LDS Witness
Power of Prayer

Joseph and Hyrum Smith Deliverance from Cholera

Published October 27, 2026 at 7:31 PM

1830s · 1834
Missouri
Joseph Smith·Hyrum Smith

Contributed by

Lucy Mack Smith History Research

Share:XFacebookEmail
Joseph and Hyrum Smith Deliverance from Cholera — a documented power of prayer account from the 1830s in Missouri
Joseph Smith, Jr. (1843 photograph) via Wikimedia Commons

While in Missouri, Joseph and Hyrum Smith were afflicted with cholera. They prayed multiple times for deliverance, initially feeling as though the heavens were sealed. During their third attempt at prayer, they persisted until they received a testimony of healing. Hyrum received a vision confirming their survival, seeing their mother (Lucy Mack Smith) praying under an apple tree for their lives, and was assured that their prayers combined would be answered.

In Their Own Words

“They stated further, that after praying some time the cramp began to release its hold; and, in a short time Hyrum sprang to his feet and exclaimed, “Joseph, we shall return to our families. I have had an open vision, in which I saw mother kneeling under an apple-tree; and she is even now asking God, in tears, to spare our lives, that she may again behold us in the flesh. The Spirit testifies, that her prayers, united with ours, will be answered.” — Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, Chapter XLII”

Sources & References

Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith by His Mother (Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith), first published 1853, Chapter XLII. https://archive.org/details/biographicalsket0000lucy (account extracted verbatim from the book's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Image: Joseph Smith, Jr. (1843 photograph) — via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joseph_Smith,_Jr._(1843_photograph)

Every published account is vetted against its sources — read our editorial standards.

Filed under

Power of Prayer1830sUnited States

Related Miracles

More accounts involving Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, plus similar miracle types and stories from the 1830s.

Joseph Smith, Hyrum SmithCasting Out Deceptive Spirits in Kirtland(1831)
Healing of Feramorz L. Young on the Plains(1880s)
The Sealing of the Testimony(1844)
Joseph Smith — Prophecy of the Martyrdom ("Lamb to the Slaughter")(1844)
Esquire Browning's defense of Joseph Smith(1841)
Lucy Mack Smith's miraculous recovery from illness through prayer(1838)

Questions about this account

Who was involved in this account?
The account involves Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith. 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 1834, in the 1830s.
Where did this account take place?
It took place in Missouri.
What kind of miracle is this?
It is filed as a Power of Prayer 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 XLII. The full source citation appears in the Sources section below, with links to the original where available.

Miracle of the Week

One remarkable, documented account in your inbox every Monday, drawn from the full archive.