Mary Isabella Hales Horne — Heard Joseph Smith Recount the First Vision in Toronto, 1837

Mary Isabella Hales Horne (1818–1905) was one of the notable women of early Latter-day Saint history, a long-serving Relief Society leader and pioneer. She is also one of the documented recipients of a personal account of the First Vision directly from Joseph Smith.

In the summer of 1837, while Joseph Smith was visiting Toronto, Canada — possibly during his visit to reconnect with missionaries and strengthen the Canadian Saints — Mary Isabella Hales (not yet married to Joseph Horne) was present and heard the Prophet personally recount his First Vision experience.

Her account, recorded in her testimony titled 'The Prophet Joseph Smith: Testimony of Sister M. Isabella Horne,' was identified by scholars as one of the secondary accounts of the First Vision. Pearl of Great Price Central notes: 'Mary Horne heard and stated' that she heard Joseph give an account of his First Vision in summer 1837 in Toronto.

That Joseph was actively sharing the First Vision account with converts and investigators throughout the 1830s — in Toronto, in Michigan, in Kirtland, and in Nauvoo — is established by multiple such firsthand listeners. Mary Isabella Horne's account is one of the few from a woman who heard it personally from the Prophet. She later served for decades as a leader among Latter-day Saint women in Utah, and her testimony remained firm throughout her long life.

Fuller account of this event (in the witness’s own words):

In the latter part of the summer of 1837 I had the great pleasure of being introduced to, and entertaining, the beloved prophet, Joseph Smith, with Sidney Rigdon and T. B. Marsh. I thought I had never beheld so lovely a countenance. Nobility and goodness were in every feature. I feel greatly honored when I realize that I have had the privilege of personally entertaining this great man, of ministering to his temporal wants, of shaking hands with him, and listening to his voice. I heard him relate his first vision, when the Father and Son appeared to him; also his receiving the gold plates from the Angel Moroni.