Description

I Should Know Him

In December 1843, twenty-one-year-old Priscilla Staines set out alone leaving behind the land of her birth and her family and friends. She records,

It was a dreary winter day on which I went to Liverpool. The company with which I was to sail was all strangers to me. When I arrived at Liverpool and saw the ocean that would soon roll between me and all I loved, my heart almost failed me. But I had laid my idols all upon the altar. There was no turning back. I remembered the words of the Savior: “He that leaveth not father and mother, brother and sister, for my sake, is not worthy of me,” and I believed his promise to those who forsook all for his sake; so I thus alone set out for the reward of everlasting life, trusting in God.

She boarded the ship Fanny bound for New Orleans, arriving in January 1844. They expected upon arrival to board the Church-owned steamship Maid of Iowa to sail upriver, but it was tied to
the dock and embargoed with a debt against it. They were stranded, until one of the emigrants, a sister named Mary Bennett came forward and out of her own funds, paid the debt and fueled and outfitted the ship. They were on their way to Nauvoo.

It was a tedious journey of about five weeks, fraught with much persecution and harassment along the way. As they neared Nauvoo, Priscilla and Mary Bennett were talking about their arrival and meeting the Prophet Joseph Smith. Priscilla declared.

I felt certain, as the boat drew near, that I should be able to pick out the Prophet Joseph at first sight. This belief I communicated to Mrs. Bennett, whose acquaintance I had made on the voyage. She wondered at it, but I felt impressed by the Spirit that I should know him.”

As the ship neared the pier, a crowd of Saints was turned out to welcome the new arrivals. Priscilla said,

The Prophet was standing among the crowd…. I recognized him according to the impression, and pointed him out to Mrs. Bennett, with whom I was standing alone on the hurricane Deck.”

What happened next neither woman could have expected. She said,

Scarcely had the boat touched the pier when, singularly enough, Joseph sprang on board, and, without speaking with anyone, made his way to direct to where we were standing, and addressing Mrs. Bennett by name, thanked her kindly for lifting the embargo from his boat, and blessed her for so materially aiding the Saints.”

Priscilla had never seen Joseph and Joseph had never seen Mary Bennett.

Sources:

https://saintsbysea.lib.byu.edu/mii/account/423

Thanks to Jessica Nelson of the JSP for this story