Daily national Democrat., 1858-10-20
Letter from Brigham Young.

Letter from Brigham Young.
A citizen of Canandaigua has received an
autograph letter from Brigham Young. which
we find published in the Ontario Republican
Times This letter was written in reply to
one addressed to the prophet" by the gen
tleman spoken Of Brigham was requested
by his correspondent to settle a controversy
relating to his own antecedcnts, which had
sprung up between the latter and Alonzo
Beebe, of Canandaigua. Brigham gives the
following leaf from personal and family his
tory:
GREAT SALT LAKE CRY, July 90, 1853.
"To -- | received your letter
dated Canandaigua, May 5. 1858. will
give you a short sketch of my history: |
was born in Wittingham, Windham county.
Vermont June l, 1901. My father and fam.
lily removed to Smyrna, Chenango county.
New York, when | was about eighteen
months old. We lived in that place until
1912. Shortly after the commencement of
the late war with Great Britain, my father
and his family removed to the town of Ge-
noa, Cayuga county, New York in which
county lived until 1929. then moved TO
Mendon, Monroe county. and in 1880 re-
moved from thence to No Canandaigua.
into a small house owned by Jonathan Mack.
situated on the west side of the road, oppo-
site to where Mr.. Mack then lived helped
to finish his new house. so that he moved in
to it before left the place.
I" left Canandaigua in the first part of
1882, and returned to Mendon, April IA.
same year. was baptized into the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. l did
not live in any other house during my resi-
dence in Canandaigua than the one before
mentioned. | never saw Sena Golf to nv
knowledge. l never held meetings in part
nership with any person. nor ever preached
or pretended to while lived in the town of
Canandaigua, nor ever spoke in meeting ex-
cept once in prayer meeting in the house
lived in, when probably | occupied from two
to five minutes. There is possibility of my
having spoken in prayer meeting at other
times but have no recollection of it. If
had, think | would have remembered it,
for found myself materially frightened
when found myself in the meeting have
mentioned. After had joined the church,
became somewhat accustomed to public
speaking. Once, in passing through No 9, |
stopped and preached in the school house
north of Mr., Mack's
" | have thus far marked out nv path with
some particularly. Since then, the events
however, state that after my return to Men
don l removed to Kirkland, Ohio, from thence
to Farwest, Mo-, from thence to Nauvoo, H.,
and from thence to the mountains.
There are five brothers of u.s. in the fol-
lowing order: John, Joseph, Phineas H., my
self, and Lorenzo d. The two former never
lived in No. 8. Phineas H. and Lorenzo ID
did live there but removed long before |
came. The five of us, with my two living
sisters, [ have three dead,) are here; and
although some of them are past three score
and ten years of age. yet by living in Judi
cious manner, and through the blessing of
the Lord, we have good health, and are sur
rounded by an abundance of the comforts of
life. Your opponent in the controversy (Bee-
be) have no recollection of whatever He
relies on his fancy for his arguments, and his
Imagination for his facts
Through the faith and prayers of the
Saints and the visible dealing of the AL
mighty, we are blessed with peace and again
delivered from the grasp of our enemies who
have sought all the day long to trample in
the dust and extinguish that sacred right
which God, through his revelations to Jo-
seph, the prophet, hos implanted in our
breasts
my heart yearns toward my friends of by
gone years, and blessed indeed, will be the
day when they receive the light of the new
and everlasting covenant when l can Join
hands with them and feel that my God is
their God and that where | worship there
also will they offer up devotion to the throne
of grace.
"The war is ended, the troops are partly
withdrawn, and we have returned to our
comfortable homes; our trees are loaded
with fruit; we have the best country in the
world for vegetables; our crops are most
abundant Wheat is our staple grain. At
many times we have har, ested three crops
from one sowing by what we call voluntary
wheat springing up the second or third sea
son.
Although | have been in this valley only
eleven years, have had peaches for seven
years, and this year will have abundance of
apples for family use; we've apricots al
mond trees, plum, cherries, and the finest
grapes | have ever seen; they grow in
blnches weighing from eight ounces to two
pounds
81 have a fine family of toys and girls n
part of whom are married. | have fifteen
living and two dead grandchildren.
Present my warnest regards to your fa-
thcr and his family. | really desire you to
let me know where they are living and how
they are situated. BRIGuAM YoUNG."