November 1865


1 November 1865 • Wednesday

Wednesday, Nov. 1/65. Busy in Office writing Circular to the Bishops respecting a Telegraph Wire. Rode out with the President. I omitted to write in Monday’s proceedings that I accompanied Bro. Brigham to the Telegraph Office and he held a conversation with Bro. Thos Taylor at Sweetwater Bridge. The people are well; but Bro. Geo. Sims was drowned while after cattle in North Platte. How sad I felt over this intelligence, for I loved Bro. Sims; he was a man of guileless innocence and childlike simplicity. Bro. Taylor says there is help enough sent out now.

2 November 1865 • Thursday

Thursday, Nov. 2/65. Accompanied Pres. Young in his carriage to the Encampment on the Jordan in the Church pasture to see the brethren who are out training. Sis. Amelia Young and Mrs. Julia Dean Hayne, the actress, were also in the carriage. There was quite a number of carriages along; all the principal Elders were in company as well as the Governor (Durkee) and the federal officers of the Territory. We passed in the carriages in review of the troops and then the carriages and the Commanding General and Staff took their positions and the troops <marched> passed. in I was delighted with the appearance of the officers and men, and every thing passed off very creditably. Several gentlemen (strangers) remarked to me that they had never seen a Militia gathering that appeared to so good an advantage as did our people to-day. The troops were then formed into a <hollow> square, and after prayer, which I was called upon to offer, Gov. Durkee, Elder John Taylor and Gen. D. H. Wells made remarks. Col. Rob’t. T. Burton was then elected unanimously Major General in place of Geo. D. Grant who resigned his position. We took dinner with a great number of visitors in Gen. Clawson’s tent.

3 November 1865 • Friday

Friday, Nov. 3/65. My wife Elizabeth’s birthday. She is thirty years old to-day. Busy in the Office.

4 November 1865 • Saturday

Saturday, 4th/65. Busy in Office. The militia marched into Town in fine style to-day and paraded in front of Pres. B. Young’s

5 November 1865 • Sunday

Sunday, Nov. 5/65. Attended meetings in the Tabernacle. Elders M. P Romney, Jr.[,] C B Taylor and President Kimball spoke in the forenoon and Elder John Taylor in the afternoon. attended Quorum meeting. Pres’s Young, Kimball & Wells were present and Bro’s. Taylor, Woodruff, Joseph F. Smith and myself. Bro. Brigham proposed a certain course for Capt Hooper to take at Washington <with> a <view> relation of our <to our> admission as a State for us to counsel upon. Bro. Geo. A. Smith disapproved of it and spoke warmly on the subject. The President said no more and told me afterwards that whenever a proposition met with any opposition in the Council he dropped <it> as not being right to carry out. Unanimity must be had to give any matter force. I Preached in evening at the 8th Ward and had good liberty.

6 November 1865 • Monday

Monday, Nov. 6/65. Busy in Office and out riding with Bro’s. Brigham and Wells.

7 November 1865 • Tuesday

Tuesday, Nov. 7/65 At Endowment House, sealed 26 couples. In the evening in company with quite a company composed of Presidents Young & Wells and several brethren and sisters in the Green Room of the Theatre listening to music on the Piano by Mrs. Gen. Roberts. The evening passed off agreeably. Bro. Brigham’s daughters played and sang. Gen. Roberts <also> sang; his voice was very fine.

8 November 1865 • Wednesday

Wednesday, Nov. 8th/65 Busy in Office[.] In evening went to the Theatre with Bro. Brigham and Uncle John Taylor to see the play of Evadne. Our folks (especially David McKenzie and John S. Lindsay) played excellently well.

9 November 1865 • Thursday

Thursday, Nov. 9/65. Accompanied Pres. Young to get his photograph in a standing position for Mr. Perry to paint his attitude &c from. Afterwards accompanied him to sit for Bro a portrait for Bro. Dan. Wegeland. Busy at the Office in the evening.

10 November 1865 • Friday

Friday, 10th, 1865. At Endowment House. Sealed thirty couple and wrote a letter for Bro Heber C. Kimball to his sons David, Cha’s. and Brigham. Dined with Bro. Brigham. Busy writing in Office the remainder of the day and evening.

11 November 1865 • Saturday

Saturday, 11th,/1865. Arose early this morning and obtained a span of horses from Bro. Godbe and a carriage from Bro. Brigham, and went over Jordan in company with Bro’s. Geo. A. Smith, F. D Richards and Geo. B. Wallace – the latter President of the West Jordan Canal Co. – to look at some land with a view of obtaining a farm. At the Endowment House. Bro Heber C. Kimball sealed 4 couple; Bro. Wilford Woodruff [blank] couple, and myself 9 couple.

[from back to front]

Small red cow 5 <or 6> years of age, white face, <& between horns> lined back, two hind legs white about half way down, white tail and belly; branded G. I,AMBER’I’ on nigh horn. A faint brand on her hip [picture of a curl on top of a J]

Daniel C. Sill to go on a Mission in Spring if it meets to Pres B. Young’s mind

26 of Sept. 1864 Died

6 ʺ Oct 1817 Born Bury

Buried 7 miles this side of Little Laramie

Baptized in Fall of 1841 at St. Helens by Saml Crier

Ordained an Elder by John Allen. Travelled after baptism and preached in neighboring villages & towns.

[Seven pages of extracts from Macaulay’s History of England:] Extracts from Maucaulay’s History of England, 2nd Volume of 8vo Edition, page 83. [Selections also from pp. 264, 292, 298, 403, 515]

[The remainder of entries of 1865 come from daybook v. 8.]

Accounts of various speakers and the lengths of times of their talks. Some of these are overwritten.

[One entry begins:] June 13th, 1869, Ogden [followed by speakers and the length of times of their talks]

[back to front: expenses; subscriptions to Juvenile; note dated Nov. 1st/69 Promised $75 towards hauling rock; also a load of wood for poor; other notes]

12 November 1865 • Sunday

Sunday, Nov. 12, 1865. [38 Hawaiian words redacted because they address deeply personal matters between Cannon and his family.]

I attended meeting to-day at the Tabernacle: Bro’s. Alfred Lee and Minor G. Atwood, returned missionaries, spoke and <did> well. In the afternoon Bro’s. Winberg and Swenson, spo returned missionaries, also spoke and I followed. In evening I attended 14th Ward Meeting[.] Bro. John Taylor spoke and I followed and had good liberty.

13 November 1865 • Monday

Monday <Nov> 13th/65.> Busy at Office. I was gratified this morning at Bro. Ott catechising my boys John Q. and Abraham H.; he is their schoolmaster. John Q. read from the French Book of Mormon first in French and then gave a free translation in English, and did so very readily. Busy at the Office.

14 November 1865 • Tuesday

<Tuesday, Nov 14th/65.> Visited in company with Pres. Young and Bro. Carrington Bro. Hooper previous to his starting to Washington to represent us as Delegate in the Halls of Congress. From there I went with Bro. Brigham to visit Bro. Geo. B. Wallace’s first wife. Reports had reached Bro. Brigham’s ears respecting the condition in which Bro. Wallace suffered her to live and he wished to ascertain it for himself. Bro. N. Davis, Bishop of the Ward, accompanied us. The President gave her some money and told the Bishop to take up a collection in the Ward and to make her and her children comfortable and if he lacked anything he could draw $100,00/100 from him in clothing, groceries, &c.

15 November 1865 • Wednesday

Wednesday, Nov. 15/65. Busy at the Office. In evening went to the Theatre with President Young, as we were going down Bro. Orson Arnold and his company bringing in all the women and children passed us on their way to the Tithing <office> yard. Rainy and stormy to-day

16 November 1865 • Thursday

Thursday, 16/65. At the Office[.] Bro. Brigham does not feel very well to-day. Attended Bishops’ Frida meeting this evening. Presidents Young and Wells and Elders John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, F. D . Richards were present. The object in attending the meeting was to counsel the Bishops and the High <City> Council, some of whom with the Mayor were present, to take steps to organize a police force to maintain peace and good order in the City this Winter. We <that is, the apostles> all spoke and the President closed. His remarks were wise and exceedingly forcible. He showed how contemptibly Congress had acted towards us in their mean attempt to curtail us in our rights and privileges by passing laws to restrict Churches in the Territory from owning more than $50,000 of property, aiming directly at us. “The poor fools,[”] said he, “did not look far enough to see that Brigham Young could own millions of property and no one could touch it, and that he could hold all in his own name.” He spoke in the most withering and scornful manner of them and their course. I felt considerable of the spirit in making my remarks.

17 November 1865 • Friday

Friday, Nov. 17/65 At the Office all day.

18 November 1865 • Saturday

Saturday, 18/65. At the Endowment House; Bro. Heber C. Kimball sealed 8 couple; I sealed 29 couple. Attended Theatre in the evening for a short time.

19 November 1865 • Sunday

Sunday, 19/65. Attended meeting morning and afternoon at the Tabernacle. Bro’s. Pixton and Geo. W. Grant and Pres. H. C. Kimball spoke in the forenoon and Pres. B. Young in the afternoon. No circle meeting, the door being locked and most of the brethren being absent. Attended 13th Ward Meeting, and had an excellent meeting; Bishop E. W. Woolley followed in a characteristic discourse of 50 minutes length in an endeavor to raise $130 to purchase a stove.

20 November 1865 • Monday

Monday, Nov. 20/65. Busy in Office.

21 November 1865 • Tuesday

Tuesday, 21st. Started early in company with Bro. Brigham and a number of other brethren up City Creek kanyon to see a Steam Saw Mill belonging to Pres. B. Young but put into operation by Bro. Joseph A. The circular saw cut an inch and a quarter at a stroke and made about [blank] strokes a minute. We had a very pleasant time. The view of the Lake and Skull Valley and part of Stansbury Island which we obtained through an opening in the Mountains down the kanyon was very beautiful – the distance was about 75 miles.

22 November 1865 • Wednesday

Wednesday, Nov. 22/65. At Office all day. Bro. Brigham was very sick all to-day, having an attack of pleurisy and bilious cholic. I with some other brethren administered to him. We had a Circle Meeting this evening to pray for him – Bro’s. D. W. Wells, Taylor, Geo. A. Smith, John W. Young and myself were present. We then went over to his room and administered to him. As near as we could tell, the very moment that we met in the Circle to pray for him Bro. Brigham was relieved from pain.

23 November 1865 • Thursday

Thursday, Nov. 23/65. At the Office all day. Bro. Brigham was seized <again> with the pain that had been troubling hm. H was relieved about 11 A.M. Bro. Joseph A. started to Washington, Washington Co. to-day. I sent some money, $11450/100 in gold, by him to my brother David who had sent up Greenbacks to exchange from gold; also 77 dollars to pay for cotton that I want. With Bro’s. Heber, Wells, and Geo. A. Smith in Bro. Brigham’s room. He was feeling much better and was sitting up in a chair.

24 November 1865 • Friday

Friday, Nov. 24/65. Bro. Brigham was feeling quite weak to-day.

25 November 1865 • Saturday

Saturday, 25/65. Connor’s men marched through the City this morning on the way over Jordan to have a review. There 20 platoons of cavalry and 13 of infantry and 8 Cannon; each platoon was supposed to have 24 men in it. The intention doubtless is to make an impression on us and to create some excitement. There was very little attention paid to them as they passed along and I thought their appearance inferior to our Militia. Brother Heber sealed 5 Couple and I 6. At the Endowment House; Bro. Heber sealed 5 and I 6 couple.

26 November 1865 • Sunday

Sunday, Nov 26/65. Met in the Tabernacle. Bro. Joseph Young spoke in the forenoon and myself and Bro. Wells in the afternoon; there was an excellent spirit. Met in Quorum; Bro’s. Wells, Woodruff, Geo. A. Smith, Joseph F. Smith, John W. Young and myself were present. Attended Ward meeting in 14th Ward; Bro. D. Candland and Joseph F. Smith spoke and made some excellent remarks; I followed for about 15 minutes.

27 November 1865 • Monday

Monday, Nov. 27/65. Pres. Young is still improving. Busy at Office.

28 November 1865 • Tuesday

Tuesday, 28/65. Rode out with Pres. Young to-day. In evening went with Bro. J. C. Naile to the Theatre to see the play of Lesbia or the Lion of St. Mark performed. Sat through the evening with the President in his private box.

29 November 1865 • Wednesday

Wednesday, 29th/65. <The> President spent some time in the Office.

30 November 1865 • Thursday

Thursday, 30th/65. do. do.

Cite this page

November 1865, The Journal of George Q. Cannon, accessed March 19, 2024 https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/george-q-cannon/1860s/1865/11-1865