Elder W. Richards
Dear Brother
Though I have no extraordinary information
to communicate to you at this time upon any subject, yet I thought I would
drop a few lines to you this morning, & let you know that I am alive &
enjoying good health, & what I am about &c We arived in Manchester the day we
left you, & saw Elder Clayton & the Saints in good spirits. I was much
pleased with my acquaintance with Brother Clayton I consider him a worthy
Brother a man of wisdom & of God. I was called upon in the evening with Brother Clayton
to go & visit that Sister that has been so much afflicted possessed with the Devil &c. I
do not recollect the name. her husband that was considered under Transgression came
to us & confessed his Sins, & next day made acknowledgments before the church.
When we arived at his house his wife was in a great rage required 3 men to hold her
We lade hands upon her & after a mighty struggle cast the devil out & rebuked
the fever & she was made whole & was at meeting comfortable next day, but
the devil entered into her child next, day & flung it into a dredful agony &
made it as stiff as a stake, we lade hands upon it, & the devil instantly came
out & the child fell asleep. I have herd nothing from them of late. We preached with
them on Sunday & had a pleasant time with them. We left Manchester on
the 21st & rode to Burslem, & found Elder Cordon & the Saints well. I found
them meeting with some opposition in Burslem such as getting the candles
& candlesticks flung at their heads while preaching. The rabble generally was lead
by John James. We immediately commenced preaching & opening new doors
as we had an oppertunity. One evening while I was preaching in Burslem John James
came with two constables (to keep the peace for he feared the people) while he could read a
pamphlet exposing Mormonism taking taken from Mormonism unveiled & W. Parrish
letters & P. P. pratts &c. I helped him to read then what I could, by giving him lights, &
water to quench his thirst, & calling for order while the house was hissing at him
when he got though I answered him & the people retired in peace, his opposition
has injured him & given us friends. We have held regular meetings on the
Sabbath in Bath Burslem, & Hanely. We now have meetings in Burslem &
Hanly, Stoke, Newcastle, Lane End, & a number of other places, round about
I have been informed that the Rector in New Castle is preaching against us
quite a number of Methodist teachers attend our meetings & freequently oppose
but they go away confounded while it begets us friends. We have quite a good
room in Hanly that we have lived for six months, which will be the sta[n]ding
place for the church to meet in on the Sabbath we have vary full & attentive
congregations how many will come out in this regeion I do not know
but the work seams to be prosperous here as yet, their has been a number
baptized since we came, the Church now Numbers between 70 & 870 &
others given in their names. I became convinced it was the will of God
for one of us to go to Birmingham & taking all things into consideration
we thought it best for Elder Turley to go. & consequently he left Burslem
for Birmingham on the 28th Jan & I suppose is now labouring in Birmingham
but I have not herd from him since he Left. We are determined by the
assistance of God to open a Door in Every town from the Potteries to Bir
mingham & erect a Standard in it. I feel as though it will be a day
of warning & not of many words to England. I think that what we do we
shall do quickly. I would here also remark their are a number of Doors
opening in the towns between the Potteries & Manchester & preast Samuel
Heath & Elder Clark I believe are labouring there. I am enjoying go[o]d health &
spirits & the Saints generally are well, & wish to be remembered to you &
wife Sister Elizabeth Revenscraft sends her respets to you & Sister Richards &
says tell Brother Richards that Mother will not have any more preaching at her
house. I wish you to Remember me to Sister Richards, & the family
where you reside & to Sister's Fielding, & Dawson, & all who inquire. I suppose
I have not had any letters as yet come to Preston. I wish you to drop a
few lines to me after recieving this & inform me of your health & Sister
Richards & about all the Saints & any information that you may have from our
friends in Liverpool or elswhere. I saw a late account in the paper of the destruct-
ion of the City of New Orleans in the U.S.A. by the Mississippi River I do not know
whether it be true or not. Please direct your Letter to Wilford Woodruff in care
of Alfred Cordon, club buildings, Navigation Road, Burslem, Staffordshire.
May health, Strength, peace, & grace, rest upon you from God our
Father, & our Lord Jesus Christ that you may be prepared to do the will of
God in all things
W. Richards Yours in the Love of God
W. Woodruff
Mr Williard Richards
Meadow Street, New House
Opposite No 3. Preston, Lancashire
[stamp in black ink] ^BURSLEM^
[stamp in black ink] ^NEWCASTLE UNDER LYME
FE 4
1840^
[written sideways] feb. 3.
Answered feb 7. 1840
Woodruff. Burslem
Paid