house, and thus started on my mission
without purse or scrip. Brother paddled me across the in a canoe. The difficulties which
I, with the rest of the Apostles, passed
through in performing that journey to
will never be told in history.
However, we all arrived in various com-
panies in England in compliance with
the commandments of God. We spent
the year 1840 in England, during which
time we preached the gospel and bap-
tized some seven thousand, organized
branches and conferences in England
and , inluding and
. Eighteen hundred of this
number were brought into the Church
through my labors in ,
and dur-
ing eight months, including nearly two
hundred preachers of the various denom-
inations. About fifty of the preachers
belonged to the six hundred of the
United Brethren who were baptized into
the Church. After performing this work,
and on the twenty-fifth of April, 1841 I
set sail for America on the ship Roches-
ter, with my brethren of the Twelve and
a large company of Saints, and arrived
at , May 20th.
My son was born at ,
March 22nd, 1840, and my daughter died at Nauvoo, July 17th, 1840.
I left New York for Nauvoo, via the
lakes, and was on the steamer Chesapeake,
with my and child, when she was
wrecked on , and all came
near being lost; but through the mercy
of God we were again preserved from
the perils of the waters. I arrived at
Nauvoo on the sixth of October, 1841,
where I again had the happy privilege of
meeting with the Prophet and
Apostles and my friends. I spent the
winter of 1841-2 in Nauvoo, attending
meetings and councils and laboring with
my hands for the support of myself and
family until the third of February, 1842,
at which time Joseph Smith called me to
take charge of the business department
of the printing office, which I attended
to until the twentieth of January, 1844,
when I left the office well supplied with
materials, in the hands of Elder . I received my endowments
with the Twelve under the direction of
the Prophet Joseph Smith in the winter
of 1843. In the spring of 1844, I was ap-
pointed a mission with most of the
Twelve to go through the Eastern States.
On the ninth of May, 1844, I took the
last parting hand with President Joseph
Smith in his own house with Brother
. He blessed me and
bade me God speed, but seemed very
sorrowful, as he did in parting with all
of the Twelve. I have since been satis-
fied that he had a presentiment that it was
his last parting with his brethren of the
Apostles. I attended a conference at
, and on the twenty-seventh of
June, 1844, while at the railway depot in
Boston with Elder Brigham Young wait-
ing for trains to take us to , there
seemed to be a dark cloud and sorrowful
gloom come over us, which we could not
comprehend at the time. While I was
at , Maine, and ready to step on
board a steamer for I saw
an account of the martyrdom of the
Prophet and his brother , and the
Spirit bore record to me that it was true;
so I returned to Boston, where the
Twelve soon met together, and we
hastened to Nauvoo, when we found
the city enveloped in mourning.
After our return to Nauvoo, and set-
ting in order the Church, a council was
held, at which time I was appointed to
go to England and take charge of the
Church in that land. I arrived in on the ship, John R. Skiddy, on
the third of January, 1845, in company
with my wife and youngest ;
also Brothers and ,
and , and Brothers
and .
I spent the year 1845 in England attend-
ing to the duties devolving upon me.
During that year I published three
thousand copies of the Doctrine and
Covenants, and secured the copyright
in London, being the first European
edition, three thousand Hymn Books
and twenty thousand copies of the
proclamation of the Apostles. On the
twenty-first of January, 1846, I departed
from England on the packet ship, Ash-
house, and thus started on my mission
without purse or scrip. Brother paddled me across the in a canoe. The difficulties which
I, with the rest of the Apostles, passed
through in performing that journey to
will never be told in history.
However, we all arrived in various companies in England in compliance with
the commandments of God. We spent
the year 1840 in England, during which
time we preached the gospel and baptized some seven thousand, organized
branches and conferences in England
and , inluding and
. Eighteen hundred of this
number were brought into the Church
through my labors in ,
and during eight months, including nearly two
hundred preachers of the various denominations. About fifty of the preachers
belonged to the six hundred of the
United Brethren who were baptized into
the Church. After performing this work,
and on the twenty-fifth of April, 1841 I
set sail for America on the ship Rochester, with my brethren of the Twelve and
a large company of Saints, and arrived
at , May 20th.
My son was born at ,
March 22nd, 1840, and my daughter died at Nauvoo, July 17th, 1840.
I left New York for Nauvoo, via the
lakes, and was on the steamer Chesapeake,
with my and child, when she was
wrecked on , and all came
near being lost; but through the mercy
of God we were again preserved from
the perils of the waters. I arrived at
Nauvoo on the sixth of October, 1841,
where I again had the happy privilege of
meeting with the Prophet and
Apostles and my friends. I spent the
winter of 1841-2 in Nauvoo, attending
meetings and councils and laboring with
my hands for the support of myself and
family until the third of February, 1842,
at which time Joseph Smith called me to
take charge of the business department
of the printing office, which I attended
to until the twentieth of January, 1844,
when I left the office well supplied with
materials, in the hands of Elder . I received my endowments
with the Twelve under the direction of
the Prophet Joseph Smith in the winter
of 1843. In the spring of 1844, I was appointed a mission with most of the
Twelve to go through the Eastern States.
On the ninth of May, 1844, I took the
last parting hand with President Joseph
Smith in his own house with Brother
. He blessed me and
bade me God speed, but seemed very
sorrowful, as he did in parting with all
of the Twelve. I have since been satisfied that he had a presentiment that it was
his last parting with his brethren of the
Apostles. I attended a conference at
, and on the twenty-seventh of
June, 1844, while at the railway depot in
Boston with Elder Brigham Young waiting for trains to take us to , there
seemed to be a dark cloud and sorrowful
gloom come over us, which we could not
comprehend at the time. While I was
at , Maine, and ready to step on
board a steamer for I saw
an account of the martyrdom of the
Prophet and his brother , and the
Spirit bore record to me that it was true;
so I returned to Boston, where the
Twelve soon met together, and we
hastened to Nauvoo, when we found
the city enveloped in mourning.
After our return to Nauvoo, and setting in order the Church, a council was
held, at which time I was appointed to
go to England and take charge of the
Church in that land. I arrived in on the ship, John R. Skiddy, on
the third of January, 1845, in company
with my wife and youngest ;
also Brothers and ,
and , and Brothers
and .
I spent the year 1845 in England attending to the duties devolving upon me.
During that year I published three
thousand copies of the Doctrine and
Covenants, and secured the copyright
in London, being the first European
edition, three thousand Hymn Books
and twenty thousand copies of the
proclamation of the Apostles. On the
twenty-first of January, 1846, I departed
from England on the packet ship, Ash-