Description

The Warmest Light Surrounded Them

Carolyn was awakened early one July morning. Standing at the foot of her bed was a woman with beautiful long dark hair who pleaded with Carolyn to complete her work.

What work?

There were problems with her husband’s genealogy. The line was broken. Carolyn searched and discovered that Jemina Angell, the younger sister of Mary Ann Angell Young, the wife of Brigham Young, was born October 4, 1804. On March 21, 1824, Jemina married Valentine Young and together they had five children. In time they emigrated to Kirtland, Ohio, where in 1837, Valentine was injured while working on the Kirtland Temple. He later died from those injuries. 

Jemina subsequently married William Stringham in Nauvoo, but her sister, Mary Ann had her sealed to Brigham Young. Jemina became known as Jemina Angell Young Young, but later historians thought the redundancy was a mistake and dropped the second Young, effectively dropping her first marriage. The end result was that Valentine, her first and true love, was completely left out. They had not been sealed because Valentine passed away just before the sealing ordinances were revealed in Nauvoo. 

Permission was granted and on July 7, 2014, Valentine and Jemina were sealed in the Temple. “They waited a long time.”

Knowing that Valentine passed away in Kirtland, Carolyn wanted to find his grave. One day on a tour in the Kirtland Temple, she felt impressed to walk to the west window. As she did, she felt a presence. It was Valentine Young. By the power of the Spirit, he told her that he was buried right there. She looked down and just below was the old pioneer cemetery adjacent to the Kirtland Temple. 

Quickly she exited the Temple and went into the cemetery, but there was no marker. She checked the sexton’s records and located a grave site for a James Young and his wife. More searching…and she discovered that James Young was the six-year-old son of Valentine and Jemina. He had no wife. A further search of the records revealed that indeed, James was buried there—as was his father, Valentine. Permission was given and in October 2026, a headstone will be placed there and the grave dedicated. 

After these wonderful events, Carolyn was serving as a historic sites missionary in the St. George Tabernacle. She was there one evening listening to the lovely music of a concert when she happened to look up to the second-story northwest window. She said, 

“There were two images outside the window. The warmest light surrounded them. Together, Valentine on the left and Jemina on the right, stood holding hands. His blond wavy hair and her rich dark long hair—both so happy. As I was weeping for joy with their presence, I looked down for a moment and when I looked up again they were gone. The warmest peace filled my soul and I knew it was a special gift.”

Source: Carolyn Mills. Original story is in the author’s possession.