Joseph Fielding — British Convert Witnesses Joseph Smith Arise in the Power of God During the Kirtland Crisis (1837)

Joseph Fielding, a British convert and the brother of Mary Fielding Smith (Hyrum Smith's wife), arrived in Kirtland, Ohio, in 1837 during one of the most turbulent periods of the Restoration — the Kirtland economic crisis and the widespread apostasy that accompanied it. His journal and letters provide a remarkable firsthand witness of Joseph Smith's prophetic power and the divine manifestations that attended the Prophet during this critical time.

Fielding had been converted in Canada by Parley P. Pratt and had traveled to Kirtland to be with the Saints and to meet the Prophet. He arrived at a time when many were falling away — when dissenters were challenging Joseph's leadership, when the Kirtland Safety Society had failed, and when apostasy was spreading like a plague through the Kirtland community.

Despite the surrounding turmoil, Joseph Fielding was a faithful observer of the Prophet. His sister, Mary Fielding, who was also in Kirtland, wrote letters describing Joseph Smith's spiritual power during this crisis. She recorded that when Joseph took the stand again after a period of illness and opposition, "he seemed to be filled with the spirit and power of God" and prophesied "with great energy that from that hour the Church should begin to rise."

Joseph Fielding witnessed the same manifestations. He saw Joseph Smith, in the midst of widespread criticism and apostasy, stand in the Kirtland Temple and address the Saints in the power of God. As Wilford Woodruff recorded in his journal (and Fielding confirmed through his own observations), Joseph arose "in the power of God in their midst, as Moses did anciently, and they were put to silence, for the complainers saw that he stood in the power of a Prophet."

Fielding's testimony is remarkable as a British convert's witness of Joseph Smith's prophetic power for several reasons:

— He was a relatively new convert from a different country and culture, yet he recognized the prophetic gift in Joseph Smith through the power of the Spirit. His testimony was not based on longtime friendship or family loyalty, but on the spiritual witness he received.

— He was present during one of the most challenging periods of the Restoration, when many who had been close to Joseph were falling away. In this context of crisis and apostasy, Fielding's faith in the Prophet was all the more remarkable.

— His family — including his sister Mary Fielding Smith, who married Hyrum Smith — became part of the inner circle of the Restoration. Their testimonies, given during a time of widespread dissent, are powerful witnesses that those who knew Joseph best, and who were most spiritually sensitive, recognized his prophetic calling even when others fell away.

— He witnessed Joseph Smith exercise the gift of prophecy and spiritual power in a public setting — standing in the Kirtland Temple and speaking by the power of God — confirming that the prophetic gift was not limited to private visions but was exercised publicly before the body of the Saints.

Joseph Fielding later served faithfully in the Church and remained a devoted witness of Joseph Smith's prophetic calling. His testimony stands as a powerful reminder that even in times of crisis and apostasy, those who were spiritually attuned recognized the hand of God in the ministry of the Prophet Joseph Smith.