W. J. 's Conversion to the Latter-day Saints through Missionary Tracts and Study
Published October 12, 2026 at 5:53 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
W. J., who was previously a member of the Campbellite church, documents his transition from his former religion to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after encountering missionaries in 1893. He describes receiving a 'spark of light' during their preaching and subsequent study of 'The Voice of Warning' and Orson Pratt's works, which convinced him of the truth. He and his wife were baptized by immersion on June 2, 1895.
In Their Own Words
“In 1893 two Mormon elders came to our county, and stayed all night with one of my neighbors. The next morning my neighbor came over and stated that there was a couple of preachers at his house and that they wanted to preach in our church house. I asked what kind of preachers. Said he, “Mormons.” I objected at first, but afterwards consented; so that night they preached, and right then and there I received a mere spark of light that showed me just where I stood. I afterward invited them to my home. They gave me some tracts to read, after which I read the Voice of Warning, then Orson Pratt’s works, which fully convinced me that they were the messengers of life and salvation. On the 2nd day of June, 1895, I and my wife, with a firm heart, went down into the water and were baptized by one having authority, and to-day I feel happy.”
— W. J., Millennial Star, Vol. 58, No. 4
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 23 January 1896 (Vol. 58, No. 4). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1896-01-23_58_4 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Full first-person account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, 23 January 1896 (Vol. 58, No. 4), page 61 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1896-01-23_58_4
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