Rachel R Grant married Jedidiah, the mayor of Salt Lake City and 2nd Counselor in the 1st Presidency.

He was a good man and it was a good marriage.

He died of pneumonia just a few days after their first anniversary.

Heber J Grant, their son, was nine days old. Soon after, she married Jedidiah's brother, George. Though he was well liked and a hero of the 1856 handcart tragedy, he was a secret alcoholic.

The marriage was dissolved two years later. Rachel's hurt never entirely healed and she rejected all future proposals.

@synthenergy @stackerco @CalifornianLast Last night I rewatched Pres Nelson's 2018 address on the name of the church. I was as moved as when I first watched it.

So whether that was the spirit (which I think it was) or I'm just a sucker for his argument, I bought in. 1/ @synthenergy @stackerco @CalifornianLast And yet . . . and yet . . . I love Hinkley's talk as well. And while I must concede that there is a disagreement. It is a disagreement inside of a larger agreement. (I'll explain later.) 2/

The last two days I've shared my code of conduct when debating those who are opposed to my religion.

I've got one more thought. Most of these debates are futile because we are in realty talking about two separate religions. Let me try to explain what I mean. Please have patience, I need to lay the groundwork.

George Q Cannon's returned from Hawaii tired and frail and he never quite recovered. Three months later he contracted the flu "which caused a number of unfavorable complications." He traveled with his family to a private home in Monterey Bay, California hoping the sea breezes would help him heal.

On Nov 29th, 1900, George Q Cannon entered a sleeping car with his wife and three of his sons. He was 73 and tired. (He would be dead in 4 months.)

It had been 50 years since the George Q and the other missionaries had first arrived in Hawaii. He was heading to the jubilee. The saints greeted him with much enthusiasm. Articles and pictures appeared in the local newspaper.
A huge luau was held in his honor in the government armory. A thousand or more attended.

Imagine during the next general conference, one of the apostles got up and chastised the Tabernacle Choir for immorality.

In October 1898 George Q Cannon was horrified that this happened and he did his best to smooth over the ruffled feathers. John W Taylor's talk began well enough. He enjoyed the lovely music. He enjoyed the powerful talks. It was a pleasure to build Zion with these good people.

Then the talk went sideways.

George Q Cannon entered the prison and the warden proudly showed him his "open and roomy," lodging. Plus a cell to place his belongings.

George Q shook his head and said, "I want no special privileges. I will sleep in my cell. Wear prison clothes and keep all the rules." He had visitors twice a day. They brought grapes and candy and flowers which he shared with the other inmates.

One friend brought him two ducks and several trout which he gave to the guards to cook and eat.

In the 1880s if you wanted to earn $800, try to find and arrest both John Taylor and George Q Cannon.

If you had to choose, find and arrest George Q. Reward is $500. The prophet John Taylor would only earn you $300. This shows you how important George Q was to the Church and in the eyes of the law. I also think it was a jab at President Taylor.

In 1873, George Q Cannon traveled to Washington DC. He'd been appointed as a delegate of the Utah territories and was to be sworn in.

Well, that caused a bit of a ruckus. When George Q's name was called, New York Republican Clinton L Merriam stood up and read this prepared statement.

Whereas it is alleged that George Q Cannon, of Utah, has taken oaths inconsistent with citizenship of the United States . . .

Charles Dickens knew about the Mormons. Everyone did. Multiple wives. Danites. Brigham Young leading with an iron fist.

Scandalous. Shocking.

He simply must meet some and report on them in his periodical.

This could have gone very bad for the church. Things you may not know about Dickens -
1. He is laugh out loud funny. Even 170 years later. There is a moment in Oliver Twist where Oliver gets shot and it is both terrifying and laugh out loud funny. I don't know another author who could balance both.

In the 1860s George Q Cannon was sent to England to be mission president and help the Saints immigrate to Utah.

On the Atlantic trips It was not uncommon for members of the crew and sometimes even the captains to be converted and baptized. At least two voyages saw almost the entire crew join the Church.

One report said, "The Saints without exception have enjoyed a great amount of the spirit of God . . . We have baptized all on board except three persons."

George Q Cannon's journey to the East was mostly uneventful except for the time he nearly drowned on the Loup Fork of the Platte River. After a day of swimming and wading back and forth across the river trying to find a suitable place to cross the wagons.
The river bottom was full of heavy quicksand and difficult to cross.

George Q Cannon was released as a mission president of the Pacific States, so he and his family traveled back to Utah. When he arrived at Payson and was unhitching his wagon, a messenger from Brigham Young rode up and handed him some unexpected news. Called to a third mission. The Eastern States. His company was leaving today and would he please travel to Salt Lake City at his earliest convenience.

Have you ever moved to an unfriendly ward?

You'll enjoy this story of George Q Cannon. He and his wife arrived in a San Francisco and the local Saints came and visited. George Q figured they were there to offer assistance.

Nope.

The saints said don't expect us to save you from any debts incurred in printing the Hawaiian Book of Mormon. Don't think to fall back on us. We won't help.

George Q Cannon had only been home for five months when he was called on his next mission to the Pacific Islands. The Lord had blessed him in those five months and he had enough to travel with his wife to San Francisco. One of his mules strained herself pulling up a steep hill and could scarcely walk or help pull the wagon.

From his journal, "I prayed over her and on her twice, for if she failed, being the best animal in the team, I did not know scarcely how we would get along."

Elder Cannon and the other missionaries exited the boat in California tired and sea sick. They called on Elder Parley P Pratt, president of the Pacific Mission who was living in San Francisco at the time. Elder Pratt was especially excited to see George Q since as a missionary he'd known him as a young boy in Great Britain. After hearing about George's success translating the Book of Mormon into Hawaiian he asked for his assistance writing his autobiography.

You might remember that George Q Cannon's five year mission to the Hawaiian Islands actually started as a one year mission to the gold fields of San Francisco. You might also remember that when he left he promised his sweetheart Elizabeth that they would be married on his return.

In one year.

George Q Cannon thought it a pity that the Hawaiian natives didn't have a Book of Mormon in their native language. Well, there was only one way to change that. He began to translate.

It took three years. He had the help of one of the earliest converts from Hawaii. A well respected and well liked judge named Jonatana Napela.

Jonatana had been forced to resign as judge because the government looked on the church with suspicion.

He was a smart man and a huge help.

After a meeting held at Waiehu, a blind man asked George Q for a healing blessing. He'd been blind for thirty years but began to mend from the moment George laid hands on his head.

The next morning he could see. Many healing miracles were performed, not only by Elder Cannon but by the native priesthood holders as well.

Can you imagine how Elder Cannon felt seeing those he converted to Christ healing the sick.

Remember George Q's dream where Joseph Smith taught him about prayer?

He took it to heart.

https://x.com/actsofapostles_/status/1835822467270816191

The main diet of the natives was "poi." And George Q hated poi. He tasted a teaspoonful but the smell of it reminded him so much of a bookbinder's old, sour, paste pot that it made him gag and almost vomit.

Five missionaries left Hawaii. George A and four others remained. None of them spoke a word of Hawaiian, so they went up into the mountain behind Lahaina, Maui and fasted and prayed all day that the Lord would aid them in learning the language. After months of struggling, Elder Cannon received a miracle. He wrote about it in a letter to his Aunt Leonora.