Friday, August 9, 2024

Some Excerpts from Oliver B. Huntington, History of the Life of Oliver B. Huntington (1900)

  

In the summer of 1878 sister Singleton sent for me to come and administer to her as she thought she was dying—her life, she said, was going out of her, so peculiar and excessive was her suffering.

 

Her son Hubert Peter Boice as mouth as administered to her. She was no better when we were done; and we administered again. I was mouth; I wanted all three of us to lift the left hand and the two to repeat sentences after me, and in this way we prayed with our right hand on her head. Before we were done praying she ceased to groan being healed by the power of God, through faith in his son Jesus Christ.

 

She praised God most wonderfully for her miraculous delivery from death

 

I often had faith given me to the healing of the sick, but in no case was the power of God so wonderfully and suddenly made manifest as in that of Sister Singleton.

 

Brother Dimick had the third pareletic stroke I think in 1878—In December 1878 William and I were sent for to come to Salt Lake and see Dimick die. We went. I stayed about one week. . . . He eventually died on the first of February 1878. . . . He had written his own funeral ceremonies about five years previous at the time Pres. Young wrote his own—which was followed in detail. So also was Dimick’s. First his coffin was of Mountain pine. Procession formed with the martial band before the corps, the Indians behind. Then the family, relatives and then a half mile of carriages. Marital band played on the way to the grave such tunes as he had described in his program; also at the grave. He requested all to wear no badges of mourning, nor weep, which however his family did not observe. (Oliver B. Huntington, History of the Life of Oliver B. Huntington Written by Himself, 1878-1900 [N.P.: Oliver B. Huntington, 1900], 1)

 

 

 

. . . Brother James Bird was the person that Jospeh Smith told of the “Three Nephites” at Far West. As to Bro Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery’s ordination to the Melchizedek Priesthood; I heard him myself, at Nauvoo some three days before he went to Carthage for the last time. The first circumstance referred to in the card or letter related to Bro. Everett by Heber C. Kimball was as follows:

 

While “the camp of Zion” was on the way to Missouri in 1834 Joseph was some ways ahead o the company one day, when there was seen talking with him by the roadside a man, a stranger. When the company came up there was no person with him. When at camp that night, Heber asked the Prophet who that man was; Joseph replied it was the beloved Disciple, John, who was then on his way to the ten tribes in the North

 

I have heard Joseph say that “John was among the ten tribes beyond the north pole.

 

The matter relating to the Three Nephites was this.

 

The morning that the Army of Governor Boggs exterminating order, attempted to come into Far West; Joseph the Prophet stood with the brethren behind the breast works so hastily thrown up in the night, and remarked as they were sweeping and swarming towards the beloved city; that if they came beyond a certain place, we would open fire upon them.

 

The army came on, near the spot designated and on a sudden, they all turned and ran pel mell back to their camp, in great fright, declaring they saw too many thousands of soldiers to think of attacking the city.

 

Joseph told Brother James Bird, “that he saw between them and the mob one of the Three Nephites, with a drawn sword, before he made the remark about opening fire upon them, and when the mob had returned he saw the Three Nephites near the same place armed for battle.”

 

The hosts of the 3 had with them, were undoubtedly exposed, by the power of God, toe view of the mob, being the hosts of soldiers they saw and fled from. (Oliver B. Huntington, History of the Life of Oliver B. Huntington Written by Himself, 1878-1900 [N.P.: Oliver B. Huntington, 1900], 5-6)

 

Feb. 16, 1895: I am willing to state that the names of the 3 Nephites who do not sleep in the earth are Jeremiah, Zedekiah, and Kumenonhi. (Ibid., 43)

 

 

About two weeks after the October 1894 conference John Smith, Patriarch, came to my house on twofold errand; first, to fill a promise for a blessing meeting among the saints.

 

Second, to get me to help him stop smoking tobacco. He accomplished both objects. He held meeting 2 days here in Springville, then a day in Provo, a day at Battle Creek and I was with him all the time.

 

In December I received a letter from him in which he said that he “left his tobacco on my mantle tree and had not tasted it since.” Thank the Lord in my heart. (Oliver B. Huntington, History of the Life of Oliver B. Huntington Written by Himself, 1878-1900 [N.P.: Oliver B. Huntington, 1900], 42-43)

 

 


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