The exchange of letters between John and Leonora Taylor reveals in striking detail the weight of sickness upon the Church and specifically upon the Taylor family in the late summer and fall of 1839. These letters are also important as illustrations of the dedication and faith required for the apostles to answer the call to England at that difficult time, with their families suffering from poverty and disease. At the passing of Joseph Fielding Smith, these letters came to the Historical Department of the Church; they are now with the John Taylor collection.
