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BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA. 156 161 LATTER-DAY S4.INT apt In lIIustration by means of aner.dote and Incident. he Is always able to hold the attention of his ' hearers. whether In private con"ersatlon or In public speaking. What Is more Important. his .preachlng evinces great freedom of the Spirit. At times he speaks with much power and his words carry conviction to the hearts of thos'! who IIslen. Again. particularly wh.m speaking upon every-day duties. his remarks are replete with wise counsel and suggestion. accompanIed often wIth quaint humor.-Edwln F. Parry. wagon. and In the company of pioneer!! I beheld two men who had been boy friends of my youth. and each of them had more than one ·wlfe. In my vision at that time the divinity of plural marriage was revealed to me. I comprehended the doctrines and principles as they had been revealed. The progress and development of the Church were shown and the persecutions of 'the ~alnts were made clear to my understanding. and I heard a voice which told me that all I beheld was true. but I was .cautloned to keep to myself what I had seen until I should have the opportunity of leaving my native country. Upon reaching home I was pale. and It was some time before I could speak distinctly. That Incident · of my life made a very strong Impression upon my boyIsh mind. and one day. I ven· tured to ask my mother a question about. plural marrIage. why It was not practiced now as In the days of God'. ancIent people. She answered In surprIse by askIng ".. hat I knew about l\1"~RRII,I,. l\larrlller "·oocl.1I. member of the Council of TwelVE! Apostles since 188!), Is the son pf Nathan Merrill and Sarah Ann Reynolds. and wall born Sept, 25. 1832. In Sackvllle. Westmoreland county. New BrunswIck. HIs father never came to the west. but de·... oted hIs life to farming and the cuttlnlr and hauling of timber In his native land. Apostle Merrill was one of a family of thIrteen children. and Is hImself the fourth son. In early youth hIs life was not unlike that of the Carmer of those regIons of countr)' In which he lI ... ed. but the spiritual Influences of his life began early to manltest themselves and became prophE'tic of what his later years would be. At the age of nine years he received In an open "Islon a pIcture of his own future life and that of the people wIth whom he subsequently became Identified. In simple. earnest and convlncIng'words that vision was related to the writer as follows: "'Vhen I was a boy of nine years my mother sent me to the hay-field where my father and brothers were at work. to call them to dinner. On the way I became unconsclou~ and wa!; clothed with a vIsIon ' whlch I distinctly remembered when I gained my usual feelings and thoughts. Aftet· I became conscious I found myself In ' a log cabin located on the way to the field. In ~hls cabin I was on my knees In the attitude of prayer. In the vIsion I saw the Church and the Prophets Joseph and Brigham. I Raw the travel~ .of the latter and of the Saints from Nauvoo and Winter Quarters to Utah. In the ylslon the sight of covered buggles anel wagons was peculiar to me. for at that time I had never seen Ruch vehicles, nor had I ever seen the mulp'i which I beheld In my "ll<lon. I I<UW two and Rometlmes six mules to Ii such things . FearIng that I D1":h~ betray that secret revealed. I mad!' n<> more mention of the matter." Th~ gospel was first preached to AJloslI· Merrill by a native Elder. Later. E!· ders John Skerry and Jesse 'V. Cro~· by came Into the neighborhood oC h ' ~ home. In April, 1852. at the age p! nineteen yenrR, he was baptized t·;: Elder Skerry. and on the 5th of i:'fl" tember of the same year was ordaln~J a Priest by Elder Cl"Osby. About 3 y€'ar before this hf> ha.1 learn€'!l that his mother had been for a long tlrnf J member oC the Church, she hll.\'lnl: brf~ baptized as early us 1836. HIs Clithtr never joined th€' Churdl. One of hi. sIsters joined the Church but subsequently married a non-Mormon and 800n turned away from the faith. The other members of the .f amlly. though not willIng to embrace the gospel. never manifested any hostlie opposltion to It. Feeling: that there was work to accomplish which could not be done In New Brunswick. the spirit of gathering having taken possession of Bro. Merrill. he started about a year after his baptism for the west. . He had gone no farther than Boston when his father clled. and word came from his mother to return and settle the estate. After alralrs had been settled at home. In 1853 he started out again and came dlrect to Boston. From there he went to Buffalo by rail and traveled on tht! From ChIcago he lakes to ChIcago. rode on the flrst railroad from ChIcago to the head of the Illinois rIver. At the latter point he took a boat for St. Louis. whIch was then headquarters for ~upplles. and then came to Keokuk by Itumboat. As he journeyed westward he stopped a week at Kanesvllle. but met no SaInts there. The company .. ith which he traveled crossed the river on ferryboats and pursued their ..8yon to Salt Lake City, There were eleven wagons In the company. Jesse \\" Crosby was captain. and was asslsttd by William Atkinson. The compaDY arrived In Salt Lake City Sept. 11. 1853. The most Important event on tbls journey associated with the life of Apostle Merrill occurred at Platte "'·er. "'here he. with one other boy. decl1ed to cross the river and get some rattle which had been left by other tioneers. They plunged Into the river. tout he soon became exhausted. as the (urrE'nt was strong. Brother Merrill .. as unable to keep his head out of ..·.ter. and while floating down stream "'fnt under twice: whereupon the COntran)' becnme alarmed. and a Brother I:~~e was sent to his assistance. As t~ ~tarted to sink a third time he landd mysteriously on a sandbar. and was a:m'lst exhausted. The circumstance "'35 peculiar. becauRe the Brother ?,,~~e who had flought hi!! rescue was ';::able to find the bar upon which !1~()ther Merrill stood. The two now ~. l<!e their way to the' opposite shore. .. !:~re It was shallow enough to walk ';~ ~tr€'am until they reached a place "!:-re the current moved from one Ride ~~ the other. Here they tied a com- forter to theIr waists. plunged again Into the water.ln which they lI'ere born? safely across the river by the favorable current. Thev were both thankful to get back alive. and the cattle. whIch they found disabled. were left undlsturbed. Brother Merrill's first eftort on reaching the Valley was to secure work. His early e!'forts were a Murcc of trial. as his employers lIometimes proved to be unreliable. In Salt Lakeo City he agreed to work for 120 per month. After three weeks. some trouble arose and he was about to leave his employer. when the latter o!'fered him 128 per month. He thereupon alfreed to remain and work In the canyon getling out shingle timber. where he made as many as one thoulland IIhlngles In a day. He was then promIsed hI!! board and a certaIn percentRge of th" shIngles sold. but his employer did the seiling and kept the money. After some controversy. however, payment was secured. and the experIence no doubt did much to Induce the habit whIch has subsequently become promlnent Ih the life of Brother Merrill, II. habIt of workIng on his own account. In November. 1853. Brother Merrill Wall married to Sarah A. AtkInson. and hnmediately went to a place In Blngllllllt canyon. seven miles above Its mouth. where he passed the wInter In making shingle!!. The new v~nture became a prOfitable one. The shingles then soht at $8 per thousand. and he was able to Plake five hundred a day. After IItayIng In the canyon six weeks he ventured on a perilous journey home to l'Iee his wife. The Rnow was seven fert deep. and having no food with him when he begn.n the journey. he wn, overborne by fatigue Rnd wenknE'Rs. nnll almost fainted b€'fore he reach ell a cabin where a womnn ga,'e him II. ""111.11 piece of brend to "nth.fy hili ('rnvln~ . This \\'011 only II. tallt!' for II. "tnrvhlK mnn, but In a fE'w huur!! morr. fllo.1 was ~I\'en, and little by IItth! hr. o,'ercame the exhoustl'd condition 10 which his physical l'Iystem wall brought. After his long walk nn.1 !lufT('rlngs h .. \\"n" dl!'appolntell In not finding hi!!. wlf" nt home, as she hall gone oft to work. I'In that he was obliged to return without" ~eelng hE'r. During Apostl" Mprrlll'" liCe In Salt Lake City he ('ngaged In work In North Mill CrE'l'k cnnyrm. an,l gives the fol\owlng remarknltle ('xl' .. rl· E'nce In an article printed In thr ".11I ·