Elder Keller's Illness and Recovery from Recurring Pain
Published October 11, 2026 at 8:08 PM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
Elder Keller, a missionary in the Indian Territory, suffered a severe and debilitating illness (malaria/chills and fever) that left him unable to walk for months. Through the faith and prayers of his fellow missionaries, Elder Smith and Elder Anderson, and the application of their faith, he experienced a level of recovery that allowed him to gain enough strength to help himself, though he later experienced a recurrence of pain.
In Their Own Words
“Elder Keller so far recovered in the way of freedom from pain, and regained strength sufficient to help himself, that Elder Smith and I were enabled to continue traveling on Dec. 11, being out in the Choctaw country a couple of weeks, until the holidays were on hand. We then returned to this place, where we have been since. Elder Keller has been generally free from pain, but his attack was so severe, that even to date he has not gained strength sufficient to enable him to walk a mile. When he will be able to travel we cannot say; but we are grateful to our Maker that He has heard our appeals thus far, and given strength even to those who are well.”
— Franklin M. Anderson, The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 9 February 1891 (Vol. 53, No. 6). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1891-02-09_53_6 (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. 53, No. 6, 9 February 1891, p. 93 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1891-02-09_53_6
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