Joseph George Defriez: East End Surgeon

Tanner Line

By the mid-1870s, most of the Defriez children had left home. The boys had gone to sea and were sailing around the world and the girls had married. Their father Joseph George Defriez continued his work as a medical doctor in the East End of London and their mother Mary Ann Godfrey Defriez helped run a branch of the post office.

1871 England Census.

Their home at 173 Bethnal Green Road in Bethnal Green would have been a busy one, centered as it was in a crowded and poverty-stricken area of London. The Defriezes were busy people and usually had a servant or two to help run their home.

Some of you may have seen the magnificent BBC production Call the Midwife. (If you haven't, you may want to remedy that, but do realize that due to its medical content it is not suitable for children.) The show is set in Poplar, London, somewhat closer to the Thames than Bethnal Green, but although the show is set seventy years later, many of the people and situations would give you a sense of the lives the DeFriezes would have lived.

Joseph was the oldest child of Joseph Defriez, a funeral feather merchant, and Sarah Harrington Defriez. (See: Joseph Defriez and the Freedom of the City of London.) He had been well educated and he had a busy practice involving all areas of medicine. He married active and intelligent Mary Ann Godfrey in 1842 and they had ten children.

In 1863 and 1864 the Poor Law Board of the House of Commons held hearings looking into the practices of Dr. Moore, who, like Joseph was a medical officer of the Parish of St. Matthew in Bethnal Green. The hearings and testimony provide a glimpse into Joseph's medical practice.

Here is a chart showing the number of childbirths Joseph attended over a ten-year period. He attended between 7 and 52 normal cases in a year, and between 3 and 7 complicated or "extra" cases.

Here is his deposition in the Moore case.

What a treasure! This is the first time we've ever heard Joseph George Defriez in his own words.

Note the insight into the Dickensian conditions: he is saying that he attended a child living in a filthy attic in a home just 40 feet from his house. It was a crowded, poverty-stricken area in ways that we can scarcely imagine in modern America. (For more insight into the poverty in England at that time, read Dickens' Oliver Twist or David Copperfield.)

And don't miss the genealogical content: "I live opposite Hollybush-place...I have lived there 14 years. I have eight children living—10 in family."

At the time his wife Mary Anne had given birth to nine children. Their son Arthur died in 1849, and curiously, if Joseph had given the deposition a few days later, he would have had to report nine living children since his son Herbert was born two days after the February 13, 1864 deposition.

Tragically, their youngest sons, Herbert and Alexander died about two years later. They died in the winter, so it may have been from diphtheria or another infectious illness, rather than cholera, which showed up in the summer, including the huge June 1866 epidemic in the East End, which would have kept Joseph busy all that summer after the deaths of his son, attending and quarantining patients and filing medical reports for some of the 5,600 deaths.

About a year after the deaths of their two sons, the Defriezes were saddened to hear of the death of their son Josiah in an accident on board the ship Mary Warren. He was buried at sea somewhere near Indonesia.

* * *

A few years later Joseph found himself in legal trouble after a patient, Sarah Parker, died during the birth of her twins.

Something about the death suggested the physician may have been at fault and he was called into court. [1] The court record shows that Joseph George Defriez, surgeon, age 50, surrendered himself at court, the famous Old Bailey, on April 6, 1871. This means that he probably would not have spent time in the adjacent and infamous Newgate Prison.

Joseph was charged with "feloniously Killing and Slaying Sarah Parker."

The other prisoners on trial that day were William Hill, a cabdriver also accused of manslaughter, and Louisa Salter, accused of perjury.

All three were found not guilty.

Here is the summary of his trial.

JOSEPH GEORGE DEFRIEZ, Killing & manslaughter, 3rd April 1871. 

326. JOSEPH GEORGE DEFRIEZ (50), Feloniously killing and slaying Sarah Parker. He was also charged on the Coroner's Inquisition with the like offence. 

MESSRS. HARRIS and HUMPHERY conducted the Prosecution; and MR. METCALFE the Defence. 

It appeared, from the medical evidence, that the cause of death was rupture of the womb, caused, probably, by the presence of twins, and not by any neglect of the prisoner, who was the surgeon attending the deceased. 

NOT GUILTY.

* * *

In the mid-1870s, Mary Anne Defriez was searching for spiritual meaning. She became affiliated with a small offshoot group of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but was quickly disappointed by its practices. Then her son Ebenezer returned home to England. He had joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Australia and migrated to Utah where he was called as a missionary to England.

His parents welcomed him with open arms. Joseph outfitted his son as befitted a minister and Mary Anne and her son William and daughter Frances joined the Church. (Their son Charles, my 3rd great grandfather, was also a sailor and left Australia and the Orient and joined his brother Ebenezer in Utah and subsequently joined the church there. Their shipboard training came in handy in St. George when they were called upon to help lift the heavy baptismal font into place in the St. George Temple under the direction of another old British sailor, George Jarvis, later Charles's and his sister Frances's father-in-law.)

Unfortunately, this was a difficult era for the Church in England. The actions of Apostle Albert Carrington left Joseph George Defriez with little sympathy toward the Church. (Story here, but do be aware that the content is disturbing.) Somehow Mary Anne and a few of her children retained their testimonies through this trying time and they left for America in the summer of 1877.

A granddaughter summarized the events as follows:

This was a terrible blow—[Joseph's] authority defied, his dignity wounded, his social standing shattered, his home broken, his loved ones gone. He never seems to have regained his former prestige, but his life became lonely and morose. He refused to associate with the friends of his wife or children, or his wife’s kindred. He must have suffered greatly, and finally concluded he was not entirely right in the course he had taken, ‘tho’ he still considered himself wronged. 

Several years after his wife’s departure, she received a book from her husband, entitled, “A Wife’s Duty.” On the fly-leaf he had written, “I will forgive you for all, if you will only bring my baby back to me,” and signed. But it was too late, his “baby” [Frances "Fanny" Godfrey Defriez Jarvis] was married and had a home and children.

Joseph continued to work as a doctor but left his home on Bethnal Green Road and moved into the home of his brother-in-law, William Clarke.

* * *

Not much is known about his last years. He died on August 29, 1887, shortly after attending a Masonic dinner.

His wife Mary Anne remarried in St. George, Utah, where she was a central figure in the early music scene, including teaching many children to play piano and organ, even after she went totally blind, and at some point (probably) divorced and moved with her daughter's family to Mexico, where she died in 1902.

Joseph George Defriez's will was proved not long after he died. He probably left his comfortable middle-class estate to his children who remained in England, Joseph and Mary Anne, and perhaps other relatives as well. 

If someone cared, they could order his will. In the United Kingdom, wills were formerly ordered from Somerset House. It is now more complicated, but still possible with the information shown in the record above.

I see that Joseph's grandfather's will can be ordered more easily online since he died before 1858 (Will of Richard Defriez, Gentleman of Saint Georges East, Middlesex).

Notes.

[1] A History of the Criminal Law of England, Vol. 1, mentions a case where a doctor was tried and convicted of manslaughter "for causing the death of a woman in delivering her of a child. The judge...summed up strongly for an acquittal, remarking on the slightness of the evidence that the man was drunk at the time; but the jury convicted him, well knowing that he was a notorious and habitual drunkard" (573-574). Since Joseph George was acquitted, there was probably no malpractice involved.

Sources.

1851-1881 England and Wales Census.

"Bethnal Green: Building and Social Conditions from 1837 to 1875," November 2013, British History Online. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22751.

England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966 [database on-line]. Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com, 2010.

London, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1965 [database on-line]. Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com, 2010.

London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921 [database on-line]. Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com, 2010.

Overson, Margaret Jarvis. George Jarvis and Joseph George DeFriez Genealogy. Mesa, Arizona: 1957.

The House of Commons, "Poor Law (Sarah Dove). Parish of Bethnal Green—Charges Against Dr. Moore, &c." Accounts and Papers: Thirty-Six Volumes. Vol. 52, Poor (United Kingdom), Session 4 February–29 July 1864. 28 April 1864, 19, 24–25, 43, 55–57, 66, 76. (Source.)

The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, London's Criminal Court, 1674 to 1913. [Website.] http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/.

Josiah Godfrey Defriez (1847-1866)

Tanner Line

Josiah Godfrey Defriez enjoyed a busy and comfortable childhood in Bethnal Green, London. He sometimes went on visits with his doctor father, Joseph George Defriez, and enjoyed the poetry and music of his refined mother, Mary Ann Godfrey Defriez.

Josiah was the third child in the family, and probably the first to leave home. On October 8, 1865, he signed on as cabin boy on the ship Mary Warren and began a voyage around the world. The ship arrived in Melbourne, Australia in February of the next year.

On October 7, 1866, Josiah fell from the top mast during a storm and was killed. The captain buried him at sea. Unlike other sailors who died in debt, his estate consisted of £2.17.6, and it was sent home by the consul at the next port. (Assuming I'm reading the cryptic notes correctly.)

On Ancestry.com a few family members list his place of death as "Tengah, Sulawesi Tengah, Indonesia" but I cannot find a source for that claim.

Word of his death arrived in Bethnal Green sometime after March 6, 1867. It was a time of sorrow and mourning for the Defriez family: they had lost their youngest son, Herbert, in December 1865, then their next youngest, Alexander, in January 1866. The family may have never quite recovered from these deaths, but that is another story, and will be continued this week.

Except for a few legends shared by well-meaning but inaccurate relatives, the book George Jarvis and Joseph George DeFriez is accurate in most regards, so it was a surprise that the author, Margaret Godfrey Jarvis Overson, got her uncle's death date wrong, placing it in 1871. I will use the date found in the maritime records and correct it in Family Tree.

Sources.

The Argus (Melbourne, Victoria), "Shipping Intelligence," February 16, 1866, 4, http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/5770163.

The National Archives, Maritime deaths [database online], findmypast, (Source).

Overson, Margaret Jarvis. George Jarvis and Joseph George DeFriez Genealogy. Mesa, Arizona: 1957.

A Picture of Samuel Shepherd and Charity Bates Swarthout Shepherd?

Tanner Family

Last fall Gary and Ardyn Fredericksen put this picture on Ancestry. I saw it last week and was intrigued.

None of us in this branch of the family had ever seen a picture of Samuel Shepherd, a veteran of the War of 1812, Mormon pioneer, and original settler of San Bernardino, California.

Ardyn is a descendant of Charity Bates and her first husband, Philip Swarthout.

After Philip died and after Samuel Shepherd's first wife, Roxie Ray, died, Charity and Samuel blended their large families and had a 42-year marriage before they both died of old age in 1877.

The note attached to the picture says:

I believe this to be Charity Bates Swarthout Shepherd and Sam Shepherd. This was the oldest picture in the family photos and after talking to other surviving members of the Shepherd family (living in Utah), they had this same photo.

And an additional note in Ancestry says:

See the note about the identification of the photograph. Charity's daughter, Lucinda, looks so much like her. The photo was in the collection of a direct descendent.

As with the identification of the historical Christensen and Tanner pictures — and proposed daguerreotypes of Joseph Smith; see (Rumor-Mongering: Joseph Smith Daguerreotype) and (And Yet Another Joseph Smith Photograph) — there are several techniques to identify the subjects of historical but unlabeled photographs, including the following considerations.

What is the provenance of the picture? (Who owns it and why?)

The photograph belongs to a direct descendant of Charity Bates Swarthout Shepherd. She and her husband have been very helpful in answering my questions about the family and the photograph, and the reported chain of ownership makes sense and does not contain any clues or red flags that would suggest that the subjects of the photo were any other of their ancestors.

The Fredericksens contacted an elderly Shepherd descendant in Utah and got confirmation that a descendant of Samuel also owned a copy of this picture. 

Is the technology appropriate to the time?

Yes. The picture would have to have been taken before 1877 when Samuel and Charity died. A look at the Pioneers of San Bernardino collection shows a number of similar photographs from around 1870, and they resemble the photograph in technology, detail, architecture, and vegetation.

Butcher Shop of T. F. Allen on Third Street in San Bernardino, c. 1875. Source.

San Bernardino Deluge Hose Co. 2, c. 1860-1870. Source.

Were there daguerreotypists or photographers operating in the area at the time?

Yes. See above.

Were the people being identified in the area at the time?

Yes. The Shepherds lived in San Bernardino almost continually from 1851 until they died in 1877.

1870 US Census, San Bernardino, Samuel and Charity Shepherd.

Any family resemblances? Do the ages of the people in the photograph seem to be accurate?

Yes. Both people in the picture could be in their 70s or 80s.

Here is a comparison of the subjects. First is the man in the photo followed by photos of Samuel's children; next the woman in the photo followed by photos of Charity's children. Samuel and Charity had one daughter; her photo is at the end.

Note shape of face, head, brow, noses and chin; distance between nose and mouth; male facial hair; coloring; etc.

Shepherd Family

Rollins Don Carlos Shepherd (1830-1909) c. 1900.  From FamilySearch.

Marcus deLafayette Shepherd (1824-1904). From FamilySearch.

Julia Ann Shepherd Tanner (1829-1899). From FamilySearch.

Swarthout Family

George Washington Swarthout (1817-1872). From Ancestry.

Lucinda Swarthout (1818-1895) and her husband James Coburn (1815-1898), San Bernardino.

A close-up of Lucinda.

Nathan Swarthout (1823-1903), San Bernardino Public Library.

Hamilton Swarthout (1828-1894), San Bernardino Public Library.

Daughter of Samuel and Charity

Lydia Shepherd Davidson (1836-1929), from Ancestry.

So are there family resemblances? Very definitely.

What can the clothing tell us about when the picture was taken?

Melinda Bowers is a graphic designer with a specialty in historical clothing design. She blogs at Heritage Paper Dolls.

She noted that even on the frontier, people kept up to date on fashions and the women made or altered clothing based on fashion journals, so if clothing appears to belong to a certain era, it most likely does. 

She said the following about this picture:

This dress in actually a little closer to the 1860s in style than the 1870s. In the 60s, dresses had that sloping shoulder look (think civil war era) and wider type sleeves for dressy dresses, but loose sleeves for everyday wear. Can you see the dropped shoulder on the dress? The shoulder seams are down off the natural shoulder, giving the bodice a sort of upside-down triangle look that is fitted, gathered, or pleated above the waistline. The skirt is hard to see, but the shape is a dome shape (1860s) rather than a bell shape (1870s-80s). By the 1880s, dresses were very much bell shaped, with a flared bottom, and usually drawn up into a bustle, although the work dresses wouldn't have been, since that is so impractical. But the work dresses would still have been more narrow in the 1880s than in the 1860s and early 70s. Also in the 80s, the sleeves would be more form fitting, not nearly as loose as these sleeves are.

I also have found patterns on cloth from that era similar to her dress, but I can't see the pattern very well. The pattern appears to be more similar to ones from the 1860s rather than the 70s.

What other details help locate the picture and identify the subjects?

The new England frame house in the photograph is consistent with Samuel and Charity's birthplace of Vermont and time in the Northwest Territory, Midwest, and California. All the materials showing in the house should be available in California at the time. The house, including the clapboards, resembles the one in the later picture of Lucinda and James Coburn. The vegetation including the small evergreen and fruit trees (note the grafting), are consistent with the picture being located in San Bernardino. Samuel's pipe is consistent with his history.

Conclusion

I agree with the Fredericksens that this appears to be a photograph of Samuel and Charity. Many thanks to them for putting this picture online!

So, any thoughts? Additional details you see? Is that a child standing in the doorway? If you arrive at this post by web search, have you seen a copy of this picture in the family before? Where? Were identifications included?

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.