Zina Diantha Huntington: The Gift of Tongues Came Upon Her at Baptism — And She Never Silenced It Again

Zina Diantha Huntington (January 31, 1821 – August 28, 1901) was born in Watertown, New York, into a family descended from Puritan Simon Huntington and the statesman Samuel Huntington, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Her father was a veteran of the War of 1812.

On the morning her brother was to be baptized in 1835, 14-year-old Zina had a vision of a man baptizing someone — which she took as a sign to join him. She was baptized by Hyrum Smith on August 1, 1835. Immediately following, she was confirmed by Hyrum Smith and David Whitmer.

At the moment of her confirmation, the gift of tongues came upon Zina suddenly and powerfully. She later wrote that she was so alarmed by the strangeness of the sensation that she did not speak — she silenced the gift. She immediately felt that she had grievously offended the Spirit. After earnest prayer and deep remorse, she made a solemn vow: she would never again silence the gift of tongues, no matter the circumstances.

She kept this vow for the rest of her life. For decades, she spoke in tongues and gave interpretation of tongues in Relief Society meetings, in private ministrations to the sick, in temple settings, and among the Saints in Nauvoo, on the plains, and in Utah. The gift gave comfort, healing, and guidance to countless people she served.

Zina is described by Wikipedia as 'among the most well-documented healers in LDS Church history (male or female), at one point performing hundreds of washing, anointing, and sealing healing rituals every year.'

Her obituary in the *Woman's Exponent* described her as 'Zina the Comforter' — a title she had earned through decades of inspired ministry. Emmeline B. Wells wrote of her: 'In the sickroom she was a ministering angel... she was a natural nurse and she invariably inspired confidence... Numberless instances might be cited of her ministrations among the sick, when she seemed to be inspired by some higher power than her own.'