Letter from Diantha Elizabeth Mortensen Smith, 17 January 1893 [LE-13959]

Document Transcript

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Tuba City, Coconino Co, Ariz.
.

President Wilford Woodruff,
Salt Lake City Utah.

Dear Brother:

A matter of business
here involves my own interests and
those of my family to a very great
extent, but which my circumstances will
not permit me to attend to personally,
and as I have nofew acquantances in
Northern Utah, I therefore beg to engage your
attention to this matter to the extent of
entrusting it to some trustworthy person.
The business referred to is this: During the
lifetime of Brother Lot Smith, my husband,
he settled upon three separate pieces of property
near Tuba City. One at Moen Kopi, one
at the resoirvoirs where I am now living
and one in the canyon, about a mile

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above here and which was occupied
by sister Mary and her family. The
Administrator of Bro Smith's estate in
Arizona caused all of these properties to be
inventoried and in due course of law
they will be sold and myself and
family be thus rendered homeless, as I
do not possess the means for buying this
place. It is the desire of all the Saints in
this vicinity to see there separate properties
restored if possible to the respective wives of
Bro Smith occupying them at the time of
th his death. A friend here has been
working with this end in view and has
succeeded in getting Sister Mary's property
(the Canyon farm) stricken off the list of
inventoried properties belonging to the estate and
she is now in undisputed possession of it.
This same friend has advised me to
ascertain as soon as I conveniently can
whither or not Bro. Smith exhausted his
homestead right in Utah. If he has, this
property is legally mine, and it should

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be mine too, I think, by the principles
of right and Justice. If your views herein
coincide with mine will you please
get some one to find out the facts in
regard to Bro Smith having or not
having homesteaded in Utah. I am almost
sure if he did at all the homestead right
was located in Farmington, which must
be in the Salt Lake Land District, and,
if I am correct, the records will be easily
accessible.

Your kind attention to this request
will place me under lasting obligations
to you. With profoundest regard, and praying
God to bless you I am

Your sister in the Gospel,

Diantha E Smith

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Diantha E. Smith
Jan. 17 [18]93.