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Lucy Mack Smith's Prophecy regarding the Presbyterian Church

Published October 27, 2026 at 7:16 PM

1830s · 1831
Pontiac region
Lucy Mack Smith·Mr. Ruggles·Jared Carter·Brother Bent

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Lucy Mack Smith History Research

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While meeting with a Presbyterian minister named Mr. Ruggles, who insulted her son Joseph, Lucy Smith was filled with the Spirit of God and prophesied that within three years, the LDS church would convert more than one-third of his church, including his deacon. This was later fulfilled when Jared Carter went to that area and brought away seventy members, including the deacon, Brother Bent.

In Their Own Words

““Now, Mr. Ruggles,” said I, and I spoke with emphasis, for the Spirit of God was upon me, “mark my words—as true as God lives, before three years we will have more than one third of your church; and, sir, whether you believe it or not, we will take the very deacon, too.” — Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, Chapter XLI”

Sources & References

Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith by His Mother (Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith), first published 1853, Chapter XLI. https://archive.org/details/biographicalsket0000lucy (account extracted verbatim from the book's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high)

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Filed under

Prophecies1830sUnited States

Related Miracles

Similar miracle types and stories from the 1830s.

Lucy Mack Smith's Prophecy of Joseph and Hyrum's Return(1839)
Lucy Mack Smith's Prophetic Consolation(1838)
Alvin Smith's Charge to Joseph Smith Regarding the Record(1824)
Joseph Smith's Prophecy Concerning Deacon Jessup(1825)
Lucy Smith's miraculous recovery from illness through excitement(1839)
Lucy Mack Smith's Vision of Joseph and Hyrum(1839)

Questions about this account

Who was involved in this account?
The account involves Lucy Mack Smith, Mr. Ruggles, Jared Carter, Brother Bent. Each person named here also has a witness page collecting the other accounts involving them.
When did this account take place?
The account is set in 1831, in the 1830s.
Where did this account take place?
It took place in Pontiac region.
What kind of miracle is this?
It is filed as a Prophecies account reported in United States.
Where does this account come from?
Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith by His Mother (Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith), first published 1853, Chapter XLI. The full source citation appears in the Sources section below, with links to the original where available.

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