Heber C. Kimball's baptism of fifteen in the sea
Published October 5, 2026 at 6:05 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
During their missionary service in Longton, England, in the winter of 1837, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, and Willard Richards faced significant obstacles in their efforts to baptize new converts. The weather was exceptionally cold, and the local streams were frozen solid, making it impossible to perform the ordinance by immersion in the usual locations. To fulfill their mission and accommodate those seeking baptism, the missionaries and the candidates traveled to the seashore. According to Heber C. Kimball’s journal, they were compelled to resort to the sea-shore to administer the ordinance, where they successfully immersed fifteen individuals in the waters of the ocean. This event remains a notable account of the dedication and perseverance of early Latter-day Saint missionaries in England amidst harsh conditions.
In Their Own Words
“On the 25th of December, 1837, we baptized nine persons in the river Ribble. The weather was very cold, and the ground was covered with snow. We had to break the ice in order to attend to the ordinance. It being very cold weather and the streams generally frozen up, we had to resort to the sea-shore to administer that ordinance, and immersed fifteen in the waters of the ocean. The ice was so thick that we had to cut it with an axe, and the cold was so intense that our clothes were frozen stiff upon us before we could get them on after coming out of the water. But the Lord was with us, and we felt to rejoice in the work of the ministry, and the people were filled with the spirit of God, and we had a glorious time.”
— Heber C. Kimball, as quoted in 'Life of Heber C. Kimball' by Orson F. Whitney
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 25 December 1882 (Vol. 44, No. 52). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1882-12-25_44_52 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Additional sources (periodical research): President Heber C. Kimball's Journal (Faith-Promoting Series, Book 7, 1882), 22. http://archive.org/download/JournalOfHeberC.Kimball/journal_of_heber_c_kimball.pdf Full first-person account: Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, an Apostle: The Father and Founder of the British Mission (Salt Lake City: Kimball Family, 1888), 163. https://archive.org/details/lifeofheberckimba00whitgoog/page/163/mode/2up
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