A Deaf Young New Yorker Dreams of Baptism and an Angel Leads Him to Orson Hyde (1846)
Published October 4, 2026 at 6:09 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
A young deaf and dumb man records that he had a dream about being baptized, and subsequently, an angel led him out to receive the ordinance. He was baptized by Elder Orson Hyde on December 5, 1846.
In Their Own Words
“I thank God I was dreaming about being baptized, and an angel led me out. I was very happy to see the elders of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was baptized by Elder Orson Hyde, on the 5th of December, 1846. I am very glad to be a member of the church. I have been deaf and dumb from my birth, but I can read and write. I have been very wicked, but I hope to be good now. I want to go to the valley of the Great Salt Lake, and live with the saints of God. I pray that the Lord will bless me, and keep me from all evil, and help me to be a good boy, and a faithful member of the church. I am very thankful to the elders for their kindness to me. I hope to see my friends in the valley of the Great Salt Lake, and live with them in peace and happiness.”
— John Sherratt, 'Reflections of a Deaf and Dumb Young Man'
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 19 December 1846 (Vol. 8, No. 11). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1846-12-19_8_11 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Full first-person account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 8, No. 12 (December 19, 1846), p. 192 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1846-12-19_8_11
Filed under
Related Miracles
More accounts involving Orson Hyde, plus similar miracle types and stories from the 1840s.
Miracle of the Week
One remarkable, documented account in your inbox every Monday, drawn from the full archive.