Fulfillment of the Prophecy
The “treasures” mentioned at the end of the revelation were
interpreted to mean potential converts, and missionaries thereafter regularly
visited Salem. Among these were Erastus Snow and Benjamin Winchester, who were
called to serve a mission to Salem in 1841, specifically for the purpose of
fulfilling the revelation in D&C 111. Snow and Winchester arrived in
September of 1841. They preached at public meetings, published a pamphlet
addressed to the citizens of Salem, and challenged the notorious Mormon apostate,
John C. Bennett to debate. Their efforts bore fruit. By March 1842 they had
organized the Salem Branch with 53 members. And by the end of that summer, the
branch had 90 members. The growth of the Church was noticed and commented on by
two of Salem’s newspapers, the Salem Gazette on Dec. 7, 1841, and the Salem
Register on June 2, 1842.
Among these converts were Nathaniel H. Felt and Eliza Ann Preston. In
late 1842 they joined the Church. Beginning in late 1843 Felt served as
president of the Salem Branch. In 1845 he moved to Nauvoo and donated carpets
and furniture to be used as furnishings in the Nauvoo Temple. Thus was
fulfilled the promise of earthly treasures also coming from Salem. While in
Nauvoo, Felt was the tailor for Brigham Young, John Taylor and many other
Mormon leaders. (Randal S. Chase, Making Precious Things Plain: Church History
Study Guide, Pt 2, 1831 to 1847 [3d ed.; Washington, Utah: Plain and
Precious Publishing, 2021], 176-77)
The success of the Elders did not go unnoticed in the Salem press. Two
brief examples will illustrate. On 7 December 1841 the Salem Gazette
reported: “A very worthy and respectable laboring man, and his wife, were
baptized by immersion in the Mormon faith.”’ The Salem Register for 2
June 1842 reported: “Mormonism is advancing with a perfect rush in this city.”
Clearly the Latter-day Saint Elders had found this part of the treasure. (Donald
Q. Cannon, “Joseph Smith in Salem, (D&C 111),” in Studies in Scripture:
The Doctrine and Covenants, ed. Robert L. Millet and Kent P. Jackson [Sandy,
Utah: Randall Book Co., 1984], 436)
Further
Reading:
Resources
on Joseph Smith’s Prophecies
