Ogden Kraut
Wilford Woodruff kept one of the most important journals in the early Church. Recorded within its pages are some of the greatest moments in the Church's history, much of which might otherwise have gone unrecorded. He was personally acquainted with the Prophet Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and John Taylor, and kept a faithful record of many of their private meetings and counsel. Here for the first time in print are selected out the choicest gems of doctrine and history as they were recorded by this great man., , Davis Bitton, Assistant Church Historian, wrote the following about Wilford Woodruff's journal, which covered the years from 1834 to 1898:, , It is one of this monumental examples of personal record-keeping., , From the time he joined the Church in 1833 and through his long, eventful life, Wilford Woodruff must have spent an hour a day on it, even more when the occasion required, carefully setting down his experiences and feelings. Since he lived through exciting times and was often close to the centers of activity, his ardent consistency in writing produced one of the magnificent primary sources for the history of the Church during the nineteenth century., , There are hundreds of surviving personal records from the Saints of the past century. To some extent the practice continues to the present. * * * Probably no people, with the possible exception of the Puritans or the early Quakers, have been so mindful of personal records as have the Latter-day Saints., , How do we explain our zeal for writing personal journals? It doubtless was stimulated by the sense of being involved in events of historic, even cosmic, significance. * * * The advice came originally from the Prophet Joseph Smith and was repeated by other leaders for many years., , All these diaries contribute, as no other records can, to our understanding of what life was like in the past, helping us to appreciate the achievements of our ancestors., , It is not only the dramatic and colorful events that are worth recording. It is also valuable to know the daily round of activities, the hard physical labor that occupied most of the time of our ancestors, the hardships and discouragements. Besides, there are many incidents of daily life that are easily forgotten. Those who record them preserve precious moments that can later be cherished, relived as it were, by members of the family. Moments of humor, family incidents, sickness, prayer, conversations, visits--such is the stuff of diaries that become rich veins of delight and inspiration and information., , Fortunately many of these vivid personal accounts have been published in whole or in part. * * * After all, if someone took the time and effort to write the account in the first place, it seems that those into whose hands the work has fallen should do what is necessary to see that it is preserved. * * * It is through such records that our historians, present and future, will endeavor to write a true and faithful history of the Latter-day Saints. (The Ensign, Nov. 1973, pp. 44-48), , This one volume compilation has been corrected only for grammar and spelling. Otherwise the excerpts appear as on the original manuscripts. Those interested in further information regarding Woodruff's journal may consult the complete set of 15 journals.,--The Publisher,http://ogdenkraut.com/bookavailabilit...
Wilford Woodruff's Journal Excerpts