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Show Research Workers Collect Interesting Historical Data Interesting Facts Relative to Dixie History are Brought To Light By Workers By HUGH O'NEIL Editor, Historical Records Survey Endeavoring to secure a complete com-plete history of the early days in Utah 'and Nevada, WPA research re-search workers from the Historical Histori-cal Survey and the Federal Writers' Writ-ers' project have been making a systematic search through libraries libra-ries and the files of old documents docu-ments located in public buildings. build-ings. From the information which has been pieced together from old documents, letters, and dairies, the following data has been obtained: ob-tained: After the town of St. George was surveyed and marked off into city lots, they were numbered and each number placed on a single slip of paper. Each slip was then placed in a box and a representative for each family drew for his lot. In the early days there was a settlement named Price about six miles south and west of St. George across the Virgin river. (Continued on page fivei RESEARCH WORKER (Continued from first page) Old reports tell of the school there. The United Order was practiced there for a number of seasons. The capitol stock of the Ladies' Co-op store of St. George,' on August 31, 1879, was held by women only in small amounts of from one to twenty dollars. John Doyle Lee was the first county clerk of Washington county. The county court of Washington county was held at Fort Harmony before the city of St. George was settled. In the early records of the St. George dramatic company from 1869 to 1871 are unique entries showing John Pumes as treasurer treas-urer and listing supplies and produce paid in lieu of cash for tickets. Mabel Jia-rvis is the present owner of a cavalry sword which was originally owned by William Perkins, one of the pioneer settlers sett-lers of 18 61 and bequeathed by him to Brigham Jarvis, father of the present owner. The sword is 42 inches long and is dated 1846. William Perkins was at one time a body guard of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and this was the sword used by him at that time. Perkins was also a member of the Monnion Battalion. He was a neighbor of Brigham Jarvis and very friendly with him. At his death his sword, powder horn, and flintlock gun were willed to Jarvis. The gun and powder horn were later stolen from a local fair exhibit. The sword is one of the heav-ior heav-ior bladed ones and appears to have had little use. It has some nicks as a result of its use on the stago in local dramatic productions. pro-ductions. The hilt is of fine brass. On one side of the blade just under the hut appears the letters U. S. and J. H. On the opposite side is stamped the name of the maker, N. P. Ames, Cab-otville, Cab-otville, 18 4 6. An invitation to a formal ball dated 1846 was among the papers found in the county court house. It was from A. Waght to I. Youngs and was to be held in the saloon of the Dresdain hotel. M'any interesting items axe gleaned from the Western Standard, Stand-ard, published in San Francisco, in 1856-1858 by Elder George Q. Cannon. One item states: "Every city and settlement throughout the entire territory is divided into in-to wards, over which a bishop presides. He not only attends to the temporal affairs of bis ward, but also presides over the spiritual spirit-ual affairs." Another from an issue of April 3. 1S57 quotes Bright m Young ns saying that: "The Mormons could boat the world at bragging, lying, cheating, swindling, swearing, swear-ing, and drinking." |