Friday Jan. 1. 1874<5>¹

Em. [Emeline Whitney Wells] presented Mr. [William C.] Hendrie² with [Thomas] Moore’s Poems, elegantly bound, we did not any of us receive any presents Annie [Elizabeth Ann Wells] went to spend the day with Miss [Mary E.] Cook Em. Kate [Catherine Wells] May [Mary Minerva Wells] & Kittie [Lucretia] Haywood all received calls here, entertained them with tea <chocolate> and coffee cakes candies nuts apples, they had forty one calls only four of whom were outsiders Mr. Hendrie Bryant [W. G.] Gallighar & [R. P.] Lounsberry³

Em went to the fourteenth ward in the evening we were very tired, and I felt very low spirited and rather sick; [p. 115] {p. 117}

Jan. 2. Went to call on a poor sick woman, relieved her necessities, Mell [Melvina Whitney Woods] came up and spent the afternoon and Will[iam W. Woods] came in the evening I went to bed sick long before they went home,

Sun. Jan. 3. I was sick never sat up all day Em. went to meeting Br. [Albert] Carrington preached, My sister Adeline [Woodward Earl] is sick; Harry Emery [Henry B. Emory] spent the evening here, [p. 116] {p. 118}

Mon. Jan. 4. Addie [M.] Earl is eighteen today, Mary Ann [Mumford] Case was taken sick, I got up and dressed towards evening I felt a little better Mr. Hendrie came and spent the evening; I went down into the parlor,

Tues. Jan. 5, Went down to Mrs. Case’s she has a nice little boy⁴ born at one o’clock in the morning, and is doing well, in the evening, Ort. [Orson F. Whitney] was here awhile,

Wednes. Jan. 6. Went out and saw Mr. H. on the street he turned around and went with me down Kimball block, saw my husband⁵ and shook hands with him, Met Esq. [Aaron] Johnson from Spring ville one of my Nauvoo friends; [p. 117] {p. 119}

Em. went to the Association and afterwards to the party in the seventeenth ward, Annie was up at her father’s, Lou. [Louise M. Wells] went to bed and I was alone writing and sewing, on Annie a polenese; with many pleasant thoughts of the coming day;

Thurs. Jan. 7. Went to meeting in the afternoon,⁶ and had a very unpleasant time, a spirit of rebellion rose up in the meeting and was very disagreeable, it made me almost sick, I came home feeling badly and all the pleasure I had anticipated proved bitterness and disappointment, I never remember to have had so many disagreeable feelings in one evening in all my life; Em. & Annie went to Junie [Junius F. Wells]’s to a party, Lou. went to bed early and I was alone feeling to [p. 118] {p. 120} gloomy even to write crying most of the time, and my heart nearly bursting, I shall never forget it if I live to be a thousand years old; I never remember of suffering like that before, with the same feelings, O how hard it is to endure unto the end, I am not sure if it be possible for me or not sometimes I think I have to much to bear,

I have prayed for strength and courage, God has been very good to me in some respects, but, not all my efforts or powers have ever succeeded in securing to me my husband’s love; and any woman who is a wife cannot but regret at times however placidly they may appear outwardly this lack of <conjugal> affection, O what can I do to gain favor in his sight my home is a pleasant one my children are in every way perfect as mortals [p. 119] {p. 121} can be, I always meet him pleasantly though my heart is breaking; my nervous system is impaired with the trials I have undergone in silence and alone, how long O Lord must these things be;

Friday Jan. 8. I went down to Mell’s she went with me to see Mary Ann [Case]; went up as far as the Post Office, Dick [Richard J.] Taylor walked home with me, saw Mrs. Godbe today; Lou. had a surprise party, come to entertain her;

rec’d three notes today, one from Eber [Case], one from Wm. [Dunford] one from Mrs. [Elizabeth Harrison] Goddard; Maria [Anna Maria Whitney] Hall had a son born today;⁷ Lizzie [Ann Elizabeth Riter] Young fainted away and was very ill;

Sat. Jan. 9. Em. & I went up to Belle [Isabel Whitney Sears]’s to dinner Ort. went with us the two Mrs. Penrose’s⁸ were there and the two Mrs. Ellerbeck’s,⁹ [p. 120] {p. 122} came home and passed the evening alone; Em. Annie & Lou. were all at the Theatre,

Sun. Jan. 10. I went to meeting my husband preached, Em, went to Lile [Eliza Woods]’s and took dinner; Harry Emery was here in the evening early Ort. later Tom [Thomas G.] Dawson G. A. [George A.] Richards Will. [H.] Mac Intosh Will[iam W.] Calder John [D. Spencer] & Henry [W.] Spencer, Jolt [Josephine] Spencer and Georgie [Georgia] Clawson, they spent the evening with Annie & Louie,

Mon Jan. 11, It has snowed all day and tonight is excellent sleighing Em. went all the evening; Annie & Louie went to the Association in the Fourteenth Ward, Ort. was here getting his history lesson;

Tues. Jan. 12. It has been sleighing all day the bells jingle merrily past, Mr. Hendrie called in the afternoon telling us he was going [p. 121] {p. 123} away soon; passed an hour or two pleasantly; in the evening Em. went out sleighing again;

Wednes. Jan 13. Went early in the morning to Exponent Office it was snowing furiously, in the afternoon went to Goddard’s to dinner there was a pleasant party assembled there, Mrs. E. A. [Elizabeth Ann Smith] Whitney E[liza] R. Snow Zina D. [Huntington] Young, Lydia Ann [Alley Wells] & Susan [Alley] Wells Vienna [Jaques] Shearer, and Rachel [Ivins] Grant, we had an elegant supper, came home about seven was called to some poor people the husband had just died with consumption; mother came home soon after and was very sick; Em. went sleigh-riding with Harry Emery, Mr. Hendrie went today

Thurs. Jan. 14. I was alone all morning except mother and she was sick, [p. 122] {p. 124} Susan [Susannah Snively] Young called one or two others Lydia Ann among the rest; just at evening we called on sister Eliza together, shook hands with the Esq.¹⁰ at the gate of the Office; in the evening I was very much affected by some news I heard, and as I cannot bear to show any signs of sorrow or feel bad before any one; I went out and walked until I could control myself enough to be calm in presence of my children;

Friday Jan 14 <15>, Another disagreeable day, Mrs. [Agnes Steele] Park called, Joshua [K. Whitney] was here Orson [K. Whitney] too, in the evening Annie & Louie went to a Surprise Party the company met here; Em. went with Harry Emery to the Court House Ball, I was busy all day, in the evening Mrs. Mec Lean, came and spent the [p. 123] {p. 125} evening with Mother and I.

Sat. Jan. 16, Snowed all day long Em went out shopping, in the evening Andrea <Annie> Lou. and Onie [Verona M. Dunford] went to the Theatre; I was writing all the evening it was bitter cold;

Sun Jan 17, Mary Jane [Whitney] Groo’s birthday, thirty-one– Em went to Beattie’s¹¹ with Harry Emery to spend the evening,

Mon. Jan 18 Last night I was taken with a severe attack of rheumatism Zina D. Young & Elvira S[tevens] Barney came and gave me a steam bath with liquor and an emetic, Em went out slegh-riding– [p. 124] {p. 126}

Tues. Jan 19. I still continued in great pain all day Em. & Annie both went to the 14th. ward, En. with Harry Emery and Annie with Tom. Dawson,

Wednes. Jan. 20. This is Orson [K. Whitney]’s birthday– forty-five Em. went to the Association– Elvira & sister E. [Elizabeth Lane] Hyde came and gave me another steam and emetic–

Thurs. Jan 21. Eliza R. Snow’s birthday seventy-one a Society meeting was held in the vestry according to appointment and Br. L. D. [Lorenzo Dow] Young Bishop was present. E. R. Snow [p. 125] {p. 127} I was not able to attend for which I was very sorry, Eliza R. & E. H G [Elizabeth Harrison Goddard] called on me after meeting when E. R. proposed to me to write out an Auto-biography of mother [Elizabeth Ann Smith] Whitney to publish in Tullidge’s new book¹² which I promised to do; Martha [Harris Wells] Lydia Ann & Susan came to see me in the evening

Friday Jan. 22. Mother was taken sick today, I feel very much concerned about her, I am much better myself– Emmie went to the Court Fourteenth Ward to the party given by the Wasatch Literary Society Annie went with her, Harry Emory [p. 126] {p. 128} took her,

Sat. Jan 23. Belle came down this morning Em. went up town with Mell to buy Will a birthday gift she bought him on ornamental paper holder; afterwards went up to Belle’s

Sun. Jan. 24. Will’s and Lettie [Thorndike Granger]’s birthday she is 29. it would have been little Sidney [Whitney Sears]’s 5 years old, born in 1870. Orson Pratt preached Em. went to take dinner at Mellie’s Belle and babies spent the day with us, in the evening Harry was here Mrs. Grant came to see me The Esq. and several others [p. 127] {p. 129} among whom were Rulon [S. Wells] and Junius, went to Ogden to pay their respects to King Kalakaula [Kalakaua] of th Sandwich Islands;¹³

Jan. 25. Zina and Lydia Ann were here today to see me, I went down into the parlor for the first time since my illness;

Em. went to the Theatre with Harry Emory, Annie & Louie to the Association in the 14th. Ward, Joshua spent th evening here,

Tues. Jan. 26. Sep. [Septimus Whitney Sears] is one year old to-day, Belle sent me a bottle of beer cake and chicken, Will gave [p. 128] {p. 130} me a bottle of wine, Lou. went to a party in th 14th

Wednes. Jan. 27. Em. went to the association Annie to the Theatre we are all better no particular news of interest

Thurs. Jan. 28. I went up in town in the evening to mail some letters, we had several calls today–

Friday Jan. 29. Em. went with Harry Emory to the Court House again Annie and Louie to the Theatre to see Miss [Katherine] Rogers play I went to[o] she recited Mary Queen of Scots; Mother staid here by herself– Belle & Em. called on Mrs. Phelps¹⁴ [p. 129] {p. 131}

Sat. Jan 30. This is Mrs. [Annie Thompson] Godbe’s and Mrs. [Margaret Thompson] Mitchell’s birthday I went down to see Mellie in the evening we had considerable annoyance with Orson Mother felt it very much–

Sun. Jan 31. Aunt Zina is fifty-four today– she called in and mother blessed her;¹⁵ Mother and I went to meeting in the afternoon afterwards Joshua took Mother down home;