Robert Horne's Observation of the Book of Abraham Mummies
Published October 12, 2026 at 1:36 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
Robert Horne relates that while in Nauvoo, he personally saw and handled the Egyptian mummies and the ancient records known as the Book of Abraham, which were shown to him by Mother Lucy Smith. He specifically recalls seeing writing in red and black on parchment or papyrus and holding the breastbone of one of the mummies.
In Their Own Words
“I was in Nauvoo in the days of the Prophet Joseph. I remember going to see the mummies. Mother Lucy Smith, the Prophet's mother, was there and she showed them to us. She seemed to take great pleasure in showing them and explaining them. She said, 'This is the record of Abraham, and this is the record of Joseph who was sold into Egypt.' I saw the records; they were on papyrus, and the writing was in red and black. I remember taking hold of the breastbone of one of the mummies. I have often thought of it since. It was a great privilege to see them and to hear the Prophet's mother tell about them.”
— Robert Horne, as recorded in The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 55, No. 36 (September 4, 1893)
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 4 September 1893 (Vol. 55, No. 36). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1893-09-04_55_36 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Full first-person account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 55, No. 36, p. 574 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1893-09-04_55_36
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