Letter from Phebe Whittemore Carter Woodruff, 18 July 1840
Lee County Commerce
My Dear Willford
I think that you will believe me when
I say that it is with peculiar feelings that I commence this sheet to you
my dear Willford what will be your feelings when I say that yesterday
I was called to witness the departure of our little Sarah Emma from this
wold world- yes she is gone — the relentless hand of death has snatched her from
my embrace — but Ah! she was to lovely to kind to affectionate to live in
this wicked world — when looking on her I have often thought how
I should feell to part with her I thought I thought could not live
without her especially in the absence of my companion - but she is gone
the Lord has taken her to himself for some wise purpose — It is a severe
trial for me to pass through particularly so in you absence but the
Lord has stood by me in a wonderfully manner I can see and feell that
he has taken her home and will take better care of her than I possibly
could for a little while untill I shall go and meett her — Yes Willford
we have one little angel in heaven and I think it likely her spirit
has visited you before this time — I do not know how to live without her
she I used to call her poor pa-pa and pretty pa-pa many times in a day
she left a kiss for her pa-pa just with me just before she died — she
eat her dinner as well as usuall thursday about 4 oclock she was
taken with a prestness for breath we done every thing for her that we
could called for the elders and had her anointed a number of times and
hands laid on her but all to no avail the next day her spirit took its flight
from this to another world without a groan so that now I am dep-
rived of every thing near and dear to me but my little darling Willford
for the things of the world are empty and vain to me and he is not verry
well — Today Willford and I with quite a number of our friend ac-
compaings us came over to Commerce to pay our last respects to our
little darling in seeing her decently buried — she had no relatives to follow
