Well, brothers and sisters, I'm delighted by the opportunity to be here with you tonight. I express gratitude for all of those working on the Wilford Woodruff Papers project, and also express gratitude for the opportunity to talk tonight about Wilford Woodruff. One of the real challenges on this particular subject is because he was involved in so many different things and lived so long that you’ve really got to figure out what piece of his life you're going to talk about or what aspect of his life you're going to talk about.  And what I've determined to do is to focus on his earliest days, and so I've entitled this, as you can see, “Wilford and Phebe Woodruff in the Days of Joseph Smith.”

Wilford and Phebe did remarkable things for the kingdom of God. His missionary service is remarkable, and of course he served as a while as Assistant Church Historian and Church Historian. We can trace a lot of what we do in our office today to things that he did.

We often picture Wilford and Phebe in their later years.  I will be aided in what I talk about tonight by the extensive journal that has already been referenced. He may be the greatest journal keeper in the history of the Church.

Now I want to show you a picture of Wilford and Phebe, younger.  Wilford was born March 1st, 1807, in Farmington, Connecticut.  He was born in the town of Farmington, which is now called Avon, well, let me read from his journal:

 “I was born in the north part of the town of Farmington, which is now called Avon, March 1st, 1801. From the age of 14 to 23, my mind was often exercised upon the subject of my soul’s salvation yet without submission to God or being led by His spirit until the age of 23. Then at that age, I resolved by the grace of God assisting me to be led by the spirit and the word of God into that truth which maketh free thereby. I had no desire to join any of the sectarian churches, for I found by comparing the churches with the records of divine truth, that they were neither contending nor receiving the faith once delivered to the saints.  I could not discover the church or body of Christ visible among men. I believe the church of Christ was in the wilderness and that there had been a falling away from the pure and undefiled religion before God. And I was looking for the church to arise again, to be established upon the foundation of the ancient apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus, the chief cornerstone.  My soul was drawn out upon these things. In my early manhood I prayed day and night that I might live to see a prophet. I would have gone a thousand miles to have seen one or a man that could teach me the things that I read of in the Bible. I could not join any church because I could not find any church at that time that advocated these principles. I spent many a midnight hour by the riverside, in the mountains and in my mill calling upon God that I might live to see a prophet or some man that would teach me the things of the kingdom of God as I read them.  I remained in that condition until the year 1833.”

Which I think is really interesting background for the Lord preparing Wilford to find the Restored Gospel. Then he tells this,  “I was living in 1833 with my brother Azmon on the shores of lake Ontario ,“ that's in New York, it’s the part of Lake Ontario that's in New York.  “A man by the name of Zera Pulsifer, 60 miles from where I lived, was moved upon in the month of December, with the snow three or four feet deep, to arise and go to the north. The Lord had some work for him there. He called another man whose name was Elijah Cheney to go with him, and they traveled two days on the road to the north, not knowing where they were going.  Our house was the first place they stopped at. I was lumbering at the time on the shore of the lake.  Zera Pulsifer told my brother's wife who they were and what they were and what their principles were. He said the Lord had sent him into the north country to do some work there. My sister-in-law told him that her husband and myself both believed in the principles that he taught. Well, they held a meeting. I went to it and for the first time in my life, I heard a gospel sermon. I invited the men home. I borrowed a Book of Mormon,” from these missionaries,  “and sat up all night and read it. And I had a testimony it was true, in the morning I asked to be baptized.  Myself and my brother were baptized, the first in that region of country. From that hour til this, I never have had one moment’s doubt with regard to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know the work is true.”

So Phoebe was born in Scarborough, Maine, and you'll notice she was born on March 8th, 1807, which is exactly a week after Wilford was born in Connecticut.

“In the year 1834,” writes Phoebe, “I embraced the gospel as revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith. And about a year after, I left my parents and kindred and journeyed to Kirtland, Ohio, a distance of 1000 miles alone, made sustained only by my faith and trust in Israel's God. My friends marveled at my course as did I, but something within impelled me on.  My mother's grief that my leaving home was almost more than I could bear, and had it not been for the spirit within, I should have faltered at the last.  My mother told me she would rather see me buried than going thus alone, out into the heartless world. ‘Phebe,’ she said, impressively, ‘will you come back to me if you find more Mormonism false?’ I answered, ‘yes, mother, I will.”  These were my words and she knew I would keep my promise. My answer relieved her trouble, but it costs all of us much sorrow to part.” 

Then this I find this really interesting: “when it came time for my departure, I dare not trust myself to say farewell, so I wrote my goodbyes into each and leaving them on my table, ran downstairs and jumped into the carriage. Thus I left the beloved home of my childhood to link my life with the saints of God.”

And then she writes that “when I arrived in Kirtland, I became acquainted with the Prophet Joseph Smith and received more evidence of his divine mission.”

So just to summarize, she was converted in 1834 at the age of 27. She left home and moved to Kirtland in 1836. Now backing up a couple of years, I want to say a little bit about Wilford’s introduction and moving to Kirtland. He went to Kirtland arriving on the 25th of April of 1834. And when he arrived, he boarded with Joseph Smith at Emma and Joseph's home. 

Now two days after he arrived, he attended a meeting and heard a prophecy about the future growth of the Church. And Wilford is the only source for that meeting. He's really two sources, in that he wrote about it in his journal, and then he talked about it in his final General Conference which was in April of 1898, five months before his death.

Here's the journal entry:  “On the 27th of April, being the Lord’s day, I attended a meeting and heard several of the brethren preach.  Brother Sidney Rigdon, Orson Hyde, Orson Pratt, and others spoke with Joseph Smith closing the meeting.  It appeared to me there was more light made manifest at that meeting, respecting the gospel and kingdom of God, than I had ever received from the whole sectarian world.”

Okay, that was his journal entry at the time. This is what he said five months before his death in 1898:  “On this Sunday night, the Prophet called together all of those who held the priesthood to gather into the little log schoolhouse they had there in Kirtland. It was a small house, perhaps 14 feet square, but it held the whole of the priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who were then in the town of Kirtland and who had gathered together to go off in Zion’s Camp. That was the first I ever saw Oliver Cowdry or heard him speak, the first time I ever saw Brigham Young and Heber C Kimball, and the two Pratts, and Orson Hyde, and many others. When we got together, the Prophet called upon the elders of Israel with him to bear testimony of this work. Those that I have named spoke and a good many that I have not named bore their testimonies. When they got through, the Prophet said, ‘brethren, I have been very much edified and instructed in your testimonies here tonight. But I want to say to you before the Lord, that you know no more concerning the destinies of this church and kingdom than a babe upon its mother's lap, you don't comprehend it.’”

 And Wilford then interjects,” I was a little surprised. He said,” this is again as Joseph, ‘”it is only a little handful of priesthood you see here tonight, but this church will fill North and South America. It will fill the world.’” Among other things, he said, ‘”it will fill the Rocky Mountains. There will be tens of thousands of latter-day saints who will be gathered in the Rocky Mountains. And there will open the door for the establishing of the gospel among the Lamanites, who will receive the gospel and their endowment and the blessings of God. This people will go into the Rocky Mountains. They will there build temples to the Most High, they will raise up a posterity. And the latter-day saints who dwell in these mountains will stand in the flesh until the coming of the Son of Man. The Son of Man will come to them while in the Rocky Mountains.’”

My guess is you probably have heard pieces of that before. You may have heard the whole thing before, but that is a remarkable evidence and a remarkable witness of what Joseph Smith taught the people on that occasion.

Now just a few days later, the Camp of Israel left, or what we now call Zion's Camp and Wilford Woodruff who had just arrived in Kirtland, went with them.

That would be a talk in and of its own, to talk about that. We are so grateful for having Wilford and his journal-keeping that gives us a detailed account about the Zion's Camp enterprise. Likewise after Zion's Camp, Wilford went on a mission to Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky. We're now to 1835 and 1836. And  I'm not going to take time to talk about that.

Now, what about Wilford and Phebe and them getting together? This is how Wilford described it: “My first acquaintance with Miss Phebe W. Carter was on the Eve of the 28th of January, 1837, at which time I was introduced to her at Brother Milliken's, by the politeness of Elder Milton Holmes. After two and a half months’ acquaintance, we were joined in matrimony, the account of which will be found on the following pages.”

Now, I love what it looks like in his journal, and you'll see this in different places in his journal where he would do illustrations. This is kind of a marriage certificate or a celebration of his getting married. And I, again, I won't read it all, but it starts with “April 13th, 1837, marriage being an institution of heaven, and honorable in all, I accordingly accepted the honor upon this Memorial Day by joining hands with Miss Phebe W. Carter in the bonds of matrimony and took upon ourselves the marriage covenant. We were married at the house of President Joseph Smith, Jr. The ceremony was solemnized by President Frederick G. Williams. President Joseph Smith, Sr., the Patriarch, then blessed us in the name of our Lord and pronounced great blessings upon us and our posterity.”

And then there's this interesting side note: “President J. Smith Jr., was expecting to solemnize the ceremony, but his life was so beset and sought for by wicked and ungodly men for the testimony of Jesus, that he was under the necessity of fleeing from his house and home for a few days. Oh when will the prophets of God rest upon the earth?” he wrote.

Now shortly after they were married Phebe and Wilford went to New England, which as you'll remember, that's where both Wilford and Phebe were from; Wilford, from Connecticut and Phebe from Maine. And this was an interesting mission in that they spent a lot of time trying to convince their family members to join the Church. And they were blessed to have some success in that endeavor. And you find in the journal, Wilford just thrilling to the fact that his family members finally joined the Church. And this frankly was not uncommon for converts to go back to where they were from and try to baptize their family and friends.

Part of his missionary experience was to go and teach in the Fox Islands, which are off the coast of Maine. And he says that part of their idea was, the prediction was that the gospel would be taught on the isles of the sea and they thought they could get that started by going in and teaching the gospel on some islands, just off the coast of Maine

And they had remarkable success. I can remember as a young missionary going to a zone conference.  We sometimes were given stacks of church magazines that we could read as the missionaries or give out to people. Didn't do a lot of good to give English copies of the Ensign magazine out in Italy, but I can remember on one of those occasions being given a copy of an Ensign and reading on the train back to Trieste. It's an article about the remarkable mission that Wilford Woodruff had in the Fox Islands. I won't take up more time than to say that he baptized over a hundred people during this time there in the Fox Islands.

Now, while they were in New England, Phoebe also gave birth to their first child. This is a family picture. And from the fact that there are two children there, you can tell that this is sometime later and the two daughters had gotten considerably older and larger. I think maybe my favorite thing about this picture is it's a family picture, but there is Ezra Carter, Phebe's father, right in the middle of it. In fact, obscuring Wilford’s face a little bit, I guess because he was in charge. Well, after Phoebe had given birth to their daughter, Wilford went back to the Fox Islands. He had learned that some of the people that they taught had fallen away. And so he worked to get them back solidly in the Church again, but he also found a letter waiting for him from Thomas Marsh who wrote to him from Far West, Missouri.

As you probably know, Thomas B. Marsh was the President of the Quorum of the Twelve at the time. And the letter read, in part: “the Lord has commanded that the Twelve assemble in this place,“ that is Far West Missouri,” as soon as possible. Know then, Brother Woodruff, by this, that you are appointed to fill the place of one of the Twelve apostles.”

Now Wilford actually had premonitions a few weeks before this call was going to be coming. This is section 118 of the Doctrine and Covenants. The first verse says that what is supposed to happen is that they are supposed to fill the vacancies of four members of the Twelve who had left the Church.

By the way we got a little hint that that was coming this week in Come Follow Me. You remember in section 114, verse two, it talks about that if people don't fulfill their responsibilities, that they are not faithful, that they're going to need to be replaced. And sure enough, four months later this revelation came saying that we needed to replace those. And in the last verse is the name Wilford. It's supposed to be highlighted. John Taylor, John E. Page, Wilford Woodruff, and Willard Richard were called to serve as apostles. Now, when you think about it for a minute, and by the way, this is a revelation came to the Prophet Joseph Smith. I love the fact that the Lord calls his own apostles, and by revelation the Lord Jesus set forth these four men to be apostles and take the place of those who had fallen away.

When you think about it, this is a significant moment in the future history of the Church. You've got John Taylor and Wilford, both of whom were going to be presidents of the Church, being called, and you've got Willard Richards being called who would serve in the First Presidency. And he's another one of those pesky church historians.  

Back to the story. Wilford gets the Fox Island saints and takes a significant group of them. And the idea is they're going to go emigrate. He needs to go to Far West. He's going to take them to emigrate with them.

Now, if you think about it, going from an island off the coast of Maine to Missouri is going to be a significant journey. And along the way, a very interesting event happened.  And this is how Wilford describes it in his journal:

“On the 23rd of November 1838, my wife Phebe was attacked with a severe headache, which terminated in brain fever.  She grew more and more distressed daily as we continued our journey. It was a terrible ordeal for a woman to travel in a wagon over rough roads, afflicted issue. At the same time, our child was also very sick. The 1st of December was a trying day to my soul. My wife continued to fail and in the afternoon about four o'clock, she appeared to be struck with death.  I stopped my team and it seemed as though she would breathe her last lying in the wagon. Two of the sisters sat beside her to see if they could do anything for her in her last moments. I stood upon the ground in deep affliction and meditated. I cried unto the Lord and prayed that she might live and not be taken from me. I claimed the promises the Lord had made unto me through the prophets and patriarchs and soon her spirit revived, and I got a short distance to a tavern and got her into a room and watched over her and her babe all night and prayed the Lord to preserve her life. In the morning, the circumstances were such that I was under the necessity of removing my wife from the inn, as there was so much noise and confusion at the place that she could not endure it. I carried her out to her bed in the wagon and drove two miles when I alighted at a house and carried my wife and her bed into it with the determination to tarry there, until she either recovered her health or passed away.” This was on Sunday morning, December 2nd. 

“After getting my wife and things into the house and wood provided to keep up a fire, I employed my time in taking care of her. It looked as though she had but a short time to live. She called me to her bedside in the evening and said she felt as though a few moments more would end her existence in this life. She manifested great confidence in the cause she had embraced and exhorted me to have confidence in God and to keep his commandments to all appearances she was dying. I laid hands upon her and prayed for her and she soon revived and slept some during the night. But December 3rd found my wife very low. I spent the day in taking care of her and the following day I returned to Eaton to get some things for her. She seemed to be gradually sinking. In the evening, her spirit apparently left her body and she was dead. The sisters gathered around her body weeping while I stood looking at her in sorrow.  The spirit and power of God began to rest upon me until for the first time during her sickness, faith filled my soul. Although she laid before me as one dead. I took some oil that I had consecrated for my anointing while in Kirtland, I took it and consecrated it again before the Lord for anointing the sick.  I then bowed down before the Lord and prayed for the life of my companion and I anointed her body with the oil in the name of the Lord. I laid my hands upon her and in the name of Jesus Christ, I rebuked the power of death and the destroyer and commanded the same to depart from her and the spirit of life to enter her body.  Her spirit returned to her body. And from that hour, she was made whole, and we all felt to praise the name of God and to trust in him and keep his commandments. While this operation was going on with me as my wife related afterwards, her spirit left her body and she saw her body lying upon the bed and the sisters weeping. She looked at them and me and upon her babe, and while gazing upon this scene, two personages came into the room carrying a coffin, and they told her they had come for her body. One of these messengers informed her that she could have her choice. She might go to rest in the spirit world or on one condition, she could have the privilege of returning to her tabernacle and continuing her labors upon the earth. The condition was if she felt that she could stand by her husband and with him pass through all the cares, trials, tribulations, and afflictions of life, which he would be called to pass through for the gospel’s sake unto the end.

“When she looked at the situation of her husband and child, she said, yes, I will do it. At that moment that decision was made, the power of faith rested upon me, and when I administered unto her, her spirit entered her tabernacle and she saw the messengers carry the coffin out the door. On the morning of the 6th of December, the spirit said to me arise and continue the journey. And through the mercy of God, my wife was enabled to arise and dress herself and walk to the wagon. And we went on our way rejoicing.”

So one of the reasons that, I mean, I know this is a gathering for Wilford, but you got to include Phebe. Particularly you know,  you look at the devotion that she had, including that devotion that she wanted to come back and stand by him by his side. Come, what may . 

I love Phoebe and Wilford Woodruff.  By the way, I'm not a descendant. Sorry. It's not my fault. But one of the other things that it says in section 118 is there was a commandment to the Twelve that they were to go on missions: “And next spring, let them depart to go over the great waters and there promulgate my gospel, the fullness thereof, and bear record of my name. And they were to take leave of my saints in the city of Far West on the 26th day of April next, on the building spot of my house, saith the Lord.”  In other words, the twelve apostles were supposed to go across the waters and preach the gospel. And that revelation was given when the body of the saints was in Far West, but in the meantime, Joseph and other leaders had been in prison and the body of the saints were left to limp across Missouri and find refuge in Illinois.

Well, by the time the next spring came there was some discussion as to whether they really had to go back to the temple site to begin their mission, or whether given the circumstances they could just go forward from Illinois.  By the way, Illinois is closer to Europe than Missouri is, but they determined that they wanted to be true to the precise words of the revelation. And so in April of 1839, Wilford went from Illinois to Far West with Brigham Young, John Taylor, Orson Pratt, George A. Smith, who had then been added to the number that were to be in the Twelve, and Alpheus Cutler. Along the way they met John Page and had him go with them and then Heber C Kimball also met them in Far West.

Now I think that this is an interesting drama because the time while they're crossing Missouri going west, Joseph Smith had escaped from custody and he was headed to Illinois going east.

Once they got to the temple site on the appointed day, Brigham Young ordained Wilford Woodruff as he sat upon one of the cornerstones of the temple, ordained him to be an apostle. And Brigham also ordained George A. Smith at the same time to be an apostle. And they officially began their missions across the sea.  But before they went, they went back on their way to Illinois, and some were in Illinois, some were in Iowa, and helped their families get settled and prepared to go to Great Britain.

This is how Wilford describes how he left:

“Early upon the morning of the 8th of August, I arose from my bed of sickness, laid my hands upon the head of my sick wife, Phebe and blessed her. I then departed from the embrace of my companion, and left her almost without food or the necessaries of life. She suffered my departure with the fortitude that becomes a saint realizing the responsibilities of her companion. Although feeble, I walked to the banks of the Mississippi River.  There President Young took me in a canoe and paddled me across the river.”

That's one of those other great pictures in one's mind, Wilford Woodruff and my ancestor, Brigham Young in a canoe going across the Mississippi River.

“When we landed, I laid down by the side of the post office to rest.  Brother Joseph, the prophet of God came along and looked at me. ‘Well, Brother Woodruff,’ said he, ‘you have started upon your mission.’ ‘Yes,’ said I, ‘but I feel and look more like a subject for the dissecting room than a missionary.’ Joseph replied, ‘what did you say that for? Get up and go along, all will be right with you.’”

So Wilford left. He and John Taylor arrived in Great Britain in January of 1840.

Now they had remarkable success. Again, this would be a subject for a presentation all by itself. They were organizing branches. They were baptizing people. And, you probably know this story, Wilford Woodruff, while he was addressing some of these converts, he said to them, I've loved being with you, but this is the last time I'm going to be with you for a while. The spirit of the Lord has told me to go further south.  And so he went with William Benbow and to William's brothers, John, and, and John's wife, Jane’s, farm, further south in England. And there, they had just even more success. As you know, they taught the United Brethren. There were 600 people in this group of believers and they baptized 599 of them. I don't know what happened to the one. I should know, I'm Church Historian. I should know.

Now, once they joined the Church, they didn't have need for their meeting house anymore. You know, when I was in Italy and I saw those great Catholic cathedrals, I thought, if we could baptize enough people, we could get these.  Well, this really happened to Wilford, and this became the Gadfield Elm Chapel became property of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It's now in our hands again. I've stood at the pulpit in that place. And, maybe some of you have as well, and borne my testimony. I wanted to stand where my great, great, great-grandfather Brigham did when he preached the gospel in England.

Well, Wilford and others baptized an incredible 1,800 people between March and August of 1840. Now he went on, Wilford, went on additional missions in 1843 and 1844. And I want to, as the last thing that I recite here, I want to talk about one other event before the death of Joseph Smith. And this is what Wilford wrote:

“For some time before his death, the Prophet Joseph was inspired of the Lord to anticipate his own departure from earthly scenes. This was shown in various ways, but especially in the great anxiety which he displayed to bestow upon the twelve apostles, all the keys and authority of the holy priesthood, which he had received. He declared in private and in public, that they were equipped and fully qualified and that he had rolled the kingdom of God onto the shoulders of the twelve apostles.

I, Wilford Woodruff,” now he's he is saying this many years later, although there are others who were present when this was happening, who testified of it and testified of it earlier,  but “I, Wilford Woodruff, being the last man living in the flesh who was present upon that occasion, feel it a duty I owe to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the House of Israel and to the whole world to bear this, my last testimony to all nations. That in the winter of 1843/44, Joseph Smith, the prophet of God called the twelve apostles together in the city of Nauvoo and spent many days with us, giving us our endowments and teaching us those glorious principles which God had revealed to him. And upon one occasion, he stood upon his feet in the midst for nearly three hours, declaring unto us the great and last dispensation, which God had set his hand to perform upon the earth in these last days.  The room was filled as if with consuming fire. The Prophet was clothed upon with much of the power of God and his face shone, and it was transparently clear.  And he closed that speech, never to be forgotten in time or in all eternity with the following language.”

Now these are the words of Joseph Smith as Wilford Woodruff recalled them:

“Brethren, I have had great sorrow of heart for fear that I might be taken from the earth with the keys of the kingdom of God upon me, without sealing them upon the heads of other men. God has sealed upon my head all the keys of the kingdom of God necessary for organizing and building up of the Church, Zion, and the kingdom of God upon the earth, and to prepare the saints for the coming of the Son of Man.  Now brethren, I thank God I have lived to see the day that I have been enabled to give you your endowment. And I have now sealed upon your heads, all the powers of the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods and apostleship with all the keys and powers thereof, which God has sealed upon me. And I now roll off all the labor, burden, and care of this church and kingdom of God upon your shoulders. And I now command you in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, to round up your shoulders and bear off this church and kingdom of God before heaven and earth and before God, angels, and men. And if you don't do it, you will be damned.”

Then Wilford writes this: “the same spirit that filled the room at that time burns in my bosom when I record this testimony, and the prophet of God appointed no one else, but the twelve apostles to stand at the head of the Church and direct its affairs.”

And there were several others besides Wilford who recorded and testified of that great rolling off of the kingdom upon the twelve apostles.

Well, Wilford and Phebe Woodruff had remarkable lives of dedication. Phebe died in 1885. Wilford died in 1898.  As you can see what we have discussed tonight, that if they had been taken to heaven in 1844, it could have been said of them that they'd made incredible contributions to the Church and the work of this dispensation, but they still had in Wilford’s case a half a century left to live, and in Phebe's case, 40 years left to live, and the Lord used them to accomplish other remarkable things. But that's a story for another time.

I bear my testimony of this wonderful gospel and of its remarkable history. The more I, given my calling, I am reading history, I am writing things, I am talking to historians. That's my life now as Church Historian, and the more I read, the more I experience, the stronger my testimony grows to see this kingdom of God, what has come before us and how it is rolling. I just bear my witness that this is God's work on earth. I love our Savior. I have a testimony of him and of his magnificent church, and I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.