Jonathan Crosby spared from spotted fever at age nine

In the winter of 1816, nine-year-old Jonathan Crosby was attacked with the prevailing spotted fever that was making many children of his age deaf and dumb. The attending doctor had two boys near Jonathan's age who were deprived of their hearing and speech by the disease; the doctor himself later contracted the illness and died. Jonathan was taken with his parents to the doctor's funeral. Through what his accounts describe as the blessing of God and the vigilance and care of his mother, Jonathan was spared the most severe effects of the disease—he did not lose his hearing or speech. This preservation enabled him to live and later serve as a missionary and preacher in the restored gospel.