The Brigham Young Center

President's Office,
Gt. Salt Lake city,
August 18th, 1866.

To Edwin Bryant, Edmund Marchant, Thomas Gibbons and Eighteen Others, formerly of Rockport but now of Wanship, Summit Co.

Dear Brethren:

Your petition, desiring the privilege of returning to Rockport and setting forth the inconveniences of your living at Wanship, has been perused.

I do not wish to give you any counsel upon this subject, nor to assume any responsibility connected with it. You can do as you please. I have given so much counsel to the brethren respecting their locations and the proper methods for them to adopt to secure themselves, their families and stock, and have had it disobeyed, that I do not feel encouraged to counsel and take the responsibility of their scattering.

I presume there are enough of you to be safe at Rockport, if you only had a good fort there, and would only take proper precautions to preserve your families and not leave the Fort with nobody to defend or care for it but women and children.

With love I remain
Your Brother,

Brigham Young