GHAH U Might As Well . . .
Transcribed by Scott Hinckley, July 2020, Original Spelling
U might as wel hav cald me Balam (1890-91)
1890 Jan 1st Wed. Cyrus walk’d over & invited me to New Year’s Diner and GHB drove over in his sla & hauled me over. We enjoyed a good diner of fresh meats, pudding, pie, cake &c as Mary knows how to soon prepare a good meal, after a nice visit I return early.
Thurs Jan 2 Rode to town in Cys sla & canvasd some. Had a choice diner at Sadies. Got 6 draws at Durns & Winters but did not stay to c the result. Had a good drink of gin at Billey.
1890 Jan 3 Fri. At home reading. It snowd about 1 ft & drifted 2. Froze water in the house 1 in. I melt sno for cul use as my wel has gone dry.
1890 Jan 5 Sun.It blew strong during the night. In the morn the sno had drifted 2 ft against my door. The Bishop reports the rebabtism of Prof. G. P. Ward and a no. of Resigners. In fact the whole ward is again organizd near as before.
1890 Jan 14 Tues. I am studying up a plan to kil ground dogs, they ar numerous here, they ar little larger than a large mouse or gopher & come out of their holes by scores in June or July & they cut down the grain before it is ripe.
Jan 17 Fri. The Bishop of Salem visited my store yesterday & purchases 25 cents worth of stationary for himself & 5 cents worth on tick for his 1st councilor.
Jan 24 Fr. After b-fast on ham & bread & a cup of tea, I jump into the washtub, then into clean clothes, then whild scrubing my floor in the same water, Cy brings my mail.
1890 Feb 9 Sun. last Friday was a quiet day & as Erastus Jenson kindly brought my mail. I enjoyd much the exploits of Capt. Bonfield (Chicago Detecktive) with the Liberal of S. L. City. (Inspector John A. Bonfield was Chicago’s most famous police officer in the 1880s and 1890s, He brought new technology and greater brutality to the Chicago Police Department. Along the way becoming a bugbear for labor and a cause celebre for the right. The Chicago Crime Scenes Project)
On Sat I started for the Burg & when fairly over the S. Teton Bridge I learn from Hans C. Jenson that Bern had cut his right big toe to the bone, the 2nd nearly off & a small slice entirely ovv the 3rd. I starts for him & finds Dr. Bergold & Walter Paul already there & finds Bern in good spirits & resting comfortably.
On Sat I starts erly gets 10 subs fr J. I. besides seling considerable notions. Feeling tired having walkd about 10 miles today & bad roads.
1890 Feb 17 Salem Bingham Co I. Bus. Man contributor. Dr. Sir. Urs of the 6th at hand…shal try my best to increase our sub list—but it is no use sending those sample copies—for they bring them to me with frowns thinking I sent for them. I do not kn that I could sel any of the “Reading course” as the YMM has not paid me for the last yet but I can try. Urs truly Geo H A Harris Agent –Contributr Salem.
1890 Feb 28 Fr Ba 18 below keep close to the stove al day. It was biter cold but we had good fire.
March 15 Sat Starts to town erly gets 3 subs to Juv Instr. (39 in al) mail & receive do. James lets Bern’s horses run away—It vexes me as Bern is around on crutches & cant help. Mar 18 Tues Cald at Vick’s for my clean clothes & some yeast, got both & my super of bread & milk besides, got home oferd a special prayer for Jim as I heard he had left for parts unknown, Oh dear Oh.
Mar 29 Sat. Don’t feel very wel, but strike out for town & hav good luk trades off a lot of books for a suit of clothes so as to hav a betr assortment.
1890 Apr 6 Sun Al wel weather warm. Ba 40. Gets a good wash & also my Census fee &15.60 for last year (betr late than never). Now I make out my 1st invoice for scales &c & feel hopeful.
1890 Ap 16 Wed. Sent Kimbal 5$. Am busy arranging my books on the shelf. They make quite a who with what I had before. I am also perusing my circulars & catalogues from the E & W so as to prove that a nimble 6d is betr than a slo shiling. Hav some little trade today. I sold 5 cents worth of soap cash down, 1 pt. cof. 3 Cents & 25Cents worth of sugar on tick, aird my beding.
Apr 24 Windy. Geo H B is supoenied as a witness before the Grand Jury at B.Foot by Deputy Sherif Cyrus B. Hawley.
Tues May 6th went to town got my 1st freight fr Chicago 20 days on transit. Opend the boxes & found al OK. My 240 lb scales costing me only $2.90. Sugar, doz Pans etc. … I am very proud of my scales & now I start up in biz once more.
May 9 Fri at noon I hitch up & rond the country North for debts, visit Larsens Wards, Andersons Barbers & Dilles with no suces but the sale of 1$ worth of books.
1890 May 22 Geo H A Harris Esqr Salem Ida. Dear sir, We find Ur statement to be correct except that we never received 50 cents stamps what u sent Oct 12-89. If wil remit that amt Ur act wil bal. Ours Des. News Co.
Bus Mang D. S W News SL City. Ur wel written short epistle to hand & Ur modest request is therefore granted. Please find 25 U S P Stamp of 2 cents = 50 Cents & credit the same Ur’s truly GHAB.
June 2nd Mon. I put up at Geo Smith’s who was east working on a canal but his agreeable wife with a babe 5 wks old made me very welcome & after a good supr invited me to make my bed in the house, but thinking that June night to be a warm dry month I preferd the wagon. So I retired in my shirt sleeves, meerly throwing the bed cloths & cover lightly ovr. I was soon off in the land of dreams but before 11 the rain desended & the winds blew & I got wet al thro & thro. I stuck to it until about 3 AM & as it was not disposd to stop I ran for the shed & ran after in order to get up steam but I was nearly froze thro & the rain turnd to sno & snowd..
June 16 At 4 am Ba is at 50 a. the storm cloud has pasd so I hasten to rig up for Lyman & burton. I visit the west part of Lyman then cal at about 10 or 12 houses but as money is very scarce, I travel West. I put up at Kimbals who makes me quite at home, he has a nice family of 7 girls. I feed my horses on fresh cut lucern & sleep in my wagon. In the morning I visit some 8 or 10- houses but no sale as money is exceding scarce so I strik out for home.
July 2nd Wed. I stayed in doors the hottest part of the day but on thurs 3rd Mr. Twigley came along in the interest of the “Contributor” so I jumpd on his cart & rode to P. Frost Rigby then went for Hendrixes, Hinckly, Rocks, Zanes, Hiberts, Zonligers & on the base bal gr where we got 2 subs in al it was the 1st cart ride I ever had. ( So he headed West because those names are from Hibbard and Hinckley)
July 21 Mon. Hans Hanson leaves 20$ for Binder Twine. GHB and family arrives & swaps wagons as they ar visiting. Bert Valentine ar & help me eat my humble meal of potatoes & coffee. At 5 am Yager (the spotter) arrives & introduces me to the Hons U. S. Marshal Wilson, who arrested me for illegal voting & invited me to accompany them to B.Foot or giv bonds to appear at the Oct term of court if needed. I promisd them I would be in Rexburg in 1 hr. so they left me to shortly follow behind which I did on foot. On visiting Dye I enquired if he had a good feathr bed. Yes he replied. Hav U good supers generally. Yes said he then I am Ur prisoner said I unless U giv me 24 hrs to get bondsmen which he agreed to. Next day on my journey to M.L. I cald on Capt Heald & Leuit. Rands & got them on my bonds paying 1$ for them.
Aug 3 Sun. Cy ar with 100lb of sugar at $850 fr. 50cents total $9.00. I retail at 10$.
1890 Aug 5. Tues. trade slight so I hitch up & start for Market Lake. I take along some onions, beets & carots sel them at 5 & 10 cents pr bunch.
1890 Aug 11 Mon. I am very busy & am establishing myself slowly once more. I run an express to M. L. every Tues am & return every Wednesday. I sel a good many onions, carots, beets, potatoes & eggs. I buy goods at Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Denver S. Lake City, Ogden, Logan, Eagle Rock & am working up quite a trade.
Sol F. Kimbal Esqr. Ur kind favor of a recent datd came to hand . in reply I wil say, the inhabitants here ar mostly Mormons. They hav had a tuf time thro winter & consequently a tufer time thro sumer. But now they ar gathering a bountiful crop & soon we shal hear the sound of thrashing in our midst. Then I shal visit them with books on had ( 7 of Kimbal & 8 of Whitney). I shal take any kind of pay & turn the same into cash, then promptly remit to U before ordering a lot that I ought to sel this fal: hoping that this may be satisfactory I am at present, Ur obedient Servant in business. GHAHarris S. B. Co Id. L. B. 47 K. 14 Aug 90
Mon 18th Pleasant weathr. Prof Ward cald & visited. He remarkd that he felt very religious this morning. I felt glad but told him I think he woud condesend from his high pinnacle about noon, for his 2 quarts of soup. …the reason that so many pases without caling is that they ar owing me a portion of the $149.96 that is due me for books &c.
Sat the 6th (Sept) I write Scowcroft & enclose 11$ for soap & sugar and hope it wil draw trade. Nicoloas Wilson Sen visits our humble cabin & espreses himself hopeful for future Salem. Robert Loader is unkindly mentioned in Herald in connection with the murder of Ung Cain. I hope it is not tru. (See page 897 of the Deseret Weekly. Name spelled their was Caine)
Sep 7 Sun. Mr A B Harris Butte City Mont. My dear Boy. James ar. Home on Friday morning a week ago He is now working on the new School House at Rexburg to the tune of 2$ pr diam & I hope he wil do wel. I am under arrest for illegal voting but I gues they cant get away with me very far, as I hav resignd fr the M. Ch. Long ago.
Sat 27. Prof Ward brot me 80 lb of nice onions at 2cents & 40 lb of clean cabage at 2cents settled up an old cash act of 8 mo. Standing & gave orders for B.Smith tools from Chicago, paying 144 in advance.
Oct 14 Tues. we help GHB get up some fine spuds. On Wed we start for market Lake & get nearly in & early in the morning we ar lucky to sel eggs at 22 ¼ Cabage at 2 cents squashes at 9 cents each such as dear old Wadley sold at 1 ¼ cents. We get 25 cent whisky & start for home & on the road we meet Bish Donaldson who drinks with us & then produces a bottle of his own, which was about as good as ours & the mixture seemd to excel—expecialy with me.
Salt Lake City Oct 18/90—GHAHarris. Dear Bro in looking over Ur act I find U ar in our debt $16.80 which I hope U wil setle at once, as we ar not prepared to run our accounts in this way. It has been running ever since the 22 of last May & for us to allow U 40 prct profit on our books & wait, we cant do it. When men order books it is suposd of course that they have sold them & only want time enough to deliver them &then remit the amount at once. U ar a perfect stranger to us & a long way off & we cant do biziness with U unless U ar prompt in Ur payments. The Salt Lake Herald recommended U as our honest man & one that coud be trusted & so we sent U the books expectin of course U w’d do right by us…hoping to hear from U at Ur very earliest convenience we remain as ever, Sol Kimbal in behalf of the K. Foss.
Oct 26 Sunday. I write to Mr S. F. Kimbal SL City U. Sir, Ur kind leter of the 18th inst came to hand safe & was carefuly perusd & contents noted. In answer I wil say. I acknowledge Ur courteous treatment in respect to time & profit & feel like ashurnig U that U wil not lose anything by me. This year the farmers has been blesd with good crop but they hav been so busy gathering & thrashing that U coud scarcely approach them in the canvasing line, but now they hav a breathing spel. We shal be on hand to furnish them the best books, of which the Life of HCK & Whitney’s poems ar among the first. We hav on hand 7 of the former & 8 of the later so U can easily se that we ar not using Ur money. I took a tour thro Lyman Independence & Burton a few wks ago but did not sel any as Ur Bro Wm—with home I stayd can testify. He can also ashure U of my honesty, prompnes & persistent zeal. Now on Tues next I propose commencing a canvas thro Teton, Wilford, St. Anthony, Egin & Brighton & am sunguin of some success. In which case I shal be very pleasd to remit the amt du. Hoping U can feel comfortable with this ashurance & that our confidence wil be increasd everlastingly. I am Ur True friend in busines relations. GHAH.
Wed Nov. 12 Among other customers Bro Brower, from Wilford, his wife & babe arrives to trade & as we, that is Dear Old Peter & self hav finished our soup I fix a cup of tea for the babe, telling the mother to drink it & the father to eat some bread & cheese for the darling. I am expecting the little rascal to walk down for some more tea. It is only 6 or 7 miles. We then trade Eggs, buter, Onions & about 300 of cabage & the delightful part of the proceeding was he paid me $2.50 bal due on Deseret News that I had funishd the cash for over 9 months ago.
Sund Nov 23/90 At 4 AM Rolla knocks with a bottle of whisky at my humble cabin door. It was some of Toms George’s best & although it was bright & erly I got out in my slipers &c & gets b.fast & a social chat until 11 am when the boy goes to dine with his Ma. After feeding Dol a feed of oats, Uncle Petr Olsen cals & dines with me, then some boys while he goes to meeting. I retire erly & on Mond 24 I find when I go to put the cofe in the mil to grind for b-fast that I had not ground yesterdays & Rol & I had never notice the strength of his B.day coffee.
27 Nov Thurs. I spend an extra hour in bed this morning…then to my reading. Before me is the 1st Herald that to my Knowledge exposd the Nude to prove that Waman was formed as perfect as Man. I always thought there was something lacking with the whole kit. No one cald to trade since noon except Ed. Beutler, my nearest neighbor, who borowd a smoke & a little for night. He was trying to quit & when he had some on hand was constantly in trouble & when he had it in his pocket was more so.
Sunday 30 Nov. Had a quiet pleasant time this morning but after mid day sold 3 silk hankerchiefs on tick. 1 each to Wm L. Lewis Anderson & Alma Larsen. Our Home misonary Petr Olsen cald after meeting & bout some plug tobacco. It helps his teeth & gums.
Dec 7 Sun. (His birthday) I write:
Sixty years has pasd away since 1st I saw the light of day;
Fair Ilfracombe was the sweet spot, I forget thee I cannot.
Cooing, creeping, crawling round, half the time upon the ground;
Childhood, boyhood, school times oer I am pleasd to leave the shore.
Plowing up the raging main, happy is a sailor’s view;
Mountains, valeys, countries glo’ like a panoramic sho.
I have stood on Rusian soil, I hav seen the French in toil;
The Welsh, the Irish & Feger al, these hav been observd by me.
Arriving on Columbia’s shore, I have fishd & pushd the oar;
Now’d the meadows, seald the heights, quite enrapturd with the sights.
I have seen the Uth laid low, I hav heard the aged blo
I hav seen the Rich Man’s bags, I hav felt the poor man’s rags.
I hav seen the Red Man roam, the almon eyed denied a home.
Our Negro deckd in luxury; the poor white man in slavery.
O Lord! How long shal these things be, Such heaps of wealth and misery;
The Honest man enslavd in chains, the Horse thief roaming oer the plains.
Tues. 9th. I cook som bread & pig’s troters, preparatory to our journey to Blackfoot, should I be lucky enough to borrow the money to prove up in my ¼ Section. So on the 10th of Dec 1890 which happens on a Wednesday I prepare my papers & on Thursday at 8 oclock Rolla arrives on time. We load our grup & ourselves on board & skedaddle….We camp at Laphams. Valentine & Beutler occupying a whole side of a haystack while I recline under the wagon to keep Laphams horses & colts in order….Soon the 3 fathers and 1 Sun arise. Charley drives. It grows late & dark. We sleep Sardine fashen & eat a comfortable breakfast, then strike out for B.Foot. Arive at about 9. Here we found the land office presided over by a Ung upstart, but we managd to get along with him by leaving our certificate & $200.75 for which we got a very small piece of paper in return but large enough to cover 160 acres of land. We then enjoyd 3 good diners (one each) for which we paid 1 silver dolar at the B.Foot Hotel. We then hitch up & start for our home.
Friday 18 Dec. I am visited by GHB, D. N and Aug. B and after about 4 hrs chat I am induced to sel to them 150 acres of my ¼ Sec for the sum of $470.00. So my chicken ranch is reducd without much trouble to 10 acres. GHB & self hitches up & visits Bro Bogua & his Notary Stamp & pay him 2.60 for 1 impression ther of & the recording. It is very cold, but we get home about dusk, eat a light super & get a heavy sleep & arise like a Giant ref with new wine. Wed the 31st Dec 90. The last day of the year & the last of Eagle rock. They ar going to cal it “Idaho Falls”.
Salt Lake city Dec 31st 1890 Geo H A Harris: Dear sir; when do U intent to setle up the bil U ar owing us. If U don’t intend to setle at once I hope U wil send the books back as we cant trust our books out to Tom Dick & Harry & then wait months for our pay. I wil expect U to return those books at once & if U don’t I wil have to inquire into Ur standing in the church. Patience has ceasd to be a virtue & U must selt at once or give good reasons endorsed by some good & respondible man. Yrs &c Sol F. Kimbal.
Friday 9th I write S. F. Kimbal: Dear Sir, Ur peculiarly worded epistle of the 31st ult came safe & contents noted. Ur intemperate alusions to Tom, Dick & Harry was intirely out of place in our deal. U might as wel hav cald me Balam at once. Now I wil explain. Parties that subscrib for the books U kindly sent to my order had not the pay on hand, so I thot it prudent to keep the books & find other subs. Hav only sold 1 of Heber since I wrote & that was to bishop Parker of Egin on 3 months time due next march. If U don’t believe that I hav been energetic please ask Bishop Ricks of Rexburg, Winter & Styner Wilcox of Lyman, Smith of Burton Ur own Bro Wm of Independence, Hyatt of Brighton, Parker of Egin, Davis of Wilford, Donaldson of Teton or Bishop Harris of Salem. Al wil say I hav been most indefatiguable, ernest & persistent in my effort at sales. Now for the respect I owe dear departed father, I wil pay U the small sum due as soon as I can get enough together, whether I sel the books or not, or if U prefer I wil box them up & ship them back to U although I think I can work them off into grain & the grain into cash before long & I am sure I shal be pleasd to setle with U as soon as I am able. I hav on hand at present 8 Whitneys poems & 6 HCK & 1 due in March. They ar a little soild with the dust of travil, but wil sel here in the country betr than the city hoping this may be satisfactory to U & that I may hear from U shortly I am as ever Urs most respectfuly. GHAHarris.
Salt Lake City Jan 15-91 Geo H A Harris. Dear Sir. Ur leter came to hand yesterday & contents noted. I didn’t question Ur honesty & don’t wish to hurt Ur feelings but U must remember that I hav had some 50 Agents working for me & suppose al of them woud let maters run as U hav don. I woud be out some 800$ & U being a stranger to me at that U cant blame me for warming U up a little. I wilt el what I wil do; if U wil send me the ful amt U owe by the 1st day of next April I wil let maters stand as they ar & if not U can box the books up at once & express them to my adres. Please let me hear from U on the subject & believe me as ever Ur friend. Sol F. Kimball.