Training Up A Child

Wilford Woodruff's Biblical Foundation

By Jennifer Ann Mackley, Executive Director of The Wilford Woodruff Papers

From the age of 14 to 23, Wilford struggled to understand God’s will and his personal path to salvation. He therefore resolved to be led by the spirit and word of God “into that truth which maketh free” and, relying on his scriptural studies...



Wilford Woodruff and the Book of Abraham

Insight to Come Follow Me - Genesis 12-17; Abraham 1-2

By Kerry Muhlestein, Director of the BYU Egypt Excavation Project

As we begin our study of the Old Testament, including the great Patriarch Abraham, and read from the Book of Abraham that he wrote, it is worth pausing to consider how blessed we are to have the writings of this fabled man of God. Our gratitude for his writings, and for the prophet Joseph Smith who translated them for us, can be increased as we look at the reaction of those who first received these writings. The example of Wilford Woodruff is...

The First Book of Wilford Woodruff

By Jane Clayton Johnson, Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation Board Member

“I seldom ever heard Brother Joseph or the Twelve preach or teach any principle," said Wilford Woodruff, "but what I felt as uneasy as a fish out of water until I had written it. Then I felt right. I could write a sermon of Joseph’s a week after it was delivered almost word for word, and after it was written, it was taken from me or from my mind. This was a gift from...”

Ashlyn Dyer Pells is a student at Brigham Young University, majoring in Editing and Publishing and minoring in Linguistics. Before attending BYU, she received her associate degree from Utah State University, then took a hiatus from her schooling to serve in the Cleveland and Columbus Ohio missions. As a missionary she had the opportunity to serve at the Historic Kirtland Visitors' Center sites, where she gained a deep love and appreciation for Church history. She is grateful to utilize her skills and experience with editing and Church history to aid the Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation in its remarkable mission.

Hannah Taylor graduated from Brigham Young University in 2021 with a BA in Family History & Genealogy. She served as a missionary in young single adult wards in the California Ventura Mission for nine months, after which she returned home due to Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Her experiences have taught her to be a mental health advocate, and she often speaks to church congregations and friends about mental health to promote discussion of the difficult topic. Previously, Hannah was a student supervisor of the BYU Nauvoo Project, where she developed a love for Church History. She is grateful to participate in the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by contributing to the Project and helping to fulfill its mission.

Wilford Woodruff's journals, housed at the Church History Library, shed light and provide details on the events of the Restoration. Wilford Woodruff Papers Project volunteers, many of them BYU students, are transcribing each word to...

Next month we hope you will join us at events marking the 215th anniversary of Wilford Woodruff's birth and the second anniversary of the Wilford Woodruff Papers Project. We have a lot to celebrate!