Letter from Nauvoo, February 1, 1843

Letter No. 2

Nauvoo,

Feb. 1, 1843.

My dear fathers & mothers & brothers & sisters:

I take the present opportunity of sending a few lines unto you, hoping they will find you in good health as they leave us at present. I know not whether you will have heard or not of the great and unremedied loss that I have sustained in the death of my husband; my children of the loss of the kindest and most affectionate father, and you, my fathers and mothers, of a son and brothers and sisters of a beloved brother. What shall I say; my heart is too full to dwell on this subject by looking on the melancholy loss, as it were, from him being took from us. I should have informed you by letter before now, but Bro. Thos. Cottam sent a letter to his friends and mentioned about George and all about us, but as to whether the man that brought it arrived safe or not we cannot tell. George had been working at the Nauvoo House and they was not so very busy at harvest time, so a neighbor was going about 25 miles to harvest and he was to take a man with him, so George thought he could like to go, so he took Richard with him. This was on the 5th of July when he left us. He was took sick on the 12th about noon and died in about 5 hours. The man that he went with took a horse and came to tell me. When I got there he was in a coffin, it being night when he got us, so I started in the morning early, so I brought him to Nauvoo to inter.

I will tell you that when he left us he was in perfect good health and quite cheerful; felt to be quite pleased as he was going. A thought struck me as he was going that if we should never see him again alive what a thing it would be, but if I had known that it would have been so, he should not have gone, for I have thought that if he had not gone he would not have died then. You will perhaps want to know what he died on. I think he felt to be unwell, but did not give up working until it was too late, but he did not complain before he did give up. He felt to rejoice that he had got here and was firm in the faith, so I do not mourn as those that have no hope, for I trust that on the morn of the resurrection of the Just I shall there behold him amongst the sanctified and have the priveledge of enjoying with him in those things that remains for the people of God.

Now my dear fathers, mothers, brothers, and sister, I would say do not mourn for him, neither for me nor the children, but mourn for yourselves for the judgements that are coming upon the inhabitatnts of the earth unless they repent of their sins and do those things that he requires at their hands, and by those that have authority from God to execute his laws, for we know that this is the work of God and unless we be obedient to those things which he requires at their hands, the judgment of God will fall upon them as it did in the days of Noah, of Lot and many more. I might mention, for I declare unto you and to all that hear this letter that this is the work of God and that Joseph Smith is a prophet of the Most High God.

As respects a living, we can get our living without troubling anyone if we have our health and we have enjoyed good health as ever we did in England. Ralph can earn as much as will maintain us. I have all my family at home and have had all through winter. The last work that Richard did he earned 15 hundred brick towards building an house, and since then I have had him at home. I can have an acre lot of land if I will without paying anything for it if I will, but I do not know yet whether I shall have it or not (belonging to the Church). We have had plenty of beef-best kind at 1-1/2 c and some at a penny pr pound, and pork at a penny or 2 cents per pound, as good as any in England. We had 20 bushels of potatoes besides what we grew ourselves. Potatoes is 2 bits or a shilling a bushel. Ann and Isabella was living off the most of the summer. Isabella came homesick. She was sick about 3 weeks and now she is very well. Ralph is a very good boy and does the best he can to get us a living and so is Richard. Henry Thombor got a letter from John on the 25th of last month. I am glad to hear they are all well. He sends his best respects to George, but is sorry he is not here to receive it, but we are and desire to be remembered to him.

Henry and his mother and Jane is all well. Ellen got a son on the 30th and is doing very well. Abraham and Margaret Shaw is well. James Smithes and family is well. He received a letter from Dourham and am sorry to hear of Sister Mary’s misfortune. Wm. Moss and Betty Thomas and Ann Cottam, John Rushton, John Ellison and wife, all from Waddington is well. I would mention that John Rushton has made me a present of 7 bushel of wheat. Give my respects to Thos. and Betty Wilkinson of Liverpool and Alice and James at Accrington, Thos. and Nanny Sharp of Burnlez and John and Nancy Fusbury at Harwood, and I want you to let them know that George is dead and I pray that the Lord may inspire their hearts to do his will and be obedient to his commandments, that they may have a right to the Tree of Life and enter in through the gates into the city. I will now give you a few lines of the feelings of my mind:

1st – Farewell all earthly honors, I bid you all adieu;
Farewell all earthly pleasures, I want no more of you.
I want my union grounded in thy eternal soil,
Beyond the powers of Satan where sin can ne’er defile.

2nd – All earthly tribulation is but a moment here,
And then if I prove faithful, a righteous crown I’ll wear.
I shall be courted holy and feed on angels food,
Rejoicing in bright glory among the sons of God.

To my sister Mary I would say a few words. I am sorry to hear of your daughter Elizabeth being poorly and likewise of Henry having his leg out off, but I hope by the time as these few lines reaches you they will be got well, and as God hath appointed means whereby those that had not the priveledge of obeying the Gospel not having heard it, it is the priveledge of me to be baptized for my friends. I shall then be baptized for her husband, so that she can please herself about preparing to meet him, for, as Paul says: “Why are they then baptized for the dead if the dead rise not at all” – 1st Corinthians, 15th Chapter, 29th verse. I send my kind love to her and all the family, and hope you will either send her this letter, or copy of it, and hope they will be wise and do those things that God commands them to do, and as there is but one way, one Lord, one Faith, one baptism and one God and Father of all, so I hope she and all of you will seek where the authority and be obedient so that we may all meet together in the kingdom of God with those we love as is gone before.


I remain, your affectionate daughter and sister,


Ellen Douglas


Give my respects to all the saints and let them read this letter, and I desire an interest in the prayers of the Saints that I may train my children in the way they should go. Ralph and Richard send their best respects to grandfather and grandmother and to all the saints at Donnhams and Clitherde.

We have sent three or four letters since we came to America. I should like to know if you have received them and want you to write and let us know how you all are, and send by the first opportunity if any of the brethren is coming. Direct to me, Ellen Douglas, Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, North America.

Letters from Nauvoo

My Great-grandfather James H. Douglas with his
wife, Irintha Pratt Douglas. "Rintha" was the
daughter of Orson Pratt and Marion Ross Pratt.

Below is James Douglas' explanatory note that was attached to six letters written by his grandmother, Ellen Briggs Douglas (later Ellen Douglas Parker) to her parents in England.

Ogden, Utah
February 2, 1939



“The following letters written by grandmother Ellen Douglas Parker to her Mother in England—written from Nauvoo and Saint Louis between the years of 1842 and 1852, came into my possession with the documents left by my Father Richard Douglas.

The letters to me are priceless and I am taking this means of preserving them in bookform and I hope my posterity and future family generations may read them with the same interest and pleasure that I have read them.”



Sincerely,


JAMES H. DOUGLAS





Letter No. 1.

Nauvoo,
June 2, 1842.

Dear Father and Mother:-

I now take up my pen for the third time to address you, hoping these lines will find you in good health, as it leaves us all at present. I sent one letter from New Orleans with an Englishman, which I expect you will get soon. He was not setting off for England until the beginning of May. I also sent another with one of our Brethren who was coming to England to warn them for another time to prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ, which we believe is drawing nigh, and I expect that you will get this the first. I sent the other about a month since and I am going to send this by Amos Fielding. He has come over from England with some of the Saints and he is returning to Liverpool, so I send this letter by him so that you will have less to pay.

Dear Father and Mother, I am at a loss what I can say to you. I feel so thankful for what the Lord has done for me and my family, for truly all things has worked together for our good. You will see in our former letters how all things did work, for which I feel to praise my Heavenly Father, and I will now say some things about our situation.

We rented a house at 5 shillings a month and we have fire wood on at that, and a good garden above an half an acre. It lies on the side of a hill close before our door. Our house is not such a fine one, but there are many that are much worse, and I prayed that we might have one to ourselves for there is 3 or 4 families in one room, and many have to pitch their tents in the woods, or anywhere where they can, for it is impossible for all to get houses when they come in for they are coming in daily. Scores of houses have been built since we have come here and they still continue building, and it is 8 weeks this night since we came in.

We have got our garden plowed and planted and all our seeds have come up and looks very well. We have planted corn, potatoes, beans, peas, onions, pumpkins, melons, cucumbers and a many other things too numerous to mention, and we have all so got a pig. A man come one day and wanted one of our boys to go and clear him off a piece of ground before he plowed it, and he would give him a pig, so he went about one day and got it. In any land it would have cost 15 or 16 shillings at least. It was Ralph that got it.

We also have got a flock of chickens. We have 13 and I have bought 11 besides, so you have account of all our property, and I think we are far better here than in old England.

We wish all our fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters and all our friends were here, for there is plenty of work and plenty of meat and we can afford to play a day or two anytime when we please and not get into debt. Butter is 5 pece a pound. Sugar is the same. We have not had much fresh meat, but we have had plenty of good bacon and ham. I wish the people in England could get as much as we can. As to prices of other goods, I need not mention because you have heard before. I sent you word in my last letter what we all were doing, but I will mention it again.

George and Ralph is working at the Nauvoo house and Richard has been working at a farmhouse close by, and Isabella at the same place. Richard is now going to work for another man and I expect he will receive for wanges 5 dollars a month besides his board, but we have not exactly agreed till he sees how both sides likes. George is waling when he is at the Nauvoo House, but they are now waiting for some good work, so he is ditching till they want him again. They love their work at the Nauvoo House very well.

I forgot to tell you what Richard was going to work at, but he is going to plough and break up prarie. It has been his work ever since he came here.

James Smithes and his family are all in good health. Ann got another child on the 31st day of May. I have been over to see her and she is going very well. I also mention Hahan Thornber and her family. Henry is in good health at present. Jane has been sick, but she is mending very nicely. Hanah has been a little sick, but she is beginning to mend. Eleen and her husband are well. Old John and Ellen Parker are both in good health and spirits and are expecting their daughter Mary every day. Give their kind love to all enquiring friends. Jo Spencer, Jo Gleson and Alis Cotam and Ann and Jo Rushton and Wm. and Betty Moss are all in good health and spirits. Wm. Moss is building him a house not far from where we live.

There is now in this city a female Charity Society, of which I am a member. We are in number 8 or 9 hundred. Jo Smith’s wife is the head of our socity and we meet on a Thursday at 1 o’clock, where we receive instructions both temporary and spiritually. I must say something about the Prophet the Lord has raised up in these last days. I feel to rejoice that I have been permitted to hear his voice for I know that this is the work of the Lord and all the powers of earth or hell can not gainsay it. The time is not far hence when all will know that this is the work of the Lord and not of man. The time is near at hand when all the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble and the day that cometh shall burn them, saith the Lord of Hosts. I pray that the Lord may remove all darkness from your minds so that you may see clearly the way which you should go, that at last you may enter in through the gate into the City.

Give our kind love to all enquiring friends and to all our brothers and sisters. Tell Jo Thornber that Henry will write soon and we will send some particular word in his letter.

I could like you to send me a letter the first opportunity and let me know how you are going on and how my sister May is and all her family.

Tell all the Saints that come here to bring all these necessary things with them, such as pots and pans and tubs and all your necessary things. Tell John Thornber to bring plenty of print and check, light print and a little patren, and fustan or anything he pleases.

We remain

Your affectionate son and
Daughter

George and Ellen Douglas.


Direct: Nauvoo, Hancock County, Ill., North America