President Wilford Woodruff's Revelation Regarding the Death of His Son
Published October 12, 2026 at 1:34 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
After the death of his son Brigham, President Wilford Woodruff was deeply troubled and questioned the Lord in the temple regarding why this son was taken. He received a revelation that his kindred dead, who had been administered for in the temple, required a witness of their own lineage to testify to them of the work performed, and that his son had gone to fulfill this mission.
Fuller account of this event (the complete account as preserved in The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 55, No. 27, 3 July 1893, p. 422):
I had a son, Brigham Young Woodruff, who died in the year 1883. I was very much troubled about him. I went to the Temple and inquired of the Lord why he was taken. The answer I received was that his kindred dead, who had been administered for in the Temple, required a witness of their own lineage to testify to them of the work performed, and that my son had gone to fulfill this mission.
In Their Own Words
“Well, what of this? Presi- dent Woodruff began to criticise himself. What had he done that this son should be taken from him, when he wanted some good boys to build up his family and his kingdom in the earth? He bethought himself that he was President of the Lord’s house, and he went into his room in the temple there before the Lord and asked him what was the matter, what had he done that he should have this son taken from him in this way, and he stuck to it until he got his answer. The word of the Lord came unto him saying, “Have you not had a host of your kindred administered for in the temple, and do you not know that they must be testified to by one of your own lineage, that they may have the privilege of embracing the ful- ness of these blessings?” That satisfied him at once. — Millennial Star 55:27”
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 3 July 1893 (Vol. 55, No. 27). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1893-07-03_55_27 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Complete account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 55, No. 27, 3 July 1893, p. 422 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1893-07-03_55_27
Filed under
Related Miracles
Similar miracle types and stories from the 1880s.
Miracle of the Week
One remarkable, documented account in your inbox every Monday, drawn from the full archive.