William Draper was born 24 April 1807 to William Draper and Lydia Luthrop, in upper Canada. In June 1832 William heard the gospel of The Church of Jesus Christ preached by a missionary named Elder Miller and by others that were with him. Later he heard Brigham Young preach the same gospel and he knew it was true. William was baptized 20 March 1834. He took his wife and 2 children and left Canada for the sake of the gospel. William found a location where he could build a home and by hard work he provided a comfortable living for his family. They were quite poor as to worldly goods but William labored hard and prospered.
In 1835 William helped to build the Kirtland Temple and after he went on a mission back to Canada.
William attended the Theological school which was superintended by the Prophet Joseph Smith. There he was taught preparatory to the endowment for when the temple was finished.
On 6 April 1836, there was such an outpouring of the Spirit of the Lord that William was unable to express it. but he said "the Spirit was poured out and came like a mighty rushing wind and filled the house, that many who were present spoke in tongues and had visions and saw Angels and prophesied and had a general time of rejoicing such as had not been known in this generation."
In 1838, William was set apart to go to Illinois to take charge and preside in a branch of the Church that had been previously raised up.
After William was swindled out of his home and land, they left for Morgan County Illinois and traveled 120 miles until the weather was so bad they had to stay for a week.
William was close to the Prophets family. Joseph's father, the first patriarch gave William a blessing and then William and his family started out on their journey again. They traveled on uninhabited country roads and came to a place in Caldwell County Missouri which was about 4-5 miles from Far West. There was a small branch of the Church there so William bought a snug little home with a blacksmith shop and 7 acres. He had 1 yoke of oxen, 1 house and 2 cows. corn and pork were plentiful, corn being the main bread stuff, so William set to work at shoe making and made his family a comfortable living.
William was in the crowd when the Prophet Joseph and his brethren were carried off never to be seen again.
When William returned home he found the heads of his oxen lying in the road. All he had left was a cow and a horse to make a team to leave the State in the spring.
When Williams family left to travel West, they were with out incident until the latter part of March. They came to a small town called Attas on the border of the great Mississippi Bottom in Illinois.
In 1850, there was a new settlement started on what was then called South Willow Creek, about 20 miles south of Salt Lake. William was asked to come and settle there. William moved his large family and the settlement became large enough that it warranted a branch of the Church to be organized and William was called as the bishop.
Then later William moved his family to Spanish Fork and purchased 4 houses and lots with about 80 acres of land which 50 acres could be farmed. William grew enough grain for his family and had plenty to share with others.
In 1863, when the grasshoppers and crickets destroyed the crops one yea,r the following year, he had failed crops. Wood was hard to come by and he had 4 houses to keep going. The oldest boys had grown and married and left home which only left small children and only had the mothers to help him.
William moved his families to Moroni where he bought 15 acres of land and a share in a gist mill.
The following is a testimony by William;
"I William testify of the truth of the everlasting gospel as introduced by the Prophet Joseph Smith. and I also join the labor to call upon all men, Jew, gentile, bond and free, Priest and people to home and abroad; all who have not obeyed the gospel to listen and hear and believe and be baptized. Now I will come to a close on the day (Dec. 11, 1881) which makes me 74 years old and the husband of 5 wives and father of 51 children and grandfather to about 100 children and great grandfather to about 20 more. Now I leave my blessing upon them all and ask Heavenly Father to seal the blessing of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob upon their heads, and that they may be honorable members in His Church and Kingdom, even so, Lord let it be. Amen"
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