William Pilkington writes letter about Martin Harris
Handwritten and signed letter, dated 28 Feb. 1930, and addressed to Vern C. Poulter, an LDS missionary in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Pilkington relates meeting Martin Harris in Smithfield and recalls Harris' testimony of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon.
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Smithfield, February 28, 1930
My Dear Brother Poulter:
I received your kind and welcome letter all right, and was more than pleased to hear from you. It always gives me great joy to have the privilege of talking of my acquaintance with Martin Harris, one of the Three Witnesses to the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. I have spoken in a number of wards in Cache Valley lately, in part it is as follows:
This is to certify that I, William Pilkington, was born in Bolton, Lancashire, England on the 13th day of November 1860, and immigrated to Smithfield, Utah with my parents in the latter part of September 1874, when 13 years of age. I was soon hired out to work for a man named Martin Harris, Jr., who was living in Smithfield, Utah. I soon found out that Martin Harris, Sr., one of the Three Witnesses of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon, was living in the same house with his wife and family. Thus, it became my good fortune to behold and have the privilege of conversing with this man who had been favored of God, to the extent of being privileged to be chosen as one of the three men that stood in the presence of an angel of God, who held in his hands the golden plates that Joseph Smith received from the angel Moroni, which contained the contents of what is now called the Book of Mormon of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
I took great pleasure in listening to him relate the part he took in the early rise of the Church, how he stood in the presence of the angel of the Lord, and after the angel ascended into heaven, he saw the heavens open and heard the voice of God declare that everything was correct that the angel had told them, and that the Book of Mormon was translated correctly.
I lived with him nearly one year prior to his death, which took place in Clarkston, Cache County, Utah on the 10th day of July, 1875, at 92 years of age.
I testify to the world that I held up his right arm while he bore his dying testimony that he with the Prophet Joseph Smith did stand in the presence of an angel of God, while he held the gold plates in his hands and turned the leaves over one by one, and that he saw the engravings on the plates. He also saw the Urim and Thummim, the breast plate and the sword of Laban. And after the angel ascended into heaven, the heavens were opened and he heard the voice of God declare that all that the angel had told him was verily true and that the Book of Mormon which contains the everlasting gospel was translated correctly. While I held his right arm up, he also bore his testimony to the whole world and I thought he could see the whole world. He died the next day, the 10th day of July, 1875.
I wish I was with you to talk to the people face to face, as I can only give you a little in this letter of what he told me pertaining to the early rise of the Church as I talked to him hundreds of times and he would always tell me that he wanted me to tell the people what he had told me after he was dead. He would raise his right hand up and tell me he was telling me the truth.
I have a powerful testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. If I had a voice strong enough and could stand on a hill high enough, I would like to bear my testimony to the whole world, because I know by the spirit of God that that man told me the truth. I went to his funeral and helped to fill in the grave.
I think I know more about Martin Harris than any living person, as I am the only one of the old stock that is alive today. I had the privilege of preaching the funeral sermon over the last of the old Harris stock about six weeks ago. This was the last Harris that knew anything about Grandpa Harris, and the older I get the more the spirit whispers to my spirit and prompts me to tell the people what that man of God told me.
Brother Poulter, you are at liberty to use this letter anywhere you want to, any place, to get it before the people, and if anyone wishes any more information, I will only be too pleased to give it to them.
I received a nice letter from a lady missionary who is laboring in the state of New York, asking for the same information that I am sending to you. I accordingly wrote her a nice letter, which I am satisfied she will appreciate and perchance be a help to her.
Now Brother Poulter, I will stop my rambling remarks by asking the Lord to bless you and all that are laboring for the spreading of truth and righteousness, and hope that you will be rewarded by bringing in many honest-hearted people to the fold of Christ.
Your brother in the gospel of Christ, William Pilkington, Smithfield, Utah.
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