,,precious ,,memories ,,sixteenth ,,book ,,of ,,the ,,faith ,,promoting ,,series ,,designed ,,for ,,the ,,instruction ,,and ,,encouragement ,,of ,,young ,,latter-,,day ,,saints ,,compiled ,,and ,,published ,,by ,,geo4 ,c4 ,,lambert ,,salt ,,lake ,,city1 ,,utah #aiad ,,preface ,the assurances received of the beneficial effects of the earlier volumes of the ,faith-,promoting ,series encourage the hope and belief that the present volume may be none the less helpful and appreciated4 ,narratives of personal experience1 especially when they relate to people familiar to the reader or the community in which he lives possess a peculiar charm to most people1 and especially to the young1 and may convey helpful lessons more effectually than homilies or treatises1 however carefully written1 are apt to4 ,the reason therefor probably is that in the narrative the moral is applied in real experience whereas in the treatise or homily the moral is expressed in the abstract only1 and doubt may exist in the mind of the reader as to just how to apply it in real life4 ,the hope is entertained that not only may the narratives contained in this volume entertain and at the same time tend to promote faith in those who read them1 but that they may also incite others in the community whose lives have been fraught with incidents that would be faith-promoting if published to have the same reduced to writing and supply us therewith for use in the ,faith-,promoting ,series1 or else furnish us with the facts and allow us to prepare the same for publication4 ,g4 ,c4 ,l4 ,,contents ,,suffering ,,and ,,service ,,of ,,thomas ,,briggs4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,withered ,limb ,restored to ,use--,sister and ,mother ,instantly ,healed--,saints ,preserved in ,cholera ,epidemic--,prophetic ,advice to the ,briggs ,family--,consequences of ,failure to ,follow it--,voyage to ,america--,the ,mother ,healed in ,answer to ,prayer--,satanic ,threat ,fulfilled in ,mother's ,death--,sickness and ,recovery of ,thomas--,his ,marriage--,premonition of ,death--,death of ,father4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,thomas' ,responsibility--,journey to ,wisconsin--,disappointment--,a ,new ,home ,sought--,strenuous ,life--,knee ,injured--,intense ,suffering--,given ,up to ,die--,stimulating ,vision--,birth of a ,daughter--,novel ,runaway--,remedy for his ,lameness--,sundry ,efforts to ,earn a ,living--,chinch ,bugs ,threaten ,destruction of ,crop--,crop ,saved by ,inspiration4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,start to ,utah--,obstacles in ,traveling--,strained ,from ,over-,lifting--,halted ,through ,illness--,journey to ,utah ,abandoned--,go to ,springfield1 ,illinois--,new ,occupation--,money ,made and ,lost--,journey ,resumed--,providentially ,helped--,unexpected ,meeting of ,relatives--,work at ,outfitting ,post--,journey ,across the ,plains--,arrival in ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,locates in ,bountiful--,generosity of ,neighbors--,recognized ,home ,shown ,him in ,dream--,burned ,out--,runs a ,saw ,mill--,death of ,wife--,child ,terribly ,scalded1 ,recovers--,brigham ,young's ,promise--,marries ,again--,comforting ,testimonies4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,unstinted ,service--,inspiration--,goes to the ,northwestern ,states as a ,missionary--,health ,fails and he ,returns--,shocking ,death of ,son ,david--,limb ,amputated--,patriarchal ,blessing--,incident in ,logan ,temple--,trip to ,england to ,obtain ,genealogy4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,his ,life's ,mission ,found--,extensive ,genealogy ,obtained--,blessed in ,his ,wives and ,children--,death of ,wife and ,others--,third ,marriage--,leg ,amputated a ,second ,time--,his ,benediction4 ,,george ,l4 ,,farrell',s ,,missionary ,,experience4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,visits ,birmingham ,conference--,dying ,girl ,healed ,when ,administered to--,prediction ,that ,she ,should ,be ,baptised ,fulfilled--,goes to ,utah1 ,gets ,married1 ,has a ,child and ,dies--,other ,conversions in the ,challis ,family4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,mr4 ,clark's ,intolerance--,elder ,farrell's ,influence ,over ,him--,baptisms in ,stanwick--,clark ,family ,migrate4 ,,prepared ,,for ,,the ,,gospel4 ,john ,anderson's ,search for the ,truth--,providential ,way in ,which ,he ,was ,first ,led to ,attend a ,meeting of the ,saints--,embraced the ,gospel--,firm ,adherence ,thereto4 ,a ,,prediction ,,and ,,its ,,fulfillment4 ,prediction that an ,apparently ,barren ,woman ,would ,give ,birth to a ,son--,its ,literal ,fulfillment--,that ,son's ,reverence for the ,elder ,who ,made the ,prediction4 ,a ,,tongue ,,of ,,utility4 ,elder ,bastian ,inspired to ,preach in the ,danish ,language ,before ,he ,had ,learned ,it4 ,,judgment ,,upon ,,an ,,anti-,,mormon4 ,thug ,hired to ,assault a ,mormon ,preacher--,his ,mission ,divined by the ,elder--,a ,prediction ,concerning the ,instigator--,its ,literal ,fulfillment4 ,suffering and ,service of ,thos4 ,briggs ,,chapter ,i4 ,,withered ,,limb ,,restored ,,to ,,use--,,sister ,,and ,,mother ,,instantly ,,healed--,,saints ,,preserved ,,in ,,cholera ,,epidemic--,,prophetic ,,advice ,,to ,,the ,,briggs ,,family--,,consequences ,,of ,,failure ,,to ,,follow ,,it--,,voyage ,,to ,,america--,,the ,,mother ,,healed ,,in ,,answer ,,to ,,prayer--,,satanic ,,threat ,,fulfilled ,,in ,,mother',s ,,death--,,sickness ,,and ,,recovery ,,of ,,thomas--,,his ,,marriage--,,premonition ,,of ,,death--,,death ,,of ,,father4 ,,brother ,,thomas ,,briggs1 of ,bountiful1 ,utah1 a man who is noted for his zeal and integrity1 has had a rather eventful life1 the principal incidents of which he has had reduced to a type-written narrative for the benefit of his posterity4 ,from this compilation and information otherwise obtained1 the following items are culled3 ,he was born ,august #bj1 #ahcb1 at ,newark1 ,notting-hamshire1 ,england4 ,when six years of age he removed with his parents to ,hull1 where his father owned and operated a small vessel that plied about the coast and on the rivers1 where the water was too shallow for large ships to navigate4 ,his parents were religious people1 but dissatisfied with the sects of the day1 and therefore not members of any of them4 ,in the year #ahdh1 the father heard of the ,latter-day ,saints1 and1 on attending one of their meetings1 was immediately attracted by their doctrines4 ,the mother could not be persuaded to attend a meeting for a long time because of the unpopularity of the ,mormons1 and for the reason that their place of worship was in a somewhat disreputable part of the town4 ,when she did finally hear the ,mormon ,elders1 she too1 as well as ,thomas1 became interested1 the latter especially so on hearing a discourse on the gifts of the ,gospel and the signs that follow the believer4 ,thomas at that time was sorely afflicted with what the doctors called a withered limb4 ,what he heard set him to thinking1 reading the ,bible and praying4 ,his parents had spent a large amount of money on having his left leg1 7which had ceased growing1 and was very painful17 treated by various doctors1 but all in vain4 ,in the fall of #ahdh the ,father embraced the ,gospel1 and near the same time he took ,thomas to a very noted doctor1 in the hope that he would be able to cure him2 but the doctor1 after examining the boy1 said his was a very bad case1 and told the father confidentially that he could not live much longer4 ,on leaving the doctor's office the boy asked his father what the doctor had said about him1 and received the discouraging reply that1 in the doctor's opinion1 he could not live to be a man4 ,thomas determined to rely no more upon the doctors' treatment1 but to appeal to the ,lord1 and if he could not be healed in answer to the prayer of the ,elders to be satisfied to die4 ,the ,elders at that time frequently held meetings at the ,briggs home1 so the very next time they met there the father informed the ,president of the ,branch of the boy's wish4 ,he was accordingly anointed with oil1 after which the ,elders laid their hands upon his head and prayed for him4 ,he slept well that night and when he arose the following morning his lame limb was as sound and well as the other1 and of the same length1 although it had previously been fully two inches shorter1 causing him to walk with a decided limp4 ,a pair of shoes had been ordered for him with a specially thick cork sole upon the left one1 to enable him to walk without limping1 but as they had not been finished before he was administered to1 the thick sole feature was the next day countermanded4 ,the left limb had never been as vigorous as the other from the time he was three months old1 and it was a few weeks after the incident referred to before it became as fleshy1 although it was equally strong4 ,after that one could not have told from the appearance of his limbs when nude which had been affected2 nor1 in fact1 that either ever had been4 ,near the same time ,thomas' sister ,elizabeth had a large and painful swelling come under her ear1 and when the mother was almost worn out with sitting up and waiting upon her1 the ,elders also administered to her4 ,immediately afterwards she fell asleep1 slept soundly all night and when she awoke the next morning the large swelling1 which had been round and hard like a ball1 had disappeared1 and the loose skin hung down in the place of it like a bag upon the shoulder1 with no evidence whatever of any discharge from it4 ,it always remained a mystery where the discharge had gone to4 ,within a few days the loose skin dried up and peeled off1 and new skin succeeded1 without any sign of a scar4 ,an account of these two cases of healing was published in the ,millennial ,star of ,april #bd1 #ahej1 over the signatures of ,henry ,beecroft and ,james ,mc,naughton1 the two ,elders who officiated1 both of whom1 as ,brother ,briggs remarks in his narrative1 afterwards apostatized1 which serves to illustrate the fact that however much the power of ,god may be made manifest through an ,elder1 he may still be overcome by the evil one unless he leads a pure life and remains humble4 ,brother ,briggs also relates an instance of his mother being healed in answer to prayer soon after the family joined the ,church4 ,she had been so ill for several weeks as to be unable to leave her bed1 when one evening the ,elders called and administered to her4 ,she was healed immediately1 arose and prepared supper for her guests1 of which she also ate heartily herself1 and then joined in singing hymns and entertaining until midnight1 as if she had never been ailing4 ,on the #bgth of ,january1 #ahdi1 ,thomas1 who was then in his #ahth year1 was baptized1 and from that time bore a fervent testimony to the truth of the ,gospel4 ,during a meeting of the ,saints held in ,hull soon after ,thomas was baptized1 a person spoke in tongues1 and when the interpretation was given 7which was by another person1 and which was evidently inspired7 it was found that it related wholly to ,thomas4 ,it was said that he would have many trials to pass through in life1 and much suffering to endure1 but they should be shown to him beforehand1 and if he remained faithful he would come off victorious1 and in the end wear a martyr's crown4 ,thomas was not specially impressed with this incident at the time1 but he had occasion to think of it many times afterwards1 and also to see much of it verified4 ,in the year #ahdi the cholera was very prevalent in ,hull1 and though many of the ,saints suffered from it1 but few of them died1 being mostly healed by the power of ,god in answer to prayer4 ,in the year #ahej the ,briggs family were greatly prospered1 and were strongly advised by one of the ,elders who enjoyed the gift of prophecy1 to migrate to ,utah4 ,he said3 ,brother ,briggs1 when you get sufficient means to take you to new ,orleans1 you go2 then go from there to ,st4 ,louis1 or you may never get to the valleys of the mountains4 ,the father1 however1 delayed starting until misfortune began to overtake him1 when he was reminded of the counsel he had received1 and hastened to obey it4 ,they took passage on the ship ,ellen1 which sailed from ,liverpool1 ,january #h1 #ahea4 ,the vessel had not proceeded far when1 during a heavy gale1 she collided with another ship1 and was so badly damaged that she had to run into ,cardigan bay1 ,north ,wales1 and remain there three weeks while undergoing repairs4 ,while there one of the sailors was badly hurt1 and was sent to ,liverpool2 and ,thomas ,briggs1 the subject of this sketch1 volunteered to take his place1 and work his passage across the ocean1 and was allowed to do so4 ,after a fairly prosperous voyage the ship anchored at ,new ,orleans on the #adth of ,march1 and the ,briggs family proceeded by steamboat up the ,mississippi to ,st4 ,louis1 where they landed ,march #bf1 #ahea4 ,there they met a man who had borrowed some money from the ,briggs family in ,england1 and who was now prepared to repay the loan1 which helped them to make a new start1 for the means with which they started had become exhausted4 ,father and son sought employment and worked at whatever job was offered them--as boat hands1 farmers' hired help1 bottle washers in soda water factories1 teamsters1 putting up ice1 chopping cordwood1 etc4 ,sometimes they were home at night1 at other times absent for a considerable period4 ,the cholera was very bad in ,st4 ,louis at that time1 and one night while ,thomas and his mother were the only members of the family at home1 she was stricken with the cholera1 and appeared to be dying4 ,he was prompted to get some oil and administer to her4 ,though inexperienced1 he anointed and prayed over her1 and she immediately revived1 and in a short time took some nourishment4 ,before many days had passed she was as well as ever4 ,soon afterwards1 while ,thomas was lying awake in bed one night1 there suddenly appeared before his vision a personage dressed in black1 who looking straight at him1 said in a sneering tone3 ,you have saved her life this time1 but ,i will have it next time4 ,and when ,i get her life ,i will have yours4 ,thomas boldly answered3 ,you shall not6 ,he understood the personage to represent the power of darkness1 and the person referred to as having her life saved to be his mother4 ,he had reason to feel very soon that it was no idle threat that the evil one indulged in4 ,thomas obtained work at a dairy1 and by his diligence soon worked his way up to the position of foreman4 ,in consequence of the prevalence of cholera and the frequent changes in the force of employees as a result1 he was under the necessity of making occasional trips around with the milk wagons to keep familiar with the routes and see that the drivers were doing their duty4 ,one morning while thus engaged he was met on the street by his father1 who was greatly agitated1 and who asked him to hurry home with him1 as his mother was dying4 ,thomas hastened to her bedside1 ready and anxious to do anything in his power to save her life4 ,as he entered the room she turned her eyes upon him and said faintly3 ,tom1 be a good lad to your father6 ,these were her last words4 ,her life was ebbing fast away4 ,she soon lapsed into unconsciousness1 and in a very short time her heart ceased to beat4 ,the mother had not been long dead when ,thomas was reminded of the threat made by the evil one1 that he would get her next time1 and also of that against his own life4 ,about one year had elapsed since the threat was uttered1 and he had now 7on the #ahth of ,august #ahea7 partially executed it4 ,after the burial of his mother ,thomas resumed his work at the dairy1 and his sister ,elizabeth1 who had been out at service1 returned home and kept house for her father4 ,about the first of the year #aheb ,thomas was taken suddenly ill with bilious fever1 and brought home for treatment4 ,the father1 very much against the wish of ,thomas1 sent for a doctor1 who attended him for five or six weeks without any sign of improvement2 in fact1 he continued to grow worse4 ,the father became greatly alarmed and discouraged1 lest he also should die4 ,finally ,thomas determined to have his own way in the matter of remedies1 and the next time the doctor called he told him he had decided to take no more of his medicine1 and to dispense with his services4 ,he asked his father to throw away all of the doctor's medicine that he had1 and to get him a bottle of olive oil1 and he would take that and trust in the ,lord for the result4 ,he took about half of the bottle of oil1 which caused nausea1 and he really felt for awhile as if he was dying1 but after vomiting very freely1 and thus relieving his system of a good deal of the poison which had accumulated therein1 he felt better1 and from that time improved4 ,as the winter approached ,thomas felt the necessity of seeking a warmer climate to recuperate in1 after being confined to his bed for eight or nine weeks1 so went south to ,new ,orleans1 where he was soon rejoined by his father4 ,they obtained work and did well1 and had every encouragement to remain there permanently1 but ,thomas especially felt that his destiny would not be completely filled until he had joined his fortunes with the body of the ,saints in the mountains4 ,furthermore1 he felt that he had reached a proper age for marriage1 and as he had made the acquaintance of a young woman in ,st4 ,louis1 of his own faith1 and in every way suitable1 he was anxious to marry her4 ,he laid his plans before his father1 and they were heartily approved4 ,they accordingly returned to ,st4 ,louis1 where ,thomas was shortly afterwards married to the girl of his choice1 ,miss ,ann ,kirkham1 by the ,presiding ,elder in ,st4 ,louis1 ,brother ,horace ,s4 ,eldredge4 ,he and his wife set up a temporary home in ,st4 ,louis1 hoping to have the father live with them while making preparations for the journey1 and then go with them to ,utah4 ,the summer of #ahec was very hot in ,st4 ,louis1 and much sickness prevailed1 and many deaths occurred4 ,on ,sunday1 the #bgth of ,august1 ,thomas and his wife entertained his sister and his wife's sister at luncheon1 and afterwards walked to the cemetery and looked at his mother's grave4 ,while standing around it he was impressed to say1 ,girls1 it will not be long before we shall lay another in this cemetery lot6 ,it produced a profound feeling1 and he tried1 but in vain1 to reason away the idea4 ,they returned home1 feeling very sad and filled with foreboding4 ,even ,thomas1 though he felt sure his premonition would be fulfilled1 was uncertain as to who the victim would be4 ,when they arrived home1 to their surprise they learned that ,father ,briggs had just been brought there in a cab1 stricken with yellow fever4 ,his feet were very cold1 and when they were placed in hot water he said he could not feel any warmth in them4 ,thomas realized then that his symptoms meant death1 but kept his thoughts to himself4 ,the father1 though confident when first brought home that he would recover1 evidently soon changed his opinion1 for he said to his son3 ,tom1 ,i shall never get to the mountains2 but you will1 and you must never forget the dead6 ,he died the following day 7,august #ah1 #ahec71 and was buried beside his wife1 thus fulfilling the son's unwitting prediction1 and leaving his son bereft of both mother and father within one short year4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,thomas' ,,responsibility--,,journey ,,to ,,wisconsin--,,disappointment--,a ,,new ,,home ,,sought--,,strenuous ,,life--,,knee ,,injured--,,intense ,,suffering--,,given ,,up ,,to ,,die--,,stimulating ,,vision--,,birth ,,of ,a ,,daughter--,,novel ,,runaway--,,remedy ,,for ,,his ,,lameness--,,sundry ,,efforts ,,to ,,earn ,a ,,living--,,chinch ,,bugs ,,threaten ,,destruction ,,of ,,crop--,,crop ,,saved ,,by ,,inspiration4 ,,thomas felt keenly his responsibility1 in being left at the age of twenty-one without earthly father and mother to appeal to for counsel1 in being the only male member of his parents' kindred upon whom the duty rested of redeeming the dead1 and in being so far separated from the body of the ,saints1 with a wife and sister to care for1 without home of his own1 and living in a city where death was stalking abroad and smiting his victims by the thousand4 ,the prospect1 though gloomy1 only filled him with a determination to be faithful4 ,in ,october1 #ahec1 ,thomas and his wife and her parents left ,st4 ,louis to locate at ,baraboo1 in ,wisconsin1 where1 they had been informed1 land and stock were abundant1 and could be had on easy terms4 ,they expected to go up the river by steamboat to ,galena1 but on reaching ,keokuk1 ,iowa1 the water was found to be too shallow to float the boat1 and the freight was transferred to flat boats1 and hauled up to ,montrose1 opposite ,nauvoo4 ,but the boat1 thus lightened1 was three days getting over the rapids1 and the passengers were without shelter and suffered from cold4 ,on reaching ,galena they hired teams to convey them to ,baraboo1 and when they arrived at that place they found they had been deceived in regard to it1 as there was neither land nor stock to be had2 the soil was very poor and the residents couldn't sell what little they did raise4 ,thomas had spent his savings in getting there1 and saw no chance of earning more4 ,having an acquaintance living at ,hebron1 one hundred miles south of ,baraboo1 he proceeded thither by stage1 and1 finding he could secure work there at splitting rails1 he hired a man and team to go with him to ,baraboo and bring his folks back4 ,they arrived at ,hebron just before ,christmas1 bought forty acres of land on time1 and started in to earn a livelihood4 ,he had not only his wife and sister to provide for1 but his wife's parents and their family of six members relied upon him for protection and guidance at least if not for actual support4 ,the weather was much of the time unfavorable for work1 and the work--chopping and splitting large timber1 and clearing land--new and strange to him1 so that he not only felt it severely1 but the family had little to subsist upon1 and found it necessary to eke out an existence by using bran and shorts for food1 catching fish1 or killing an occasional squirrel4 ,the hardships and privations they endured during the first year or two of their life in ,wisconsin were such as to try their very souls1 and ,brother ,briggs pays a grateful tribute to his wife by recording the fact that she never once murmured4 ,he was young and strong and full of endurance1 and able to work almost night and day1 and cared nothing for himself1 his only concern being for those dependent upon him4 ,on the #acth of ,september1 #ahed1 his first child was born--,ephraim1 who brought cheer to the hearts of his parents1 and as they became more used to their surroundings they felt more reconciled1 and indulged in the hope of soon acquiring enough means to take them to the mountains4 ,they bought another forty acres of land on time1 and ,thomas spent every hour that he could spare1 when not working for others1 at fencing and improving his own property4 ,while so engaged1 in the fall of #ahee1 he hurt his knee very severely1 when working in the timber1 and1 thinking it was only a temporary hurt1 and not caring to worry his wife about it1 he said nothing about it until the pain became so intense he could bear it in silence no longer4 ,a doctor was sent for1 and he prescribed for him1 but no relief resulted from his treatment4 ,he was told that an abscess was forming on the knee joint1 and he could hope for no relief until it would burst4 ,the limb continued to swell four or five weeks until it was larger in circumference than his body1 and the pain almost drove him to distraction4 ,his wife was almost worn out in caring for him1 and his own prayers seemed of no avail4 ,most thoroughly and sincerely did he regret and repent of having wandered away from the ,saints1 where those bearing the ,priesthood might have rendered him assistance4 ,finally the abscess burst1 and the discharge from it saturated the bed and ran down upon the floor4 ,he was so weak and helpless that the only way those surrounding him could tell that he still lived1 was by holding a mirror over his face1 and watching upon it the effects of his breath4 ,however1 he continued to live1 and in course of time to show a slight improvement4 ,in ,may1 #ahef1 however1 he had a relapse1 and the doctor was hastily sent for4 ,he attended him for several days and then declared he could do nothing more for him2 he could not possibly recover1 and he could not last more than a few days4 ,after the doctor had gone the patient dosed off for a few moments1 and when he awoke he saw his wife standing by his bedside with tears streaming down her pale cheeks4 ,rallying his slight remaining strength1 he said3 ,ann1 dry your tears1 for ,i am going to live to go to the mountains1 and shall there build a large house4 ,it was thought at first that he was delirious1 and little credence was given to what he said1 but later on he repeated the declaration and explained that the mountains and valley had passed before his mind in vision and he had seen the very place where his home was to be1 and the spirit bore testimony to him that he would live to realize it4 ,he was not shown what he would have to endure before the vision would be realized1 but the assurance had a stimulating effect upon him4 ,a slight improvement was soon noticeable in the sick man1 and by the #cjth of ,june1 #ahef1 he was able to be carried to the home of his father-in-law4 ,his leg was still discharging1 and there were nine holes just above the knee2 the limb was also crooked1 and the cords so rigid that it was feared he would never be able to straighten it again1 even if he were permitted to recover4 ,under these circumstances1 and while his wife was weak and careworn after her long and anxious siege of watching over him day and night1 and without proper nourishment or comfortable surroundings1 she gave birth ,july #a1 #ahef1 to ,emma her second child1 and1 to the surprise of all concerned1 she and the babe got along wonderfully well2 which was a proof to the household that the ,lord had not forgotten them4 ,on the #crd of ,july1 #ahef1 after ,thomas had been taken back home1 and when he was barely able to sit up1 his father-in-law called and announced that he was going to town 7,whitewater7 the next day1 to see his daughters1 who were in service there4 ,thomas expressed a desire to go with him1 as he was anxious to see his sister1 who was also working there4 ,their only means of conveyance was an ordinary dump cart1 drawn by a yoke of steers4 ,a start was made the next morning1 ,thomas lying upon a mattress in the cart1 and the father-in-law driving4 ,thomas fainted twice from pain before they had proceeded far1 and each time1 after he had been revived1 the proposition was made to return home with him1 but he was determined to proceed1 and they continued on4 ,his sister was overjoyed at seeing him1 and arranged with the family she was working for to return with him1 for a short visit4 ,on the return journey the steers became frightened and ran away1 and ,father ,kirkham1 thinking he could outrun them1 jumped off the cart and tried to get ahead of them1 to stop them1 but was soon left far in the rear4 ,the end gate was lost in the race1 and ,thomas1 lying upon the mattress1 slid backward1 and would have fallen out had not his sister1 who was seated beside him1 gripped the front of the cart with one hand and ,thomas' collar by the other1 and thus held him4 ,after running frantically quite a long distance1 the steers were finally stopped by a man who was along the road in front of them4 ,the incident ended without any serious results1 but it was a narrow escape for ,thomas1 who was as helpless1 bodily1 as a child1 and who was partially hanging from the cart when it came to a halt4 ,he couldn't help feeling that the devil was trying to execute his threat against him1 and that a higher power had preserved him4 ,from that time his improvement was more rapid1 although there were seven or eight running sores on his leg1 and they kept him very weak4 ,when he was able to hobble about on crutches1 he used to have to carry his leg in a sling1 suspended from his shoulder4 ,when the limb hung down without a sling1 it was so far from being straight that the toes were fully six inches from the ground1 and the leg was much more painful than when suspended4 ,how1 under such circumstances1 he was ever going to support his family1 to say nothing of going to ,utah1 was beyond his power to foresee1 and had it not been for the heavenly assurance he had received he would probably have lost hope4 ,about that time he met a man who claimed to be skilled in the art of healing1 who prescribed certain herbs for his use1 and told him to fill a bottle with angle worms and stand it in the sunlight until the worms turned to oil1 and then rub the oil on his leg4 ,he followed the directions1 and his leg and health improved4 ,after a few months he could touch the toes of his lame limb to the ground1 and dispense with the bandages and sling4 ,the family removed to a stone quarry1 and his wife boarded the men employed there at #aj4jj per month each1 and the family lived upon such scraps as were left from the boarders' table4 ,thomas was ambitious to do something1 and tried sawing wood1 at #ge;c per cord1 and1 though the exertion made his leg pain him much worse1 he persevered1 his wife quitting her housework from time to time to do the lifting for him1 as he couldn't do it himself4 ,then he tried driving team to haul wood for a lime kiln4 ,the men who accompanied him had to lift him on and off the wagon1 as well as to load and unload the wagon for him1 but this they did out of sheer sympathy for him4 ,in the spring of #aheh he moved back to the farm which he had lost1 through sickness1 the owner being willing to let the family occupy the house1 and pay his wife for boarding men he employed at farming1 while ,thomas fed the pigs and did odd jobs4 ,on the #aeth of ,september1 his third child1 ,david1 was born4 ,the larger the family grew the less likely it really seemed to be that they would ever reach the mountains1 but ,thomas fondly clung to the promises made him1 that he should do so1 and his faith in the ,lord never wavered4 ,in the fall of the year he bought a span of horses and wagon1 and spent the winter hauling wood into ,whitewater1 buying it for #a4jj per cord and selling it for #b4ej or #c4jj4 ,his leg was still very painful1 but he could not content himself to be idle4 ,in the spring of #ahei he obtained considerable employment on the roads1 working poll tax for people who were too busy to work it out for themselves1 getting #b4be per day for himself and team4 ,he also secured the privilege of cultivating a three-acre patch of a large farm1 the owner of which was willing that he should have all he could raise on it4 ,he planted it to corn1 and raised #bjj bushels to the acre1 which1 although corn was very cheap1 insured them against want for bread and provided feed for the animals4 ,in the spring of #ahfa he rented nine acres of land1 and sowed it to wheat1 with a fervent hope that if the ,lord favored him with a good crop on it1 he would be able1 with what he had already saved up1 to journey to the mountains4 ,on the #fth of ,april1 that same year1 his fourth child1 ,mary ,ann1 was born4 ,she was welcomed as the others had been1 notwithstanding the increased number it involved for the prospective overland journey4 ,the wheat planted grew well1 and promised a heavy yield1 but one morning it was noticed that numerous black bugs1 called the chinch bug1 had begun to devour the grain1 or rather suck the sap from the stalks just as they were heading out1 and it looked as if the next few days would witness the total destruction of the crop4 ,one of the strange things about it was1 that his seemed to be the only field in that vicinity that was affected with the bugs4 ,while contemplating the shattering of his hopes1 the ,spirit of the ,lord prompted him to go to the man who was working the other part of the farm and borrow a cradle 7the best implement used at that time to cut grain with17 and cut a swath through the grain with it4 ,he had an assurance that this would have the effect of stopping the ravages of the bugs4 ,he immediately went to the man and told him what he intended to do1 and the man laughed at him1 and told him it was a foolish notion4 ,after some pleading and persuasion1 however1 the man took his cradle and cut a swath through the field1 ,thomas 7whom the man evidently regarded as slightly demented7 following along after him4 ,after the man had gone1 ,thomas knelt and offered up a silent prayer to the ,lord1 telling him that he had acted according to the promptings of ,his ,spirit1 and that he would leave the result with ,him4 ,on his return he told his wife of the presence of the bugs in their wheat field1 and what he had done4 ,she felt very sorrowful1 knowing that the habit of the bugs was1 when they commenced on a field1 never to leave it until it was completely destroyed1 but he assured her that the crop would be saved4 ,the next morning ,thomas hitched up his team1 and1 taking his son ,ephraim1 who was then seven years old1 with him1 drove up to the field4 ,when he arrived there he was astonished to find that the road bordering his field fairly swarmed with bugs1 that were making their way to a wheat field on the opposite side1 and that the swath that had been cut through the field was covered with millions of the insects1 that seemed to travel as if they were inspired4 ,the field they entered was just about ready to ripen1 and before the advent of the bugs1 gave promise to yield forty bushels to the acre1 but a few days later the forty-acre field was completely destroyed4 ,the owner was so disgusted that he later set fire to the straw which was left standing1 and thus cleared the land2 and the language in which he denounced ,thomas and the bugs was simply awful4 ,still he acknowledged1 and so did many others1 that there was something marvelous about the saving of one crop and destruction of the other4 ,thomas wished his neighbor no harm1 but he acknowledged the power of the ,lord in what had occured4 ,when his wheat was ready to cut1 his leg was so much worse that he was not able to stand on it4 ,hired help was so scarce and hard to obtain that it seemed doubtful whether he would be able to save his crop after all4 ,he finally induced the former who cultivated the adjoining land to cradle it1 a little at a time1 while the boy ,ephraim raked it into bundles1 and ,thomas crawled on his hands and knees1 and bound it4 ,when threshed1 the wheat yielded twenty-five bushels to the acre4 ,he was gratified with the result of his summer's work1 felt that the ,lord had greatly blessed him and had strong hopes of being able to migrate to ,utah in the following spring4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,start ,,to ,,utah--,,obstacles ,,in ,,traveling--,,strained ,,from ,,over-,,lifting--,,halted ,,through ,,illness--,,journey ,,to ,,utah ,,abandoned--,,go ,,to ,,springfield1 ,,illinois--,,new ,,occupation--,,money ,,made ,,and ,,lost--,,journey ,,resumed--,,providentially ,,helped--,,unexpected ,,meeting ,,of ,,relatives--,,work ,,at ,,outfitting ,,post--,,journey ,,across ,,the ,,plains--,,arrival ,,in ,,salt ,,lake ,,city4 ,,in ,,the fall and winter of #ahfa ,thomas had better health1 and he hauled wood from ,janesville1 twenty-one miles distant1 buying it for #a4jj per cord and selling it for #e4jj or #f4jj per cord1 accumulating something thereby4 ,about the middle of ,april1 #ahfb1 ,thomas1 his wife and their four children started for ,salt ,lake ,city1 a distance of nearly two thousand miles1 with their earthly chattels loaded into one wagon1 drawn by a span of horses4 ,the roads were bad in many places1 streams frequently high1 bridges in some cases washed away1 houses occasionally long distances apart and feed scarce1 all of which rendered travel very difficult for one who was unacquainted with the country and had no definite idea of the course he should take4 ,once they had to make an extra long drive because of not being able to obtain feed for their horses1 and while crossing a series of swamps had the wagon mire down so that the horses could not pull it out4 ,leaving his wife and children in the wagon1 ,thomas went ahead until he found a house1 roused the owner out of bed and hired him to take a fresh team back to help pull the wagon out of the mud4 ,both teams failing to move the wagon1 the goods were carried out to where the soil was firm4 ,even then they had great difficulty in getting the wagon out of the mire1 and ,thomas1 while standing in the mud and trying to raise the hind axle with a pole1 so strained his side that he was unable to travel for the next three weeks1 during which time they were under constant expense4 ,by the time he was able to resume his journey the season was so far advanced it was feared they would not be able to cross the plains that year4 ,thomas' sister had married some time before1 and was living at ,springfield1 ,illinois1 and1 on finding that it was too late to journey to ,utah that year1 he decided to go to ,springfield and see his sister1 as he feared he might never have another chance of doing so4 ,they arrived there in ,june1 and finding his sister and her husband living in the back part of a building that had formerly been used as a store1 ,thomas fitted up the front part as a restaurant1 and made some money by operating it1 but his health was quite poor and his leg very painful4 ,at the commencement of the year #ahfc ,archibald ,buchanan1 his brother-in-law1 rented a stall in the market and proposed for ,thomas to go in partnership with him1 ,thomas to do the buying and he to do the selling4 ,thomas closed up the restaurant and accepted the proposition4 ,they did well during the year1 and were feeling very much encouraged1 but they bought very heavily of poultry and other perishable stuff for the holiday trade1 and a thaw set in and caused so much stuff to spoil on their hands1 that they lost nearly all they had accumulated4 ,a very sorrowful ,christmas was spent as a result of their loss and disappointment1 for they were counting upon what they had saved to migrate to ,utah with4 ,thomas maintained hope in spite of the discouraging circumstances1 and declared that he would go to ,utah the following year if he had to walk all the way with a pack on his back1 and his wife said she was willing to put up with any hardship she could to reach that goal4 ,after deep thought on the subject1 ,thomas took his team and son ,ephraim1 who was then a little over nine years old1 and set off for a final trip through the surrounding region1 to buy up supplies for the market1 and announced to his wife and sister that it would be his last trip for that purpose4 ,for the first two days he met with little success1 then fortune favored him2 he was able to buy what he required for his load remarkably cheap1 and arrived home and got his goods on the market just at a time when there was a strong demand for them at high prices4 ,the profits from that single trip supplied him with sufficient means to warrant him in resuming his journey--not what he would require to go with a good outfit1 but he feared if he waited for that he would never reach ,utah4 ,after he had announced his intention to start1 and while he was busy making preparations to do so1 several different persons came to him with offers of partnership or other business propositions--some of them quite attractive--but he didn't dare to entertain them1 lest the ,lord would be displeased with him4 ,in fact1 he told his wife it was a trick of the devil1 to get him to remain in that country4 ,he and his wife conferred together in regard to the matter1 not with any thought of accepting any of the offers1 but to devise a way of hastening their departure if possible1 lest they might be tempted to stay4 ,they bowed in prayer before the ,lord1 committed themselves into ,his hands and asked ,him to spare their lives and those of their children1 and enable them to reach ,utah in safety1 and had faith that ,he would do so4 ,his brother-in-law did not want them to go1 and not only did all he could to discourage them1 but frequently declared that he himself would never go to ,utah4 ,the wives especially dreaded to part1 lest they might never see one another again4 ,when the time for starting arrived1 ,thomas said to his brother-in-law3 ,archie1 you will yet come to ,salt ,lake ,city1 and bring my sister with you6 ,he only scoffed at it1 however1 and insisted that he never would4 ,on the #bith of ,april1 #ahfd1 the family left ,springfield1 ,illinois1 with ,utah as their destination--a distance to be traversed by team of about sixteen hundred miles4 ,they had a good horse team and wagon1 a good supply of provisions and #hj4jj in cash4 ,the eldest child was not yet ten years old1 and the youngest three years of age4 ,the parents were both in poor health1 but they did not dare to give up or fail to hurry on because of that4 ,thomas' leg grew worse after starting1 and soon got so bad that he could not even harness the team1 the wife and eldest boy having to do that4 ,they aimed to travel about twenty-five miles a day1 but could not always do so1 the roads being often bad1 and storms frequently interfering with their travel4 ,they crossed the ,mississippi at ,keokuk1 twelve miles below ,nauvoo1 which years before had been the home of the ,saints4 ,in passing through ,iowa they traveled much of the time along the route the ,saints pursued in their journey westward from ,nauvoo4 ,it was generally alluded to by the settlers as the ,mormon ,bee ,trail1 and ,thomas felt a certain pride in following in their footsteps1 and also found comfort in comparing his circumstances with those of many of the ,saints4 ,much of the country was very sparsely settled1 and there was scarcely an able-bodied man to be met in the region1 all seemingly being absent in the army4 ,many of the bridges along their route had been washed away1 and he had to stop and make or repair bridges before he could proceed4 ,many times on the journey they had reason to feel that there was a special ,providence over them4 ,brother ,briggs mentions one case in particular to illustrate the fact4 ,they came to a stream one day that was about fourteen feet wide1 and too deep and miry to be forded4 ,his wife wept from discouragement when she saw it4 ,he tried to cheer her up1 and went back to the last house they had passed to procure help if possible1 but found only women and children there4 ,then he went down stream a long distance1 in the hope of finding at least part of the bridge that had been washed away1 but all in vain4 ,there were no large trees growing near1 but on each side of the creek some small cottonwood saplings were growing1 none of them more than four inches in diameter4 ,these he cut down and laid across the stream and put small brush on the top of them4 ,he found it would bear his weight when he walked across it1 but it was very springy1 and not at all of a character to support a team and wagon2 but it was the best he could do4 ,he had his wife and children get out of the wagon and stand on the bank1 and1 after an earnest prayer to the ,lord to help him in the emergency1 he got in the wagon and whipped up the horses4 ,to his astonishment1 they crossed over the frail structure with ease1 and the wife and children walked over4 ,soon afterwards they met a man with a few sacks of corn in his wagon1 which he was taking to a mill1 to get it ground4 ,they inquired of him how far distant the mill was1 and he said fifty miles--a fair indication of how sparsely that region was settled4 ,after passing ,garden ,grove1 where the ,saints journeying westward from ,nauvoo established a settlement1 the roads were found to be better1 and faster time was made in traveling4 ,they arrived at the ,missouri ,river1 opposite ,nebraska ,city1 in the night1 and camped there before crossing4 ,very early in the morning they heard the whistle of a steamboat coming up the river1 and knew from that the boat was going to stop4 ,thomas said to his wife3 ,ann1 what would you think if ,archie and ,elizabeth should be on that boat8 ,she replied that she couldn't think of any such improbability1 and lapsed into slumber again4 ,when it was fairly daylight they crossed the river on a ferry boat1 and when they landed1 there1 sure enough1 was the sister and brother-in-law1 thus confirming the promptings of the ,spirit1 and they had a joyful reunion4 ,his sister explained that after the ,briggs family left them in ,springfield they could get no rest until they packed up and followed them by the fastest conveyance they could find4 ,about eight miles farther up the river was a place called ,wyoming1 the starting point for the trains crossing the plains at that time1 and they made their way to that point4 ,they found that only a few of the ,saints intending to journey to ,utah had yet arrived1 and so they had a chance to rest and let their teams recuperate before continuing their journey4 ,trains of teams and wagons from ,utah1 sent east to convey the poor ,saints from ,europe and other countries across the plains1 soon began arriving1 as did also teams sent by ,utah merchants for merchandise1 which at that time had to be freighted by teams a thousand miles4 ,steamboats loaded with freight for the west also began arriving1 and ,wyoming soon presented a busy scene4 ,among the first of the cargoes were wagons1 which had to be put together1 and ,thomas was hired for that task4 ,then the merchandise began pouring in1 and it had to be guarded at night to keep it from being stolen1 and he was next employed in that line4 ,during their stay there1 his wife and sister also did washing for the ,utah boys who were there preparing to return home with emigrants or freight1 all of which helped to replenish their funds1 which were running low4 ,before starting from ,wyoming ,thomas was advised to sell his horses and buy a yoke of oxen instead1 and did so4 ,henry ,w4 ,lawrence1 a merchant of ,salt ,lake ,city1 was there for a train load of merchandise1 and persuaded ,thomas to accompany his train of twenty-five wagons1 and also hired his brother-in-law to drive team for him1 thus insuring his passage to the valley and the fulfilment of the prediction ,thomas made concerning him before he left ,springfield4 ,acting upon advice1 ,thomas bought a cook stove before starting1 as it would only cost #cj4jj in ,nebraska ,city1 and would be worth #bej4jj when he got to ,salt ,lake4 ,when he was ready to start he had only #c4jj in cash left1 but he had two yoke of cows and one yoke of oxen1 and plenty of provisions4 ,as two of the cows were giving milk1 he counted upon deriving some profit from the sale of milk on the road4 ,for the first few days everything went well with ,thomas and his family1 but then his leg grew worse again1 and for a time he was not able even to yoke up his cattle4 ,however1 the wagon master had some of the ,utah teamsters hitch up his team for him4 ,on reaching ,julesberg the ,platte river was found to be so high that the wagon boxes had to be blocked up to the top of the standards to keep the merchandise from getting wet1 and they hitched fifteen yoke of oxen on to each wagon to go through4 ,it took the train four days to cross the river4 ,some of the oxen soon grew tender-footed1 and had to be driven in a herd behind the train4 ,george ,merrick1 the wagon master1 furnished ,ephraim a horse and hired him to ride behind and drive the loose cattle4 ,then it was found necessary to herd the cattle at night1 and ,thomas' brother-in-law was given that job1 and kept it all the way4 ,many dangers were encountered on the journey1 some of them due to ,thomas' helpless condition1 but all were safely passed1 and ,salt ,lake ,city was reached on the #dth of ,september1 #ahfd1 after a journey of #ahjj miles in a wagon4 ,the journey had been fruitful in experience1 and not wholly unprofitable1 as he landed with #dj4jj in his pocket1 part of it having been earned by ,ephraim driving the loose cattle1 but most of it the proceeds of milk sold during the journey4 ,the best of all1 the family was in excellent health1 and overjoyed at reaching the valley and finding people who manifested a friendly interest in them4 ,one of the first friendly acts of which they were the recipients1 was the privilege granted them by ,father ,john ,vance1 of keeping their animals in his pasture without charge4 ,for ,thomas1 ,salt ,lake valley and the surrounding mountains had a familiar appearance4 ,he had seen them before in vision in ,minnesota1 when he lay wavering between life and death1 and now as he recognized them his heart swelled with gratitude to the ,almighty for sparing the lives of himself and family to reach the valley1 the goal for which he had hoped and prayed and struggled for so many years4 ,he felt that he could not do less to show his appreciation for what the ,lord had done for him than to devote his remaining days in mortality to the service of the ,lord4 ,he felt that he would gladly do that and endure without complaint any further hardships that might fall to his lot if his children might only be preserved in the faith and manifest throughout their lives a love for the truth4 ,when he saw the walls of the ,temple1 then in course of construction1 and realized its purpose1 and at what infinite sacrifice it had been so far built1 he was forcibly reminded of the dying exhortion of his father1 to never forget the dead1 and determined1 if the ,lord spared his life1 to fulfill his father's hopes in that respect4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,locates ,,in ,,bountiful--,,generosity ,,of ,,neighbors--,,recognized ,,home ,,shown ,,him ,,in ,,dream--,,burned ,,out--,,runs ,a ,,saw ,,mill--,,death ,,of ,,wife--,,child ,,terribly ,,scalded1 ,,recovers--,,brigham ,,young',s ,,promise--,,marries ,,again--,,comforting ,,testimonies4 ,,thomas and his family spent a few days in ,salt ,lake1 studying over the question1 of where to locate4 ,while wondering what to do1 the thought occurred to him to inquire where an old-country friend of his1 named ,joseph ,reed lived1 of whom he had heard nothing for fourteen years4 ,while walking up towards the ,temple ,block he felt prompted to inquire at the ,deseret ,news ,office4 ,he was there informed that a man of that name lived at ,bountiful4 ,the next morning he took the stage for that place4 ,he found the man he was looking for1 and they had a long and friendly chat4 ,brother ,reed advised ,thomas to come and make his home in ,bountiful1 where he could find plenty of feed for his cattle1 and where he might also obtain work4 ,or1 if he preferred to go to a new region1 where he could locate on as much land as he desired1 ,bear ,lake ,valley was suggested as a good place1 though rather distant4 ,thomas felt that he had done all the traveling he cared to for one year1 and preferred to establish a temporary home to determine where he could locate permanently to the best advantage4 ,he accordingly returned to ,salt ,lake ,city and took his family to ,bountiful4 ,they arrived there ,saturday evening1 and attended meeting the next day--the first time he had been so privileged for over ten years4 ,the family lived in their wagon for the first two weeks1 and during that time ,thomas was given the privilege of helping his friend husk corn1 getting every sixth bushel husked for his share4 ,then he rented a one-roomed house at #c4jj per month and set up housekeeping in it4 ,they had no furniture1 but converted a large box1 7which they had their clothing packed in while making their journey across the plains7 into a table1 and made seats by buying a few slabs and boring holes in them1 in which to insert sticks to serve as legs4 ,for want of bedsteads1 they made their beds upon the floor4 ,the room was not plastered1 and they felt the cold severely at times1 but they were thankful for the comforts they had4 ,under these conditions his son ,james was born1 on the #fth of ,december1 #ahfd1 and1 notwithstanding the winter was long and cold1 the mother and babe continued to do well4 ,his nearest neighbor1 ,john ,spencer1 proffered to lend ,thomas two hundred pounds of flour until he could afford to repay it1 and when he learned that it was the proceeds of wheat which ,sister ,spencer and her daughter had gleaned in the fields of their wealthier neighbors1 after their harvest was over1 his heart overflowed with gratitude therefor4 ,when their flour was exhausted1 and they didn't know where to obtain any more1 ,joseph ,reed offered to lend him flour or anything else in the edible line he had1 and told him not to allow his family to suffer for want of food as long as he had any4 ,the generosity and unselfishness of these offers will be apparent when it is mentioned that flour at that time would sell at from #bj4jj to #bd4jj per hundred pounds4 ,he had not been living in ,bountiful long when he recognized one particular locality as the very spot shown him in vision while sick in ,wisconsin where he would build a house and make a home1 and pointed it out to his wife4 ,upon inquiry of the man who owned the ground 7two acres in extent1 and unimproved7 he found he could buy it for the sum of #ajj4jj1 and upon learning that he had no funds with which to buy it1 the man was willing to give him time in which to pay for it4 ,he bargained for it without hesitation1 and after his first harvest paid for it in molasses at #d4jj per gallon4 ,in the early spring of #ahfe he rented a few acres of land and planted the same to onions1 beets1 carrots1 sugar cane and corn2 he cultivated the land well1 and obtained a good crop4 ,in the meantime he built some sheds to shelter his animals1 and a stackyard1 and mowed quite a lot of hay on vacant land1 and stacked this and his other produce in his yard4 ,in the early part of the following ,december1 while he and his son ,ephraim were away in the canyon after a load of wood1 his stable and stackyard and their contents were accidentally burned to the ground4 ,his first impulse on learning of it was to inquire if the family was safe4 ,being assured on that point1 he said all that he had he had dedicated to the ,lord1 and if the ,lord chose to make a burnt offering of it he had nothing to say4 ,he would go on and work for more4 ,the fire not only had the effect of testing ,thomas1 but of developing the sympathy and generosity of his neighbors4 ,some of them gave him hay1 others flour1 etc41 so that his loss by the fire was largely offset4 ,soon afterwards ,newton ,tuttle proposed that ,thomas go in partnership with him and buy an abandoned saw mill1 in ,holbrook canyon1 and he did so4 ,his activities during the next two or three years were largely in the line of lumbering1 at which he worked very hard and effectively1 first as a partner of ,brother ,tuttle1 and later as sole owner of the saw mill4 ,on the #crd of ,april1 #ahfg1 their daughter ,hannah was born4 ,on the #bcrd of ,march1 #ahfh1 he was elected school trustee1 which position he filled for many years4 ,during that year also1 the crops in this region suffered severely from the ravages of grasshoppers1 and he1 being called to act with two others in devising means and directing the work of destroying the pest1 spent a good deal of time for the public good in that line4 ,in the latter part of that year he was called upon to help supervise the amusements of the young people1 and prevent them from drifting into evil4 ,on the #acth of ,september1 #ahfi1 his wife gave birth to twins--,thomas ,e4 and ,elizabeth4 ,in that and succeeding years ,thomas was used very extensively under the direction of the ,bishop1 as a kind of special teacher and peace-maker in the ward1 in settling differences between neighbors1 and laboring with backsliders to get them to do their duty4 ,on the #ast of ,june1 #ahgb1 his daughter1 ,martha1 his ninth and last child1 was born4 ,in the latter part of ,november1 #ahgd1 he fitted up a room in his house for a night school1 for the benefit of any who could not attend school during the day time1 and he himself1 as well as many others1 attended it4 ,about this time strong efforts were made to effect a species of co-operation among the residents of ,bountiful1 in the raising and marketing of garden products1 and ,thomas was appointed to take charge of the company that was organized2 but1 although he devoted much time and attention to it1 the business did not prove successful1 because of lack of union and experience on the part of the members4 ,his wife's health being very poor1 he found it necessary to remain at home1 and devoted himself to market gardening4 ,he made a specialty of starting tomato1 egg plant1 and a few other vegetables 7that up to that time had only been raised in very limited quantities in ,utah7 in a room of his house1 in which he kept a fire constantly burning1 and then setting them out much earlier than usual1 on an extensive scale1 and made it profitable4 ,he purchased some land on the bench above ,bountiful1 and also located quite an extensive tract1 and extended the scope of his operations1 his sons ,ephraim1 ,david and ,james working in company with him4 ,during the early part of #ahgf his wife's health1 which had been bad and growing worse for a long time1 became such that he hardly dared to leave her4 ,she was affected with dropsy1 and much of the time almost helpless4 ,about this time he had a dream1 which indicated to him that he would have to part with her1 and when1 on the #aeth of ,july following1 she suddenly died1 the circumstances were in fulfillment of the dream1 thus confirming what was predicted in tongues in #ahdi3 that his trials should be shown him beforehand4 ,she had been a good and true wife1 and mother1 and he felt her death all the more keenly because of being in very poor health himself at the time4 ,his leg1 which was never free from pain1 and always discharging1 had been so much worse for some time that he could scarcely stand1 and yet he felt compelled to assist in the work of the household1 as well as to attend to his duties in the ward4 ,soon after the death of his wife1 his youngest child1 ,martha1 who was then four years old1 in accidentally falling1 plunged her arm into a pot of boiling brine which had just been lifted from the stove1 and as she had a woolen dress on1 which held the heat1 her arm was practically cooked to the bone4 ,from the top of her shoulder to her finger tips was like a piece of raw beef1 and her father was the only one she would allow to wait upon her4 ,as she could not lie in bed1 she was kept seated in a rocking chair1 and ,thomas watched and waited upon her devotedly both night and day for three months4 ,when he would dress her arm her agony would be so intense that she would tear the hair out of her head by the handful4 ,it was only by the power of ,god that her life was saved and the use of her arm spared4 ,when she did finally recover1 her injured arm was just as good as the other4 ,the ,temple in ,st4 ,george had been completed by that time1 and ,thomas was strongly reminded of his father's dying injunction to never forget the dead4 ,he was so strongly impressed with the fact that it was his duty to go to ,st4 ,george and have the work done for all of his ancestors whose names he had1 that he talked the matter over with his neighbor1 ,newton ,tuttle1 who became so enthusiastic on the subject that he proffered to go to ,st4 ,george with him1 and to furnish the team to convey them on the trip4 ,though impelled by the ,spirit to go to the ,temple1 he still had doubts as to whether he would be allowed to engage in ordinance work therein1 because of having the running sores on his leg4 ,he accordingly conferred with ,bishop ,anson ,call on the subject1 but the ,bishop was unable to answer his query4 ,thomas then appealed to the ,lord in prayer to know whether it was ,his will that he should go1 and whether the dead knew what was being done on earth in their behalf4 ,he had perfect confidence that the ,lord would hear and grant his wish1 as ,he had heard and answered his prayers many times in the past4 ,directly afterward he had a dream in which he thought he was traveling from the north to the south1 and that his wife's sister1 ,sarah1 was with him4 ,they were walking along the road1 and he was talking to her of the things of the ,gospel4 ,they came to a very large field of wheat--the finest he had ever seen4 ,he saw a number of men at work harvesting1 as the wheat was ripe4 ,other men were seen lounging in the shade1 and neglecting the crop1 which seemed to be in danger of being wasted4 ,he asked his companion to observe the scene before them1 as it was typical of worldly conditions--some doing their utmost to save the master's crop1 while others are careless and indifferent4 ,all at once it seemed to grow dark--so dark that he could not see where to go1 and he lost his companion4 ,while standing still1 wondering where to go1 he saw a small light a long distance away1 and as he approached it1 it grew larger and brighter4 ,then a large white building appeared in view1 such as he had never seen before4 ,a number of steps led up from the east side1 and the door stood open2 but he could see no one around1 and everything looked white as snow4 ,he entered the door and looked around1 and saw another flight of steps4 ,at the top of the steps stood a woman whom he recognized as one of his neighbors1 and who came towards him and embraced him4 ,he awoke and pondered over his dream1 and came to the conclusion that the ,lord had another wife for him1 as the woman he saw seemed to be waiting for some one4 ,some time after that he asked ,bishop ,call some questions concerning the dead1 which the ,bishop did not venture to answer1 but suggested that he go and talk with ,president ,brigham ,young1 and offered to go with him4 ,they accordingly visited ,president ,young1 who answered the questions that ,thomas wanted to be enlightened upon in a way that was satisfying and very comforting to him1 and explained ,temple work to him in a way that he had never fully understood before4 ,after conversing about an hour1 he said3 ,brother ,briggs1 how many of the names of your dead kindred have you8 ,on learning that he had only seven names1 he asked3 ,and have you faith to travel to ,st4 ,george1 over three hundred miles distant1 to do the work for seven dead persons8 ,thomas told him he had1 and seemed surprised at his asking1 for it had not occurred to him that it required a great amount of faith to do so4 ,well1 the ,lord bless you for your faith6 said ,president ,young4 ,go to ,st4 ,george1 and have the work done for those whose names you have4 ,travel comfortably and independently1 making your own camp and sleeping in or under your wagon4 ,put the people along the way and in ,st4 ,george to as little trouble as possible4 ,if you require hay1 bread or other supplies1 pay for them4 ,then all the honor will be yours4 ,you shall be blessed on the trip1 and you shall never want for names of the dead to work for as long as you live4 ,he and ,brother ,tuttle secured their recommends to admit them to the ,temple and commenced preparations for the journey4 ,he also called upon ,mrs4 ,ann ,ashdown1 the sister whom he had seen in his dream1 and told her he was going to ,st4 ,george1 and asked if she would like to go along and become his wife and a mother to his children4 ,he advised her to think about it1 and give him a reply the next day4 ,the following day she gave her consent1 and he told her to prepare for the journey4 ,he then went to his son ,ephraim and announced that he intended to marry1 but didn't suppose that anyone could guess who his prospective bride was4 ,the son replied that he knew who his mother had said he would sometime marry1 and named ,sister ,ashdown4 ,he then called upon his eldest daughter1 ,emma1 and broke the news to her1 as he had to his son4 ,she too was prepared for it1 and informed him that her mother1 some time before her death1 had predicted to her that ,mrs4 ,ashdown would yet become her father's wife1 either in time or eternity1 as it had been made known to her in a vision4 ,this was an additional evidence to ,thomas that it was the ,lord's will1 for his wife had never even hinted to him that she ever had such an impression4 ,she had1 however1 a short time before her death told him of two old maids with whom she had lived during her childhood1 and who had sent her to school4 ,she asked him to have the work done for them in the ,temple1 and to have them sealed to him4 ,brother ,tuttle and his daughter ,emily1 and ,thomas and his daughter ,emma1 and prospective wife soon set out for ,st4 ,george1 where they arrived on the #bdth of ,may1 #ahgg4 ,they called upon ,apostle ,wilford ,woodruff1 who was then in charge of the ,temple1 the same day1 and after he had endorsed their recommends1 ,thomas explained to him his condition1 and asked whether he should keep the bandage on his leg or remove it4 ,brother ,woodruff remained silent a few moments1 as if communing with the ,lord1 and then told him to come to the ,temple early the following morning and to remove the bandage4 ,thomas recognized the ,temple as soon as he saw it1 as the building he had seen in his dream1 and when he entered the ,temple the scene was enacted that he had witnessed in the interior1 although he had said nothing to anyone about the dream4 ,when his daughter ,emma was baptized for his grandmother he received a powerful testimony that his ancestor had accepted of the work done in her behalf4 ,they all greatly rejoiced in the work they were privileged to do in the ,temple1 and felt amply repaid for the trouble and sacrifice which the trip involved4 ,they worked in the ,temple during the whole of the week1 and ,thomas each day removed the bandage from his leg when he entered the ,temple1 as he had been advised to do1 and noticed with interest and gratitude to the ,lord1 that there was no discharge whatever from the ulcers1 but when he left the ,temple in the afternoon each day1 the suppuration recurred and continued until he entered the ,temple the following day4 ,nor did he suffer any pain while in the ,temple4 ,after finishing the work for all the dead whose names and genealogies they had1 they drove out on their return journey a few miles and camped4 ,that night1 soon after ,thomas had retired to rest in his bed under the wagon1 his mother appeared to him4 ,you have made a mistake in giving in my genealogy1 she said4 ,you have given the date upon which ,i was married instead of the date of my birth2 but you need not go back now1 as some of the family will soon come here1 and then you can have the error corrected4 ,she disappeared when ,thomas was about to embrace her4 ,this visit and the purpose of it1 were testimonies to ,thomas that the dead have a knowledge of the work being done in their behalf4 ,it was also an answer to the prayer offered by ,thomas when he sought for information upon that point4 ,it was an evidence too1 that the dead have some foreknowledge of things that are going to transpire2 for1 although ,thomas was not aware that any of his family would visit the ,st4 ,george ,temple soon1 he was informed by his son1 ,david1 almost as soon as he reached home1 that he had decided to marry1 and he accepted the father's advice to go to ,st4 ,george and be married in the ,temple4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,unstinted ,,service--,,inspiration--,,goes ,,to ,,the ,,northwestern ,,states ,,as ,a ,,missionary--,,health ,,fails ,,and ,,he ,,returns--,,shocking ,,death ,,of ,,son ,,david--,,limb ,,amputated--,,patriarchal ,,blessing--,,incident ,,in ,,logan ,,temple--,,trip ,,to ,,england ,,to ,,obtain ,,genealogy4 ,,during the succeeding few years ,thomas spent more time even than usual in the performance of his public duties in the ward1 and the marvel is that he was able to make a living and do so much gratuitous work4 ,he pays a high tribute in his memoir to the devoted service and efficient help he received from his wife1 who was as kind to his children as if they had been her own1 and of great assistance and comfort to him4 ,he and his sons generally worked in partnership in the raising and marketing of garden produce4 ,in this they were prosperous1 and their relations harmonious4 ,the following is casually mentioned in his narrative1 and will serve to illustrate the inspiration ,thomas frequently enjoyed4 ,one day his son ,david had started to town with an extra big load of garden truck1 and some time later1 while ,thomas and his wife were eating breakfast1 he said to her3 ,ann1 ,david has broken his wagon1 and is in a bad fix1 as he is some distance from where he expected to sell his load4 ,it was learned when ,david returned in the evening that he had broken his wagon1 and had great difficulty in securing another wagon and transferring his load to it1 all of which delayed him about three hours1 and when he arrived in town all the stores were supplied4 ,feeling very much discouraged1 he was about to start for another part of the city1 when a man from ,park ,city happened along and looked at ,david's load1 and1 as he found it included just the things he wanted1 he bought the entire load4 ,the father told him it was through the power of the ,lord that the man was sent to him1 so that he might sell his produce4 ,one day when he and his wife were eating breakfast an impression came over ,thomas that they were going to have trouble of some kind before night1 and he mentioned it to his wife4 ,just then his son ,ephraim came in and remarked that he was going to the canyon4 ,his father asked him not to go1 but to remain at home and work1 as he thought that some trouble was going to occur4 ,however1 after the father had started to the city1 ,ephraim went to the canyon1 and1 in felling a tree1 accidently killed one of his horses1 by the tree hitting it4 ,about this time the ,bishop of ,bountiful was absent from home a great deal1 and ,thomas1 acting as head teacher1 was required to assume the ,bishop's duties to a large extent2 indeed from his memoir it appears that his public service consumed nearly all of his time4 ,it is little to be wondered at that his sons and son-in-law1 who had been associated with him in the raising and marketing of garden produce1 decided to dissolve partnership and operate separately4 ,thomas1 in his memoir1 expresses gratitude to them for their forbearance in having been willing for him to devote such a large share of his time to caring for the poor1 and other public duties4 ,one member of a company or association may feel willing 7as ,thomas did7 to devote the whole of his time1 if necessary1 to gratuitous service1 but if his interest in the partnership or association is based upon the assumption that his time belongs to the company1 his associates in business necessarily become servitors when he serves1 whether willingly so or not4 ,thomas' sons and son-in-law were good men1 and not ungenerous1 but were not prepared in their feelings to make unlimited sacrifice for the public good1 and their revolt was quite natural4 ,later1 however1 his son ,ephraim decided to still work with his father1 and they built a greenhouse to be the better able to carry on their business4 ,the year #ahhb marked the half century of ,thomas' life1 and he was deeply grateful to the ,lord for having spared his life so long--much longer than he had hoped to live1 and the joy he experienced in contemplating the future of his posterity4 ,his love for the poor found expression on the first day of the year in his entertaining the poor residents of ,bountiful1 about fifty in number1 at his home1 and on the following day all of his children and all of his wife's children by a former husband came to his home loaded down with good things1 and gave him a genuine surprise party1 and had a time of rejoicing4 ,having received a call from the ,first ,presidency to fill a mission to the ,northwestern ,states1 a number of his relatives and friends gave him another surprise party on the #bbnd of ,april1 #ahhc1 and presented him with a purse of #cj4jj to help defray his expenses1 for which he felt very grateful4 ,he mentions in particular one poor widow who had to work for her living1 who sent him #a4jj and a silk hankerchief4 ,on the #ast of ,may he left his home to labor as a missionary under the direction of ,elder ,w4 ,m4 ,palmer1 and in his diary expresses a doubt whether a missionary ever set out under such circumstances as he did4 ,the two running sores on his leg were very painful1 and he walked with difficulty4 ,while on the way ,elder ,palmer evidently realized for the first time how serious ,thomas' ailment was1 and expressed a doubt about his being able to endure the hardships incident to missionary life1 and especially the damp climate prevailing in the northwest4 ,on reaching ,minnesota1 he was assigned to labor with ,wm4 ,h4 ,wright1 of ,ogden1 but was taken so desperately sick soon after reaching his field of labor in ,wisconsin that ,elder ,palmer hastened to release him1 lest he might die there4 ,he arrived home a little less than four months after he left1 having slightly improved in health during the journey home4 ,as soon as he was able to walk about1 he resumed his former labors of caring for the poor and comforting and encouraging those who were weak in the faith4 ,he records in his diary the fact that he was prompted by the ,spirit to visit a poor woman who had been abandoned by her husband4 ,as she had not previously been dependent upon the ward for help1 he disregarded the prompting until the ,lord warned him a second time to call upon her4 ,he found then that she had been subsisting upon a few potatoes1 and was really in need of food4 ,he soon provided her with what was required to make her comfortable1 and asked the ,lord to forgive him for failing to act promptly upon the warnings of ,his ,spirit4 ,about the middle of ,june1 #ahhd1 ,thomas had a visit from his son ,david1 who informed him that he had been so greatly blessed1 and done so well materially1 since he was married1 that he had decided to go to school during the following winter1 and prepare himself for a mission4 ,nothing that he could have proposed would have pleased his father more than this for he desired above all things that his posterity should devote themselves to the service of the ,lord4 ,only a few days later1 ,june #aith1 #ahhd1 ,david stepped in front of the sickle bar of his mowing machine to unhitch his horses1 after having been engaged in cutting grass about two miles from home1 when the horses suddenly started1 catching his feet in the sickle bar and nearly severing them4 ,he had to go ten miles for medical aid1 and the doctor amputated his feet4 ,the weather was very warm1 and blood poisoning set in1 and on the #bgth of ,june1 eight days after the accident1 he died4 ,thomas was quite sick at the time1 and was grief-stricken over his son's death4 ,he had counted so confidently on his son's death4 ,he had counted so confidently on his son's future development as a good and useful man1 and the head of a large family1 that he felt the disappointment very keenly1 and could hardly be reconciled to his death4 ,during the summer of #ahhe1 his sons were necessarily absent from home much of the time1 and ,thomas was under the necessity of working alone4 ,while doing so he accidentally fell from his wagon one day1 and hurt his lame leg very severely4 ,the neighbors carried him into the house1 and persuaded him to send for a doctor4 ,the doctor came1 and said the leg was very badly hurt1 and that his patient would have to lie in bed for fully a month4 ,one night soon afterwards ,thomas had a vision4 ,he saw a bright light come through the east window of the room in which he lay1 which seemed to move along the wall until it was opposite to where he was lying1 when it stopped4 ,a voice came from the light1 which said3 ,go to the hospital1 and have that limb taken off2 for you have a work to perform which you cannot do with the limb on4 ,thomas was amazed1 and kept looking at the light1 when the voice was again heard1 saying3 ,you doubt it1 as you think if you go you will leave your family in debt1 as you have not much money2 but you need not fear1 for means will be provided for you4 ,and when you get the limb off1 send for another limb1 and you will astonish both saint and sinner1 as you will be able to put it on as soon as you get it2 and the train which shall bring your limb shall be delayed for a short time4 ,this was the vision1 as far as he could relate it1 and the light vanished the same as it had come4 ,he told his family of it1 and requested his son ,ephraim to see ,dr4 ,anderson1 and tell him he was ready to have his limb amputated4 ,he went to the hospital on the #aeth of ,december1 #ahhe1 and two days later the leg was amputated six inches from his body4 ,many of his friends1 knowing his condition1 expressed the belief that he would never come out of the hospital alive1 but all went well1 and on the #cast of ,january1 #ahhf1 he rode home from the hospital in a surrey4 ,while lying in the hospital1 ,brother ,briggs asked a patriarch who called to see him1 if he had a blessing for him4 ,after looking at him for some time1 the patriarch said he had1 and placing his hands upon the patient's head1 told him not to fear1 for he should get well4 ,he also said that angels were watching over him1 and that he would live to accomplish a great work in the ,temple--such as he had never conceived of4 ,for many months after ,thomas returned from the hospital he experienced the sensation of pain in the missing foot4 ,he could get no relief from it day or night1 and found that it was wearing his wife out1 waiting upon him4 ,after much persuasion he induced his sons to exhume his leg1 which was buried in the cemetery1 straighten out the toes1 which he felt must be in a cramped position1 and put it in a larger box4 ,about the time when the leg was dug up and the box opened1 ,thomas1 though fully two miles distant1 felt two sympathetic throbs in the stump of the limb1 and then it turned ice cold4 ,he remarked to his wife that they had taken the lid off the box4 ,after the limb had been carefully wrapped in absorbent cotton and placed in a larger box1 he felt very comfortable4 ,early in ,march1 #ahhf1 he received a bill from the hospital for #he4jj and one from the doctor for #ajj4jj1 but had no money with which to pay either4 ,besides1 the ,spirit told him to get an artificial leg as soon as he could1 and that would cost #ajj4jj1 if paid in advance4 ,money was very scarce at the time1 and loans hard to obtain2 but after praying to the ,lord to direct him where to go to get some money1 he had his son take him out with a horse and buggy for the purpose of borrowing some1 without having any definite idea where to go to4 ,they had only driven a short distance when they saw some one coming towards them with a horse and buggy1 and ,thomas asked his son to stop his horse when they met4 ,it proved to be ,ether ,coltrin1 and ,thomas told him he would like to borrow a little money4 ,brother ,coltrin immediately asked if he could get along with #ajj4jj1 and was told that he could4 ,the loan was immediately arranged for1 and part of it paid to the hospital and the balance to the doctor4 ,thomas then appealed to the ,lord to know where he could go to obtain the price of the artificial leg1 and a few days later ,daniel ,davis came to him and said3 ,thomas1 if you want to get a little money1 ,i can let you have some4 ,when told that he needed #ajj4jj1 he said he could have it4 ,he had the stump of the limb measured and the limb ordered in ,april1 and in due time received1 and the delay predicted occurred while the train bearing it was on the way4 ,he was able to wear it immediately1 and during the latter part of the year he and his family were laboring in the ,logan ,temple 7which had just been dedicated7 for the living and the dead4 ,brother ,briggs has recorded in his diary this circumstance1 which occurred in the ,temple while he was present3 ,as a great many persons were on the stairs of the assembly room1 ,president ,taylor discerned in the multitude a woman unworthy of admission4 ,he did not know her1 but he said to ,president ,card1 ,turn that woman back4 ,he afterwards explained that the ,spirit had told him that she had no business there4 ,it was subsequently discovered that she had a forged recommend4 ,being unable to cultivate his land that year1 ,thomas let it out on shares to his sons1 who planted it to tomatoes and cucumbers4 ,just as they had made sufficient growth to be looking fine1 a terrific hail and wind storm occurred1 one of the worst ever known in that region1 but1 although nearly all the surrounding crops were destroyed1 those in ,thomas' field were not injured--which he naturally considered very providential1 and thanked the ,lord for favoring him4 ,with the advent of #ahhh1 ,thomas was strongly impressed with the fact that it was his duty to go to ,england and seek genealogical information2 in fact1 this feeling had been with him ever since he was in the hospital1 at the time his leg was amputated1 and when many regarded his recovery as very doubtful4 ,the ,spirit of the ,lord had said to him then1 ,prepare to go to ,england in #ahhh1 and hunt up your genealogy4 ,he was in poor health and without funds1 but didn't feel that those facts would excuse him from complying with the requirement of the ,lord1 if he could borrow the funds1 for whenever he had borrowed anything in the past because duty required it1 the ,lord had afterwards provided a way for repaying the loan4 ,with a desire in his heart that the ,lord would enable him to obtain the necessary funds1 he attended the ,april ,conference1 and as he entered the ,temple ,block gate he saw a man standing there whom he was prompted to apply to for a loan4 ,he explained the purpose for which he wanted it1 and obtained the desired amount without hesitation4 ,he went to ,england1 traveled #ahjj miles after he arrived there1 met many relatives1 was kindly received1 collected two hundred names of his kindred dead1 and arrived home seventeen weeks after he started4 ,in the spring of #ahhi prospects indicated a great scarcity of water to irrigate with1 and ,thomas was worried as a consequence4 ,besides1 he found himself burdened with a heavy indebtedness as a result of his trip to ,england1 but1 by cultivating four acres of land in addition to his own1 he paid off all his indebtedness and had enough left to keep his family well provided1 so that he felt that the ,lord had blessed him for following the promptings of ,his ,spirit4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,his ,,life',s ,,mission ,,found--,,extensive ,,genealogy ,,obtained--,,blessed ,,in ,,his ,,wives ,,and ,,children--,,death ,,of ,,wife ,,and ,,others--,,third ,,marriage--,,leg ,,amputated ,a ,,second ,,time--,,his ,,benediction4 ,,from the time the ,salt ,lake ,temple was completed in #ahic ,thomas felt it to be his chief mission in life to obtain genealogical information and labor in the ,temple for his dead kindred1 and he devoted every dollar that he could spare as well as his time scrupulously to this cause4 ,he heard of a man in ,england who was engaged in the business of tracing up genealogies1 and employed him to trace up his--which he was able to do all the better for the start ,thomas made while on his trip4 ,he succeeded so well that after awhile it taxed ,thomas' limited resources to obtain means to pay for the names he was getting for him1 and a request had to be sent to suspend the genealogical research until more funds could be accumulated4 ,the ,english genealogist1 however1 had got the spirit of the work1 found unusual opportunities for getting the information and became so enthusiastic that he didn't want to quit1 and furnished quite a lot of names without charge4 ,thomas was so grateful to the ,lord for inspiring him to undergo the operation and to recover therefrom1 and experienced such a feeling of relief in being rid of the diseased limb1 with its running ulcers1 after having been encumbered therewith for thirty years1 that he felt that he couldn't do enough to show his appreciation for what the ,lord had done for him4 ,he could put up with the inconvenience of wearing an artificial limb so long as he could feel assured that personally he was clean and wholesome and not offensive4 ,it must not be supposed that he was entirely free from pain1 even after his severed leg had been exhumed4 ,it might be comparatively painless when at rest1 but the exertion of walking after he got his artificial leg always caused more or less pain4 ,the pain1 however1 had been so much more intense before his leg was amputated1 that1 instead of feeling disposed to complain1 he rejoiced over the improvement4 ,nor did he feel that his labors in the ,temple ought to excuse him from serving in the ward4 ,he could only serve in the ,temple three1 or at most four1 days in the week1 and even on those days got home early enough to do some work in his garden or some visiting among the poor who were his special charges1 it being his duty to receive and distribute the fast offerings among them and see that none were allowed to suffer4 ,then during the three or four days a week when he was not required to be at the ,temple he devoted himself almost exclusively to home and ward duties4 ,sunday was usually one of his busiest days4 ,attendance at meetings and visiting and exhorting the ,high ,priests 7over whom he helped to preside7 or others who1 because of sickness or sorrow or grievance required his fatherly attention and care1 kept him constantly employed4 ,it was natural for him to be doing something4 ,he was always an early riser1 and if his own needs didn't furnish him with a sufficient incentive for constant exertion1 his concern for others never failed to4 ,he neither had the time nor disposition to be idle4 ,work to him was a tonic4 ,he gloried in doing things1 and in seeing the results of his labor4 ,he many times felt the better for his exertion4 ,at other times when fatigue might have furnished him ample excuse for refraining from further exertion1 the work served as a counter irritant1 in making him partially forgetful of his constant pain1 and so he praised the ,lord for his ability to work4 ,he had other things also for which he praised the ,lord4 ,he was grateful to the ,lord for the faithful humble1 congenial wives he had been blessed with1 who found pleasure in simple lives1 who could make the most of the bare necessities1 who were good1 economical and thrifty housekeepers1 who preferred to make home attractive by its simplicity1 to incurring a burden of indebtedness by incumbering it with incongruous luxuries4 ,if their tastes had differed from his1 if they had been extravagant and wasteful1 and scattered while he gathered1 if they had been lacking in sympathy or interest in the public duties to which he devoted so much time and attention1 ,thomas would have had a different story to tell of his life4 ,his service would have been minimized and his suffering must have been greatly aggravated4 ,his children also had brought him much comfort and comparatively little sorrow4 ,they developed no criminal tendencies2 they were virtuous1 honest1 industrious and frugal1 and if not as full of zeal as their parents1 they at least retained the faith and enjoyed and deserved the respect of their fellows4 ,they manifested great love and respect for their parents also1 and the numerous occasions upon which his posterity assembled voluntarily around the parental hearthstone1 to show special honor1 afforded grateful relief to his pain-racked and strenuous existence4 ,on one of these happy occasions his posterity presented him with a gold headed cane2 upon another a costly gold watch1 which1 of course1 he appreciated--not so much for their intrinsic worth as for the love that prompted their bestowal4 ,if any man ever loved his children1 and gave them good counsel1 and set before them a good example1 and frequently and earnestly testified to them of the truth of the ,gospel1 ,thomas ,briggs certainly did4 ,and if any of his children ever depart from the faith1 adopt bad habits or fall into sin1 they will not have their father to blame for it4 ,as his posterity increased1 and many of them scattered out into distant parts1 he was no longer able to exercise the patriarchal supervision over them that he formerly had4 ,his sons1 ,james and ,thomas1 removed to ,star ,valley1 and made new homes1 and soon afterwards the latter met with a shocking accident through his team running away4 ,one of his eyes was almost put out1 and his skull was laid open for three of four inches1 but through the blessing of the ,lord he recovered4 ,wm4 ,ray ,briggs1 a grandson1 met with a shocking death in ,idaho1 while digging a well1 through having a horse fall down the well on top of him4 ,his daughters1 ,mary ,ann and ,ann ,e41 also died in ,idaho4 ,on the #crd of ,july1 #ahih1 his wife1 who had been his faithful companion and shared his joys and sorrows for almost twenty years1 passed away4 ,all of these and other minor incidents of a fatal or sorrowful nature added to the burden of his suffering1 but he bore up manfully under them1 regarding death philosophically1 as only a temporary separation1 and never doubting that in the economy of an ,allwise ,creator he would yet enjoy with his loved ones an eternal reunion4 ,the death of his wife left him bereft and lonely1 and subjected him to additional hardships1 but he sought and found solace in work and in devoted attention to the poor and unfortunate1 a comparison of whose circumstances with his own made him frequently feel that he had very much to be thankful for4 ,on the #aath of ,may1 #aijd1 ,thomas married his third wife1 after living alone for nearly seven years4 ,she was a widow named ,ann ,williams1 whose husband died in ,england1 where also she had left three children when she migrated to ,utah for the ,gospel's sake4 ,two months after his marriage his wife started on a trip to ,england1 which she had contemplated long before her marriage1 and for which she had money of her own to pay4 ,she also made a subsequent trip to ,england two years later1 to visit relatives4 ,on the last day of #aije1 ,brother ,briggs entered in his diary the following summary of his spiritual work for the year--blessed twenty-six children1 gave thirty-four patriarchal blessings1 attended eleven funerals1 administered one hundred and ninety-four times to the sick 7and adds his testimony that the ,lord had heard his prayers27 also had done or caused to be done in the ,temple in ,salt ,lake ,city one hundred and thirty-three baptisms1 seventy-seven endowments and one hundred and twenty-four sealings4 ,this year's work was not thus summarized because the showing was in excess of any previous year1 but rather because he had never previously thought of totaling up his year's doings4 ,in addition to the foregoing1 he mentioned in his diary that during the year he had dedicated a number of newly erected homes and settled differences between several of the brethren4 ,in ,january1 #aijf1 ,thomas records in his diary that his eyes were very bad1 and he made it a subject of fervent prayer to the ,lord that his eyes might be strengthened and his sight preserved for a few more years4 ,he arose the next morning with his eyesight greatly improved1 and was grateful beyond his power to express therefor4 ,on the #bdth of ,may1 #aijf1 ,thomas recorded in his diary that he was called to administer to ,sister ,mark ,waddoups1 whom he found to be suffering from intense pain4 ,he earnestly besought the ,lord to ease her pain1 and ,he did so2 but while his hands were still upon her head the ,spirit made it known to him that she would die that day4 ,he confidentially informed the nurse of the fact1 and when he called later in the day he found she had passed away4 ,this was in contradistinction to the positive impression he frequently received1 when administering to a sick person1 that he would recover4 ,in the latter part of ,september1 #aijf1 according to a casual entry in his diary1 he and a number of other brethren were called to the home of ,sister ,mc,niel1 in ,bountiful1 to administer to a very sick child who seemed to be dying4 ,the doctor who had been treating the case was present1 and afterwards admitted that he really supposed every breath the child drew1 before it was administered to1 would be its last1 but1 to his great surprise1 the child immediately afterwards fell asleep1 and the next morning was well4 ,the doctor declared it the greatest manifestation of the power of ,god he had ever witnessed4 ,several entries in his diary in the early part of #aiji indicate that about that time ,brother ,briggs suffered an unusual amount of pain in the stump of his severed limb1 due1 as the doctors said1 to the first operation not having been performed properly4 ,it was accordingly deemed necessary to make a second amputation1 but grave fears were expressed lest he might not be able to stand it1 as he was in his #ggth year4 ,however1 he felt himself that he would rather submit to it1 notwithstanding the risk1 than to continue to suffer indefinitely1 and on the #fth of ,april1 #aiji1 he underwent the operation4 ,he rallied in a manner that surprised his friends1 and six weeks later walked to meeting and back without a crutch4 ,in ,november1 #aiji1 while ,sister ,briggs was absent on her second trip to ,england1 her husband had a stroke of paralysis1 which has somewhat affected his speech ever since1 and greatly interfered with his activity4 ,his tongue throughout his life had been to him a specially useful member4 ,it has been well guarded1 and never had brought him into trouble4 ,he had1 by his wise counsel and fatherly advice1 been able to comfort and bring peace to many of his fellows4 ,he had for many years filled the office of a patriarch and blessed and brought solace and hope to many others besides his own posterity1 but his service to others during the past five years has been very much curtailed4 ,his mind is unusually clear and strong for one who is eighty-two years of age1 his eyesight good enough for him to read without glasses1 and his body fairly strong2 he suffers less pain than he formerly did1 and is able to walk about to a limited extent4 ,he still works in his garden1 which1 however is greatly reduced4 ,he has sold off his property1 including the house he lives in 7with a proviso for the support of himself and wife while they live1 and their burial when they die17 and invested all the surplus in the work which he has had done for the dead4 ,the enormous number of five thousand dead persons have been officiated for by ,thomas1 or by persons whom he has employed1 in all the ordinances necessary for their salvation1 and he still has the names of hundreds of his dead kindred to officiate for4 ,thus has the prediction uttered by ,president ,brigham ,young1 when ,thomas had but seven names1 and didn't know where to obtain any more1 been fulfilled4 ,his father's charge uttered on his dying bed1 to never forget the dead1 has been so faithfully obeyed that it is safe to say that ,thomas will have no shame in meeting that father when he passes from mortality4 ,the memoir and diary which ,thomas compiled1 and which was brought down only to the date when he was stricken with paralysis1 ends with the following address to his posterity3 ,to ,my ,dear ,children3-- ,i wish to say a few words to you4 ,i can see that in a few years from now ,i shall not be with you2 therefore ,i pray for the ,spirit of the ,lord to be with me1 to lead my mind to write such things as will be for your good4 ,i hope that you and your children will carry them out in your lives1 and that the same spirit with which ,i write these few lines will give you to fully understand them2 for when my tongue is stilled in death1 these words will live in my posterity4 ,i bear my testimony to you1 that this is the work of the ,lord1 and ,i ask you to teach it to your children1 and teach them to pray1 and keep the commandments of the ,lord1 so that they may be free from sin4 ,teach them to understand their calling in the priesthood1 and impress it upon their minds1 that it is of ,god1 and not of man4 ,teach them to read good literature1 for trifling reading begets trifling thoughts1 and trifling thoughts beget a trifling life2 for bear in mind1 that impressions firmly fixed on the mind1 and long cherished1 are not easily erased4 ,then1 oh1 how important it is that these impressions are good ones4 ,teach them that foolish spending is the father of poverty4 ,teach them never to be ashamed of work1 however much learning they may be able to acquire4 ,see that they are proud1 but let their pride be of the right kind4 ,teach them self-reliance1 and to never give up1 without conquering every difficulty that they may be called upon to pass through in life4 ,teach them to be too proud to wear clothes that they cannot afford2 too proud to be in company that they are unable to keep up with in expenses2 too proud to lie1 to cheat or steal2 and also too proud to be stingy to the poor1 sick or afflicted1 or widows1 and to fatherless and motherless children4 ,always have kind words to give1 for they are as refreshing to the troubled heart1 as rain to the parched ground4 ,bear in mind that little drops of rain brighten the meadows1 and little drops of kindness brighten the world4 ,my ,children1 my heart is full of love for you all1 but ,i cannot write the blessings that the ,lord has in store for you if you are faithful4 ,i hope you will preserve these few lines1 and read them over as often as you can1 also the #eth chapter of ,alma1 and live up to it1 for it is the word of the ,lord in these latter days1 as well as in those days4 ,and when ,i am in my grave1 you will look upon these lines1 and say that ,i am not forgotten1 for ,i tell you my children1 that some great things are about to transpire1 that the world knows nothing of2 but be of good cheer1 and be humble and prayerful1 and watch as well as pray1 that you may stand the day of trial1 for it is coming1 and it is near to our doors1 and so is the coming of the ,son of ,man4 ,never give up1 but stay on board the ship2 she will take you safely through4 ,my children1 for this cause ,i left my native land2 that you may make good and valiant soldiers4 ,the ,savior said to ,peter1 ',lovest thou me8' ,peter answered1 and said1 ',yea ,lord1 thou knowest ,i love thee4' ,then the ,lord said1 ',feed my sheep4' ,and again he said the same words to ,peter1 and then1 ',feed my lambs4' ,and now1 my children1 try to realize that you have both sheep and lambs in your charge2 and remember you will be called upon to give account for them4 ,and if you can say1 on the last day1 ',i have done the best that ,i could1 ,father2 ,i have fed them1 and clothed them1 and when the wolves were howling at them1 ,i have watched over them night and day2 and now ,father1 none of them have ,i lost1' it will be well4 ,but if1 on the other hand1 you have been careless1 and ,he should say to you1 ',where are the sheep and the lambs that ,i gave you1' and you are unable to give a strict account of them1 you must draw your own conclusions as to the result4 ,teach your children to honor the ,sabbath ,day1 and honor the holy priesthood in all things1 and do it by example4 ,teach them never to find fault with the prophets of the ,lord4 ,teach them to honor their father and their mother1 that their days may be long upon the land1 which the ,lord their ,god giveth them4 ,for these promises will carry us beyond this life1 to a time when the ,saints will receive their inheritance on earth4 ,and now1 my children1 whatever of my follies you have seen1 forgive me for the same1 and ,i freely forgive you4 ,you have been very good to me all the days of my life1 and may the ,lord bless you all for it4 ,i have many things to say to you4 ,i have just been thinking of the time when ,i used to call all my posterity together once a year1 but now they are scattered far and wide4 ,at that time ,i could give them instruction1 but it now rests with my children to finish the work4 ,my children1 do not make light of the composition of these few lines1 for they were written with a desire for your salvation1 and if you will carry them out in your lives1 they will aid you in reaching the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,in conclusion1 ,i will say that my ,father in ,heaven has been good to me1 and may the angel of peace be with you all1 through all the days of your lives4 ,god bless you1 ,amen4 ,geo4 ,l4 ,farrell's ,missionary ,experience ,,chapter ,i4 ,,visits ,,birmingham ,,conference--,,dying ,,girl ,,healed ,,when ,,administered ,,to--,,prediction ,,that ,,she ,,should ,,be ,,baptised ,,fulfilled--,,goes ,,to ,,utah1 ,,gets ,,married1 ,,has ,a ,,child ,,and ,,dies--,,other ,,conversions ,,in ,,the ,,challis ,,family4 ,,in the year #ahge ,elder ,geo4 ,l4 ,farrell1 now a ,patriarch of ,cache ,county1 was a missionary in ,england1 and presiding over the ,nottingham conference4 ,he had not been thus engaged very long when he received a letter from ,elder ,richard ,v4 ,morris1 president of the ,birmingham conference1 proposing to exchange visits with him1 and enjoy the novelty of traveling through one another's conference4 ,he concluded by inviting ,elder ,farrell to meet him at ,northampton1 thence to proceed through other parts of the ,birmingham conference4 ,they accordingly met at the place named1 and the host took the visitor to have lunch at the home of a member of the church by the name of ,challis4 ,as they entered the house1 they noticed a young couple1 man and wife1 seated at a table1 who1 on hearing ,elder ,farrell introduced to ,brother and ,sister ,challis1 hastily arose and left the house4 ,while the meal was being prepared1 ,elder ,morris informed the guest that the young couple who had so suddenly departed were the daughter and son-in-law of their entertainers1 and were members of the ,church of ,england4 ,while the meal was being partaken of1 ,elder ,farrell noticed that ,sister ,challis had an anxious look on her face1 and that she left the table several times and made brief visits to a bed room4 ,the last time she did so she appeared dejected1 which aroused the curiosity of the guest1 who with solitude inquired if she had some one sick in the other room4 ,she replied1 ,yes1 sir4 ,i have a daughter in that room who has been ill and bedfast for more than two years4 ,we have had five doctors attending her1 who have all given her up4 ,the last one just left1 declaring that she is bound to die soon1 and that he could do no more for her4 ,don't you believe what the doctors say1 responded ,elder ,farrell assuringly4 ,they don't know it all4 ,the ,lord still lives1 and is ready and willing to heal your daughter1 if she has faith in ,his promises4 ,i would like to see your daughter4 ,the mother shook her head doubtfully and replied3 ,i don't think she would be willing for you to see her1 as she is a member of the ,church of ,england1 and the minister and his family and the ladies and gentlemen of the church have paid all the doctors1 been extremely kind to her and have done all in their power to make her happy and comfortable4 ,they have so embittered her against the ',mormons' that ,i think it would be useless for me to tell her that you wish to see her4 ,notwithstanding all that1 said the ,elder1 ,i still feel that ,i would like to see her4 ,please do me the favor to go and tell her who ,i am1 and that ,i must see her4 ,the mother went into the room and was absent several minutes4 ,elder ,morris in the meantime said3 ,i think you will not get to see her1 for ,i have tried and have failed4 ,therefore ,i will go down the street a block and a half to ,no4 #abj1 and if you don't get to see her come there1 and you will find me4 ,after awhile ,mother ,challis reappeared looking more cheerful1 and exclaimed1 ,brother ,farrell1 she is willing for you to come in and see her6 ,entering the bedroom1 he saw the most emaciated girl he thought he had ever beheld1 bolstered up in bed1 with a chair in front of her1 upon which1 and also behind her1 pillows were piled to keep her from falling over4 ,a coverlet was drawn up over the pillows in front of her1 and upon it her bony and colorless hands were outstretched4 ,the ,elder approached1 and1 taking her gently by the right hand expressed his sympathy for her suffering4 ,she simply bowed her head in response1 for she was too weak to speak above a whisper4 ,there was a small table with a large ,bible on it near the bed4 ,seating himself and taking the bible upon his lap1 ,elder ,farrell opened it mechanically1 and before his eyes were the words of the ,savior1 commanding ,his apostles to go into all the world and preach the ,gospel1 which he read aloud4 ,when he came to that part in which the ,lord promised that certain signs should follow those who believed--that the sick should be healed1 that devils should be cast out2 that if they drank any deadly thing it would not hurt them1 etc41 he read that aloud also1 and then quoted from ,james the declaration that the prayer of faith should save the sick1 and that the ,lord would raise him up4 ,he then called the girl's attention to the fact that he had not specially selected these passages1 but that the ,bible had fallen open as he placed it in his lap1 and he had read the first passage his eye caught sight of4 ,he then declared to her that he and the other ,latter-day ,saint missionaries held the same priest-hood that the early-day apostles held2 that they were sent out to preach the same ,gospel that they were1 and that they were preaching it in the same manner--without money and without price2 that they had authority to anoint the sick with oil and pray for them just as the first apostles had1 and that the ,lord was just as ready and willing to raise them up as ,he ever was4 ,he testified to her that he had known hundreds of sick people to be healed1 and assured her that if she had faith she could be healed4 ,on concluding he noticed the sick girl crook her finger as a means of beckoning to her mother1 who immediately approached and put her ear close to her daughter's mouth1 and listened for awhile4 ,when she arose she said1 ,brother ,farrell1 she wants to know if you will anoint her with oil and bless her4 ,certainly1 ,i will be glad to do so1 replied the ,elder4 ,have you any oil8 ,the mother replied that she had no oil1 but said she would go out and buy some4 ,all right1 said the ,elder1 you please buy a bottle of olive oil1 and while you are out call at ,no4 #abj and ask ,elder ,morris to come up1 and we will anoint and bless her4 ,while the mother was absent ,elder ,farrell talked encouragingly to the girl1 and when the oil arrived the missionaries proceeded to bless and consecrate it1 ,elder ,morris offering the prayer4 ,the mother was then asked to inquire of her daughter who she would like to anoint her and the girl pointed to ,elder ,farrell to signify that he was her choice4 ,he anointed her head and the bare part of her neck and arms and the palms of her hands1 which seemed very feverish1 after which the mother asked the girl who she would like to lead in the prayer of confirmation4 ,again she indicated that she preferred ,elder ,farrell to do so4 ,in offering the prayer ,elder ,farrell afterwards declared that he had never before experienced such a feeling4 ,the ,spirit seemed to take complete possession of his mind1 and while he felt a positive assurance that she was going to recover1 he could scarcely recall all that he said4 ,the ,elders soon afterwards bade the family good by and left4 ,while walking down the street towards their lodgings ,elder ,morris exclaimed ,brother ,farrell1 you frightened me6 ,you promised that girl that if she had faith she would walk to the water and be baptized within three months4 ,she hasn't been out of that bed for two years1 to my certain knowledge4 ,i can't help it1 ,brother ,morris4 ,it wasn't ,i who did it4 ,it was the ,lord4 ,i never was so led by the ,spirit in administering to a person in my life4 ,the ,lord is able to fulfill it4 ,you watch and see if ,he doesn't do it4 ,he promised to do so1 but in about one month he was released to return home4 ,before starting home1 however1 he told sister ,challis that ,elder ,farrell would be in ,northampton on a certain day1 and would probably call and see the family4 ,when he arrived at the house he found the sick girl sitting up1 knitting a woolen shawl with large wooden needles4 ,on seeing him entering the house she exclaimed enthusiastically1 ,oh here is ,mr4 ,farrell6 ,i have never taken a particle of medicine since you left4 ,i told the minister that you had anointed me with oil and promised me that ,i would get well1 and ,i know that the ,lord is going to heal me4 ,you see that ,i can already talk above a whisper4 ,now ,i want you to administer to me again4 ,he accordingly anointed her head with oil and prayed earnestly for her complete recovery4 ,she declared immediately afterward that she felt better already1 and expressed confidence that all the promises made as to her recovery would be fulfilled1 as some of them already had been4 ,she also informed her visitor that the ,church of ,england minister and all the members of his congregation who had been so attentive to her had ceased to take any interest in her case1 and never more called to see her4 ,she seemed gratified rather than otherwise1 however1 that they had evidently given her up as hopelessly lost to them4 ,some time later ,elder ,farrell received a letter from the sick girl1 announcing that her father was going to take her in a carriage on the following ,sunday for a twelve mile trip in the country1 to old ,sister ,underwood's1 near ,stanwick1 and wanted him to call there and baptize her4 ,brother ,platte ,d4 ,lyman was at that time associated with ,brother ,farrell as a traveling ,elder1 and he was allowed to read the letter4 ,he expressed a desire to accompany him1 and ,brother ,farrell consented4 ,the day following the two ,elders went to a town called ,offord1 where an old farmer had opened his barn and seated it for them to hold a meeting in4 ,a stand had also been built for the speakers and singers to occupy1 and the singers had come from ,stanwick1 fifteen miles away4 ,a good sized congregation assembled in the barn1 and an interesting1 spirited meeting was held4 ,while ,elder ,farrell was speaking he noticed a lady sitting about twenty feet in front of him1 wearing a red shawl4 ,he was impressed with the conviction that she was going to be baptized1 and afterwards while the choir was singing he pointed her out to ,elder ,lyman1 and told him she would soon be baptized4 ,elder ,lyman inquired who she was4 ,i don't know her name1 replied his companion1 and never saw her before1 but something tells me that she is going to be baptized4 ,elder ,lyman remarked that he would bear that prediction in mind1 and see if it was ever fulfilled4 ,after reading the letter from the sick girl1 ,elder ,lyman had expressed a desire to meet her1 and he was accordingly invited to be present on the occasion of her baptism4 ,when the missionaries reached ,mrs4 ,underwood's house they found she lived next door to a hotel1 around which a number of guests were seen loitering4 ,sister ,underwood cautioned the ,elders not to attempt to baptize while it was light or let the guests at the hotel know what they were going to do1 lest they might raise a row4 ,so they decided to remain in the house and wait until after ten o'clock4 ,just before that hour a loud rap on the door was heard1 and ,sister ,underwood jumped up and blew the lamp out1 at the same time exclaiming to those near her that their plans had been discovered1 and a riot was about to be started4 ,elder ,farrell said he would answer the door1 and the rest of the folks went into another room4 ,on opening the door a voice outside was heard to inquire4 ,is ,mr4 ,farrell here8 ,the voice was recognized as that of a man named ,baker whose wife ,elder ,farrell had baptized some time before4 ,on being invited in1 he said1 ,here is a lady and a young man who learned that you were going to baptize here tonight4 ,she told her husband that she had to be baptized--that she could not rest any more until she was baptized4 ,he gave his consent1 and went to bed to sleep while she came here4 ,a light having been procured so that those present could see one another1 ,elder ,lyman whispered to ,elder ,farrell1 ,i believe that is the woman who had the red shawl on1 and who was in the barn last ,sunday while you were preaching4 ,he replied that he would soon find out1 and1 accosting the lady1 he asked when she had heard the ,gospel preached4 ,the reply was3 ,i have heard you preach at ,offord several times4 ,he then inquired3 ,when did you make up your mind to be baptized8 ,the reply was1 ,right while you were preaching in that barn at ,offord4 ,i made up my mind that the first time ,i heard that you were going to baptize ,i would come1 and here ,i am6 ,it was soon arranged that ,elder ,farrell would proceed to the water about fifty yards distant with the new arrivals1 and while he was baptizing them ,elder ,lyman and ,mr4 ,baker could be carrying the sick girl to the water in a chair1 while ,sister ,underwood could walk behind and hold the chair1 to keep it from tipping4 ,the latter party not having arrived at the water by the time the man and woman were baptized1 ,elder ,farrell started towards the house and met them coming very slowly1 and1 to his surprise1 found the sick girl not being carried in a chair1 but walking4 ,he exclaimed on seeing her1 ,why ,nellie1 you are walking6 ,yes1 she said1 ,i told ,brother ,lyman and ,mr4 ,baker if they would let me take their arms ,i felt that ,i could walk4 ,if you remember1 when you first blessed me you promised me that ,i should be able1 if ,i had faith1 to walk to the water within three months1 and the three months will be up to-morrow4 ,the ,lord bless you for your faith6 said the ,elder1 and1 leading her into the water until it came up to her waist1 he added1 ,now you may take your two hands and throw water over your body as much as you like1 to get used to the temperature1 for ,i am going to bury you in the water eight times--once for the remission of your sins1 and seven times for the restoration of your health4 ,do you think you can stand it8 ,a ,footnote ,a3 ,this is not a doctrinal treatise nor a portrayal of the approved methods of performing ordinances1 but a simple narrative of what actually occurred4 ,baptism by immersion is an ordinance by which repentant believers are initiated into the ,church1 and is also for the remission of sins4 ,there is no warrant in revelation ancient or modern for the immersion of a person for the restoration of his health1 anointing with oil and the prayer of faith being the ordinance for that purpose4 ,however1 baptism 7a single immersion7 as a means of restoring health has been practised in the ,church from a very early period1 originating probably with cures that were apparently traceable to baptism4 ,instances of persons affected with serious ailments being miraculously healed on accepting the ,gospel have been somewhat numerous1 and have occurred all through the history of the ,church1 due doubtless to the faith exhibited1 and it is not surprising that persons should associate in their minds the cure with the rite of baptism4 ,possibly ,elder ,farrell had the case of ,naaman the leper in his mind1 who was healed on obeying the requirement of the ,prophet ,elisha1 to wash seven times in the river ,jordan4 ,it was a sublime test of faith that he subjected the invalid girl to4 ,he might have added in her case1 in the words of the ,savior3 ,thy faith hath made thee whole1 for it was her faith1 and not any magic in the number seven1 that brought her the blessing4 ,she replied ,oh1 yes2 if you take hold of me1 ,i have full faith4 ,calling out to ,elder ,lyman who stood upon the bank1 ,elder ,farrell said3 ,now count upon your fingers as ,i baptize her1 and when she has been buried under the water eight times please tell me4 ,he did so1 and at the conclusion of the ceremony the girl1 who had stood the ordeal remarkably well1 was seated upon a chair and thus carried into the house4 ,after dry daiment had been resumed1 the newly baptized persons were confirmed1 and when ,elder ,farrell was confirming the girl1 being prompted by the ,spirit1 he promised her that if she would continue to have faith she would live to go to ,zion and become a mother in ,israel4 ,when supper had been partaken of and the dishes cleared away1 a brief time was spent in chatting1 and a general time of rejoicing indulged in4 ,the girl was full of vivacity and enthusiasm1 and declared that she was completely healed1 and praised the ,lord therefor4 ,soon afterwards ,elder ,farrell was released to return from his mission1 arriving at his home ,july #aj1 #ahgf4 ,he came down to ,salt ,lake ,city to attend conference as usual in the following ,october1 and having had a request from ,sister ,clark1 of ,stanwick1 while he was still in ,england to call upon her sister in ,salt ,lake as soon as he could after his arrival1 and1 as she lived near the depot1 he made his way there when he alighted from the train4 ,to his great surprise and pleasure1 he found ,brother ,challis and his daughter ,nellie there4 ,after greeting them he inquired3 ,nellie1 where is your ,mother8 ,she replied3 ,brother ,farrell1 mother took sick1 and ,i sat up with her and waited on her nine days and nights without removing my clothing to obtain sleep1 and my poor mother died1 and ,i have not been sick one minute4 ,and here ,i am in ,zion1 thank the ,lord4 ,every word that you promised has been fulfilled thus far4 ,and now we want to go to your part of the country to live1 so that we may see you often4 ,do you think you could find father a place to work near your home at shoe-making8 ,the next day ,elder ,farrell attended conference and sat by ,brother ,samuel ,parkinson1 of ,franklin1 who was a merchant1 and conducted a large store4 ,having the request in mind1 he inquired of ,brother ,parkinson if there was a shoe maker in ,franklin4 ,he said ,no sir1 but ,i wish we had one4 ,elder ,farrell then told him of ,brother ,challis having arrived from ,england and wanting to locate in ,cache ,valley4 ,he inquired if he was a poor man1 and being told that he was1 said3 ,tell him to come to ,franklin4 ,i will furnish him a shop to work in free of charge4 ,he can bring what shoes he makes into the store1 and ,i will dispose of the same and pay him4 ,the father and daughter went to ,franklin to live1 and ,brother ,parkinson did as he promised to4 ,elder ,farrell presided over the ,u4 ,o4 ,store1 tannery and shoe shop in ,smithfield1 and ,brother ,challis used to come from ,franklin every week to buy his leather from the tannery2 and used to frequently tell him how nicely they were getting along4 ,as soon as winter started ,elder ,farrell was appointed to preside over the ,y4 ,m4 ,m4 ,i4 ,a4 of the whole stake1 and went around and organized the associations or set in order those that had been organized4 ,on one occasion he went to ,franklin1 and held a very interesting meeting4 ,after the meeting closed a lady accosted him and shook hands very heartily4 ,brother ,farrell said1 ,you seem to know me1 but ,i do not recognize you4 ,what is your name1 please8 ,she replied1 ,my name is ,nellie ,challis1 and ,i want you to go home and stay all night with us4 ,he expressed great surprise at the improvement in her appearance1 rallied her about her double chin and accepted her invitation with thanks4 ,when they reached the ,challis home and were quietly seated around the fire1 ,nellie said confidentially1 ,brother ,farrell1 ,i am going to be married4 ,in surprise her visitor inquired to whom4 ,to the presiding teacher of this ward1 ,brother ,lowe4 ,the ,lord bless you1 ,sister ,nellie2 you are going to get as good a man as there is in this town1 said ,elder ,farrell1 shaking her hand in congratulation4 ,brother ,challis continued to call at the tannery to purchase supplies of leather1 and he and ,elder ,farrell frequently met1 and never without his daughter being inquired about4 ,first it was learned that she was married and very happy4 ,then about a year later news came that a child had been born4 ,soon afterwards ,elder ,farrell received a letter from ,franklin with a black border around it4 ,on opening it he saw at once it was from ,father ,challis4 ,it contained sad news3 ,nellie had never fully rallied after her babe was born4 ,anxious neighbors and friends surrounded her1 and all that they and medical skill could do to save her life was done1 but all in vain4 ,as the end approached she sat up in bed1 and bore a fervent testimony to the houseful of friends who surrounded her4 ,she told them not to mourn for her1 but to thank the ,lord for his merciful kindness to her in prolonging her life1 enabling her to understand and accept the ,gospel1 to come to ,zion1 obtain a good husband and become a mother in ,israel--all as predicted by ,elder ,farrell in ,england when there seemed so little hope of her living4 ,she requested that word be sent to ,elder ,farrell that she had lived to see his words fulfilled1 and that now she was ready to die1 as she felt that it was the ,lord's will4 ,after talking thus for two hours1 she bade all present an affectionate good by1 lay back in bed and was dead in two minutes4 ,since that time several of the women who had heard ,nellie tell of the marvelous blessings that had come to her in response to the prayers and promises of ,elder ,farrell1 have themselves when ill journeyed to ,smithfield to get him to administer to them1 and their faith has generally been rewarded4 ,another sequel to that first visit of ,elder ,farrell to ,northampton may be mentioned4 ,the daughter and son-in-law of ,brother ,challis who left the house in such haste when he first entered it2 because they did not want to speak to a ,mormon1 have both since investigated ,mormonism and embraced the ,gospel4 ,they also have come to ,zion and located at ,franklin1 and the young man has filled a faithful mission to ,england and returned home1 and is now numbered among the enterprising and prosperous business men of ,franklin4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,mr4 ,,clark',s ,,intolerance--,,elder ,,farrell',s ,,influence ,,over ,,him--,,baptisms ,,in ,,stanwick--,,clark ,,family ,,migrate4 ,,on ,,leaving the town of ,northampton1 ,elders ,morris and ,farrell proceeded to the town of ,stanwick1 and held an out-door meeting the same evening they arrived there4 ,at the close of the meeting a ,mrs4 ,baker accosted ,elder ,farrell and said she would like to be baptized4 ,he asked her if she ever heard the ,gospel preached before4 ,she said she had heard it a great many times1 but that his talk that evening had convinced her that she should no longer hesitate about embracing it4 ,he inquired if her husband was willing1 and she replied that if she wanted to1 he would not object4 ,they went out about half a mile from the town and baptized her in a beautiful pond1 and then walked back to town4 ,she invited the ,elders to go home with her1 where they engaged her husband in conversation while she changed her wet for dry clothing4 ,elder ,morris soon excused himself1 leaving his companion to talk with ,mr4 ,baker while he called upon the ,clark family1 close neighbors4 ,mrs4 ,clark and one of her daughters were members of the ,church1 but her husband was not4 ,after awhile ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,baker and ,elder ,farrell also went over to the ,clark residence4 ,when they arrived there ,elder ,morris and ,mr4 ,clark were engaged in a heated dispute1 which threatened to develop into a quarrel4 ,elder ,farrell exclaimed as he entered the house1 ,what in the world is the matter6 ,mr4 ,clark declared he had only asked ,mr4 ,morris a few questions about his religion1 which1 being answered1 he said he didn't believe a word of it4 ,elder ,morris had responded that if he didn't believe he would be damned1 and quoted the words of the ,savior to prove it4 ,mr4 ,clark thought he deserved more consideration1 inasmuch as he had entertained the ,elders1 and offered them the use of a room to occupy whenever they wished4 ,while ,elder ,farrell was trying to pacify him and reason with him on religion in general1 ,sister ,baker persuaded ,elder ,morris to return with her to her home4 ,mr4 ,clark asked a great many questions1 all of which were promptly answered1 and generally to his satisfaction4 ,he still insisted1 however1 that he did not believe in ,mormonism4 ,do you believe there is a ,god8 the ,elder asked4 ,i believe1 he replied1 there is some one ahead of us1 who knows more than we do4 ,you men call him ,god4 ,he knew when ,i was born whether ,i would be damned or saved4 ,if ,i was born to be damned1 what is the use of me praying8 ,it would not help me4 ,he went on to tell how he had abused his wife for being a ,mormon4 ,he said if she went to meeting at night he would lock the door1 and keep her out all night2 but it made no difference2 she kept on going to the meetings1 and he kept on locking her out4 ,his wife had a sister who was a ,mormon1 and who had already emigrated to ,utah4 ,he said he went home one evening and found his wife writing a letter4 ,he inquired who she was writing to1 she replied that she was writing to ,lizzie1 her sister1 in ,salt ,lake4 ,he declared that he did not believe it1 and accused her of writing to ,mormon ,elders4 ,he demanded that she show him the letter1 and she indignantly refused to do so1 saying if he wouldn't take her word for it1 she would not gratify him by showing him the letter4 ,at that he seized her hands and tried to wrench the letter therefrom4 ,she struggled to retain it1 and he threw her to the floor4 ,the letter stuck out between her fingers as he held her on the floor near the fireplace1 and he pushed her bands up to the fire to burn the letter4 ,she screamed1 and her little boy nine years old1 who was playing outside the house1 came running in1 and1 seizing a stick of wood1 struck his father across the face with it4 ,when he arose the next morning his eyes were black and swollen1 and his hands were burned4 ,his wife bandaged his hands and put them in a sling2 for a day or two he was about the worst used up man he had ever seen1 with both eyes discolored and both hands burned1 swollen and in a sling4 ,he made up his mind then1 he said1 never to say another word to his wife about ,mormonism1 but allow her to believe what she liked4 ,and do you really believe1 ,elder ,farrell asked1 that every man and woman is born to be damned or saved8 ,i certainly do with all my heart1 ,mr4 ,clark replied4 ,well1 was the response1 ,i want you to excuse me1 but ,i must say that you are about the most unreasonable man ,i have ever met in this country4 ,springing to his feet1 as though his anger was getting beyond control1 he demanded that ,elder ,farrell prove it4 ,the reply was3 ,your wife1 according to your own words1 was born a ',mormon1' and cannot help herself4 ,don't you see how unreasonable you have been in locking her out of the house night after night1 trying to burn her and indulging in other cruelty8 ,mr4 ,clark retorted3 ,i will never say a word to her again about religion4 ,she can go to ,utah with you if she wants to1 and ,i'll not say a word to her4 ,i don't want her1 said ,elder ,farrell1 ,i have plenty of wives of my own4 ,do you have more than one8 inquired ,mr4 ,clark4 ,yes1 was the response4 ,i have two wives and sixteen children4 ,well1 said ,mr4 ,clark1 ,i think more of you than any other ',mormon' ,i have met for your honesty4 ,others won't tell it1 but you have honestly confessed it4 ,now1 added the ,elder1 ,i want to tell you that ,god lives and ,i am sent here to preach the ,gospel of ,his ,son ,jesus ,christ4 ,if you repent of your sins and are baptized for their remission1 and live your religion like a good1 faithful ,latter-day ,saint you shall enjoy life to a good old age1 and your last days shall be the best and happiest days of your life4 ,you will enjoy the society of your family and your wife and children will enjoy your company4 ,you will grow fond of attending the meetings of the ,latter-day ,saints1 and in time be glad to repent of your sins and be baptized for the remission of them4 ,just then the clock struck one1 and ,mr4 ,clark remarked1 ,well1 it is an hour past midnight4 ,i am sorry ,i have kept you up so long4 ,i will take you up to bed1 and you remain there until ,i call you in the morning4 ,i will call you in time for you to arise and get your breakfast1 and from this time forth1 whenever you come to ,stanwick1 come direct to my house1 and make it your home2 and if you advise when you are coming ,i will have one of my daughters go out and notify the people when you will be here4 ,we will be most happy to receive you1 and we will come and sing for you at your meetings4 ,from that time ,elder ,farrell always went to the ,clark home on visiting ,stanwick1 and the family furnished music for the meetings1 ,mr4 ,clark playing the violin and singing tenor1 and in other ways proving a good and true friend4 ,when ,bishop ,morris was released to return home he was succeeded as president of the ,birmingham conference by ,bishop ,william ,h4 ,maughan4 ,elder ,farrell accompanied him on his first round and introduced him to the ,clark family1 as being among his best friends4 ,after ,elder ,maughan had been there about nine months1 and had become well acquainted with the ,clark family1 two of the daughters who had not yet joined the ,church induced ,bishop ,maughan to ask their father's consent for him to baptize them4 ,mr4 ,clark impatiently blurted out3 ,if they talk baptism to me they cannot live in my home4 ,this was on ,sunday evening4 ,on ,monday ,bishop ,maughan1 finding it useless to try to reconcile ,mr4 ,clark1 left for ,birmingham1 and on ,tuesday ,elder ,farrell called at ,stanwick1 in making the round of his conference4 ,on leaving ,nottingham1 his headquarters1 he had left word for any letters that might come for him during his absence to be forwarded to ,stanwick1 care of ,jonah ,clark4 ,sister ,clark had told him on his arrival about ,bishop ,maughan asking her husband's consent to baptize her two daughters1 and of his refusal4 ,she begged of him to try1 saying that ,mr4 ,clark thought more of him than any other ,elder he had met4 ,he told her he would do so4 ,the next morning when the mail came it brought some letters for ,elder ,farrell1 one of which was from ,liverpool4 ,on opening it he learned that ,president ,brigham ,young had sent word to the ,president of the mission to release him to return home1 as the person who had succeeded him as tithing clerk for ,cache valley was unable to attend to the work1 and they wanted ,elder ,farrell home to resume his position in that respect4 ,mr ,clark was about to leave home for his work1 and when he approached ,elder ,farrell to bid him good bye1 the latter said1 ,wait a moment2 ,i want to read this letter to you1 meaning the letter he had received concerning his release4 ,when he had heard it he said1 ,well1 ,elder ,farrell1 ,i think more of you than any ',mormon' ,elder ,i ever met in my life1 and if there is anything in my house that you want1 all you have to do is to name it1 and it shall be yours4 ,the ,elder replied1 ,thank you1 that is all ,i want you to say2 ,i don't want your property but here are your two daughters1 ,annie and ,lilla2 they want me to baptize them before ,i leave1 and ,i would not do so without your permission4 ,all ,i want you to say is ',yes4' ,he dropped his head into his hands for about one half minute1 then said3 ,mr4 ,farrell1 if they believe ',mormonism' with all their hearts1 and they want you to baptize them1 ,i say ,yes4 ,the girls and their mother who had been in the next room1 listening1 rushed in crying for joy1 and thanked him for his kindness1 and then he cried too1 and ,elder ,farrell couldn't help shedding tears of joy also4 ,controlling his feelings1 he said1 ,mr4 ,clark1 you remember the last five persons ,i baptized down in the pond of water4 ,some of the people announced in the newspaper that if ,i ever baptized any more there they would duck me as long as ,i had breath4 ,these people know that you don't like the ',mormons1' and ,i want you to go out in another direction and find a good place to baptize the girls1 and when evening comes you and ,i can go down and the girls may follow us1 and be baptized without the people knowing anything about it4 ,he replied1 ,all right1 ,mr4 ,farrell4 ,i'll not work to-day1 but will go and find a suitable place4 ,he returned some time later saying he had found a place about a mile and a half east4 ,he spent the rest of the day mostly in conversation with ,elder ,farrell4 ,in the meantime a thunder storm occurred and a heavy shower followed4 ,a bed of water cress about six feet wide grew at the bottom of the ,clark garden1 and ,elder ,farrell walked down there to gather some water cress for supper4 ,while doing so he heard the sound of running water the opposite side of the garden wall1 where there was an orchard4 ,he stepped across the water cress bed and looked over the wall and there saw a stream of water about four feet wide 7doubtless swollen by the recent shower17 and just about twenty feet down stream two posts stood--one in either bank4 ,he called ,mr4 ,clark to come down and notice the stream1 and asked him if he could find three boards1 a foot wide1 to drop in the stream above the posts1 to form a dam1 thus making the stream deep enough to baptize in1 and so secluded that no one would notice them or suspect what was going on4 ,it was also suggested that ,mr4 ,clark arrange a safe bridge across the water cress bed1 which he immediately complied with1 by taking the kitchen door off its hinges and laying it down there to be walked over1 and also made steps to descend into the water4 ,along towards evening ,elder ,farrell set out to walk to ,mr4 ,baker's1 who was always on hand to lend him a pair of pants and high topped rubber boots to wear when he was baptizing4 ,he had not proceeded far when someone approached him behind1 and clutched him by the arm4 ,turning around he faced ,mr4 ,baker1 who inquired if he was going to his house4 ,elder ,farrell replied that he was1 for the purpose of getting his uniform to wear in baptizing4 ,surprised1 he next inquired who was to be baptized1 and was told that it was ,annie and ,lilla ,clark4 ,well1 bless me1 ,mr4 ,baker exclaimed1 it was only on ,sunday last that ,bishop ,maughan asked if he could baptize the girls1 and was told by the father that if they talked baptism to him they could not live in his house4 ,elder ,farrell explained that ,mr4 ,clark had not only given his consent1 but had prepared a place in which to baptize them4 ,well1 said ,mr4 ,baker1 that is wonderful6 ,i can't stand it any longer4 ,mr4 ,farrell1 will you baptize me too8 ,elder ,farrell replied that he would be pleased to do so4 ,on reaching the ,baker home ,mrs4 ,baker was asked to get the uniform1 as ,elder ,farrell was going to do some baptizing4 ,she inquired who was going to be baptized and her husband replied3 ,the ,clark girls and ,charlie ,baker4 ,the good woman raised her hands in ecstacy1 and exclaimed3 ,well1 the ,lord be praised6 ,just then ,mr4 ,baker's apprentice1 a young man about seventeen years of age1 came running in from the next room1 and eagerly asked3 ,elder ,farrell1 will you please baptize me8 ,elder ,farrell inquired if his parents were willing1 and he replied that he dare not tell them anything about it4 ,he was advised to go straightway to them and tell them frankly that he wanted to be baptized3 that ,elder ,farrell was going to do some baptizing that evening1 and that he thought it would make a better boy of him if they would only consent4 ,he walked towards his home very slowly1 and with apparent reluctance1 but he was soon seen coming back on the run1 and bubbling over with happiness1 for his parents were willing that he should be baptized4 ,when ,elder ,farrell was about to descend into the water he gave ,mr4 ,clark a pocket handkerchief1 and told him to stand on the bank and help each one down into the water1 and1 after he was baptized1 to help him out again1 and when he was safely on the bank to wipe the water out of his eyes4 ,he did so1 and his wife told ,elder ,farrell the next morning that he had never felt happier in his life than when assisting the people in and out of the water4 ,she begged him to go and wake ,elder ,farrell up and be baptized by him1 but he said ,no4 ,the next morning after breakfast ,mr4 ,clark said3 ,now ,mr4 ,farrell1 ,i am going to walk with you to the station1 and carry your valise4 ,i may never see you again4 ,when they got out of town he stopped ,elder ,farrell1 and1 standing in front of him1 said3 ,i want to tell you that you have made a ',mormon' of me from the ground up1 and ,i cannot help myself2 but ,i will never be baptized until ,i pay for every bill or account that ,i owe2 then if anyone says anything to me about being baptized ,i will tell him it is none of his business2 that ,i am not beholden to him1 but if you are in this country and one hundred miles away ,i shall want you to come and baptize me4 ,when they reached the train ,mr4 ,clark bade the ,elder good bye1 while tears ran down his cheeks4 ,he also thanked him for his good advice and teachings1 and the good example he had set before him and the world1 and said he hoped to see him again4 ,three months after ,elder ,farrell arrived home he received a letter from ,mr4 ,clark stating that he had been baptized1 and had stood in the meeting of the ,saints and borne his testimony to the truth of the ,gospel1 in the house which he and a few other residents of ,stanwick had generously leased and paid the rent on for one year in advance1 so that ,elder ,farrell would not be under the necessity of preaching out in the open air4 ,he knew the ,gospel was true1 and that it would save and exalt mankind inas-much as they were true and faithful to its principles4 ,in two years from that time ,mr4 ,clark and his family arrived in ,salt ,lake ,city1 and in course of time removed to ,smithfield1 where he worked at his trade as shoemaker4 ,he did well and entered all work that he did in a book1 and at the close of every year took that book to the ,bishop and had a careful computation made of his earnings and paid one-tenth for tithing4 ,the whole ,clark family joined the choir1 and the father continued to take his part in the choir until he was past #hg years of age and had grown so weak that other members used to be under the necessity of helping him up the stairway4 ,he died just before he was #hh years of age1 a firm and consistent ,latter-day ,saint1 and up to the last manifested the utmost respect for ,elder ,farrell1 and also taught his family to respect him and seek his counsel4 ,his family are all faithful members of the ,church1 and are now residing in ,cache ,county1 ,utah1 and doing well4 ,prepared ,for the ,gospel ,,john ,,anderson',s ,,search ,,for ,,the ,,truth--,,providential ,,way ,,in ,,which ,,he ,,was ,,first ,,led ,,to ,,attend ,a ,,meeting ,,of ,,the ,,saints--,,embraced ,,the ,,gospel--,,firm ,,adherence ,,thereto4 ,,it ,,is probably a fact1 though it may not be possible at this late date to prove it1 that a very large proportion of the early converts to the ,gospel were1 at the time its message reached them1 and for years before1 dissatisfied with the creeds of the day1 and were searching for the ,truth as portrayed in the ,bible4 ,one of the early converts to the ,gospel in ,scotland was ,john ,anderson1 a native of ,leith1 who is a typical example of the class mentioned4 ,his daughter1 ,mrs4 ,david ,smellie1 who died in the year #aiji1 has left a sketch of his life written by her own hand1 substantially as follows3 ,my parents had a family of twelve children1 six sons and six daughters4 ,i was their seventh child1 and the first one born after my father joined the church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,this step he took in the year #ahdj1 and ,i will here relate how he became acquainted with the peculiar people called ,mormons4 ,he was an intelligent1 studious man1 of a very fixed purpose when once resolved4 ,my dear mother was like him in that respect4 ,in the early years of their married life they were members of the ,united ,presbyterian church1 but became dissatisfied with that sect1 my parents not being able to see the need of a man having to go to college so many years to learn to preach the ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ4 ,they then became associated with a body of religious worshippers called ,separatists1 who did not believe in clergymen or infant sprinkling4 ,this suited them better1 as being more scriptural4 ,in the year #ahci my father's mind was directed to the necessity of baptism for the remission of sins1 and the laying on of hands for the conferring of the ,holy ,ghost1 by one having authority4 ,these the ,bible told him were among the first principles of the ,gospel4 ,but where was he to find one who claimed such authority8 ,he knew none1 and yet the ,bible indicated that these ordinances were to be performed by one who was called of ,god as was ,aaron--by revelation4 ,my father put those views before the ,separatist brethren1 who1 after due consideration1 requested him either to give up his ideas or leave the sect4 ,he therefore left1 but my mother remained with them4 ,the year #ahdj found my father in this frame of mind4 ,in the meantime he studied the ,new ,testament scriptures1 and his previous convictions were increased4 ,but what was he to do8 ,the ,lord had ceased to speak from the heavens--had not done so since the days of the early ,christians4 ,the world said3 ,it was not necessary1 as the ,bible contained all that was needful4 ,i will here insert a short story which will help to illustrate the point in view3 ,john ,wesley1 wishing other lands to hear the message he held forth1 assumed to ordain ,coke and others to be bishops1 to carry ,methodism1 and on this point he and his brother ,charles became divided1 after being so firmly united in the cause4 ,this was the wedge that split them4 ,charles did not believe that either had the power to ordain others1 and he opposed the scheme4 ,john went ahead1 assumed the authority1 and laid his hands on the head of ,mr4 ,coke and ordained him a bishop1 a position ,wesley himself never held4 ,charles grew angry at this1 and remarked3 ,how easily are bishops made ,by man's or woman's whim2 ,wesley his hands has laid on ,coke ,but who laid hands on him8 ,on ,sunday afternoon in ,october1 #ahdj1 my parents were visited by my mother's sister's husband--,uncle ,john ,grieve1 who resided in ,edinburgh4 ,in the course of conversation he informed them that a celebrated clergyman was to preach in ,edinburgh that same evening1 and invited my father to accompany him to hear this man speak4 ,he consented1 and together they set out to walk from ,leith to ,edinburgh1 a distance of two miles4 ,they had reached a place called ,dickson's ,nursery1 which was about half way1 when suddenly my father felt that he could not proceed any farther4 ,uncle ,john walked on a few steps1 thinking my father would follow1 then turned and inquired if he was not coming4 ,father replied1 ,john1 ,i can go no farther with you to-night4 ,uncle ,john insisted upon his going1 but all in vain4 ,father declared that he could not lift his feet-they seemed sealed to the ground1 and he felt that he must go back4 ,just as soon as he had said ,good evening my father's feet were loosed from the ground4 ,he walked towards ,leith until he reached the street which led to his home1 called ,kirkgate4 ,then something prompted him to take the street to the right1 called ,constitution4 ,down the street he walked until he came to an entrance leading to the ,mason's ,lodge1 which entrance was called a pind4 ,this was an arched alley-way1 leading to buildings in the rear1 where the ,mason's hall was situated4 ,at this pind stood an old1 fresh-complexioned man1 dressed in home-spun clothes4 ,he bade my father ,good evening1 and inquired if he was aware that the new sect called ,latter-day ,saints were to hold meeting in the ,mason's hall that evening4 ,father replied that he was not1 whereupon the old man invited him to attend1 and led the way into the hall1 where he put father into a good seat4 ,my father turned around to thank him for his courtesy1 but he was gone1 and he never saw him again2 but to the last he maintained that the old man was one of the ,three ,nephites4 ,the speakers were ,orson ,pratt and ,george ,d4 ,watt4 ,they preached the first principles of the ,gospel1 and claimed that the ,lord had again spoken from the heavens and restored the everlasting ,gospel in its fullness1 with the gifts and blessings belonging to the same4 ,they declared too that the ,lord had promised that the ,gospel would never again be taken from the earth until the sons of ,levi do offer again an offering unto the ,lord in righteousness4 ,my father sat listening and amazed at the good news--just what he had been waiting for1 and it seemed to fit into his heart4 ,the precious seed did indeed fall into fertile soil1 and it bore a hundred fold4 ,to hear was to investigate2 to investigate was to embrace the new and everlasting ,gospel which the ,lord had again restored to the earth1 and which ,he in ,his loving kindness had gradually prepared my father to receive4 ,my father rejoiced greatly1 for he realized he had indeed found the pearl of great price4 ,this jewel he wore and prized for forty-five years4 ,he died ,december #ai1 #ahhe1 in the #hast year of his age2 and so valiant a soldier was he in the cause of truth that it was said of him he did not owe his country one testimony4 ,one day while sitting by his bedside shortly before he passed away 7,i don't like to say died1 for father did not die1 he only fell asleep and ,o1 so gently2 just like a tired child17 ,i inquired if there was any message he would like to leave for those of his family who were out of the reach of his voice4 ,he replied1 ,yes1 tell them from their father if they have gone outside of the fold1 to get in again just as soon as ever they can4 ,i feel prompted to record a few facts in the life of my father which may be of interest to those who may read this1 although my father never desired me to do so4 ,they will show that the ,lord was with him to uphold1 defend and bless him4 ,as ,i stated previously1 he was ever ready to expound and maintain the principles of the ,gospel1 and many of his former friends and acquaintances turned very bitter against him because of his fidelity to his convictions4 ,one of these was a sea captain named ,robert ,storm4 ,father had made boots for him and his crew for a long time1 but1 because of the change in his religious opinions1 he became very bitter and withdrew his custom4 ,my father was in the habit of taking a daily constitutional walk down ,leith pier4 ,one day as he was coming up the pier he saw the vessel ,robert ,storm was master of being towed down the river on her way to ,france4 ,father took off his hat and waved a parting adieu4 ,to this act of courtesy ,robert ,storm responded with a look of scorn4 ,father was impressed to say1 ,robert ,storm1 you will never have the opportunity to do that again to me4 ,some eight or ten days afterwards a severe storm swept the ,english ,channel4 ,one afternoon just at this time father heard the postman call out his name in the stairway4 ,this was the custom in tenement houses1 and the person so called was expected to go out and get his letters4 ,father received from the postman a letter addressed to him in a clear1 bold hand1 sealed with wax1 as was the custom1 envelopes not then having come into fashion4 7,letters were written on a large double sheet of paper folded neatly and sealed with wax47 ,it bore the ,london postmark1 and contained a statement that ,robert ,storm was drowned at sea on a certain day and where it occurred1 indicating that it was in the ,english ,channel1 but bore no signature4 ,father had gone direct to his workroom when he received the letter1 and as soon as he had read it he laid it down on his work seat1 and crossed through the lobby into the kitchen to get my mother to come and read it also4 ,she immediately followed him into his workroom1 when to his surprise he discovered the letter was gone1 and yet no living person had been there during his absence4 ,the ,lord had sent that letter1 it had performed its mission1 and was taken away4 ,by and by an account of the wreck was read in the newspaper1 which stated that it had taken place in the ,english ,channel4 ,thus was my father's prediction fulfilled4 ,in illustration of the character of my father ,i have heard it related that a certain ,elder ,w444444 7his name is suppressed for the sake of his relatives7 presided over the ,edinburgh branch at a period in the early history of the ,church there4 ,one evening after the regular ,sunday evening service was over he called upon the members holding the priesthood to remain and hold a kind of council meeting4 ,at this meeting ,elder ,w444444 proposed that certain funds belonging to the conference1 collected for a certain purpose1 be used for an entirely different purpose1 in which he was personally interested4 ,my father being a very conscientious man1 protested against this proceeding1 and said1 seeing the ,edinburgh conference had given this money for a special purpose1 they as custodians had no authority to use it in any other direction without the consent of the donors4 ,elder ,w4444441 indignant at my father's presuming to oppose him or his wishes1 arose and proposed that1 seeing that ,john ,anderson had been guilty of dictating to him1 a superior officer1 he be cut off the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,a show of hands was called for1 and in less time than it takes to tell it the vote carried4 ,my father remained quiet until the matter was settled1 then he arose and requested permission to speak4 ,the request being granted1 he said3 ,brethren1 all ,i desire to say is that 444444 444444 ,w4444441 7mentioning his name in full7 will be out of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints when ,i am in it4 ,my father renewed his covenants the following week1 and continued an honorable member during his life4 ,he died holding the office of a ,high ,priest1 while ,elder ,w4444 died a poor outcast and apostate4 ,my father remained in ,scotland1 laboring in the ,gospel cause1 both at home and elsewhere1 paying his tithing1 and trusting in the ,lord for his promised blessing until the year #ahfc4 ,previous to this period he had at various times requested my mother to accompany him to ,utah4 ,this she refused to do1 not being able to see the ,gospel light4 ,then father decided to gather with the ,saints1 taking his youngest son with him1 and leaving four daughters1 two married and two single1 with their mother4 ,shortly before leaving ,scotland my father1 in conversation with one of the brethren1 expressed his regret at leaving his wife and daughters behind him4 ,the brother told him to be of good courage1 for his wife and family would follow him1 and that he would live to see the promise fulfilled4 ,father could scarcely believe this prediction1 it appeared so very unlikely to ever come to pass4 ,however1 he trusted in the ,lord1 knowing that ,he moves in a mysterious way1 ,his wonders to perform1 and surely in the case of my father's family this was exemplified to a wonderful degree4 ,the prophecy concerning the gathering of my father's family was fulfilled to the letter1 for he had the satisfaction of receiving us all in ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,he located at #ed ,east ,first ,south ,street1 where he built a good comfortable house1 in which he lived until called to his final rest4 ,a ,prediction and ,its ,fulfillment ,,prediction ,,that ,,an ,,apparently ,,barren ,,woman ,,would ,,give ,,birth ,,to ,a ,,son--,,its ,,literal ,,fulfillment--,,that ,,son',s ,,reverence ,,for ,,the ,,elder ,,who ,,made ,,the ,,prediction4 ,,according to the ,scriptures1 prophecy was one of the gift which should characterize the ,church in the last days1 and thousands can attest that the gift has been enjoyed by the ,latter-day ,saints to a marked degree4 ,under the influence of the ,spirit of the ,lord many of the ,elders have made predictions that have really frightened themselves when they have contemplated them afterwards1 for it was only by the eye of the ,spirit they could see any probability of their fulfillment4 ,a case in point is related by ,elder ,c41 who filled a mission in ,england in the early sixties4 ,he1 in company with the president of the mission and several other ,elders1 visited a branch of the ,church in which a large number of ,saints had made preparations to migrate to ,utah1 and who desired a blessing under the hands of the ,elders before undertaking the journey4 ,it came ,elder ,c4's turn to bless a4 sister who had been married a good many years1 but who had no children4 ,she was not perhaps as old as her appearance indicated1 but her hair was almost white4 ,in the course of the blessing pronounced upon her ,elder ,c41 under the prompting of the ,spirit1 promised that she should journey safely to ,zion and there establish and enjoy a comfortable home1 and give birth to a son who would live to call her blessed4 ,in a spirit of fun the other ,elders afterwards jollied ,elder ,c4 a good deal about the promise he had made that sister1 telling him he had better look at the color of a woman's hair before making her any such extravagant promises as he had in that instance4 ,he was somewhat plagued by their raillery and could offer no defense except to say that the ,spirit had prompted him to say what he did4 ,he remembered the promise1 but had no means of learning the subsequent history of the sister until a year or so afterward1 when1 after his return home from his mission1 he chanced to meet her husband1 who joyfully hailed him with the exclamation1 ,that boy you promised is born6 ,but then he added1 with tears in his eyes that his wife1 who had fondly clung to the promise1 was fifty-three years old at the time of the child's birth1 and had only lived a short time afterwards1 but died happy in the consciousness that the boy survived her1 and in the hope that he would indeed live to call her blessed4 ,the parents regarded him as a child of promise1 as much so as ,isaac of old was1 who was born to ,sarah in her old age1 and named him in honor of ,elder ,c4 giving him his christian and surname as well as the surname of his father4 ,years afterwards that son1 having reached a marriageable age and grown to be a stalwart man1 journeyed a long distance with his intended bride to get ,elder ,c41 7whom he had never seen1 but whom he had been taught from infancy to revere7 to perform the marriage ceremony for him1 and his ever-increasing posterity will doubtless be taught1 as they come to years of understanding1 the story of the inspired prediction and its literal fulfillment1 as here related4 ,a ,tongue of ,utility ,,elder ,,bastian ,,inspired ,,to ,,preach ,,in ,,the ,,danish ,,language ,,before ,,he ,,had ,,learned ,,it4 ,,on ,,the ,,day of ,pentecost when the ministry of the ,apostles was ushered in with such a wonderful display of supernatural power the assembled multitude heard the ,gospel preached in many different languages with which they were severally familiar1 but which were strange to the ,apostles4 ,this was in fulfillment of the promise of the ,savior1 as recorded in ,mark ,,xvi4 #ag1 that these signs shall follow them that believe3 ,in my name shall they cast out devils2 they shall speak with new tongues4 ,the utility of their so speaking must have been at once apparent to those who heard but would not have understood them had they not been inspired to so speak4 ,of similar utility has been the gift of tongues enjoyed by a number of ,elders in our day when sent upon missions to foreign countries4 ,a case in illustration of this is the experience of ,elder ,gearsen ,s4 ,bastian1 formerly ,counselor to the ,president of the ,wayne ,stake of ,zion1 but now a resident of ,sigurd1 ,sevier ,co41 ,utah4 ,he was sent on a mission to ,denmark in #ahhh1 and was appointed to labor in the ,aarhus conference4 ,he found much difficulty in acquiring the ,danish language1 so much so that he felt discouraged and began to fear that he would never be able to learn it4 ,about that time his missionary companion was released to return home1 and ,elder ,bastian was left in charge of the ,randers branch4 ,only once had he attempted to speak before the public1 and he was only able to say a very few words4 ,sunday came1 and at the appointed time for worship the meeting hall was well filled4 ,after the opening exercises he called upon one of the native ,elders to speak1 but he had only occupied a few minutes1 when a burning desire to speak filled the soul of ,elder ,bastian4 ,he arose1 and under the influence and power of ,god he preached the gospel with much plainness in the ,danish language for an hour and twenty minutes4 ,at the close of the meeting the native brethren and sisters all flocked around him to congratulate him2 and they claimed that he had spoken the language with as much plainness as they could have spoken2 and they rejoiced greatly4 ,but as yet he could not converse with them2 nevertheless the ,lord had given to him a testimony that he should thenceforth have freedom and power in preaching the gospel4 ,judgment ,upon ,an ,anti-,mormon ,,thug ,,hired ,,to ,,assault ,,mormon ,,preacher--,,his ,,mission ,,divined ,,by ,,the ,,elder--,a ,,prediction ,,concerning ,,the ,,instigator--,,its ,,literal ,,fulfillment4 ,,breachwood ,,green1 ,hertfordshire1 ,england1 was the scene of an episode connected with the early preaching of the ,gospel in ,europe that is worthy of record4 ,about sixty-four years have passed since it occurred but it is still remembered and frequently talked of by the present inhabitants of the place1 strangers as well as ,saints4 ,the ,red ,lion1 one of the principal public houses of the village1 which stands facing ,oxford ,road1 was1 at the time of which ,i write1 kept by one ,samuel ,peters1 a man of influence and property1 who combined the business of baker and provision dealer with that of publican4 ,his family consisted of a wife and six children4 ,beneath the wide-spreading branches of a great ash tree which grows opposite the ,red ,lion1 stood a humble ,elder of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 declaring the principles of life and salvation1 revealed anew in this dispensation4 ,he was a stranger in the place1 and had chosen this spot on the public highway in which to hold forth1 as he could not obtain the use of a more comfortable or appropriate place4 ,a goodly number of people had gathered about him1 and were listening attentively to what he said4 ,annoyed at the attention and respect paid by the assembly to a religion and a sect which he so heartily despised1 the publican offered a man named ,henry ,thrussell1 a low1 drunken character1 who was hanging about the tap-room1 a quart of beer if he would go out and strike that ,mormon preacher in the face4 ,the lout1 who was half drunk already1 willingly accepted the offer and made his way across the street1 being watched from the door by his patron and a few loungers about the tavern1 who were eager to see the fun4 ,as ,thrussell began elbowing his way through the crowd who had gathered about the speaker1 some little resistance was offered to the intrusion1 but by his bullying manner be soon forced an entrance4 ,the speaker paused in his remarks on seeing him approach in such an aggressive style1 and reaching out his hand to him1 he said1 ,well1 my good man1 what do you want8 ,disarmed by the friendly greeting1 the bully hesitated about replying1 when the ,elder continued3 ,did some one send you here to disturb this meeting8 ,yes1 sir6 the follow answered1 still hesitating about executing his errand4 ,was it the publican yonder8 asked the ,elder1 as he noticed the men at the tavern door watching the proceedings4 ,receiving an affirmative reply1 he then continued3 ,i am sorry1 very sorry1 for his sake6 ,you go and tell that man that judgment will soon overtake him4 ,though he is now prosperous1 he shall soon come to want4 ,though his family is now healthy1 sickness and death will soon come among them1 and he will die in poverty1 forsaken by his friends6 ,the intended assailant turned upon his heel without accomplishing what he was sent for1 and retraced his steps to the tavern1 where the publican1 who had heard the prediction of the servant of ,god1 berated him for his cowardice4 ,time passed on4 ,that ,elder no longer came to ,breachwood ,green to preach1 for he had journeyed to the land of ,zion1 in search of a new home and probably thought little of the prediction uttered under the inspiration of the ,spirit1 and perhaps never knew whether it was fulfilled or not4 ,but if he forgot it1 the people who heard it upon that occasion did not4 ,although many of them1 perhaps1 did not believe that it would ever come to pass1 they have had time since to test by the rule laid down in ,deuteronomy xviii1 #bb1 whether the ,elder spoke presumptuously or by authority from the ,lord4 ,the ,lord told ,moses1 ,when a prophet speaketh in the name of the ,lord1 if the thing follow not1 nor come to pass1 that is the thing which the ,lord hath not spoken4 ,soon after the prediction was uttered sickness came into the ,peters family1 and the wife and four of the children died4 ,the husband became dissipated and neglected his business and squandered his property4 ,financial ruin soon followed and his friends deserted him4 ,after dragging out a miserable existence for a few years1 he finally died1 forsaken and alone1 in a little out-house4 ,the man ,thrussell was still living when the writer visited that locality some years since1 and was pointed out to him on the street4 ,he occasionally1 in his sober moments1 referred to that event1 and to the feeling he experienced when facing the ,elder1 and declared that for the life of him he could not lift his hand to strike the ,elder4 ,he also tells of the interest with which he watched for the fulfillment of the prediction1 and testified that it was fulfilled4 ,that ,elder's name was ,john ,p4 ,hayes1 the same1 who lived for many years at ,pleasant ,grove1 ,utah1 but who is now dead4 ,he is survived by a numerous progeny1 who may be interested in learning that the memory of his words still lives in his former field of labor4 ,a few of those who listened to his testimony have since embraced the ,gospel1 but the most of them are as prone to follow after fables as they ever were2 and they still languidly hold to their hollow creeds1 which differ as widely from the true ,gospel as the light shed by a farthing dip does from the glorious effulgence of the noonday sun4 ,transcriber's ,note ,in the text1 ,chapter ,,iv was originally ,chapter ,,iiii and part of the heading was cut off2 both errors have been corrected to match the ,table of ,contents4 ,various errors involving quotation marks have been resolved as seemed reasonable4