Gospel Insights from the Never-Before-Published Farewell Letter of Phebe W. Carter Woodruff

This article was originally published in Meridian Magazine by Reid N. Moon. Below is an excerpt. 

As I’ve mentioned in previous columns, I’m a treasure hunter–of historical artifacts.  I am particularly interested in early Church history.  A few months ago I spent several hours combing through stacks of letters that were written between Phebe and Wilford Woodruff.  This large group of letters had been recently acquired from descendants of Wilford Woodruff.  I was both fascinated and intrigued by the content of these letters.  It seemed as if each letter filled in a missing piece or clarified familiar stories in Church history.  I was especially interested to learn more about Wilford Woodruff’s wife Phebe.

I first heard the name “Phebe W. Carter [Woodruff]” when I watched the Church video Mountain of the Lord [1993] many years ago.  There’s a scene in the movie that shows Wilford Woodruff walking along a dirt road in Kirtland.  While he is walking, he hears the angelic voice of a woman [Phebe W. Carter] singing a hymn.  Wilford Woodruff soon joins in.  This surprises Phebe and she opens her second-story window to find out who is singing along .  It was Wilford Woodruff.  They were soon properly introduced and after a “lengthy” courtship of 2 1/2 months they were married.

To read the rest of the article, go to Meridian Magazine.