Healings
February–March 1831   Joseph heals Mrs. Johnson's rheumatoid arm    
Campbellite account Ezra Booth, of Mantua, a Methodist preacher of much more than ordinary culture, and with strong natural abilities, in company with his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, and some other citizens of this place, visited Smith at his house in Kirtland, in 1831. Mrs. Johnson had been afflicted for some time with a lame arm, and was not at the time of the visit able to lift her hand to her head. The party visited Smith, partly out of curiosity, and partly to see for themselves what there might be in the new doctrine.   A. S. Hayden, History of the Disciples, 250–251 qtd. in B. H. Roberts, New Witnesses for God 1:258–259.
    During the interview the conversation turned upon the subject of supernatural gifts; such as were conferred in the days of the apostles. Some one said: "Here is Mrs. Johnson with a lame arm; has God given any power to men on the earth to cure her?" A few moments later, when the conversation had turned in another direction, Smith rose, and walking across the room, taking Mrs. Johnson by the hand, said in the most solemn and impressive manner: "Woman, in the name of Jesus Christ, I command thee to be whole; and immediately left the room.    
    The company were awe stricken at the infinite presumption of the man, and the calm assurance with which he spoke. The sudden mental and moral shock—I know not how better to explain the well-attested fact—electrified the rheumatic arm—Mrs. Johnson at once lifted it with ease, and on her return home the next day she was able to do her washing without difficulty or pain.    
Luke S. Johnson account   Soon after Joseph Smith moved from the state of New York, my father, mother and Ezra Booth, a Methodist Minister, went to Kirtland to investigate "Mormonism."   ¶ Luke S. Johnson (h)

In 1864 George A. Smith found it "singular" that Ezra joined the church through "through the manifestation of a miracle."¶ Satan Came Also
    My mother had been laboring under an attack of chronic rheumatism in the shoulder, so that she could not raise her hand to her head for about two years; the prophet laid hands upon her, and she was healed immediately.  
    My father was satisfied in regard to the truth of "Mormonism," and was baptized by Joseph Smith, Jr., in the winter of 1830–1, and furnished him and his family a home, while he translated a portion of the Bible.    
   
   
February 1831   Jared Carter heals dying child    Jared Carter diary, 5–6.
    Jared Carter returns to Chenango after being baptized in Colesville. His friends turn on him and his wife thinks him completely deluded.    
    my children were sick the babe which was about 3 months old had the hoopen cough and our neighbors considered that it would dye but the Lord heard my pray[er] and healed my child in a marvilous manner for it was taken from the brink of the grave & plased [6] in the possession of exelent helth this some of the neighbors took notise of and often spoke of    
   
   
April 1831   Newel Knight heals Aunt Electa Peck   Newel Knight Autobiography qtd. in Early Mormon Documents 4:65.
  Soon after I left [Colesville, New York], my aunt, Electa Peck, fell and broke her shoulder in a most shocking manner; a surgeon was called to relieve her sufferings, which were very great. My aunt dreamed that I returned and laid my hands upon her, prayed for her, and she was made whole, and pursued her journey with the company. She related this dream to the surgeon who replied, “if you are able to travel in many weeks it will be a miracle, and I will be a Mormon too.”  
  I arrived at the place, where the company had stopped, late in the evening; but, on learning of the accident, I went to see my aunt, and immediately on my entering the room she said, “To, Brother Newel, if you will lay your hands upon me, I shall be well and able to go on the journey with you.” I stepped up to the bed, and, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, rebuked the pain with which she was suffering, and commanded her to be made whole; and it was done; for the next morning she arose, dressed herself, and pursued the journey [to Ohio] with us.    
   
   
June [4–6], 1831   Joseph failures    
John Murdock's hand   Taking the hand of one of the Elders in his own, a hand which by accident had been rendered defective, [Joseph] said, "Brother Murdock, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to straighten your hand; in the mean while endeavoring to accomplish the work by using his own hand to open the hand of the other. The effort proved unsuccessful; but he again articulated the same commandment, in a more authoritative and louder tone of voice; and while uttering with his tongue, his hands were at work; but after all the exertion of his power, both natural and supernatural, the deficient hand returned to its former position, where it still remains.   ¶ Ezra Booth Letters
Lame man's faith fails   But ill success in this case, did not discourage him from undertaking another. One of the Elders who was decriped in one of his legs, was set upon the floor, and commanded, in the name of Jesus Christ to walk. He walked a step or two, his faith failed, and he was again compelled to have recourse to his former assistant, and he has had occasion to use it ever since.    
Fails to raise the dead A dead body, which had been retained above ground two or three days, under the expectation that the dead would be raised, was insensible to the voice of those who commanded it to awake into life, and is destined to sleep in the grave till the last trump shall sound, and the power of God easily accomplishes the work, which frustrated the attempts, and bid defiance to the puny efforts of the Mormonite.   "That an attempt was made to raise the child, is denied, of course, as every other attempt has been, after the entire failure was obvious to all. The parents of the deceased child, however, state, that they were prevented from procuring medical aid for the child, by the representations of the elders, that there was no danger—that it would certainly be restored. The father had no other idea but that the child was to be raised; neither did his faith fail him till preparations were made for its interment. He then awoke from his dream of delusion, and dissolved his connection with the impostors."E. B. Howe, Mormonism Unvailed, 190n.
   
   
August 1831   Elders heal infirm lady    
Bed-ridden for 8 years   [After Joseph and company returned to Ohio in August 1831] … many apostitized: but many have returned again to {from} the fold from whence they have strayed—And many mighty miracles were wrought by the Elders—one in particular which I shall here notice—which was wrought by Elders Emer Harris Joseph Brackenbury and Wheeler Baldwin. Is [about] an infirmity in an old lady who had been helpless for the space of eight years confined to her bed. she did not belong to this church but sent her request to the Elders who immediately attended to her call, and after their arrival praid for her and laids their hands on her, and she was immediately made whole and magnified and praised God. and is now enjoying perfect health   Book of John Whitmer in From Historian, 87.

I have standardized spelling of "Bracke[r]berry]" and changed bracketed text.
   
   
September 1831   Hyrum Smith heals William E. McLellin   Journals of William E. McLellin, 40.
    … I became so unwell that I could not get farther. we put up, and I had a considerable shake of the Ague, a high fever ensued which lasted the most of the night—    
    Thurs=15. We started on, though I was quite sick about noon I felt so much worse that I lit from my horse in the prairie and lay down n my great coat and blanket and gave up to shake again. But immediately I began to think that God had not called me to proclaim the "Gospel" and then would suffer me to be sick because I had to pass through an unhealthy country in the sickly season. I opened my mind to bro. H[yrum] We immediately bowed before the Lord and with all the faith which we had, we opened our hearts to him. bro. H. arose and laid his hands upon me. But marvelous for me to relate that I was instantly heald And arose and pursued my journey in health with vigour.    
   
   
January 1832   Rheumatoid woman healed through baptism   Autobiography of Mary Brown Pulsipher Off-site link
Jared Carter in New York   In a short time some were ready to be baptized. I wanted to be at the first opportunity, but Satan thought he would hinder it. The night before baptism, I was taken very lame with rheumatism or something. I was so sick I could not get around much. As they were fixing to go, Brother Carter said to me, "Sister Pulsipher, if you will do your duty, you shall be healed." I took a cane and hobbled to the water and went in. It was a very cold day, but I came out well, left my cane, and went away rejoicing.   Jared and other missionaries often used healing as a carrot to potential converts.
   
   
September 16, 1833   Leg saved through baptism    
Jared and Simeon Carter in New York  

In the winter of 1832–1833, Jared and Simeon Carter call on John and Elizabeth Beswick Tanner near Bolton, New York. John is not interested. But he is afflicted with a diseased leg, which many believe he will lose. Several months later, the Carters administer to him

   "Reminiscences" of Elizabeth Beswick Tanner Off-site link
John Tanner's leg  

and commanded him to arise and walk which he immediately done, throwing away his crutches and never using them any more. The following day, Sept. 17, 1833 we were both baptized in Lake George and confirmed on the waters edge

  

   
   
October 1, 1833   Hyrum and William E. McLellin heal preacher's granddaughter    
Child healed but family not converted   [After listening to William E. McLellin preach an hour and a half, "a preacher of the Christian order" named Wood] asked us if we believed in the gift of Healing by the laying on of the hands of the Elders, and we answered that we did most firmly, he then invited us home with him; saying that his daughter's child was very sick. We went without hesitation about 2 miles further south.   Journals of William E. McLellin, 42–43.
    The child was very sick and had been for some time. Its mother was sitting nursing of it, and after we had spoken upon the nature of faith; The family seemed to be quite believing, and we all bowed before the great Jehovah and implored his mercy upon the child, we then arose and brother Hyrum & I laid our hands upon it, and in a few minutes the little child got down from its mother's lap and went to play upon the floor.    
    This caused them to rejoice and the old gentleman got down & prayed mightily, then arose & said that he believed that the Lord was there. We then more fully explained the nature of the rise of the church of Christ and the things believed in it.    
    They were very friendly, but did not lay hold.    
   
   
November 1833   Newel Knight heals Philo Dibble of gunshot wound    
Gunshot wound   In the battle brother Philo Dibble, of Ohio, was shot in the body through his waistband; the ball remained in him. He bled much inwardly, and, in a day or two his bowels were so filled with blood and so inflamed that he was about to die, or, rather he had been slowly dying from the time he was wounded. The smell of himself had become intolerable to him and those about him. At length Elder Newel Knight administered to him, by the laying on of hands, in the name of Jesus; his hands had scarcely touched his head when he felt an operation penetrating his whole system as if it had been a purifying fire. He immediately discharged several quarts of blood and corruption, among which was the ball with which he had been wounded. He was instantly healed, and went to work chopping wood. He remained an able bodied man, a hard worker, and even did military duty for many years after.   [SHOWREF=ppp], 119. The battle was at the Big Blue river in Jackson county, November 4, 1833.
   
   
May 1832   Newel K. Whitney's leg (not)    
Joseph's account   En route to Kirtland from Independence, Joseph and Newel jump from a runaway stagecoach. Newel's leg and foot are broken in several places. An attendant says:   Manuscript History of the Church, A-1 in Papers 1:383.

Joseph in Greenville
    it was "a dam'd pity we had not got some Mormon there, they can set broken bones, or do any thing else."  
   
   
1833   Orson Pratt heals the sick    
June 15, 1833, St. Johnsbury, Vermont    I went to visit Mr. Harvey's family and conversed with and found them some believing. A young woman was there whose name was Emily Harvey. She had been sick about 12 weeks and vomited much blood; and it was supposed by many that she could not live many days. She was desirous that I should pray for her that she might be healed, at the same time covenanting before God to obey the gospel. Therefore I prayed for and laid my hands upon her in the name of Jesus Christ and she was immediately healed.   Orson Pratt Journals, 17.
June 23, 1833   I held two meetings in Mr. Roberts' barn, and a large congregation of people attended. I preached upon the restoration of Israel and the blessings on Joseph. I was invited to tarry through the night with Mr. Kelsey, whose wife lay sick of a disease with which she had been afflicted five or six years. she covenanted to obey the Gospel if the Lord would heal her. I prayed for her and laid my hands upon her in the name of Jesus, and she began to recover, and a few days after was baptized.   Orson Pratt Journals, 18.
July 4, 1833   I went to visit Mrs. Kelley who was sick with a disease with which she had been afflicted nine or ten years. After I had prayed I laid my hands upon her in the name of Jesus, and she was healed.   Orson Pratt Journals, 19.
1837  
   
January 16, 1837   Abraham O. Smoot healed    
Pain and fever   Elder Abram O Smoot was again attacked by the destroyer Which brought him upon a bed of Great disstress. We immediately called upon the Elders of the Church, viz. Elders O Hyde & H C Kimball of the twelve & B. Nobles, M. Holmes, & myself of the first Seventy We prayed with & for him & lade hands upon him according to the sriptures & he was immediately healed of his pain & fever /in the name of Christ/.   WWJ 1:121.

Original spellings: Hide, Kimble

Abram had been sick for some time, but was well enough to attend meeting on January 8.
         
July 22, 1839   Joseph heals the sick in Commerce and Montrose    
Parley P. Prattm Heber C. Kimball, and Wilford Woodruff accounts  

See Arise and Walk!

  

 
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