CALL TO GREAT BRITAIN, 1838.
Mobocrats Seek To Prevent the Fulfillment of a Revelation Given Through
the Prophet Joseph Smith, but Are Disappointed.--Temple Cornerstone
at Far West Laid.--Wilford Returns to Illinois.--The Prophet Joseph
Liberated from Prison in Missouri.--A Survivor of Haun's Mill
Massacre.--Selection of Nauvoo as a Place for the Settlement of the
Saints.--A Day of God's Power.--Many Sick Are Healed, and a Dying Man
Raised to Life.--Incident of Wilford Receiving a Hankerchief from
the Prophet Joseph.--Instructed as to What He Shall Preach on His
Mission.--Lesson in Humility.--Warning against Treachery.--Wilford
Starts on His Mission, Sick and without Money.--Experience of His
Journey to New York.--Sails for Liverpool, England.
The revelation calling Wilford Woodruff to the apostleship, and
directing him, with others, to engage in missionary labors abroad,
fixed a time and a place for the departure of these apostles on their
mission to Great Britain. It was the declared purpose of the mob to
prevent the fulfillment of this revelation. When the word of the
Lord was given on this matter, all was peace and quiet in Far West,
Missouri, the city where most of the Latter-day Saints dwelt at that
time; but before the day of fulfillment came, the Saints had been
driven out of the State of Missouri into the State of Illinois, under
the edict of Governor Boggs; and the Missourians had sworn that if all
the other revelations to Joseph Smith were fulfilled, this one should
not be. But man cannot stay the purposes of God; this occasion was no
exception to the rule, and it affords one of many notable instances
that show how the Almighty maintains a special guidance over the work
of this dispensation which He has committed to the Latter-day Saints.
In this revelation, given July 8, 1838, He said:
"Let them take leave of my Saints in the city of Far West, on the 26th
day of April next, on the building spot of my house, saith the Lord.
Let my servant John Taylor, and also my servant John E. Page, and also
my servant Wilford Woodruff, and also my servant Willard Richards,
be appointed to fill the places of those who have fallen, and be
officially notified of their appointment."
Of this period, Wilford writes in his journal that, "it seemed {100} as
though the Lord, having a foreknowledge of what would take place, had
given the revelation in this manner to see whether or not the Apostles
would obey it at the risk of their lives. When the time drew near for
the fulfillment of this commandment, Brigham Young was the President of
the Twelve Apostles, Thomas B. Marsh, who had been the senior apostle,
had fallen. Brother Brigham called together those of the Twelve who
were then at Quincy, Illinois, to see what their minds would be about
going to Far West in fulfillment of the revelation. The Prophet Joseph,
his brother Hyrum, Sidney Rigdon, Lyman Wight, and Parley P. Pratt,
were in prison in Missouri; but Father Joseph Smith, the patriarch, was
at Quincy, Illinois. He and others who were present did not think it
wisdom for us to attempt the journey, as our lives would be in great
jeopardy. They thought the Lord would take the will for the deed. But
when President Young asked the Twelve what their feelings were, all of
them, as the voice of one man, said the Lord had spoken, and it was for
them to obey. It was the Lord's business to take care of His servants,
and they would fulfill the commandment, or die trying.
"To understand fully the risk the Twelve ran in making this journey,
it should be understood that Lilburn W. Boggs, governor of the state
of Missouri, had issued a proclamation in which all the Latter-day
Saints were required to leave Missouri or be exterminated. Far West had
been captured by the militia, who really were only an organized mob;
the citizens had been compelled to give up their arms; all the leading
men who could be got hold of had been taken prisoners; the rest of the
Saints--men, women, and children--had to flee out of the state as best
they could to save their lives, leaving their houses, lands and other
property, which they could not carry with them, to be taken by the mob.
The latter shot down the cattle and hogs of the Saints wherever they
could find them, and robbed the people of nearly everything they could
lay their hands on. The Saints were treated with merciless cruelty,
and had to endure the most outrageous abuses. It was with the greatest
difficulty that many of them, especially the prominent ones, got out of
Missouri, for at that time many people of that state acted as though
they thought it no more harm to shoot a Mormon than to shoot a mad dog.
From this {101} brief explanation it will be understood why some of the
brethren thought we were not required to go back to Far West, to start
from there upon our mission across the ocean to Europe.
"Having determined to carry out the requirements of the revelation,"
continues Wilford Woodruff, "on the 18th of April, 1839, I took into
my wagon Brigham Young and Orson Pratt; Father Cutler took into his
wagon John Taylor and George A. Smith, and we started for Far West. On
the way we met John E. Page, who was going with his family to Quincy,
Illinois. His wagon had turned over, and when we met him he was trying
to gather up with his hands a barrel of soft soap. We helped him with
his wagon. He then drove into the valley below, left his wagon, and
accompanied us on our way. On the night of the 25th of April we arrived
at Far West, and spent the night at the home of Morris Phelps. He had
been taken a prisoner by the mob, and was still in prison.
"On the morning of the 26th of April, 1839, notwithstanding the threats
of our enemies that the revelation which was to be fulfilled this day
should not be fulfilled; notwithstanding ten thousand of the Saints
had been driven out of the state by the edict of the governor; and
notwithstanding the Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum Smith, with
other leading men, were in the hands of our enemies in chains and in
prison, we moved on to the Temple grounds in the city of Far West,
held a council, and fulfilled the revelation and commandment given to
us. We also ex-communicated from the Church thirty-one persons who had
apostatized and become its enemies. The 'Mission of the Twelve' was
sung, and we repaired to the southeast corner of the Temple ground,
where, with the assistance of Elder Alpheus Cutler, the master workman
of the building committee, we laid the southeast chief cornerstone of
the Temple, according to revelation. There were present of the Twelve
Apostles: Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, John E. Page,
and John Taylor; they proceeded to ordain Wilford Woodruff and George
A. Smith to the apostleship.
"Darwin Chase and Norman Shearer, who had just been liberated from
Richmond prison, were then ordained to the office of seventy.
{102} "The Twelve then gave the parting hand to the following Saints,
agreeable to revelation: A. Butler, Elias Smith, Norman Shearer,
William Burton, Stephen Markham, Shadrach Roundy, William O. Clark,
John W. Clark, Hezekiah Peck, Darwin Chase, Richard Howard, Mary Ann
Peck, Artimesia Granger, Martha Peck, Sarah Granger, Theodore Turley,
Hiram Clark, and Daniel Shearer.
"Bidding good-by to this small remnant of the Saints who remained on
the Temple ground to see us fulfill the revelation and commandment
of God, we turned our backs on Far West, Missouri, and returned to
Illinois. We had accomplished the mission without a dog moving his
tongue at us, or any man saying, 'Why do ye so?' We crossed the
Mississippi river on the steam ferry, entered Quincy on the 2nd of May,
and all of us had the joy of reaching our families once more in peace
and safety. Thus the word of God was complied with.
"While on our way to fulfill the revelation, Joseph, the Prophet, and
his companions in chains were liberated, through the blessings of God,
from their enemies and prison, and passed us. We were not far distant
from each other, but neither party knew it at the time. They were
making their way to their families in Illinois, while we were traveling
to Far West into the midst of our enemies; so they came home to their
families and friends before our return.
"May 3rd, 1839, was a very interesting day to me, as well as to others.
In company with five others of the quorum of the Twelve, I rode to
Mr. Cleveland's, four miles out of town, to visit Brother Joseph
Smith and his family. Once more I had the happy privilege of taking
Brother Joseph by the hand. Two years had rolled away since I had seen
his face. He greeted us with great joy, as did Hyrum Smith and Lyman
Wight, all of whom had escaped together from their imprisonment. They
had been confined in prison six months, and had been under sentence
of death three times; yet their lives were in the hands of God. He
delivered them, and now they were mingling with their wives, children,
and friends, out of the reach of the mob. Joseph was frank, open, and
familiar as usual, and our rejoicing was great. No man can understand
the joyful sensations created by such a meeting, except one who has
been in tribulation for the gospel's sake.
{103} "After spending the day together we returned to our families at
night. The day following was May 4th; we met in conference at Quincy,
the Prophet Joseph presiding, his presence causing great joy to all the
Saints. On Sunday, May 5th, Joseph Smith addressed the assembly. He was
followed by Sidney Rigdon and the Twelve Apostles. The spirit of the
Lord was poured out upon us, and we had a glorious day.
"On May 6th I met with the seventies, and we ordained sixty men into
the quorums of elders and seventies. Brother Joseph met with the
Twelve, and with bishops and elders, at Bishop Partridge's house. There
were with us a number who were wounded at Haun's Mill; among these was
Isaac Laney, who, in company with about twenty others, had been at
the mill when a large and armed mob fired among them with rifles and
other weapons, shot down seventeen of the brethren, and wounded others.
Brother Laney fled from the scene, but they sent a volley of lead after
him, piercing his body in many places. He showed me eleven bullet holes
in his body. There were twenty-seven bullet holes in his shirt, and
seven in his pantaloons. His coat was literally cut to pieces. One ball
entered one armpit and came out at the other; another entered his back
and came out at the breast; a ball passed through each hip, each leg,
and each arm. All these were received while he was running for his
life; and, strange as it may appear, though he also had one of his ribs
broken, he was able to outrun his enemies, and his life was saved. We
can acknowledge this deliverance to be only through the mercy of God.
President Joseph Young was also among the number who escaped at Haun's
Mill. As he fled, the balls flew around him like hail, yet he was not
even wounded. How mysterious are the ways of the Lord!
"Before starting on our mission to England, we were under the necessity
of locating our families. A place called Commerce, afterwards named
Nauvoo, was selected as the site on which our people should settle. In
company with Brother Brigham Young and our families, I left Quincy on
the 15th of May, arriving in Commerce on the 18th. After an interview
with Joseph, we crossed the river at Montrose, Iowa. President Brigham
Young and myself, with our families, occupied one room about {104}
fourteen feet square. Finally Brother Young obtained another room and
moved into it; then Brother Orson Pratt and family moved into the same
room with myself and family.
"While I was living in this cabin in the old barracks we experienced,
with the Prophet Joseph, a day of God's power. It was a very sickly
time; Joseph had given up his home in Commerce to the sick, and had a
tent pitched in his dooryard and was living in that himself. The large
number of Saints who had been driven out of Missouri were flocking
into Commerce, but had no homes to go to, and were living in wagons,
in tents, and on the ground; many, therefore, were sick through the
exposure to which they were subjected. Brother Joseph had waited on
them until he was worn out and nearly sick himself.
"On the morning of the 22nd of July, 1839, he arose, reflecting
upon the situation of the Saints of God in their persecutions and
afflictions. He called upon the Lord in prayer, the power of God rested
upon him mightily, and as Jesus healed all the sick around Him in His
day, so Joseph, the Prophet of God, healed all around on this occasion.
He healed all in his house and dooryard; then, in company with Sidney
Rigdon and several of the Twelve, went among the sick lying on the bank
of the river, where he commanded them in a loud voice, in the name of
Jesus Christ, to rise and be made whole, and they were all healed.
When he had healed all on the east side of the river that were sick,
he and his companions crossed the Mississippi River in a ferry-boat to
the west side, where we were, at Montrose. The first house they went
into was President Brigham Young's. He was sick on his bed at the time.
The Prophet went into his house and healed him, and they all came out
together.
"As they were passing by my door, Brother Joseph said: 'Brother
Woodruff, follow me.' These were the only words spoken by any of
the company from the time they left Brother Brigham's house till
they crossed the public square, and entered Brother Fordham's house.
Brother Fordham had been dying for an hour, and we expected each minute
would be his last. I felt the spirit of God that was overpowering His
Prophet. When we entered the house, Brother Joseph walked up to Brother
Fordham and took him by the right hand, his left hand holding his hat.
{105} He saw that Brother Fordham's eyes were glazed, and that he was
speechless and unconscious.
"After taking his hand, he looked down into the dying man's face and
said: 'Brother Fordham, do you not know me?' At first there was no
reply, but we all could see the effect of the spirit of God resting
on the afflicted man. Joseph again spoke. 'Elijah, do you not know
me?' With a low whisper Brother Fordham answered, 'Yes'. The Prophet
then said: 'Have you not faith to be healed?' The answer, which was a
little plainer than before, was: 'I am afraid it is too late; if you
had come sooner, I think I might have been.' He had the appearance of
a man waking from sleep; it was the sleep of death. Joseph then said:
'Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ?' 'I do, Brother Joseph,' was
the response. Then the Prophet of God spoke with a loud voice, as in
the majesty of Jehovah: 'Elijah, I command you, in the name of Jesus of
Nazareth, to arise and be made whole.'
"The words of the Prophet were not like the words of man, but like the
voice of God. It seemed to me that the house shook on its foundation.
Elijah Fordham leaped from his bed like a man raised from the dead. A
healthy color came to his face, and life was manifested in every act.
His feet had been done up in Indian meal poultices; he kicked these off
his feet, scattered the contents, then called for his clothes and put
them on. He asked for a bowl of bread and milk, and ate it. He then put
on his hat and followed us into the street, to visit others who were
sick.
"The unbeliever may ask, 'Was there not deception in this?' If there
is any deception in the mind of the unbeliever, there was certainly
none with Elijah Fordham, the dying man, or with those who were present
with him; for in a few minutes he would have been in the spirit world,
if he had not been rescued. Through the blessing of God he lived up
till 1880, when he died in Utah; while all who were with him on that
occasion, with the exception of one (myself), are in the spirit world.
Among the number present were Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon,
Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, George A. Smith, Parley P. Pratt,
Orson Pratt, and Wilford Woodruff.
"As soon as we left Brother Fordham's house, we went into the home of
Joseph B. Noble, who was very low. When we entered {106} the house,
Brother Joseph took Brother Noble by the hand, and commanded him, in
the name of Jesus Christ, to arise and be made whole. He did arise, and
was healed immediately.
"While this was going on, the wicked mob in the place, led by one
Kilburn, had become alarmed, and followed us into Brother Noble's
house. Before they arrived there, Brother Joseph called upon Brother
Fordham to offer prayer. While he was praying, the mob entered, with
all the evil spirits accompanying them. As soon as they entered,
Brother Fordham, who was praying, fainted, and sank to the floor. When
Joseph saw the mob in the house, he arose and had the room cleared of
both that class of men and their attendant devils. Then Brother Fordham
immediately revived, and finished his prayer.
"The case of Brother Noble was the last one of healing upon that day.
It was the greatest day for the manifestation of the power of God
through the gift of healing since the organization of the Church.
When we left Brother Noble's, the Prophet Joseph, with those who had
accompanied him from the other side, went to the bank of the river, to
return home.
"While waiting for the ferry-boat, a man of the world, knowing of the
miracles which had been performed, came to Joseph and asked him if he
would not go and heal twin children of his, about five months old, who
were both lying sick nigh unto death. They were some two miles from
Montrose. The Prophet said he could not go; but, after pausing some
time, said he would send some one to heal them; and he turned to me
and said: 'You go with the man and heal his children.' He took a red
silk hankerchief out of his pocket, gave it to me, told me to wipe
their faces with the handkerchief when I administered to them, and they
should be healed. He also said to me: 'As long as you will keep that
handkerchief, it shall remain a league between you and me.' I went with
the man, did as the Prophet commanded me, and the children were healed.
I have possession of the handkerchief unto this day.
"On the first of July, 1839, Joseph Smith and his counselors, Sidney
Rigdon and Hyrum Smith, crossed the river to Montrose, to spend the day
with the Twelve, and to set them apart and bless {107} them before they
started upon their missions. There were twelve of us who met there, and
we dined in my house.
"After dinner we assembled at Brother Brigham Young's house for
our meeting. Brother Hyrum Smith opened by prayer; after which the
Presidency laid their hands upon our heads and gave each of us a
blessing. President Rigdon was mouth in blessing me, and also blessed
Sisters Young, Taylor, and Woodruff. The Prophet Joseph promised us
that if we were faithful we would be blessed upon our mission, save
many souls as seals of our ministry, and return again in peace and
safety to our friends; all of which was fulfilled.
"Brother Hyrum advised me to preach the first principles of the gospel;
he thought that was about as much as this generation could endure. Then
Joseph arose and preached some precious things of the Kingdom of God
unto us, in the power of the Holy Ghost, some of which I here copy:
'Ever keep in exercise the principle of mercy, and be ready to forgive
your brethren on the first intimation of their repentance and desire
for forgiveness; for your heavenly Father will be equally merciful to
you. We ought also to be willing to repent of and confess our sins,
and keep nothing back. Let the Twelve be humble and not be exalted,
and beware of pride, and not seek to excel one another, but act for
each other's good, and honorably make mention of each other's names in
prayer before the Lord and before your fellowmen. Do not backbite or
injure a brother. The elders of Israel should seek to learn by precept
and example in this late age of the world, and not be obliged to learn
by sad experience everything they know. I trust the remainder of the
Twelve will learn wisdom, and will not follow the example of those who
have fallen. When the Twelve, or any other witnesses of Jesus Christ,
stand before the congregations of the earth, and preach in the power
and demonstration of the Holy Ghost, and the people are astonished and
confounded at the doctrine and say, "those men have preached powerful
sermons," then let them take care that they do not ascribe the glory
unto themselves, but be careful to be humble, and to ascribe the glory
to God and the Lamb; for it is by the power of the Holy Priesthood
and the Holy Ghost that they have {108} the power thus to speak. Who
art thou, O man, but dust! and from whom dost thou receive they power
and blessings, but from God! Then let the Twelve Apostles and elders
of Israel observe this key, and be wise: _Ye are not sent out to be
taught, but to teach._ Let every man be sober, be vigilant, and let all
his words be seasoned with grace, and keep in mind that it is a day of
warning, and not of many words. Act honestly before God and man; beware
of sophistry, such as bowing and scraping unto men in whom you have no
confidence. Be honest, open, and frank in all your intercourse with
mankind. I wish to say to the Twelve, and to all the Saints: profit by
this important key, that in all your trials, troubles, temptations,
afflictions, bonds, imprisonments, and deaths, you do not betray Jesus
Christ, that you do not betray the revelations of God, whether in the
Bible, Book of Mormon, or Doctrine and Covenants, or in any of the
words of God. Yea, in all your troubles, see that you do not this
thing, lest innocent blood be found upon your skirts, and ye go down to
hell. We may ever know by this sign that there is danger of our being
led to a fall and apostasy when we give way to the devil, so as to
neglect the first known duty; but whatever you do, do not betray your
friend.'
"The foregoing are some of the instructions given by the Prophet
Joseph, before the Apostles started upon their missions.
"Inasmuch as the devil had been thwarted in a measure by the Twelve
going to Far West and returning without harm, it seemed as though the
destroyer was determined to make some other attempt upon us to hinder
us from performing our missions; for as soon as any one of the Apostles
began to prepare for starting he was smitten with chills and fever, or
sickness of some kind. Nearly all of the quorum of the Twelve or their
families began to be sick, so it still required the exercise of a good
deal of faith and perseverance to start off on a mission.
"On the 25th of July, I was attacked with chills and fever, for the
first time in my life; this I had every other day, and whenever
attacked, I was laid prostrate. My wife, Phoebe, was also taken down
with the chills and fever, as were quite a number of the Twelve.
"I passed thirteen days in Montrose with my family, after {109} I was
taken sick, before I started on my mission. The 7th of August was the
last day I spent at home in Montrose. Although sick with the chills and
fever most of the day, I made what preparations I could to start on the
morrow on a mission of four thousand miles, to preach the gospel to
the nations of the earth; and this, too, without purse or scrip, with
disease resting upon me, and an attack of fever and ague afflicting me
once every two days.
"Early upon the morning of the 8th of August, I arose from my bed of
sickness, laid my hands upon the head of my sick wife, Phoebe, and
blessed her. I then departed from the embrace of my companion, and
left her almost without food or the necessaries of life. She suffered
my departure with the fortitude that becomes a saint, realizing the
responsibilities of her companion. I quote from my journal: 'Phoebe,
farewell! Be of good cheer; remember me in your prayers. I leave these
pages for your perusal when I am gone. I shall see your face again in
the flesh. I go to obey the commands of Jesus Christ.'
"Although feeble, I walked to the banks of the Mississippi River. There
President Young took me in a canoe (having no other conveyance), and
paddled me across the river. When we landed, I lay down on a side of
sole leather, by the postoffice, to rest. Brother Joseph, the Prophet
of God, came along and looked at me. 'Well, Brother Woodruff,' said he,
'you have started upon your mission.' 'Yes,' said I, 'but I feel and
look more like a subject for the dissecting room than a missionary.'
Joseph replied: 'What did you say that for? Get up, and go along; all
will be right with you.'
"I name these incidents that the reader may know how the brethren of
the Twelve Apostles started upon their missions to England in 1839.
Elder John Taylor was going with me; we were the first two of the
quorum of the Twelve who started upon that mission. Brother Taylor was
about the only man in the quorum who was not sick.
"Soon a brother came along with a wagon, and took us in. As we were
driving through the place, we came to Parley P. Pratt, who was stripped
to his shirt and pants, with his head and feet bare. He was hewing
a log, preparatory to building a cabin. He said: 'Brother Woodruff,
I have no money, but I have an empty {110} purse, which I will give
you.' He brought it to me, and I thanked him for it. We went a few
rods farther and met Brother Heber C. Kimball, in the same condition,
also hewing a log to build a cabin. He said: 'As Parley has given you
a purse, I have got a dollar I will give you to put in it.' He gave me
both a dollar and a blessing.
"We drove sixteen miles across a prairie, and spent the night with
a Brother Merrill. The day following we rode ten miles to a Brother
Perkins'. He took us in his wagon to Macomb, and from there to Brother
Don Carlos Smith's. During the day I rode four hours over a very rough
road of stones and stumps, lying on my back in the bottom of the wagon,
shaking with the ague, and suffering very much. We held a meeting in a
grove near Don Carlos Smith's, and there Elder Taylor baptized George
Miller, who afterwards was ordained a bishop. At the meeting the Saints
gave us nine dollars, and George Miller gave us a horse to help us on
our journey.
"I rode to Rochester with Father Coltrin, and there had an interview
with several families of the Fox Islands Saints, whom I had brought
with me from the Fox Islands in 1838. I spent several days with them
and at Springfield, where Elder Taylor published, in pamphlet form,
fifteen hundred copies of a brief sketch of the persecutions and
sufferings of the Latter-day Saints, inflicted by the inhabitants of
Missouri. We sold our horse, and, in company with Father Coltrin,
Brother Taylor and myself left Springfield and continued our journey. I
had the chills and fever nearly every other day. This made riding in a
lumber wagon very distressing to me, especially when I shook with the
ague.
"On the 24th of August we rode to Terre Haute, and spent the night with
Dr. Modisett. I suffered much with the chills and fever. Up to this
time, Elder John Taylor had appeared to enjoy excellent health, but
the destroyer did not intend to make him an exception to the rest of
the apostles. On the 28th of August he fell to the ground as though he
had been knocked down. He fainted, but soon revived. On the following
day the enemy made a powerful attack upon his life. He fainted several
times, and it seemed as if he would die. We stopped several hours
with him at a house by the wayside. We then took him into the wagon,
{111} drove to Horace S. Eldredge's and spent the remainder of the day
and night doctoring him. In the morning he was so far recovered that
he thought he would be able to ride; so we started on our journey on
the morning of the 30th, traveled forty miles to Louisville, and spent
the night with the family of Brother James Townsend. We felt terribly
shaken up, being in such a weak state. Brother Townsend was away
from home, but we were kindly entertained by Sister Townsend. In the
morning, Elder Taylor, though very weak, felt disposed to continue the
journey, and we traveled fourteen miles to Germantown. Elder Taylor was
quite sick that night, and a bilious fever seemed to settle upon him. I
was also very feeble.
"The day following being Sunday, September 1st, Brother Taylor
concluded to remain for the day, and hold a meeting. It was a German
settlement. He wished me to speak, and I did so, dwelling upon the
first principles of the gospel. He followed me, and spoke until he was
exhausted. After we returned to the inn where we were stopping, I was
taken with a chill and fever, and had a very bad night. Brother Taylor
also was very sick.
"The next day, September 2nd, was a painful day to my feelings. It was
evident that Brother Taylor had a settled fever upon him, and would
not be able to travel. Father Coltrin was resolved to continue his
journey, and, in conversing with Brother Taylor, the latter thought it
better for one sick man to be left than for two, as I was so ill with
chills and fever that I was not able to render him any assistance, nor,
indeed, to take care of myself. Under these circumstances, Brother
Taylor advised me to continue my journey with Brother Coltrin, and make
the best of my way to New York.
"After committing Elder Taylor into the hands of the Lord, I gave him
the parting hand--though painful to me--and started. I left him in
Germantown, Wayne County, Indiana, in the hands of a merciful God and
a kind and benevolent family who promised to do everything in their
power to make him comfortable till his recovery. This they did, though
he passed through a severe course of bilious fever, and was sick nigh
unto death. Through the mercy of God, however, he recovered from his
sickness, and continued his journey. We next met in the city of New
York.
{112} "I continued on with Father Coltrin, and reached Cleveland on
the 18th of September. There we took steamer for Buffalo, but were in
a storm three days before we made the harbor. We landed at midnight,
and in doing so ran into a schooner and stove it in. From Buffalo I
traveled to Albany in a canal boat, and had an attack of the ague
daily. At Albany I took a stage in the night, and rode to my father's
home in Farmington, reaching there on the 21st of September. I was glad
to meet with my father's family, and the other members of the small
branch of the Church which existed there upon this occasion, as I found
them all strong in the faith of the gospel, and glad to meet me. I was
still suffering with the ague. On the 27th of September, my grandmother
(on my mother's side), Anna Thompson, died at Avon. She was eighty-four
years of age. It was a singular coincidence that she, with her husband,
Lot Thompson, also Mercy Thompson, and Samuel Thompson, all of one
family, died when they were eighty-four years of age. I was not able to
attend my grandmother's funeral.
"On the 4th of October, 1839, my uncle, Adna Hart, died, aged
forty-three years. I had visited him in his sickness, preached the
gospel to him, and he was believing. I had been associated with him
from my youth up. On his death bed he sent me a request that I preach
his funeral sermon. I was having the chills and fever daily at the
time, attended with a very severe cough, so much so that my father
thought I would never leave his home alive; but when they brought me
the request of my dying uncle, and the day came for his burial, I told
my father to get his horse and buggy ready, as I was going to attend
the funeral. He thought I was very reckless about my own life, as I
had suffered with chills and fever some fifteen days, and to attempt
to speak in my weak state, and to begin at the same hour that my chill
was to come on, seemed to him foolhardy. My parents were quite alarmed,
yet according to my request my father got up his team, and I rode
with him and my stepmother five miles, through a cold, chilly wind,
and commenced speaking to a large congregation at the same hour that
my chills had been accustomed to come on. I spoke with great freedom
for over an hour; my chills left me for that time, and I had no more
attacks for many days.
"On the Monday following, October 17th, I felt sufficiently {113}
restored to health to continue my journey. I took leave of my father
and sister, and left for New York, where I arrived on the morning of
the 8th of November. I spent two months and seven days after my arrival
in New York, in traveling and preaching in that city, and in New Jersey
and Long Island, a portion of the time with Parley and Orson Pratt.
During this period I had frequent attacks of the chills and fever, but
I preached almost daily.
"On the 13th of December, I attended our conference in New York City,
with Elder Parley P. Pratt, who prophesied that the mission of the
Twelve to Great Britain would be known to all nations, as it surely
has been. On this day Elder John Taylor arrived in our midst. It was a
happy meeting; he had passed through a severe siege of sickness after
we parted, but through the mercy of God had been preserved, and was
able to continue his journey. He informed us that others of the Twelve
had suffered a great deal of sickness, and that it was with difficulty
that they could travel.
"After spending six days in New York, Elder John Taylor, in company
with Elder Theodore Turley and myself, sailed out of New York harbor on
the 19th of December, 1839, on board the packet ship Oxford. We took
steerage passage, which cost fifteen dollars each. We had storms and
rough weather, but most of the winds were favorable to a quick passage.
While on the ship, a Methodist minister got into a discussion with some
Catholics who were in the company, and the arguments of the minister
ran rather more into abuse than sound argument. Elder Taylor told the
Methodist minister that he did not think it was becoming in a daughter
to find so much fault with the mother; for, as the Methodists came out
of the Catholics, Elder Taylor thought the mother had as much right
to enjoy her religion unmolested as the daughter had. That ended the
argument. Our company consisted of one hundred and nine souls, composed
of Americans, English, Scotch, Irish, Welsh, and Dutch."
While in New York preparing for his departure for Europe, Elder
Woodruff twice saw his wife in a dream. The second time she was
weeping, and both times was in great affliction. Upon his inquiring
after their little daughter. Sister Woodruff answered, "She is dead."
The warning in this dream received fulfillment on the 17th of the
following July, the child dying on that date, while he was in England.
{114}