-- Apr 9, 1845
Lorenzo Snow returns to Nauvoo and brings tithing he has collected consisting of money and in-kind donations including a six-pound cannon. (1)
-- Jul 31, 1845. Thursday.
[William Clayton] At the office recording. At 4 P.M. met at Dr. RichardsÂ…It was decided in council that the Nauvoo House committee get tithing teams to haul their wood, and grain from the country. Also that they have 2000 feet of Lumber from the Trustees, also that they collect all the scaffolding poles and take them to the Nauvoo House. A letter was written to the Temple Committee rebuking them for abusing Brother [] Reese and teaching them their duty. During the conversation Brother [] Miller insulted Brother Whitney very meanly. Brother Whitney felt angry but governed his feelings and merely said he felt above such insinuations. Prayers were offered for a number of the sick and for several other general subjects. (2)
-- Aug 21, 1845. Thursday.
[William Clayton] At the office recording tithings. (2)
-- Oct 19, 1845. Sunday.
[William Clayton] At the office all day recording tithings. Brother [James] Whitehead and [John P.] McEwan told me that Bishop Whitney seemed very much dissatisfied because I had balanced up J[oseph] C. Kingsburys account without first asking them about it. I know of no reason why they should be dissatisfied unless it be because they don't like his account to shew on the book. He had been to work 10 months and has two dollars a day but is still $138. dollars in debt. Besides this he pays no rent, but this is paid by the Temple, neither does he pay anything for horse feed although his horse is kept on Temple feed and kept well. Besides this he has money when he asks for it and has the first pick at every thing that comes in on tithing. When we have sugar or honey he generally has more than twice as much as any other man and is treated as much better than any other man about the works as can be imagined. He has paid no tithing out of this years work and although he has work eno
ugh to keep him busy he can ride round when he has a mind to and all is right. He has no family, except Sarah Ann Whitney but he keeps an hired girl to wait on Sarah and a boy to wait on himself. Julia Durfee lives with him which makes the number of his family and they take more to support them out of the Temple property than I have for my family although we are ten in number and I pay my own house rent and horse feed and pay for every thing I get. And when I asked for some flannel last week to make some flannel garments to wear this winter the Bishop hesitatingly said he supposed I could have it but finally said "wear cotton garments as I do." I have worked faithfully seven days in the week all this last season and frequently nights too, I have the same wages Joseph has although I have been here near four years and when I recorded my tithing in full for my Sundays services which is one seventh instead of one tenth day, the Bishop seemed some dissatisfied about this. Now on
the reflection of all these circumstances, being virtually denied the flannel and found fault with because I balanced Josephs account I could not help being grieved and angry and I make this record that if ever the question should arise in my absence as to the cause of my present feelings here it is. Besides all this the Bishop has found great fault about the Temple committee wasting property, but justice would bear me out in saying that so far as I ever saw the Temple committee were more prudent in this respect than has been practice for the last year past. The Bishop's boys [Newel] Whitneys and [George] Miller's have free access to every thing in the store and when there is sugar in the store they eat it and waste it fluentlyÂ…As a general thing the bishops have treated me as well as any other man but I confess they treat [me] more like a servant than a brother. I have endeavored under all circumstances to take as little notice as possible of all these things but they som
etimes force themselves on me and gall my feelings, especially to think that Joseph who has only been here ten months can fare so much better than the rest of us, and has a family of only himself and Sarah except their hired hands to wait on them. I respect Bishop Whitney as I do my own father but this does not make me insensible of feeling to see so much of what I consider to be unjust partiallity and especially when I reflect that there has been so much complaints of others for doing precisely the same things. (2)
Footnotes:
1 - On This Day in Mormon History, http://onthisdayinmormonhistory.blogspot.com
2 - George D. Smith, An Intimate Chronicle; The Journals of William Clayton, Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, Salt Lake City, 1995
Mormon Tithing Timeline /Chronology
http://lds-church-history.blogspot.com/
