Bushman, John

File — Box: 3, Folder: 2

Identifier: I

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Born June 7, 1843, Nauvoo, Illinois. Came to Utah in 1851. Married Lois A. Smith February 11, 1865, Salt Lake City, twelve children. Family home in Lehi. Married Mary Ann Peterson March 2, 1877, St. George, Utah, four children.

Bishp of St. Joseph Ward 1887; second counselor to President Lot Smith; high priest; called to settle in northern Arizona 1876. Veteran of Black Hawk War. Member Snowflake Stake. Member of Board of Education for twenty-three years. Farmer and stockraiser. Died 1926. The Bushman diaries have been typed by George S. Tanner and bound in two volumes. They are hand-numbered consecutively to facilitate the use of the index. Part I, 1871-1889; Prt II, 1890-1923. On pages 1 and 2 there is a note by George S. Tanner telling of the search for the John Bushman diaries from which the typescript was made. The diary, beginning January 1, 1871, is a daily record of happenings relating to everyday living.

January 23, 1876: Called to Arizona with James S. Robinson and Peter Christofferson.
January 28, 1876: Made out list for Arizona.
January 29, 1876: Organized into Fifties--Wiliam Allen our captain.
February 9, 1876: Traveled as far as Provo.
March 9, 1876: Came ten miles to the ferry on the Colorado and crossed. Paid 1.00 dollar.
March 24, 1876: Brown's camp. Pretty good land here. Brother Brown thinks we should stay here. Tried to plow. Soil looked salty.
March 30, 1876: Brother Lake and company went over to the river.
March 31, 1876: President Smith, Peter Wood, and myself came down the river and made five claims. Came down the river and made five claims. Came down the river and made three more claims.
April 15, 1876: Made eight more claims--total thirty-one claims. We drew for claims. I drew Number 19.
April 17, 1876: Moved our provisions in our house and gave it in on stock. H. Rasmussen, Dick Carlisle, and self got ready to go to Kanab.
April 18, 1876: Came down twenty-five miles to Lot Smith camp.
May 3, 1876: Arrived in Kanab. Made purchase of supplies needed for Arizona settlement.
May 14, 1876: Started back.
May 23, 1876: Paid Mrs. Lee (John D.) fifty cents for washing. Paid Brother Johnson fifty pounds flour and 2.50 dollars cash for taking their loads on the ferry.
May 29, 1876: President Wells and party came up. They went to Moenkopi.
June 6, 1876: Glad to get back.
June 7, 1876-August 1, 1876: Worked on the fort, planted corn, etc.
August 3, 1876: "Got my wagons ready for home."
August 6, 1876: Came past Lot Smith camp and Brother Ballinger's camp.
August 20, 1876: Arrived in St. George. Very pretty town. Went through temple and tabernacle--beautiful buildings.
August 22, 1876: Came to Washington. Went through Washington cotton mills and through Harrisburg.
September 2, 1876: Arrived home. Family all well.
October 8, 1876: Met the Arizona missionaries. Made arrangements for going back.
October 9-December 31, 1876: Remained at home making molasses, butchering, cutting and hauling wood, etc.
February 7, 1877: Miss Mary Peterson sealed to me.
February 8, 1877: Loaded my wagon for Arizona with seven hundred pounds of flour, two bushels of wheat, fifteen pounds of lucern and garden seed, one hundred pounds of bacon, twenty pounds of rice, twenty-five pounds of sugar, one hundred pounds of oats, and groceries.
February 12, 1877: Started for Arizona. Mary Peterson and my daughter Lois with me.
March 2, 1877: Mary Anne Peterson and I went to St. George temple. I had her sealed to me by Erastus Snow.
March 6, 1877: Started for Arizona.
March 19, 1877: "Camped 2 miles to the river .... We ferried our wagons across on Brother Peaces boat. Got them over at 4 o'clock safe. We could not get our animals down the bank to fold them. In the evening by moonlite we had a boat ride. All the women, and had some good singing, 9 o'clock when we stopped."
March 20, 1877: "We tried to ford our stock and swim them but could not make them take the water. Then we ferried and towed them all across--35 head of horses and 30 of cattle. The stock was very hard to get on the boat and got the last boat load over at sundown...."
April 15, 1877: "... saw where the Boston Colony had located at the south west end of the valley. They have built a small stockade and layed out a town."
April 29, 1877: Came to Brother Lot Smith's camp. Ate supper at the big table.
April 39, 1877: Two Brothers Westover and I came to Allen's camp.
May 1, 1877: President Allen gave them a room.
May 2, 1877: Brother Hunt and H. Tanner had dinner and went on.
May 3, 1877: Enclosed a place to plant grape cuttings.
May 7, 1877: Brother Tanner decided to join the Allen camp.
May 8, 1877: Turned 275 pounds of flour, 40 pounds of bacon, 51 gallons of molasses, beans, lucern seed, and fruit into the storehouse.
June 4, 1877: Went to the river and attended to rebaptizing and confirming. Laid down rules to govern in the United Order.
June 5, 1877: Met and organized as follows: W. C. Allen, president; John Bushman, first vice president; Joseph H. Richards, second vice president; Peter Borrup, treasurer; Henry M. Tanner, secretary; W. C. Allen, J. H. Richards, and John Bushman as appraising committee.
September 6, 1877: Had a meeting to decide where to put gristmill. Decided to construct it at Brother Ballenger's camp and all the camps to share alike in proceeds.
October 4, 1877: Arkansas Company (seventy members) came here. Our camp got supper for them.
January 18, 1878: Wagon arrived. Occupants have smallpox.
January 29, 1878: J. W. Young counseled Joseph Richards, Isaac Turley, and John Bushman to start the big table as soon as possible.
March 5, 1878: Began building the dining room and kitchen.
April 5, 1878: Started to Utah.
April 15, 1878: Paid four brooms to cross on the ferry. Ate dinner with Sister Lee. There were 9,000 sheep crossing the river.
December 13, 1878: Settled up business matters and returned to St. Joseph.
January 1, 1879: St. Joseph. Met and chose board of directors: J. Richards, W. C. Allen, F. H. Nielson, and J. Shelley.
May 31, 1879: Wilford Woodruff spoke at conference.
July 1, 1879: John Bushman and W. Allen set apart as counselors to Lot Smith in Little Colorado Stake.
August 12, 1879: Cut wheat. A lot of Navajos are here gleaning.
October 27, 1879: Finished making molasses. We had about 250 gallons this year.
November 25, 1879: Made six brooms.
November 26, 1879: Made four brooms.
February 11, 1880: Finished threshing--seven hundred bushels of wheat, one hundred of oats, and one hundred of barley.
February 14, 1880: Took inventory of company stock and appraised property.
1881
Similar entries as previous years--dam, ditches, sowing, reaping, meetings, conferences, etc.
August 6, 1882: Brother Richards came from Snowflake and got the money from the railroad company--1,500 dollars and over 1,400 dollars for wool sent East.
October 25, 1882: Male members of the United Order met. Plans discussed and ideas exchanged on the plan of stewardship. Many were not happy with the way the United Order was working.
December 5, 1882: Helped to settle up with M. B. Steel as he wants to "draw out" of U.O.
December 29, 1882: Came to Snowflake. Attended a theater in the evening "Charcoal Burner" and "Todlekins." A sister in St. Joseph made over five hundred yards of cloth in 1882.
January 5, 1883: Meeting called to consider stewardship to each family. "J. C. Hansen's motion was put and carried that stewardship be allotted to each family."
January 6, 1883: Worked in the storehouse and drew two cows as a commencement of stewardship.
January 26, 1883: Apostles B. Young and Heber J. Grant expected to help settle stewardships.
February 13, 1883: Land apportioned to those who are farmers.
February 16, 1883: Received a carload of flour--20,000 pounds, cost 3.85 dollars per hundred.
March 21, 1883: Attended meeting in the evening. Speakers Udall, H. Grant, and Young. They spoke on the Word of Wisdom very strong.
July 2, 1883: The mower, reaper, and sulky rake allotted to J. C. Hansen and John Bushman.
August 25, 1883: Came to Sunset. President Lot Smith, Jesse N. Smith, Hunt, and Hatch. President L. Smith presented general church officers and stake officers and named this place Wilford.
September 21-September 26, 1883: Made molasses.
October 1, 1883: Started to Salt Lake City by rail.
October 6, 1883: Attended conference. George Q. Cannon and Wilford Woodruff spoke. Total of 127,225 souls in the church.
November 2, 1883: Visited the Deseret News printing press and the electric light manufacturing plant.
November 8, 1883: Left Salt Lake City for Arizona with wife Lois and family.
November 9, 1883: Visited Brigham Young Academy. President Smoot and counselors were there.
December 7, 1883: Arrived back at St. Joseph. Wife Mary ill.
February 24, 1884: St. Joseph brethren settled up their business with Sunset. They found they owned about one sixth of all the joint businesses. Some wanted to draw out their shares.
February 25, 1884: President Smith wished them to work together and not draw apart.
April 20, 1884: Business meeting at Sunset. "It was decided to draw out all our interests from Sunset. Those in favor were Brothers Richards, Tanner, McLaws, Despain, and Peterson, not in favor, Allen Hansen, Ladd and Bushman."
September 28, 1884: Mr. Cooley was going to Prescott to testify against polygamists.
November 19, 1884: Went to Albuquerque to meet wife Mary returning from Utah.
November 20, 1884: Visited the Indian school in Albuquerque, partly supported by the U. S. government and partly by the Pres-byterian Home Mission.
December 7, 1884: Bushman is advised to leave Arizona "as the officers would soon be after me also." J. N. Smith, L. H. Hatch, J. Fish, J. Standifird, and Bushman started down the river.
January 1, 1885: J. N. Smith and L. H. Hatch took the train to Salt Lake City. Standifird and Bushman drove the teams.
January 5, 1885: "Came to S. L. City with Bro. Hatch. Met with Pres. Cannon. Asked for assistance for the brethren sent to prison in Arizona. He said we were to do all we could and then the Church would help us out."
February 10, 1885: Returned to Arizona after working in the temple and visiting in Utah.
July 5, 1885: Bushman's wife Mary died.
December 31, 1885: Bushman reviewed the year and gave thanks to God that he is at peace with all mankind.
January 26, 1886: Closed up the woolen mill.
February 8, 1886: Organized an irrigation board.
June 14, 1886: Organized a company to move the Sunset mill. Tenney to superintend the work.
August 10, 1886: Young, Snow, and Teasdale instructed the company to organize a committee to settle the Sunset U.O. business. Committee: John Bushman, Thomas W. Brook-bank, David Udall, H. Burk, and F. G. Nielson.
August 11, 1886: Burk, Nielson, and Bushman went to the Sunset dairy to appraise stock and equipment.
August 14, 1886: At Sunset repaired corrals, "cropping sheep," and "marking cattle."
August 26, 1886: "We came to the spring and salted the sheep and counted them. There were 2,400 head."
August 28, 1886: "Brother L. Smith made a proposition that he would give us (the committee) 1000 head of cattle and 20 saddle horses and all the property and debts and he would keep the horses, sheep, dairy, Brookbank Spring and Grapevine ranch ... we would have to list all property and appraise it."
August 29-September 5, 1886: Branded cattle and horses. Appraised property.
September 12, 1886: ". . . We talked of a sad charge against Lot Smith."
September 13, 1886: Agreed to offer the sheep to Brother Lot Smith and sell the stock at 20.00 dollars per head.
December 7, 1886: "Committee met . . . gave Bro. Smith credit for all the property he had given to him while working in the Order and allowed him 1500 dollars a year for working and let him have the sheep at 2.00 dollars per head and horses on the ranch at 50.00 dollars. Called [culled?] 175 head."
December 17, 1886: Went to Sunset. Counted the sheep (2,423).
January 10, 1887: Attended an Order meeting. Arranged prices on produce and did some other business.
February 21-25, 1887: Worked on schoolhouse.
March 11, 1887: The High Council disfellowshipped Bishop Hunt.
June 3, 1887: Worked on Sunset U.O. Company's settlement.
June 12, 1887: "All my family went to the field and we dedicated our crops and lands to the Lord and thanked him for his care over us to the present."
July 15, 1887: Committee for Sunset U.O. tried to settle with Lot Smith. "He tries to get all he can."
August 1-3, 1887: Appraised and distributed the property of Sunset U.O.
August 29, 1887-September 26, 1887: Busy with the settlement of U.O. Lot Smith abusive.
December 18, 1887: Bushman ordained bishop of St. Joseph.
January 20, 1888: Met with the U.O. Company. Committee appointed to settle St. Joseph U.O.: John Bushman, John McLaws, J. C. Hansen, and J. H. Richards.
February 1, 1888: Bushman gave lecture on the blessings of plural marriage.
September 19, 1888: Bushman served on jury.
October 1, 1888: ACMI incorporated.
August 19, 1889: Filed on land at St. Johns.
October 1, 1889: Left for a visit to Salt Lake City.
October 5, 1889: Speakers at conference in Salt Lake City were Moses Thatcher, John Henry Smith, and B. H. Roberts.
October 10, 1889: Went to see about the Sunset U.O. books at the Historian's Office. Reported on the U.O. in a meeting with the Presidency and some of the apostles.
November 8, 1889: Visited with cousin Emma Lee. "She soon commenced to tell how bad the Mormons were and especially polygamy. She seemed very bitter."
November 15, 1889: ". . . to Sister Ellen Wolfords who performed a charm on my eye."
December 31, 1889: Last entry of Part I

Dates

1857-1986

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.