Letter from Eliza Snow Smith Rogers, 5 March 1897 [LE-16277]

Document Transcript

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Snowflake Navajo Co Arizona
.

Pesident Wilford Woodruff.
Salt Lake City Utah.

Dear Sir.
Parden the liberty I take in writing to you. But I
have thought the matter over seriously and have
come to the conclusion that this is the best plan.
We have lived in Arizona since January 16th 1879
We have lived on a dry hill all that time.
In the first place four or five men of fathers
company drawed for some lots, and it happen-
ed that we got this one. It would have been
a very desirable place if the water had been
brought up on the plateau. But they made
the ditch around the edge of the hill and
left us out high and dry

We have worked hard very hard indeed in this
country to make a home, but we have only a log
room and a smaller room added on, that is all
we have had untill last Summer we had the
walls of a brick house with theree rooms laid

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up and have succeeded in getting the roof on
this Winter, but it isn't suitable to live in yet.

Now we have lived here eighteen years and
have had nine children born here. We had
two children born in Utah before we came
here. We buried our first boy at Sunset on our
way out here. And our little daughter that we
had when we came, lived to be sixteen years old,
and was drowned the 7th of June 1893, her name
was Eliza Roxie.

Emma Matilda was our nect girl, she is now
seventeen years old, and she has taken a fancy
to a young fellow who is not at all worthy
of her, and she is so determined we do not
know what to do with her.

Now could you advise us to move to an ot-
er place or have you a place a farm or
some establishment that you would like
an industrious family to come to for we
are all good willing workers.

The main reason why I would like
a change is to get the mind of my

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daughter on a more worthy being.
he is lazy, and sneaking, and I dont
know of one redeeming trait in his
character. But Emma thinks she loves him.

Now I would be willing to do most anything in
reason to save her from having this fellow.

Smith D Rogers is my husbands name. Son of
Samuel H, and Anna Matilda Rogers. They
are both dead. Bro Samuel H Rogers had his fa-
ther
and mother adopted into your family. There
fore you are a relative of ours and we would ask
you to assist us some way, so that we shall not
have a black sheep in our flock. She has
always been obedient only in regard to this fel-
low she has been very disobedient. She is quite
young and easily led, and if we could get her
away she might get her mind off of him.

Now my husband would never leave here un-
less called by the Priesthood and that is why
we stay on this bare hill. He says. "They told
me the water would come on the hill lots as
soon as it would come on the lot below. So I
will stay here untill they call me sumeplacelse"

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Now we have lived here eighteen years and no
prospect to better our condition. What shall
we do? If you could give us something to do
somewhere else I would be glad

I am Jesse N Smith's daughter and my parents
are here. But I would be willing to go any-
where to save my daughter.

Smith, and his two bothers, have worked
together ever since their parents died. But there
has not been the best of feeling all the time,
and we have many a time wished we lived otherwise
I do not ^believe^ the Lord wishes his children to
alway be unhappy.

Please consider ourcase. And if you think
that we have made enough sacrifices with-
out loosing our daughter for time and
perhaps all eternity; Please do something
to lift our burden of sorrow. If you can
do nothing else, please pray for us.

Eliza Snow Smith Rogers

[upside-down text] Eliza Snow Smith Rogers
Mar. 5 [18]97. [end of upside-down text]