Heber C. Kimball’s Providential Return to the Moon Family
Published October 4, 2026 at 2:46 AM
Contributed by
Times and Seasons Research
In 1837, while traveling near Wrightington and Chatburn, Heber C. Kimball felt compelled by the Spirit to return to the Moon family’s home, although he had visited before and intended to continue toward Preston. Mrs. Moon explained that she and her daughters had initially rejected his teachings and then experienced spiritual distress, including feeling that the heavens were like brass; they had prayed for a testimony and for him to return. When Kimball came back, the family received a testimony and rejoiced. The parents and four daughters were baptized that evening, and the rest of the thirteen-member family were baptized later. Amos Fielding is named in one account in connection with the episode.
In Their Own Words
“The next morning I commenced my journey intending to go direct to Preston, but when I got opposite the road leading to Mr. Moon's, I was forcibly pressed upon by the Spirit of the Lord, to call and see them again. The impression being so strong, I could not resist, I therefore directed my steps to the house not knowing what it meant. On my arrival at the house, I knocked at the door and Mrs. Moon from within exclaimed; Come in! come in! you are welcome here! I and the lasses, (meaning her daughters) have been engaged in prayer that he would send you this way. She then informed me of her state of mind since I was there before, and said, she at first rejected my testimony, and endeavored to think lightly on the things I had advanced, but after trying to pray, she said “that the heavens seemed to be like brass over her head, and it was like iron under her feet,” she did not know what was the matter, and thought surely the man has not bewitched me, and upon inquiry she found it was the same with the lasses. They then began to reflect on the things I had told them and thinking it possible that I had told them the truth, they began to lay the case before the Lord, and beseech him to give them a testimony concerning the things I had testified of. She then observed, that as soon as they did so, light broke into their minds, and they received a testimony for themselves, and I left them rejoicing in the truth they had embraced.”
— Heber C. Kimball, Times and Seasons 2:19
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 16 October 1876 (Vol. 38, No. 42). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1876-10-16_38_42 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Times and Seasons (Commerce, later Nauvoo, Illinois, November 1839–February 1846), 1 August 1841 (Vol. 2, No. 19). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1841-08-01_2_19 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Full first-person account: Times and Seasons, 1 August 1841 (Vol. 2, No. 19) https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1841-08-01_2_19
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