1870-01-31-New York Herald-Mormon Conference
- The New York Herald, 31 January 1870, p. 6 c. 3
Mormon Conference
The Mormons are making great exertions to increase their strength on Long Island, and to add to the churches at present in existence in the rural districts. In Hempstead and district a colony was formed about thirty years ago, when Brigham Young, then a young missionary, baptized the first convert, and left the infant Church to return to the City of the Saints. During the past thirty years the Church thus founded has gone on steadily increasing, and various branch colonies have from time to time been formed. These have all been under the superintendence of Mr. F. K. Benedict, of Freeport, the convert referred to who was baptized by Brigham Young. Since the war, however, the Church has not made such progress as in former years, and there was, in fact, great danger of it being destroyed altogether. That fact induced Mr. Benedict in the course of the last summer to visit Utah and solicit aid in his endeavors to revive the slowly dying cause. The result of the mission was that a corps of missionaries, under the superintendence of Bishop Burton, was sent to hold a conference in the district and to try by the aid of meetings and argument to restore the people to the "knowledge of the truth"—as taught by Joe Smith.
During the last fortnight conferences have been held in Hempstead, Baldwinsville and Patchogue, and have been well attended by the faithful saints. Two meetings have been held daily, and the result is claimed by Bishop Burton to be of the most satisfactory kind.
Meetings will be conducted in the district during the next week, after which a raid is to be made upon New York.
