Building The Approaches And Foundation

25

Several years earlier the conversion had taken place during the visit of two Mormon elders, probably at the home of John Peter Picketts, Wilmot

Valley.

The Mormon elders who came to Prince Edward Island in 1844 were Brother Joseph Russel and Brother Wilford Woodruff. The following ex-

tract from the diary of Brother Woodruff tells of their visit to this area:

so we left Shediac at 4 o’clock with a good breeze blow all night, nearly all on board were sick. Br. Russel and myself staid on deck all night in the wind, the capt slept part of the time finally lost his way in the night, anchor lay until day light then found where he was and row into the harbour of Bedeque at surrise.

3lst.. We hired a man to carry us in a wagon 4 miles to Br. Maxfield. We were quite weary when we arrived, took some breakfast ther. went to stream nearby and caught about a dozen salt water trout. In the afternoon I met with the saints at Br. John Peier Pickets. I found 22 members and 4 priests in the Bedeque Branch rather in a cold state as a body. I preach- ed to them the gospel and spoke of the signs of the times. I returned back with Br. Russel and we spent the night with Br. Wm. Maxfield. There is also 4 saints in Charlottetown.

Aug. lst.. A rainy day. we spent the day at Br. Maxfields. I found Prince Edward Island a beautiful farming country to appearance for withall its grand appearance, they are nearly in a state of starvation. The crops have failed for two years past and the merchants are taking all the money out of the country all the colonies seem to be in a deplorable state. Hundreds of miles of country has been burned over this year with fire sweeping many millions of acres of forest, farms, dwellings, mills. lumber, lumber yards, and in some instances the inhabitants have had to flee into the sea or on the beach to escape the flames, every branch of business seems to be dead, people are fleeing to the states every possible way...

Aug. 2nd... gave Brothers Maxfield their license in the evening. Brothers Maxfield both went with us to the wharf to take the packet back to Shediac. At 10 o’clock we parted with them.

The visit of the Elders bore fruit and the Maxfields started making plans to go to Salt Lake City.