LETTER FROM THE
VALLEY
Great Salt
Lake City,
September 11, 1859
Dear Mother,
After waiting in vain for a long
time for a letter from you, we now venture to send another letter to you,
hoping that you and John our brother, and Hannah's little children, are healthy
and doing well, as we now are here as a family. We did not receive an answer to
the last letter we sent from here. We have a little daughter as of last January
29th, and we have named her Rachael Anne, after the names of her two
grandmothers, and she is coming along well for her age.
Griffith
Davies's wife Eliza arrived here a week ago today. She and her husband were in
our house for tea in the evening, and we received some news about you and your
little ones from her. We had mixed feelings of happiness and sorrow as we heard
about you, and your trials and tribulations; happy, because we were able to speak
with one who lived so near to you, our dear mother, and also sad, because you
yourself, together with John and the little children, were not here also.
The
"Mormons" and "Mormonism" are still alive, and prospering and multiplying, left
and right, despite the attacks against them from enemies of the truth in every
possible way. There have been thousands of United
States soldiers here in our Territory for more than a
year, but they are like the lions of old, in the den of Babylon, hardly daring to open their mouths
to do injury to the people of the Lord. And no wonder,
since the God that the saints of
old worshipped is the same God that we worship and who continues with his
power, and He shall continue throughout eternity.
Now, dear
mother, let us convince you this time to leave the old country there, with its
violence and oppression, to come here to be with us. We would be very happy to
see you, and no doubt you would be happy to be able to live with your only
living daughter. We sincerely wish that you would decide to come and let us
know by letter; we would pay your passage to the "Perpetual Fund," and you and
the little children could live here with us.
We and our
children, Walter and Evan, speak often about you; and they also speak with each
other about you. Evan said one day that he was going to the old country to his
grandmother's; but we prefer to convince him that his grandmother will come
here to him and to us. Remember Anne to her aunts, and send us a letter as soon
as you can, and let us have news from you that you have decided to come to us.
Let us know when you have heard from William, from Australia; we have inquired about
him from the Elders who have been preaching there, but so far have failed to
receive an answer.
Do not be
fearful about coming here. This is a very advantageous place to live, and the
proof of that is that Ann and I came here with nothing, and that we have paid
for our passage by working after arriving here, and we now own a house in the
City, together with land, and four head of animals. We live comfortably, and we
think that we would be even more comfortable if you were here with us.
We, William
and Anne Lewis, and the children, Walter J. Lewis, Evan J. Lewis, and Rachael
Anne Lewis, wish to be remembered to you warmly and with love. To my knowledge
I have never seen you before, but I feel love for you because of my dear wife,
who is a good woman, and a faithful and a very valuable life's companion. We
anticipate a letter from you before long.
With love,
from
Your
son-in-law and your daughter,
WILLIAM AND ANNE LEWIS.
Verse
Leave the traditions of men,
The
superstitions of every kind;
And embrace the truth,
Now willingly that you may live.
Faith in Christ and Repentance,
The
blessing of Baptism for the remission of sins;
Also the gifts of the Holy Spirit,
The great plan of Heavenly Father.
GWILYM DDU,
(The author of the foregoing letter.)
[Translated from the original Welsh
in "Udgorn Seion" (Zion's Trumpet), vol. 12
(1859), pp. 780-82 by Ron Dennis, 27 Feb 2009.]
