Wilford Woodruff's Vision of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence (1877)

Following the dedication of the St. George Temple in 1877, President Wilford Woodruff received a remarkable vision. He recorded, "a class of men came to me in the night visions, and argued with me to have the work done for them. They were the Signers of the Declaration of Independence." The signers, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and others, appeared to Woodruff requesting that their temple ordinances be performed by proxy. In response, Woodruff undertook the vicarious baptism, confirmation, and ordination work for these Founding Fathers and other eminent Americans. This vision, recalled by Woodruff during the 1893 Salt Lake Temple dedication, became one of the best-known manifestations of the Restoration, demonstrating the continuity of the Lord's work for the living and the dead.