Letter to James Andrew Melville, 22 June 1883
Salt Lake City, .
Elder James A. Melville.
Dear Brother—I wish to say that I am away from home
attending conferences a good share of my time. I have been on a
mission to Emery County, Denver and Manassa, Colorado, having
travelled some 2000 miles in two weeks, and on my return to the
office I found quite a file of letters awaiting me from different parts
of the Territory. Among the number was one from you, and one of
eight pages from your mother-in-law, concerning the death of your
wife and child, and Sister Gibbs asked a great many questions which
she wished me to answer, and also my wife. So far as she is
concerned, she is not in very good health, and not in a situation
to answer by writing, and I have not time to enter into all the
particulars of her questions, but I will write to her and answer
what I can. Concerning your letter and questions, I
will say that it is all right with the mother and child. You
did not tell me whether the child was alive when taken from
the mother and blessed and named. I should not consider
it proper to bless and name a dead child. Not [that] there is any
