| Show A father in israel we had thie thle th e pleasure of an interview a few days since with elder gibson smith fathe father of mrs N K whitney who arrived arria ed in this city in capt wallings Wai wal tings company on thursday the ath instant who aethol al thoin in his eightieth year is more active and lively than most men are at sixt sixty y father smith has been a member of tae the church almost from the beginning having been baptised baptized sed in kirtland ohio in 1832 while on a visit to that place from canaan litchfield county conn where he then resided to see some of his kindred who had emigrated to the western reserve in the early settlement of that portion of the back bach buckeye eye state having received an ordination to the office of an elder he returned home to connecticut and commenced preaching the gospel to hla hia neighbors and soon raised up a branch of the church numbering thirty two members some of whom are now in this territory several have died a few have turned away from the truth and some eight or ten from various circumstances cum curn stances have never gathered with the saints who are yet firm in the faith his wife dying in 1851 the old gentleman remained in that country with some of his children living most of the time with a widowed daughter 0 at ashley falls berkshire county counts mass but for the last year resided principally at hempstead lon long island about twenty miles mires from brooklyn which place he left in company with mr A pettit and family early in may and on the ath of that month left new york city on a steamboat for albany thence by railroad to st joseph mo alo where he again took passage on a steamer tip up the missouri river to florence N J on his hia way to utah from florence which place he be left on the 30 ii li 11 of may alay he came cane across the plains in capt wallings company walking from choice about one half the distance and in one instance walked twenty three thres miles in one dlly day ile he arrived here in good health and excellent spirits thus proving the falsity of the predictions of his old acquaintances in the east cast who affecting to believe that the old man was deluded and not possessed of good sense prophesied that he would never live to see these valleys butto use their 16 own express expressions lons loas would be 11 daen by the way ile he seems remarkably well pleased with his reception and the kind treatment extended to him by his old acquaintances relatives and friends and especially by president young who baptised baptized sed him twenty eight years amo aso his meeting 0 with his dau daughter 0 ahter sister whitney eight grand children and twelve great grand children afe aff lords affords him much pleasure as well weil as is the prospect eeb of his spending 0 the remainder of his days in this probation be th tiey they J few or many in the society of the saints |
