Wilford Woodruff Diary[1]

9th The Saints in Nauvoo assembled at the house of President Marks [2] at an early hour in the morning to pay their last respects to the Body of Ephraim Marks [3] son of President Marks who died on the evening of the 7th A large procession formed two by two & walked to the grove a larger concorse assembled President Joseph Smith spoke upon the occasion with much feelings & interst among his remarks he said it is a vary solumn & awful time I never felt more solumn it calles to mind the death of my oldest Brother who died in New York [4] & my youngest Brother Carloss Smith who died in Nauvoo [5] It has been hard for me to live on earth & see those young men upon whome we have leaned upon as a support & comfort taken from us in the midst of their youth, yes it has been hard to be reconciled to these things I have some times felt that I should have felt more reconciled to have been calIed myself if it could have been the will of God, yet I know we ought to be still & know it is of God & be reconciled all is right it will be but a short time before we shall all in like manner be called. It may be the case with me as well as you Some has supposed that Br Joseph Could not die but this is a mistake it is true their has been times when I have had the promise of my life to accomplish such & such things, but having accomplish those things I have not at present any lease of my life I am as liable to die as other men [6] I can say in my heart that I have not done any thing against Ephraim Marks that I am sorry for & I would ask any of his companions if they have done any thing against him that they are sorry for or that they would not like to meet at the bar of God if so let it prove as a warning to all men to deal justly before God & with all men then we shall be clean in the day of judgment When we loose a near & dear friend upon whom we have set our hearts we can never feel the same afterwards knowing that if we set our hearts upon others they may in like manner be taken from us President Smith made many other interesting remarks & left it for President Rigdon to close.

—9 April 1842

Notes

[1] See History of the Church, 4:586-87, and Teachings, pp. 215-16. The Wilford Woodruff Diary account is the source for History of the Church and Teachings.

[2] William Marks, president of the Nauvoo Stake.

[3] Ephraim Marks, son of William and Rosanna Marks, died 7 April 1842.

[4] Alvin Smith (1798-1823). Joseph Smith's eldest brother.

[5] Don Carlos Smith died in Nauvoo 7 August 1841.

[6] See D&C 5:22; 6:29-30 and Teachings, p. 90. See also 28 April 1842, note 11.