Autobiography 1882 Leaves from My Journal
I left this place and crossed into Illinois on the 13th of De-
Dec 13th This was a solemn Day to me I spent most of the day in inquiring into & attending to the business & affairs
of Brother ASAHEL H. WOODRUFF Deceased. Messrs R. A. Smith & Martin Ray the Administrator & clerk of Broth[er]
Asahel informed me that Brother Asahel Died at 3 oclock in the morning on the 18th of Oct 1838 & that he was
sick 10 days & deprived of his reason 4 days before his death. his mind while delireous was principly upon his business
but occasionally spoke of his friends. His disease was the congestive fever on the brain Martin Ray had been in
his employ two months was with him through all his sickness & death they informed me that they considered
him some absent minded or his mind deeply exercised upon some subject unbeknown to them for several months
before his death. they were not as well acquainted with this matter as I was myself for I was intimately
corresponding with him by letter & I know from his communications that his mind was deeply interested
in the subject of the gospel of Jesus Christ or the fulness of it & the cause of the Church of Latter Day
Saints. They also informed me that he was moral in his life temperat in practice Beloved & honoured as
a citizen & his loss deeply felt. His entire stock of Books with all personal property was sold at the Administrator
sale on the 4th of Dec amountaing to about $3000 dollars. All of his private letters, Journals, writing, papers
Account Books & his pocket watch, penknife, pencil, letter stamp, bosom pin, silver thimble, & some other small things
were reserved, & I took them into my possession to preserve for his Mother & ownly Sister & friends untill I can
have an opportunity to convey them unto them. While looking over Asahels letters I found all that I sent him
carefully filed with other communications from his friends After attending to the above affairs I visited my
Brother [FIGURE] grave
A. H. W. accompanied ownly by my wife & Mr Ray I viewed it, & it looked lonely indeed. I never more fully
sensed the vanity of earth & the impropriety of trusting to the honours of this world for happiness than on this occasoion
I took some pebbles from his grave in memory of the spot & retired with this peculiar reflection resting upon my mind
That I had paid my last visit to my eldest Brother without spending a night beneath his rofof
That I had paid my last visit to my youngest Brother & ownly permitted to view his GRAVE
I returned to his Book store & wrote a Letter to our Parents in Farmington Con
giving an account of Asahels
Death &c. I took the parting hand with Mr Smith & Ray & left Terre Haute & crassed the Wabash River into the state of
Illinois & travled 9 miles & put up for the night 9 miles
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