Diary of David Lewis - Pages 4-7

Excerpt taken from "Diary of David Lewis"
This is copied from a 72 page history of David Lewis.
The following covers pages 4-7

"My father had four hundred acres of beautiful land about one hundred acres in farm and the remainder of his land was timber land. A large two story double house on a public road three miles eat of the town of Franklin. A beautiful yard surrounded the house about one acre square neatly covered with blue grass, two beautiful mulbury trees and one beautiful cedar tree growing in the south yard. Beautiful cherry trees grew on the out edge of the yard one rod distance from each other. These mulbury and cherry trees bore splendid fruit. A beautiful orchard on the west which joined to the yard in it was most all the varieties of fruits that was common for the country. There was apples both early and late, sweet and sour, pears, peaches, plums, persimmons, cherrys, and on the farm was the wild cherry black haws mulbury and walnuts and plums and persimmons. These fruits was all very good."

"We chiefly raised corn in our country wheat, oats, and tobacco, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, beans, pease, cabbage, and onions, melons, and pumpkins, cotton flas and rye, but wheat was the most uncertain crop we tried to raise."

"It was a very mild and pleasant climate. The land was not very rich. It taken a great deal of work to cultivate the land. Timber was plenty and good range for stock is poor, wild game scarce. The people is generally very kind to each other except when angry at each other, then they are cruel."

"When I was about twelve years old, I was taken from the farm to aid my mother as my two oldest sisters, Ann and Martha, had married and left home. I was put to carding and spinning. I was also trained at the washtub at cooking and all the common housework and spent three years of my time in helping my mother in this way."

"This was not common employment for boys or men folks in that country, so I often felt ashamed when the neighbors came in, but at about fifteen I again went to the field."

"I well recollect the first time I ever hear my mother talk about God and the devil. She said that there was a good man and lived above in the clouds and if I done bad the bad man would get me when I die, but if I was a good boy and would mind her and Father and would not tell lies nor swear nor steal that when I died the good man would take me to live again with him up in the clouds, and told me of many good things that I would be entitled to by being good. This had a deep impression on my mind. I told my older brothers the story when they came from the field, thinking it would be news to them. I then firmly thought I would do good. I remember at another time when very young, my mother was coming my hair she said to me there is a mole on your neck and that is a sign that you will be hung. This alarmed me very much, and often I have thrown down apples after I had commenced to eat them because I remembered the mole on my neck, and knowing that Father had told me not to pull the apples. I have thrown down flints and little rocks that I thought was pretty after picking the up for fear it was stealing and the mole on my neck would cause me to be hung."

"My parents not being religious folks they very seldom told me anything about God or heaven, and I seldom went to meeting. When I did I got no understanding of the plan of salvation, and as there was Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, and Universalions or Dunkards, and they disagreed about the scriptures I asked Father which one of these was right. He said he did not know these things, so I always wanted to know that things, and thought if I could find a little book like I had heard of John the Revelator having one given to him by an angel I should be better pleased than with any other present, provided it would decide that point, or teach to me the true plan of salvation for this was a subject that I greatly desired to know although I was young and to all appearance thoughtless of any such matters. I was often vexed at preachers exhorting the people telling them to come to Christ and never telling them how to come. I never got no understanding from none of the preachers how the plan was, but I always thought if I could find out to my satisfaction I would obey it, and I promised to myself when I got to be a man I would then find out to my satisfaction ad do right and be honest and try to get to heaven where the good man lived."

"I do not intend to give a full history of my childhood for it would be too tedious, but merely touch on a few things and then pass on to the things that I have passed through, and witnessed myself; the persecutions, trials, and hardships on the account of believing and obeying the gospel of Christ which I know to be true and of God."

Diary of David Lewis - Pages 1 - 4

Excerpt taken from "Diary of David Lewis"
This is copied from a 72 page history of David Lewis.
The following covers pages 1-4

David Lewis and Duritha Trail c. 1850

"I was born in the state of Kentucky on Easter Sunday it being the tenth day of April in the year eighteen hundred and fourteen, and in the County of Simpson, Franklin was the County seat."

"I lived in the same state and county until I was 22 years of age, I was married in my twentieth year it being November the 23rd, 1834."

"My wife's name was Duritha Trail. She was born January the 5th, 1813. She being one year three months and five days the oldest."

"We was both baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by James Emmet who was accompanied by Peter Dustin on the 23th day of March in the year 1835. I lacked 17 days of being 21 years old when we was baptized. In August 1835 I was ordained an elder under the hand of Benjamin Lewis my brother."

"We left Kentucky our native land on the 29th of April 1837 for the state of Missouri where the Church of Latter Day Saints was gathering."

"I was the sixth son and the ninth child of my parents they having twelve children in all, eight boys and four girls."

"My father was a large man having weighed about three hundred and thirty pounds. his name was Neriah Lewis. He left Kentucky with his family and went to Illinois State, Macoupin County and there died, ion about his sixty-third year."

"My mother was also a large woman. She weighed about two hundred and forty pounds. her name was Mary. Her maiden name was Mary Morse. her father was named Samuel Morse and her mother was Rachel, and they lived in South Carolina, Dickins County or district. My father's father lived in South Carolina. His name was David, his wife I think was Rosannah."

"My father emigrated from South Carolina to Kentucky amongst the first settlers or emigrants to that country. My mother died in the state of Illinois when she was about sixty-five years old."

"My father and mother was not professors of religion, nor none of my connections with whom I was acquainted. My father's mother was turned out of the Quaker church for marrying my grandfather who was not a member of the church, and refusing to acknowledge that she was sorrow for the deed, my father and mother believed in a universal salvation but belonged to no church. I believe they was both honest, and I know they taught their children to be honest. My father was a farmer and possessed a sufficient substance to make his family comfortable."

"At my first recollection I was a very fleshy little boy with very black hair and blue eyes which both were often spoken of by the neighbors. I was not grosely mischievous only to plague and tease the other children which often cost my stripes, sometimes when I was innocent. Because I was so often guilty no excuse would save me. My oldest sister Ann often screened me from the lash by telling my mother that all that had happened was accidental and not by design."

"I was kept closely at home and taught almost all the lessons of labor that was common for boys of my size and age to know. I was not allowed to go off the place without the consent of one or both of my parents. I was allowed to have no little boy's notions without giving a strict account of where and how I got it. I was seldom allowed to go in company and learn the ways of the world so that I thought myself green or more unexperienced than others of my size. I often felt embarrassed on this account and did not enjoy my self on this account when in company. I was not quarrelsome with other boys and never had but three fights in all my life. I came off conqueror each time. The last time I had my oldest brother's consent under whose charge I was at that time. I was about ten or eleven years old but very well grown when a very bad and saucy boy came to my father's orchard and after pulling and thrashing down fruit of many descriptions and was about to leave, (and I having had a fight with his brother for abusing my youngest brother who was very small) I told him to tell his brother if he did not pay me for the marbles I sold him I intended to whip him. He replied what did you say. My brother said to me - tell him again. I done so. he then commenced to curse me and said if i would come over the fence he would whip me. My brother said to me go and whip him well. This was an unexpected privilege."

"I had never before been allowed to fight under any circumstances whatever. I went and done as I was told and rejoiced at the chance and when my brother thought the boy had enough he said to me let him up he is whipped enough. I immediately obeyed him and the boy started for home. whey I mention this circumstance was because it was connected with a cruel act that the same boy committed on the next day. Next morning a boarder in the presences of the boy's father whetted a sharp pointed knife and told the boy to take it and stick it in me. Yes said the father, I am determined that my boys shall defend themselves. George and Turner Miller was the boy's names and James Miller the father's name. Go my sons said James Miller to his two boys and defend yourselves. they had scarcely got out of sight of his dwelling when the screams was heard to the alarming of the whole present. They immediately ran, the two boys had fell out by the way about which should kill a bumble bee. The youngest having the knife he plunged it its length in his brother's breast."

"Fighting with knives kirk stones and clubs was common in my country, but I never taken a part in no such wickedness. I have often seen several in number on each side fight with these weapons able to do each other harm only some black eyes and other bloody noses and others in gores of blood which was frightful to see."