Letter to Clara Martisha Woodruff Beebe, 22 January 1877
St George Dear Daughter Nellie I thank you for your good
kind Letter. It does me so much good to get letters from my children
and I want you to write to me one a week abot family affairs and
let me know abot all that is going on for it is as intersting to me
to get letters from my children as it is for them to get letters from me. I
am getting so fat I have to use a cane to walk with I hope you will
be able to go to school some and get what learnging you can but I
wat you to excue this short letter Your Affectionate DaFather W Wooduff
Dear Claria, I want to write a few words to you I wish I could
see you. If you will get on to the Telagraph wire some Evening and come
down to St George and sleep with me over night. I will pay the Bill. I have
to sleep alone nights I used to sleep with Brother Angel, but He has gone home
I want not ownly take you through the Temple but would take you upon the
High moutains close to the city & let you take a swing in a cave put up by the
Boys for the girls to swing on it is a high swing fastened to a large roungnd Bar of Iron fastened
into the rocks over head O it is such a pretty place, But if you cannot come down,
on the Telegraph wire, I will come & see you then we will have such a good
time learn all you can write to me a little I want to see you vary much goodby
from your Affetionate Father Wilford Woodruff
Dear Owen How do you get along, what do you do these days, have you not got big
Enough to learn your letters & begin to read & spell dog cat & cow I want you to begin
to learn so as to write to me when I am away from home have you learned to
spin you[r] top yet, I want to have you spell top, and tell me in a letter how you spell it
you are good Boy I want to have you be careful & not say any bad words, if
the cat cScracthes you or Asahel or Clara plagues you, dont say any bad words, but stop &
think about it and be a man and go away and say Nothing bad for I want to have you
be a good Boy I want you to learn to pray for you will have to preach the Gospel some time
I pray for you evry day I will come home & see you some time your Father W Woodruff
Dear Wineford Blanch I am glad you are Better I hope you will get well Nellie tells me
some stories about you, But I will give you libery to do just as you please till I come, you may scold at
Nelly, s[t]rike the cat, stomp your foot, make cakes, turn over the coal Hod, Bite Asahel if He
plages you, get Ownie chair, stick Claries doll in the ashes, tangle up your Mothers yarn
and Enjoy your self the best thyou can till I come home & when you get Bigger I
will give you another Lesson I dont see no little girl down here like you but I see some
that look like Clariaie and one boy here a little like Ony but I had rather have Owen then
him for Owen is more of a man Now you take care of your Mother and when you
get to be a woman dont say I never wrote you a letter, your Loving Father Wilford Woodruff