I arrived in Scarboro on the , and on the my first
child—a daughter—was born, at Father Carter's house. We
named her Sarah Emma.
On the , I left my wife and child at Father Carter’s
and started once more to visit Fox Islands.
While holding meeting with the Saints at North Vinal
Haven on the , I received a letter from Thomas
B. Marsh, who was then President of the Twelve Apostles,
informing me that Joseph Smith, the Prophet, had received a
revelation, naming as persons to be chosen to fill the places of
those who had fallen; John E. Page, John Taylor, Wilford
Woodruff and Willard Richards.
President Marsh added, in his letter, "Know then,
Brother Woodruff, by this, that you are appointed to fill the
place of one of the Twelve Apostles, and that it is agreeable
to the word of the Lord, given very lately, that you should
come speedily to Far West, and, on the next,
take your leave of the Saints here and depart for other climes
across the mighty deep.”
The substance of this letter had been revealed to me several
weeks before, but I had not named it to any person.
The time having now come for me to prepare for leaving the
islands, I had a desire to take with me all the Saints I could
get to go to Zion. There had already been a line drawn upon
the islands between the Saints and those who had rejected the
gospel, and the enemies were very bitter against me and the
work of God I had labored to establish. They threatened my
life, but the Saints were willing to stand by me.
I spent four days with the Saints visiting them, holding
meetings and encouraging them, while the devil was raging
upon every hand.
I had baptized and organized into the Church nearly one
hundred persons while upon the islands, and there seemed a
prospect of gathering about half of them with me, but the devil raged to such an extent that quite a number were terri-
fied.
The inhabitants of the islands had but little acquaintance
with the management of horses or wagons; in fact, most of
them knew more about handling a shark than a horse. How-
I arrived in Scarboro on the , and on the my first
child—a daughter—was born, at Father Carter's house. We
named her Sarah Emma.
On the , I left my wife and child at Father Carter’s
and started once more to visit Fox Islands.
While holding meeting with the Saints at North Vinal
Haven on the , I received a letter from Thomas
B. Marsh, who was then President of the Twelve Apostles,
informing me that Joseph Smith, the Prophet, had received a
revelation, naming as persons to be chosen to fill the places of
those who had fallen; John E. Page, John Taylor, Wilford
Woodruff and Willard Richards.
President Marsh added, in his letter, "Know then,
Brother Woodruff, by this, that you are appointed to fill the
place of one of the Twelve Apostles, and that it is agreeable
to the word of the Lord, given very lately, that you should
come speedily to Far West, and, on the next,
take your leave of the Saints here and depart for other climes
across the mighty deep.”
The substance of this letter had been revealed to me several
weeks before, but I had not named it to any person.
The time having now come for me to prepare for leaving the
islands, I had a desire to take with me all the Saints I could
get to go to Zion. There had already been a line drawn upon
the islands between the Saints and those who had rejected the
gospel, and the enemies were very bitter against me and the
work of God I had labored to establish. They threatened my
life, but the Saints were willing to stand by me.
I spent four days with the Saints visiting them, holding
meetings and encouraging them, while the devil was raging
upon every hand.
I had baptized and organized into the Church nearly one
hundred persons while upon the islands, and there seemed a
prospect of gathering about half of them with me, but the
devil raged to such an extent that quite a number were terrified.
The inhabitants of the islands had but little acquaintance
with the management of horses or wagons; in fact, most of
them knew more about handling a shark than a horse. How-
