Elder J. W. Thornley's Mission and Fulfilled Blessing
Published October 5, 2026 at 11:34 PM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
Elder John Watt Thornley (1859–1948) of Kaysville, Utah, was set apart for a mission to the British Mission by Apostle George Teasdale on October 8, 1883. Serving until September 14, 1885, Elder Thornley later reflected that the blessings pronounced upon him by Teasdale were verified to the letter, despite his initial feeling that some of the specific promises made at the time seemed impossible for an inexperienced youth to realize.
In Their Own Words
“On the 8th of October, 1883, at the Social Hall, Salt Salt City, I was set apart under the hands of Apostle George Teasdale to a mission in Great Britain. I am pleased to say the blessing pronounced by a servant of God has been verified to the very letter, though there were promises made in that blessing at the time, that I thought it almost impossible for me, an inexperienced youth, to realize the fulfillment of. — Millennial Star 47:43”
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 26 October 1885 (Vol. 47, No. 43). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1885-10-26_47_43 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Additional sources (periodical research): Church History Biographical Database, John Watt Thornley (1859-1948), https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/chd/individual/john-watt-thornley-1859?lang=eng
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