Holy Ghost / Guidance and Direction

Louisa Bonelli Hamblin — Spiritual Assurance of Jacob's Safety

Published August 31, 2026 at 1:29 AM

1870s · 1874
Kanab, Utah
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Louisa Bonelli Hamblin — Spiritual Assurance of Jacob's Safety — a documented holy ghost / guidance and direction account from the 1870s in Kanab, Utah
Jacob Hamblin portrait via Wikimedia Commons

In 1874, during a period of high tension between the Latter-day Saint settlers and the Navajo nation, Jacob Hamblin undertook a perilous mission to negotiate peace. During his absence, false reports reached the settlement in Kanab stating that Jacob had been captured and killed by the Indians. While the community and other family members were in mourning, Louisa Bonelli Hamblin remained remarkably calm and refused to believe the reports. She testified to her family and neighbors that the Holy Ghost had given her a distinct spiritual assurance that Jacob was alive and under divine protection. Her premonition was later confirmed when Jacob returned safely to the settlement, having narrowly escaped a death sentence during a tense confrontation at a Navajo camp.

Sources & References

'Louisa Bonelli Hamblin,' submitted by Helen Cram Starr, DUP History Collection; Jacob Hamblin: A Narrative of His Personal Experience (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subject/28013) (research confidence: medium) Image: Jacob Hamblin portrait — via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jacobhamblin

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Questions about this account

Who was involved in this account?
The account involves Louisa Bonelli Hamblin, Jacob Hamblin. Each person named here also has a witness page collecting the other accounts involving them.
When did this account take place?
The account is set in 1874, in the 1870s.
Where did this account take place?
It took place in Kanab, Utah.
What kind of miracle is this?
It is filed as a Holy Ghost / Guidance and Direction account reported in United States.
Where does this account come from?
'Louisa Bonelli Hamblin,' submitted by Helen Cram Starr, DUP History Collection; Jacob Hamblin: A Narrative of His Personal Experience ( (research confidence: medium) Image: Jacob Hamblin portrait — via Wikimedia Commons,. The full source citation appears in the Sources section below, with links to the original where available.

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