"Shortly after our return to Far West we had to abandon our homes and start, in lumber wagons, for Illinois; my sister being again placed on a bed, in an afflicted state. This was about the middle of February, and the weather was extremely cold. I still had the care of both babes. We arrived at Quincy about the end of the month."
The following interesting letter, from Mary to her brother Joseph in England, will fitly close for the present the sketch of these sisters:
"COMMERCE, Ill., North America,
"June, 1839.
"MY VERY DEAR BROTHER:
"As the elders are expecting shortly to take their leave of us again to preach the gospel in my native land, I feel as though I would not let the opportunity of writing you pass unimproved. I believe it will give you pleasure to hear from us by our own hand; notwithstanding you will see the brethren face to face, and have an opportunity of hearing all particulars respecting us and our families.
"As it respects myself, it is now so long since I wrote to you, and so many important things have transpired, and so great have been my affliction, etc., that I know not where to begin; but I can say, hitherto has the Lord preserved me, and I am still among the living to praise him, as I do to-day. I have, to be sure, been called to drink deep of the bitter cup; but you know, my beloved brother, this makes the sweet sweeter.
"You have, I suppose, heard of the imprisonment of my dear husband, with his brother Joseph, Elder Rigdon, and others, who were kept from us nearly six months; and I suppose no one felt the painful effects of their confinement more than myself. I was left in a way that called for the exercise of all the courage and grace I possessed. My husband was taken from me by an armed force, at a time when I needed, in a particular manner, the kindest care and attention of such a friend, instead of which, the care of a large family was suddenly and unexpectedly left upon myself, and, in a few days after, my dear little Joseph F. was added to the number. Shortly after his birth I took a severe cold, which brought on chills and fever; this, together with the anxiety of mind I had to endure, threatened to bring me to the gates of death. I was at least four months entirely unable to take any care either of myself or child; but the Lord was merciful in so ordering things that my dear sister could be with me. Her child was five months old when mine was born; so she had strength given her to nurse them both.
"You will also have heard of our being driven, as a people, from the State, and from our homes; this happened during my sickness, and I had to be removed more than two hundred miles, chiefly on my bed. I suffered much on my journey; but in three or four weeks after we arrived in Illinois, I began to amend, and my health is now as good as ever. It is now little more than a month since the Lord, in his marvelous power, returned my dear husband, with the rest of the brethren, to their families, in tolerable health. We are now living in Commerce, on the bank of the great Mississippi river. The situation is very pleasant; you would be much pleased to see it. How long we may be permitted to enjoy it I know not; but the Lord knows what is best for us. I feel but little concerned about where I am, if I can keep my mind scald upon God; for, you know in this there is perfect peace. I believe the Lord is overruling all things for our good. I suppose our enemies look upon us with astonishment and disappointment.
"I greatly desire to see you, and I think you would be pleased to see our little ones; will you pray for us, that we may have grace to train them up in the way they should go, so that they may be a blessing to us and the world? I have a hope that our brothers and sisters will also embrace the fullness of the gospel, and come into the new and everlasting covenant; I trust their prejudices will give way to the power of truth. I would gladly have them with us here, even though they might have to endure all kind of tribulation and affliction with us and the rest of the children of God, in these last days, so that they might share in the glories of the celestial kingdom. As to myself, I can truly say, that I would not give up the prospect of the latter-day glory for all that glitters in this world. O, my dear brother, I must tell you, for your comfort, that my hope is full, and it is a glorious hope; and though I have been left for near six months in widowhood, in the time of great affliction, and was called to take, joyfully or otherwise, the spoiling of almost all our goods, in the absence of my husband, and all unlawfully, just for the gospel's sake (for the judge himself declared that he was kept in prison for no other reason than because he was a friend to his brother), yet I do not feel in the least discouraged; no, though my sister and I are here together in a strange land, we have been enabled to rejoice, in the midst of our privations and persecutions, that we were counted worthy to suffer these things, so that we may, with the ancient saints who suffered in like manner, inherit the same glorious reward. If it had not been for this hope, I should have sunk before this; but, blessed be the God and rock of my salvation, here I am, and am perfectly satisfied and happy, having not the smallest desire to go one step backward.
"Your last letter to Elder Kimball gave us great pleasure; we thank you for your expression of kindness, and pray God to bless you according to your desires for us.
"The more I see of the dealings of our Heavenly Father with us as a people, the more I am constrained to rejoice that I was ever made acquainted with the everlasting covenant. O may the Lord keep me faithful till my change comes! O, my dear brother, why is it that our friends should stand out against the truth, and look on those that would show it to them as enemies? The work here is prospering much; several men of respectability and intelligence, who have been acquainted with all our difficulties, are coming into the work.
"My husband joins me in love to you. I remain, my dear brother and sister, your affectionate sister,
"MARY SMITH."
CHAPTER XXVI.
THE QUORUM OF THE APOSTLES GO ON MISSION TO ENGLAND—THEIR LANDING IN GREAT BRITAIN—THEY HOLD A CONFERENCE—A HOLIDAY FESTIVAL—MOTHER MOON AND FAMILY—SUMMARY OF A YEAR'S LABORS—CROWNING PERIOD OF THE BRITISH MISSION.
Scarcely had the saints made their exodus from Missouri—while many of them were still domiciled in tents on the banks of the Mississippi, and Nauvoo could only boast of a few rude houses to prophesy the glory of a "second Zion"—ere nine of the quorum of the apostles were abroad, working their missionary wonders in foreign lands. From that period to the present (1877), the history of the Latter-day Church, with its emigrations, has quite one-half belonged to the European mission, which has given to America one hundred thousand emigrants.
Early in the year 1840 (January 11th), apostles Wilford Woodruff and John Taylor, with Elder Theodore Turley, landed on the shores of England. They chose their several fields of labor and soon were actively engaged in the ministry.
On the 19th of March of the same year Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, George A. Smith, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, and Reuben Hedlock sailed from New York on board the Patrick Henry. A number of the saints came down to the wharf to bid them farewell. When the elders got into the small-boat to go out to the ship, the saints on shore sang "The Gallant Ship is Under Way," etc., in which song the elders joined until their voices were separated by the distance.
Liverpool was reached by these apostles on the 6th of April. It was the anniversary of the organization of the Church, just ten years before. The next day they found Elder Taylor and John Moon, with about thirty saints who had just received the work in that place, and on the day following they went to Preston by railroad.
In Preston, the cradle of the British mission, the apostles were met by a multitude of saints, who rejoiced exceedingly at the event of the arrival of the twelve in that land.