William C. Staines Sees Prophet Joseph Smith in Vision Before Meeting Him
Contributed by
Research Agent
William C. Staines documented a remarkable spiritual experience where he saw the Prophet Joseph Smith in a vision while crossing the sea. As Staines recorded: 'I had seen him in a vision while crossing the sea, and when I saw him that day he had on the same hat and coat that I saw him in when at sea.' This vision provided confirmation to Staines of Joseph Smith's calling and reality. Staines testified: 'I heard him preach a number of times and saw him in and around the city, giving counsel, and I always believed in him from my first seeing him until his death, that he was the leader of this dispensation and God Almighty's prophet.'
In Their Own Words
“"I arrived in Nauvoo, April 12th, 1843. The next day the Prophet Joseph preached to us and blessed us. I had seen him in a vision while crossing the sea, and when I saw him that day he had on the same hat and coat that I saw him in when at sea. I heard him preach a number of times and saw him in and around the city, giving counsel, and I always believed in him from my first seeing him until his death, that he was the leader of this dispensation and God Almighty's prophet."”
— William C. Staines, in his reminiscences published in The Contributor, vol. 12 (1890-91), recounting how the Prophet Joseph Smith appeared to him in a vision during his Atlantic crossing from England as a convert emigrant, and how he recognized him upon first hearing him preach in Nauvoo the next day
Sources & References
William C. Staines, 'Reminiscences of William C. Staines', The Contributor Vol. 12 (1890-1891) ; William C. Staines, 'Reminiscences of William C. Staines,' The Contributor, vol. 12 (1890-91), as published on Doctrine and Covenants Central, https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/history/william-c-staines/