conversing upon the work of God. On my re-
turn to Boston the people were waiting to hear
me; I spoke to them a short time.
——I left Boston and walked some
thirty miles to Holliston; staid at Deacon Haven's and preached. I walked to Provi-
dence, R. I., from thence took steamer to New
York and arrived on the 18th. Met and at-
tended meeting with br. O. Pratt until the
27th, when I went up the North river to New-
burgh and preached in several towns in New
York and New Jersey, and walked across the
country to Farmington, Connecticut, and ar-
rived at my father's .
I commenced preaching at my father's house
, I baptized six persons in Farmington
river, including my father, stepmother and
my only sister, Eunice, also cousin Seth Wood-
ruff, aunt Anna Cossett and Dwight Webster,
a Methodist class leader, who was boarding
at my father's.
When the Patriarch Joseph Smith, Sen.,
gave me my blessing, he said I should bring my
father's household into the kingdom of God,
which words were fulfilled this day.
I confirmed those baptized and organized
this small branch of the church, consisting of
nine members, eight of whom were relatives;
I ordained Dwight Webster a Priest, and ad-
ministered the sacrament.
—I started for the State of Maine,
and arrived at father Carter's, in Scarborough,
on the 6th.
——My wife was delivered of a daugh-
ter at her father's house; we named her Sarah
Emma.
——I left Scarborough and returned to
the islands. I preached several times to large
congregations in the Methodist meeting house,
in East Thomastown, and in the town hall in Camden, before crossing to the islands, where
I arrived .
—I received a letter from Thomas B.
Marsh, informing me of my appointment to
fill the place in the Quorum of the Twelve of
one who had fallen, and I was requested to
come to Far West as soon as possible, to pre-
pare for a mission to England in the spring.
I immediately visited all the Saints upon both
islands, and earnestly exhorted them to sell
their property and prepare to accompany me to Missouri. Several immediately sold, but many
were poor. Br. Nathaniel Thomas said he
would furnish means to help off all the poor
Saints who desired to go, and for this purpose
went with me to the main land on the ,
and I assisted him in purchasing two thousand
dollars worth of horses, harness, wagons and
tents for the company; he paid about $1500 of
the expenses himself, $1000 of which went to
furnish conveyance for the poor. After pur-
chasing the outfit for the company, I urged the
importance of their starting as soon as possi-
ble, not later than the first of September.
—I left the town of Camden where
we had prepared our outfit, and returned to
Scarborough to prepare my family for the
journey, expecting to see the company in a
few days; but here I remained in great sus-
pense until , when Elder Townsend
went to meet the company. They arrived in
Scarborough on the , with their wagon
covers flying.
The company stopped at the house of sister Sarah B. Foss. We nailed down the covers
and painted them, which made them water-
proof.
——We started upon our journey. My
child was in the first stages of the hooping-
cough. Our company consisted of fifty three
persons; we had ten wagons, with a pair of
horses to each. We had before us, at this
late period, a gloomy laid journey of two
thousand miles, from Maine to Missouri. We
continued to travel through rain, mud, cold,
frost and snow, until we arrived in Rochester,
Sangamon county, Illinois, Dec. 19, where I
stopped and settled my family and company
for the winter, being unable to proceed further.
My wife had passed through a severe course
of the brain fever while upon the journey; her
sufferings had been very great. Her spirit had
left her body twice to all human appearance,
and only been called back through the prayer
of faith and the power of God. Our child
had also been very sick, and I had become so
thoroughly chilled through my whole system,
in crossing the bleak prairies, that it was two
months after I stopped before I got sufficiently
warmed to feel natural.
Br. Thomas buried one child, and nearly all
the company had been sick through exposure;
some of them had stopped by the way.
I spent the winter laboring with my hands
for the support of my family.
(To be continued.)
power of the destroyer which had seized my
body, and promised me in the name of the
Lord, that I should not die but live to finish
my work which was appointed me upon the
earth. I soon began to recover. The poison
and mortification left my system and centered
in my arm, and was drawn from my arm thro'
the aid of charcoal poultices, moistened with
a strong decoction of wormwood, ragweed and
wild sage; the dead flesh was removed from
my arm with instruments and lunar caustic,
and in a few days I was well again.
I have occupied considerable space in referring to those peculiar circumstances which
have attended me during life, and to sum the
matter up it stand thus:—I have broken both
legs—one in two places—both arms, my breast
bone and three ribs, and had both ankles dislocated. I have been drowned, frozen, scalded,
and bit by a mad dog—have been in water
wheels under full head of water—-have passed
through several severe fits of sickness, and
encountered poison in its worst forms—have
landed in a pile of railroad ruins—have barely
been missed by the passing bullet, and have
passed through a score of other hair-breadth
escapes.
It has appeared miraculous to me, that with
all the injuries and broken bones which I have
had, I have not a lame limb, but have been
enabled to endure the hardest labor, exposures
and journeys—have often walked forty, fifty,
and on one occasion, sixty miles in a day. The
protection and mercy of God has been over
me, and my life thus far has been preserved;
for which blessings I feel to render the gratitude of my heart to my Heavenly Father, praying that the remainder of my days may be
spent in His service and in the building up of
His kingdom.
Select a date to see more documents from that day.
