Bowery 88. New York City,
My Dear Phebe.
Notwithstanding I sent you a long letter about
twenty days since; I feel disposed to address you at this time; & could I
but read a letter from you half as often as I write to you I should feel
exceding thankful: but I make allowances for Sickness & miscarriage
of letters &c. I have recieved one letter from you & that was great consola-
tion to my feelings. This is the fifth letter I have written to you & I
do hope that you have obtained them, the last letter I wrote Nov 24th which
I truly hope you will get. When you write to me please be particular to
tell me how many of my letters you have received & the dates of them. I
am in great hopes that I shall have a letter from you before I leave the
City for the City England. I never more highly prised the worth of letter writ
ing than since I left home. I suppose of course that you wish to know how
matters & times are with me & have been since I last wrote &c. I continued
preaching in New Jersey, had full congregations, many were believing, some
were embracing, & a warm & friendly feeling manifest by almost the whole
country whare I was. Elder P. P. Pratt called to see us, preached one, &
informed me that a conference was appointed in New York City on the
12th inst & wished me to attend I have done so & am now in the City.
“the following I copy from my Journal. Dec 11th I took the parting hand with Elder James
& Brother Ivins & left them at 1 o'clock at night & rode 16 miles to Freehold. I
there took Stage at daylight & rode 12 miles to Middletown point, there took
Steem Boat Wane sailed 30 miles to N. Y. City arived at 12 oclok. I entered the city
“& found it full of armed Soldiers spedily preparing for war thee Steem Boats
were chartered to conveyed them to Albany to fight several thousand Du-
Dutchman that ware citizens near Albany that had strongly fortified themselves
with canon & small arms, it is said they will not pay their tokens or depts or
sumthing or other of that kind, & so they are going to fight about it, how much
“Blood will be shed I dont know. at any rate it is beginning to be war & sum
“our through America & Europe & all things are in commotion. After dining
in King stret, I called upon Elder P. P. Pratt in Mott street No 58 found him & fam-
ily well. Elders P. P. Pratt & J. Ball accompayed me to the post office. I received
two letters one from Eunice all well in Farmington. one from Milton Holmes
he had been quite sick, lost $70 dollars, was very poor, had no decent
clothes, could not go to England, hardest times he ever saw, could not get
a dollar in money, but was gaining in health, was strong, in faith, urged me
to remember him to Phebe &c. &c. I did not get a letter from Phebe but took
one out for Orson Pratt from his wife in Montrose I gave the letter to
parley for Orson & she said in her letter that Phebe & Sarah were getting
better, so Brother Pratt told me. You may be assured those words were
precious to me, for I dreamed a few nights before that Sarah was dead but I thought
the dream might not be true, but come though multitude of business
& though. I returned & took supper with Elder Pratt, he has got a good wife she
often speaks of you, the whole family has had the fever & ague in the City but
have got well. I attended meeting at candlelight in Grand Street in the
Columbian Hall which the Saints have higherd hired to hold their meeting in, it
is in the most popular part of the city, rent $9 dollars per Day Parley gave
us a lecture upon the origins of the Indians & Book of Mormon. I had
the happy privilege of taking Brothers Taylor & Turley once more by the
hand & found them well, truly the mercy of God has been great unto
us all. B. Young & H. C. Kimble was in the state of N. Y. expet them
in the city every day. After meeting Elder Taylor accompanied me to my
boarding place in King Street & we retired to rest. Distance of the Day. 60 m
Thus ended the business of the 11th Day of Dec with me. Yesterday I called
upon Ilus at his Store 118 Bleacker Street corner of Woster I found him
well & in good spirits. he had recieved a letter from Father, Mother, Ezra,
Shuah, & Sister Foss since I last saw him all well in Maine
but exceding hard times. Last evening I sat in conference
at Elder P. P. Pratts house in Mott street 58. the conferenc was called in
conference consequence of an improper course persued among the churches by
Elder Joseph Ball & Richards we did not get through last evening
but meet for the same purpose this evening. The work of the Lord is still
progressing in this country. Parley is labouring faithfully in this City both
in public speaking & printing. he has already out of the press 2,500
of the voice of warning. 2,500 of the persecution of the Saints will
soon be out in bound volume, 2,500 of the Book of Mormon I
expect will soon go to press & also he has other works in the press the
work is not ownly progressing in this City. but a great work is opening
in the City of Philadelphia 30 or 40 have been baptized mostly under
the laboursers of B. Winchester & hunders [hundreds] are believing Brother Winchester
wished me to call & labour awhile with him & I should have done
so If I had not been suddenly called to this City to have attended this con
ference. Elder O. Pratt has gone to hold a protracted meeting 30 miles
from phila[delphia] with Elder Barns I was informed last evening that
that had baptized about 40 during the meeting. & their are many calls for
labourers. &c. The Elders here all wish to be remembered to you & to their
families as far as you have oppertunity to inform them Elder Turley is
writing a letter to his wife on the same table with me. Remember me
to all the Saints in Lovely Street, Montrose, & Commerce as far as
they inquire. Brothers Young, Kimble, Taylor, Turley, Hadlock, &c. went to
Kirtland & spent some time there & they say they would not like to have
their family is there for they think it harder times than it is in the west to get
a living. Perhaps our friends in the West may wonder at our tarrying on
this continant so long but the reason in short is the want of means
to pay our fare to England we have had much to struggle with. We
left home without purs or scrip, & sick & feble but through the great
mercy of God we have all been able to reach New York but we all
arived here nearly penny less but as I have been out into the country the
Lord has put into my hands means sufficient to pay my own fare, but
I feel equally interested in the wellfare of my Brethren that they also may have
means to go on my their way as well as myself. I know the enemy has struggled
hard to prevent the Twelve from filling this mission. Will he finally prevail
No God forbid, we are determined to soon stand in England if we go their
through the greatest perils. Yes I say in the name of the God of Israel I will
lift up my voice in England in preaching Jesus Christ & him crusifed & cry repent-
anc to that people & that spedily to, for the spirit of God is like fire shut up i[n] [paper torn]
my bones & rolling as with electricity though my spirit crying Haste Haste [paper torn]
they know not what awaiteth them. I know it becomes me to spedily be about [paper torn]
Masters business & cry repentane towards God & faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ
& that to upon the shores of Europe & leave the event in the hands of God
[written in upside-down text] Private, I enclose a five dollar Note in this letter praying the Lord that it may fall into your hands [end of upside-down text]
I wish you to write soon in answer to this & direct your next after
recieving this to Preston, Lanchinshire, England & if I wish you to direct to any
other place I will inform you in my next. I am determined to g[paper torn]
if I go alone. but I think some will soon be ready to accompany me. I [paper torn]
write you again before I leave. I hope & pray that you may have [paper torn]
to assist you in evey time of need. I am with you vary freequen[paper torn]
in my dreams which is a great consolation to me, remember m[paper torn]
in your prayers you have mine. I thank the Lord I am enjoying good
health & I pray that you & Sarah may have yours restored to you again
Phebe dont be discouraged because of your sacrafizis, sufferings, & trials,
I am sensible our sacrafices are great but our reward will be great also
& we shall soon know the blessings that flow from keeping the com
mandments of God I do not feel at all discouraged because of the
way or sorry because I have put my hand to the plow. May peace
grace faith & strength from God rest upon you for Christ sake
Phebe From your friend & companion
Willford
25
[stamp in red ink] PAID
25
Mrs Phebe W. Woodruff
Montrose Lee, County
Ioway Territory
[stamp in red ink] NEW YORK
DEC
14
Post Paid
[written in upside-down text] Willford Woodruff Dec 13th
New York 1839