A Letter from Brigham Young.
A Citizen of Canandaigua has recei-ved an auto graph letter from Brigham Young, which we find published in The Ontario Republican Times. This let-ter was written in reply to one address-ed to the "Prophet" by the gentleman spoken of Brigham was requested by his correspondent to settle a con troversy relating to his own antece-dents, which had sprung up between the latter and Alonzo Beebe of Canan-daigua. Brigham gives the following leaf from personal and family history:
GREAT SALT LAKE CITY, July 23, 1858.
TO—
I received your letter dated Canan-daigua, May 5, 1858.
I will give you a short sketch of my history. I was born in Whittingham, Windham County, Vt., June 1, 1801.
My father and family removed to Smyrna, Chenango County, N. Y., when I was about eighteen months old. We lived in the place until 1813. Shortly after the commencement of the late war with Great Britian, my father and his family removed to the town of Genoa, Cayuga County, N. Y., in which county I lived until 1829. I then moved to Mendon, Monroe Coun-ty, and in 1830 removed from thence to No. 9, Canandaigua, into a small house owned by Jonathon Mack, situa-ted on the west side of the road, oppo-site to where Mr. Mack then lived. I helped to finish his new house, so that he moved into it before I left the place.
I left Canandaigua in the first part, of 1832, and returned to Mendon. Ap-ril 14, same year, I was baptized in-to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
I did not live in any other house du-ring my residence in Canandaigua, than the one before mentioned. I never saw Sena Golf to my knowledge. I never held meetings in partnership with any person, nor ever preached or pretended to, while I lived in the town of Canandaigua, nor ever spoke in meeting, except in a prayer-meeting, in the house I lived in, when probably occupied from two to five minutes. There is a possibility of my having spoken in prayer-meeting at other times, but I have no recollection of it. If I had, I think I would have remem-bered it, for I found myself materially frightened when I found myself in the meeting I have mentioned. After I had joined the Church, I became some-what accustomed to public speaking. Once in passing through No. 9, I stop-ped and preached in the school-house north of Mr. Mack's.
I have thus far marked out my path with some particularity. Since then, the events of my life are before the world. I will, however, state, that after my return to Mendon I removed to Kirtland, Ohio, from thence to Far-west, Mo., from thence to Nauvoo Ill., and from thence to the mountains.
There are five brothers of us, in the following order: John, Joseph, Phineas H., myself and Lorenzo D. The two former never lived in No. 9. Phineas H. and Lorenzo D. did live there, but removed long before I came. The five of us, with my two living sisters (I have three dead), are here; and al-though some of them are past three score and ten years of age, yet by living in a judicious manner, and through the blessing of the Lord, we have good health, and are surrounded by an abundance of the comforts of life.
Your opponent in the controversy (Beebe) I have no recollection of whatever. He relies on his fancy for his argumetts, and his imagination for his facts.
Through the faith and prayers of the Saints, and the visible dealing of the Almighty, we are blessed with peace, and again delivered from the grasp of our enemies who have sought all the day long to trample in the dust and extinguish that sacred light which God, through his revelations to Joseph the prophet, has implanted in our breasts.
My heart yearns towards my friends of bygone years, and blessed, indeed, will be the day when they recieve the light of the new and everlasting cove-nant, when I can join hands with them and feel that my God is their God, and that where I worship there also will they offer up devotion to the Throne of Grace.
The war is ended, the troops are partly withdrawn, and we have re-turned to comfortable homes: our trees are loaded with fruit, we have the best country in the world for vegeta-bles; our crops are most abundant. Wheat is our staple grain. At many times we have harvested three crops from one sowing, by what we call vol-untary wheat springing up the second or third season.
Although I have been in this valley only eleven years, I have had peaches for seven years, and this year will have an abundance of apples for family use; we've apricots, almond trees, plumbs, cherries, and the finest grapes I have ever seen; they grow in bunches weighing from eight ounces to two pounds.
I have a fine family of boys and girls, a part of whom are married. I have fifteen living and two dead grand-children. Present my warmest regards to your father and his family. I really desire you to let me know where they are living, and how they are situated.
BRIGHAM YOUNG.
