Correspondence, 1971

Correspondence to and from Juanita Brooks for 1971.

·Memo st.Ge•rce, Utah March 2,1971 Dear Juanita, Have I been havinc fun. I a•n't kn•w when I have ever had a mere enj•yable ant satisfyinc experience than I have haQ these past few iays reaun, 11 Uncle Will Tells His Stery.n I was s•rry when it eneieci. Y•u surely have dene a remarkable job. Seme f•lks th•ucht $12.50 wast•• much t• pay f•r a b••k. Net this elci cal. I / had rrry meney back by the time I finished the first ceuple of cha~ters. When I was threu:h the part abeut Bill Hig,ins, I felt as if I were in debt to you. When I came to the la_s t par;e I theu:ht •f Ifia M. Tarbell Is reply when seme•ne saict, · " Miss Tarbell, yeu have kn•wn most ef the werld.'s great people in yeur lif etime. If yeu were ch•esin: who weuld yeu say were the ten r;reatest?" She quickly answerea, 11A let of peeple that the werla. never heard. a werci abeut. 11 Vfuen I'm pickinc !'ti- list Will in th2t :;reup. A mere friencily and. kincler pers•n I never ~new. Thanks f•r writin: it, anci havitlc it publishe• s• the rest of us ceuld reaa it. . Sincerely, ,,,Ab ~l& .A ,v/;L,V '- " ,.,,,, .. ,.-, , l' :' J . I WUV YOU I I I , '~1 , I ,.. ·• I -/~-K ., ( • - AIR MAIL AIRLETT ER , . . . •• •• • -- , I 17 ..,.l S o t 1400 ~f1e t t - t Lake Cit P Jnly 29, 9? .. 5 . ·05 ood an mc ng his . out-- t ;-l'ld Tf;ok .. on . I r s P g J e 3,i is e : i,•1 l:.cc d ~.tJm ! ..ug ea ch 16 90 }.lf- 2. 0 . e er ·'~-~r. ~1 ¥' cJ!r . ::tr:ic T 5 t Dec 1879 sh·l g th nr.,t ··er1:·<-/'pGt1, ~·,.;r ·.. h tile o~~her ht I sho ,,e:_.,_,. '- t .,~ , . n 2n t.r~in:::; ·,o g - t older p .. opl te ~:•i _ in the o " b . t .... .sa i · 01 • r.•n . • ? .·, .e to so el ted A • 10 , l9?l Dear Arl ne .J one iJac .. m.an,, ·;y . re a d tliis first ehaµ er f yo r A tobj_ gr Th n '0 slt"·,·· ha. e added t delight 'Ul be in 1ng. But ono t h in· yo It is 9 in s lt Lake Here born OU re W here t l e ery : ·rst par" , a h: th .... ? Jhcre . as home'> ' osrita City?or in me,. al .. e t h c·t ? Wh~re ir.. .. a t I li _e t he 1a yo r par .n tc and t h--r don . well wi th tL.se :.-:ive t he cou ts ip and marr:oget an I thiP' early ch ~ldhood incidents . mostl. :i t to o on w.. h other exp er·i nces i:n growing No, r h _1 e rs ·nto d 1th o . .1 .e su't ur e h o ent • o a.ctr . you , Co gra .ula tion ho eo 1 an (! anit ad an. es od Luck! rook s cia l effect non Dear R y ond • a out t._~ c a e • (I don' t hav a c a ~n or en? th ,r the of Abe1; -t o ical c:1im es . n t s re 1ld.ch tin .e r -e ad th ere: ls it cain? d canes g ow :L I 1 J hn T . D • t the S t . George/ HeAll .. 8ter ~ing one u v o Le ., on., a · ere ha . a n t t~s a e to d of its bet.: a symbol of engence . It w s ~ncl sq t c ffi , of Jose h itse f ., lar r .m · he e, Ther e is t d <rdth t e l .lore c xitt b b,,r•ed Joveph e cemetery t Ja vee; , s in the c~ not it as a dug- ut ~- s 1at it wa~ car in the back i r . no accou ' ,a.cord ~"ar~on° ... long wi th all t he records an ~ the uvoo · ernple in the vt g on o:f illiam Car ·er -nd V lley o:f tne ,,..reat t-a lt L~ke . St ories sever 1 tiraes lest hls cne • <=< should get it e ery sip-n fic:--nt articl • he problern s : Wl o cjrculate ·t? Sh a i~ n# , s a sc rate s a p~rt f lar er p blication . DIALOGUE • uld ·, b t I t ink they •d not to11ch it . As a f lk v· G o rt o S t Luck -v the ove - l l :tct r of arly 1 r o.n it a ems · · , hly sign· ·ca t to me . i th t ,J I I V J · •c.: i ta Brook...:; c ivities nd . UJ-M~ F {ved_ ))A er»- ON( F: W MA£_ yow1 Jq3q . 0 o1,µ;- ~ ( ~ f /M-tw&t f .iJM s 1 ~ 1£ O{_ / 1 ~' / uudwt fi- . WU/4 14' . ff)~~ e{fott£€_ fa/ wtJt, 1'.ed~ t:l {MP/ ~ I v /~ ,- d- ,{ ? ,; //~ 1731 South 1400 East , SLC, Utah August 29 , 1971 I have just finished scanning yovr note-book on THE DEVIL , and I must say that it appealed to me less than anything else of yours that I have It comes throup-h as an eloquent picture of your early rural read . It is much like my own , except raising, with its chores and folkways . that in our home THE DEVIL was never mentioned . To us , he did not exist . Our neglect of chores, or sins of stealing melons were not prompted by .!fim, ~-~t.the heat and the thirst and the nearness of the melonpatch 0 ~r O!m_ !12:_~ Among some of Pas olcter sisters there was an occasional r eference to s omeone or other in Hebron who had b ee n posse ss ed of the Devil , and that when he was cast ou t o f one , h e was apt to g o i n to a nother, b u t my p arents passed i t off , and change d the sub ject , as though always p l ayed this down they themselves took no stock in such tales . I had only one experience in which I saw a person who was "possessed of the Devil" --and this is the first time that I have attempted to put it The room was full of witnesses , and I understand that down on paper . members of the family have passed it on b"'r word of mouth . The man who shared this experience with me is still ali v e , and perhaps I should get his version of the incident-- or at least see if he remembers it after all these years . UNCLE CULL Uncle Cull was Orange D. Leavitt , son of Lemuel Leavitt . He was married to two of my father ' s sisters, Aunt ' Lena and Aunt Hary Cousin marriages were rather common in the isolated villages . Ellen . At his death he had seven living children from his first wife and nine from his second , had filled two missions for the church, and was still in full vigor of life--a large man , big-boned and broad but not fat He was stricken with what the local people called c ~olera morbus . I don ' t remember that I even knew he was sick until one evening when one of the boys came gaJloping up to our place on a horse , asking for Pa to please c ame up quick, for Uncle Cull was possessed of the Devil o I had just c ome in from MIA or choir practice--a nyway, I was up and 11 cleaned up" so that Pa said to me , "Wouldn't you like to come along I would like to go anywhere with my Father . with me?" I waited for him to give himself a thorough washing of head , , for he never went out to administer to the sick without hands face, and I had the bottle of Olive Oil , and we walked . cleansing thi s phy$ical weather was mild and pleasant , and I dont 'l'he blocks. six the nearly the whole distance . This was no time for talk . in word a exchanged think we ~e entered a room in some confusion: wives, children~ two brethren who had been trying to Administer to Uncl e Cull . He paid no heed to us but his son Elmer follow e d close upon us and went directly to the bed, stooped, took his father ' s hand, and squatted down to be on a level with his father ~ "W:liiy, Elmer,n his father said in a clea:r, natural voice , nyou shouldn t have run so hard all that way! You 11 kill yourself ! I'd a-waitea : 11 Elmer was seventee n ears old; Uncle Cull's oldest by _ unt Mary Ellen . x«~X<X! ID0e0c:x lxbac~~F for a minute the room was quiet . Then as Elmer stood and moved back so that the brethren could administ er , he started to curse and rave . Pa had the oil and stepped up close to begin, but Uncle Cull started to laugh . I don ' t know how the Devil Then he started to repeat would lauEh , but this curdled my blood . ~riesthoo d and would the of Power the about prayer the of a part handle you all, one at can I Shit! "Bull . them threated swear and on?" me take Wanna l together all or @- time I was standing just inside tbe door, horrified , of course . Elmer pushed throuph those around the bed and over to where I stood . Taking my hand, he motioned to come along , so I went with him across the dooryard and the street, up a trail to the top of the Big Ditch 1 bank, to a willow tree growing there . ~~ogether we kneeled beside it, and he offered a short prayer beseechin g a blessing for his father , that he mieht be freed from the evil influenc e which surrounde d him I followed in the same vein. Short, earnest prayers , both of them . We did not linger, but returned and slipped in as quietly as we could. Uncle Cull was quiet and relaxed , breathin g deeply, and evidently asleep. After a few minutes the crowd decided that all should go home except twoto remain at the bedside, and two to sleep in a room adjoinin g, in case t½ey needed to ~o for help. all mostly in silence , \Je left the house with several others , 11 11 as they came to their own and one a.fter another with a p;ood-nie ht gates . We walked the last block alone . I didn't think he "Where did you and Elmer go?" Pa asked . knew we had gone . "Up to the willo, tree on the ditch bank." "Oh. " no more comment than that . Uncle Cull died at midnight that night , Later as people gathered at the home before the funeral , I heard Theodosi a tell several times how her father was possesse d of the De il until he didn 't ev n ook like himse l , how he laughed and cursed and raved, and then suddenly said, "All right! All right! I ' ll go now! But it's not you guys here with that oil; i t s them two kids up by the willow tree!" and from that minute he w;_s quiet 9 passing away after a few hours with hardly a struggle . -----·--------------------------- A second case where it seemed that the nerson was possessed of the Devil was Leo A. Snow's oldest daughter She had been a student of mine , and a more refined, lovely girl I never knew . She was married to a Judd boy from Kanab, and they had three children: a girl and two boys . She died at the home of her parents in St . George , and her Mother told me that the hardest thing she had to taRe was this time just before when she was Possessed: She looked wicked, ugly, mean , vengeful--swearing such oaths as she naver had even heard in her life . The Doctor gave this a name, and said that was a rare thing , but not unknown in the medical world . The family felt that when the girl was so sick and weak, Satan could truly get possession , and did! A third case is recorded by Hosea Stout in connection with the death of his son June 28 , 1846 . /__ On the Mormon__ Frontier: 170;..17l/ I'll not copy it out; it's too long . pattern, though . It does follow the I have no solution . I think that IF the spirit of man is eternal , evil spirits will continue to be evil in the next life-th8t is , if we continue to be ourselves . And in the whole over-all plan there mus± be evil as well as good . I confess my ignorance . I can only bumble along the best that I can here, taking such experiences as come to me and interpreting them as I can . My sons all think I have ESP--I won't be specific now, as I could, but it tas seemed that many times a power OUTSIDE MYSELF was working in my behalf , opening the way , bringing into my hands materials that I could never have foun~ •· otherwise 9 or opening my mind to a new vision of some of the ma. terials I already had in my files . I'm sure that I could not have done as well as I did by John Do Lee without some extra help from someone or something outs:if~ myself , silly as this may sound to you • . Well , it will not be too long before we both will be launched on our next new adventure, and can compare notes there, wherever we are • .All good wishes , Juanita Brooks AMERICAN -WEST PUBLISHING COMPANY ..A. COLLEGE AVENUE, PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA 94306 [phone] 599 October 7, 1971 Mrs . Juanita Brooks 1731 South 1400 East Salt Lake City, Utah 84105 Dear Mrs . Brooks : Your letter to John Greenway, sent to our offices, has found its way to me . I will forward it to Mr . Greenway, since he will have to give you permission to use your material from the Journal of .American Folklore . However, I noticed that you are in the process of writing your autobiography, and I wanted you to know that we would be happy to take a look at your manuscript when it is finished . Whether it will fit into our publishing plans at that time, I can ' t of course say now. But we found your piece in Folklore of the Great West delightful, and suspect that your autobiography ~ay be equally so .• Cordially, /--·\ ) \ ~- ~ - . Patricia Kollings ( rs . ) Associate Editor AW/sk cc : PUBLISHE RS O F John Greenway Department of Anthropology University of Colorado Boulder, CO 80302 Mr . THE AMERICAN WEST MAGAZINE / J I @ .y 5611 Springhill Place Los Angeles , California 90043 October 29 , 1971 Mrs. Juanita Brooks St . George, Utah P o Oo ox 303 Dear Mrs . Brooks: Re: ELIJAH EL.MER (1810- 1880) I am uncertatn as to whether I should contact you, or the Utah State Historical Society in Salt Lake . However, as I know of your publications and research on the early Sou them Utah history I am writing you first in the hopes you can assist me o I have been trying to locate the Elijah Elmer J ournal which is referred to as "source of information" on the family shee t s I have obtained from the Salt Lake LoDoSo Genealogical Societyo The Bancroft Reference Librarian at Berkeley informed me some time back that you were doing some work on the William H. Dame papers . Elijah Elmer, my great grandfather, served with William H. Dame on the Parowan Stake High Council for the L. D. S. church during the 1850. ' S o (Reference: Po 324, Vol. I of "A Mormon Chronical - The Diaries of John Do Lee , tt published by the Huntington Library, San Marino, Calif o) Elijah Elmer is also referred to as a cabinetmaker in Parowan, on page 239 "Heart Throbs of the West," by Kate B. Carter, 1941, Vo1. o 3, Daughters of Utah Pioneers o If in your research you shoul d come across any information as to the whereabouts of "The Elijah Elmer Journal'', or if in your research on William H. Dame you find anything tha.t I can add to my history on the Elmers, please refer me to the proper publications when and if they a.re available o I am enclosing a stamped, addresEed envelope for your convenience in making a replyo ( ~ Qyt,,Z~ o/'(\;-~ ~ 'O .•\, ~ ~~--- ;JyVv Very truly yours, f 3121 Adams Road Sacramento, California Tues . night 2nd Nov rnb r 1971 Dear Mom= Was glad t o hear from . ou and Cha rity conce nin your birthday party to be held in Me squite. \Jould like t his to get t here by Saturday but can't guare ntee it. I s ·Jose yo never get so old that y ou don• t re member all hhe ha pe nings as a :youngster at heme. My recoli.ections covet- quite a span . rnoetly ,... 1a ll s tuff but apparently im:preesive ,nO\;l.gh to remember over ma ny years. ~i.1he h le 1 h.n in the baek yard 'Ii here I raised rabbits a nd wa tc hed watched them from the time they ieame out until I hed trouble with them getting out and running ~11 over thA eighborbood. My experiments with guinea p~~s, bamtam hens, i tg. Bow b out i.•a,sh d ys 3.nd stoking- the fire wit limbs out from the cottonwoods do~ n in the field. Pa. and his "boiled" ivhite shirts thc;1 t he hated• Aura with those steamy boys around under f oot , Mary erying like mad when.eve!:' we used the old blUE3 ehurn t -o make btttter _, Laurel singing the Hallelija.h Chorus hile he separa ted the milk, Cha rity with a stock of sorgum cane twisted in her mouth. and all you girls with your het;l in a book. I recall the hard time Mom had getting D,:i.dl-e y·, and ;re ,,out of bed each morni:ng--don'' t know how many times she would eome to\ the foot of the stairs and eall up. \\. '1 hen there 1 were the eows--be.rded: during the su.mmer--our gettin~>~, together with Uncle Ab 1 s kids-•taking them to the field--playing and sw , wimming in the canal•-the melons. whether our own or Herb Waite's '-or ->_ '•-1 ·agon loads of casabas we 1 d ~ring .;_ Heber Hardy's, it made no difference. home and _ i s tribute to neighb rs all along the way. Playing with G~'-D:rg e \' , , Hunt's Ham or fighting wasps in his eorrel shed on Sunday a fte r noon. "-\\ Takint off ou.r one pa i:r of shoes mn a cold frosty morning during reces s ,; ' N,, te play steal sticks or run toot races when we ha d school a t our house. · The one horse race on the Fourth or July and all the spe ,o ulating theit :preeeded it, the bets, and then all the arguments whioh followed. Dave Abbott demons trating that anyone ~ould bit him as hard a~ they could in his fat stomach ithout eny effect. And Bishop Abbott's marathon p rayer with arm raised to the aqu.are on the Fihurth -o f July. It was claimed that some of the youngsters wa'nt to Mesquite and back before he finished . Re member.Mom• you'd say; "Now, Pa, don't you whip that boy!" How Laurel or Daisy or Eva and erhaps all of them yelled when the old yellow horse stepped on them. Ho, I 1 d race the old bla ck dog from the u ,e r fie1d gate to the eorral gate in less than five minute .a riding Old Chub. How I lighted the eole.ntan lanterns and stoked t he big round st ves in the old sehool house tor several years while Pa was ja ni to:r •. How we rang the old bell thirty minutes before every event tha t ca me to the valley. plus the daily grist. In all these things, Mom .• you were t,h~ rallying point. Just getting that t:ribe going in the morning wae a miracle. Add to th t the tact tha t we a.lsays awoke to hear you singing down stairs• a warm stove in the morning wit h a :reserv ir of wa rm wate r on the side. How I felt free tc eurl up in front of the tire at night and know that I'd be ca rried up to bed.undressed and tucked in--tha t was the life! I guess Aura. v1as t he one s · lf s to.rter-•she a t the piano dt ri n the wee hours of iiaund~iauplaying t1•The Danoe of tho D~monisft .o.r 0 The Herd I reme mber them as though it ·w as ye sterday. I always Girl• s Dream.. 0 fi red th t t elvin a nd Daisy got the adva ntage when they pas:s ed the good ,a~:, qourtihng Nlbe rt looks around. Juanit a• so far ~s I '.>ta.s concerned, Leavitt and was destined fol• a .n ea.rl.y me.i-riage • Char ..1. ty wt1s -the pe,rsonali ty kid, Ma.r y was a continual tlo-w of tea.rs• Eva had all tlle boy f7iends ;- and Du.d a nd I s nuggled under those heavy demins quilts in tha t big, drafty upper room() Mom. I remember how good it was to .e at a big boul of germade (don't know how to spell it) wi-th thick l~esil erea11 in. t he orning and to come home .frort1 school to. a h-ot loaf ot breed• butter, and honey. v\'Nhitaacombination4I ean s till. taste it. Alse remembe" how Aun t Lov~na t~ and Bertha-, . k:f.d.s u se·d to drop over for something to till out t h ir sand ,•Jieh lunch. You were a l egend i:n your o -n day tor the help you gave to everyone. From the day rou f e ,l l wh ile cl~aning .Aunt Rell' s c.eil.ing to the day you die, you will have a reeor.d of doing $Omething tor someone all the time. ind:t v1dually and collecti,rely ,each and as a family. I don• t We love y know ot en.yone who has the love and admi~e_tion ot her posterity down to the ,'.;rd ar 4th gene r s,tion that you have. I hope t h:ts b i:rt . day is another of' ma ny happy ones for you. We miss being there. vre will detinitel:y plan to make 'y our 95th e momfmtous one. Gur love always . Fvan~ia yo k11ow wh at po.s :ttions I"ve heJ..d t Elders• Qu orum Pre sidne t-• Wa rd Bishopri c 9 High Counc i l Mari an has t c·rne;ht Pri"mary 9 years. Is now a: 111:>rer-ian at the Clxurch . KGi ren•- 2. ye r s ot Co _leg(, ... , D "'a a tie rorlnctions e.t C ,de.r - .... A Relie f 1 ow Society Pre Jident , in the :,.re ,d. enc., of t e MIA a d Primary• b~i ldi ng li' r~ri n -all on a ry3r d lev . ~om, "1 Robert-~Se rviug his ~e eo:n d d,f a t~ o-yaa1" Stake Miraion. was ordained a ~)eve n ty 1 s t Sunday. G ry -For i n Missiol!l to 3 r ma1,y-- ·ill .,;I r·· liua'i:e ·"rom the Y. in .June, . Guess Pd b ,. . tter s top--you k1:1ow Oiif they· m;s.y that tiQld Men dre am dreams and young men see v:tsions-- I' m definitely i ,n t e dr e "~ming sta e. Leve an b. ~t wi hes J0 y u .11. 1?31 ~th 1 400 ·'.c1st Sal t Lake Ci ty , t'"' h q_r a . A • .e B ., 5~1 Snr i n~hi l n No r . agy Pl Los Anp:e le,.,. , C 1 if • I wa - awe., f r m r.cin:e to F'e h~ re . 8, 1 ?1 004 3 est •tmek , so miss .d yo r 1 ett :o r,. f 'J rdc d I also ~vc ~ld be l"1 1 c.1 intereq•.ed in ss~ h1 c "'I. w S l · jah E l !uer (.T }u:r.na l ,." ,L1 sl:.ell i ne11 ire :: .. 01t it at Ue f'hvre t• l~ r ~h ives . I ho VO fc-1.n:.d t hi':=' •i:,-n ,,f t h tie t-:c r ri~o11 EattE~licn grou ! .C onnf. ry C ; a::x's 1?.rc,rn * Capbd. n,. Cr i~o:n B. , aqms ,;lt5t .Sp, -t .; Eli;j~h Elme r ,, 2nd ~.&-:t . Si.nee rn.rny c tLe rrembE.-r·s ·ert rec r<la , we ~1ay :find h i s name aFon;~ tl'em , ut we de, ..t ct,' th0 t h<".' .:.:he.red ti- .., e:xr,z:r i ences of the e:ronp . Ee is a l co "it h the _f ir t::t p:r on·p c ent ec th to sc:tl ~~n ro·~rn1n 1 leavinv La e City ? -th ·ne e o 850 al" < ~u· ::i v e on ·l':he tc··ntsita on 13 Jan . 1B51. . rr b i s Ii.Ft C 'r "i::'i! •.. 11E' 20 vr~,; r• rJ.(1 n1y 3:: ,_,, _irren . T:1j_s mezns cnly that fer tI·1i s mes·'; t1i f.l;u ·tf: ,~t:nt .. r jt· 1 1r . P, ,, ~-~ri i es '."e:::"-e left i thei r she lters in t ti r~,:i l t Lr:'-•·e erea . E i ·a r Jme r- i s li.::-te a~ , e-venty ,, 40 yeti.rs o f ge . rr11e re ecrd f JcJ"t~ri (} " B P k , t 1 ~1 riD l s of the f.:cutle r 1'1i :: <::i(. n , ttp • ., .sr,:·,,es A'::{,""ct 1.y ·H·E' bW"e ,·· t~ ting o Sel t I , 18 8 o :end him li ~•:e d t':i th t.he 8 t Pke _ :i.ITh C ,-:nsel in ct •nee tin:: ec-rion s.!':._ b · li :;y of •d l 1 i-nn H • . r--:.me r ep;;,rd:i.ng the l•:ount ir1 _,:ead sf"t;l ere was tvdni:t dis c ssed . This apn .,rs in 1n"'in o T'c rte 24!1- ,. "i•·•r _.,fl f;! rl~cto2te t c:d' t if!: },>'T•4 ,.,r.~ t·:i: HD' ('}"'\. ~?(1:~ 2 . 9 in my own :ook ,·· :·r J, VL.:' ·r,,_F., ;r1::-~ ('>'P , T c tfilFR TIF~--1 •.r•R , FT! '..·1--:r...fl\'1\ nr-,w o t o-Z ,-..rint m tJ r ar e .. The A· t}p; r H . Clf:.n._.k Cf)'',., P-ny f!t~Y thct th~y are y utti ou of the vear . a ot~ e r ri~tin; ;hie ' I vJis 1. I mi ri;h t Pi.Ve yo 1 f·1·r Jlv.r : whatever y 0u :ind . ·r1 .. sto ld er~ear a ·ter the I • 11 be i· te re ste i ~t als o .in 1731 South 1400 Fast i y t lTta h pc J. t I,r-dw t ov . 8 • 1971 r .8 7 1 r'l 3. f" i I -~.- s avff;,y from hmrte ]eot \"e ek ,. r~~ - aw t· Ct hsre . o m:t.fiHe . I a ls HJcu · r:i _ : 1 -0 r: :.n0r of Jr,urn a l , c1 .d shaL t,,Pke soro I fit r ur . ·, t e r;; whi .eh wa<• f th- r. l i j.. '"'or~ c·1 ning i t • cu ts • Jlda f ti.cH~S • 'YI · , E 1e r --In Co mr y C; .,ro 1 s t S~ t ; ~l:i. ·a .. ..,lme r ,- ? ....: re 1 , his n.-,me me'! o that TL~ i the r 1. of 10n erB who City 7 t~ De c . 1 8 50 arriv· n~ atCOnter Cr-ek L .a ter u~r ~ Lo •' :J.Sc) , 1.:1 t hen st · 1 l D·c1, , CP lleN }'.?l"(W:io!V 13 Janua ry 1e51, .. e i s .i s t e c as a~Pd +0 a Se venty . th~ ~· u ttren f,Jj s ionnh ... s the ~._ ,, e cJames G. Ble k i n hi s"t~n < ls r hill • listinr.: c:i:~ te1:e .e L~til ·5 o]fj; r, e Adams Dc:i lto n n h ·m. I 0 0 P~) r -oi.Nan lr:r otE, a }Jistor 0 h ie• . t have ... ccr f the t .wn ; 1?31 f o t h 1 400 ·c st .:., t Lake City , U t · h 8 1 5 1 .1 971 o v • j _l.i • r . A th r • c1 ~r ~?-6 h ..., '-? - tr c1 l ,' v e GJ.e n ~r le 4 , C Ji · orni a 12 · · e 1 I J JJ'-t- ear -~-r . C a rk : n ee - • ly I h11 v ron eginning ': i n s h if i 1 and c omi r; be m;-,i e i n t he i.:?.1 - o f Lonel" h r a in t e r e~t f • Lee t n, L th ello Bl t 54 t I can bes t te l d re . r;te I r t·_e Uri1i::.~- :i."¥J.';; t i t n ·th .-a e 372 erit ·i re· y or B¥t the i OSe d . A i n~ e ed ~a. cy Ann Vanc e , j 0 t rife" the ~enealo ,:Lst of tlH-::i · ·am~ ly 11. re s o i t1, · ~t:::. t that Ifartc y rl j_ ·n ot be a r ·· e c hi. d Ha. nah--the ins sted t '1t1 t she lfJ s orn t0 ..' i __i .m 0 rr dswir t h •s t ·r s t t t hin~ t o ·1 ear t he n ·· ~ho Ienco e xerox a h ets f rom t e LDS e;;i o ct:.:_c' 0 sn u., t I. t cy 1, n ,.c1 nc e was the v ife . f rr.-ea s . hi al1~ , · i th he r h er rn:::: r:i.c.~e i hto, ? t e r it . It .ns a ha r Po1~ety r c ords to Sf'Ol' -a e chan.r·e .l e the l ength of .re arc the r-, i nterested in d.in~ A .j.me a ve I ted ch editi n. I hall b e me· 1 than yo, . ·ggest, .o r I a s r<:1 tl t uct io la -:- t · r~n · the re r 1 · £ e f ;1 _ ls . e tly ~ npla rl to hr ~rriva l f t h€ t r a · e H· r tin John L . Lee ir 1 8 ~ to , af ter 1 e in t.hi. es.v u i n a ny w y ta t ,or ~ a~ e ee r to a ve t his a f~ne Perha s ., . u also pr a rters . ied at r inter Le e ,, so t hey c h s e t ·5s 1~a y o t . fJk•. r 0 a~ I ~m. , inc c · e J 1 fl' o •fish i ta Br o o ,... S t HISTORY BOARD MEETING AGENDA November 3, 19 71 1. Review Minutes. 2. General Report on activities of Utah State Histori.cal Society. 3. Quarterly Reports: a • Ad ministration b. Library c. Publications--Humanities d. Historic Preservation Planning 4. Budget Review 5. Other business A new s 1ur.mer 1· as come tr- our hons~i He opened the season on NoveMber 18 1971, and has t·eally made a h:lt Hith us. ts Barton Hoyt Prooks 11 and alth-"ugh he is a litt·1 e sm;~ll fo1r a maio~ league candidateJ five ··t ent_- ... t : ,~.e f · pirit. ounds fourte~n ounce~ he has He shows al o t of 1 us t l e wr.en its dinner and k ee ·,~ a line of chatter goin;_:, during hi ,~_raLz~ 1'-:-nt:tine pre:H::tice dai1 ·, His name 1 waking hours. at 3li-6 North HainJ St. Beorge . ·."."'· -<.! ,· ;:-.are ··ure he wH1 aid significuntly in He drive 0 5611 Sprin ghill Place Los Ange les , Calif ornia 90043 November 29 , 1971 Mrs . Juan ita Brooks P. O. Box 303 St. George , Utah Dear Mrs . Broo ks. Salt Lake City. I shall Thanks very much for your Nov . 8th lette r writt en froming whet her you have s end t his to you at your St . George addre ss , not know retur ned . Mormon Batta lion Servi ce . I I did have some infor matio n on Elija h Elme r'e ry" by Sgt. Dani el Tyler and had found him on page 188 of "Mormon Batta lion Histo nwhere Did These Go , " he is also menti oned on page 40, unde r the headi ng " by Mrs . Norma Baldwin of book let entit led "Mormons and Disco very of Gold , Also have paper s from Rick etts - Pione er Pre,ss , Place rvill e , Ca2if . 1966. Natio nal Ar chive s from the War Depa rtmen t Records o abou t his being with the I was deli ghted to get the infor matio n you sent I have to settl e Parowan in December of 1850. first group sent south prepa red a brief chron ology on the Elija h Elmer In addin g this toget her from vario us sourc es . , "Anna.le Bleak sourc e as the recor d of James G. Church the in I assume t his recor d is avail able fami ly, as I could piece it infor matio n, I shal l give the of the South ern Miss ion" p .. 5. Arch ives in Salt Lakeo ed 18 Apr. 1849 when the Capt o I have a copy of the Peter O Hansen Diary start This ccmpany inclu ded the Elmer Fami ly, and Elija h Howard Egan Co o left Iowa. ce to accompany hi<: fami ly Elme r had retur ned to Iowa after his Batta lion Servi to Salt Lake Valle y • Inez S. Coop er, Assi stant .Enclo sed is copy of a lette r 1 receiV'ed in 1966 from resea rch you shoul d happen Histo rian of Colle ge of South ern Utah o If in your Coun cil it would be of acros s the reaso n for Elme r' s removal from the High inter est to meo Doyle Ls e from the Since you wrote I obtai ned a copy of your book on John the hand writi ng in the y of Los Ange les Libra ry. I was struc k by the simi larit Elme r' s milit ary affid avit h Elija in phot ostat at the top of page 249 to that I am enjoy ing the book and appre ciate the signe d in 1848, copy enclo sed . hours of resea rch it entai led. The P. O. Box of the year. We plan to moV'e to the dese rt after the first t you come acros s even re t In . 92258 , there will be No" 326, North Palm Sprin gs be inter ested . any addi tiona l infor matio n on Elija h Elme r I would Sinc erely , r iff P- e~ Alice B. Heagyc/ Encl o 1731 So1:4th 1400 East Salt Lake City t Utah De c . 9 , 1971 84103 Mrs Alice B ., Heagy 5611 Springh i l P_ ace Los Pn eles, C lif . 90043 My Dear Lady: I ' m so leased to be able to send you t his xerox from the files The - ha·v e an a azing collect ion , in the LDS Genealo gical Library . abd each p ge g ives so much in-Porm ation . And this says that Eli ,j ah Elmer kept a Journal ,. hieh someone etill has,. I'd think . Ho wonder ful if you c old find that! 1 S OF U'l'AR , By Ge ,r ge V . Brimha ll • In the little Book , .l1HE I found refere nces to him after Mar ch 23,, 1864-,, when rimhaihl 1 at Parowan , was asked by Geor :-. e A. Smith to go on an explori ng mission south to the Lower Vrigin River to assess the area for sett1 ements .. Brimha ll went to ~;il!IBwan t · bnrtohe mention s seeing ·r . Whitney , the laeksmi th , and on to S t .. George , wher,e Erastus Sn-ow gave him a letter of :recomm endation to Bis hop 'h omas S . Smith on the 1-{uddy . It seems that Elijah El er joined him here for Brimha ll says : uddy , Mr . Thomas S ., Smith :r-e marked bravest man he had ever seen, and the was ll that Brimha ssist him in every way that he cou to ordered was that . he he gave me an honest Indian for . did he so And could . " When t e left the ,o-:,, and my best friend Elmore , explo ing my way . " usly o eauti· went with whom I and his fourtee n :rear old Brimha ll had his n ·i e ive childre n long! ·ith t~o Indians as ,gddes and E . Elmore" "On we went down the Rio Virgin ast the S lt Mountai ns . These mountai ns,, fi ve in mumber . were compose d of good clean c,al t , rotten rocks covered \Vith s and • but when I c ould look inte them and found them as a soli.d block of i ,e e .• of There is certain ly enough j als to supply the people 0 44-45 pp •••• the vorld for the next seven tho s pnd years Evident ly Brimha ll 11,ent alone on t C 11 ' s landing . is next mention of Elmer is on page 49: . '! . 8ut on meetin my ole: friend ,, Elijah El more•• .. we finally e finally conclud ed to -try it a ain . u to is that Elmer was on ,o f those c,alled to settle St . Thomas , Nev ada ~ and when tbe 11:n.e 11as establi shed hi c h thre the area into Ne·v ada , and they were expecte d to pay bac k taxes in gold • they e'.t"e r ,e leased and counsel ed' to settle in the Lon Valle or· Pan uiteh area . Irer e both he and his wife died . This o ·ens ad uble door to our researc h . Enough o r no • Pm very lad. to have been able to untangl e just a little of this man • s v a r i ed life ., All g o d wishe,s , What this all leads u \ ~. r:J /i / //),1, .. /., /-....--..,.., L.. , - l ~ -- -------------- C EDAt.. ROYD Ef CITY , UT A H C, BRA!THW_A!TE DARYL CH ASE Director, C ol lege o f - Oulht rn Utdh President May 20; 1966 C EDA R CI T Y, U Tt,H LO GAN, UT A H Alice B .. Hengy 5611 Springhill Place Los Angeles 1 California I n c hecking t hrouvh sone of our old records th ac ross this bri .f reference to Elijah Elmer: other day, I ran "Mond a y , Nov& 21 , 1859-- • •• John SteelA and Dan~cl T~ Clark were set apart as High Counci lors to fill t he vacancy occasioned by t he calling of W.H. Dame to the presiden~y of t his stake and t he r e mm_ra l Elijah JHme:r., " ----------~~--'"--•nf: I don" t know how· much good this wil l do you., The ref ere nee was amo ng t he Wm .. H.. Dame papers on a fragment of wbat appeirs to · be a diary .. I am not sure wh wrote i t because , although it was stpposed to be t he journal of Dame hi~self , there are several references to Wm. H. Dame in the t hird perso n such as the one ab ov e , whicb woul d not i ndic ate t hat he was doing t he ~riting g Al t hough I r e a d on some rages , t here i:vas no further r f ere nee to t ell ine why he was .femoved ( Elmer ), btJ_t i;he_-~f_!!-1~__Y,-:_~,ul_d_J?.:~-,..12.--"~!_h~~ re cords of::l-1,,_,t..,..--.~,-~:-·,••~-_-..-;,;....,_ he High Council of t he Parowan Stake of 18_)9 " -:· :,~,,. 0 '-~ ~ .- ~ .... ...., ~""..--..!',•·; ..ft...-.::,,..... ' ·:r-(,,.,.')-,< --~-•-•S.-t".,,<'<c;•,r- ..• •-~~:.\..•c.."11•·,...,,.':.,'"""1'.:-4"~-.,.,• ...,•.,.:.,,~·-~.-.~!"'.,,~ -·~·• , _;---::).. .:;.·•,:,. , ,,\YA.<"'l:l:-<!~-..... -'l'I..:- I do hope thi s will prove to be of value to you ,. Si nc erly 1 / .-,? l. .l ·--·7 ).,.. - -.-// Assi s tant I-li storian ,/ :0- • . -..,~~..1,.~-.. .. ;... _ .,,..., USBAND ' .. -0 Born -0 C 0 "·'~·-..,, V Chr. ...0 ... I ·-1 f ,1 V Place Place 13 Mar 1880 ) ied Bur. u.. Place 29 A12r 1840 Morr. .:, Vl 13 A2r 1810 Place H- USBA ND 'S IWife of Addison Co .. Vrmnt 1810 WILLIAMS, Ma rv or Pollv I NAME 6c AD DRESS OF PERS ON SU B MIT TI NG RECORD w. C. Clay ton Alt a Lorna. Ca lifornia Parowan. Iron. Utah Panguitch , Grfld. Utah Place ELMER. Chester HUSBAND ' S FATH£R ·EI.MER. Eli iah rHusband "1( 2) ELMER, Elijah HUSBAND'S MOTHER ")'( FISHER I Huld;:i .. OTH E R WIV ES WIFE - 0 en E 0 0 0 a (l) C (l) l') ")'( Born (l) \.) 4- 3 C hr. 0 Bur. u.. c:l c:.: 2 ef;'.,,.,::l 3 c:» L.a....J C.t:: 4 L..ri..,J ,;,;;;;;;:,i.• 5 =:c= F ELMER, Cruey Matilda F ELMER. Julia Ester Panguitch , Grfld, Utah -,•,: [)AY MONTH WHERE 2 Feb 1841 14 Apr 1843 BORN COUNTY TOWN Kane Geneva Masedorra 11 Junel845 M ELMER. Eliiah John 30 Jan 1850 Little Cottonwoo d S-Lk 14 Anr 1852 Parowan Iron FT .M FR. 7 8 9 M::irv k' 1 l Pn ·,I f or abc Ve All previous Church Ble~ sings reconfirrr ed and ratified ., ,., ,., ., ",.. -, . ., , \...JJ.. 1.-L.1.U II~ 7/" _, • "I -L 11 OF INFORMATION STAT E OR COUNTRY 'Li -L...J i...JCj..l .L JV-, I DAY WH EN D I ED (DATE) MONTH 1 Sep 1967 YE AR 3 Oct 1968 - ----- ---- If ii llSb ENDOWED ( DATE ) ------ ---- I SELIENE. Martha 25 Julyl868_ I CLAYTON . William H. I Ii ;I i i 2 Fe b 1846 13 Sep 1967 18 Apr 186 8 chi l d ·child SEALED ( Da: e & Tern: ,!i: WI FE TO riU SDAND 19 Nov 1852 Ill/// I I //T!T _.J......:......,_;_ S E AL E D \D:1 ( c ,( T,•t,l ji\, CHl!_DR EN TO PA f/ f_N l S ~-;-r··- 27 Jan 1949 SL 2 7 Jan 194 9 sr- 1 Se p 1967 11 Jul y l877 27 Jan l 9li9 SL 27 J c1 n 194 9 - 1.3 SeD 1967 25 Ju l yl868 27 child child 22 Mar 192 9 22 Mav 1903 2 Feb 1846 WiFE 25 May 1923 ._ 13 Mar 1860 _ I BAKER, Charles Beniamin Illn 20 Jan 1844 ----- -- -- I Illn 14 May 1846 I Utah R~LAT ION OF F.R . TO WI FE HUS BAND TO WHOM - - - - - - ----• 10 SOURCES II All previous Church BleE sings reconfirrr ed and ratified for ab< ve l Sep T9o7 on clnTd 17=4, hUS band ,.,, DA T E OF FIRST MARRIAGE II ELMER, Chester William 6 "'·~:,. .,.( I HU SB AND TEMPLE O RDINAN CE DATA BAPTJZED k'li? !lhe> th WIFE'S MOTHER YEAR s~lf I M '-F iC.r--~ Ll1t Each Chi ld ( Whether l,,lvlni or D~ad) In Ordf'r of B irt h GIVEN NAMES SURNAME (CAPITALIZED) RELATION OF F.R. T O ·- WHEN BORN CH ILDREN DE X l ELMER. Elii a h Place WIFE · s OT HER HUSBANDS F Place HILLIAMS, William n 21 M::iv 1824 CHRTSMAN. Peter WlFC'S F ATH E R M Place 4 Junel887 Died ,._ FAM ILY REPRESENTATIV E WILLIAMS. Marv or Pollv of Christian Co .. Kntc 2 Jan 1807 Place J an SL 1949 -------- --- I - - - -- - - - - - I ------- - - - - I - - --------~ I - ----- I ·- I Endowme nt re1 ..:on f irme d and all !former se a li'~g s r at ! ~i;d ~~r •4= 1968 0 Wl. ., e ' above I Elijah Elmer Journal ,,,,,.•~~ co <, .A E - .:: 196<! Th e G<.tn<-c iog ·coi $.cci~1 y o,I Trio C I, urch o f I ( · ' l. \. tH, >I <> I l o. 111.'r doy sCl• ir>f l : ...,,: Mer ry Chri stma s