- Historic Buildings -

Wilford & Phebe Woodruff Home

LOCATION: Hotchkiss Street & Hwy 96

Wilford and Phebe Woodruff met in Kirtland, Ohio, after both had joined the Church. Wilford (1807-1898) was ordained an apostle in 1839.  Being as well-versed in shorthand, he recorded many of Joseph Smith’s teachings and kept detailed notes of his own experiences as a missionary, apostle, and Church president. Phebe Carter Woodruff (1807-1885) was known as a wise woman with a deep knowledge of the scriptures. Twice serving with Wilford when he was a mission president, she was often called on to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

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360° Walk-Through

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Image Gallery

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Woodruff Home
Wilford and Phebe Woodruff began building this home in 1843 but only lived in it for five months in 1844 before sailing to England for Wilford to preside over the Church’s British Mission. They rented the home to relatives in exchange for labor and funds to finish it, but work still remained when they returned from England in April 1846. Within a month, they sold the home for $675 and headed west to join the Saints. The home passed through several owners before being restored in 1969.
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Parlor
Wilford’s and Phebe’s portraits above the mantels were painted in 1866 when they lived in Utah. Their time together in Nauvoo was limited because Wilford served five missions of varying lengths between 1839-46. It was a sacrifice both were willing to make as part of their faith in Jesus Christ. During Wilford’s absences, letter-writing was their only form of communication, which Phebe called “a great blessing and consolation.”
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Parlor
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Kitchen
Wilford worked hard to build a comfortable kitchen for Phebe, who had to shoulder many burdens when he was away. In 1840, for instance, Phebe gave birth to a son (Wilford, Jr.) but also endured the death of their two-year-old daughter, Sarah, without her husband by her side. Phebe wrote of the severe trial in a letter to Wilford, but assured him “…the Lord has stood by me in a wonderfully manner.”
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Kitchen
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Dining Room
Like the kitchen, this dining room is furnished with period artifacts to demonstrate life in the 1840s. Wilford did much of the construction work himself or with others, having developed both farming and building skills as a youth in Connecticut.
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Master Bedroom
The tulip-patterned quilt on this bed belonged to Phebe, but the other artifacts in the room are not original to the family.
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Children's Bedroom
Wilford and Phebe Woodruff had nine children together, but only four lived to adulthood. Three children lived in this home in 1844, all under the age of five. They were Wilford, Jr., Phebe Amelia, and Susan Cornelia.
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Third Bedroom
During the Woodruff’s mission to England in 1844, the two older children stayed behind with relatives and friends, but they were well-cared for. They were happy to meet a new baby brother, Joseph, when their parents returned in 1846. Sadly, Joseph died in Winter Quarters before the family reached the Salt Lake Valley.
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