Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-01-11
CANNON FAMILY
Il REUNION TODAY
/, ,,re Gathering Of Descendants
- uonor Memory Of Late
Geo. 0. Cannon.
UNIVERSALLY OF BIRTHDAY.
e,ory of the Life Of Churclinan
who Devoted Ills Time TO
The Cause.

n ,,y Ian. II, the posterlty of
,,,gs Quayle Cannon are celebrating
stchty-nrst anniversary of his
W For several years before mis-
N and regularly since that sad
the family have made the occa-
,rc of reunion and entertainment,
aim. during his lifetime, being to
WA him the pleasure and do him
~, IN the festal gathering of his
,s,rsn end grandchildren. and since
4 S.aooth to honor his memory and re-
4 " nis personality and counsels Tor
4 animal encouragement of the older
u.-.bers of his family as we'll as to
Eas his attributes and achievements
r4ly before the ever-increasins
.r ones who did not know or 40
~ remember him.
~ custom is to hold the exercises
zane of the several homes which he
III, and made beautiful ON what Il
.1nnaratively few years ago was a
s.solate thistle patch on the banks OF
Ss Iordan river southwest of this city,
~ apnropriate committees see to IL
,sst suitable program is arranged,
sN.naant refreshments provided, and
N members of the family, whether Mt
Kane or abroad reminded of the place
III date. so that those who cannot be
rresent In person can be represented
K lstters. the reading of which always
institutes an interesting feature of
he exercises
LARGE POSTERITY.
The number of those who, by rea-
pn OF descent from President Cannon
Or marriage with his descendants, are
entitled to be present at today's re-
union. reaches the somewhat imposing
figure of 161. OF course all these are
r6t in attendance, some being absent
from home on business and some in
foreign lands on missions. lii fact, II
Is noteworthy incident that at every
celebration of the birthday anniver-
sary In the last 20 years there have
been never less than three and some
times as high as seven of the sons or
grandsons engaged In the ministry
abroad But the gathering, notwith-
Standing these absences and those due
10 other causes, usually exceeds a hum
bred in number a young host of such
rapid growth as to suggest that at no
distant time the family will require a
more spacious hall than any private
residence for their celebration, or will
have to choose some other day in a
more favorable season of the year and
have their reunion out of doors.
BORN 81 YEARS AGO.
Aud yet it is only 81 years since the
head Of this family first saw the light.
He was born in Liverpool, England,
ana was the first to come to bless the
union of a worthy Manx couple, George
Cannon and Ann Quayle. His progen-
it0rs for many generations were inhab-
itants of the tight little Isle of Man,
come Of them landholders, some seu-
faring folk, some prominent In the Of
fetal and ecclesiastical life of the is
land. Bluff King Henry VIII of England
dealt harshly with one Of them who
proved a recalcitrant church man, and
the records speak of others who assert
ed their independence In religious
thought at the expense of their temper
Al comfort 1t Is easy TO understand.
that neither the jeers OF as
sociates nor the threats of employer af-
fected George Q.'s parents when their
brother n-law, Elder John Taylor.
brought them In 1889 a copy of the
Book of Mormon and preached to them
the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Inn
pressed with the presentiment that IL
she took the journey across the sea, she
would not live to reach the gathering
place Of the saints--a warning which
the fond father was disposed to heed
the heroic mother nevertheless rested
not until the family wore on their
way to Zion. In 1912 they embarked
AZ Liverpool for New Orleans: eight
weeks We're consumed in crossing the
Watoly waste. in the meantime tho
ilothers presentiment proved true
she died ana was buried at sen: and
INC stricken family made their way
nrst to 81. Louis, then to Nauvoo, where
'he future apostle and mighty preach
lr and writer of righteousness first saw
me Prophet Joseph Smith. picking nm,
out among hundreds assembled on the
lWer bank. The father died in the
summer Of 1s4l. and upon George O.
~ me age of II devolved the respon-
sloility and care of the orphan family
LEARNED TO BE A PRINTER.
In the office of his uncle Elder Tay-
or Who Was editing the Times and Sea-
'ohs' he learned the trade OF printer:
ma shaling in the expulsion OF tho
'allts from Nauvoo in 1876, he moved
eastward, reaching Salt Lake valley In
ne ran Of lS41 In 1S49 he made one OF
zen Charles c. Kicks company in a
w 10 California, and engaged In gold
lllsglng With much success; but al
ihouBh t'lis was IN every sense a mis-
l9h 10 which he had been regularly
ial"u, he was greatly relieved when,
te following summer he was appointed
' s otlers TO go to the Sandwich Is
a.us 70 preach the gospel. Reaching
honolulu ON the 18th OF December, 1850,