The following excerpts come from:
An
Uncommon Common Pioneer: The Journals of James Henry Martineau 1828-1918, ed. Donald G. Godfrey and Rebecca S.
Martineau-McCarty (Provo, Utah: BYU Religious Studies Center, 2008)
July
8, 1857:
Br. E. H. Groves gave S[usan] J. the
following blessing, which was reported by me, as scribe:--It was given Jan. 30,
1857 at Parowan, but accidentally omitted:--
Sister Susan, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth
and by virtue of the holy priesthood in me invested I place my hands upon thy
head and seal upon thee a patriarchal or father’s blessing, which shall rest upon
thee and thou shalt realize the fulfillment thereof. Thou art in the days of
thy youth, having been born and raised a natural member in the Church and
kingdom of God, and inasmuch as thou wilt be faithful in keeping all the
commandments of the Lord thy God, hearkening to the counsels of thy husbands,
thou shalt be a blessing and a help meet in very deed to him, a blessing unto
thy sister with whom thou art associated by virtue of the law of the holy
priesthood. Thy life shall be precious in the sight of thy Heavenly Father, thy
days shall be many upon the earth. Thy guardian angel shall be with
thee, and in his hands thou wilt be borne up and delivered from the temptation of
the Evil One. Thou art a daughter of Abraham, of the loins of Joseph and
blood of Ephraim through the descent of thy fathers, a legal heir to all the
blessings, privileges and powers which pertain to the holy priesthood according
to thy sex, which thou shalt receive in due time, that thou mayest be able to
stand in connexion with thy husband in the redemption of thy progenitors,
many of whom shall be made known to thee by the visits of heavenly messengers
who shall come unto thy habitation revealing the genealogy of thy fathers. (pp.
68-69)
October
17, 1859:
My son Moroni’s
blessing:--
Brother Moroni Helaman, we lay our
hands upon your head in the name of Jesus, and we seal the blessings of thy
father upon your head. Hearken to his counsel, and of the counsel of thy mother
and thou wilt live long upon the earth to do good—to build up Christ’s kingdom:
and thou wilt become like Moroni of old, a prophet, seer, and revelator. Like
him thou wilt defend the cause of Zion. Many will be edified and instructed by
thy counsel. The blessings of Abraham, Isaaz and Jacob will attend thee in thy
posterity. Thou wilt enjoy these blessings in flocks and herds. Thou will be
numbered with the Sons of Zion in avenging the blood of the prophets. Thou
wilt stand upon Mount Zion with the 144,000 having their robes washed
and made white in the blood of the Lamb. Thou wilt be honored in redeeming
the house of Jacob, for thou art of Joseph. Thou art entitled to all these
blessings by birthright. (p. 104)
August
6, 1865:
Nephi’s
Blessing:--
Nephi, beloved of the Father, I place
my hands on thy head and seal upon thee a Patriarchal blessing, which shall be
sealed in heaven: for thou shalt become a great and a mighty man, even like
Nephi of old. No weapon formed against thee shall prosper. Thou shalt have power
to raise the dead, and to do any miracle to forward this kingdom; and thou
shalt proclaim this Gospel to many nations, kindreds, tongues and peoples, and
thou shalt come upon Mt. Zion with the hundred and forty-four thousand in their
robes of righteousness, and converse with many of the Holy Prophets face to
face. You shall sit in Council with Joseph and Hyrum, and with your Redeemer.
And thou art of Joseph and a lawful heir to the fulness of the priesthood, and
with wives and great kingdom on the earth. Shall help to rear a temple in
Jackson county, and you shall help to pave the streets around the temple
in Jackson county with gold, and you shall hear the prophet Joseph talking unto
you about the New Jerusalem. (p. 138)
August
6, 1865:
George Albert’s blessing:--
George Albert, in the name of Jesus I
place my hands upon thy head and seal upon thee a father’s blessing, for thou
shalt become a great and mighty man in Zion, have power to do any miracle that
was ever done on the earth to forward this kingdom; a lawful heir to the Patriarchal
family, and shalt be a Patriarch on Mt. Zion. Thou art of Jacob, and a lawful
heir to the fulness of the priesthood, even to the patriarchal family of
Abraham, and a lawful heir to the fulness of priesthood with wives and a great
kingdom on the earth, and a Savior on Mount Zion, and to set in council with
the Ancient of Days, with all the holy patriarchs since the world began, with the
blessings of eternal lives through God and the Lamb for ever and ever. Amen.
(p. 138)
August
6, 1865:
Charles’
Blessing:--
Charles, in the name of Jesus I place
my hands upon thy head and seal upon thee a patriarchal blessing, for the
Father is well pleased with you, and thou shalt have great wisdom and knowledge
with the Father on the Earth. Thou shalt be like Nephi of old, and the hidden
treasures of the earth shall be unfolded to your mind, for no good thing shall
be withheld from thee. Thou art of Joseph and a lawful heir to the fulness of
the priesthood, and with wives and a kingdom on the Earth forever, and your
table shall be spread with the bounties of the earth. For I ordain you an
Elder, in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints that you may
comprehend many things of the Father, and sit in council with the Ancient of
Dyas, and receive the fulness of the priesthood by the hand of the Savior, and
be crowned with eternal lives. Amen. (p. 139)
June
2, 1881:
A Patriarchal
Blessing by J. H. Johnson on the head of Susan E. Martineau, J daughter of Joel
H. Johnson, born in Kirtland, Ohio, July 11. 1836. Given June 2. 1881.
Susan Johnson my daughter, I lay my
hands upon thy head to give thee a father’s or patriarchal blessing, and in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ I bless thee with all the blessings of thy
fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Thou art an Ephraimite in whom there is no
guile, therefore thou art entitled to all the blessings of the daughters of
Ephraim, and inasmuch as thou hast been and art shall be faithful thou
shalt live long upon the earth, and to share in the priesthood with thy
companion, power to drive in the Destroyer and from thy household. (p. 259)
June
2, 1881:
Thou [Jesse] shalt be clothed with
wisdom and knowledge and understanding, for the Holy Ghost shall visit thee at
times and cause thee to understand the things of God, and clothe thee with
wisdom to thy great astonishment. Thou shalt have power to bring thousands into
the Kingdom of God, and many of the great men of the earth shall come to thee
for wisdom counsel and for wisdom in the calamities that shall fall upon
the earth. Thou shalt have power to escape the power of the Destroyer, and to
cast Satan’s yoke upon his own neck, and be free from the power of sin and
death; and heavenly messengers shall visit thee and instruct thee in all thy
duties of life and shall touch thee even as Jesus Christ touched the three
Nephites, that thou mayest live long upon the earth and not taste death. No
enemy shall cross t path and prosper while thou art faithful to promulgate the
principles of righteousness, and build up the children of Zion. Thy wisdom
shall be great and known among all men. The power of the Holy Ghost shall
overshadow thee, and thou shalt become a mighty man of God, and I seal thee up
unto eternal lives, for thy offspring shall become great and mighty upon the
earth, and thou shalt come forth in the morning of the first resurrection,
clothed with glory, immortality and eternal lives. All these blessings I seal
upon thy head, inasmuch as thou art faithful to fulfill thy covenant upon the
earth, and hearken to the Words of Wisdom and eternal life, in the name of
Jesus, Even So. Amen. (pp. 259-60)
July
28, 1884:
SUSAN’S
BLESSINGS.
Sister Martineau, We lay our hands
upon your head and seal the anointing which has now been administered to you
and confirm it upon you, together with all your former confirmations and
blessings, and say they shall be sure unto you. The Lord loveth thee, and will
bless thee all you desire in righteousness, for no good thing or blessing shall
be withheld from thee. Thou shalt have great faith, and great power to heal the
sick. You shall be sent for far and near, and many shall bless thee and rejoice
because of thee, for you shall cause the dropping head to rise, and comfort
those who mourn, and shall be filled with wisdom, that your counsels shall be
full of life and salvation to those to whom you shall speak. You shall have visions
and dreams, and be a prophetess and seeress, and shalt be taught great and
mighty principles by heavenly messengers, and shall see and converse with the
Savior face to face. Sickness and disease and death shall flee from before you,
and you shall truly be a mother in Israel, and a comfort and help to your husband,
and a blessing to your family. (p. 299)
January
30, 1890:
Patriarchal Blessing
by B. JF. Johnson, upon Susan E. J. Martineau, given in Tempe, Arizona, Jan 30,
1890.
Sister Susan, in the name of the Lord
Jesus and by virtue of the patriarchal priesthood, I place my hands upon thy
head in blessings, that the Lord may speak through me to the joy and comfort of
thy heart, or to admonish and strengthen thee I the path that leadeth back into
His presence. Thou art one of the Beloved of the Lord; thou was valiant for the
truth, and before the earth was thou didst shout hosanna that it would be thy
privilege to come forth in this dispensation to assist in bringing forth and establishing
Zion preparatory to a reign of peace upon the earth. To this end the Father
blessed thee and sent thee as with a crown of glory upon thy head, that through
thee mighty men and women should live upon the earth to be prophets, seers and
mighty men, to lead forth in establishing righteousness and truth, to the
rebuke of iniquity and sin, whose arm shall be strong against oppression, and in
avenging innocent blood. (p. 364)
March
25, 1890:
Patriarchal Blessing
upon S. Elvira M. Johnson by B. H. Johnson, Tempe A . T. Jan. 30. 1890. Born 14
Aug. 1856
Elvira, my daughter, in the name of
Jesus, by virtue of the patriarchal priesthood, I place my hands upon thy head
in blessing, praying that the Lord may give me through the inspiration of His
Spirit, words of counsel, admonition and blessing, to be keys of knowledge and
principles of faith to govern thee all thy life. Thou art one of those born in
Zion in the new Covenant, entitled to all the blessings, dominion, increase and
exaltation, pertaining to the daughters of Abraham. Because of thy love for the
truth and the integrity of thy heart, Thou art one of the most loved of the Lord
Father. He sent thee to the earth with a crown of joy upon thy head that thou mightiest
become a medium of Salvation and restoration upon the earth. To this end He
gave His angels charge concerning thee, to hedge thee round about from evil, and
to open the pathway of they feet, to protect thy life to the fulfillment of the
mission for which thou hats come to the earth: for which purpose He hath given
thee a companion, and shalt multiply unto thee children until they shall be
around thee as thick clusters of grapes upon a fruitful vine, whom thou shalt
lead I the way of the Lord to honor Hom, and they shall honor and bless thee
all thy days, and carry thy name in honor throughout all generations of time.
Thou dost delight in the way of the
Lord, and because of thy love for the truth, the Lord shall make thee great. For
thou shalt stand as a counsellor among the honored of thy sex, and by thy
example thou shalt teach them to honor the law of Sarah. Thy husband shall love
and honor thee, and thy house shall be a house of joy and peace, and all who dwell
therein shall rise up to bless thee. The blessings of the earth shall be
multiplied unto thee, even in the fruits of flocks and herds, orchards and
gardens, and thou shalt dwell in costly habitations; and when the meek shall
flee to Zion, through the abundance that shall be around thee, thou shalt feed,
clothe and comfort the poor and the needy, and give habitations to the
homeless; and the blessings of the poor shall ever rest upon thee; and with thy
husband thou shalt do thy full part in all the works of righteousness pertaining
to the building up of Zion, gathering her children, rearing her holy temples,
and laboring therein, both for the living and the dead; for thou shalt see the
holy temple reared in Zion, shall strike hands with the Son of Man when He
shall descend to the earth, and shall minister therein when His glory shall fill
its courts. Thy days shall be many upon the earth, and thy power for usefulness
shall be great. For the spirit of blessing and consolation shall rest upon thee
and faith shall spring up in thy heart, to rebuke affliction, to command the Destroyer
that no power shall invade thy habitations to destroy thy peace or take away thy
loved ones. The angels shall camp around thee, if thou wilt be admonished to
call upon the name of the Lord thy God and to forget not to call upon His name.
--For thou art among the most savored of
the daughters of Abraham, and entitled to every privilege that belongs to the
wives, the mothers and the matrons of in Zion, to stand in thy place as
a counselor to admonish, to teach, and to cultivate the younger of thy sex; and
all who hear thy voice shall cleave unto thee and love thee; and all thy
kindred shall rejoice in thee because of the wisdom and spirit of consolation
and blessing which shall drop as pearls from thy lips. Associated with thy husband
thou shalt stand in thy place and officiate for thy sex in the great day of
Israel’s crowning under the hands of the children of Ephraim. And thy
inheritance shall be forever in Zion, which, with thy companion, thou salt
receive when the Ancient of Days does sit. All these blessings I seal upon thy
head, together with all thy former blessings, and I seal thee up unto eternal
lives, to come forth in the morning of the first resurrection, to inherit
thrones and dominions, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (pp. 366-67)
January
12, 1898:
To day received the following in
answer to the letter I sent to Prest Lorenzo Snow in November, and
which he had submitted for consideration to the First Presidency and the Twelve:
“Salt Lake City, Utah 24th
Dec. 1897
Elder James H. Martineau
Dear Brother. In replying to the
questions submitted by you in your letter of Nov. 28th 1897, it is
not necessary to repeat them here, as you will find them covered by a decision
made on Thursday, December 16th 1897, by the Council of the First
Presidency and the Twelve Apostles, which was as follows:
(1st) That the sealing
of a couple outside of a temple, as husband and wife for time and eternity by
one holding the requisite authority (The President of the Church, or any one
deputed by him) is as valid as when performed in the House of the Lord, even
when neither or both of the parties have not been previously endowed.
(2nd) That children after
such sealing are legal heirs, even if begotten before the sealing occurred, and
it is therefore unnecessary to seal them to their parents.
(3d) No measures are at
present afoot looking to the erection of a temple in Mexico.
Your Brother in the Gospel
Lorenzo Snow.”
This decision of
the General Church Authorities sets at rest a question which has for many years
been undecided in the church.
For example, Susan and I were sealed for time and eternity as husband and wife in
Parowan, Utah, in May 1852, by Apostle Geo. A. Smith and sealed again by Prest
B. Young in S. L. City in S. Cl City Endowment House, in 1860, in order to be
sealed “over the alter.” And Susan Sherman was sealed to me, first, in the President’s
office, S. C. City, in 1857 and again in the Endowment House by Prest
Young in 1860. So this question has now been settled authoritatively. (p. 466)
July
4, 1905:
To day I was preserved
from death by the direct aid of my Guardian Angel. I had to ascend a high mountain, very steep—too
steep for me to climb on foot, so I started to ride up. I came to a wide belt
of flat rocks, sloping downwards, and as I could see no way round it, attempted
to ride up over it, but after a little my horse began slipping, too scared and
lost his wits and fell with me repeatedly, I sticking to him as he fell and
rose again, doing my best to control him. Each time he fell, we tumbled farther
down the rocks, the horse plunging frantically. After his last fall I found
myself lying full length upon the rocks, at the horse’s back, and above him.
How I was laid there so carefully without his falling upon my leg, or my brains
not being dashed out, or any bones broken, and how my feet were loosed from the
stirrups I cannot even guess, only that my Guardian Angel did it all, during
all the plunging, falling, getting up, and falling again down the rocks. Had my
feet hung in the stirrups nothing could have saved me, and had I fallen under my
horse, as was seemingly unavoidable, I might have lain there, crushed, till
death.
I was somewhat to blame. For years,
when about to ride over or along a dangerous place, as many times I have had to
do, I always blessed my horse, that he might not stumble, fall, or cause me any
hurt, but this day, I never once thought of doing it, and paid penalty.
In my tumbles I got some bruises, and
a severe wrench over my middle caused not by falling but by struggles of the horse.
(p. 548)
