Autobiography of Warren Foote

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF WARREN FOOTE SON OF DAVID FOOTE A DESCENDANT OF NATHANIEL FOOTE THE SETTLER WHO CAME FROM ENGLAND ABOUT 1633 AND WAS ONE OF THE FIRST SETTLERS OF WETHERSFIELD CONNECTICUT VOL. 1 AUGUST 10, 1817 TO DEC. 31, 1879 - 2 - P. 3 CHAPTER 1 I was born the 10th day of August 1817 in the town of Dryden Tompkins County State of New-York; and am the eleventh child and third son of David and Irene Foote. My genealogy as far as known is as follows; beginning with my Father and Mother: Where Born Names When Born Town County State When Died No. in Foote No. in Record of Genealogy Baptism for the Dead David Foote 7 Aug. 1768 Harwinton Litchfield Conn. 22 Aug. 1845 2160 Baptized Nov. 1833 at Montabella Hancock Co. Ill, Buried in Nauvoo Son of Ebenezor Foote 21 May 1740 Branford New Haven Conn. June 1778 1994 5 Son of Moses Foote 13 Jan. 1702 Branford New Haven Conn. Feb. 1770 1916 4 Son of Nathaniel Foote 13 Apr. 1660 New Haven New Haven Conn. 1714 1904 3 Son of Robert Foote 1629 Old England 1681 2 2 Son of Nathaniel Foote 1593 Old England 1644 0 1 On My Mother's Side Irene Lane 2 Nov. 1774 Chesterfield Mass. 5th March Baptized 28 Feb. 1846 1846 (Hancock Co. Ill. Buried in Nauvoo.) Daughter of Nathan Lane 20 Mar. 1750 Mass. 4th March 91 1817 Son of Ebenezer Lane 1712 Mass. 1791 Son of Samuel Lane 16 Mar. 1678 Hingham 7 Dec. 1725 Son of John Lane 23 Nov. 1712 Son of George Lane Dorchester Old England Son of William Lane who came from Dorchester England and Settled in Dorchester Mass 1654 *Nathaniel Foote came from England. But in what year he arrived in this country is not known. The first mention of his name is found in the Records of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay in 1633 when he took the oath of freeman. The first settled at Waterfown Afterwards was one of the pioneers of Weathersfield Conn. +Wm Lane came from Dorchester England with his adult family and settled in Dorchester Mass. A.D. 1635. In my infancy I took a severe cold which settled on my lungs and a severe attack of the lung fever was the consequence. My lungs ever since have been weak. I was of a sober turn of mind and often prayed to God in secret, I learned all the branches of education as taught in the Common Schools in that day. I read the Bible a great deal and was very fond of reading histories. - 3 - Some time about the month of Feb. 1830 my Father borrowed a Book of Mormon (which went by the name of Golden Bible) which I read through. I, like my Father believed it to be a true record. My Mother and two youngest Sisters being members of the Presbyterian Church, I was sent to the Sunday school taught by that church. I had to learn ten verses in the New Testament and repeat them every Sabbath. Our teacher would comment on these verses and try to explain them P. 4 to us. His comments were never very satisfactory to me. I read in the gospels about the great miracles that were performed by Jesus and his disciples, and wondered why the same miracles were not wrought in our day. My health being very poor many thought that I would not live to manhood. I often prayed to the Lord in secret to spare me life that I might one day become a preacher of the gospel. I could not believe in the gospel as taught by any of the sects. I often went to the Methodist revival meetings to see them jump and hear them shout and sing, and when they all got to praying, shouting and singing at once it was fun to me to hear them, I could not see any thing in such proceedings, like the gospel as taught by the ancient apostles of Christ. I read in their teachings that God was not the author of confusion, also that the house of God is the house of order etc. In the year 1831 my Father sold his place in Dryden, and in March 1832 moved with his family to Greenwood Steuben Co. New York distant one hundred miles from Dryden. After we came to this place my health was much better and I got able to do considerable work. In the spring of 1833 I borrowed a Book of Mormon, of Uncle Josiah Richardson, and read it through. I had by this time read the Bible three times through by course, and could bring almost any passage of scripture to my mind. In the fall of the same year two men by the name of Landon and Orton who professed to be elders of the Church of Latter Day Saints, came to my Father's house. I paid strict attention to their conversation with Father, -setting forth the principles of the gospel as taught by the Latter Day Saints. Being familiar with the scriptures, I saw at once that these principles accorded with those taught by Christ and his apostles. On the following Sunday, Landon preached in our school house. While on the road to this meeting I had very serious reflections on the principles of the gospel. I believed that I was going to hear the truth from these men. Landon's subject was the gathering of Israel in the last days. He seemed to have the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and other prophets; all on his tongue's end, and proved conclusively that the children of Israel would be gathered back to the land of their fore fathers in the last days. He said nothing about the first principles of the gospel. On their departure they invited Father and some others to visit them at Geneseo Livingston County, distant from Greenwood 40 miles. In November Father and three of the neighbors went to Geneseo to learn more as taught by the P. 5 Latter Day Saints. On arriving there, they found that Landon and Orton and several others had been excommunicated from the branch of the church at Geneseo; and elder John Murdock was presiding there instead of Landon. Landon and others had been cut off from the church for rejecting the vision concerning the three glories etc., as recorded in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. After being further instructed in the first principles of the gospel, Father was baptized, and procuring a Book of Mormon returned home. During the following winter I made the Bible and Book of Mormon my particular study; I could now begin to understand the words of the prophets with regard to Israel and the setting up of the Kingdom of God in the last days, and the preparatory work for the coming of our Saviour. I could begin to comprehend these things in a very small degree. In the Spring of 1834 Elders John Murdock, and Orson Pratt, came to my Father's house, and taught the principles of the gospel more perfectly. In the evening after their arrival Elder Murdock gave a very interesting account of the peculiar manners and customs of the Missourians, which made a great deal of laughter amongst us, young folks; and I remember that Elder Pratt in his evening prayer prayed the Lord to forgive us for our much laughter. They preached a few times, and baptized one or two (who afterward apostatized) and then went on their journey. About Feb. 1835, Elders John Gould, and-Babcock came to Greenwood, and preached a short time. My Father having been ordained an Elder had been preaching some during the winter, and some were believing. Elder Gould baptized a few, and a branch of the church was organized, and Father was appointed Presiding Elder. They now held regular meetings, which I generally attended. My brothers David and George attended occasionally but George soon became a convert to Methodism, and joined that sect. He became bitterly opposed to the Latter Day Saints, believing all the lies about Joseph Smith which were put in circulation by the ministers of his church. My brother-in-law who lived within a few rods of Father's house belonged to the - 4 - Methodist and the Circuit preachers generally put up with him. I have repeatedly heard one of them tell the stories then in circulation about Joe Smith, one especially with regard to his attempt to walk on the water, which story ran about like this "On a certain occasion, J. Smith proclaimed that he would perform a miracle the next Sabbath, by walking on the water. Accordingly he went to work and fixed some planks on some posts, just under the water of a pond. After all things were arranged, some fellows went in the night, and sawed his plank nearly in two. When Sunday came a multitude P. 6 came to gather to witness the miracle. When the hour appointed arrived, "Joe Smith" walked boldly into the water, and on reaching the middle of his last plank, down he went, and came nearly being drowned, before he could be got out." I have heard that Methodist Priest relate that story to my brother-in-law, and Sister, and chuckle over it, as though it was a splendid joke on "Joe Smith," and that story was sufficient to burst up "Mormonism." I could relate other stories, but this will serve for a sample; to show what foolish lies the first members of the church had to contend with.

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