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Day in the Life

Aug 27, 1879

Journal Entry

August 27, 1879 ~ Wednesday

27 [FIGURES] We took breakfast and crossed the Rio Dell Nort
and travelled over a vary sandy road to Islata and we
called upon Juan Reylocero the old Patriarch of the Place
He was the head man of Islata A M Tenney had called

People

Browse people Wilford Woodruff mentioned on this day in his journal.

Tenney, Ammon Meshach
16 Nov 1844 - 28 Oct 1925
239 mentions
12 mentions

Places

Browse places mentioned in Wilford Woodruff's journal entry on this day.

Isleta Pueblo, Bernalillo County, New Mexico Territory
Rio Grande River, New Mexico Territory

Related Documents

Browse other documents with this same date. These could include pages from Wilford Woodruff's autobiographies, daybooks, letters, histories, and personal papers.

Daybook (28 February - 23 October 1879)

27. [FIGURE] We took Breakfast & crossed the Rio Dell Nort & travelled over a vary sandy road ^to^ Ysleta, And we called upon an old patriarch of [illegible] Lamanites that Brother Tenney stoped with three years ago He was 80 years of age But quite smart his Name was Juan Reylocero He was glad to receve us He had Been persecuted By the Catholic Priest Because He had rece[ive]d a Mormon

Daybook (28 February - 23 October 1879)

but He said He did not care for when he had done what his conscience told him was right He was satisfied. He was a Man of the Most wealth & influence of any one in the place He had 9000 sheep, 75 Brood Mares 400 Head of cows & oxen, 50 Brood Asses and a quantity of Mules & a large ranch to keep them on worth $8000 & other real Esstate worth $25000, Besides M[an]y Houses in this village. These Ysletas are a vary strange people compared with other Indians. They have kept their Blood separate from all other tribes & people for generations all ther women & girls are virtueous and are the most reserved people on Earth they were so afraid of Brother Tenney & Smith when they came three years ago they liked to have stoned to death but when they proved Br Teny thoroughly they would let him go any where and when we ar[iv]ed to day we were kindly rec[eive]d they are vary clean intelligent & Industrious & capable of rece[ivin]g any principles of Intelligence that any white man are and they have some as Handsome

Daybook (28 February - 23 October 1879)

women & girls as can be found in America. I could Hardly be induced to beli[e]ve I was visiting an Indian race. This old patriarch gave us a room by ourselves brought us wine fruit & Mutton & made us Welcome He said the Americans had called Him Wild Man but if they were wild they were virtueous for Generations if any Man seduced one of their Wives or Daughters He was put to death for that was there Law but as soon as Christians brought civilization to them they brought corruption and would seduce their women if they could and if they were to put men to death now for seduction the Law of Civilization would kill us for it He was truly a sensible Man. There Annual feast come off tomorrow Hence people of all the sorr- ounding country for 50 Miles was crowding into town in evry conceivable way in carriages waggon with Horses oxen

Daybook (28 February - 23 October 1879)

Mule Asses & on foot when we got our things into our room we dedicated it to God & ourselves I felt thankful that the old Gentlem[an]t rec[eiv]ed us so kindly He said He had a right to enjoy his own religion & receive his friends and No men should take that agency from him the priest of the village had not spoken to him for 3 years beca[use] He had entertained Brothers Teney & Smith 3 ye[a]rs before but said He did not care for that None had ever been baptized in this Nation but those who Br Tenney had formed acq- uainta[nc]es with were vary friendly and invited us to visit them. We visited Mrs Paseval Aviela A larg fine inte- legent woman with a fine House fine carpets I was introduced to her she rec[eive]d me kindly set before us Mellons peaches pears & grapes I kissed her youngest Boy 7 year old, a fine lad she seemed much ple[ase]d asked us to call tomorrow we then vis[ite]d another Man & wife with a fine home and carpets sides seats covered with

Daybook (28 February - 23 October 1879)

Navajoe Blankets worth $16 dollars a yard she also set fruit. Our room was in the Main public streets within a few yards of the gambling halls whare some 200 Mexicans Met to gamble & they kept it up all night gambling & fighting and it was the most terrible Bedlam I ever saw the Islatas wer so much above them that they were mostly all in their House & locked up at an Early hour Some of the customs of the Islatas are far above those of white men No woman in the town is [permitted] to throw the dust they sweep out of their houses into their [clean] yards or street instead in a bag hence they have Mounds of Earth in Different parts of the town caused by the dirt & dust of the rooms being carried there in baskets there are several of those Mounds in town the one Nearest to our room was about 150 yards in circumference & 30 feet in length

Daybook (28 February - 23 October 1879)

several in the city of the same size it had been accumulating for several years.

Aug 27, 1879