will be several hundred Baptzed soon in this part of the vineyard there is now nearly 200 sants
here & the work if but just begun to human appearance Elders Young, & Richards, & myself will
continued in this part of the vineyard untill we have secured the grain which is ripe for
the harvest the work is rooling [rolling] on in every part of England where the word is faithfully proclamd
we have sent the Minutes of our Conferene to the Editors of the Times & Seasons & you
will see by that, that we are about to publish a Hymn Book & also a Monthly periodical
Elder P P Pratt is the Editor of the some [same] which will be published in Manchester which will
be his place of abode for the present, O Pratt is well & going North & will visit Edinburg
the capital of Scotland. Elders Mulliner & Wright have Baptized about 40 in Scotland. John Tayler about 30 in Liverpool where he will Labour for the present Heber C. Kimble
is well & will visit the churches which he has formerly built up & then thinks some of going to Ireland Elders Youg Richards & Woodruff are well & will labour for a season in Herefordshire, Glostershire, Worcestershire, & then think of visiting London & Bristol, Eldr Hadlock is well & going to
the North of England Eldr Clark is well not well but he has had a few shakes of the fever & ague but is
getting better. Eldr Fielding is well & will watch over the churches with Brothr Clark, Elder Turly is
well as to health but last I herd from him he was preaching to the spirits in prison for he has been
confined in Stafford Gaol for more than a Month he was taken up by a man in Birmingham
under pretene of Debt but it was to stop him from preaching, as soon as I herd of it I
went to see him & carried him some provisions & money so that he should not suffer. he has
friends now that are administering unto him so he has what he needs I expect he will soon
be liberated he is preaching to the prisoners & some want to be Baptzed I saw two men hung
at the gaol the day I went to visit him. Elder Tayler is well & has just recievd a letter from
Sister Tayler which said that you was well & I was exceding glad to hear it I do not know
when the Letter was dated but I Believe in Janowary Jan I have not had a letter from any friends
in America since I arived in England. I have written to Fathr & Mothr Carter. Sarah Foss & Ilus at N.Y. When you write inform me about them. Mr William Benbow Left Liverpool
a few day since for commerce I did not know that he was going so soon I had no chance
to see him before he went if he I had I should have sent some letters by him to you & some
other small articles their is much of the spirit of gathering with the Saints in this Land John
Benbow has sold his property to the amount of about £1,500 & wants to go as soon as the Lord will[.]
I have had some scenes here some like ancient times soon after I commencd preeching
in Ledbury or Herefordshire the Sound spedily went abroad & thee Ministers or preahers came more
then 20 miles in a gig to see me & inquire into thes things they never had herd me preach or
any of our people & when they came to the house whare I was I had put on a change of clothing
to go to the pool to baptzed a preacher that had baptized recevd my testimony I invited them into the
room whare I was & I asked them what their business was with me. they said they had come
to learn who I was & who had sent me & what message I had for them & the people. I then
stood up & taught them Jesus Christ & the first principles of the gospel & testified of the Book
of Mormon & the great work which God had set his hand to accomplish & while I was
yet speaking the spirit of God rested upon us & bore testimony unto them of the truth of
my words & they bowed down & prayed & gave glory to God for his marvelous work & they
rose up & the Charriot stood still while all four of these preachers went down into the
pool & I Baptzed them & lade my hands upon them & they recevd the Holy Ghost & went
their way rejoiceing. I went into the town of Ledbury to preach for the first time
& as soon as the people herd that I was in town they gathered together in companies wanting
to hear, the Baptist Minister offered to open his Chapel for me & he went into the pulpit with
me & opened the meeting by reading the 35 chapter of Isaiah & praying mightyly for the Lord to bless
me & make me an instrument of doing much good after which I arose & preached to
will be several hundred Baptzed soon in this part of the vineyard there is now nearly 200 sants
here & the work if but just begun to human appearance Elders Young, & Richards, & myself will
continued in this part of the vineyard untill we have secured the grain which is ripe for
the harvest the work is rolling on in every part of England where the word is faithfully proclamd
we have sent the Minutes of our Conferene to the Editors of the Times & Seasons & you
will see by that, that we are about to publish a Hymn Book & also a Monthly periodical
Elder P P Pratt is the Editor of the same which will be published in Manchester which will
be his place of abode for the present, O Pratt is well & going North & will visit Edinburg
the capital of Scotland. Elders Mulliner & Wright have Baptized about 40 in Scotland.
John Tayler about 30 in Liverpool where he will Labour for the present Heber C. Kimble
is well & will visit the churches which he has formerly built up & then thinks some of going to
Ireland Elders Youg Richards & Woodruff are well & will labour for a season in Herefordshire,
Glostershire, Worcestershire, & then think of visiting London & Bristol, Eldr Hadlock is well & going to
the North of England Eldr Clark is not well but he has had a few shakes of the fever & ague but is
getting better. Eldr Fielding is well & will watch over the churches with Brothr Clark, Elder Turly is
well as to health but last I herd from him he was preaching to the spirits in prison for he has been
confined in Stafford Gaol for more than a Month he was taken up by a man in Birmingham
under pretene of Debt but it was to stop him from preaching, as soon as I herd of it I
went to see him & carried him some provisions & money so that he should not suffer. he has
friends now that are administering unto him so he has what he needs I expect he will soon
be liberated he is preaching to the prisoners & some want to be Baptzed I saw two men hung
at the gaol the day I went to visit him. Elder Tayler is well & has just recievd a letter from
Sister Tayler which said that you was well & I was exceding glad to hear it I do not know
when the Letter was dated but I Believe in Jan I have not had a letter from any friends
in America since I arived in England. I have written to Fathr & Mothr Carter. Sarah Foss &
Ilus at N.Y. When you write inform me about them. Mr William Benbow Left Liverpool
a few day since for commerce I did not know that he was going so soon I had no chance
to see him before he went if I had I should have sent some letters by him to you & some
other small articles their is much of the spirit of gathering with the Saints in this Land John
Benbow has sold his property to the amount of about £1,500 & wants to go as soon as the Lord will.
I have had some scenes here some like ancient times soon after I commencd preeching
in Ledbury or Herefordshire the Sound spedily went abroad & thee Ministers or preahers came more
then 20 miles in a gig to see me & inquire into thes things they never had herd me preach or
any of our people & when they came to the house whare I was I had put on a change of clothing
to go to the pool to baptzed a preacher that had recevd my testimony I invited them into the
room whare I was & I asked them what their business was with me. they said they had come
to learn who I was & who had sent me & what message I had for them & the people. I then
stood up & taught them Jesus Christ & the first principles of the gospel & testified of the Book
of Mormon & the great work which God had set his hand to accomplish & while I was
yet speaking the spirit of God rested upon us & bore testimony unto them of the truth of
my words & they bowed down & prayed & gave glory to God for his marvelous work & they
rose up & the Charriot stood still while all four of these preachers went down into the
pool & I Baptzed them & lade my hands upon them & they recevd the Holy Ghost & went
their way rejoiceing. I went into the town of Ledbury to preach for the first time
& as soon as the people herd that I was in town they gathered together in companies wanting
to hear, the Baptist Minister offered to open his Chapel for me & he went into the pulpit with
me & opened the meeting by reading the 35 chapter of Isaiah & praying mightyly for the Lord to bless
me & make me an instrument of doing much good after which I arose & preached to
"Letter to Phebe Whittemore Carter Woodruff, 24 April 1840," p. 2, The Wilford Woodruff Papers, accessed April 19, 2024, https://wilfordwoodruffpapers.org/p/5DZ