-- Tuesday, May 26, 1896
[Apostle John Henry Smith] I went to Spanish Fork today and drew some dividend[s] from the Spanish Fork store. I brought home $118.64 dollars worth of goods. I paid tithing $29.85. (1)
-- During 1896
(Jesse Knight) The Edmunds-Tucker Act of 1887 stripped the Church of its legal standing and confiscated all Church assets in excess of $50,000. The Church, over $300,000 in debt, found loans next to impossible to obtain. The panic of 1893 compounded financial difficulties: tithing dropped from $879,394 in 1890 to $576,584. Only secured loans from the Eastern financial giant H.B. Claflin Company prevented the Church from bankruptcy. (2)
-- March 19, 1897
[Apostle Marriner W. Merrill] Friday. I paid tithing for 1896 as follows: Cash, $260.00; dairy and vegetable products, $82.65; grain, $159.60; hay, $84.86; mdse, $4.25; miscellaneous, $200.00. Total, $791.36. (3)
-- Monday, Apr 5, 1897
[Apostle John Henry Smith] Conference at 10 a.m. I was the first speaker and dwelt upon the subject of honoring old age. Geo. Teasdale spoke upon the same subject and Heber J. Grant spoke upon home industry and payment of Tithes and offerings. (1)
-- Wednesday, May 19, 1897
[Apostle John Henry Smith] Sarah and I went to Spanish Fork on business. The Coop. store gave me a dividend of $298.75. I paid Tithing of $29.80 on my dividend. We bot $110.60 in goods. (1)
Footnotes:
1 - Jean Bickmore White (editor), Church, State, and Politics: The Diaries of John Henry Smith, Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, Salt Lake City, 1990
2 - Van Wagoner, Richard and Walker, Steven C., A Book of Mormons
3 - Notes from the Miscellaneous Record Book, 1886-1906: Selected diary notes from the journal books of Marriner Wood Merrill
Mormon Tithing Timeline /Chronology
http://lds-church-history.blogspot.com/
