CHAPTER I.
FAMILY SKETCH. MY EARLY DAYS AND
MINISTRY.
In tracing the history of my fathers, I
find it difficult to obtain a satisfactory
account of the Woodruff family for more
than three generations.
My great grandfather, Josiah Woodruff,
lived nearly one hundred years, and pos-
sessed an iron constitution, and per-
formed a great amount of manual labor
nearly up to the time of his death. His
wife's name was Sarah; she bore to him
nine children as follows:—Josiah, Apple-
ton, Eldad, Elisha, Joseph, Rhoda, Phebe,
and two names not given.
My grandfather, Eldad Woodruff, was
the third son of Josiah. He was born in Farmington, Hartford County, Connecti-
cut, in ; he also possessed a strong
constitution; it was said that he per-
formed the most labor for several years
of any man in Hartford County, and
from over exertion in hewing timber he
was attacked with rheumatism in his right
hip, which caused severe lameness, for
several years before his death. He mar-
ried Dinah Woodford, by whom he had
seven children, viz:—Eldad, Elizabeth, Samuel, Aphek, Titus, Hellen, and Ozem.
My grandfather died in Farmington,
with the spotted fever in , aged 55
years. My grandmother, Dinah, died in
, in the same place, with a cancer in
the left breast; her sufferings were very
great.
My father, Aphek Woodruff, was born
in Farmington, ; he
married Beulah Thompson (who was born
in ) . She bore
three sons, namely:—Azmon, born ; Ozen Thompson,
born ; myself, born
.
My mother died with the spotted fever,
, aged 26 years, leaving
me fifteen months old. My father's second
wife, Azubah Hart, was born ; they were married ; they had six children, viz: Philo,
born , and died by
poison administered by a physician ; Asahel Hart, born
, and died in Terrahaute,
; Franklin, born
, and died ; Newton, born , drowned
; Julius, born , and died in infancy; Eunice, born
. I married her to Dwight
Webster in Farmington, Connecticut
.
My father was a strong constitutioned
man, and has done a great amount of
labor. At eighteen years of age, he com-
menced attending a flouring and saw mill,
and continued about 50 years; most of
this time he labored eighteen hours a day.
He never made any profession of re-
ligion, until I baptized him with all his
household into the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints on the . He was a man of great charity,
honesty, integrity and truth, and made
himself poor by giving to the poor, and
accommodating his fellow men by loan-
ing money and becoming surety for his
neighbors, and always saying yes, to every
man who asked a favor at his hand.
I was born in the north part of the
town of Farmington, now called Avon,
Hartford County, Connecticut, . I assisted my father in attend-
TULLIDGE'S
QUARTERLY MAGAZINE.
No. I. OCTOBER, 1883. VOL. III.
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF WILFORD WOODRUFF
Column 1
CHAPTER I.
FAMILY SKETCH. MY EARLY DAYS AND
MINISTRY.
In tracing the history of my fathers, I
find it difficult to obtain a satisfactory
account of the Woodruff family for more
than three generations.
My great grandfather, Josiah Woodruff,
lived nearly one hundred years, and possessed an iron constitution, and performed a great amount of manual labor
nearly up to the time of his death. His
wife's name was Sarah; she bore to him
nine children as follows:—Josiah, Appleton, Eldad, Elisha, Joseph, Rhoda, Phebe,
and two names not given.
My grandfather, Eldad Woodruff, was
the third son of Josiah. He was born in
Farmington, Hartford County, Connecticut, in 1751; he also possessed a strong
constitution; it was said that he performed the most labor for several years
of any man in Hartford County, and
from over exertion in hewing timber he
was attacked with rheumatism in his right
hip, which caused severe lameness, for
several years before his death. He married Dinah Woodford, by whom he had
seven children, viz:—Eldad, Elizabeth,
Samuel, Aphek, Titus, Hellen, and Ozem.
My grandfather died in Farmington,
with the spotted fever in 1806, aged 55
years. My grandmother, Dinah, died in
1824, in the same place, with a cancer in
the left breast; her sufferings were very
great.
My father, Aphek Woodruff, was born
Column 2
in Farmington, ; he
married Beulah Thompson (who was born
in 1782) . She bore
three sons, namely:—Azmon, born ; Ozen Thompson,
born ; myself, born
.
My mother died with the spotted fever,
, aged 26 years, leaving
me fifteen months old. My father's second
wife, Azubah Hart, was born ; they were married ; they had six children, viz: Philo,
born , and died by
poison administered by a physician ; Asahel Hart, born
, and died in Terrahaute,
; Franklin, born
, and died ;
Newton, born , drowned
September, 1820; Julius, born , and died in infancy; Eunice, born
. I married her to Dwight
Webster in Farmington, Connecticut
.
My father was a strong constitutioned
man, and has done a great amount of
labor. At eighteen years of age, he commenced attending a flouring and saw mill,
and continued about 50 years; most of
this time he labored eighteen hours a day.
He never made any profession of religion, until I baptized him with all his
household into the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints on the . He was a man of great charity,
honesty, integrity and truth, and made
himself poor by giving to the poor, and
accommodating his fellow men by loaning money and becoming surety for his
neighbors, and always saying yes, to every
man who asked a favor at his hand.
I was born in the north part of the
town of Farmington, now called Avon,
Hartford County, Connecticut, . I assisted my father in attend-
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