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27573
Letter from Wilford Woodruff and Jonathan H. Hale, 18 September 1837
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North Lat, 44. Long. 69, 10. Vin alhaven, Fox Islands, Monday, Sept. 18th, 1837.
To Joseph Smith Jr. and the church of Latter Day
Saints in Kirtland greeting:
The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...
View GlossaryLocated ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and 1,000 others; in 1838 about 2,000 Saints and 1,200 others; in 1839 about 100 Saints and 1,500 others. Mormon missionaries visited township...
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Dear Saints of God, whom we love of a truth for the truth’ sake
that dwelleth in you, and we pray God that it may abide with you forev er:
As we are called to stand upon the Islands of the sea, in defence of
the truth and for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus
Christ. We are under the necessity of making use of our pen,
to give you an account of our labors in the ministry since we left Kirtland,
as we cannot at present speak to you face to face. We left Kirtland May 31st,
and took Steamboat at Fair port [Ohio] in company with Elder Milton Holmes,
to go forth to labor in the vineyard as the Lord should direct.— After
calling on the Saints in Jefferson Co. N. Y. we arrived at Sackett’s Harbour and took Steamboat
on the 6th of June for
Upper Canada and on the 8th arived at Brother Artemus Judd’s. And
on the 10th, had the
hap py privilege of setting in conference with John E. Page, James Blakes lee,
and a number other elders, and a large congregation of Saints. And we
were blessed with a very interesting time. After spending several days with
them we took the parting hand with these beloved friends and pro ceeded
on our journey for the East in company with elder John Goodson,
and others bound for England. We took the
parting hand with them at Schenec tady, and arrived at the Caanan church in Connecticut,
visited the church a few days.
Here elder M. Holmes took
his departure for Mass.
and we went to Colebrook, visited different parts of
the town and held eight meetings, from thence to Canton and held a meet ing in the
village hall in Collinsville.— As
we commenced speaking several began to beat their drums at the doors which
made much confusion. This is the only disturbance we have had since we
left Kirtland.
We next visited Avon,
where we held four meetings and many came out to hear and mani fested
a spirit of inquiry. And elder [Wilford] Woodruff had
the privilege of leading three of his kinfolk into the waters of baptism. And had not the
Spirit call ed us away to perform a greater work, we should have
had no difficulty in es tablishing a branch of the church in that
place. A family where we tarried but one night, and taught them the things
of the kingdom, believed our tes timony, and after our departure, two of
the household followed us 15 miles to receive baptism at our hands,
but we were gone, and they truly believed it to be a day of
warning and not of ma ny words. We also visited Farming ton and held one meeting
in the Meth odist meeting house, and preached to an attentive
congregation who wished to hear more concerning the great work of
God. We left Farmington on
the 20 of July,
for Mass.
and after visiting the Bradford church, and after preach ing
several times with them, we pro ceeded on our journey to Saco, Maine, where
we spent several days with the church and friends. But duty urging us forward to lift
the warning voice to those that had not heard the sound of the
gospel, we then went to the city of Portland. We there took the Steam er
Bangor on the 19 of August,
to speed us on our way to the Islands of the sea, they landed
us at Owls head at the set ting of the
sun: But how to get con veyance to the Islands we knew not, we
retired to a grove and offered up our thanks unto God for his mercies and
asked him to open our way before us; we returned to the Inn and soon found
some men that were going near the Islands that night, they said they would
land us if we chose to take pas sage with them. We accordingly went on
board, they hoisted sail and landed us on North Fox Island, Vinalhaven, at
2 o’clock Sunday morning, August 20th. It was with peculiar
feelings and sensations that we began to walk forth upon one
of the Islands of the sea which was wrapped in the sable shades of
night, whose waters had never cov ered a soul for the remission of their sins
after the order of the gospel, and which soil had never before been
press ed by the foot steps of an elder of Is rael. We were Strangers,
Pilgrims, and almost pennyless. But we had [p. [1]]
Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and 1,000 others; in 1838 about 2,000 Saints and 1,200 others; in 1839 about 100 Saints and 1,500 others. Mormon missionaries visited township...
More InfoLocated ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and 1,000 others; in 1838 about 2,000 Saints and 1,200 others; in 1839 about 100 Saints and 1,500 others. Mormon missionaries visited township...
More InfoSituated on southern shore of Lake Erie; area originally called Grandon; settled 1803. Located twelve miles northeast of Kirtland. Harbor established at mouth of Grand River, by 1812. Harbor became significant port. Name officially changed to Fairport, 14...
More InfoAn administrative and ecclesiastical office not associated with age. The Book of Mormon explained that elders ordained priests and teachers and administered “the flesh and blood of Christ unto the church.” The articles and covenants of the church directed...
View Glossary16 Jan. 1811–30 Apr. 1881. Shoemaker, farmer. Born at Rowley, Essex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Nathaniel Holmes and Sarah Harriman. Lived at Napoli, Cattaraugus Co., New York, 1830. Baptized into LDS church, by 1834. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, 1834...
View Full BioCreated 1805. Population in 1830 about 48,000. Latter-day Saints proselytized in county, 1830s.
More InfoBritish colony of Canada divided into Upper Canada and Lower Canada, 1791; reunited 1841. Upper Canada’s boundaries corresponded roughly to portion of present-day Ontario south of Hudson Bay watershed. Population in 1840 about 430,000. Immigrants mainly from...
More Info25 Feb. 1799–14 Oct. 1867. Born at Trenton, Oneida Co., New York. Son of Ebenezer Page and Rachel Hill. Married first Betsey Thompson, 1831, in Huron Co., Ohio. Baptized into LDS church by Emer Harris, 18 Aug. 1833, at Brownhelm, Lorain Co., Ohio. Ordained...
View Full Bio16 Jan. 1811–30 Apr. 1881. Shoemaker, farmer. Born at Rowley, Essex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Nathaniel Holmes and Sarah Harriman. Lived at Napoli, Cattaraugus Co., New York, 1830. Baptized into LDS church, by 1834. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, 1834...
View Full BioOne of original thirteen colonies that formed U.S. Capital city, Boston. Colonized by English religious dissenters, 1620s. Population in 1830 about 610,000. Population in 1840 about 738,000. Joseph Smith Sr. born in Massachusetts. Samuel Smith and Orson Hyde...
More InfoLocated ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and 1,000 others; in 1838 about 2,000 Saints and 1,200 others; in 1839 about 100 Saints and 1,500 others. Mormon missionaries visited township...
More InfoArea settled, 1785. Formed as Hartford, Jan. 1789; name changed to Avon, 1808. Located in west-central New York on Genesee River, eighteen miles southwest of Rochester. Included village of Avon. Population in 1835 about 2,800. Population in 1840 about 3,000...
More Info1 Mar. 1807–2 Sept. 1898. Farmer, miller. Born at Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. Son of Aphek Woodruff and Beulah Thompson. Moved to Richland, Oswego Co., New York, 1832. Baptized into LDS church by Zera Pulsipher, 31 Dec. 1833, near Richland. Ordained...
View Full BioAn ordinance in which an individual is immersed in water for the remission of sins. The Book of Mormon explained that those with necessary authority were to baptize individuals who had repented of their sins. Baptized individuals also received the gift of...
View GlossaryOne of original thirteen colonies that formed U.S. Capital city, Boston. Colonized by English religious dissenters, 1620s. Population in 1830 about 610,000. Population in 1840 about 738,000. Joseph Smith Sr. born in Massachusetts. Samuel Smith and Orson Hyde...
More InfoOriginally part of Massachusetts; land grant established by Plymouth Company, 1630. Settled 1631. Organized and named Saco, 1653. Boundary surveyed, 1659. Incorporated as town and named Pepperellborough, 1762. Renamed Saco by Massachusetts state legislature...
More InfoWilford Woodruff and Jonathan H. Hale, letter, Vinalhaven, Fox Islands, ME, to JS and the church, Kirtland, OH, 18 Sept. 1837; Elders’ Journal, Oct. 1837, pp. 1–3.
1 Mar. 1807–2 Sept. 1898. Farmer, miller. Born at Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. Son of Aphek Woodruff and Beulah Thompson. Moved to Richland, Oswego Co., New York, 1832. Baptized into LDS church by Zera Pulsipher, 31 Dec. 1833, near Richland. Ordained...
View Full BioLocated ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and 1,000 others; in 1838 about 2,000 Saints and 1,200 others; in 1839 about 100 Saints and 1,500 others. Mormon missionaries visited township...
More Info