Ann Prior Jarvis Diary — May 7–12, 1884

Roseinia "Rose" and George F. Jarvis.

7 Wed Weather fine   John [Miles] was here in the morning.  Anne was here in the afternoon & Rose [Sylvester Jarvis] I took Rose for a ride & Anne Smith. my health has improved slightly.

8 Thurs Weather warm I slept good after one this morning had a nice bath quite a luxury I would like one every morning  I am certain we should have less sickness if we bathed every day

[in margin: John started for home]

9 Friday Weather warm I am feeling better in health it threatens to storm the air is heavy and dark.

I have not accomplished much to day

[in margin: Sent a letter to Charley and Sam]

10 Satu  Weather pleasant spent the day kniting I took Sister Calkin for a ride in the evening she was very thankful. I have been mateirley better to day and feel very thankful for all the blessings I enjoy

11 Sun Weather fine Mary sent me a bottle of beer

went to meeting took Sister Loughe for a ridde. received a letter from Sister Johnson

12 Mon Weather pleasant.  Anne spent the afternoon with me took Eleanor for a ride her health is poor

Notes.

Rose — Ann's daughter-in-law Roseinia Sylvester Jarvis (1857-1913), the second wife of George F. Jarvis (1847-1919). She was a schoolteacher.

Anne Smith — Probably Ann Maria Elmer Smith (1846-1898), a wife of William White Smith (1817-1887).

Sister Calkin — Either Marietta Symonds Barney Calkin (1810-1886) or Agnes Elizabeth Perkes Calkin Thompson (1840-1916), but probably the former.

Mary — Most likely daughter-in-law Mary Forsythe Jarvis.

Sister Loughe — Probably either Alice Hulme Thompson Lougee (1833-1898) or Sarah Ann Leavitt Lougee (1819-1899).

Sister Johnson —

Anne — Daughter Anne Jarvis Milne.

Eleanor — Daughter-in-law Eleanor Cannon Woodbury Jarvis.

Guest Posting Again: Free LDS Access to Genealogy Services

Don't miss my review of the new memberships soon available to members of the LDS Church. It posted yesterday at Keepapitchinin: The Mormon History Blog.

Exciting Times for Mormon Family History: Free Access to Ancestry, MyHeritage, and findmypast

The Death of Willie Jarvis, 1881

When English immigrants George and Ann Prior Jarvis arrived in St. George, Utah, in 1861, they had seven children with them. An infant daughter had died in Boston. 

After they moved to St. George, they had three more children: Emmaline, Josephine, and Thomas William, named after his grandfather.

They lost Willie, as they called him, in 1881. Here are three accounts, plus a special anecdote Ann recorded in her diary.

From Diary of Charles Lowell Walker:

St George 5th April Tues 1881  At the Temple all day. About 2 P.M. we had a terrific storm [with] defening claps of Thunder which shook the earth and the Houses and the Temple windows, and water pipes shook very lively. The lightening struck 2 Boys killing Willie Jarvis nearly 8 years old, and wounding a little Son of Br D H Cannon's Which has spread a gloom over the town.

From the diary of David H. Morris:

On April 5 there was a terrible thunderstorm, accompanied with lightning which once struck the spire of the tabernacle running down the pinicle, part inside and part out, which also divided and run down the front part of the building and striking the steps. [Eugene] Schoppman was teaching school at the time, but his pupils being frightened at the thunder, dismissed school; four little boys being out at the time sought shelter in the door of the building, where they were all standing in a row, the one to the south, Willie Jarvis was instantly killed by lightning that came down the above mentioned shock and Angus Cannon (D. H. Cannon's boy) had his leg struck dum[b] for a while." [April 7, 1881; as quoted in Diary of Charles Lowell Walker, 549.]

From “Short Sketch of the Life of Anne [sic] Prior Jarvis”:

Two more children were born to us in St. George, a daughter and a son – our last baby. 

When he was seven yrs. and six months old, he was killed by lightning on the tabernacle steps. Apr. 5 1881. O, that trial, I thought that would kill me. It helped to destroy my health. He was going to Martha Snow’s school. I tried to be cheerful, and tried to comfort my family. I knew it was wrong to be selfish even in grief. And, although I kissed the rod and thought the Lord wanted to chastise me, yet I knew that Lord did comfort me, and ruled it for my good. I had a dream, before he died, that I lost him in a crowd, and I knew I could never find him. Two little boys came to me to comfort me.

I told them they were dear boys – but not my Willie. He was very kind to me. Two nights before he was killed he jumped up out of bed, when I was groaning with the pain in my chest. He laid his hands on me, and prayed in the name of Jesus. He was an active, quick, intelligent child. Bro. Erastus Snow gave me great comfort, when he returned from S. L. City. He spoke about the accident in his fatherly manner. He said, The boys are in a higher school. He had lost one about Willie’s age by diphtheria. I realize all I had any claim to, is in the graveyard. I cannot say – he was mine. We do not own anything on this earth, only as our Father will bestow blessings upon us, yet we are selfish and think “This is mine.” Bro. Snow advised my husband to take a trip to Arizona, which we did leaving Mar. 1882. I felt I could not go unless my next youngest boy Heber went with us. He and my youngest daughter, Josephine, both went. [34-35.]

And, last, here is a dream that a recent Scottish immigrant, Jessie Cunningham Gray, shared with the grieving parents, and which Ann recorded in her diary.

A Dream to Jessie Cunningham Gray 

I entered a large house East, a house of the Lord, and I entered a room on the right hand. there were three men in the room. One was our Savior, the other Bro Jarvis, the third person I do not know. There was a large table and a glass pitcherful of clear water and a box. There was two clear stones in the box of a square shape. Our Savior took the two stones from the box and gave one to Bro Jarvis and one to the other man. Both men looked through the glasses. Bro. Jarvis said “I would like to see my Willie [.”] Our Savior called, “Willie, come forth.” Willie came forth and stood before his father. Bro Jarvis said, “Willie you do look pretty.” Our Savior answered, “Yes, he looks pretty.” Our Savior said “Willie, go rest in peace, and you shall be called forth in the morning of the first resurrection, a king.

Ann Prior Jarvis Diary — May 4–6, 1884

Anthony W. Ivins

4 Sunday. Weather blustering Father & Josey has gone to sunday school. I went to meeting but my cough was very bad I had a ride with Josey in the enemy John Miles came to day the Indians preached to day & Tony Ivins

5 Mon Weather fine my health is miserable I passed a wretched night will sleep on the porch to night and by that I cannot work I do wish my health was good took Eleanor for a ride as she is feeling miserable __ John Miles spen an hour ^with us^

6 tus Weather very warm I slept on the porch last night coughed for hours but did not feel so warm as I did in the house I dont feel able to work but when my family was large I should have been obliged to.

From Diary of Charles Lowell Walker:

Sunday 4th May  P.M. went to Meeting. Br Anthony Ivins just returned from his Mission. Gave a brief concise history of Mexico since the Spanish conquest...Two Lamanties [sic] from the Salt River country, Arizona, spoke to us expresing their joy in hearing and obeying the gospel. Br Millen Ray was the interpreter. Br Snow then spoke to them a short time and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the promises and covenants made to the House of Israel by the ancients....I could have listened to him for hours.... 

Tues 6  Nature smiles....

Notes.

John Miles — John Horne Miles (1854-1925) was the half brother of Josephine's future husband, George Edmond Miles (1866-1970). He lived in Kane County in 1884.

Tony Ivins — Anthony W. Ivins (1852-1934) was the son of Israel and Anna Lowrie Ivins. He was later an apostle and member of the First Presidency, serving during the presidency of Heber J. Grant.

Sources.

Hyde, Florence Ivins. Photo of Anthony W. Ivins, c. 1877, Utah State Historical Society, as found at Wikipedia.

A First Look at MyHeritage: Beverly Glade in the Society Pages

I'm taking a first look at MyHeritage, thanks to the free membership provided by FamilySearch. The invitations to use Ancestry, MyHeritage, and FindMyPast, went out first to Family History Consultants and will be provided to members of the Church by this fall. 

As I'm figuring out how to use the program, I saw this page from the Salt Lake Tribune. The picture in the top left is Beverly Glade before her marriage to John Wessman. It was a wartime marriage, and John was off to Europe not long afterwards.

Salt Lake Tribune, "Society Today," May 26, 1944, 14.

Caption:

Miss Beverly Glade, whose forthcoming marriage to John H. Wessman is announced.

Article:

June 19 is the date set for the marriage of Miss Beverly Glade, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Lester Glade, 1421 Sherman avenue, to John H. Wessman, son of Mrs. Jean H. Wessman, 184 E street. Nuptial vows will be recited in the Salt Lake LDS temple.

Following the ceremony, a reception will be held at Garden Park ward at which the bride will be attended by her sister, Miss Marjorie Ann Glade, as maid of honor, and Miss Lucille Layton, Miss Barbara Noble and Miss Faye Donna Paulson as bridesmaids.

Miss Glade is a student at the University of Utah, where she is affiliated with Lambda Delta Sigma sorority.

John Morgan Collection Now Available Online

Bessie at Ancestral Ties broke the news a few days back (but it took me until today to see it since my RSS feed in Apple Mail tends to be temperamental!) that the John Morgan collection has been digitized by the University of Utah Marriot Library. This is exciting for anyone working on the history of the Morgan family or the Southern States Mission.

See Bessie's post at Ancestral Ties (John Hamilton Morgan Collection available at the Mountain West Digital Library MWDL) and the collection, viewable at the Mountain West Digital Library. (Collection: John Hamilton Morgan Papers.)

As an example of the holdings in the collection, here are the first and last pages of a letter written by John Morgan to Matthias F. Cowley in 1879. What a treasure to have this collection available online!

Ann Prior Jarvis Diary — April 29–May 3, 1884

[Ann's dates were mixed up for a few entries here and show corrections.]

Tusday 29. Weather changeble I spent the day at Em she had a rag bee    they were a dull crowd  baby crying was the amusement. It made my head ache.

Wed 30. Wea[ther] dull cloudy it is the last of this month we still continu to have showers the Lord is indeed blessing the dry desert land with early and better rains according to the promise of the servants of the Lord

Friday 1. I spent the day mending & other [illegible] work (We are having slight showers

May

May 1 thursday Weather pleasant Father & I went to fast meeting  I attended my relief society in the lyceum was pleased with the beautiful neat building   I thought I would like a room finished like ^it^

[From Charles Lowell Walker's diary: "Went to Fast Meeting and spoke a few words on the gift of toungues and refered to a Prophecey that was given in tongues when I was a child in England; that my Father and his family should all be gathered to the land of Zion which was literally fulfilled although in a curious manner. I blessed the little daughter of Hyrum S Prisb[re]y...Bro Jarvis and Barnes assisting, also its Father."]

2 Friday. It is a most delightful day all nature seems glad of the warm sunshine we must be thankful for the rains if I were not to watch my thoughts I should murmer at the blessing of God when he permits it to rain Father is mending ^Br Milnes fence^

[In margin: I rode in the buggy

Sunday

I was

danger [indecipherable] to

sick in

half the

day could not breath

Monday]

3 Saturday Weather fine my health is bad I have a distressing cough I rode out in the evening Father turned a dollar on the Tithing office to the herd Boy on account of herd

Notes.

Rag bee — A rag bee was a gathering of women. They cut or tore up old clothing into strips and then rolled the strips into a ball. The rags could then be woven into rugs.

"Father & I went to fast meeting" — This was when Fast and Testimony Meetings were held on Thursdays. Why Thursdays? Probably the same reason Thanksgiving, or days of fasting and days of thanksgiving, were held on Thursday: each day of the week except Thursday already had specific functions in Colonial America, and the Church arose in this religious and cultural tradition.

Lyceum — When the Temple was completed in 1877, the adjoining bakery was converted to a community building. It was called the "Lyceum" and was the Relief Society building and city library.

"a dollar on the Tithing office" — Cash was scarce in the Mormon settlements, so the pioneers would sometimes use what was called "tithing scrip" to substitute for cash. See Leonard Arrington's Great Basin Kingdom for more details, particularly Bill Nye's humorous and "undoubtedly aprocryphal" story about the use of tithing scrip:

In those days if you wanted to go the theatre you took butter, eggs, chickens, potatoes, wheat, anything like that to a tithing house, and they would give you script for it. Then you took the script to the theatre or to any store and bought what you wanted with it. 

On one occasion I took a big fat turkey up to the tithing yard to sell for script and the tithing clerk had gone to supper. I waited and he did not return, so I had to go and get the young lady I had invited to go with me, and I carried the turkey into the window of the box office and asked for two balcony seats. 

That clerk at the window handed out the two tickets and two spring chickens for change and I had to sit there all through the performance with a chicken under each arm and the young lady I was with was quite peeved that I paid so little attention to her. I was never so embarrassed and uncomfortable in all my life. (GBK, 144-145.)

Sources.

Arrington, Leonard J. Great Basin Kingdom; An Economic History of the Latter-Day Saints, 1830-1900. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1958.

"Raider of gin," [pseud.], "Chickens.jpg" [picture of spring chickens taking dustbath], Flickr, August 27, 2012.

Walker, Charles L., Andrew Karl Larson, and Katharine Miles Larson. Diary of Charles Lowell Walker. Vol. 2. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 1980.