Robert Horne's Observation of the Nauvoo Temple Baptisms
Published October 12, 2026 at 1:36 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
Robert Horne describes witnessing the early practice of baptisms for the dead in the Mississippi River at Nauvoo, during which he saw the Prophet Joseph Smith standing on the banks with a child in his arms, appearing with such majesty that Horne felt intimidated to approach him.
In Their Own Words
“Sometime afterwards I saw the Elders baptizing for the dead in the Mississippi River. This was something new to me, and the beauty of this great principle dawned upon me. I had never heard of such a doctrine then. Orson Pratt was baptizing. Brother Joseph stood on the banks holding a child in his arms. He was tall and stately and looked so grand, and he seemed clothed with such majesty that I had not the impudence to speak to him and ask if he had received those boxes of glass.— Millennial Star 55:36”
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)
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