Ledbury. Herefordshire. England.
My Dear Phebe,
I take this method to inform you that on last Saturday
night the 30th of May, just as I had retired to rest in company with Elder Richards
at Br John Benbows. A Brother came into the room & informed us he had 6 letters
for us. On opening them We found 2 from Preston, Sister Richards & an Elder. one
from a Sister in West Bromwick. one from Elder B. Young & P.P. Pratt Manchester. one
from Milton Holmes Georgetown. & one from Phebe W. Woodruff Montrose
Dated March 8th & 22d & most of these letters was full of glad tidings so much
so that it drove sleep from our eyes for the night. & we both felt more like going
into the street & shouting Hallalujah than we did like being wraped in Sleep. You may
rest assured it created no small degree of joy in my mind to receave a letter from
your hand for it is the first word I have recieved from you & the ownly one since
I saw you excepting one letter which I receved from you while in New York. I have not
receved your letter spoken of the first of Jan. I feel thankful that you have receved my
letters which I wrote you while in America, this is the fourth letter I have
sent you since I have been in England which I hope you will get. I have also sent
two letters to the Editors of the Times & Seasons. I have long been anxious to hear from
you & know how you was getting along temperally & Spiritually. I feel to rejoice in the
Blessing which God has given us, & that you have been so comfortable in your sickness
& that God has opened a door whereby you have found some friends in a time of need. I
also feel to rejoice to hear from little Sareah Emma & Willford. I pray the Lord to preserve them
Blameless unto the comeing of the Lord Jesus Christ & use them for his own glory. &
give them a place with their parents in Zion while Christ reigns. I have much upon my
mind I wish to say to you much more than I can put upon this Sheat. But for
the want of room I can ownly briefly hint at them. I sent you a letter a mamouth sheet
filled full of Jan 30th & one April 24th I also wrote some in a letter that B. Young sent to his wife
April 23d, On the 30th of April I received a letter from Mother Woodruff Farmington. Dated in Marh
All was well there, I sent a Letter ^to^ M. Holmes to come to England. I have just got an answer
all well in that region, but hard times. I have lately sent a full letter to Sister S. Foss. I wish
you to write to me often & give me all the news, it is a great consolation to hear from
my little family while I am seperated from them. You say you are at father Clarks &
ask if it would not be best to stay there untill I come home, you say they make you free &
welcome this being the case I would advise you to stay untill my return if you can feel at
Please kiss little Sarah E. & Willford for me I should be pleased to see you all much. I had as leave his name
would be Willford as any thing, I like single names best, for boys) May the Lord bless him. I want him to grow
as fast as he can & take turns with me in the vineyard by & by, so that I can be with you part of the time
take good care of him & that I know you will do. you shall all have my prayers & Blessing & the Lord will bless you
home it will be so much less care & trouble than it will be to see to your own
wood water &c. this is simply my present feeling upon the subject, Remember me with gratitude
to Brother Clark. & tell him for me that if he feels willing to lend you the hand of assistance in
this your time of need & let you tarry with him untill my return, that he shall not
loose his reward & he shall have my prayers & Blessing & the Blessing of God shall rest upon
him & his children, & his childrens children untill the latest generation, could I
have the privilege of being with my own family I would not trouble any person with
them, But a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me [1 Corinthians 9:17] in common with my
Brethren & required at our hands in consequence of which my family must be assisted by
some one in time of need. & I say again in the name of Jesus Christ that that soul
who does good to my wife or children while I am in the vineyard of the Lord doing his work
shall be blessed of the Lord & no power shall take it from them, & I feel vary thankful
to Brother Clark for his kind offer. Give my respects to the Sister Clark you speak of & also Brother
Clarks Son, Remember me to Bror & Sister Smoot, & Brother L. Whight & family should you see them
& all enquiring friends I rejoice to hear of the progress of the work in America & the prospect of
the Saints being rewarded for their loss by the government. I was much pleased with your
letter it contained much news. I gave you an account in my last letter of my
opening a new field in the South part of England, in Herefordshire, the work of the Lord
has continued to roll on from the time I first commenced preaching in this part of the
land untill the present time in a manner that I have never before seen it in these last
days, it is not yet 3 months since I first lifted up my voice to preach to the people in
this part of England a region which had not herd the sound of it before but now conta
ins a Church of 500 Saints, with about 50 Elders & priests. about 50 of which
were preachers of the orders of the day, I have administered Baptism to about 300 of
the Saints above spoken of, & Elders Young & Richards & the Elders & priests which
we have raised up in this Branch have Baptized the other 200, & the field which is opened
here is so large & extensive that it seems as though the work had but just began
here & I expect hundreds will be added to the Church here. It is rapidly opening
doors in all the Surrounding country in the South of England & also in Wales we have
Baptized some few in the Border of wales. We have this day receeved the first No of the
Latter Day Saints Millennial Star. published by the travling council Edited by P P Pratt at
Manchester England. We shall soon have a collection of Hymns of at ^out^ of Press, & the
Book of Mormon will soon be in tipe. The work is progressing rapidly in every part of
England & Scotland where it is faithfully proclaimed. Elders Mullener & Wright are doing
well in Scotland. O. Pratt has gone to Scotland I have not herd from him. Jn
Taylor is Baptizing in Liverpool. The American Brethen are well as far as I know
Elder Turley is out of Prision, is well & preaching. We have a general conference to
be held in Manchester on the 6th day of July next for the Elders of England, Scotland, & Wales
I shall then expect to meet with all the quorum of the Twelve that are hear I
have not yet herd from O Hide. B.Young came down & spent 2 or 3 weeks with
me & has gone back to Manchester to assist P P Pratt in printing. Elder Richard has
left me this morning to visit the Border of Wales We Baptized a man confirmed & ordained
him a priest. & he commenced Baptizing all in one day & next morning he started to carry
the gospel to the Border of Wales & commenced Baptizing & Elder Richards has gone to assist
him a few days. I have left orders for the Millennial Star to be sent to you
I trust you will get them. The Lord is about to do a great work in this
Land it is beginning to progress like fire in a day Stubble We have wrote to the president
of the Seventies to send us 20 of the quorum & also wrote for some High priest.
Notwithstanding we have Baptized about 500 whare I am now labouring, yet it does not
we are daily Baptizing as many now as at any time. We having a spare day a short time
since met at Elder Kingtons & had a feast with about 100 Saints Elders Young,
Richards & myself were present we had an interesting time much good instruction was
given 19 Baptized & confirmed, & Ordained 1. Elder & 6. Priest. Last Sunday I attended a
camp meeting & preached upon the Book of Mormon & after Meeting Baptized 14
& 9 next morning We are Baptizing daily & some of the time 4 & 5 times a day
these are busy days with me. Preaching, Baptizing, confirming, Ordaining, Counciling,
writing, trouhing, keeping journals, & all together gives me but little time to
rest But I never enjoyed Better health or Spirits than at the present time. I am
now at Elder Thomas Kingtons whare we make it our home he was the superintendent
of 45 preachers & the Same number of licensed preaching places. I Baptized him with
the other preachers which have opened those doors for us to preach in I Baptized Brother Kington
21st March Ordained him an Elder 22d of March which was a Memoirible event for
(Willford Woodruff Jr) Elder Kingtons whole family is in the church their has been
^a notable^ miricle wrought upon one of the family Sister Mary Pitt was confirmed b[page torn]
^in bed 6 years^ years [page torn] & has not walked for 11 years ownly upon crutches Elders Young Richards
& myself lade hands upon her & she was healed & now walks upright with
out a crutch or staff. Signs are following the believer in this land. My Dear
Phebe it does my Soul much good to see your resignation to the will of God
in the midst of our seperation. The Lord is blessing me labours much in this land, be
patient untill we meet again, you shall not loose your reward, for your reward
shall be to stand with me in Zion with the children which God shall give us. & enjoy
each others society with our children for one thousand years while Christ reigns
& then to inherit the earth together to part no more. & enjoy far greater glories
& Blessings than the present state of things can afford. I think this will a[paper torn] repay us
for any sacrifice we can make for a few years. Pray for me that I may be humble in
the midst of prosperity as well as adversity. I feel a great desire to do the will of God in
all things. My prayer to God is that health & strength, grace & resignation to the will of God
may continue with you & the children which God has given us unto the end. & Also that
God will Bless Joseph & his councillors with means, wisdom, & power to do the work of God in
Zion & her stakes. & that all the Saints may be Sanctified by a Celestial Law is the prayer of
Willford Woodruff
Remember me to Brother Meacham I know how to sympathize with him with a broken leg. You ask me if I
can tell you when I shall come home No Phebe I cannot tell you now but I shall return to the
bosom of my family as soon as the Lord will. I expect quite a number of the saints will go to America
from England this fall. We probably shall know more what the will of God is concerning us in few months
hence. we have made some enquiry of Joseph (by letter) concerning us we expect to hear from him before
long. the Lord is getting some strong holds in this country we are laying the foundation for a mig
hty work here, two or three of us think of visiting London immediately after the conference if the Lord will
& setting up the work there. write as soon as you get this & give me all the knews & tell me how
you & the children get along direct to Ledbury, Herefordshire, England. I ever remain your Willford
Mrs Phebe W. Woodruff
Commerce Hancock County
Illinois
United States
Ship. via
Liverpool
&
New York
Willford Woodruff June 3d 1840
Ledbury Herefordshire England