Young, Brigham
Excerpts from the Manuscript History of Brigham Young
- Source: Young, Brigham, Manuscript History of Brigham Young, 1801- 1844, comp. by Eldon Jay Watson (privately printed, 1968) pp. 96-105.
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March 13th, 1837, I started in company with Dr. Willard Richards for the Eastern States, on a special mission appointed us by the Prophet Joseph. We travelled by stagecoach through Ohio and Pennsylvania to Buffalo, New York. Riding day and night over very rough roads, we became very weary, and tarried a short time to rest ourselves, then took stagecoach again, and travelled as far as Canandaigua, where we stopped two nights and one day. While here I visited Martin Harris.
Proceeding on our journey, we rode day and night till we arrived in Albany. Visited Troy, where we transacted considerable business. I purchased from a gentleman there a fine tavern establishment, which was situated in Auburn, directly across the street from the gate of the penitentiary, which property I still own.
We travelled day and night until we arrived at West Stockbridge, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, at the doctor's old homestead, which he had left the year before. We stayed with Father Richards and family a short time, then proceeded to New Haven, and from thence to New York City, where we stopped a day or two, and took steamboat for Boston by way of Providence, visiting the brethren in Lynn and Salem, also many of the friends and brethren in the country; transacted much business, and returned to Berkshire County. My cousin Phinehas Richards and his son George started with me for Kirtland, leaving the doctor with his friends.
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We arrived in Buffalo early the next morning. Joseph and the brethren proceeded to Canada. I took the cars for Lockport, with Brother A. P. Rockwood and from thence we took a line-boat for Utica. Brother Rockwood stopped at Auburn to see some of our relatives and I took the cars for Albany, and from thence by stage to West Stockbridge, arriving at Uncle Joseph Richards at half-past 6 o'clock Friday morning, August 1st, and found them all well. I transacted my business and returned to Albany, where I took steamboat for New York, and found cousin A. P. Rockwood on board. We arrived in New York Sunday, 5 o'clock, p.m., called at Brother Elijah Fordham's, and learned that Elder P. [Parley] P. Pratt and Brother Fordham had gone to meeting. We found Elder Pratt preaching on board a schooner at the foot of Canal Street. I remained in the city a short time, and held three meetings. I ordained Brother Rockwood an elder, predicting on his head that his family should all be gathered into the kingdom, and that there should be a branch of the Church raised up in his native town, Holliston, Massachusetts, where he then resided and kept store, and set him apart to preside over said branch when it should be raised up. Having closed up my business I started for home.
August 18 [1837].-- Took steamer, Daniel Webster, at Buffalo, for Fairport. �
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--[January] 30 [1840] -- We took steamboat and started, but on getting out a few miles a portentous cloud in the east caused the captain to return, and we went back to the hotel.
Next day we took steamboat and went within eighteen miles of New York. When we came into the channel of East River, we found it frozen over. The captain ran his boat as far into the ice as he could, but the ice was so thick he had to land us at Frog's Point, where we hired a Paddy's dirt-cart to carry our luggage a mile, when, with other passengers, we hired a market-wagon to carry us to Harlem, paying all our money on our arrival there. It was late in the evening, and all the stages had left for New York but one, which had only two horses; sixteen of us got on to it, and we arrived in New York by 10 p.m. When we landed I observed Captain Stone, the commander of the steamer, come out of the coach, and asked him if he would have the goodness to pay this gentleman's fare and mine (pointing to Brother George A. [Smith]). He replied, "With pleasure." I thanked him. He said it was all right, and, shaking hands with us both, bade us Godspeed. We left our trunks in the baggage room of the North American House, and soon found Brother P. [Parley] P. Pratt and family, who lived at No. 58, Mott-street. We were heartily received by the family, and returned thanks to God for having preserved us and brought us in safety so far on our mission to the nations of the earth.
February 1-- Spent the day at Brother Pratt's; my health was feeble.
--2 (Sunday)-- Attended three meetings at the Columbian Hall, Grandstreet. Elder George A. Smith and myself preached.
I attended a meeting in some part of the city every evening during the week, and on Sunday, 9th, preached three times in the hall. I again attended meetings every night during the week, and was constantly conversing with people and teaching them the principles of the gospel. Passing from Brooklyn to New York, I jumped on to the ferryboat with my left arm extended, meaning to catch hold of the stanchion, but I fell on a large iron ring on the deck, which put my shoulder out of joint. I asked Brother Hedlock to roll me over on my back, which he did; I directed Brothers Kimball and Hedlock to lay hold of my body, and Brother Pratt to take hold of my hand and pull, putting his foot against my side, while I guided the bone with my right hand back to its place. The brethren wound my handkerchief round my shoulder and helped me up. When I came to a fire I fainted, and was not able to dress myself for several days.
February 23 (Sunday)-- I attended meeting. Elder P. [Parley] P. Pratt preached.
I visited Long Island and preached in the counties of King and Suffolk, at Hempstead, Rockaway, Brooklyn and other places. At the last meeting I held, I told the people I was on a mission to England with my brethren; I had never asked for a dime in all my preaching, but we had not sufficient means to proceed, and if any one wished to contribute to help us, I would thankfully receive it. After meeting, $19,50 was put in my hands. We baptized nine, and returned to New York.
March 4.-- Attended a conference with the Church in New York. Elders Kimball, Parley P. and Orson Pratt and Geo. [George] A. Smith were present. Much instruction was given to the Saints, and a number of elders were ordained.
On Sunday I taught the Saints to ask the elders, when they came to stay with them, if they wished water to wash their feet. In the evening we went to Brother Addison Everett's; Sister Everett asked us if we would have some water to wash our feet; having no fire, she brought us a bucket of ice and water, and we washed our feet, the cold, however, was alleviated by our exceeding good humor.
We engaged our passages for Liverpool on board the Patrick Henry, a packet ship of the Black Ball Line, Captain Delino, and paid $18 each for a steerage passage, furnished our own provisions and bedding and paid the cook $1 each for cooking. Brother H. [Heber] C. Kimball and myself occupied a lower berth, Brothers Parley and Orson Pratt the one over us, Brothers George A. Smith and R. Hedlock an upper berth at their feet; two Englishmen occupied the berth below. The brethren in New York furnished us with an ample supply of provisions by donation; the sisters made us ticks and filled them with straw for beds and filled some bags with straw for pillows.
--9-- A large number of Saints came down to the wharf to bid us farewell. When we got into the small boat to go out to the ship, the brethren sang, "The gallant ship is under weigh;" we joined them as long as we could hear. When we got on board, the vessel weighed anchor; the steam-tug took us out to Sandyhook. Brother L. R. Foster, the presiding elder of the New York Branch, came out to the Hook and returned with the tug. We set sail, and by sunset lost sight of our native shore. �
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--17 [May 1841]--Strong head winds; we came in view of Long Island, 3 p.m., took a pilot on board at 4, who informed us that they had not heard from the "Oxford," nor any ship which left Liverpool at the time we did, nor for several days before; he also informed us that no word had been heard of the steamship "President;" all expected she was lost.
--18--Strong northwest wind; sailing nine knots an hour. We heard of the death of General Harrison, President of the United States.
--19--While passing through Sandy Hook we ran into a fishing smack, came near sinking here with all on board. We had a head wind and could not run into the dock; cast anchor at 11 a.m. at the quarantine ground. A steamer came down to get the latest Liverpool news. An editor, who came on board, paid the steamer $45 to bring him out to the ship to get the latest news.
--20--Warm, pleasant weather. We commenced early in the morning to get our luggage on deck. There was a fight between the [p.102] carpenter and second mate, which was ended by the first mate striking the carpenter with a junk bottle, and as he went to strike the second blow, I caught his arm and prevented him.
Two quarantine lighters came alongside the Rochester and took all the passengers and baggage to the custom house, where we had to unload all the baggage, which was inspected by the officers, after which we reloaded on board the lighters, which took us to New York City.
When we arrived at the docks, we found them covered with horses and drays and a great crowd of draymen and pickpockets, who stood ready to leap on board and devour all our baggage, and, because we were unwilling to be robbed and felt disposed to do our own business without being forced to measures by draymen, they cursed and swore at a dreadful rate, and acted more like savages than civilized men; but, after much difficulty, we got our goods out of the lighters and loaded on drays, and had to keep constant guard over them to keep them from being stolen. Many attempts were made to steal our baggage. I collared some of the thieves, and threatened to throw them overboard if they would not let it alone. I was under the necessity of striking their fingers to keep them from carrying off the trunks they laid hold of.
We were until ten o'clock at night getting from the docks to an inn. We were all very much fatigued, for we had been constantly handling boxes, chests, barrels and trunks from sunrise til ten p.m., without eating or drinking. We took supper about midnight and laid [p.103] down to rest at the Battery Pavilion.
--21--Brother Kimball, O. [Orson] Pratt and myself took lodgings at the house of Elder Adams.
--23 (Sunday)--The Twelve met in council in the morning. Elders Kimball, Pratt, Woodruff and myself gave an account of our mission to England to the Saints in the Columbian Hall, Grand Street.
--30 (Sunday)--Forenoon, attended meeting. Elder Woodruff preached. Afternoon, held a conference meeting. Evening, Elder Kimball addressed the people.
--31-- I visited the Saints on Long Island.
June 1--I returned to New York, and on the 4th, in company with Elders Kimball and Taylor, I left for Nauvoo, by way of Philadelphia.
--7--Arrived in Pittsburgh.
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--18 [August 1843]-- Brother Kimball accompanied me to Burlington, by steamer, and from thence by coach to Mount Holley, New Jersey, where we stayed with Judge William Richards and preached.
--19-- We rode with Judge Richards in his carriage to the Rising Sun, near Bordentown, where we attended a woods meeting, and met with Brothers William Smith, J. [John] E. Page, Geo. [George] A. Smith and W. I. Appleby. Brother George A. and I stayed overnight with Brother Atkinson, who lived in a very large frame house, said to have stood 150 years, which was so infested with bedbugs that we could not sleep. Brother George A. Smith gave it as his legal opinion that there were bedbugs there which had danced to the music at the Battle of Trenton, as their heads were perfectly grey. We took our blankets and retreated to the further end of the room, and, as the bugs followed us, I lit a candle, and as they approached, caught them and burnt them in the candle, and thus spent the night.
--20 (Sunday)-- Continued our woods meeting, which was numerously attended.
--26 [August 1843]-- The Twelve Apostles met with the Saints in New York, in conference, in the Columbian Hall, Grand Street. I addressed the meeting upon the importance of building the Nauvoo House and temple, also on the subject of the priesthood, showing it was a perfect system of government. In the afternoon Elders H. [Heber] C. Kimball and George A. Smith preached, and I made a few closing remarks and said:--
The scriptures had been mystified to that degree, that the greatest divines of the day are as ignorant as the dumb ass concerning the things of God; comparatively they don't know their right hand from their left. We are trying to revere the scriptures, and to make them so simple that the people can understand them. Place a man in this room who is ignorant of science, and take everything out that we can see, and then ask him if there is anything in the room. He will say no, only we two. I tell him that there are millions of live animals in the room, that we even breathe them, and I will show him, by the aid of the microscope, that there are live animals in a drop of water, which appear to be eight feet long; but he won't believe it until he sees them through the magnifying glass. So with the unbeliever in revelation--he does not believe in God, in angels, or in spirits, because he cannot see them; but let him have spiritual glasses, or obey the commandments of God, get the Spirit of God, and then he can see the truth.
A hymn was then sung.
Then several questions were asked, as follows:--
1. Can any officer in any branch of the Church say that his word is law, and shall be obeyed?
Answer--He can say that his word is law, but does that make it so? Yes, if he has the law of God, and delivers it, otherwise it is not.
2. Is it right for a priest to be appointed to accompany a teacher to visit the houses of each member, when his duty is set forth in the covenants?
Answer--Yes. Any officer, from a high priest to a deacon, may visit the Church, or members, and be set apart for this purpose, if the Church will receive it.
3. Can a branch of the Church make byelaws on the principle of expediency, which are not specified in any revelation?
Answer--Yes; if they wish they make laws to stick their fingers in their eyes; but it is like the man who habituated himself to sticking his finger into a knothole, in a board partition, every morning, until custom compelled him to do it, for, having omitted it one morning, he felt so curiously at the breakfast table that he could not eat--he then bethought himself, went and put his finger into the knothole, and returned with a good appetite and eat a hearty breakfast.
I said that if elders or high priests are so situated that they cannot get word from the Prophet or the Twelve Apostles, they may get a revelation concerning themselves. The Twelve may get a revelation in any part of the world concerning the building up of the kingdom, as they have to establish it in all parts of the world; so any person can ask the Lord for a witness concerning himself, and get an answer; but not to lead the Church--that belongs to the head of the Church.
--27 (Sunday)-- Attended conference. The Twelve continued to occupy the time in preaching, morning, afternoon and evening. We blessed several children and administered to the sick. My health was feeble, never having wholly recovered from my last winter's illness.
--28-- attended a council of the Twelve this morning in relation to our future movements.
--29-- Went to the Arlington House, Long Island, in company with Brother L. R. Foster, and had a pleasant visit with General James Arlington Bennett and family, with whom I stayed all night.
--30-- Rode with General Bennett and Brother Foster to Coney Island, where we bathed in the Atlantic. He requested me to baptize him, which I did, and we confirmed him and returned to his house, where we remained overnight and spent a pleasant time.
September 4.-- Accompanied by H. [Heber] C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, Geo. [George] A. Smith and John E. Page, we crossed the Sound from New York to Providence, Rhode Island; from thence to Boston, where we arrived on the 5th, �
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--29 [September 1843]-- I left Boston for New York. Brother Woodruff and I stayed at Brother L. R. Foster's on the 30th.
October 1.-- Proceeded to Philadelphia and attended meeting in the evening.
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--12 [June 1844]-- Proceeded to Fairport and took steamer to Buffalo, where we arrived on the morning of the 13th, and went by railcars to Albany, and from thence by steamboat to New York, and proceeded to Boston, where I arrived on the morning of Sunday 16th.
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