The Minor Family of Somerset

REFN: 171L-NJ
The following was taken from a roll of paper which said "items f
or jessie Berrett's Paper of Remembrance". It is dated March 5
, 1936 by Charles Denney
"Evidences of my being a true London "Cockney" by the facts of m
y being born in Newington parish, Cock and castle Lane just N.E
. of London, and within the sounds of "Bow Bells" which makes on
e a true London "Cockney".
My native intelligence is established by the statement of both m
y Aunt Martha Callien (Collier?) and Grandmother Caroline Danger
field that "my Head was placed on my shoulders 10 years befor
e I was born." The earliest recollectionI have was being in St
. Matthews' Church of England Day school. Head masters' name wa
s Crooks. My teachers' name Udell.
At 8 years of age my father Charles Denney, who was a watchmaker
, took me to run errands and work for him,but I did not like th
e work, it was too close for me, so when I was 10 my Grandfathe
r took me to work for him where I remained for nearly 7 years
. He was the first man in England who ever made a round leathe
r boot lace which wasmade from calf and kid hides as follows
. the prepared leather was cut intostrips 4 or 5 inches wide
, spread on a long heavy bench, and with a sharp pointed knife
, with the thumb nail as a guid, cut into laces 1/8th inch wide
,these were then died and run through a metal plate, then rolle
d between two boards, hung up to dry and tied in bundles of on
e gross each and shipped off to London warehouses and to Scotlan
d, New Zealand, Australian and other partsof the world. My wag
es were 24 cents per week of six Days from 8 a.m to 8 p.m. excep
t SaturDay 8. a.m to 1.00 p.m. with 2 cents per hour over time
. Hewanted me to stay with him and he would give me the busine
ss when he died but on the 22 of May 1866 left him and on the 24
th went on board the sailing ship American Congress and with si
x hundred other immiGrants all strangers to me, Mormons, starte
d for Salt Lake City. Arrived at New York July 4th 1866.My wa
ges 36 cents a week all of which went to my mother had to be use
d forcoal and food for our home as my family was in very humbl
e circumstances. While worKing for my granfather he let me hav
e guinea pigs and white mice, andin my spare time I made harnes
ses out of leather scraps and carts for them.In order to get m
oney for my immigration to Utah I would get up at five in the mo
rning, go to Clerkenweel news office and get one dozen of the pa
pers which were printed 3 times a week and cost me 4 1/2 pence a
nd sell them for sixpence or 1 cent each thus maKing when I sol
d them all 3 cents profit. In addition to this my grandmother g
ave me 4 cents a week for cleaning the knivesand forks and cand
le sticks and my aunt 2 cents a week for running errands and Mr
. Wrate 4 cents a week for celaning his boots and my grandfathe
r 4 cents a week as pocket money total 23 cents. All this besid
es my overtime all this I continued to save for the 7 years I wo
rked for him.
Soon after coming to Salt Lake I got a job jerding and taKing ca
re of the horses of travelers going to California who would res
t in Salt Lake for a few Days on the way at one of the htels
. I was to get 15 dollars per month for this from Thompson an
d Leaker. I kept this job for six weeks while the weather laste
d but I onlygot one pair of shoes and my board and rest is stil
l owing. The rest of thewinter I went with my uncle and Leake
r to Kill Creek and Parleys Canyon andhauled fire wood for sal
e wages the same.
In the spring I went to North SaltLake and got a job to heard s
heep on the hills. On refelction I thought I was cut out for so
mething better than that and did not go back. Finally I gota j
ob at the Deseret New Office as printers devil, and next year wa
s apprenticed to George Q. Cannon, manager to learn the whole pr
inting business, typsetting, job work, press work, and composin
g.