Show I r g a 3 99 3 fl L Incidents C I in in I My Mj JL Life L ife I resident PresIdent t T 9 OU request from me mo a tu brief story T of ot my may life lICe a n life lICe of over eighty years cars tho time part of ot which luau has been passed as no u a member of ot this bile community Adverse us tie I am to writing about n out myself I cannot refuse to comply with It is 18 the ito universal season for gratify gratifying ing log all nil reasonable desires anti and It Jl af of affords fords mo moo much to give glo Christ Christmas man mas greetings to yon rOil oa and your wide circle of or readers ninny ot of m aro nrc doubtless young people with their ca en careers careers yet hot et before them who may possibly bly JI bo ho benefited by this tithe narra niura narrative tIe Iso As you are arO aware I 1 am ant not a native of or this hum loath land of liberty though I have always been boon a lover of or freedom and amid nn on ardent admirer of ot American Institution tion For or tIm the sake of at these above all 1111 for tor tho time Gospel of Jesus perfect law mw of at liberty loft left my na nn anthe the land hand mutiny many years yearn ago and clime canto to this country All that I 1 am nm I 1 owe to Mormonism The fhe blessings of tho the Lord have followed me nil all the lie days o omy ot of my moy m lIfe lite nod to hInt Him I I give the glory for tor what may have been accomplished hed through my humble endeavors Under Him lIlun I may say nay my m success has been duo to a II determination formed early In lu life to do cIo my duty faithfully and con conscientiously in whatever position 1 I might be placed I have luo always believed that a thing worth doing at ut nil ull Is worth doing well and amid I have hae done dOM the best I could rould to reduce that lint principle to practice practice tice As a II youth my education was wan limited and lull I was wan forced by br b circum circumstances stances to depend upon my own exer exertions but Jut I J found that butt nn nut honest desire to labor anti a persevering effort to ob obtain tain tam employment would not mint go 10 o long un unrequited Unrequited requited and 1 I kept steadily nt lit work at any and amid every honorable task asic Mm hit t came my nuy III way WilY wayA A native of at Kent Eliz Ehi Eh Ehland land whore where I horn December 11 1821 I t baptized 1111 sprinkled ax ell a an nut infant Into tho time Church of England of which my father and un mother mutation both members At the tim ago ngo of oC fourteen I was wan confirmed a member of oC that church by hy bytho hythe time the Archbishop of ot Canterbury Cant 1 I nearly when shien I L Unit heard nf of the lie Stunts Saints and their re ye religion reo ligion and became n II 1 convert to 10 what the tho world terms By fly ll that time loin I was a husband and iid father I hind had been boen an all om loo for years yearn ears at nt a 0 Wust End l nd store storo In iii London and ind had then thell taken up my m residence In Liverpool whore where I 1 had charge of ot a n elm sim similar liar ilar establishment for to I a gentleman named I I Tho The occasion of at my m conversion to lie tho new faith was somewhat peculiar One day 10 In July Jul 1818 while In III the lie store I chanced to stoop and pick from roun tho the a n small bit of paper a L fragment ot of a letter on which were tho tue words Saints I 1 Inquired of ot ono of the time clerks what it U meant ns no noI I hind had never nover soon or heard the time name be Le before before fore tore Ho He replied that there thore was a 11 re me religious religious sect In America whoso whose mem memo members bers Jers called themselves Saints though they were commonly known ns CIS Mormons that they lied had lieda hada a prophet named Joseph Smith anti that some Homo of at thorn held regular meet meetIngs lags Ings In s In tho lie Music huh Hall Bold street Liverpool U I 1 was wan so Impressed with what I heard and so anxious to learn more moore concern concerning lag ing these tItans people that I went vent to their meeting creeping up a back Jack stairs and peeping through the tho banisters to get a I glimpse of ot the whore where a congro congre congregation gation gatlon was addressed by a speaker whom I afterwards learned to be bo Elder Eider Orson Oreon Spencer of ot Salt Luke Lake City lIe Ho was speaking on en the tho first principles ot ot of tho the Gospel faith repentance baptism by Immersion and tho the laying on of ot hands for tIle the gift of the ho Holy Ghost I thought he lie must know lint I was there for tor every ery worth word war fitted lilted I seemed meant especially for ox me ml I In Investigated I time the principles taught be became became became came convinced of their truth and was baptized September 20 SO 1843 1818 My Iy wife Ellen Walters alters Winder also Joined tho the Church anti and wa Wit wore con connected with the Liverpool branch until February 1853 1883 when whon we wo Mt tt et sail pall for America taking with us three children and leaving one behind in 11 Its It crave gravo V v v Two of or time tho living were twin d thou then about four months old The Ihme shut ship on OH which we WI Killed I the time I Owen was as IS only t tow few days out from Liverpool when it R was ills dis discovered covered that smallpox was Will tin 1111 hoard it IL child Infected with tho lie malady helM being among the time ships Ana In time the Uli next to I mine I wits the first to discover It II anti and one Cite of ot the that first among five fi who came down With time tho and anul to bo be quarantined In lit Ina InI lita a I little house built on deck for PI or that thai O This was wan a both tu to tio and omit to my lilY sc wy M hu u without my Urn uru for tor lucy her twin babes Which was lIIS small task on ship shill board To lo multi add to our oa anxiety ono oum or of the patients lying hying nent na t tto to me 1110 a young brother named William died cued a few duyo Inter later about nice nino In the evening lInt and soon the time sailors and amid took tool the lie body bOIl out null and cast cant It U Into the son I heard thorn them any finy 1111 wo will have him him next meaning me Ins but bm I hind faith that I would recover uni minI get to Zion Jolt ant and In duo line lilY my was Thieve Theio was but Jilt butone ono one death during tho ho voyage vonge By Uy way of at New No and St Louis wo reached Iowa and nun crossed the liv th plains In a company commanded by ly b Elder Eider Joseh W Young arriving at itt Salt Snit Lako Jalo City CIt on out tho tim of 0 Oc October October October tober Utah was still sUII In tho the early colonizing period Thele sere but eight settle ments monta in Salt Lake county count four In III Da Davis Davis vis yin and four tour In Weber though thought there wore were ten tell In Utah Ulah county Men Mon had been called at time the general conference which had Just closed to go with their lr families antilles and strengthen the outlying I places In JI Iron reecho Tooele and other othol parts nn 1111 Indian war nas ae In hut progress und and visitations I Imminent Time Tho population of ot the taw th territory was wall about twenty thousand souls In Iii of or that hunt year yeam enl tho lie corner cornerstones cornerstones cornerstones stones of this the Salt Lithe Lake Temple lied had been beun laid Little did till I 1 dream us as I gazed upon those humble though urns mas massive else sive beginnings that hint I would have liess charge forty fort years later Intel of tho time work of ot completing the hue edifice and that I 1 would woul be le an nil assistant to its pro IN providing viding siding during the thie happy years cars that followed III In those times lines men muon had lied not much choice of ot employment In this title mountain I region They hind to do du whatever they thoy could get to do and amid take taku their pay largely In articles produced by the farmer and lint the this artisan nn It was svan wn no noun uncommon un imn sight to see I artIste mu inn Siemens and men or of education hauling wood from twin time the canyon building fences 01 or cultivating time the soil Luckily Luckl my m vocation was stas in demand Being Delli nn nut experienced shoe and leather leatherman leatherman man I engaged scram norm after my In arrival In III Salt Bait Lake Valley Vallo which has hOH ever eer since been my home In the tha th manufacture ture of Dt saddles laddie boots bouts and shoes and amid andIn andIn In the conduct of ot a I tannery My part partner ort not nor In this venture was Samuel nor per Subsequently I formed Cormell n II similar partnership with William Jennings and we together built n it tannery and kept a 1 meat shop besides making harness waddles caddies tU booty anti and shoes After the move in 1868 I was a partner with Brigham Young anti and F Ire Fern ra mora morz Little anti and we built a II tannery on Parleys canyon creek While ao so engaged 1 I my may present ent home Poplar Farm awl went to farming and pursuits which have given me ice great pleasure I HI tor I Willi associated with r Jennings Jenning Little others In III running a tannery tanner In time tho Nineteenth ward of at this city My I Interest In farming anti Industrial lou led to my m connection with the lie Agricultural and III log nT society of ot which I wits president and Ind n a director for tor a period of ot forty orty tour four years enma Of ot my more recent busi bail business ness fleas associations as aK a stockholder and officer om r of at time the th Deseret National bank bankC Z C M L I the thin Utah Iron ne company the he Utah Light and ami Pow Paw Po Poor or cr company and Its It II predecessors the theD D oret Investment Bench and Inland Salt Stilt companies tho Utah tah and Ogden Om Sugar companies and the he Utah anti and California corn com pony 1 I need say nay PIt nothing My 11 long IonS connection with Utah mill millan tary an affairs began In 1866 when I Joined he Nauvoo Legion It flon a II as the Io l mIlitia was Willi then styled I was wan dill aln of ot n mm company of cit lancers Inn celli In the Echo cho I Canyon campaign r and nii during the he winter of after litter most of 01 the tho militia hail returned homo anti and John Johnston tons atoms ston army lint had gone Into winter qUill tars ers at Fort I was wan loft IoU with fifty men to guard rutin the canyon and ana Its approaches and give Ive notice to Con Oon Volts Wolla and the authorities at Silt Salt Lake |