Comstock, Kalamazoo, Co. Michigan,
Father & Mother Woodruff,
Dear parents.
I feel Disposed to address a few
lines to you to infoerm you that I have commenced my Summer
work ie to attend a long list of Conferences which lie through the western
middle & New England States. You probably may have seen the list of
coferences which we publish in the Times & Seasons, but lest you might
have missed of it I will make metion of it here. The following places
the quoroum of the Twelve were Expecting to visit. Quincy, Princes Grove, Ottaway
& Chicago, in Illinois. Comstock, Pleasant Valley, & Franklin, Michigan.
Kirtland, Ohio. Lockport, Batavia, Portage, Hamilton, Oswego, Adams, London,
State of New York. Boston, Salem, New Bedofrd, Mass Petersboroug N. H. Scarborough
& Vinal Haven, Maine. Westfield Mass July 27 & 28 (Farmington Aug 3th.
New Haven July 13, ^&^ 14, Aug 10, ^&^ 11, Canan Aug 17, 18 Norwalk 24, 25, Connecticut)
New York City, Philadelphia, Washington City Sept 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15.
Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, &c. I Expect to attend those Conferences on most
of them especially, Westfield Farmington & New Haven so you may Expect a
visit from me the first of August I shall be thare on the 3 & 4th if the Lord will & probably
some of the Twelve with me; I dont know what a chance their will be for a
Conference in Farmington but I thought I would appoint one any how &
pay you a visit of nothing more, for I do not intend at any time to
go through New England without calling at my fathers house. We understand
that the work is prospering well in the regions of New Haven so it will be
necessary to hold a conference there, & we have approved an Elder to go to
Hartford that will be capable of meeting any thing that that City can present.
Perhaps the people in Farmington would like to come out to attend one of our
Conferences & some good might be done. I should be pleased to have
Uncle Ozem Woodruff to be there & as many of his family as feel disposed Aunt
Hannah &c. Aunt [Anna Hart Cossett|Cossett]] & Betsey, Bulah &c if they are alive & able & all who have
any friendly feelings. I have not heard from Aunt Cossetts family since
I herd from Betsey By letter which gave a distressing accoung of her mother. I
have often remembered her in my prayers but know not how she is
Neither have I herd any thing from Dwight & Eunice since they wrote
me that they were coming west I suppose they have gone but know not
I moved my family into the new house the day before I left. I
got two rooms done off & the rest of the house is not finished for I
Could not get seasoned lumber, but they can go into the
house we mooved out of untill he can lay a floor in a room in
the new House & then they will comfortable. I left my family well
& in good spirits, my life & lot seems to be mostly in the vineyard
I left Nauvoo about the first of May in company with Elder G. A. Smith
one of the Twelve, to attend the Conferences. I expect to meet with Elders
B Young & H. C. Kimball at Kirtland Ohio. Elders O. Pratt, O Hyde,
J. E. Page & L. Wight are in the City of Washington with petitions
to Congress & preaching the gospel, we all have a general Conference there
of about a week in month of Sept. It has been a vary wet spring
in this western country, we have traveled most of our time since we
left home in the raine mud & water. We have held meetings in all
the large towns & villages on our route & delivered both religious & political
lectures & prejudice is giving way like a flood all through the Country.
we have held our Conferences thus far & had a good time. I am now in
the midst of the Comstock Branch of about 50 members & surrounded by about
40 Elders from Nauvoo & other parts as good spirits as ever breathed ready to open
a conference in a few minutes. Perhaps some of our friends abroad
think strange that we are engaged in political matters & running a candidate
for the presidency, but when they hear our reasons for thus doing they will
see we are fully justified. Our polittical lectures have done much good in
Breaking down Prejudice in fine the whole western world is open to investigate
our principle, & the kingdom is rolling on. I expect if Br Webster &
Eunice is gone you are some lonesome, so if I pay you a visit now it
may fill up the vaccum of their abscence for a day or towo. I feel anxious to
see you again, But I must lay down my pen & go to conference.
June 3rd. Monday We have had a good time for two days past. we have had an
interesting Conference, their being 36 Elders present including the Twelve,
High Council, High Priests, & Elders, the work is progressing rapidly on
Every land. We had an interesting conference at Nauvoo {shorthand}
the 6th of April Before I left, the most interesting probably the Church
ever held. About twenty thousand persons were present & it
was judged their was three thousand Elders present, many Clergymen
of different Denominations attended. President Smith preach
a great Sermon upon death, resurrection & Eternal Judgement, which
presented great & glorious ideas to the mind of man. many Embraced
the work on that occasion.
I should be pleased to meet all our friends or relations at
your house that have faith in the work, but if I see no more
it will be a consolation to meet my father & Mother, the longer
I live, the more advanced you are in life the more I essteem it a
favor to look upon your faces, & when I contemplate the thought
that you are like Old father Jacob not ownly bereaved of one Son
but of evry Son & Daughter & left alone to pass away your feeling
declineing hours in silence with not a child to see or know
your cares, it at times causes me sorrow, but then again
that sorrow is checked with a certain knowledge that it is my priviledge
to meet with you in the first ressurection & enjoy a mansion in
the Celestial Kingdom of God with my father & Mother & Brother
& as far as I have any influence with the kingdom of God, it shall
be used to accomplished this purpose, the more I understand
as touching Eternal things the ^more^ interested I feel in the welfare
of my kindred, I have quite a desire of late to feel atfeafter.
Br Azm[on][page torn] & Thompson I trust before they die to see the[m][page torn]
in the c[ove][page torn]ant. I know the more a man understa[nds][page torn]
the gospel, the Keys & Kingdom & Eternal things the more his he[page torn]
will be sealed to his Parents & his Children, this was the spirit that
characterized all the prophets & patriarchs from Abel to
Zachariah; I would like to spend more of my life in your
company, but I am not ownly sacrificing the socity of my
parents but my wife & Children for the great work of this
dispensation. I have not herd from Br Azmon I that
since he wrote you while I was East I intend to write him
a letter as soon as I get time. If Dwight & Eunice is
with you my respects to them of course. I feel anxious
to learn about them, if you can have an opportunity of giving
notice to Sister Betsy I should be pleased to see her at the Farmington
Conferece, I dont know how her Mother is, or how she will be
situated, give my Respects to Sister Hooker & Jennett & all the
Saints or friends who inquire after me, I dont know
but your will be troubled to read my writing, for I have
written in great heaste & surrounded by many many.
As Ever I am yours with respect
Wilford Woodruff
PAID
25
Mr Aphek Woodruff
Farmington
Hartford Co
Connecticut
P. Valley M
June 14th
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Wilford Woodruff
To Aphek Woodruff
Jue 1st 1844
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