Letter, Erastus Snow to Hyrum Smith and William Law, 4 February 1842
Source Note
, Letter, , Essex Co., MA, to and , , Hancock Co., IL, 4 Feb. 1842; handwriting of ; dockets in handwriting of , , and unidentified scribe; four pages; JS Office Papers, CHL. Includes address block, postal markings, dockets, and notations.
Page [2]
that God would show by this means, in which thing I should be the most prosperous and the most acceptible, I twice successively drew the ballot. Being destitute either of means to support my family or to bear my expenses, I prayed that God would open the way before me; and <He> did it by opening the hearts of my friends where I had been laboring, and they voluntarily opened their purses when they learned my intentions. (The Lord reward them) I then resolved to take my family with me, trusting in God to provide for our furture wants as he does for the fowls for you know I was coming into a superstitious place among enemies to our cause and where I never was before. I left Mrs [Artimesia Beman] Snow and our little girl a few weeks at my brother’s in Rhode Island, and since, one door after another has opened before us untill now they are with me, and comfortably situated and in the enjoyment of health.
met me in according to appointment and we came here on the 3d of Sept.— He stayed one week, preached 3 times and returned, since which I suppose you have seen him. He is Now in but is expected here again soon. We first took lod[g]ings at a boarding house <for 3.50 per week,> and asked our father <that night> to open an effectual door before us. After ranging the city over we found a hall we could hire in the heart of the city which we engaged and paid for it by takeing collections. Since that time I have been in R. Island, in Morthbridge [Northbridge] Mass, in Peterboro N. H. and in ; a few times, but I have spent the most of my time in and its immediate vicinity. Though we <I> advertised in the papers and circulated gratis a large quantity of our addresses through the city, yet it was a long time before I could get people to take notice of me more than to come and hear and go away again. [p. [2]]