Insight from the Letters

Written by Braden Chancellor, Research Assistant

As a child, one of my favorite songs was “Follow the Prophet.” The song recounts the stories of various biblical prophets, including Adam, Noah, Daniel, Moses, Abraham, and more. I love how the song moves from ancient times to modern in the last verse, showcasing our continual need for a prophet. Similarly, my work on the Wilford Woodruff Papers Project follows a similar pattern in demonstrating the need for prophets in the late-nineteenth century and on.

The latest letter I have come across that so accurately depicts this desperate need for prophets was written December 8, 1892 by William Claude Clive. Clive was a musician in Salt Lake City. In his letter, Clive described a scene of contention among the musicians in the city, stating, “There is considerable friction at present among musicians of Salt Lake City on account of members of the Musical Union refusing to play with non-members in Orchestras, Bands, or Concert Orchestras. . . . [I] would like to know whether you think it advisable for members of the Church to join the union.” Clive’s honest plea to President Woodruff for guidance gives us more understanding of the role of prophets in both large and small matters. This contention between musicians was not a significant event in Utah history, but to Clive, it was a disturbing situation in which he hoped for guidance. As the role of a prophet is to act as the mouthpiece of our divine Heavenly Father, it is important to see that the guidance of a prophet is as valuable as the guidance of God Himself. Both the Lord and the prophet care about even the smallest of things in our lives.

I believe Clive’s sincere and simple plea is a highlight of the importance of following the prophet and the amazing opportunity that we as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have—the ability to receive direct guidance from the person chosen to represent God. Whether it is a career decision like Clive’s, or a question about whether to serve a mission or whom to marry, all aspects of our lives are important to God and are advisable by prophetic revelation. 

Insight from the Journals

Written by Ashlyn Pells, Associate Editor

While working in the journals recently, I was struck by how in tune Wilford Woodruff was to his family’s needs while he served as a missionary in England in 1840. Even though he was across the sea, his wife and children were often on his mind, especially, it seems, when they were going through trials that he was not even aware of. 

On July 17, 1840, Wilford and Phebe’s daughter, Sarah Emma, died. However, Wilford did not hear news of her death until October 22—more than three months later. In that intervening time and even a few days before her death, he wrote about his family several times. In one entry, he pled, “May the Lord preserve my wife & children from sickness & Death until my return O Lord I commit them into thy hands. Feed clothe, & comfort them & thine shall be the glory.” A month later, he wrote, “I pray the Lord to give good health to my wife & children.” 

Wilford also wrote multiple letters to Phebe during those months, one of which he wrote (unbeknownst to him) on the day of his daughter’s death. In this letter, he felt prompted to write “upon the great plan of salvation.” He recorded, “I cannot make a greater sacrifice than the society of my wife & children . . . Though we are separated a few days here yet we shall reign & live together 1000 years with the children which God shall give us & also with our Lord Jesus Christ & we shall also enjoy each other’s society in a Celestial Kingdom to part no more” (emphasis added).

Although Wilford did not know the struggles Phebe faced at the time, his messages to her could not have been more timely. I am confident that Heavenly Father inspired him during his family’s time of need, giving him guidance on how he could continue to show love and support to them despite their temporary separation. 

Insight from the Discourses

Written by Mackenzie Jaggi, Assistant Editor

When Wilford Woodruff addressed a large assembly in the fall of 1843, he began by opening the Old Testament and reading a scripture that every missionary recognizes: “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). Wilford noted that in every age of the world, when the Lord is about to bring about some great work or judgment upon the human family, He raises up a prophet to testify and warn the people so that the people “may be left without excuse.” Wilford recalled the antediluvian period, when the prophet Noah was told that a great flood would sweep the earth and he warned the people of the Lord’s judgments. He recalled the pinnacle of prophets, Jesus Christ, who warned the Jews of the destruction of Jerusalem and their eventual scattering. Wilford continued, “So has he done now—he has raised up a prophet [Joseph Smith Jr.], and is revealing unto him his secrets: through that prophet he has brought to light the fulness of the everlasting gospel to the present generation, and is again once more for the last time establishing his Church upon the foundation of the Ancient Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone.”  

Nine months after Wilford gave this discourse, Joseph Smith Jr. was martyred at the Carthage city jail. But the Lord’s arm is stretched out still—He loves us like He loved the children of Israel, and those to whom He sent the prophet Noah to urge repentance before the great flood. In alignment with His pattern throughout the ages, the Lord has again raised up a prophet in our day. These insights that Wilford gave, tracing the important role of prophets in warning and guiding God’s people through history, got me thinking of what warnings and instructions our living prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, has given us today. Some of his appeals that have sunk deeply into my heart are to purify ourselves continually so that we can be vessels able to receive revelation, to “think celestial” in the face of tribulation, and to put Jesus Christ at the center of everything we do. He has repeatedly invited the Saints to gather scattered Israel on both sides of the veil. The prophet has encouraged us to recenter the Savior as the beginning and end of our religion and our lives. I will forever be grateful for the Lord’s mercy toward His people in raising up a prophet to warn, to guide, and to instruct along with the gift of personal revelation. 

Insight from the Additional Documents 

Written by Megan Hutchings, Assistant Editor

In my life, I have felt the Spirit testify to me that God is aware of us wherever we are and whatever our circumstances might be. Trials or difficulties that are unknown to others or seemingly insignificant are not overlooked by our loving Heavenly Father, and if we pay attention, we can see the tender mercies of the Lord within those moments. 

While leading some Saints from Maine to Missouri, Wilford Woodruff had an experience that showed that the Lord was aware of him and the quiet desires of his heart. After a long day of travel, he wrote in his Daybook:

Camped for the night by a sawmill. As the camp is not fully organized as yet, there is still some bustle among us. It was for a moment a trial to my feelings to take my tender wife with an infant at her breast into a cold tent to sleep upon the ground, but after we became reconciled to it, there was a door open for her to go into a house to spend the night, and as she had a young child, she accepted the invitation. . . . I lay down upon a bed that I had spread in the tent, and after lying two hours, I got up to stand on guard, and I sat up the remainder of the night, built up a fire, and wrote these lines by it.

Like Heavenly Father was aware of the quiet struggle that Wilford Woodruff was going through in this moment, He is also aware of the trials that we each experience. Because He loves us, He will not leave us comfortless in these moments. As we make an intentional effort to look for God’s hand in our lives, we will be able to better recognize when He reaches out with love and mercy during times of trial or sorrow. 

Insight from People & Places Research

Written by Denise Waldram, Research Specialist

I was always a little envious when I heard my coworkers on the Research Team talk about their family members mentioned in the Wilford Woodruff Papers and how excited they were to research them and write biographies about them. I wanted to have that experience too, but I hadn’t been able to find any of my relatives mentioned by Wilford.

Recently, when I was invited to test the new “Relative Finder” tool on the Wilford Woodruff Papers website, I was eager to try it but not very hopeful of finding any connections. Imagine my surprise when I opened the results, and I had over 7,000 relatives mentioned in the Papers—including Wilford Woodruff, my sixth cousin six times removed.

Much of my research during my time with this Project has been focused on the people Wilford interacted with in 1835 and 1836 when he was a missionary in the Southern United States. I was moved to tears when I realized my results included 89 people who fell into that category. I had been involved in researching and writing biographies for many of them. These were people I knew and loved! Little did I know I had been fulfilling my wish all this time. Wilford served a mission to my people!

My work now has a deeper meaning than it did before all because of the new “Find Your Relatives” tool. I invite you to go to the website and try it for yourself. Then, take time to learn more about the family you find there. You will likely be amazed with what you discover.

Insight from Content 

Written by Shauna Horne, Content Team Lead

I have had the privilege and blessing of teaching early morning seminary for the last nine years. Last week one of my students returned home from his mission, and I attended his homecoming talk. I was awed by the growth and depth that has occurred in the last two years. I have reflected recently on today’s youth and young adults. They are truly extraordinary! Wilford Woodruff said, “Has the Lord set his hand to build up this kingdom at random? No. God had reserved spirits to come forth in this last dispensation.”

This quote made me think of a talk President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1944) gave when I was a youth. He taught, “You are not just ordinary young men and young women. You are choice spirits, many of you having been held back in reserve for almost 6,000 years to come forth in this day, at this time, when the temptations, responsibilities, and opportunities are the very greatest.” 

If this was the case thirty years ago, the youth of today are even more valiant and more qualified to fight the adversary and his attacks now. What I see daily are strong, smart, and thoughtful students of the gospel of Jesus Christ. When I was set apart, I was told that the youth want to believe that the gospel is true. They are hoping it is true. This is what I see daily. They are seeking testimony and seeking the truth. They need the reminder of what our prophets have told us about them.

President Nelson has said, “My beloved younger brothers and sisters, you are among the best the Lord has ever sent to this world. You have the capacity to be smarter and wiser and have more impact on the world than any previous generation! . . . You are the hope of Israel, ‘children of the promised day’!”

I am so grateful to rub shoulders with the youth—in seminary, in my ward, and here in the Wilford Woodruff Papers Project. Many of the volunteers and interns are young but strong, with testimonies of fire! How they bolster my faith and the faith of those around them!