John Tanner and his family

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224 John Tanner and His Family In order to make the undertaking a sucess, the church authorit­ ies called men and their families to work on the canal and also to become settlers in one of the new towns. Earl Annie and Fred Karren and the three Tanner children within this located Franklin and Pingree, Lydia (Watson), Byron beehive of activity. By the time Earl Pingree Tanner was thirteen he was following the plow and helping to break-up the sodded prairie. They would not become wealthy as farmers, but they would learn the traits of honesty and industry and develop a love of their - adopted country which they would never leave. Mention has been made of the Joseph Marion Tanner farm in Unlike the other Tanners, Dr. J. M. was motivated, in at least, by the plural wife problem. He had added to his family part of wives following the Manifesto and because of his prominence, he received a great deal of publicity which became embarrassing to the church, as well as annoying to himself and family. This is the way Alberta. Annie Clark Tanner, one of his wives, decribed the situation: the church authorities had withdrawn their confidence in him because of his disregard of the Manifesto. As he defied the Church authorities, they withdrew from him the privilege of work­ ing in the Church, and so his salary ceased." Already Dr. J. M. Tanner had visited Canada a number of times "in the interest of the Church organizations, and conceived the idea of buying a large tract of land.":" Like many another inexperienced person, the prospect of almost limitless fertile acres, which if brought under cultivation might fairly took possession of him." make him a gentleman farmer, When the church leaders learned of his interest in Canadian were very pleased it would be a convenient way to get land, they - him off the front pages of the Salt Lake newspapers. Church land agents gave him every assistance in his land acquisitions. His location was near Woolford and was extensive." John Henry Tanner says that he and his brother Carl "rented thirteen hundred acres of farm land at Woolford for two years from J. M. Tanner. It was all farmed by horses, Carl and I using twenty-two head of horses at once." This was a little more than two full sections. Dr. Joesph M· family in home and Tanner did not succeed in building a permanent Canada. Two of his children by Lydia Holmgren