Читать книгу Wilford Woodruff, Fourth President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints - Wilford Woodruff - Страница 15

Table of Contents

CALL TO GREAT BRITAIN, 1838.

Mobocrats Seek To Prevent the Fulfillment of a Revelation Given Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, but Are Disappointed.—Temple Cornerstone at Far West Laid.—Wilford Returns to Illinois.—The Prophet Joseph Liberated from Prison in Missouri.—A Survivor of Haun's Mill Massacre.—Selection of Nauvoo as a Place for the Settlement of the Saints.—A Day of God's Power.—Many Sick Are Healed, and a Dying Man Raised to Life.—Incident of Wilford Receiving a Hankerchief from the Prophet Joseph.—Instructed as to What He Shall Preach on His Mission.—Lesson in Humility.—Warning against Treachery.—Wilford Starts on His Mission, Sick and without Money.—Experience of His Journey to New York.—Sails for Liverpool, England.

The revelation calling Wilford Woodruff to the apostleship, and directing him, with others, to engage in missionary labors abroad, fixed a time and a place for the departure of these apostles on their mission to Great Britain. It was the declared purpose of the mob to prevent the fulfillment of this revelation. When the word of the Lord was given on this matter, all was peace and quiet in Far West, Missouri, the city where most of the Latter-day Saints dwelt at that time; but before the day of fulfillment came, the Saints had been driven out of the State of Missouri into the State of Illinois, under the edict of Governor Boggs; and the Missourians had sworn that if all the other revelations to Joseph Smith were fulfilled, this one should not be. But man cannot stay the purposes of God; this occasion was no exception to the rule, and it affords one of many notable instances that show how the Almighty maintains a special guidance over the work of this dispensation which He has committed to the Latter-day Saints. In this revelation, given July 8, 1838, He said:

"Let them take leave of my Saints in the city of Far West, on the 26th day of April next, on the building spot of my house, saith the Lord. Let my servant John Taylor, and also my servant John E. Page, and also my servant Wilford Woodruff, and also my servant Willard Richards, be appointed to fill the places of those who have fallen, and be officially notified of their appointment."

Of this period, Wilford writes in his journal that, "it seemed as though the Lord, having a foreknowledge of what would take place, had given the revelation in this manner to see whether or not the Apostles would obey it at the risk of their lives. When the time drew near for the fulfillment of this commandment, Brigham Young was the President of the Twelve Apostles, Thomas B. Marsh, who had been the senior apostle, had fallen. Brother Brigham called together those of the Twelve who were then at Quincy, Illinois, to see what their minds would be about going to Far West in fulfillment of the revelation. The Prophet Joseph, his brother Hyrum, Sidney Rigdon, Lyman Wight, and Parley P. Pratt, were in prison in Missouri; but Father Joseph Smith, the patriarch, was at Quincy, Illinois. He and others who were present did not think it wisdom for us to attempt the journey, as our lives would be in great jeopardy. They thought the Lord would take the will for the deed. But when President Young asked the Twelve what their feelings were, all of them, as the voice of one man, said the Lord had spoken, and it was for them to obey. It was the Lord's business to take care of His servants, and they would fulfill the commandment, or die trying.

"To understand fully the risk the Twelve ran in making this journey, it should be understood that Lilburn W. Boggs, governor of the state of Missouri, had issued a proclamation in which all the Latter-day Saints were required to leave Missouri or be exterminated. Far West had been captured by the militia, who really were only an organized mob; the citizens had been compelled to give up their arms; all the leading men who could be got hold of had been taken prisoners; the rest of the Saints—men, women, and children—had to flee out of the state as best they could to save their lives, leaving their houses, lands and other property, which they could not carry with them, to be taken by the mob. The latter shot down the cattle and hogs of the Saints wherever they could find them, and robbed the people of nearly everything they could lay their hands on. The Saints were treated with merciless cruelty, and had to endure the most outrageous abuses. It was with the greatest difficulty that many of them, especially the prominent ones, got out of Missouri, for at that time many people of that state acted as though they thought it no more harm to shoot a Mormon than to shoot a mad dog. From this brief explanation it will be understood why some of the brethren thought we were not required to go back to Far West, to start from there upon our mission across the ocean to Europe.

"Having determined to carry out the requirements of the revelation," continues Wilford Woodruff, "on the 18th of April, 1839, I took into my wagon Brigham Young and Orson Pratt; Father Cutler took into his wagon John Taylor and George A. Smith, and we started for Far West. On the way we met John E. Page, who was going with his family to Quincy, Illinois. His wagon had turned over, and when we met him he was trying to gather up with his hands a barrel of soft soap. We helped him with his wagon. He then drove into the valley below, left his wagon, and accompanied us on our way. On the night of the 25th of April we arrived at Far West, and spent the night at the home of Morris Phelps. He had been taken a prisoner by the mob, and was still in prison.

"On the morning of the 26th of April, 1839, notwithstanding the threats of our enemies that the revelation which was to be fulfilled this day should not be fulfilled; notwithstanding ten thousand of the Saints had been driven out of the state by the edict of the governor; and notwithstanding the Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum Smith, with other leading men, were in the hands of our enemies in chains and in prison, we moved on to the Temple grounds in the city of Far West, held a council, and fulfilled the revelation and commandment given to us. We also ex-communicated from the Church thirty-one persons who had apostatized and become its enemies. The 'Mission of the Twelve' was sung, and we repaired to the southeast corner of the Temple ground, where, with the assistance of Elder Alpheus Cutler, the master workman of the building committee, we laid the southeast chief cornerstone of the Temple, according to revelation. There were present of the Twelve Apostles: Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, John E. Page, and John Taylor; they proceeded to ordain Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith to the apostleship.

"Darwin Chase and Norman Shearer, who had just been liberated from Richmond prison, were then ordained to the office of seventy.

"The Twelve then gave the parting hand to the following Saints, agreeable to revelation: A. Butler, Elias Smith, Norman Shearer, William Burton, Stephen Markham, Shadrach Roundy, William O. Clark, John W. Clark, Hezekiah Peck, Darwin Chase, Richard Howard, Mary Ann Peck, Artimesia Granger, Martha Peck, Sarah Granger, Theodore Turley, Hiram Clark, and Daniel Shearer.

"Bidding good-by to this small remnant of the Saints who remained on the Temple ground to see us fulfill the revelation and commandment of God, we turned our backs on Far West, Missouri, and returned to Illinois. We had accomplished the mission without a dog moving his tongue at us, or any man saying, 'Why do ye so?' We crossed the Mississippi river on the steam ferry, entered Quincy on the 2nd of May, and all of us had the joy of reaching our families once more in peace and safety. Thus the word of God was complied with.

"While on our way to fulfill the revelation, Joseph, the Prophet, and his companions in chains were liberated, through the blessings of God, from their enemies and prison, and passed us. We were not far distant from each other, but neither party knew it at the time. They were making their way to their families in Illinois, while we were traveling to Far West into the midst of our enemies; so they came home to their families and friends before our return.

"May 3rd, 1839, was a very interesting day to me, as well as to others. In company with five others of the quorum of the Twelve, I rode to Mr. Cleveland's, four miles out of town, to visit Brother Joseph Smith and his family. Once more I had the happy privilege of taking Brother Joseph by the hand. Two years had rolled away since I had seen his face. He greeted us with great joy, as did Hyrum Smith and Lyman Wight, all of whom had escaped together from their imprisonment. They had been confined in prison six months, and had been under sentence of death three times; yet their lives were in the hands of God. He delivered them, and now they were mingling with their wives, children, and friends, out of the reach of the mob. Joseph was frank, open, and familiar as usual, and our rejoicing was great. No man can understand the joyful sensations created by such a meeting, except one who has been in tribulation for the gospel's sake.

"After spending the day together we returned to our families at night. The day following was May 4th; we met in conference at Quincy, the Prophet Joseph presiding, his presence causing great joy to all the Saints. On Sunday, May 5th, Joseph Smith addressed the assembly. He was followed by Sidney Rigdon and the Twelve Apostles. The spirit of the Lord was poured out upon us, and we had a glorious day.

"On May 6th I met with the seventies, and we ordained sixty men into the quorums of elders and seventies. Brother Joseph met with the Twelve, and with bishops and elders, at Bishop Partridge's house. There were with us a number who were wounded at Haun's Mill; among these was Isaac Laney, who, in company with about twenty others, had been at the mill when a large and armed mob fired among them with rifles and other weapons, shot down seventeen of the brethren, and wounded others. Brother Laney fled from the scene, but they sent a volley of lead after him, piercing his body in many places. He showed me eleven bullet holes in his body. There were twenty-seven bullet holes in his shirt, and seven in his pantaloons. His coat was literally cut to pieces. One ball entered one armpit and came out at the other; another entered his back and came out at the breast; a ball passed through each hip, each leg, and each arm. All these were received while he was running for his life; and, strange as it may appear, though he also had one of his ribs broken, he was able to outrun his enemies, and his life was saved. We can acknowledge this deliverance to be only through the mercy of God. President Joseph Young was also among the number who escaped at Haun's Mill. As he fled, the balls flew around him like hail, yet he was not even wounded. How mysterious are the ways of the Lord!

"Before starting on our mission to England, we were under the necessity of locating our families. A place called Commerce, afterwards named Nauvoo, was selected as the site on which our people should settle. In company with Brother Brigham Young and our families, I left Quincy on the 15th of May, arriving in Commerce on the 18th. After an interview with Joseph, we crossed the river at Montrose, Iowa. President Brigham Young and myself, with our families, occupied one room about fourteen feet square. Finally Brother Young obtained another room and moved into it; then Brother Orson Pratt and family moved into the same room with myself and family.

"While I was living in this cabin in the old barracks we experienced, with the Prophet Joseph, a day of God's power. It was a very sickly time; Joseph had given up his home in Commerce to the sick, and had a tent pitched in his dooryard and was living in that himself. The large number of Saints who had been driven out of Missouri were flocking into Commerce, but had no homes to go to, and were living in wagons, in tents, and on the ground; many, therefore, were sick through the exposure to which they were subjected. Brother Joseph had waited on them until he was worn out and nearly sick himself.

"On the morning of the 22nd of July, 1839, he arose, reflecting upon the situation of the Saints of God in their persecutions and afflictions. He called upon the Lord in prayer, the power of God rested upon him mightily, and as Jesus healed all the sick around Him in His day, so Joseph, the Prophet of God, healed all around on this occasion. He healed all in his house and dooryard; then, in company with Sidney Rigdon and several of the Twelve, went among the sick lying on the bank of the river, where he commanded them in a loud voice, in the name of Jesus Christ, to rise and be made whole, and they were all healed. When he had healed all on the east side of the river that were sick, he and his companions crossed the Mississippi River in a ferry-boat to the west side, where we were, at Montrose. The first house they went into was President Brigham Young's. He was sick on his bed at the time. The Prophet went into his house and healed him, and they all came out together.

"As they were passing by my door, Brother Joseph said: 'Brother Woodruff, follow me.' These were the only words spoken by any of the company from the time they left Brother Brigham's house till they crossed the public square, and entered Brother Fordham's house. Brother Fordham had been dying for an hour, and we expected each minute would be his last. I felt the spirit of God that was overpowering His Prophet. When we entered the house, Brother Joseph walked up to Brother Fordham and took him by the right hand, his left hand holding his hat. He saw that Brother Fordham's eyes were glazed, and that he was speechless and unconscious.

"After taking his hand, he looked down into the dying man's face and said: 'Brother Fordham, do you not know me?' At first there was no reply, but we all could see the effect of the spirit of God resting on the afflicted man. Joseph again spoke. 'Elijah, do you not know me?' With a low whisper Brother Fordham answered, 'Yes'. The Prophet then said: 'Have you not faith to be healed?' The answer, which was a little plainer than before, was: 'I am afraid it is too late; if you had come sooner, I think I might have been.' He had the appearance of a man waking from sleep; it was the sleep of death. Joseph then said: 'Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ?' 'I do, Brother Joseph,' was the response. Then the Prophet of God spoke with a loud voice, as in the majesty of Jehovah: 'Elijah, I command you, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, to arise and be made whole.'

"The words of the Prophet were not like the words of man, but like the voice of God. It seemed to me that the house shook on its foundation. Elijah Fordham leaped from his bed like a man raised from the dead. A healthy color came to his face, and life was manifested in every act. His feet had been done up in Indian meal poultices; he kicked these off his feet, scattered the contents, then called for his clothes and put them on. He asked for a bowl of bread and milk, and ate it. He then put on his hat and followed us into the street, to visit others who were sick.

"The unbeliever may ask, 'Was there not deception in this?' If there is any deception in the mind of the unbeliever, there was certainly none with Elijah Fordham, the dying man, or with those who were present with him; for in a few minutes he would have been in the spirit world, if he had not been rescued. Through the blessing of God he lived up till 1880, when he died in Utah; while all who were with him on that occasion, with the exception of one (myself), are in the spirit world. Among the number present were Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, George A. Smith, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, and Wilford Woodruff.

"As soon as we left Brother Fordham's house, we went into the home of Joseph B. Noble, who was very low. When we entered the house, Brother Joseph took Brother Noble by the hand, and commanded him, in the name of Jesus Christ, to arise and be made whole. He did arise, and was healed immediately.

"While this was going on, the wicked mob in the place, led by one Kilburn, had become alarmed, and followed us into Brother Noble's house. Before they arrived there, Brother Joseph called upon Brother Fordham to offer prayer. While he was praying, the mob entered, with all the evil spirits accompanying them. As soon as they entered, Brother Fordham, who was praying, fainted, and sank to the floor. When Joseph saw the mob in the house, he arose and had the room cleared of both that class of men and their attendant devils. Then Brother Fordham immediately revived, and finished his prayer.

"The case of Brother Noble was the last one of healing upon that day. It was the greatest day for the manifestation of the power of God through the gift of healing since the organization of the Church. When we left Brother Noble's, the Prophet Joseph, with those who had accompanied him from the other side, went to the bank of the river, to return home.

"While waiting for the ferry-boat, a man of the world, knowing of the miracles which had been performed, came to Joseph and asked him if he would not go and heal twin children of his, about five months old, who were both lying sick nigh unto death. They were some two miles from Montrose. The Prophet said he could not go; but, after pausing some time, said he would send some one to heal them; and he turned to me and said: 'You go with the man and heal his children.' He took a red silk hankerchief out of his pocket, gave it to me, told me to wipe their faces with the handkerchief when I administered to them, and they should be healed. He also said to me: 'As long as you will keep that handkerchief, it shall remain a league between you and me.' I went with the man, did as the Prophet commanded me, and the children were healed. I have possession of the handkerchief unto this day.

"On the first of July, 1839, Joseph Smith and his counselors, Sidney Rigdon and Hyrum Smith, crossed the river to Montrose, to spend the day with the Twelve, and to set them apart and bless them before they started upon their missions. There were twelve of us who met there, and we dined in my house.

"After dinner we assembled at Brother Brigham Young's house for our meeting. Brother Hyrum Smith opened by prayer; after which the Presidency laid their hands upon our heads and gave each of us a blessing. President Rigdon was mouth in blessing me, and also blessed Sisters Young, Taylor, and Woodruff. The Prophet Joseph promised us that if we were faithful we would be blessed upon our mission, save many souls as seals of our ministry, and return again in peace and safety to our friends; all of which was fulfilled.

"Brother Hyrum advised me to preach the first principles of the gospel; he thought that was about as much as this generation could endure. Then Joseph arose and preached some precious things of the Kingdom of God unto us, in the power of the Holy Ghost, some of which I here copy: 'Ever keep in exercise the principle of mercy, and be ready to forgive your brethren on the first intimation of their repentance and desire for forgiveness; for your heavenly Father will be equally merciful to you. We ought also to be willing to repent of and confess our sins, and keep nothing back. Let the Twelve be humble and not be exalted, and beware of pride, and not seek to excel one another, but act for each other's good, and honorably make mention of each other's names in prayer before the Lord and before your fellowmen. Do not backbite or injure a brother. The elders of Israel should seek to learn by precept and example in this late age of the world, and not be obliged to learn by sad experience everything they know. I trust the remainder of the Twelve will learn wisdom, and will not follow the example of those who have fallen. When the Twelve, or any other witnesses of Jesus Christ, stand before the congregations of the earth, and preach in the power and demonstration of the Holy Ghost, and the people are astonished and confounded at the doctrine and say, "those men have preached powerful sermons," then let them take care that they do not ascribe the glory unto themselves, but be careful to be humble, and to ascribe the glory to God and the Lamb; for it is by the power of the Holy Priesthood and the Holy Ghost that they have the power thus to speak. Who art thou, O man, but dust! and from whom dost thou receive they power and blessings, but from God! Then let the Twelve Apostles and elders of Israel observe this key, and be wise: Ye are not sent out to be taught, but to teach. Let every man be sober, be vigilant, and let all his words be seasoned with grace, and keep in mind that it is a day of warning, and not of many words. Act honestly before God and man; beware of sophistry, such as bowing and scraping unto men in whom you have no confidence. Be honest, open, and frank in all your intercourse with mankind. I wish to say to the Twelve, and to all the Saints: profit by this important key, that in all your trials, troubles, temptations, afflictions, bonds, imprisonments, and deaths, you do not betray Jesus Christ, that you do not betray the revelations of God, whether in the Bible, Book of Mormon, or Doctrine and Covenants, or in any of the words of God. Yea, in all your troubles, see that you do not this thing, lest innocent blood be found upon your skirts, and ye go down to hell. We may ever know by this sign that there is danger of our being led to a fall and apostasy when we give way to the devil, so as to neglect the first known duty; but whatever you do, do not betray your friend.'

"The foregoing are some of the instructions given by the Prophet Joseph, before the Apostles started upon their missions.

"Inasmuch as the devil had been thwarted in a measure by the Twelve going to Far West and returning without harm, it seemed as though the destroyer was determined to make some other attempt upon us to hinder us from performing our missions; for as soon as any one of the Apostles began to prepare for starting he was smitten with chills and fever, or sickness of some kind. Nearly all of the quorum of the Twelve or their families began to be sick, so it still required the exercise of a good deal of faith and perseverance to start off on a mission.

"On the 25th of July, I was attacked with chills and fever, for the first time in my life; this I had every other day, and whenever attacked, I was laid prostrate. My wife, Phoebe, was also taken down with the chills and fever, as were quite a number of the Twelve.

"I passed thirteen days in Montrose with my family, after I was taken sick, before I started on my mission. The 7th of August was the last day I spent at home in Montrose. Although sick with the chills and fever most of the day, I made what preparations I could to start on the morrow on a mission of four thousand miles, to preach the gospel to the nations of the earth; and this, too, without purse or scrip, with disease resting upon me, and an attack of fever and ague afflicting me once every two days.

"Early upon the morning of the 8th of August, I arose from my bed of sickness, laid my hands upon the head of my sick wife, Phoebe, and blessed her. I then departed from the embrace of my companion, and left her almost without food or the necessaries of life. She suffered my departure with the fortitude that becomes a saint, realizing the responsibilities of her companion. I quote from my journal: 'Phoebe, farewell! Be of good cheer; remember me in your prayers. I leave these pages for your perusal when I am gone. I shall see your face again in the flesh. I go to obey the commands of Jesus Christ.'

"Although feeble, I walked to the banks of the Mississippi River. There President Young took me in a canoe (having no other conveyance), and paddled me across the river. When we landed, I lay down on a side of sole leather, by the postoffice, to rest. Brother Joseph, the Prophet of God, came along and looked at me. 'Well, Brother Woodruff,' said he, 'you have started upon your mission.' 'Yes,' said I, 'but I feel and look more like a subject for the dissecting room than a missionary.' Joseph replied: 'What did you say that for? Get up, and go along; all will be right with you.'

"I name these incidents that the reader may know how the brethren of the Twelve Apostles started upon their missions to England in 1839. Elder John Taylor was going with me; we were the first two of the quorum of the Twelve who started upon that mission. Brother Taylor was about the only man in the quorum who was not sick.

"Soon a brother came along with a wagon, and took us in. As we were driving through the place, we came to Parley P. Pratt, who was stripped to his shirt and pants, with his head and feet bare. He was hewing a log, preparatory to building a cabin. He said: 'Brother Woodruff, I have no money, but I have an empty purse, which I will give you.' He brought it to me, and I thanked him for it. We went a few rods farther and met Brother Heber C. Kimball, in the same condition, also hewing a log to build a cabin. He said: 'As Parley has given you a purse, I have got a dollar I will give you to put in it.' He gave me both a dollar and a blessing.

"We drove sixteen miles across a prairie, and spent the night with a Brother Merrill. The day following we rode ten miles to a Brother Perkins'. He took us in his wagon to Macomb, and from there to Brother Don Carlos Smith's. During the day I rode four hours over a very rough road of stones and stumps, lying on my back in the bottom of the wagon, shaking with the ague, and suffering very much. We held a meeting in a grove near Don Carlos Smith's, and there Elder Taylor baptized George Miller, who afterwards was ordained a bishop. At the meeting the Saints gave us nine dollars, and George Miller gave us a horse to help us on our journey.

"I rode to Rochester with Father Coltrin, and there had an interview with several families of the Fox Islands Saints, whom I had brought with me from the Fox Islands in 1838. I spent several days with them and at Springfield, where Elder Taylor published, in pamphlet form, fifteen hundred copies of a brief sketch of the persecutions and sufferings of the Latter-day Saints, inflicted by the inhabitants of Missouri. We sold our horse, and, in company with Father Coltrin, Brother Taylor and myself left Springfield and continued our journey. I had the chills and fever nearly every other day. This made riding in a lumber wagon very distressing to me, especially when I shook with the ague.

"On the 24th of August we rode to Terre Haute, and spent the night with Dr. Modisett. I suffered much with the chills and fever. Up to this time, Elder John Taylor had appeared to enjoy excellent health, but the destroyer did not intend to make him an exception to the rest of the apostles. On the 28th of August he fell to the ground as though he had been knocked down. He fainted, but soon revived. On the following day the enemy made a powerful attack upon his life. He fainted several times, and it seemed as if he would die. We stopped several hours with him at a house by the wayside. We then took him into the wagon, drove to Horace S. Eldredge's and spent the remainder of the day and night doctoring him. In the morning he was so far recovered that he thought he would be able to ride; so we started on our journey on the morning of the 30th, traveled forty miles to Louisville, and spent the night with the family of Brother James Townsend. We felt terribly shaken up, being in such a weak state. Brother Townsend was away from home, but we were kindly entertained by Sister Townsend. In the morning, Elder Taylor, though very weak, felt disposed to continue the journey, and we traveled fourteen miles to Germantown. Elder Taylor was quite sick that night, and a bilious fever seemed to settle upon him. I was also very feeble.

"The day following being Sunday, September 1st, Brother Taylor concluded to remain for the day, and hold a meeting. It was a German settlement. He wished me to speak, and I did so, dwelling upon the first principles of the gospel. He followed me, and spoke until he was exhausted. After we returned to the inn where we were stopping, I was taken with a chill and fever, and had a very bad night. Brother Taylor also was very sick.

"The next day, September 2nd, was a painful day to my feelings. It was evident that Brother Taylor had a settled fever upon him, and would not be able to travel. Father Coltrin was resolved to continue his journey, and, in conversing with Brother Taylor, the latter thought it better for one sick man to be left than for two, as I was so ill with chills and fever that I was not able to render him any assistance, nor, indeed, to take care of myself. Under these circumstances, Brother Taylor advised me to continue my journey with Brother Coltrin, and make the best of my way to New York.

"After committing Elder Taylor into the hands of the Lord, I gave him the parting hand—though painful to me—and started. I left him in Germantown, Wayne County, Indiana, in the hands of a merciful God and a kind and benevolent family who promised to do everything in their power to make him comfortable till his recovery. This they did, though he passed through a severe course of bilious fever, and was sick nigh unto death. Through the mercy of God, however, he recovered from his sickness, and continued his journey. We next met in the city of New York.

"I continued on with Father Coltrin, and reached Cleveland on the 18th of September. There we took steamer for Buffalo, but were in a storm three days before we made the harbor. We landed at midnight, and in doing so ran into a schooner and stove it in. From Buffalo I traveled to Albany in a canal boat, and had an attack of the ague daily. At Albany I took a stage in the night, and rode to my father's home in Farmington, reaching there on the 21st of September. I was glad to meet with my father's family, and the other members of the small branch of the Church which existed there upon this occasion, as I found them all strong in the faith of the gospel, and glad to meet me. I was still suffering with the ague. On the 27th of September, my grandmother (on my mother's side), Anna Thompson, died at Avon. She was eighty-four years of age. It was a singular coincidence that she, with her husband, Lot Thompson, also Mercy Thompson, and Samuel Thompson, all of one family, died when they were eighty-four years of age. I was not able to attend my grandmother's funeral.