THE DIFFERENT BRANCHES OF THE CHURCH REMOVE TO KIRTLAND--MIRACLE AT
BUFFALO.
Soon after my husband and Joseph left for Kirtland, William, being one
of the teachers, visited the church; and calling upon each family, he
remained with them until each individual belonging to the house had
prayed in his hearing.
When the brethren considered the spring sufficiently open for traveling
on the water, we all began to prepare for our removal to Kirtland. We
hired a boat of a certain Methodist preacher, and appointed a time to
meet at our house, for the purpose of setting off together; and when
we were thus collected, we numbered eighty souls. The people of the
surrounding country came and bade us farewell, invoking the blessing of
heaven upon our heads.
A few minutes before we started, an old brother by the name of Humphry,
arrived from Stockholm. This man was convinced by Don Carlos, at the
time that he visited his grandfather in company with my husband.
On account of Brother Humphry's age, I wished him to take charge of the
company, but he refused, saying that everything should be done, just as
mother Smith said; and to this the whole company responded, "yes." At
that instant, one Esquire Chamberlain came on board, and asked me, if I
had what money I wanted to make my family comfortable. I replied, that
I had an abundance for myself and children, but he might, perhaps, find
some on board, who stood in need of assistance. "Well," said he, "here
is a little money, and you can deal it out as you like," and, handing
me seventeen dollars, he left the boat. Soon after this, we were pushed
off and under fine headway.
I then called the brethren and sisters together, and reminded them
that we were traveling by the commandment of the Lord, as much as
Father Lehi was, when he left Jerusalem; and, if faithful, we had the
same reason to expect the blessings of God. I then desired them to be
solemn, and to lift their hearts to God continually in prayer, that
we might be prospered. We then seated ourselves and sang a hymn. The
captain was so delighted with the music, that he called to the mate,
saying, "Do, for God's sake come here, and steer the boat; for I must
hear that singing." He afterwards expressed his pleasure and surprise
at seeing such an appearance of devotion among us, stating that his
wife had refused to accompany him, on account of her prejudice against
us, which he very much regretted.
At the approach of sunset, we seated ourselves, and sang another hymn.
The music sounded beautifully upon the water, and had a salutary effect
upon every heart, filling our souls with love and gratitude to God, for
his manifold goodness towards us.
The services of the evening being ended, I inquired of the brethren
concerning the amount of provisions which they had on hand for the
journey; and, to my surprise, I ascertained that we had on board,
besides twenty grown persons, thirty children, who were almost
destitute of food. This was unaccountable to me at first, but I
afterwards learned that they had converted their substance into
clothing, expecting that those who were in better circumstances would
support them, as well as defray their traveling expenses; those,
however, from whom they expected the most assistance, disappointed
them, consequently, the burden was thrown entirely upon my shoulders.
From this time forward, I furnished the whole fifty persons with food
from day to day.
I soon discovered among the mothers, a kind of carelessness with
regard to their children, even when their lives were in danger. So
I called them together, and endeavored to impress upon their minds
the importance of doing their duty to their children; that in such a
place as this, especially, they ought to keep them constantly by their
side; that they should consider that children were given to them for a
blessing, and if they did not treat them as such, they would be taken
from them. Still they were negligent, and excused themselves by saying,
that their children were disobedient. I told the sisters that I could
manage their children, and if they were not better controlled by their
mothers, I should take the control of them.
I then called the children around me, and said to them, "Now, children,
mark what I say to you. When I come up stairs, and raise my hand, you
must, every one of you, run to me as fast as you can. Will you do as I
tell you?"
"Yes," they replied, with one unanimous voice. And they strictly kept
their faith to the end of the journey.
On getting about half way to Buffalo, the canal broke. This gave rise
to much murmuring and discontentment, which was expressed in terms like
the following:
"Well, the canal is broke now, and here we are, and here we are likely
to be, for we can go no further. We have left our homes, and here
we have no means of getting a living, consequently we shall have to
starve."
"No, no," said I, "you will not starve, brethren, nor anything of that
sort; only do be patient and stop your murmuring. I have no doubt but
the hand of the Lord is over us for good; perhaps it is best for us to
be here a short time. It is quite probable that the boats cannot leave
Buffalo harbor on account of the ice; if so, the town must inevitably
be crowded with families, in which case it would be next to impossible
for us to get into a comfortable house. Are we not in far better
circumstances in our present situation?"
"Well, well," returned the sisters, "I suppose you know best; but it
does seem as if it would have been better for us to have staid where we
were, for there we could sit in our rocking chairs, and take as much
comfort as we pleased, but here we are tired out, and have no place to
rest ourselves."
Whilst this was passing, a citizen of the place came on board, and
after inquiring what denomination we belonged to, he requested that,
if there were any preachers on board, a meeting would be appointed
in the neigborhood. I introduced him to Elders Humphry and Page, who
appointed a meeting for the next day, which was held on a beautiful
green, bordering on the canal, and of sufficient size to accommodate
a hundred persons. They listened with attention, and requested that
another meeting might be appointed for the succeeding day, but, as the
canal was repaired by eleven o'clock, we proceeded on our journey, and
arrived at Buffalo on the fifth day after leaving Waterloo.
Here we found the brethren from Colesville, who informed us that they
had been detained one week at this place, waiting for the navigation to
open. Also, that Mr. Smith and Hyrum had gone through to Kirtland by
land, in order to be there by the first of April.
I asked them if they had confessed to the people that they were
"Mormons." "No, indeed," they replied, "neither must you mention a word
about your religion, for if you do you will never be able to get a
house, or a boat either."
I told them I should tell the people precisely who I was; "and,"
continued I, "if you are ashamed of Christ, you must not expect to be
prospered; and I shall wonder if we do not get to Kirtland before you."
While we were talking with the Colesville brethren, another boat
landed, having on board about thirty brethren, among whom was Thomas B.
Marsh, who immediately joined us, and, like the Colesville brethren, he
was decidedly opposed to our attending to prayer, or making known that
we were professors of religion. He said that if our company persisted
in singing and praying, as we had hitherto done, we should be mobbed
before the next morning.
"Mob it is, then," said I, "we shall attend to prayer before sunset,
mob or no mob." Mr. Marsh, at this, left considerably irritated. I then
requested brothers Humphry and Page to go around among the boatmen,
and inquire for one Captain Blake, who was formerly captain of a boat
belonging to my brother, General Mack, and who, upon my brother's
decease, purchased the boat, and still commanded the same. They went
in search of the man, and soon found him, and learned from him that
his boat was already laden with the usual amount of passengers and
freight. He said, however, that he thought he could make room for us
if we would take a deck passage. As this was our only opportunity, we
moved our goods on board the next day, and by the time that we fairly
settled ourselves, it began to rain. This rendered our situation very
uncomfortable, and some of the sisters complained bitterly because we
had not hired a house till the boat was ready to start. In fact their
case was rather a trying one, for some of them had sick children; in
consequence of which, Brother Page went out for the purpose of getting
a room for the women and sick children, but returned unsuccessful.
At this the sisters renewed their complaints, and declared that they
would have a house, let the consequences be what they might. In order
to satisfy them, I set out myself, with my son William, although it
was still raining very fast, to see if it were possible to procure a
shelter for them and their children.
I stopped at the first tavern, and inquired of the landlord if he
could let me have a room for some women and children who were sick.
The landlord replied that he could easily make room for them. At this,
a woman who was present turned upon him very sharply, saying, "I have
put up here myself, and I am not a-going to have anybody's things in
my way. I'll warrant the children have got the whooping cough or
measles, or some other contagious disease, and, if they come, I will go
somewhere else."
"Why, madam," said the landlord, "that is not necessary, you can still
have one large room."
"I don't care," said she, "I want 'em both, and if I can't have 'em, I
won't stay--that's it."
"Never mind," said I, "it is no matter; I suppose I can get a room
somewhere else, just as well."
"No, you can't though," rejoined the lady, "for we hunted all over the
town, and we could not find one single one till we got here."
I left immediately, and went on my way. Presently I came to a long row
of rooms, one of which appeared to be almost vacant. I inquired if it
could be rented for a few days. The owner of the buildings, I found
to be a cheerful old lady, near seventy years of age. I mentioned the
circumstances to her, as I before had done to the landlord.
"Well, I don't know," said she; "where be you going?"
"To Kirtland," I replied.
"What be you?" said she. "Be you Baptists?"
I told her that we were "Mormons."
"Mormons!" ejaculated she, in a quick, good-natured tone. "What be
they? I never heard of them before."
"I told you that we were 'Mormons,'" I replied, "because that is what
the world call us, but the only name we acknowledge is Latter-day
Saints."
"Latter-day Saints!" rejoined she, "I never heard of them either."
I then informed her that this Church was brought forth through the
instrumentality of a prophet, and that I was the mother of this prophet.
"What!" said she, a "prophet in these days! I never heard of the like
in my life; and if you will come and sit with me, you shall have a room
for your sisters and their children, but you yourself must come and
stay with me, and tell me all about it."
This I promised to do, and then returned to the boat, and had the
sisters, and their sick children removed to the old lady's house; and
after making them comfortable, I went into her room. We soon fell into
conversation, in which I explained to her, as clearly as I could, the
principles of the gospel. On speaking of the laying on of hands for
the reception of the Holy Ghost, she was as much surprised as those
disciples were whom Paul found at Ephesus, and she asked me, "What do
you mean by the Holy Ghost?" I continued my explanations until after
two o'clock the next morning, when we removed to the boat again. On
arriving there, Captain Blake requested the passengers to remain on
board, as he wished, from that time, to be ready to start at a moment's
warning; at the same time he sent out a man to measure the depth of the
ice, who, when he returned, reported that it was piled up to the height
of twenty feet, and that it was his opinion that we would remain in the
harbor at least two weeks longer.
At this, Porter Rockwell started on shore to see his uncle. His mother
endeavored to prevent him, but he paid no attention to her, and she
then appealed to me, saying, "Mother Smith, do get Porter back, for he
won't mind anybody but you." I told him that, if he went, we should
leave him on shore, but he could do as he liked. He left the boat, and
several others were about following him; but when I spoke to them,
they replied, "we will do just as you say, Mother Smith," and returned
immediately.
Just then, William whispered in my ear, "Mother, do see the confusion
yonder; won't you go and put a stop to it!"
I went to that part of the boat where the principal portion of our
company were. There I found several of the brethren and sisters engaged
in a warm debate, others murmuring and grumbling, and a number of young
ladies were flirting, giggling, and laughing with gentlemen passengers,
who were entire strangers to them, whilst hundreds of people on shore
and on other boats were witnessing this scene of clamor and vanity
among our brethren with great interest. I stepped into their midst.
"Brethren and sisters," said I, "we call ourselves Saints, and profess
to have come out from the world for the purpose of serving God at
the expense of all earthly things; and will you, at the very onset,
subject the cause of Christ to ridicule by your own unwise and improper
conduct? You profess to put your trust in God, then how can you feel
to murmur and complain as you do! You are even more unreasonable than
the children of Israel were; for here are my sisters pining for their
rocking chairs, and brethren from whom I expected firmness and energy,
declare that they positively believe they shall starve to death before
they get to the end of their journey. And why is it so? Have any of you
lacked? Have not I set food before you every day, and made you, who
had not provided for yourselves, as welcome as my own children? Where
is your faith? Where is your confidence in God? Can you not realize
that all things were made by him, and that he rules over the works of
his own hands? And suppose that all the Saints here should lift their
hearts in prayer to God, that the way might be opened before us, how
easy it would be for him to cause the ice to break away, so that in a
moment we could be on our journey!"
Just then a man on shore cried, "Is the Book of Mormon true?"
"That book," replied I, "was brought forth by the power of God, and
translated by the gift of the Holy Ghost; and, if I could make my voice
sound as loud as the trumpet of Michael, the Archangel, I would declare
the truth from land to land, and from sea to sea, and the echo should
reach to every isle, until every member of the family of Adam should
be left without excuse. For I do testify that God has revealed himself
to man again in these last days, and set his hand to gather his people
upon a goodly land, and, if they obey his commandments, it shall be
unto them for an inheritance; whereas, if they rebel against his law,
his hand will be against them to scatter them abroad, and cut them off
from the face of the earth: and that he has commenced a work which will
prove a savor of life unto life, or of death unto death, to every one
that stands here this day--of life unto life, if you will receive it,
or of death unto death, if you reject the counsel of God, for every man
shall have the desires of his heart; if he desires the truth, he may
hear and live, but if he tramples upon the simplicity of the word of
God, he will shut the gate of heaven against himself." Then, turning to
our own company, I said, "Now, brethren and sisters, if you will all of
you raise your desires to heaven, that the ice may be broken up, and we
be set at liberty, as sure as the Lord lives, it will be done." At that
instant a noise was heard, like bursting thunder. The captain cried,
"Every man to his post." The ice parted, leaving barely a passage for
the boat, and so narrow, that as the boat passed through, the buckets
of the waterwheel were torn off with a crash, which, joined to the
word of command from the captain, the hoarse answering of the sailors,
the noise of the ice, and the cries and confusion of the spectators,
presented a scene truly terrible. We had barely passed through the
avenue, when the ice closed together again, and the Colesville brethren
were left in Buffalo, unable to follow us.
As we were leaving the harbor, one of the by-standers exclaimed, "There
goes the 'Mormon' company! That boat is sunk in the water nine inches
deeper than ever it was before, and, mark it, she will sink--there
is nothing surer." In fact, they were so sure of it, that they went
straight to the office and had it published that we were sunk, so that
when we arrived at Fairport, we read in the papers the news of our own
death.
After our miraculous escape from the wharf at Buffalo, we called our
company together, and had a prayer meeting, in which we offered up our
thanks to God for his mercy, which he had manifested towards us in
our deliverance; but before our meeting was broken up, the captain's
mate came to me and said, "Mrs. Smith, do, for God's sake, have your
children stop praying, or we shall all go to hell together; we cannot
keep one single man to his post, if we should go to the devil, for they
are so taken up with your praying." Therefore, our meeting was broken
up.
Soon after leaving Buffalo, some of our company began to feel the
effects of the motion of the boat, and were overcome with sea-sickness.
I went to the cook, and, handing him twenty-five cents, asked him if
he could let me have some hot water for the sick folks. He complied
with my request, and I was thus furnished with the means of making them
comfortable.
Upon further acquaintance with the captain, I made myself known to him
as the sister of General Mack. He seemed highly pleased to find in me a
relative of his old friend; and I was treated with great attention and
respect, both by himself and crew, while I remained on the boat.
A short time before I arrived at Fairport, Brother Humphry and myself
went on shore to do some trading for the company. While on shore, this
brother told me that I was making a slave of myself unnecessarily;
that those sisters whose families I had the care of could as well wait
upon their own husbands and children, as for me to do it; that, as for
himself, he was not going to stay on board much longer. I thanked him
for his kindness, but told him that I thought I could get along with
the work, without injuring myself. Nothing further passed between us
upon the subject. At the next landing, he left, and whither he went I
did not know.
On drawing near Fairport, where we were to land, the captain,
passengers, and crew, bade me farewell in tears. After landing, our
company were more disheartened than ever, and the brethren came around
me and requested that I should set their wives to sewing blankets
together, and making tents of them, that the men might camp by their
goods and watch them, for they had no hopes of getting any further.
I told them I should do nothing of the kind. As for the sisters, some
of them were crying, some pouting, and a few of them were attending to
the care of their families. As I passed among them, my attention was
attracted by a stranger, who sat a short distance from us on the shore
of the lake. I inquired of him the distance to Kirtland. He, starting
up, exclaimed, "Is it possible that this is Mother Smith? I have sat
here looking for you these three days."
Replying to his question in the affirmative, I asked him if it would be
possible to procure teams to take our goods to Kirtland. He told me to
give myself no uneasiness about the matter, that Joseph was expected
every hour, and in less than twenty-four hours there would be teams
sufficient to take all our company to houses that were waiting to
receive them. When he mentioned Joseph's name, I started, for I just
began to realize that I was so soon to see both my husband and my sons.
I turned from the stranger, and met Samuel, who was coming towards me,
closely followed by Joseph. I extended my right hand to Samuel and my
left to Joseph. They wept for joy upon seeing me--Samuel, because he
had been warned of God in a dream to meet the company from Waterloo,
and feared that some disaster had befallen me; and Joseph, because of
the information which he had received that he apprehended, from the
fatigue I was undergoing, my life was in danger.
After they informed me of these things, Joseph said he should take me
from the company. As the sisters begged to go with me, he took them as
far as Painsville, where we stopped at the house of Brother Partridge.
Here we found a fine supper prepared for the whole company.
Soon after partaking of this refreshment, I was taken to Brother
Kingsbury's, in his own carriage, where I was treated with great
kindness and respect. From this place I went with Joseph to Kirtland.
The first house that I entered was Brother Morley's. Here I met my
beloved husband, and great was our joy. Many of my readers may know
my present situation. These can imagine with what feelings I recite
such scenes as that which followed the reunion of our family; but let
it pass--imagination must supply the ellipsis. Were I to indulge my
feelings upon such occasions as this, my strength would not support me
to the end of my narrative.
Soon after arriving at Kirtland, a pair of twins were brought to Emma,
which were given to her to fill the place of a pair of her own that had
died.