meeting of Water Owners to incorp[o]rate. Considered articles of incorporation and got them ready for signature.

24 March 1903 • Tuesday

Traded Clay Horse to Wm McLaws for a bay horse. Attended business, made some sales, correspondence &c.

25 March 1903 • Wednesday

Joel & I worked in garden plowed & raked, trimmed trees At night Alice & I attended the Missionaries Sociable at J. W. Tates and by invitation I recited “Aubou Ben Adhim”.

26 March 1903 • Thursday

Attended to business of the place, Bro Cline of C W & M Co. Called and we made an effort at collecting but accomplished but little. I went down to Station Ry and had a conversation about freight rates. Expressage &c. Assisted Heber Due to regulate his attachment & plow. Went over to Field to see if young lucern is showing life. Took Bro. Gowans with me in my buggy down to [p. 124] James Martin’s and there we consecrated a bottle of oil and administered to James Martin and Ann Henwood. Alice, Estella, Nerva & some of the children went out riding in the Surray.

27 March 1903 • Friday

I attended to the regular business of the place. In evening Henry Dolling came up and measured our rooms for papering.

28 March 1903 • Saturday

We had a car of lumber come. Joel & Herald Skelton hauled with our two teams. Geo Remington’s boys hauled, to the amount of $5.00 worth in part payment for Pete horse, having sold him to Bro Remington for $25.00 I assisted with the unloading of the lumber and attended to the other business of the place.

29 March 1903 • Sunday

Fast Day on account of next Sunday being Conference in S. L. City. I fasted & went to School & meeting Bro. Morton was present. Also attended Prayr Circle & evening meeting. While in School Bro Lafayette Orme took a fit and we carried him into back room and nursed him through.

30 March 1903 • Monday

Continued lumber hauling to a finish and checked up part of it. I made discovery of an error on part of U L Co people which would have meant a loss of 8 or 10 dollars to them had I not corrected it & notified them. I sent team & 1000 ft lum. to Stockton to Town Bd. Joel did some delivering. Worked on my books in evening.

31 March4 1903 • Tuesday

Continued checking lumber, correspondence &c. Sold black heifer & calf to Jno Williams of Opher for $25.00 later sold him another calf for 6.00. Worked on accounts in evening

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March 1903, The Journal of George F. Richards, accessed March 19, 2024 https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-f-richards/1900s/1903/1903-03