Wilford and Phebe Woodruff Lose a Daughter

When Wilford Woodruff left his wife, Phebe, and his daughter, Sarah Emma, for his first mission to Great Britain in 1839, Phebe was pregnant. During his travels to England he dreamed about his wife. On 28 November 1839 he related:


"[I] had a dream while upon my bed. And in my dream I saw Mrs. Woodruff, and notwithstanding we rejoiced much having an interview with each other, yet our embraces were mixed with sorrow for after conversing a while about her domestic affairs I asked where Sarah Emma was, our only child. She [said] weeping and kissing me, 'She is dead.' We sorrowed a moment and [then] I awoke. Phebe also said she had not received my letters. Is this dream true? Time must determine."

Nearly a year later on 26 November 1840, Wilford received several letters from Nauvoo, one from Sister Margaret Smoot and another from his beloved Phebe -- his dream had indeed been a warning. He noted, "The letters from Phebe and Sister Smoot gave an account of the death and burial of our oldest child Sarah Emma, who died July 17, 1840, being two years and three days old."
Phebe wrote to Wilford on the day following Sarah Emma's death:

"My dear Wilford, what will be your feelings, when I say that yesterday I was called to witness the departure of our little Sarah Emma from this world? Yes, she is gone. The relentless hand of death has snatched her from my embrace. But Ah! She was too lovely, too kind, too affectionate to live in this wicked world. When looking on her I have often thought how I should feel to part with her, I thought I could not live without her, especially in the absence of my companion. But she has gone."

Phebe continued, "Yes, Wilford we have one little angel in heaven, and I think likely her spirit has visited you before this time." Her description of the last days and moments of Sarah Emma's life must have caused tears to well up in her lonely companion's eyes. "She used to call her poor papa and putty papa many times in a day. She left a kiss for her papa with me just before she died."

The walk to the cemetery was quite hard for the young mother. "She had no relative to follow her to the grave or to shed a tear for her," Phebe wrote Wilford, "only her Ma and little Wilford [a son born while Wilford was gone]."

(Holzapfel, _Women of Nauvoo_, pp. 75-76)

(Compiled and written by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, dkenison@xmission.com)

Joseph Smith's Faith in Prayer: Told by John Lyman Smith

Some of those who knew Joseph Smith shared wonderful insights into his character:

Elder John Lyman Smith, brother to the late President George A. Smith, who now resides at St. George, Washington County, Utah, was born November 17th, 1828, at Potsdam, St. Lawrence County, New York. He was baptized at Kirtland, Geauga County, Ohio, when eight years of age. At this place he first met the Prophet Joseph Smith. The following incidents he relates of the Prophet, with whom he lived for several months when a boy:

In my early years I used to often eat at the table with Joseph the Prophet. At one time he was called to dinner. I being at play in the room with his son Joseph, he called us to him, and we stood one each side of him. After he had looked over the table he said, "Lord, we thank Thee for this Johnny cake, and ask Thee to send us something better. Amen." The corn bread was cut and I received a piece from his hand.

Before the bread was all eaten, a man came to the door and asked if the Prophet Joseph was at home. Joseph replied he was, whereupon the visitor said, "I have brought you some flour and a ham."

Joseph arose and took the gift, and blessed the man in the name of the Lord. Turning to his wife, Emma, he said, "I knew the Lord would answer my prayer."

From this time to his death I always revered and honored him, and when but a boy of ten or twelve years have in Nauvoo often said to him I was ready to die for him.

B.H. Roberts, Indians, and River Crossings

Brigham Henry Roberts, later a member of the First Council of Seventy, crossed the plains as a 10-year-old boy. One day, he and another boy about his age became distracted by some currants they found growing along the banks of the stream.
Forgetting the warnings of their wagon leader to always stay close to the company because of Indian danger, they lingered behind, filling their hats with the fruit. Then they ran to catch up, but as they came to the top of a hill, they were terrified to see three Indians on horses in the road ahead of them.

Now they remembered the warnings that had come from the camp leaders - stories of captives taken by Indians and either held for ransom, or else never heard of again.

Roberts later recorded that "with magnificent terror" the two boys approached the Indians, whose solemn and expressionless faces only brought more fear to the boys. As they reached the horses, one of the Indians let out a "piercing wild yell", and the boys dropped their hats with the precious fruit and ran for their lives. Henry remembered hearing peals of laughter from the Indians behind them, but the run continued until they were safely back with the camp. He later remarked wryly, "They say Indians never laugh, but I learned differently."

Not long afterwards, the La Platte river was crossed. Since the river was relatively shallow, the pioneers were instructed that all should wade across to lessen the load of the wagons. Part of the way across the river, Henry noticed a teenage girl climbing into a supply wagon to ride across; he decided to join her.

However, they soon became concerned when the wagon not only got stuck in the sand midstream, but then the team was unhitched and taken to assist other wagons that were in greater danger. As their hiding place was still unnoticed, they waited; hours passed, and still the wagon was left in the stream. Then it began to get dark, and the two stowaways realized they would have to spend the night in the wagon.

Roberts recorded that through the night, the wagon vibrated and shook as it gradually sank into the sand. The water level rose, soaking the provisions and likely frightening the children. When hunger set in, Henry took his pocket knife and slit open a sugar bag, then cut off pieces of ham or bacon.

However, in the process, he dropped the precious knife, which he had purchased in England and planned to give to his mother when he reached Utah. It fell into the river and was gone.
During the long night, Henry's older sister Polly, who was sixteen, prayed for his safety. She knew Henry was not on the east side of the river, and worried about him being left behind on the west side; when he was not found there either early the next morning, she was terrified. When he finally appeared in the supply wagon, she gave him a scolding that may have made her feel better but probably didn't do much to change the energetic young boy.

(Madsen, _B. H. Roberts, Defender of the Faith_, pp. 37-39; _Our Pioneer Heritage_, 2:280; Bergera, ed., _The Autobiography of B. H. Roberts_, pp. 26-29)

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Compiled and written by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, dkenison@xmission.com

Joseph Smith Saved From a Child's Prayer

At a time when Joseph Smith was guarded day and night by his brethren from mob violence, that he might perform his necessary business labors and get the necessary night's rest and that his life should be safe; he was in a log house at night. Several brethren were with him and were making arrangements as to who should stand guard that night.

Joseph was listening to the prayer of a little boy in the room adjoining. The boy prayed for the prophet, that he might be secure and safe from his enemies, the mob, that night.

When the boy had done praying, Joseph turned to his brethren and told them all to go to bed and all sleep and rest themselves that night, for God had heard and would answer that boy's prayer. They all went to bed and slept safely until morning undisturbed.



(Max Parkin, _Conflict at Kirtland_, p. 206)

Joseph Smith teaches about Children in the Resurrection

The spirits of our children are immortal before they come to us, and their spirits, after bodily death, are like they were before they came. They are as they would have appeared if they had lived in the flesh, to grow to maturity, or to develop their physical bodies to the full stature of their spirits. If you see one of your children that has passed away it may appear to you in the form in which you would recognize it, the form of childhood; but if it came to you as a messenger bearing some important truth, it would perhaps come as the spirit of Bishop Edward Hunter's son (who died when a little child) came to him, in the stature of full-grown manhood, and revealed himself to his father, and said: "I am your son."

Bishop Hunter did not understand it. He went to my father and said: "Hyrum, what does that mean? I buried my son when he was only a little boy, but he has come to me as a full-grown man -- a noble, glorious, young man, and declared himself my son. What does it mean?"

Father (Hyrum Smith, the Patriarch) told him that the Spirit of Jesus Christ was full-grown before he was born into the world; and so our children were full-grown and possessed their full stature in the spirit, before they entered mortality, the same stature that they will possess after they have passed away from mortality, and as they will also appear after the resurrection, when they shall have completed their mission.

Joseph Smith taught the doctrine that the infant child that was laid away in death would come up in the resurrection as a child; and, pointing to the mother of a lifeless child, he said to her: "You will have the joy, the pleasure, and satisfaction of nurturing this child, after its resurrection, until it reaches the full stature of its spirit." There is restitution, there is growth, there is development, after the resurrection from death. I love this truth. It speaks volumes of happiness, of joy and gratitude to my soul. Thank the Lord he has revealed these principles to us.