Dear Emma,
I received your good letter and Nellies
next morning after I sent my last in which I spoke of the
Death of Sister Martha Smoot. I wrote next dy to Broth
& Sister Smoot at provo. I thank you for your
kind feeling towards me. I prize the love of my family
and wish to do what I can to make them comfortable
but being called of God and the presidt of the Church
to officiate in the spiritual things of the Kingdom it
of course deprives me of takeing all the time for my
family and spending my time with them. But I am
satisfied that my mission to St George this winter will be
of much benefit to me in many Respects. I was so worn
down when I left home that I needed Rest, and the Blessing
one may that I had received since I had ben here, the
following are some of them. I had had the privilege of Dedicating
the Temple on the lower portion of it unto the Lord. I have had
the privilege of doing the first Baptzing, confirming ordaining
giving the 2nd Anointings in the temple and have organized the
working company, and am presiding over the Temple at in the
labor therof. I have been an instrument in the hands of the
Lord in Revolutionizing the moral spirit of the City of St
George when I came here there had not been but one Prayer
Meeting, attended in the City for a year the was one a week, at
Brother Samuel Hardy private Home and 4 person attended it. now his
home is full, evry Tuesdy nigh On wednesdy night evry school
house in the City is crouded, our boarding House is crouded
on Friday night, and other privat Houses are open for prayer,
and there is a great change taken place in this Respetect through
my labors, Lucy B Young & family attend these meetings and enjyoy
themselvs, the Spirit of the Lord is beging to be with us, and
this is a satisfaction to me. I spend all my learned Evening
with presidt Young if I am gone 2 Evenings at A time He
thinks sumthing is the Matter with me, I have never had
as plesent a time with him since He has been presdident
as this winter. As he has not been able to get out or go to
the Temple to do any thing owing ^ownly^ at the Dedication, it has been
left with me to dictate & preside over it, and I have
tried to do the best I could, and amog other Blessings I
am carrying 20 lbs of flesh on my body more than I Brough
with me to St George. I am getting so fat I can hardly wear
my clothes, I brought with me. I cannot Button my coat
and hardly my waistcoat I makes me feel rather lazy, and
lazy. I weighed 135 lbs when I came here I weigh 155 lbs
15 lb more than I ever weighed before in my life, so I think
it will be a benefit to me to be forced to stop hard manual
labor awhile, then I think I have been an ^instrument^ instrut in the Hands
of the Lord of Doing some Good in this southern county
Lucy B Young and Sister Ivins have charge of the female Department
in the Endowments, I am getting B Young Jr and Erastus Snow
^[lea]rned^ in the sealing Ceremyony so as to wash in that Departing, President Young
is now getting better, able to wash some without his cruches I
think He will soon be with us in the Temple Sister Hiram
Kimball, Sister Grant, & Brother & Sister Townsend are here they pretended
to say they never saw me look so well in there homes as I
do now, but I expect this is some flatery. I want to have you
take care of this letter, & not let it do me any but for what
I have said looks as though I was boasting, but I do not
feel to boast without it is in the Lord, for all that I have He
giveth me, and I feel to acknowledge his hand in it. Remember
me kindly to Azmon & Elizabeth Br & Sister Hulse John & Sarah Richie
and all enquiring friends I was very glad to learn that Blanch
was better. The last I heard from Sarah she had been quite
sick and when she wrote ownly able to set up a little and
Sylvia quite sick with the dipthera Ma said Bulah
Baby was quite sick with cold on the Lungs But I hope
there will not any of our family die while I am gone
I wish I could spend some of my learne time with you,
and the children But I expect I will have to wait untill
spring. We have called Sister Church into the Temple to work to
assist in washing and Anointing the Sisters. I want to write a little to
the children for they will think hard of it if I do not you must
try to comfort William Smoot and his family what you can I
know it is a hard Blow to them. That Health, Strength, peace,
power and the Blessings of God may rest upon you and your children is
the daily prayer of Your Husband & Companion W Woodruff
St George Dear Daughter Nellie I thank you for your good
kind Letter. It does me so much good to get letters from my children
and I want you to write to me one a week about family affairs and
let me know about all that is going on for it is as intersting to me
to get letters from my children as it is for them to get letters from me. I
am getting so fat I have to use a cane to walk with I hope you will
be able to go to school some and get what learnging you can but I
want you to excue this short letter Your Affectionate DaFather W Wooduff
Dear Claria, I want to write a few words to you I wish I could
see you. If you will get on to the Telagraph wire some Evening and come
down to St George and sleep with me over night. I will pay the Bill. I have
to sleep alone nights I used to sleep with Brothr Angel, but He has gone home
I want not ownly take you through the Temple but would take you upon the
High mountains close to the city & let you take a swing in a cave put up by the
Boys for the girls to swing on it is a high swing fastened to large rougnd Bar of Iron fastened
into the rocks over head O it is such a pretty place, But if you cannot come down,
on the Telegraph wire, I will come & see you then we will have such a good
time learn all you can write to me a little I want to see you vary much good Boy
from your Affectionate Father Wilford Woodruff
Dear Owen How do you get along, what do you do these days, have you not got big
Enough to learn your letters & begin to read & spell dog cat & cow I want you to begin
to learn so as to write to me when I am away from home have you learned to
spin you top yet, I want to have you spell top, and tell me in a letter how you spell it
you are good Boy I want to have you be careful & not say any bad words, if
the cat cScracthes you or Asahel or Clara plagues you, dont say any bad words, but stop &
think about it and be man and go away and say Nothing bad for I want to have you
be a good Boy I want you to learn to pray for you will have to preach the Gospel some time
I pray for you evry day I will come home & see you some time your Father W Woodruff
Dear Wineford Blanch I am glad you are Better I hope you will get well tNellie tells me
some stories about you, But I will give you libery to do just as you please till I come, you may scold at
Nelly, stike the cat, stomp your foot, make cakes, turn over the coal Hod, Bite Asahel if He
plagues you, get Ownie chair, stick Claries doll into ashes, tangle up your Mothers yarn
and Enjoy your self the best thyou can till I come home & when you get Bigger I
will give you another Lesson I dont see no little girl down here like you but I see some
that look like Claraie and one boy here a little like Ony but I had rather have Owen then
him for Owen is more of a man Now you take care of your Mother and when you
get to be a woman dont say I never wrote you a letter, your Loving Father Wilford Woodruff