--- title: Times and Seasons description: Issues of 1845 to 1846. authors: - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints editors: - Ebenezer Robinson - Don Carlos Smith - Smith, Joseph, Jr. - Taylor, John collections: - periodicals tags: - newspaper - times-and-seasons - nauvoo - nineteenth-century periodical: Times and Seasons volume: 6 number: 9 published: 1845-05-15 publisher: E. Robinson and D. C. Smith; later John Taylor publisher_place: Commerce and Nauvoo, Illinois language: en type: article reference: "“Letter from Elder Woodruff,” *Times and Seasons* 6, no. 9 (May 15, 1845): 907–908." printed_title: LETTER FROM ELDER WOODRUFF. source: url: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1845-05-15_6_9 transcription: Text from the Centerplace.org transcription (https://www.centerplace.org/history/ts/v6n09.htm), with its page breaks; this Internet Archive scan is the reference copy (its OCR was used only as a witness for OCR repair) identifier: per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1845-05-15_6_9 start_page: 907 end_page: 908 curator_note: A Mormon newspaper published by the church in Nauvoo; included for historical study. Inclusion does not imply endorsement. rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1845 (Nauvoo, Illinois); published before 1931, so public domain in the United States source: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1845-05-15_6_9 publication_year: 1845 --- # Letter from Elder Woodruff Dated 36 Chapel st. Liverpool, } May 1st 1845. } BR. TAYLOR-DEAR SIR:- I feel disposed to present to you an extract from my journal, which I penned while on a visit to the grave of the worthy Elder Lorenzo D. Barnes. I do this for the benefit of his parents, relatives, friends, Zion's camp, and the saints in general; for he occupies a place in the memory and hearts of many thousands of the Saints, who were acquainted with his labors in the vine yard of the Lord. My visit to his grave was on the 20th of February 1845, which was a solemn day to my feelings in some respects, in consequence of walking over the ground which oft had been trod by our worthy Brother Barnes, and also of viewing the tomb where sleeps his sacred dust. I left Bradford in company with Elders Sheets and Ure. (Br. Sheets is presiding over the Bradford conference, which was under the care of Elder Barnes during his last labors: Elder Ure over the Sheffield conference.) We left for the purpose of visiting the grave of Elder Barnes in Idle, Yorkshire, three miles from Bradford. When about half way we had a fair view of Idle and the church where our brother was buried, which stands upon a high piece of ground. We had a green vale to pass through before arriving at the spot; the fields were quite green, though in February: we walked over the road, over which Elder Barnes had walked many scores of times in preaching the gospel. I felt solemn indeed, and was filled with meditation, until I arrived at Idle, which contains a population of about five thousand, and a branch of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of thirty-seven members. We called upon Elder Thomas Corgingly and his family, who had the care of Elder Barnes during his sickness and death.-They pointed out to me the room where he spent his last moments. After getting some refreshment we walked to the church-yard, and I gazed upon the silent tomb of our beloved Lorenzo. My feelings were keen and sensitive as I stood upon his grave. I realized I was standing over the body of one of the elders of Israel, of the horns of Joseph, of the seed of Ephraim; one of the members of Zion's camp, who had travelled [traveled] with me more than a thousand miles in 1834, for the redemption of his persecuted and afflicted brethren, and offered to lay down his life for their sake; one who had the hearts and affections of thousands of friends both in America and England; and whose fidelity was stronger than death to his lover, his brethren, eternal truth and his God. While standing upon his grave, I offered up my vocal prayers to Israels' God that my death or change might be that of the righteous, and that my last end might be as wise and safe as his, and that his sacred dust might be called forth in the morn of the first resurrection. I decreed in my heart I would never return to my native country, until I had caused to be erected a tombstone over his narrow bed, to say to his friends that might chance to pass that way, that there sleeps the worthy Lorenzo D. Barnes; the first of Zion's camp that has found a grave in a foreign land. I bowed my knee upon his sacred grave, and plucked some pebbles in memory of his worth. I thought of his lover, his father, his mother, his kindred, and the Saints; for they all loved him, and would have thought it a blessing to have been permitted to drop a silent tear upon his lonely bed. Oh Lorenzo! thou hast fallen in the prime of life, as it were a martyr for the truth in a foreign land; but thine exaltation in the celestial world will not come behind the chiefest of thy quorum. I retired from his grave with my brethren, meditating upon the life of Elder Barnes. I made diligent inquiry of the family where he died and others concerning his labors, sickness and death, and obtained the following information:- On his arrival in England, he labored for a short season in and about Manchester. He then went to the Cheltenham conference in Gloucestershire, where he labored until the general conference. He was much beloved by the Saints in that conference, and a petition was sent by them for his return; but at the general conference he received an appointment to take charge of the Bradford conference, where he labored faithfully until his death. I was informed that Elder Barnes suffered by going with poor boots and wet feet: he was too slow in making his wants known to the Saints, and some were too slow in administering to his necessities until he got sick, after which every attention was paid to him, but it was too late. During the last of September 1842, he walked one day about thirteen miles very fast in order to get to the railway in time for the cars, (some portion of the way he ran,) and got into a high state of perspiration, and only had time to step into the cars as they were about starting. He rode on the railway about twenty miles in the midst of piercing winds and became entirely chilled, which flung him into a severe cold, settled upon his lungs, and brought on the quick consumption, from which he never recovered. He attended a conference and preached several times afterwards, but was very feeble. The last time he preached was from the following words: "There remaineth therefore a rest for the people of God." After he was confined to his bed, he was asked if he would have a physician: his answer was definitely-"No: if he died he wished to die a natural death; if he lived he should live unto the Lord, if he died he should die unto the Lord." He manifested a great desire to live if it was the will of the Lord, that he might again return to Nauvoo and see his friends in America. He was deprived of his reason during some portion of his sickness; his whole conversation at such times was about going to Nauvoo, and how he should get there: he often spoke of his mother and other friends. The night before his death, he had his reason perfectly, and bore a strong and faithful testimony to the truth of the fulness [fullness] of the everlasting gospel as proclaimed by the Latter-day Saints, declared that it would not be long before the kings and great men of the earth would call for the rocks and mountains to hide them from the wrath of the Lamb of God that would soon be poured out upon the face of the earth, for soon would the nations of the earth be deluged with the judgments of God, and with many other words did he testify of those things that would shortly come to pass. Since my visit there we have obtained his trunk and its contents; this with his travelling [traveling] bag which was in the care of Elder Hedlock, I have carefully examined, and filed all of his papers, consisting of deeds of land, corresponding letters with his friends in England and America, his compositions and journals, some of which show the strong fidelity of his heart towards his friends, which was characteristic of the man through every action of his useful life, a dozen or more pieces of ancient copper coin containing curious inscriptions, were in his trunk, which he had apparently collected for the Nauvoo Museum; these with all his clothing and sundry articles are carefully packed in his trunk, and will be forwarded to Nauvoo the first safe opportunity, for the examination of the presidency, after which they can be forwarded to his friends when an opportunity offers. At our general conference all the American elders laboring in this country with many of the English Saints, came forward and wished to donate their mite for the purpose of erecting a stone over the grave of our departed brother, when five pounds five shillings and sixpence sterling, equal to twenty six dollars, was subscribed: much more could have been freely obtained [obtained], had it been necessary to have accomplished the object. The sum was immediately forwarded to accomplish the purpose, and the stone is now in course of erection, bearing the following epitaph:- In Memory of LORENZO D. BARNES, who died on the 20th of December, 1842, aged 30 years. He was a native of the United States, an elder in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a member of the High Priests' Quorum and also of Zion's camp in the year 1834, and the first gospel messenger from Nauvoo who has found a grave in a foreign land. Sleep on, Lorenzo! but ere long from this The conquer'd tomb shall yield her captive prey: Then with thy quorum shalt thou reign in bliss As king and priest for an eternal day. I remain your brother in the kingdom of God, W. WOODRUFF.