Title: Wilford Woodruff, Fourth President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Author: Wilford Woodruff
Editor: Matthias F. Cowley
Release date: December 19, 2014 [eBook #47703]
Most recently updated: October 24, 2024
Language: English
Credits: Produced by the Mormon Texts Project
(MormonTextsProject.org), with special thanks to Villate
Brown McKitrick.
* * * *
"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne."—Rev. 3:21.
* * * *
PREPARED FOR PUBLICATION BY
MATTHIAS F. COWLEY
* * * *
Salt Lake City, Utah 1909
TO HIS NUMEROUS AND EVER INCREASING FAMILY, AND TO ALL WHO LOVE THE NAME AND MEMORY OF
PRES. WILFORD WOODRUFF
THIS WORK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED
That which is perhaps best known about Wilford Woodruff is the fact that he kept throughout his long and eventful life a careful record, not only of his own life, but of the important affairs in the history of the Church. In bringing that journal within the compass of one volume, it has not always been easy to determine what was the most important for the pages of this biography. All his journals, covering thousands of pages, I have read with such discriminating judgment as I could bring to the task. The reader, therefore, need not be reminded that this biography contains only a small part, the most important part it is hoped, of the things he wrote.
He was so careful and painstaking, and so completely devoted to the task of keeping a journal, that his writings have been sought in compiling much of the important data in Church history which has already been given to the world. His work, therefore, is not unknown to those familiar with Church history. Some of his life has been published in the Deseret News, and "Leaves from My Journal" contains important chapters. Magazines and Church publications have in them reminiscences which he has given to the readers of those periodicals at different times.
All missionaries will be interested in the marvelous experiences which he had while working in the spread of the gospel message. Others will read with peculiar interest the recital of events in the travels of the pioneers from the Missouri River to Salt Lake Valley, and others will read with satisfaction the words that fell from the lips of those prophets with whom he was immediately associated—Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and John Taylor.
The life of Wilford Woodruff was full of marvels. It was a simple life in which he revealed his heart and his purposes freely. The frankness of his expressions, his care for details, and his conscientious regard for the truth made him, perhaps, the best chronicler of events in all the history of the Church. His journal reveals not so much what he himself was thinking about the events concerning which he wrote as what others thought about them. In that respect they reveal wonderfully the spirit of the times in which he lived.
At the close of the year 1895 in writing of his life, he says: "For twenty-one years I was a member of the legislative assembly of the Territory of Utah.
"In 1875 I was appointed historian and general recorder of the Church and held that position until 1889.
"On the completion of the Temple at St. George in 1877, I was appointed its President by Brigham Young.
"Upon the accession of President Taylor, I became President of the Twelve Apostles; and in April 1889, I was sustained at the general conference as President of the Church.
"By my direction the General Church Board of Education was founded in 1888 to direct the Church system of academies, high schools, and colleges, which has resulted in a great perfection of the organization.
"From the beginning of my ministry in 1834 until the close of 1895 I have traveled in all 172,369 miles; held 7,655 meetings; preached 3,526 discourses; organized 51 branches of the Church and 77 preaching places; my journeys cover England, Scotland, Wales, and 23 states and 5 territories of the Union. My life abounds in incidents which to me surely indicate the direct interposition of God whom I firmly believe has guided my every step. On 27 distinct occasions I have been saved from dangers which threatened my life. I am the father of 17 sons and 16 daughters. I have a posterity of 100 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren." (At the present time, his grandchildren number at least 145, and his great grandchildren, about 60.)
The hand of God was so abundantly manifested in the life of Wilford Woodruff, that those who read this book, it is sincerely believed, will find it both faith-promoting and instructive. The book is given to the world in the sincerest belief that its pages will greatly add a fresh interest to the history of the Church, and reveal the subject of this sketch in such a manner as to make his wonderful labors more highly appreciated by those not intimately acquainted with him.
M. F. COWLEY.
September, 1909.
BIRTH AND GENEALOGY, 1807.
Chosen Spirit.—Divine Guidance.—Genealogy.—A Miller by Trade.
A CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS.
Arms and Legs Broken.—Injury to Breast Bone and Ribs.—Drowned.—Frozen.—Scalded.—Other Escapes.—Life Preserved by a Merciful Providence.
A REMARKABLE PREPARATION.
"Coming Events."—Wilford Woodruff's Interest in Religion.—Existing Religious Denominations.—Teachings of Scripture.—Father Mason, a Prophet.—Peculiar Process of Preparation.
EARLY DAYS, 1816-1833.
A Fisherman.—Early Employment.—Noble Reflections.—Lessons in Reading.—Interest in the Bible.—Philo Woodruff's Strange Dream.—Mocking Deity.—Its Effects.—Peace of Mind.—Place of Prayer.—Happy Experiences.—A Baptism.—Reads of Mormons.—Notable Instance of Inspiration.—Removal to New York.—Azmon's Faith.
BAPTISM, 1833.
Elders Visit Richland, N. Y.—The New Message.—Wilford Woodruff's Testimony.—The Book of Mormon,—Healing Power.—Baptism.—Ordained a Teacher.
ZION'S CAMP, 1834.
His First Call.—Leaves for Kirtland.—His Neighbors' Warning.—First Meeting with Prophet.—A Remarkable Prophetic Gift.—Zion's Camp.—Zelph.—Escape Mob at Fishing River.—Epidemic of Cholera.—His Residence in Missouri.—Consecrations.
MISSION TO SOUTHERN STATES, 1834-1836.
A Prayerful Ambition to Preach.—Departure on Mission to Southern States.—Traveling without Purse or Scrip.—Treatment Received from Minister.—Tribulations.—A Remarkable Dream.—Its Fulfillment.—Preaching in Memphis.—Ordained an Elder.—Successful Labors.—Ordained a Seventy.—A Mob Court.—Return to Kirtland.
IN KIRTLAND, 1836.
Wilford's First Attendance at Meeting in the Temple.—Called to Speak.—Church's Attitude Toward the Use of Liquor.—Wilford in the First Quorum of Seventy.—Receives Temple Endowments.—Troubles in Kirtland.—Greatness of the Prophet Joseph.—Wilford's Marriage.—Receives a Patriarchal Blessing.
FIRST MISSION TO FOX ISLANDS, 1837.
Troubles at Kirtland.—Mission to Fox Islands.—Evil Spirits Cast Out.—Healing the Sick.—Visits His Home Enroute.—From Connecticut to Maine.—Description of Fox Islands.—Begins Ministry in Vinal Haven.—A Minister Comes to Grief.—Baptisms.—Excitement.—Return to Scarboro.
CALLED TO THE APOSTLESHIP, 1838.
Again on the Fox Islands.—Opposition Increases.—Manifestation of the Gifts of the Holy Ghost.—Sign of the Prophet Jonas.—Wilford Visits A. P. Rockwood in Prison.—Baptizes His Father and Other Relatives.—Birth of His First Child.—Called To Be One of the Twelve Apostles, and To Take a Foreign Mission.—Assists Fox Islands Saints in Migrating to the West.—Mrs. Woodruff Miraculously Healed.—They Reach Quincy, Illinois.
CALL TO GREAT BRITAIN, 1838.
Mobocrats Seek To Prevent the Fulfillment of a Revelation Given Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, but Are Disappointed.—Temple Corner-stone at Far West Laid.—Wilford Returns to Illinois.—The Prophet Joseph Liberated from Prison in Missouri.—A Survivor of Haun's Mill Massacre.—Selection of Nauvoo as a Place for the Settlement of the Saints.—A Day of Gods' Power.—Many Sick Are Healed, and a Dying Man Raised to Life.—Incident of Wilford Receiving a Handkerchief from the Prophet Joseph.—Instructed as to What He Shall Preach on His Mission.—Lesson in Humility.—Warning against Treachery.—Wilford Starts on His Mission, Sick and without Money.—Experiences of His Journey to New York.—Sails for Liverpool, England.
MISSION IN GREAT BRITAIN, 1840.
Wilford's Arrival in England.—Missionary Work Begun.—Casting Out a Devil.—Directed by the Spirit of the Lord to Another Field of Labor.—Meets with the United Brethren.—Many Conversions to the Gospel.—Ministers Hold a Convention To Ask Parliament for Legislation against the Mormons.—First Publication of the Book of Mormon and the Hymn Book in England.—The Millennial Star.—In the British Metropolis.—Unable to Secure a Hall To Preach in, the Elders Hold Street Meetings.—First Baptism in London.—Opposition from Preachers.—Work of God Makes Marvelous Progress.
BRITISH MISSION, 1840-'41.
Rapid Increase of the Church in Great Britain.—Mysterious Spirit Personage Attempts to Strangle Wilford Woodruff, and Wounds Him Severely.—He Is Relieved and Healed by Three Heavenly Visitors.—First Placard of the Church Posted in London.—Death of Wilford's Daughter.—Difficult Missionary Work in and around London.—Arrival of Lorenzo Snow To Take Charge of the British Mission.—All of the Twelve Called Home.—Attending Various Conferences.—Springing of the Spaulding Story.—Wilford Bids Farewell to the Saints in Fields Where He Had Labored.—General Conference of the British Mission, and Only Occasion of the Twelve Apostles Acting as a Quorum in a Foreign Land.—Wilford's Departure for Home, and Arrival at Nauvoo.—Made a Member of the Nauvoo City Council.
REVIEW OF HIS MISSION.
Wilford Renders Aid to the Persecuted Saints.—His Care in Recording the Events, also Sermons and Sayings of the Prophet Joseph Smith.—Elder Woodruff's Humility, and Appreciation of the Work of Others.—At a Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Convention.—Letter from His Wife Announcing the Death of Their Daughter.—Revelation Foreshadowing the Troubles of the Saints in the Expulsion from Illinois.
IN NAUVOO, 1841.
Prophetic Insight.—Teachings of the Prophet.—Baptism for the Dead.—Hyrum Kimball.
TROUBLES IN NAUVOO, 1842.
Building of the Temple.—Book of Moses.—Words of the Prophet.—Nauvoo Legion.—Business Trip to St. Louis.—Return of Orson Hyde.
TEACHINGS OF THE PROPHET JOSEPH, 1843.
Change in Governors of Missouri and Illinois.—Prophet's Release. —Discourse on Authority.—Signs in the Heavens.—New Arrivals of Saints.—Death of Lorenzo Barnes.—Discourse on Knowledge.—Great Truths.—Prophet's Knowledge of Men.—Wilford Woodruff's Bond for Temple Funds.—Opposition to Revealed Truth.—Hell Defined.—Prophet Arrested.—His Release.
MISSION TO THE EAST, 1843.
Address of the Prophet on Constitutional Rights.—Orson Hyde's Call to Russia.—Prophet Explains His Position with Respect to Missouri.—Origin of Nauvoo Legion.—Political Explanation.—Departure of the Twelve for the East.—Brigham Young's Fidelity.—Phrenological Chart by O. S. Fowler.—Return of the Twelve to Nauvoo.—W. W. Sealed to Wife.—Adultery.—Governor of Missouri Again Issues Requisition for Prophet.—Endowments.
EARLY DAYS OF 1844.
Conduct of the Laws and Marks.—Discourse on Elijah by the Prophet.—The Celestial Law.—Prophet's Candidacy for President of U. S.—Exploring Expedition to California Planned.—Joseph, Mayor of Nauvoo.—Hostility in Carthage.—Mischief-makers in Nauvoo.—The Prophet Talks on Politics.
THE MARTYRDOM OF JOSEPH AND HYRUM, 1844.
Mission of the Apostles to the East.—A Warning to W. W.—A Sad Parting.—Political News of the Prophet Published.—W. W. Arrives in Boston, June 26.—The Martyrdom.—Its Announcement Reaches W. W. in Portland, Maine.—His Return to Boston.—An Epistle to the Elders and Saints in the World.—W. W. Visits His Old Home.—Return to Nauvoo.—Conditions in That City.
THE SUCCESSION, 1844.
Sidney Rigdon's Claim to Guardianship.—Rigdon's Spiritual Condition.—Comparison of Sidney Rigdon and Frederick Williams.—Remarks of Brigham Young.—Meeting on Aug. 8, 1844.—Brigham Young Follows Sidney Rigdon in Address to the People.—Members of the Twelve Speak.—Vote on Question of Leadership.
SECOND CALL TO GREAT BRITAIN, 1844.
The New Leadership.—Second Call to Great Britain.—Warning Against Leading Companies from Nauvoo.—Instructions To Finish the Temple and To Build up the City.—W. W. Visits Emma Smith and Others.—Parting Address to the Saints.
IN THE BRITISH MISSION, 1844-45-46.
Departure.—Route.—Visits Home of Solomon Mack.—A Peculiar Dream.—On the Ocean.—Copyright of Doctrine and Covenants.—Visit to Scotland.—Lemington.—Troubles in Nauvoo.—Condition of the Mission.—Preparation for His Return.
ON THE BANKS OF THE MISSOURI, 1846.
Dedication of the Temple in Nauvoo.—The Exodus to Council Bluffs.—Accident to His father.—Reaches Mt. Pisgah.—Meets Brigham Young.—Recruiting of the Mormon Battalion.—Colonel Kane.—Departure of the Battalion.—Organizations at Winter Quarters.—A Conference with the Chiefs of the Leading Indian Tribes.—Explorations.—Remarks by President Young.
DEPARTURE OF THE PIONEERS.—APRIL 7, 1847.
Arrival of Parley P. Pratt and John Taylor at Winter Quarters.—Organization of the Pioneers.—Manner of Forming Camp.—Horse Feed Enroute.—Pawnee Indians.—A Practical Joke.—Crossing Loup Fork.
PIONEER JOURNEY CONTINUED, 1847.
Elijah Newman Healed.—Indians Attempt Theft.—Antelopes Killed.—Encounter with Indians.—A Buffalo Hunt.—Meet Traders from Laramie.—A Decision To Keep the North Bank of the Platte.—Immense Herds of Buffaloes.—William Clayton's Mile Gage.—Letter Left for Next Company.—Description of the Rodometer.
PIONEERS REACH FORT LARAMIE—JUNE 2, 1847.
In the Red Man's Country.—Indian Customs.—Hunting Became Excessive.—Description of the Bluffs.—Guide Board 409 Miles from Winter Quarters.—Chimney Rock.—Brigham Young Rebukes Card Playing and Frivolity.—Fasting and Prayer.—Arrive at Fort Laramie.—Ascending the Plateaux.—Word from the Mormon Battalion.
PIONEERS ENTER SALT LAKE VALLEY.
Ferrying the Missourians over the River.—Construction of Rafts.—Obtaining Provisions.—Ten Men Left at the Ferry.—Independence Rock.—Devil's Gate.—175 Miles from Fort Laramie.—South Pass.—Meet Major Harris, and Mr. Bridger.—Cross Green River.—Meet Samuel Brannon.—Independence Day.—Meet a Detachment of the Battalion.—Fort Bridger.—Report of the Missouri Company That Perished.—Reach Salt Lake Valley, July 24, 1847.
RETURN OF THE PIONEERS TO WINTER QUARTERS, 1847.
In Retrospect.—First Crop of Potatoes Planted.—The Beginning of Irrigation.—First Sunday.—Explorations South to Utah Lake.—Choice of Temple Block.—Address by Brigham Young.—Return to Winter Quarters.—Meet the Second Company of Pioneers.—Encounter with the Indians.—Reach Winter Quarters, Oct. 31, 1847.—First Presidency Organized, Dec. 27, 1847.
A MISSION TO THE EAST, 1848.
In Winter Quarters.—Battle of Nauvoo Commemorated.—Organization of Pottowatamie County.—Bids President Young and Saints Good-by.—Journey from Winter Quarters to Nauvoo.—From Nauvoo to Maine.—A Letter to His Wife.—Healing the Sick.—Discovery of Gold in California.
ELDER WOODRUFF'S RETURN FROM THE EAST.
Letter to Orson Pratt.—Baptism of His Father-in-law, Ezra Carter.—Labors in New England.—Meets Dr. John M. Bernhisel.—Healing the Sick.—Interview with Col. Kane.—Hears Indian Chief.—Release from His Mission.—Return to the Valleys.—Conditions at the Frontier.—Stampede on the Plains.—Brigham Young Appointed Governor.—Salt Lake Temple Planned.—Salt Lake City Given a Charter.—Visit to the Southern Settlements.—Fourth Celebrated at Black Rock.—Celebrating of Twenty-fourth.—Death of His Step-Mother.—Judge Brocchus Speaks in Conference.—Beautiful Words of Patriarch John Smith.—A Vote To Discontinue Use of Tea and Coffee.
THE YEARS, 1852, '53, '54.
Discourse of Brigham Young on Sin.—The Descendants of Cain.—Edward Hunter Chosen Presiding Bishop.—Parowan Stake Organized.—David Patten.—Talk on Dancing.—Death of Willard Richards.—Jedediah M. Grant Chosen Counselor to Brigham Young.—Journey South.—Walker, the Indian Chief.—John Smith, Son of Hyrum Smith, Called To Be the Head Patriarch of the Church.—Visit North.—Legislature.—Philosophical Society.
EDUCATIONAL EFFORTS.
Education Promoted.—Adventurers.—Endowment House.—President Young Speaks of the Resurrection.—Death of Judge Schafer.—Provo.—Work in Educational Societies.—In the Legislature at Fillmore.—Words of Confidence from Kanosh, an Indian Chief.—Some Peculiarities of Wilford Woodruff.—Poisoned.
THE REFORMATION, 1856.
Hard Times Were Difficult for Some To Endure.—Recording Church History.—Dedication of Historian's Office.—First Hand-cart Company.—The Reformation Inaugurated—Death of Jedediah M. Grant.—Suffering of the Hand-cart Companies.—Heber C. Kimball's Dream.
CELEBRATION OF 24th, 1857.
Words of Brigham Young.—Talk by the Indian Chief, Aropene.—Assassination of Parley P. Pratt—Return of Thomas B. Marsh to the Church.—Celebration of the Twenty-fourth in Big Cottonwood Canyon.—News of the Army's Approach.
WAR TIMES, 1857.
Deposit of Church Records in Temple Foundation.—Approach of the Army.—Present of a Team.—John D. Lee.—Visit of Captain Van Vliet.—Lot Smith.—Col. Alexander Writes President Young.—Communication from Governor Cumming to Governor Young.—Miraculous Escapes.—High Price of Salt at Army Headquarters.—Prediction of Calamity to the Nation.—A Poetic Tribute by Eliza R. Snow.
ARMY ENTERS SALT LAKE VALLEY, 1858.
President and Congress of the U. S. Memorialized.—Words of Brigham Young.—Arrival of Col. Kane.—Governor Cumming Reaches Salt Lake City.—Migration Southward.—Delegates from Nicaragua.—Want Mormons To Move to Central America.—Proclamation from President Buchanan.—Peace Commission.—President of the Deseret Agricultural and Manufacturing Society.—Indian War Threatened.—A Striking Dialogue.—The Mob Element.—Mogo's Deception.—Attacks on President Young.—Greeley Visits Utah.
BEGINNING OF THE REBELLION, 1861.
Embarks in Sheep Industry.—Adventures of One Gibson.—Lectures to Young Men in Police Court.—Counsel to Missionaries.—Visit to Cache Valley.—Schools Investigated.—Celebration of the 24th.—Prophecies of Civil War.—Little Children in the Resurrection.—Brigham Young on Secession.—Death of Aphek Woodruff.—Governor Dawson.
THE YEARS 1862-'63.
Killing of Thieves.—John Baptiste, the Grave Digger.—Value of a Daily Journal.—Erection of the Salt Lake Theatre.—State of Deseret.—Foundation Stones of Temple Raised.—Indian Troubles on Bear River.—Visit of the Moquitches to Salt Lake City.—Their Customs.—Attempt To Arrest President Young.—Settlement of Bear Lake Valley.—Mining.
THE YEARS, 1864-65.
Some Enjoyments.—He Visits a Condemned Man in Prison.—Troubles Made by Gibson on Hawaiian Islands.—Lorenzo Snow's Escape from Watery Grave.—Visit to Bear Lake Valley.—Remark of President Young in Logan.—Ordination to Apostleship of Charles C. Rich, Lorenzo Snow, Erastus Snow, and Franklin D. Richards.—Hot Springs at Midway.—Second Inauguration of President Lincoln.—Treaty with Indians.—Colfax Visits Utah.—Jane Blackhurst.
THE YEARS 1866, '67, '68.
New Year's Greetings.—Evil Spirits Rebuked.—Love for Little Ones.—Drawings in His Journal.—Mrs. Godbe's Dream.—Brigham Young's Remarks on the Atonement.—Sept. 5, 1867, Joseph F. Smith Selected as One of the Twelve.—Amasa Lyman Dropped from Twelve.—School of the Prophets.—Move to Provo.—Grasshopper War.—Advent of the Railroad.—Remarkable Prophetic Utterances at Logan.—Visit to Sanpete.—Call to First Presidency of Geo. A. Smith.—Accident to His Son Ashael.—Summary of 1868.
THE YEARS, 1869, 70.
Co-operative Movement.—Cove Fort.—Pronouncement Against Use of Wine.—Organization of Bear Lake Stake.—Visit of Schuyler Colfax.—The Godbe Movement.—Descendants of Cain.—Utah Central R. R. Completed.—Plural Marriage—Boston Board of Trade Visits Utah.—Sayings of Brigham Young.—The Newman-Pratt Discussion.—Martin Harris Re-baptized.
PIONEER LIFE IN RICH COUNTY, 1871.
Arrest of President Young and Others.—Experiences in Randolph.—Caught in a Snow-storm.—Reaches Salt Lake City.
THE YEARS, 1872-74.
Judge McKean.—Journalizing.—Early Church Historians.—Holy Ghost.—Visit to San Francisco.—Funerals of Pitt and Player.—Thomas L. Kane.—Garden of Eden.—Paralysis.—Earl Rosebury.—Fall from a Tree.
ST. GEORGE TEMPLE DEDICATED.
Visit to Randolph.—Governor Axtell.—Visit of President Grant.—Visit of Dom Pedro, Emperor of Brazil.—Dedication of St. George Temple.—A Grand Birthday Celebration.
DEATH OF BRIGHAM YOUNG, AUG. 29, 1877.
Death of His Son, Brigham Young Woodruff.—Prophetic Utterances.—Baptisms for the Signers of the Declaration of Independence.—Death of Brigham Young Changes His Plans.—Funeral.—Visit to Logan.—Visit to St. George.—A Vision.—Old Folks' Excursion.—Zion's Board of Trade.
EXPERIENCES IN ARIZONA, 1879.
In Arizona.—An Epistle to the World.—Birthday Celebrated in St. George.—Travels in Arizona.—Hunt with Pelone, the Apache Chief.—A Visit to the Zunies.—Travels with Lot Smith.—Dream.—Letters.
REMARKABLE EXPERIENCES IN ARIZONA, 1880.
In a Shepherd's Tent in Arizona.—A Revelation Given Jan. 26, 1880.—Organization of First Presidency.—Call to Apostleship of Francis M. Lyman and John Henry Smith.
YEARS OF GREAT AGITATION, 1881, 1882.
Leonard Hardy's Birthday Party.—Prophecy Concerning Joseph F. Smith.—Death of Orson Pratt—Visit to St. George.—The Edmunds Law.—Oscar Wilde.—Conditions at St. Johns, Arizona.—Call of President George Teasdale, Heber J. Grant and Seymour B. Young.—Death of Captain William H. Hooper.
THE CRUSADE OPENS, 1883-1885.
Exemplary Deacons.—Adam-ondi-Ahman.—Visit to Colorado.—The Patriarchal Order of Marriage.—Andrew Burt.—Farm Life.—The Crusade Opens.—The Family Celebration of His Birthday.—Call of John W. Taylor.—Call of Wm. B. Preston.—Land Troubles in Arizona.—Dedication of the Logan Temple.—A Visit to Snake River. Country, Idaho.—Growth of Children After the Resurrection.—Call of John Morgan.—In Exile.—Conference at Fish Lake.
ELEVATION TO PRESIDENCY OF THE CHURCH, 1889.
Arrest of George Q. Cannon.—Governor Murray's Dismissal.—Death of President Taylor.—President Woodruff Appears in the Tabernacle.—Change in Federal Officers.—April, 1889, Wilford Woodruff Became President of the Church.—Visit to California.—M. W. Merrill, A. H. Lund, and Abraham H. Cannon Called to Apostleship.—Senator Morgan Visits President Woodruff.
THE MANIFESTO AND EVENTS OF 1890-'91.
The Political Situation.—Visit to California.—The Manifesto.—Its Effects.—Sugar Industry.—Henry M. Stanley.—Deaths of Prominent Men.—Earthquake in Southern Utah.—Address to Irrigation Congress.—Interpretation of Manifesto.—Remarks at Brigham City on the Manifesto.
DEDICATION OF THE SALT LAKE TEMPLE, 1892.
New Home.—Visit of President Eliot to Salt Lake City.—Completing the Temple.—Amnesty.—Dedication of the Salt Lake Temple.—Visit to the World's Fair, Chicago.—Liberal Party Disbands.
ADMINISTRATIVE WORK, 1894.
Electric Power Plant in Ogden Canyon.—Saltair,—Death of His Brother, Thompson.—Temple Work for Benjamin Franklin.—An Optimist.—Death of A. O. Smoot of Provo.—Utah Stake Organized.—Trip to Alaska.
THE YEARS 1896-'97-'98.—BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION.—HIS DEATH.
Admission of Utah into the Union.—The Occasion Celebrated.—Political Struggles.—Birthday of Geo. Q. Cannon Celebrated.—April Conference, 1896.—Pronunciamento Regarding Political Matters.—Death of Apostle Abraham H. Cannon.—The Purity and Nobility of His Character Revealed to Prest. Woodruff.—Change of the Fast Day.—Great Celebration on His 90th Anniversary, 1897.—Visit from Judge Kinney.—Pioneer Jubilee Celebration.—Letter to the King and Queen of Sweden.—Visits the Coast.—His Son Owen Called to the Apostleship.—Attends April Conference, 1898.—Goes to the Coast in August.—His Sickness.—Departs this Life September 2, 1898. CHAPTER 56. Funeral Services.
Character Sketch.
Sidney Rigdon.
Address to the Saints of the British Isles.
Storm on Lake Michigan.
Rationality of the Atonement.
BIRTH AND GENEALOGY, 1807.
A Chosen Spirit.—Divine Guidance.—Genealogy.—A Miller by Trade.
Wilford Woodruff was the fourth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He belonged to that class of men of whom the Lord said to Abraham, "These will I make my rulers." Of our primeval childhood that ancient Prophet informs us that the Lord stood among those that were spirits and He saw that they were good. Of these spirits the Lord said to Abraham, "Thou art one of them, thou wert chosen before thou wast born." If the Lord knew Abraham and Jeremiah before they were born in the flesh, He also must have known Wilford Woodruff in the spirit world. The latter's integrity and unbounded devotion to the worship and purposes of his God are not surpassed by any prophet of either ancient or modern times. Like those of ancient times, Wilford Woodruff was undoubtedly foreordained of God to a noble mission in life, and to the great responsibilities which he filled with honor and to the glory of God. To him there was a reality of the spirit world rarely enjoyed by men, he constantly felt the influence of spiritual associations which were above and beyond the ordinary affairs of life. That he had an existence prior to this probation in life, he never doubted. He felt that life was a mission to which he had been called and which in the goodness of God he had been permitted to fill. His own spiritual existence was never overshadowed by temporalities or by constant misgivings that so frequently beset the lives of other men.
Wilford Woodruff looked upon the brotherhood of men as a natural sequence of his assurance that God was the Father of our spirits in a former life. He understood that prayer of the Savior addressing Himself to His Father in heaven. His own spirit was in harmony with the revelations of Christ. In the light of scriptural declarations and of his own spiritual nature, he was simply here in life in the performance of great duties which had been assigned him before the world was. He sincerely believed that in returning again to the God who had given him life he would have to account for his talents and his time. Speaking of the Athenians, Paul said: "God that made the world hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation."
In the life of Wilford Woodruff there was unfolded day by day the duties and obligations that linked him with the chain of eternal life. When the new revelation of God to men in this dispensation broke in upon him he was happily prepared to enjoy the new light. To be a Latter-day Saint from the outset seemed as natural as to breathe the air of heaven. He marvelled at the purposes of God but did not wonder, and doubt did not obscure from his vision the divine truth of this dispensation while he sojourned in the flesh. The love of God had always abounded in his heart, and the divine message found him eager and willing.
He was not among those who sought divine assurance and spiritual satisfaction in some one creed of the day. The Bible was his highest authority and he believed implicitly in the divinity of its teachings. He was a devoted student of Holy Writ and prayerfully sought the gifts and blessings bestowed upon the Saints of old. He was waiting for precisely that which came to him and he took up the new mission of life with a strenuous desire to serve God and to be a witness that he was the same God yesterday, to-day, and forever.
The story of Wilford Woodruff's life was consistent, faithful and in harmony with scriptural examples. The dealings of God with His children in other dispensations were always before his mind as illustrations and evidences. If the Bible had been the chief consolation of his youth and the best evidence of divine purposes, it became doubly so when he became a Latter-day Saint. Nothing that God had done in former dispensations was too insignificant for his earnest consideration. Henceforth he was to speak in the name of the Lord, and act by the authority of divine command. He loved the memory of the ancient Prophets and strove earnestly to emulate their example. His life, therefore, is marked by spiritual growth and a devotion to God's will that makes it an inspiration to all who knew him or who read the story of his life and teachings. He honored and magnified every office and calling conferred upon him from that of a teacher to the president of the Church. In this high station he laid down his life at the ripe age of ninety-one years.
Wilford Woodruff was born March 1st, 1807 in the town of Farmington, Hartford County, Connecticut. He was the son of Aphek Woodruff. His grandfather was Captain Eldad Woodruff who was the son of Josiah Woodruff. Josiah was the son of Joseph whose father's name was John, the son of Mathew Woodruff. This is as far back as Wilford Woodruff's genealogy has been traced in America. It is claimed that John Woodruff of South Hampton, Long Island, is the first person in American history bearing the name of Woodruff. Whether he is related to Matthew Woodruff, the earliest known ancestor of Wilford in this country, has not been determined. President Woodruff says, that according to the ancient Book of Heraldry, one of his ancestors was Lord Mayor of London in 1579.
His mother's name was Beulah Thompson. The family on his mother's side, for generations lived at Farmington, Connecticut. The Woodruff family name is English and is derived from the occupation of its bearers who in the days of William the Conqueror guarded the woods and forests for the use of noblemen and who were considered among the most honored officers in the land. From Wilford Woodruff's account of his forefathers it appears that they were hardy and long-lived people. He says: "My grandfather, Josiah Woodruff, lived nearly one hundred years. He possessed an iron constitution and performed a great deal of manual work up to the time of his death. His wife's name was Sarah. She bore him nine children: Josiah, Appleton, Eldad, Elisha, Joseph, Rhoda, and Phoebe. There were two of this family whose names are not given. My grandfather, Eldad Woodruff, was the third son of Josiah. He was born in Farmington, Hartford County, Connecticut in 1751. He likewise possessed a strong constitution and it was said of him that for several years he performed more labor than any man in Hartford County. From over exertion and hewing timber he was attacked with rheumatism in his right hip which caused a severe lameness for several years before his death. He married Dinah Woodford by whom he had seven children: Eldad, Elizabeth, Samuel, Titus, Helen, Aphek, and Ozem. My grandfather died in Farmington from spotted fever in 1806 at the age of fifty-five years. My grandmother, Dinah, died in the same place in 1824 from the effects of a cancer in her breast; her sufferings were very great.
"My father, Aphek Woodruff, was born in Farmington, November 11, 1778. He married Beulah Thompson who bore him three sons: Azmon, born Nov. 29th, 1802; Thompson, born December 22nd, 1804; and myself, born March 1st, 1807. My mother died from spotted fever January 11th, 1808 at the age of twenty-eight years, leaving me a babe of fifteen months. My father married a second wife, Azubah Hart. She bore him six children. He was a man of a strong constitution and did a great amount of labor. At eighteen years of age he began work in a flour mill and saw mill and continued at his occupation there for about fifty years. Most of that time he labored eighteen hours a day. He never made any profession of religion until I baptized him into the Church of Jesus Christ on the first day of July, 1838. He was a man of great charity, honesty, and integrity and made himself poor by giving to the poor. He was liberal in accommodating his fellow men by lending money and by becoming surety for his neighbors. He generally said yes to every man who asked a favor at his hands."
"I assisted my father in the Farmington mills until I was twenty years of age and continued in the occupation of a miller until I was thirty-one."