The winter of 1851 my brother Lewis went to Ohio to school; my father
was very sick that winter. We had two Mormon neighbors that were very
kind to us. One was a good doctor, and he took care of father almost
constantly with help from others. The other Mormon friend was an apostle
in the church. He and his wife lived near us. He had charge of the
people that lived near the Gentile settlement. They were very nice
people. Both these neighbors were very much worried about the things
Strang was preaching. The people were getting restless and divided. Many
wanted to leave the island but had no means to go with, and feared to be
punished if found trying to get away. A great many were opposed to
polygamy. Strang tried to keep his people in harmony together, but the
strife was growing every day. In the early spring Strang came to see my
father. He was very sympathetic about his being so sick. Mother told him
how kind Mr. Bower and Mr. Sinclair had been to us. He seemed greatly
pleased and asked to know if he could do anything to help.