WILFORD WOODRUFF'S JOURNAL Kraut's PIONEER PRESS 7285 Highland Drive Salt Lake City, Utah 84121 Typography by ANNE WILDE PREFACE Wilford Woodruff kept one of the most important journals in the early Church. Recorded within its pages are some of the greatest moments in the Church's history, much of which might otherwise have gone unrecorded. He was personally acquainted with the Prophet Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and John Taylor, and kept a faithful record of many of their private meetings and counsel. Here for the first time in print are selected out the choicest gems of doctrine and history as they were recorded by this great man. Davis Bitton, Assistant Church Historian, wrote the following about Wilford Woodruff's journal, which covered the years from 1834 to 1898: It is one of this monumental examples of personal record-keeping. From the time he joined the Church in 1833 and through his long, eventful life, Wilford Woodruff must have spent an hour a day on it, even more when the occasion required, carefully setting down his experiences and feelings. Since he lived through exciting times and was often close to the centers of activity, his ardent consistency in writing produced one of the magnificent primary sources for the history of the Church during the nineteenth century. There are hundreds of surviving personal records from the Saints of the past century. To some extent the practice continues to the present. * * * Probably no people, with the possible exception of the Puritans or the early Quakers, have been so mindful of personal records as have the Latter-day Saints. How do we explain our zeal for writing personal journals? It doubtless was stimulated by the sense of being involved in events of historic, even cosmic, significance. * * * The advice came originally from the Prophet Joseph Smith and was repeated by other leaders for many years. All these diaries contribute, as no other records can, to our understanding of what life was like in the past, helping us to appreciate the achievements of our ancestors. It is not only the dramatic and colorful events that are worth recording. It is also valuable to know the daily round of activities, the hard physical labor that occupied most of the time of our ancestors, the hardships and discouragements. Besides, there are many incidents of daily life that are easily forgotten. Those who record them preserve precious moments that can later be cherished, relived as it were, by members of the family. Moments of humor, family incidents, sickness, prayer, conversations, visits--such is the stuff of diaries that become rich veins of delight and inspiration and information. Fortunately many of these vivid personal accounts have been published in whole or in part. * * * After all, if someone took the time and effort to write the account in the first place, it seems that those into whose hands the work has fallen should do what is necessary to see that it is preserved. * * * It is through such records that our historians, present and future, will endeavor to write a true and faithful history of the Latter-day Saints. (The Ensign, Nov. 1973, pp. 44-48) This one volume compilation has been corrected only for grammar and spelling. Otherwise the excerpts appear as on the original manuscripts. Those interested in further information regarding Woodruff's journal may consult the complete set of 15 journals. --The Publisher [1] Chapter 1 THE JOURNAL OF WILFORD WOODRUFF May 1834: While on Zion's Camp, we visited many of the mounds which were flung up by the ancient inhabitants of this continent, probably by the Nephites and Lamanites. We visited one of these mounds and several of the brethren dug into it and took from it the bones of a man. Brother Joseph had a vision respecting the person; he said he was a white Lamanite. The curse was taken from him or at least in part. He was killed in battle with an arrow--the arrow was found among his ribs. One of his thigh bones was broken; this was done by a stone flung from a sling in battle years before his death. His name was Zelph. Some of his bones were brought into the camp and the thigh bone which was broken was put into my wagon and I carried it to Missouri. Zelph was a large thick set man and a man of God. He was a warrior under the great prophet Onandagus that was known from the Hill Cumorah or east sea to the Rocky Mountains. The above knowledge Joseph received in a vision. April 19, 1836: I rode to Mr. Freeman's from thence to John Rowley where I had an interview with Elder O. Smoot. It was a happy meeting. He had been with Elder Patten and his wife for several days. Bro. Smoot related the news to me from Bro. Patten which was glorious in the first degree. He gave me an account of the [2] endowment at Kirtland, Ohio. The heavens were opened unto them; angels and Jesus Christ were seen of them sitting at the right hand of the Father. He also informed me that Elder W. Parrish (and his wife), one of the first seventy, with some others of the first Elders, was expecting to visit us and also the second Seventy was chosen and that I was one of the number. O God, prepare me for the battle while combatting error with everlasting truth. The above are great blessings indeed. May 31, 1836: Spent this 31st day of May at Bro. Fry Eaglecreek's and found it to be the most interesting, important and instructive day of my life. For on this glorious day I was ordained unto the High Priesthood and also as one of the Second Seventy and sealed up unto Eternal Life under the hands of my beloved brethren, viz. Elders David W. Patten and Warren Parrish. My ordination was requested by the Presidency of the Church at Kirtland, Ohio. August 12, 1836: Elder Patten informed us that Benten County men had formed themselves into an independent company to beat and kill the Elders of Latter-day Saints if they came into the county. Will not God be avenged upon such a nation as this. O God, save thy Saints while Babylon falls beneath thine ire. October 12, 1836: Retired in company with Elder A. O. Smoot unto the Banks of Blood River aside from the abodes of men to spend some time in prayer and praise to God and to perform a solemn duty that is required of all the Elders of Israel whose testimony is rejected by this generation while they are preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and bearing testimony of his name. After we had cleansed our bodies with pure water and also with strong drink or spirits, this not by commandment [3] but from choice, we then according to commandment cleansed our hands and feet and bore testimony unto God against the Benton County mob and also against Paris and many others who had rejected our testimony. We enjoyed a solemn, spiritual, and interesting season. We retired from the water in the Spirit of God and spent the night for the last time at Brother Levi Taylor and Sister Taylor's with the brethren and sisters. - - returned to Kirtland on Nov. 25, 1836. Dec. 4, 1836: Sunday I went up to the house of the Lord to worship. Elder Parish preached in the forepart of the day. Several spoke in the latter part of the day. President Rigdon called a vote of the Church to discountenance the use entirely of all liquors from the Church in sickness and in health except wine at the Sacraments and for external washing. The vote was carried unanimously. Introduction to the year 1837: O Lord, if it be Thy will, give me the privilege of recording in this year's journal great blessings, pronounced upon my head from mine annointing and from under the hands of the Patriarch Joseph, and an account of great visions, and the opening of the heavens, and the revelation of Jesus Christ unto me, that I may be a special witness of Thee, O Lord, and may I also have the administering of Holy Angels, that I may be taught of the eternal things of the Priesthood. Jan. 3, 1837: President Z. Coltrin ordained me a member of the first Seventy and pronounced great blessings upon my head by the Spirit of prophecy and revelation. Some of them I will mention which are as follows. That my enemies may confine me in prisons and [4] chains and that I would rend the prisons and chains in twain in the name of Jesus Christ and that the Lord would give me great power, knowledge, and wisdom and faith so that I should heal the sick, cause the blind to see, the lame to leap as an hart, the deaf to hear, stop the mouths of lions and raise dead to life and waft myself (as did Philip) from river to river, from sea to sea and from continent to continent for the purpose of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and that I should stand before kings and princes and that they would send for me to receive wisdom, knowledge and instruction at my mouth because they considered me wiser than themselves, in like manner as the Egyptians sought wisdom at the hand of Joseph. And that God would give me a multiplicity of blessings that I should preach to the nations of the earth and to the inhabitants upon the islands of the sea and that I should then return to stand upon Mount Zion in the flesh even in Jackson County, Missouri, at the coming of Christ and that I should be caught up to meet him in the clouds of heaven for he said this was the word of God unto me and also that I should visit Kolob and preach to the Spirits in prison and that I should bring all of my friends or relatives forth from the Terrestrial Kingdom (who had died) by the power of the Gospel.