Ann Prior Jarvis Diary — January 1–15, 1885

We move into 1885 with a reminder that Ann didn't know her own birthday. She was just a few days off, but it's a strong reminder of what it was to live life as a 19th century immigrant in sometimes desperate poverty. 

Ann records three deaths. I don't know who the first man is, but the last two are explained below in "Notes." 

If you have a few minutes, click on the link to Leslie's Monthly and look at one of the issues Ann would have been reading in Volume 18 or 19. Curious collection of information, very educational and international in its scope.

Thursday 1    January My birthday 55 Jan — 1885

Went to fast meeting went the monthly meeting Thomas and Em spent the evening

Fri 2    Weather dull heard Br Orton is killed

      are invited to a party, do not feel like going

Sat 3     Weather cold

Sun 4    Weather cold went to meeting Brig is staying he[re?]

Mon 5     Weather pleasant went for Josey

Tus 6     Weather cold washed a few peices Br Romney is in town

Wed 7

Thu 8

Fri 9     Weather cold old lady Clark is dead will be buried to day

Sat 10    Weather raining ^We have^ a letter for Brig[ham Jarvis] Father brought it from the ^Post office^

Sun 11   Weather cloudy attended meeting Br Romney preached Thomas & Em came in the evening had a bad coughing spell

Mon 12    Weather fine spent part of the day with Anne Br Everet died this afternoon A good man has gone to rest

Thus 13    Weather pleasant Br Judd came to see father about the funeral

Wed 14    Weather very pleasant spent the day cooking. attended the funeral of Br Everets went to the third ward for Josey read in Leslies monthly

Thur 15   Weather blustering went to see Sister Everet also Anne

From Charles Lowell Walker's Diary

[It's been a while, so a quick reminder that Charlie Walker was the author of the hymn Dearest Children, and Dixie's de facto poet laureate. He includes this entry and then skips to January 25.]

St George Thurs 1st Jan 1885   Clear and cold. Snow on the tops of the distant ridges and Mountains. Went to the fast meeting; assisted in blessing two children (Ben Blakes and Joseph Judd's). I spoke to the people a short time on the importance of acknowledging the hand of the Lord in all things and our dependence on him....After Meeting I visited the sick and offered kindly aid to the afflicted. Slept the rest of the day. At night on duty at the temple. And so begins the year.

Notes

My birthday — When her parents, William and Kitty Prior, had her baptized on October 30, 1831, the Curate noted to the side of the entry that Ann was born December 30, 1829. I have speculated before on the reasons Ann didn't know her birthdate. 

Br Orton is killed — ??  I can't find any one of that name with a death date in or around 1885. Perhaps it was an unfounded rumor?

Br Romney is in town — The persecutions had gotten so severe that a number of families were moving to Mexico to try to protect themselves. The Romneys headed north to St. George first before they went south to the Colonies. It was a strenuous winter trip. For more information see Jennifer Hansen, Letters of Catherine Cottam Romney and Romney, Life Story of Miles Park Romney.

old lady Clark — Beulah Rogers Clark (1806–1885) was from Vermont and was one of the earliest members of the Relief Society of Nauvoo. Her husband was a member of the Mormon Battalion. Based on how Ann phrases the news, they were probably in different wards and didn't have much interaction.

part of the day with Anne — As noted in the last installment, Anne Jarvis Milne just had a baby.

Br Everet died — Addison Everett (1805–1885) was from New York, and a member of the first pioneer company to Utah. He had three wives, the first deceased, and he must have been divorced from his third wife, Hannah, since she was living in Salt Lake in 1880, noted as widowed or divorced, so Ann would have visited Orpha Redfield Everett, one of my Eminent Women once I get back to that project. Orpha only had one living child, Mary Everett Fuller.

Leslies Monthly — A magazine marketed as "the cheapest magazine published in the world," and many issues can be read online, including the one Ann would have been reading: (Hathitrust, The American Magazine).

Sisters: Lois Graham and Margaret Overson

Just posted this on Facebook and remembered to put it here as well...

Sisters. Lois Jarvis Graham and Margaret Jarvis Overson. They were fifteen years apart and lived in different states most of their lives in the days before inexpensive long-distance telephone calls and email, so they preserved their affectionate relationship through hand-written letters and very occasional visits. Margaret was a pioneer photographer in those days when women rarely had careers, and she was my grandpa Tanner's grandmother. Lois was a nurse educated by an LDS Relief Society program, and the mother of notable racer Athol Graham.

* * *

Here's a little movie my son and I just watched about Athol Graham. Because of the differences in age between these two sisters, Athol's son Butch, featured in the film, was Grandpa Wallace Tanner's second cousin, but the age of his children. 

The film led to an interesting discussion about taking risks and living life to the fullest. Also, because of my son's age, we discussed some of the language used in the film. Due to thematic content, parents of small children would want to prescreen the film.

Ann Prior Jarvis Diary — December 20–31, 1884

After almost a year here is another installment in the journal of Ann Prior Jarvis. This deals mostly with the weather and with family matters including the birth of her granddaughter Josephine Jarvis Milne. I had to smile at her note on December 31, "The last day of the old year good luck to it."

Josephine Jarvis Milne and her younger brother.

Sat 20  Weather cloudy

Sun 21  Weather dull I went to meeting and heard a snowstorm took Em for a ride had rather a bad night Brig come home

Mon 22  Weather cloudy was bad the after part of the [unfinished]

Tus 23  Weather bright beautiful sunshine It ought to be a bright day as it is Joseph Smith birthday there will be a Party to night to celebrate his natal day he would be seventy nine if he had lived untill to day

Wed 24

Thur 25  Weather raining spent Christmas with Thomas & Em

Friday 26  George had the buggy to get the Doctoress to Eleanor

Sat 27 Weather ^Fine Fine^ George has the buggy to fetch and take the doctor^Ss^ Father got me a new black dress Brig came home last night

Sun 28  Weather cloudy attended Meeting had a good sermon from Bro Snow

Mon 29  Went to the Sunday School party in the afternoon went to the first ward party at night Anne had a new baby weighed eleven pounds

Thus 30  went to the relief society was to late they had dismis^s^ed

Wed 31  the last day of the old year good luck to it

Notes

George — Remember when she says "George" she means her son. "Father" means her husband, George.

Doctoress — That's what it says! I have no idea what she means. Eleanor had a gap in children for a few years around this time, so could she mean the midwife, and Eleanor was having a late miscarriage or stillbirth? Eleanor was in very bad health from a heart condition, so she could also mean the traditional doctor, but I can't think of a female doctor that would have been practicing in St. George at this time. (Or for many, many years.)

New Baby — Josephine Jarvis Milne Hamblin (1884–). Josephine and her husband Edwin O. Hamblin took care of her mother Anne for many years after she went blind and aged.

Missionaries Wearing Fezzes

Several weeks ago a grandson of Joseph Marion Tanner added a picture to FamilySearch showing his grandfather on his mission in Constantinople. I saw the picture when I got my weekly change list from FamilySearch and clicked over to see the changes made to Myron Tanner's entry. (He was one of John Tanner's sons, and Joseph Marion Tanner was his son, and the father of O.C. Tanner and many others.)

F. F. Hintze, Jacob Spori, J. M. Tanner

I spent a few minutes identifying the two other men in the picture, Jacob Spori and Ferdinand Friis Hintze. After I checked that the picture wasn't in other collections, including the Church History Library, I contacted Ted Jones, the Tanner grandson who owns the picture, to request permission to post the picture at Keepapitchinin: The Mormon History Blog. A number of enjoyable discussions ensued at Keepa, on Facebook, and by email between historians and Tanner and Hintze descendants. Here is a link to the post at Keepapitchinin:

Missionaries Wearing Fezzes