Letter from Phebe Whittemore Carter Woodruff, 8 September 1840
Lee Montrose Lee County Iowa Territory
My Dear Willford,
With pleasure I seat myself at this time to
acknowledge the reception of your kind letter which came to hand 10 days since
and I should have answered it immedately after its reception had it not been that my
babe was quite sick but he is better now I had been an[x]iously looking for a letter from you
for a long time and to my greate satisfaction received it from the hand of a brother, brought
by some of the brethren from Eng. on the 27th of Aug. 4 families arrived in Commerce from
Eng. and report says that 30 families more stopped in Cincinata Ohio for a little season
to labour and obtain more means to bring them here. I was truly glad that you recei
ved that letter you spoke of that I sent you in march for I conclude you must feell verry
an^x^ious to hear from home judging you by myselfe for if I do not get a letter from you of
ten I get quite uneasey — this is the 7th letter I have sent you since you left N N.Y. I have
taken much pains to write you since you left home and much lament that you have
not received my letters, for I have written them verry full and one was a long sheet like your
mamoth sheet-filled full, I wrote you once in Jan. then in Mar. then in Apr. then
in May then June then July then this in Sept — the April letter I sent by brother O. Hyde
and J. E. Page, who who started soon after the April conference on a mission to the ^Jews^ via
of Eng and the one in july I sent by brother L. Snow containing an acount of Sarah
Emma death he expected to go d^i^rect to Eng. and I hope you have received that one this
time, one I directed to you in Liverpool in the care of J. Taylor thinking you would be more
likely to get it. You say you have sent me 4 letters since you arrived in Eng. I
have received them all and they brought much news, and afforded me and others much
satisfaction for all the brethren and sisters seam anxious to hear from Eng. and I
with them rejoice with you much in the prosperity of the work with you and that the Lord is
blessing you labours and the brethren’s there - The work rolls on there swiftly but the
time of your absence seames long to me it is 13 months today since I last saw you and it seames
to me to be almost an age but I will try to wait patiently your return which I know will be as soon
as the Lord^’s will^ is done with you there and did I not know that the Lord required you to be in his vine
yard I could not endure your absence but the Lord has promised strength equal to our day
and I find he has fulfilled that promis to me, for I have been enabled the most of the time
to be contented and reconciled to my situation although I have had much sickness and a
severe trial to pass through in looseing my little Sarah even in the absence of her father the little
dear had no relatives to follow her to her grave but her mother and little brother whome she
tenderly loved, she d there was quite a number of the brethren and sisters accompanyed me but
it was a peculiar trying scene for me, more so because of your absence she did not forget her pa,pa,
for she used to call him many times in a day, but I trust she rests from the toils and
troubles of this life. I have not heard from father Carter or father Woodruffs house
hold for sometime, but lately learned by a letter from br. D. Webster that Eunice had late
ly received a letter from you and that she had been unwell but was better, the others
were well br. Webster went to the south in june in company with br. Smoot as far
as Tennessee he makes good progress in the work and is pleased with his calling
br he thinks of spending the winter in the south if so he will be ordained an eld. and
have charge over the churches there, thus writes br. Smoot to his wife and says he
and br W. has baptized 15 he (Smoot) is soon expected home and will bring his mother
in law McMeanes with him he and his wife send their respects to you likewise
br Albert Smith and rejoices in the progress of the work with you also br. S. Smith
and wife. Br. D. Webster spent a week with me in june I suppose you know
of the engagement between him and sister E. Woodruff he told me of it himselfe when
he was here. I think him to be a fine man and will make a worthy companion
he wrote some in a letter that I was writing to you when he was here.
The siskness in Montrose and Commerce is not so greate as it was last season
but there has quite a number died this season some of which I know Seymour Brunson,
widow Beman, J. Holme’s wife, J.P. Green’s wife, Bishop Partridge, and daughter,
S. Rigdon and father Joseph Smith are verry low, and many others that I do not
know I had our little Sarah buried in Commerc and have got a picket fence around
it ^her grave^ painted white and trimed with black — I miss her company much. If you
have not received my letters there are many things that contained in them you
would like to hear our family matters &c. In my Jan letter I told you about my
temporal affairs and situation and I have just written you a letter which I
shall not send you but shall keep it for you when you come home come home
those are pleaseing words shall I ever realize them I hope to. I am now at
father Clark’s where I have been since last Dec. they are verry kind to me and have been
ever since I have been there he makes me welcome to stay here untill you come home there
is a branch of the church here of about 50 and they are well united Ephraim Luce belongs
to it and family N. Thoma's and family they wish to be remembered to you. Stephen
Luce lives in Commerce - one part of it is call Nauvoo it is building up verry fast indeed
they have appointed a stake on the west side of the river and Nashvill is the place
appointed to build up a citty. I have seen brother William Benbow from Eng. where
you made it your home for 2 months when they were there and the little girls that used
to sleep with you, or the man of God as they called you, they were as much pleased to see me as
though we had always been acquainted I had a verry pleaseing visit with them they
