Letter to Joseph Smith Jr., 18 September 1837
alhaven]], Fox Islands, Monday, Sept.
18th, 1837.
To JOSEPH SMITH Jr. AND THE
CHURCH OF LATTER DAY SAINTS IN
KIRTLAND GREETING:
Dear Saints of God,
whom we love of a truth for the truth'
sake that dwelleth in you, and we pray
God that it may abide with you forev-
er: As we are called to stand upon
the Islands of the sea, in defence of the
truth and for the word of God and the
testimony of Jesus Christ. We are
under the necessity of making use of
our pen, to give you an account of our
labors in the ministry since we left
Kirkland, as we cannot at present speak
to you face to face. We left Kirtland
May 31st, and took Steamboat at Fair-
port in company with Elder Milton
Holmes, to go forth to labor in the
vineyard as the Lord should direct.
After calling on the Saints in Jefferson
Co. N. Y. we arrived at Sackett's
Harbour and took Steamboat on the
6th of June for Upper Canada and on
the 8th arived at Brother Artemus
Judd's. And on the 10th, had the hap-
py privilege of setting in conference
with John E. Page, James Blakes-
lee, and a number other elders, and a
large congregation of Saints. And
we were blessed with a very interesting
time. After spending several days
with them we took the parting hand
with these beloved friends and pro-
ceeded on our journey for the East in
company with elder John Goodson, and
others bound for England. We took
the parting hand with them at Schenec-
tady, and arrived at the Canaan church
in Connecticut, visited the church a
few days. Here elder M. Holmes
took his departure for Mass. and we
went to Colebrook, visited different parts
of the town and held eight meetings,
from thence to Canton and held a meet-
ing in the village hall in Collinsville.
As we commenced speaking several
began to beat their drums at the doors
which made much confusion. This is
the only disturbance we have had since
we left Kirtland. We next visited
Avon, where we held four meetings
and many came out to hear and mani-
fest a spirit of inquiry. And elder
Woodruff had the privilege of leading
three of his kinfolk into the waters of
baptism. And had not the Spirit call-
ed us away to perform a greater work,
we should have had no difficulty in es-
tablishing a branch of the church in
that place. A family where we tarried
but one night, and taught them the
things of the kingdom, believed our tes-
timony, and after our departure, two
of the household followed us 15 miles
to receive baptism at our hands, but we
were gone, and they truly believed it
to be a day of warning and not of ma-
ny words. We also visited Farming-
ton and held one meeting in the Meth-
odist meeting house, and preached to
an attentive congregation who wished
to hear more concerning the great work
of God. We left Farmington on the 20
of July, for Mass. and after visiting
the Bradford church, and after preach-
ing several times with them, we pro-
ceeded on our journey to Saco, Maine,
where we spent several days with the
church and friends. But duty urging
us forward to lift the warning voice to
those that had not heard the sound of
the gospel, we then went to the city of
Portland. We there took the Steam-
er Bangor on the 19 of August, to speed
us on our way to the Islands of the sea,
they landed us at Owls head at the set-
ting of the sun: But how to get con-
veyance to the Islands we knew not,
we retired to a grove and offered up
our thanks unto God for his mercies
and asked him to open our way before
us; we returned to the Inn and soon
found some men that were going near
the Islands that night, they said they
would land us if we chose to take pas-
sage with them. We accordingly went
on board, they hoisted sail and landed
us on North Fox Island, Vinalhaven,
at 2 o'clock Sunday morning, August
20th. It was with peculiar feelings
and sensations that we began to walk
forth upon one of the Islands of the sea
which was wrapped in the sable shades
of night, whose waters, had never cov-
ered a soul for the remission of their
sins after the order of the gospel, and
which soil had never been press-
ed by the foot steps of an elder of Is-
rael. We were strangers, pilgrims,
and almost pennyless. But we had
