[Sunday] – 19 June 1898 As there has been some iniquity among the Saints we got them together, after much persecution and many prayer meetings, and they all asked pardon of each other and an excellent spirit prevailed. [We] bid good Sister [Samantha Caroline Naillon] Woody good-bye in tears and she sobbed bitterly. Would hardly let go of my hand. I put my hand upon her shoulder and blessed her in the name of the Lord and she then seemed to feel better… We left them in tears fearing they would never see us again.

[Monday] – 20 June 1898 As we bid the Saints good-bye this morning many of them busted into a flood of tears and dear Sister [Polly Ann Davis] Harmon grabbed me around the neck and cried, but I blessed her and told her this was a day of warning and not of many words. That it was duty before pleasure with us and gave them all the assurance that the true gospel would unite us if we would live it. Then we left them and made a 20-mile walk without dinner, and was shown a hyway (sic) from the main road by the Spirit where we could get lodging. [We] taught the good people who kept us the principle of prayer and of laying up treasures in heaven. [We] spent a comfortable night and came on to Knoxville this morning.

[Saturday] – 20 May [1922] Early Saturday we went over the creek to see Sister [Polly Ann Davis] Harmon. She sure got after Brother [David John] Black and [Angus Hyrum] Norberg for not coming to see [them] sooner. These people are very poor but very staunch Latter-day Saints. The only farm implements they had was a one-horse plow, a homemade cultivator, and a sled for a wagon. The motive [for] power was one little burro. We were certainly treated kind[ly] while there. They asked us while there to return the following week and baptize their son, Ether [Lloyd Harmon], who would turn eight years old then.

Staunch: Steadfast in loyalty or principle (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

[Saturday] – 30 March [1895] Finished West K[nox]ville [at] about noon. Got onto an old preacher who tried about an hour to convert me on being “saved by grace” alone and that our works availeth nothing. We lead it up and down for all that we were worth but came to no understanding. On reaching home, [we] found Elders [George Barlow] Wintle and [John William] Webster had arrived, so we spent the PM in social chat. [At] about 9:30 PM, in came Bro[ther Joseph John Calvin (JC)] Garland who spent the night with us and made us promise to return with him.

[Sunday] – 31 March [1895] Being Sunday, Eld[er John Roland] Halliday and I went out to the Red Cross Methodist Church to S[unday] S[chool] and stayed until [the] meeting. [We] had the pleasure of seeing the minister baptize a child from a glass of water. This is the first sprinkling we ever saw performed. The preacher made a hit on us in his remarks, in fact, they all tended in that direction. Returning home [in] the PM, [we] spent [it] in writing letters and reading. Bro[ther Joseph John Calvin (JC)] Garland called in. Total miles 4,010

[Monday] – 1 April [1895] This being April fool day, after laying a plot for Elders [George Barlow] Wintle and [John William] Webster, we concluded to rusticate for a week and see if the house air of the country would not [em]brace us why a little. Accordingly, we met Bro[ther Joseph John Calvin (JC)] Garland at the stables, and, at 8 AM, [we] were headed for Blount Co[unty]. [We] had a very pleasant journey as the trees just begin to put forth their leaves and the gentle zephyrs of heaven sends forth sweet fragrance over hill and dell. Arriving at our destiny, we found Sister [Sarah Margaret Cauble] Garland quite sick, being laid up of fever, though some better than the day before now. Elder [John Roland] H[alliday] and I sat up the greater part of the night with her to administer to her wants.

[Tuesday] – 2 April [1895] Weather turned off cooler, we helped put in some garden stuff and went after water cress and feaster in country style.

[Wednesday] – 3 April [1895] [We] helped Brother [Joseph John Calvin (JC)] G[arland] kill a couple of hogs this AM. Did some writing in the PM.

[Thursday] – 4 April [1895] [We] thought our Saints needed a practical lesson on cleanliness, so we pitched in and turned things upside down from porch to kitchen, renovating the whole plantation, and wound up by trimming the bushes and cleaning the yard. It looks like unto another place. I intend to giving Sister [Sarah Margaret Cauble] Garland her medicine.

[Friday] – 5 April [1895] After planting a field of potatoes, we went to spend the day with [Nathan] Dempsey Harris and [his] wife, [Sarah Margaret Woody]. On our way, our dog treed a squirrel. We got the gun and, after spending about 3 hours and shooting 8 shots, succeeded in killing it. Bro[ther Joseph John Calvin (JC)] Garland fired some brush heaps and the wind came up and scattered the fire which got into the woods and fences, and we had an awful time to get it cut off by creating a pathway through the leaves in head of it. Brother J[ohn] R[oland Halliday is] not feeling well. His pulses (sic) are 112.

[Saturday] – 6 April [1895] This is a day of rejoicing among the Saints as home brings general conference. We shall look with longing even for some of the conference sermons. We built a step today. Hired our shoes preparatory for our journey Monday morning. Trees are now in bloom and nature once more seems to smile. It seems almost wonderful to think of the rapid growth made by our Church during its short life. 65 years have passed since its birth. Then only six members and now numbered by the hundreds of thousands.

[Sunday] – 7 April [1895] Sunday again. [We] spent [the] AM in quiet, but in the PM, having been requested so to do, I had the pleasure of initiating another person into the fold of Christ. It was Samuel [Patterson] Harmon, a young married man who has heard our elders speak many times for several years past. Elder [John Roland] Halliday confirmed him and would have done the baptizing but that he was not feeling quite well and the water was quite cool. After performing the ordinance, [with] some desiring to hear us preach, we concluded to hold a short service on the porch of Bro[ther Joseph John Calvin (JC)] Garland‘s house, which we did. Sister [Sarah Margaret Cauble] G[arland] is some better than she has been though unable to sit up as yet. I wrote to the Saints on the Pigeon River from who[m] I received letters some weeks ago. They are very anxious to have us make them a visit in the near future, which we will try to do, where we hope to do some more baptizing, thus adding to our flock.

[Thursday] – 18 July [1935] We tracted again this AM. I had a long conversation with a fellow. In the afternoon we tracted a house and the lady of the house, [Bessie Marie Harris], said she had been a member of the Church. She also said her father, [Nathan Dempsey Harris], and brothers were members. We were very much overjoyed so we began to find where her family lived. We found them and found out that all the boys were members but the father, [Nathan Dempsey Harris], was not. We had a meeting scheduled so we invited them all out. They all came and while there the old man, [Nathan Dempsey Harris], said he wanted us to baptize him.

[Saturday] – 20 July [1935] We went back to our rooms and slept for a while. We were unable to sleep last night on account of little things. In the afternoon we held a street meeting. There was a fair crowd and a good spirit attended. We held another meeting at Mr. [Nathan Dempsey] Harris‘ at night. The crowd was poor and the talk I gave on the apostacy (sic) was worse than poor; the very worst I have give, I believe.

[Sunday] – 21 July [1935] We spent the forenoon in study. Then about noon we came up to Mr. [Nathan Dempsey] Harris‘ for dinner. We had a fine dinner. We had to stay there until late because of the rain. In the evening we went back to the room and from there we went to a meeting with the Casey people. It was a Church of God meeting. The sermon was fine as long as the fellow talked about his subject but he began to condemn preachers and missionaries that were going over the world scattering out tracts and preaching false doctrine. He said for them to take all they could get and bring them to him, he would burn them up. He made me mad by my testimony grew stronger. I felt sorry for a preacher that was so misinformed.

[Monday] – 22 July [1935] We tracted a little this AM in an attempt to find a Mrs. Marion who had been reported to be a member of the Church. It rained nearly all day. I had to get my shoes half-soled so I spent some time at that. We went up to Mr. [Nathan Dempsey] Harris‘ to hold a meeting but no one came, so we only visited with them.

[Tuesday] – 23 July [1935] We came up to Bro[ther] George [Washington] Hensley‘s today. He is a member of the Church and is a good one. Br[other Nathan Dempsey] Harris and his boys brought us up. The Hensley people were very glad to see us. There had not been any elders there for two years. It is sure good to see them and to eat good ranch food after starving around town for a week. We had the intention of going down to a meeting but we decided not to go on account of rain.

[Friday] – 27 Sep[tember 1935] We came to Erwin today. We found the Harris people quite well with the exception of Mr. [Nathan Dempsey] Harris who seems to have something wrong with his back. A fellow that first picked us up hauled us all the way to Er[w]in. We visited with the people, made our reports, and wrote some letters.