Jonathan Crosby spared from spotted fever at age nine

“The Destroyer was after me as soon as I was born into the world. When I was nine years old, in the winter of 1816, I was attacked with the spotted fever which prevailed at that time. It was a very fatal disease, and many children of my age were taken off by it, and many that survived were left deaf and dumb. The doctor that attended me had two boys of his own, near my age, both of whom were taken with the same disease and were left deaf and dumb. The doctor himself was also taken with the same disease and died. I remember being taken to his funeral with my parents. I was very sick, but through the blessing of God and the great care and vigilance of my mother, I was spared from the most severe effects of the disease, and my hearing and speech were preserved, for which I have ever felt to thank my Heavenly Father.”

— Jonathan Crosby, Autobiography