AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF WILFORD WOODRUFF.

surrounded by the mob, but the brethren
had escaped through the mercy of God.

I was invited to hold a meeting at a
Baptist meeting house on the 27th of
June. On my arrival I met a large con-
gregation; but, on commencing meeting,
Parson Browning ordered the meeting to
be closed. I told the people I had come
ten miles to preach the gospel to them,
and was willing to stand in a cart, on a
pile of wood, on a fence, or any other
place they would appoint, to have that
privilege.

One man said he owned the fence and
land in front of the meeting house, and
we might use both, for he did not be-
lieve Mormonism would hurt either.

So the congregation crossed the road,
took down the fence and made seats of
it, and I preached to them one hour and
a half. At the close Mr. Randolph
Alexander bore testimony to the truth of
what had been said. He invited me
home with him, bought a Book of Mor-
mon, and was baptized, and I organized
a branch in that place.

On the 18th of July, Brother A. O.
Smoot and I arrived at a ferry on the
Tennessee River, and, as the ferryman
was not at home, the woman kindly gave
us permission to use the ferryboat. We
led our horses on board, and took the
oars to cross the river. Brother Smoot
had never used an oar, and I had not for
some years, so we made awkward work
of it. Soon he broke one oar, and I let
another fall overboard, which left us only
one broken oar to get to shore with.
We narrowly escaped running into a
steamboat. We struck shore half a mile
below the landing place, tied up the
boat, jumped on the bank with our
horses, and went on our way with blis-
tered hands, thankful to get off so well.

On Sunday, the 31st of July, A. O.
Smoot and I preached at Mr. David
Crider's, Weakly County, Tennessee.
After the meeting Mr. Crider was bap-
tized. A mob gathered and threatened
us, and poisoned our horses so that the
one I rode, belonging to Samuel West,
died a few days after. This horse had
carried me thousands of miles while
preaching the gospel.

I continued to travel with Brothers
Smoot, Patten and Parrish in Tennessee
and Kentucky, and we baptized all who
would receive our testimony.

On the 2nd day of September we held
a general conference at the Damon
Creek Branch. Elder Thomas B. Marsh,
President of the Twelve Apostles, pre-
sided. All the branches in Tennessee
and Kentucky were represented.

Brothers Randolph Alexander, Benja-
min L. Clapp and Johnson F. Lane were
ordained elders and Lindsay Bradey was
ordained to the lesser priesthood.

I assisted President Marsh to obtain
fifteen hundred dollars from the Southern
brethren, to enter land in Missouri for
the Church. The brethren made me a
present of fifty dollars, which I sent by
President Marsh to enter forty acres of
land for me. Elder Smoot and I were
released from the Southern mission with
permission to go to Kirtland.

Having returned from my Southern
mission in the autumn of 1836, in com-
pany with Elders A. O. Smoot and Jesse
Turpin, I spent the following winter in
Kirtland. During this time I received
my endowments and attended the school
of Professsor Haws, who taught Greek,
Latin and English grammar. I confined
my studies mostly to Latin and English
grammar.

This winter and the following spring,
in some respects, may be regarded as
one of the most interesting periods of
the history of the Church, when we con-
sider the endowments and teachings
given in the temple, and the great apos-
tasy which followed.

I was married to Miss Phoebe Whit-
more Carter, on the 13th of April, 1837,
and received my patriarchal blessing
under the hands of Father Joseph Smith,
the Patriarch, two days later.

I felt impressed by the Spirit of God
to take a mission to the Fox Islands, sit-
uated east of the Maine shore, a country
I knew nothing about. I made my feel-
ings known to the Apostles, and they
advised me to go.

Feeling that it was my duty to go upon
this mission, I did not tarry at home one
year after having married a wife, as the
law of Moses would have allowed. On
the contrary, I started just one month
and one day after that important event,
leaving my wife with Sister Hale, with
whom she expected to stay for a season.

I left Kirtland in good spirits, in com-
pany with Elder Jonathan H. Hale, and
walked twelve miles to Fairport, where

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF WILFORD WOODRUFF.

Column 1 surrounded by the mob, but the brethren had escaped through the mercy of God.

I was invited to hold a meeting at a Baptist meeting house on the 27th of June. On my arrival I met a large congregation; but, on commencing meeting, Parson Browning ordered the meeting to be closed. I told the people I had come ten miles to preach the gospel to them, and was willing to stand in a cart, on a pile of wood, on a fence, or any other place they would appoint, to have that privilege.

One man said he owned the fence and land in front of the meeting house, and we might use both, for he did not believe Mormonism would hurt either.

So the congregation crossed the road, took down the fence and made seats of it, and I preached to them one hour and a half. At the close Mr. Randolph Alexander bore testimony to the truth of what had been said. He invited me home with him, bought a Book of Mormon, and was baptized, and I organized a branch in that place.

On the 18th of July, Brother A. O. Smoot and I arrived at a ferry on the Tennessee River, and, as the ferryman was not at home, the woman kindly gave us permission to use the ferryboat. We led our horses on board, and took the oars to cross the river. Brother Smoot had never used an oar, and I had not for some years, so we made awkward work of it. Soon he broke one oar, and I let another fall overboard, which left us only one broken oar to get to shore with. We narrowly escaped running into a steamboat. We struck shore half a mile below the landing place, tied up the boat, jumped on the bank with our horses, and went on our way with blistered hands, thankful to get off so well.

On Sunday, the 31st of July, A. O. Smoot and I preached at Mr. David Crider's, Weakly County, Tennessee. After the meeting Mr. Crider was baptized. A mob gathered and threatened us, and poisoned our horses so that the one I rode, belonging to Samuel West, died a few days after. This horse had carried me thousands of miles while preaching the gospel.

I continued to travel with Brothers Smoot, Patten and Parrish in Tennessee and Kentucky, and we baptized all who would receive our testimony.

Column 2 On the 2nd day of September we held a general conference at the Damon Creek Branch. Elder Thomas B. Marsh, President of the Twelve Apostles, presided. All the branches in Tennessee and Kentucky were represented.

Brothers Randolph Alexander, Benjamin L. Clapp and Johnson F. Lane were ordained elders and Lindsay Bradey was ordained to the lesser priesthood.

I assisted President Marsh to obtain . fifteen hundred dollars from the Southern brethren, to enter land in Missouri for the Church. The brethren made me a present of fifty dollars, which I sent by President Marsh to enter forty acres of land for me. Elder Smoot and I were released from the Southern mission with permission to go to Kirtland.

Having returned from my Southern mission in the autumn of 1836, in company with Elders A. O. Smoot and Jesse Turpin, I spent the following winter in Kirtland. During this time I received my endowments and attended the school of Professsor Haws, who taught Greek, Latin and English grammar. I confined my studies mostly to Latin and English grammar.

This winter and the following spring, in some respects, may be regarded as one of the most interesting periods of the history of the Church, when we consider the endowments and teachings given in the temple, and the great apostasy which followed.

I was married to Miss Phoebe Whitmore Carter, on the 13th of April, 1837, and received my patriarchal blessing under the hands of Father Joseph Smith, the Patriarch, two days later.

I felt impressed by the Spirit of God to take a mission to the Fox Islands, situated east of the Maine shore, a country I knew nothing about. I made my feelings known to the Apostles, and they advised me to go.

Feeling that it was my duty to go upon this mission, I did not tarry at home one year after having married a wife, as the law of Moses would have allowed. On the contrary, I started just one month and one day after that important event, leaving my wife with Sister Hale, with whom she expected to stay for a season.

I left Kirtland in good spirits, in company with Elder Jonathan H. Hale, and walked twelve miles to Fairport, where