and he became convinced that God had no Church on earth and from
that time he kept aloof from sectarian influence.

In the Summer of 1835 while in the practice of
medecine near Boston the Book of Mormon which President Brigham Young
had left with his cousin Lucius Parker at Southborough providentially
fell in his way. He opened the book without regard to place and
totally ignorant of its design or contents and before reading half a
page said, "God or the devil ^has^ had a hand in that book, for
man never wrote." He read it twice through in about ten days
and became so convinced of the work of God that he resolved to close
his business and go to Kirtland to the Saints a distance of seven
hundred miles; but he was directly smitten with the pas^l^y [palsy] from
which he suffered greatly and which prevented the execution of his
design until October 1836 when he arrived in Kirtland in company
with his brother (Doctor Levi Richards who attended him as a
physician) where he was warmly received by his cousin Brigham
Young with whom he tarried and gave the work a thorough
investigation.

On the 31st of December 1836 at the setting of
the sun Doctor Willard Richards was baptized at Kirtland under
the hands of President Brigham Young in the presence of Heber C.
Kimball and others who had spent the afternoon in cutting the
ice to prepare for the baptism.

He was chosen by revelation through
the Prophet Joseph in July 1838 to be ordained one of the Twelve Apostles
and was ordained accordingly at Preston England, while on a mission
to that country under the hands of the Twelve in their first council
as a quorum among the nations at which were present Brigham Young
Heber C. Kimball Parley P. Pratt Orson Pratt Wilford Woodruff
John Taylor and George A Smith.

He was with the Prophet Joseph and Hyrum
the Patriarch at the time of their martyrdom in Charthage prison when
John Taylor was also wounded with several balls. He alone of

and he became convinced that God had no Church on earth and from that time he kept aloof from sectarian influence.

In the Summer of 1835 while in the practice of medecine near Boston the Book of Mormon which President Brigham Young had left with his cousin Lucius Parker at Southborough providentially fell in his way. He opened the book without regard to place and totally ignorant of its design or contents and before reading half a page said, "God or the devil has had a hand in that book, for man never wrote." He read it twice through in about ten days and became so convinced of the work of God that he resolved to close his business and go to Kirtland to the Saints a distance of seven hundred miles; but he was directly smitten with the palsy from which he suffered greatly and which prevented the execution of his design until October 1836 when he arrived in Kirtland in company with his brother (Doctor Levi Richards who attended him as a physician) where he was warmly received by his cousin Brigham Young with whom he tarried and gave the work a thorough investigation.

On the 31st of December 1836 at the setting of the sun Doctor Willard Richards was baptized at Kirtland under the hands of President Brigham Young in the presence of Heber C. Kimball and others who had spent the afternoon in cutting the ice to prepare for the baptism.

He was chosen by revelation through the Prophet Joseph in July 1838 to be ordained one of the Twelve Apostles and was ordained accordingly at Preston England, while on a mission to that country under the hands of the Twelve in their first council as a quorum among the nations at which were present Brigham Young Heber C. Kimball Parley P. Pratt Orson Pratt Wilford Woodruff John Taylor and George A Smith.

He was with the Prophet Joseph and Hyrum the Patriarch at the time of their martyrdom in Carthage prison when John Taylor was also wounded with several balls. He alone of