Marriner W. Merrill’s prophetic dream of Brigham F. Grant's preservation

Apostle Marriner W. Merrill, then Bishop of Richmond, Utah, had a dream concerning the young Brigham F. Grant as he departed for California. In the dream, Merrill saw the young man amidst wicked company, but encircled by a light which the dream revealed to be the influence of his father, which would preserve him from evil and eventually lead him to return to Utah and embrace the Gospel. This dream was publicly related by Merrill in Richmond years later, after Brigham F. Grant had returned and borne a faithful testimony.

In a reminiscence recorded in his family biography, Heber J. Grant provided further context, noting that Brigham F. Grant (referred to as Fred) had run away from the home of Beason Lewis to the mining districts of Montana. Marriner W. Merrill, feeling a deep sense of rebellion and concern for the son of his late friend Jedediah M. Grant, prayed earnestly for the boy. In his dream, Merrill heard a voice explaining that the light encircling the youth was his father’s influence, which would preserve him from evil, and he saw a prophecy that Fred would one day labor faithfully among wayward young men.