Fast Day

Tooele Weather thawing, south wind in the afternoon. I gave my usual $1.00 fast offering, fasted, prayed and attended fast meeting I prayed in meeting kneeled Three babies blessed, I blessed Sister Marsden’s baby girl. After meeting administered to Bro John Taylor. B. L. Bowen Anointed him and I was mouth in sealing the anointing. Drew $100.00 of P. A. Droubay on his note and with it redeemed four notes made favor of Hanks for land. In the afternoon George & I with team and buggy went to Basin pasture to look after the horses. In the evening Junius Tanner of Clover came in and I gave him a blessing, my son George writing for me. I then copied the blessing and wrote in my Journal for two days and retired at 11 P.M. Wind still blowing. [p. 255]

Tooele Weather windy all day. Snow melting fastly. I did some writing Attended to Some business with Jos. Henson Wrote to Mother, Nerva and Abram. In the evening I recorded a blessing given to Junius Tanner, shaved, administered to Joel at his request he having a severe cold & hoarseness Read from the Book of Covenants to Alice & Estella. Retired late.

Tooele Weather pleasant until evening when it snowed and blowed hard. I accompanied Prest. Gowans to Grantsville where we attended Stake Priesthood meeting from 11 A.M until 3 P.M. Spoke and answered questions to the Satisfaction of the Presedent & all for what I know. Took dinner at Prest C. L. Andersons. A committee from the Sunday school waited upon us there asking that Bro Spry be released from the Home mission to labor in the school. Administered to Sister Andersons mother who was sick with sprained leg. Called at Ruel Barrasses and administered to their sick baby. Attended Civil Government class in the evening and wrote up my journal for a couple of days. Presided over the class & lectured upon Previous question. [p. 256]

Tooele Weather very stormy during the past night cold & windy. This day cold but otherwise pleasant. I hitched up team and took Prest. H. S. Gowans with me and we went to Grantsville to meeting Ward Conference. Got there in time for opening school visited the different department of the School and Prest. Gowans & I spoke to the School.

Put up at Bro C. L. Anderson’s. Took dinner there. At meeting Prest. Gowans and I occupied the time not taken up in attending to the business of the Conference about 37½ minutes each. After meeting, by request I went over to Albert Ericksons and gave blessings to James Hutchens, A[l]bert Erickson and [blank] Judd. From there went over to Leroy Anderson’s where Bros. Gowans, Anderson and Woolley were also Sisters Anderson & Woolley & three of sister Woolleys daughters. Took supper there Bro. Woolley blessed Leroy’s baby boy I anointed Sister Anderson Leroy’s wife and Bro. Gowans confirmed the anointing Returned home soon after 8 P.M. Wrote up my Journal and retired at a little after 9 P.M. Joel & George are somewhat ailing.

noon Tooele Weather cold in forenoon, pleasant afternoon. I went to the [p. 257] depot and got a ton of coal; hauled ashes off, hauled four loads of manure and cleaned up stack yard. Attended School Trustees meeting in the evening. Received letter & check of $100.00 from my brother Fred. Letters from Abram & others. All tolerably well.

Tooele Weather pleasant.

I trimmed trees, sold hay to Isgren, wrote to Abram. P. P. Christensen called and took supper. In the evening I recorded two blessings James Huchin’s & Albert Erickson

Children are ailing with colds.

Tooele Weather pleasant Snow on ground yet; good sleighing. I trimmed some trees, sold hay to Lougy and Warburton and had Lougy help me and we put two loads on of hay on the car for Abram. In the evening I repaired my shoe and did some writing. Recorded Bro. Judd’s blessing. Children still cough. Copied Bro. Jas. Hutchins blessing. Administered to Sarah at her request in the night about 10:30 before going to bed.

Tooele Weather pleasant.

I finished loading car of hay to Abram Wrote to Mother, Geo. Rimington Water Master [p. 258] called with water tickets &c. In the evening I attended a meeting of the tax payers of this School meeting and presided over the meeting. The trustees were authorized to let the teachers have the free use of the school buildings to teach for one term of 10 wks under the tuition plan. By vote it was decided to postpone taking out an insurance policy on New building.

Our children are ailing with colds & coughs.

Tooele Weather windy and snow towards night.

I trimmed poplars, set post near house wrapped trees with burlaps where barked. Went up Middle canyon to inspect work and protested against continuing work as started on the ground that it is an unprofitable expenditure of the means of the water owners. Rode up with Benj. L. Bowen. Ruby quite sick, the others are better. Spent the evening at home reading & writing.

Tooele Weather cool. Snowed about five inch last night. I trimmed trees and wrote to Abram in relation to future arrange for our contract or in relation to my staying or quitting the Ranch. In the evening I attended Civil Government Class meeting. [p. 259]

Tooele Weather pleasant but sloppy under foot. I attended school Prest. Gowans, Supt A. G. Johnson & assistant A. K. Anderson were present and the two latter spoke. I offered the benediction. Met with the Bishoprick & Lesser Priesthood in the Vestry and I set apart John S. Dunn to be President of the 2nd Quorum of Deacons and ordained Franklin Beesley a Teacher. My boy <Geo.> was made secretary of the 1st Intermediate department in the Sunday school. I called on Bro. Gee who is afflicted with cancer in the throat. Attended afternoon & evening meetings of the Y.M.M.I. Association meetings By request spoke for ten minutes and announced a concert by Bro. Beesley & [choir?] In the evening announced the opening of the District schools under the tuition plan Monday Mar 12th 1894

Extract from Abram’s letter of Feb. 27th 1894.

“I shall arrange to come out often the ensuing season. This again reminds me that the agreement between us will terminate in about another month and while I would be pleased to renew the arrangement, it will be impossible unless you can accept a less compensation.” [p. 260]

Copy of a letter written to Abram March 10th 1894.

Tooele City, Utah. March 10th 1894.

Mr. A. F. Doremus

Salt Lake City

Dear Abram:— Our children are still ailing and one (Ruby) is quite sick. I think I shall have to forego the pleasure of a visit to Nephi, at least, for the present.

In relation to arranging for the future either to continue or discontinue my labors on the ranch. It is true there is not a great deal made at farming or ranching now a days, but if the Ranch will not justify employing a competent and trusty man to manage it, it will not justify employing a doubtful person at smaller compensation. If you can get some one to manage the ranch whose honor and other qualifications are equal to those of your present employe[e] and get him at enough smaller compensation to over balance the difference between their experience and Knowledge of the ranch affairs & your interests in these parts, then of course you would do better to employ him. With the knowledge I have of the [p. 261] people with whom we have to do business, the variations and details pertaining to the water rights, their distributions &c. and with the general interest of the Ranch, I can manage it with more profit to the ranch than I could had I not had an experience of six years, or better than a new man of no better qualifications than I possess. In regard to the ranch not paying expenses, I have not kept the accounts with a view to ascertaining that fact but from my monthly reports you can keep a systematic account of ranch business and can better judge but however this may be the responsibility has not diminished. We have from 30 to 35 acres of additional lucern ground to cut over each year which, of its self, increases the care and responsibility of the manager. The bringing under cultivation of that amount of rocky ground thickly covered with sages each year accounts for some of the outlay of ranch means. The heavy taxes for the building of a school house the last few years has swelled our ranch expense but we do not expect it to always be thus Omitting the amount [p. 262] expended in improvements and valuing the hay on hand, perhapse the ranch accounts would appear better.

You might be influenced one way or the other in settlement of this matter if you were to come out here and see how things look. I realize one is apt to get into a net and move along without making the improvement he might make if his attention were occasionally called to new features by one not so constantly under those conditions and you not having been here for so long may see where greater improvement might have been made, but however this may be, I have tried to save what we have got and make it go as far as possible in meeting the expenses of the ranch and only regret that you could not visit the ranch oftener to suggest what measures you wished adopted &c. I have tried to carry out your ideas as far as I knew them and in the absence of that knowledge, have acted upon my best judgment of what would be for your interests. I have even been accused of being too much interested in your affairs for my own good, that if I were more liberal in my deals, [p. 263] less particular and exacting as to time put in by laborers &c I would make more friends. I have acted upon the principle that I have no right to give donations or purchase friendship with other people’s means. One business man of this place having several grown up sons told me some time ago that he hadn’t got a son that took as much interest in his father’s affairs as I take in yours. I do not say this boasting for I have only done my duty according to my sense of duty.

It does seem that I get but little done in the winter time, but being alone and so many things arising to claim my attention that my reports show but little manual labor.

I am harassed nearly to death with one and another coming and begging for hay on time, for labor, for sundry articles which the ranch can not use &c. I have taken flour, honey, store orders, coal, meat and any thing I could use to accommodate them and called it cash. It is much more pleasure to work in the summer 12 to 15 hours per day and see some thing accomplished. I have already express[p. 264]ed a willingness to remain longer upon the ranch under same contract and ask you to please re-consider your statement that you cannot make such arrangements, as a proposition of less compensation will require a direct answer and may be the means of severing my connections with the ranch.

If I remain at all I should want it for not less than ten months & if I am going to quit the ranch, I do not care how soon notwithstanding our contract does not terminate until April 15th. I can go right to work now but if I were to remain until fall, I might be without employment all winter.

Respectfully

Geo. F. Richards

Tooele Weather warm and pleasant. I recorded the above blessing letter, attended fore-noon meeting the closing of the Y.M.M.I.A. Conference. Received letters from Abram Mother & W. G. Crabbe. I took team and buggy and went down to the Basin to look after the [p. 265] animals. Spent the evening at home. Gave Rosetta Kirk a blessing and copied it. Alice wrote tor me and dictated while I copied. Children are feeling better.

Tooele Weather <warm.> pleasant. I raked up stack yard and barn yard and hauled three wagon box loads of rakings into corral. Sold small load of hay to Pocock for posts.

Thomas DeLaMare called and paid balance on his note $56.00

In the evening I recorded Rosetta Kirk’s blessing, read the news &c. Wrote to Abram.

Tooele Weather pleasant. I with team & scraper, fork and shovel cleaned up the cow yards putting the manure in centre of yard. Let Vowles have the old roan cow for beef.

In the evening I read the paper and read from Voice of Warning. Children pretty well again.

Tooele Weather fine Ground dry. I assorted over ten or twelve bushels of potatoes, sacked the good ones for house use and hauled the others up to the stable to feed to cow. Trimmed up [p. 266] the large limbs from tree trimmings and hauled them in to wood pile for wood. Dug up two apple trees and hauled them in to wood pile. &c.: In the evening I staid home with the small children while Alice & babie, Estella, Geo. Nerva & Legrand went to Bro. E. Beesleys concert.

Tooele Weather pleasant with some clouds until about 5 P.M. when it commenced to rain quite hard.

I took Vick and cart & saddle and went to Basin pasture and looked for horses, found one dead and another lost. Was gone all day. All are usually well. Spent the evening reading and writing and retired early.

Tooele Weather stormy. Snowed about 7 inches last night and most of the forenoon it snowed. I took team and buggy and Bro. John Gillespie with me and went to grantsville and attended High Council trial of Chas. Parkingson vs., James Wrathall. Put team up at Jas. Wrathalls and took dinner at Prest. C. L Anderson’s. Had two sessions and started for home about 7 P.M. arriving at a bout 9 P.M. Adjournment of Council taken to Tuesday 20th @ 10 A.M. at Grantsville. [p. 267]

Tooele Weather pleasant but slushy under foot.

I attended Sunday school and after school set apart Maggie Gillespie as assistant secretary of the Tooele Sunday school. Wrote to Abram & Fred, wrote in Journal &c. Attended meeting in the afternoon. Leo Woolley & Bro. Nielson from Grantsville as home missionaries occupied the time allotted to speaking. Attended the evening meeting. Bro. Geo. Mallet and Prest. Gowans addressed the meeting. I offered the closing prayr. After prayr as is usual with us morning and night we retired early.

Tooele Weather stormy. Snowed steady all day. I hauled out some tree trimmings, took a bale of hay over to Beesley’s &c. Accompanied Alice to Speirs’ Store. Called on Prest H. S. Gowans at his office about Coleman Note & mortgage on sheep. I called at Court House also. Went down to New school house & put windows down where open &c.

In the evening figured & studied on the case before the Stake High Council C. Parkingson vs. James Wrathall.

Retired early. All well. [p. 268]

Tooele Weather stormy all forenoon as well as during the night. About twenty inches of snow on the ground at one time and a great amount of snow melted as it fell. I worked all the forenoon making paths, shoveling snow and cleaning off stacks. Sold hay to Willard Hansen J. M. Isgren and E. Beesley. Delivered the hay to E. Beesley. Had J. M. Isgren helping me trim trees &c. I also put in a hitching post at front gate. Spent the evening at home reading the News, writing &c.

Tooele Weather pleasant overhead but deep snow on the ground. I had J. M. Isgren helping me trim trees. I attended an appointment with Prest. H. S. Gowans and Bp. Thos. Atkin at R. Warburton’s to consider tithing accounts &c. at 3 P.M. to 6 P.M. Spent the evening at home reading the papers &c.

Tooele Weather pleasant. I trimmed trees all day except while waiting on a couple of parties with hay. J. M. Isgren helping me. In the evening I wrote to Z.C.M.I., to Mother, Nerva & Fred. All are well. [p. 269]

Tooele Weather pleasant.

I trimmed trees and sold two loads hay went up to work being done on on water tax account &c. Spent the evening at home reading & writing.

Tooele Weather pleasant over head but snow & mud underneath. I took Vick & cart and went over to C. R. McBride’s, found them at breakfast. Was introduced to his (McBrides’) mother. Had a private conversation with McBride and took him with me to see Geo. Coleman about note of $800, & prospects of paying same.

After dinner took Geo. & Legrand with me in cart and went to Basin pasture to see horses. Shaved; bathed and attended Civil Government class meeting in the evening. While at McBrides, he & I administered to his baby afflicted with cold.

Tooele Weather pleasant.

I attended School, was called out by Bro F. M. Lyman to accompany him to Sister Lottie Shields’ to administer to her little girl, which was very sick. I anointed and Bro. Lyman confirmed or sealed the anointing Returned to school & remained to close of School. Bro. Lyman addressed the school [p. 270] relating some of his experience on his recent mission to California &c.

Between School & meeting I wrote to Abram &c. Attended afternoon & evening meetings. Elder F. M. Lyman occupied an hours time reporting his mission to California &c. in the afternoon meeting and gave us a splendid sermon in the evening.

Tooele Weather warm, snow nearly gone I trimmed a few trees, sold hay to several parties hauled out some trimmings, bought lucern seed of J. D. McIntosh and let him have a yearling calf in part payment. Spent the evening at home writing & reading and retired to bed early. My throat feels sore & swollen inside to night. Others well. Letter from My mother.

Tooele Weather fine.

I took team & buggy and C. R. McBride with me and we went to Grantsville leaving home at 8:30 A.M. Attended <High Council> trial of Charles Parkingson Etal vs. James Wrathall. We were in session from 10 A.M. until 1 P.M. One hours adjournment and we were together again from 2 P.M. until 11 P.M. The Council were equally divided in their vote on the dicision consequently the decision was not sustained and the [p. 271] Council adjourned subject to the call of the President. We left the meeting house at 11 P.M. McBride with me & Gillespie with the President. We by request of Bro Millward went over to his daughter’s, Heber Robinson’s wife she being very sick. Gillespie & McBride held the teams & the President & I went in and administered to her. I anointed & he confirmed By request Bro. Gowans prayed before applying the ordinance. We arrived home about 1:15 A.M.

Tooele Weather pleasant. The snow gone where not drifted.

I plowed all day in south field and had three men pulling sages. Retired early. Joel is ailing.

Tooele Weather changeable. some wind, clouds, sprinkle & fine. I had four men pulling sages, I plowed in forenoon and in afternoon sold hay to F. M. Davis. Hauled out tree trimmings repaired shoes. At 6:30 P.M. Hitched the team on family conveyance & took the whole family for a ride. Went down to G. A. Rimingtons to see about transfer of water from G. Atkin to Abram. Went up to Pocock’s to get him to work on acct. hay. [p. 272] Joseph Henson sowed lucern seed on my Bowden farm where not thick enough sowed about 185 lbs. & harrowed part of it over. In the evening Estella attended a party in Geo. Horman’s new House, went with some folks from Choir practice. I did some writing & retired early.

A letter from Abram says he will try & come out next Saturday by team & will bring contract to have extended for one year. Polly & Willard & Wife may Come with him. Received 14.00 from Geo. Coleman interest on money.

Tooele Weather pleasant.

I hauled out tree trimmings and used City Water in forenoon & in the afternoon plowed in South field. Had five men pulling sages Talked with Abram through the telephone. In the evening shaved <myself> & shingled George & Legrand. Joel is ailing. Others well.

Joseph Henson finished harrowing in lucern seed on the Bowden farm.

Tooele Weather pleasant.

I sold three loads of hay and did some plowing in South field. Transplanted some Poplar trees. &c. Shaved & bathed. In the evening, Abram & Willard & wives came about 7 P.M. By team. Joel has very sore mouth. [p. 273]