1875-1911-Smith-Diaries of John H Smith
Church, State, and Politics: The Diaries of John Henry Smith
Edited by Jean Bickmore White Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, 1990
Chapter 1
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[Saturday, July 4, 1874 - Philadelphia] Our nations birthday, and what changes. I got up at five a.m. and was looking at the Country before we reached the City. The Crops look better to me than they did down the road. On our arrival in the City at 6:30 a.m. we got some breakfast at a restaurant, and at 7:15 a.m. we was soon on the move again through some fine Country, and at 10 a.m. reach Jersey City. We cross the River to New York and go to bro. W. C. Stains office and found him looking for us. He took us to the Astor House [hotel]. Bro. Nuttall and I had room 215. We visited Central Park. It is a magnificent place, and we had a very fine time. In fact I was very tired.
My expenses to this place is $83.45. In the evening we went to Neblos Theatre. The Play was Ivanhoe. The scenery was grand but the acting was misserable. 11:30 p.m. we return to rest.
[Sunday, July 5, 1874 - New York City] We took our meals in eating house. The a.m. was spent in looking about town. P.M. we went to Williamsburg and attended meeting with the saints, bro. Bywater presided. All of our party spoke as also bro. Staines, J. Richards and Spencer Clawson. A splendid feeling prevailed. It was stormy.
[Monday, July 6, 1874 - New York City] Today some 750 saints with some returning Elders arrived in this harbor. Elders John Clark & G. F. Gibbs are returning home. Bro. Nuttall and I went to Staten Island, distance 7 miles. It cost 20 cents to go and return.
In the evening bros. Sinclair, Nuttall, and myself witnessed a grand exhibitlion of fire works at Union Squair. There must have been thirty thousand people present.
[Tuesday, July 7, 1874 - New York City] We took a ride around the Central Park to day, bro. D. Mack. having returned from Shrewsbury. The saints that arrived yesterday left here to day for the vallies. In the evening we all went to Barnums Hipodrome and had a splendid evening. It was again Quite midnight before we got to our hotel.
[Wednesday, July 8, 1874 - New York City] At five p.m. I went on board of the steamer City of New York and booked by steamer to New London and from there by rail to Whitefield. The scenery along the sound is lovely. At 10 p.m. I went to bed.
[p.8][Thursday, July 9, 1874 - New London] At 4 a.m. I left the steamer and took train. The Country is hill and dale with many fine towns. The land is covered with trees and grass.
At 4 p.m. I reached Whitefield and went in a hack [carriage] to my Uncle Charles Libbey. Him and wife received me kindly and seemed very pleased to see me. They have three sons and 1 daughter. I had supper and we went to Uncle George Libbeys store, where I saw Webster, Henry, Jeremiah and George and all were glad to see me. I stoped overnight at Uncle Charles.
[Friday, July 10, 1874 - Whitefield, N.H.] I have seen all the brothers that are at Whitefield. There are six of them here. Charles, wife and four children, all men and women. Henry, wife and 2 children, Jeremiah Cole, wife and three children. John & wife, & he has no children. George, wife and 2 children. Webster, wife and 3 children.
New Hampshire women have quit having babies or only two or three because it aint fashionable.
My uncles are all wealthy men except one and he is well to do. They own a great deal of timber land and run Saw Mills and keep small stores. I visited them all at there homes, and had a good time. They are fine men and women of the world. I stoped over night at Uncle Websters.
[Saturday, July 11, 1874 - Whitefield, N.H.] I breakfasted at Uncle Websters and took dinner at Uncle Henrys. He was away from home, but his wife treated me kindley. Uncles John, George, and Webster went to the station with me. I bore my testimony to them and I told them I was Irredeemably a Mormon.
2 p.m. the train moved of[f] and at Manchester I was joined by Uncle Charles Libbey and we went to Boston together. We arrived at 8:30 p.m. at Boston and put up at the Sherman House.
[Sunday, July 12, 1874 - Boston] We took breakfast at a Restaurant and sallied out to see Boston the hub of the universe. The streets are crooked and narrow but some of the buildings are very fine. The day was spent in running about. I saw two old [battering] rams that was used during the war.
At 6:30 p.m. I bid Uncle Charles Good bye at the old Colony R.R. station to New Port and by steamer Bristol for New York. The steamer was fitted up elegantly and there was hundreds of passengers on board. About 11 p.m. I retired to rest.
[Monday, July 13, 1874 - Steamer Bristol, Long Island Sound] I got up very earley and was looking at the scenery skirting the sound. At 9 a.m. we reached New York. Distance 250 miles. A confidence man tried to play me a trick, but I gave him the sack.
[p.9][July 24, 1874 - Liverpool, England] At 1 p.m. [cousin and European mission president] J[oseph]. F. Smith, Ernest Young and J. E. Graham met us on board the steamer.
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