Joseph Smith Blesses Mary Phelps as Child and Remembers Her Always

When the Phelps family was living in Clay County, Missouri, Zion's Camp came to their area in 1835, and Prophet Joseph Smith visited their home. As Mary A. Rich recounted: 'In 1835, while in Clay County, Zion's Camp came up, the Prophet Joseph coming and preaching at our house, which was the first time I ever saw him. While at our house, he put me on his knee and blessed me, and I know him ever afterwards, and he always remembered me.' This personal blessing and intimate attention from the Prophet had a profound impact on Mary's life. The fact that Joseph Smith remembered her afterward indicated the genuine spiritual impression this encounter made. For Mary, being blessed by the Prophet during her childhood became a formative spiritual experience that shaped her faith and testimony throughout her life. This miracle of personal blessing demonstrates how the Lord used the Prophet's ministry to touch individual lives with divine favor and remembrance.

Fuller account of this event (the complete account as preserved in Mary A. Phelps Rich, Autobiography (1829-1846), "The Life of Mary A. Rich," typescript, BYU.):

In 1835, while in Clay County, Zion's Camp came up, the Prophet Joseph coming and preaching at our house, which was the first time I ever saw him. While at our house, he put me on his knee and blessed me, and I know him ever afterwards, and he always remembered me.