One of the tender mercies granted by the Lord are the blessings pronounced upon the faithful by authorized servants. Four blessings were received by President Williams and two by Rebecca, his wife, which were recorded and thus gratefully preserved.
Character Sketch and Blessing by Joseph Smith Jr.
(November 19, 1833)
The first recorded blessing bestowed on Frederick G. Williams came from the pen of the Prophet Joseph Smith just after he had given a character sketch of his counselor, a portion of which I have previously noted. Contained in the blessing is a prophecy regarding his posterity, which differs considerably from the character sketch and prophecy he bestowed upon Sidney Rigdon, written just before.1
Brother Frederick is one of those men in whom I place the greatest confidence and trust for I have found him ever full of love and Brotherly kindness[.] he is not a man of many words but is ever winning because of his constant mind[.] he shall ever have place in my heart, and is ever intitled to my confidence[.] He is perfectly honest and upright, and seeks with all his heart to magnify his presidency in the church of ch[r]ist, but fails in many instances, in consequence of a want of confidence in himself: God grant that he may overcome all evil: Blessed be Brother Frederick, for he shall never want a friend; and his generation after him shall flourish. The Lord hath appointed him an inheritance upon the land of Zion. Yea, and his head shall blossom. And he shall be as an olive branch that is bowed down with fruit: even so; Amen.2
Blessing by Joseph Smith Jr.
(December 18, 1833)
A month later, on December 18, 1833, the Prophet gave blessings to members of his family and to his counselors, including Joseph Smith Sr., Lucy Mack Smith, Hyrum Smith, Samuel Smith, William Smith, Don Carlos Smith, Oliver Cowdery, Frederick G. Williams, and Sidney Rigdon. These blessings were later recorded by Oliver Cowdery in the Patriarchal Blessing Book between September 15 and October 2, 1835, together with Oliver’s summary introduction, which reads in part:
Let it suffice, that others had authority to bless, but after these blessings were given, of which I am about to write, Joseph Smith, Sen. was ordained a president and patriarch, under the hands of his son Joseph, myself, Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams, presidents of the church. These blessings were given by vision and the spirit of prophecy, on the 18th of December, 1833, and written by my own hand at the time; and I know them to be correct and according to the mind of the Lord.3
Inasmuch as the first part of this December 18, 1833, blessing is similar to the last part of the blessing given to him on November 19, 1833, they may in fact be the same blessing and not two. However, besides some different wording, this blessing or this version of the blessing contains much added information. For example, Frederick’s liberality in helping the poor is mentioned twice. In addition, he is promised great wealth in this life, and that he will be “caught up to meet the Lord in the cloud.”
Blessed be brother Frederick, for he shall never want a friend, and his generation after him shall flourish: The Lord hath appointed him an inheritance in the land of Zion. Yea, and his head shall blossom with old age, and he shall be as an olive branch that is bowed down with fruit. And he shall be blessed with the abundance of the good things of the earth because of the liberality of his soul, even with the precious things that couch beneath; even with gold and with silver in abundance, and with antiquities of every Kind: with precious stones, and with platina; with houses and with lands, and with cattle, with beasts, at home and abroad, among governors, rulers and kings, and nations afar off: and all these because of the liberality of his soul, always abounding unto the poor.
Therefore, the hand of his God shall be over him and his seed after him, from generation to generation. And his head shall blossom and be as white as the pure wool—and his rest shall be glorious: He shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the cloud, and ever be with the Lord. Amen.
Oliver Cowdery, Clerk and Recorder. Recorded in this book, October 2, 1835.4
On September 22, 1835, Joseph Smith dictated blessings to a number of other individuals, including David Whitmer, John Whitmer, John Corrill, and William W. Phelps.5 These were likewise recorded in the Patriarchal Blessing Book by Oliver Cowdery. The memory of the blessings to Williams and Rigdon in November 1833, the blessings to the Smith family and Oliver Cowdery in December 1833, and blessings to Corrill, Phelps, and the Whitmers in September 1835—all of which were recorded into the Patriarchal Blessings Book by Oliver Cowdery in September and October 1835—were blurred together in the mind of John Whitmer when he recorded the event. Even the date he wrote was a month off.
October 18, 1835. Sabbath
This day assembled in the House of the Lord as usual, and the Spirit of the Lord descended upon J. Smith Jr. the seer, and he prophesied: saying the Lord has showed me this day by the Spirit of Revelation that the distress, and sickness that has heretofore prevailed among the children of Zion will be mitigated from this time forth.
And it came to pass that some of the first Elders or Presidents of the church received a Prophetic blessing by revelation through the means prepared in the last days to receive the word of the Lord. J. Smith. Jr. Therefore Joseph dictated blessings for himself[,] Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon, F. G. Williams, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, W. W. Phelps, and myself. As you will find recorded in the Patriarchal blessing Book in Kirtland[,] Ohio—Book A.6
Blessing at the Time of the Calling of the Seventy
(March 1, 1835)
Soon after the Twelve were organized, the Seventy (who, as we have seen, were also addressed as Apostles), were likewise called and set apart. Blessings were pronounced upon each individual’s head and were recorded in the minutes. Between February 28 and March 1, 1835, forty-eight men received their ordinations and blessings, which were recorded in the minutes but generally without disclosing who performed the ordinances. Among those receiving a blessing was Frederick G. Williams of the First Presidency, but not Sidney Rigdon or Oliver Cowdery or even Joseph Smith. President Williams’s blessing is remarkable for its scope and grandeur.
Frederick G. Williams
Thou art blessed. Thou shalt stand before the great men of the earth. Thy mind shall expand and thou shalt be enabled to waft thyself as upon the wings of the wind. Thou shalt stand according to thy desires and see the face of thy Redeemer. Thy blessings are confirmed upon thee. The heavenly hosts are rejoicing over thee. Twice thou has been to the land of Zion. The Lord has sustained thee for a wise purpose. Thy mind and thy [heart] shall be enlarged, and thou shalt make known the gospel to the great ones of the earth and shall yet lead them to Zion. If thou desirest thou shalt rise upon the wings of the morning and not be an inhabitant of the grave. Thou shalt be one who shall preside over Zion. All these blessings we seal and confirm upon thee. Amen.7
Frederick G. Williams’s Patriarchal Blessing, Pronounced by Joseph Smith Sr. (September 14, 1835)
Frederick G. Williams was born in Suffield, Hartford County, Connecticut, October 28, 1787.
Brother Williams. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I lay my hands upon thee and seal upon thy head the blessings that have heretofore been pronounced upon thee: and I also seal upon thee the blessings of a father inasmuch as thou art an orphan, that thou mayest claim an inheritance with thy brethren, for thyself and for thy descendants after thee, even in the land which has been promised to the saints for an everlasting possession in the last days,—and also a place in the celestial kingdom. I also seal upon thee thy ministry, and thou shalt have power to call thy kindreds and friends into the church. Thou shalt have the ministering of angels not far hence, and the visions of heaven shall be unfolded to thy mind.
Set thy house in order, instruct them in the things of righteousness, and cause them to walk in the ways of truth, and thy afflicted son shall yet come to understanding, and be a man of considerable influence; but thou must have great faith to accomplish this, and all things must be put in order in thy house. The Lord will look upon thy afflictions and witness thy sorrows, and cause thy son to begin to amend, when thy faith is sufficiently strong; and thy heart shall yet rejoice over thy children, and thy children’s children; and when thou art old and stricken in years, thou shall ris[e] up like Jacob of old, and bless them, leaning upon the top of thy staff.
But thou shalt be a great man in the earth, and thou shalt be renewed, and have power to accomplish the will of the Lord, and when thou hast accomplished it thou shalt have power to be translated, that thou shalt not sleep in the grave, if thou desirest rather than lay down thy life for the cause of thy God: behold, thy life is in thy own hand with power to lay it down or not. But before thou shalt go hence, in accomplishing thy mission, the earth shall tremble before thee, the mountains shall be removed and waters turned out of their courses. Thy knowledge shall reach to heaven, and thy understanding shall comprehend all things. Thou shalt be able to circumscribe the h[e]ights and the debths [depths], and thou shalt stand in the presence of thy God, who will hold thee up and make thee mighty to the accomplishing of all things which he has designed in the order of his providence. I seal thee up unto eternal life, with all these blessings upon thee; even so. Amen.8
Rebecca S. Williams’s Patriarchal Blessing, by Joseph Smith Sr. (September 14, 1835)
Rebecca Williams, wife of Frederick G. Williams, was born in Layalsock, Northcumberland County, Pennsylvania, August 3, 1798.
Sister Williams, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth I lay my hands upon thy head, and I ask my heavenly Father to put words and thoughts into my heart, and also, to prepare thee for a blessing. Thy sins are now forgiven thee, and thy name is written in heaven; but thou must humble thyself before the Lord and do away thy pride, and overcome thy proud spirit, to receive a fullness of the blessings of the Lord, according to his promises made to thy fathers. In due time, even when thou shalt humble thyself and be obedient to all the requirements of the Lord, thy son shall be restored to health, for whom thou hast wept, and for whom thou hast so often prayed,—the Lord has seen all thy tears and tenderness of thy heart, and will reward thee according to all thy desires of righteousness inasmuch as thou hast been faithful and will hereafter be faithful. And in conseq[u]ence of thy prayers and thy tears thou shalt yet prevail, and the Lord will give thee thy father’s family, who are now far from the way of salvation. But the Lord will make bare his arm and show mercy unto them in making thy husband a savior unto them.
Be faithful, and all these blessings shall be given unto thee, and thou shalt have joy in the society of thy family. I seal thee up unto eternal life, and thou shalt have thy part and portion in the celestial kingdom, in the name of Jesus Christ; even so. Amen.
Oliver Cowdery, Clerk & Recorder. Given in Kirtland, Ohio, September 14, 1835, and recorded January 20, 1836.9
President Williams to Be Paid as the Patriarch’s Scribe
On the same day that he and his wife, Rebecca, received their patriarchal blessings, President Frederick G. Williams was approved to receive money for serving as scribe for Patriarch Joseph Smith Sr.
September 14 [1835].—In a meeting of a High Council and the Presidency at Kirtland, it was decided that, as the laborer is worthy of his hire, whenever President Joseph Smith, Sen., is called upon to pronounce Patriarchal blessings upon the Church, he be paid for his services at the rate of ten dollars per week and his expenses. It was further decided that President Frederick G. Williams be appointed and hereafter serve as scribe, to attend blessing meetings, and that he receive for his services, at the same ratio, having his expenses borne also.10
Rebecca Williams’s Second Patriarchal Blessing, by John Smith
(August 12, 1853)
Great Salt Lake City. August 12th 1853 Bathsheba W. Smith scribe
A blessing by John Smith, Patriarch, upon the head of Rebecca Williams daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth Swain, born in Northcumberland Co Pennsylvania August 3rd 1798.
Sister Rebecca. I place my hands upon thy head to seal upon you the blessings of our Father. I also confirm upon you all blessing which you have ever received from Patriarchs, Prophets, or Elders, and all the blessings of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Because you have embraced the Gospel in an early Day, and have experienced much affliction and many sorrows, inasmuch as you have borne it patiently, and have not murmured against the Lord, but you still abide in faith, the Lord is pleased with the integrity of your heart and your name is written in the Book with the names of the sanctified. You shall have the ministering of Angels to comfort you. That you shall have great wisdom. Shall be able to comprehend all things in heaven and in earth. The Lord hath not been indifferent to your afflictions. His bowels of mercy hath been toward you. He hath said it is enough. That you have been afflicted your losses shall all be made up in houses and lands. Men and maid servants. Fathers and Mothers. Husband and children. And you shall know the cause why you have been afflicted, and be satisfied, and in the world to come inherit eternal Life. You shall triumph over your enemies. Your children shall become exceeding numerous, be mighty in the priesthood. None shall excel them in Israel. You shall see your children, which you desire, in this valley. Live to the winding up scene of this generation, and inherit the blessing & glories of the Kingdom, with your Father’s House.
Amen11
1. Sidney Rigdon’s blessing is compared with F. G. Williams’s in chapter 27, beginning on p. 599.
2. Dean C. Jessee, Mark Ashurst-McGee, and Richard L. Jensen, eds., Journals, Volume 1: 1832–1839, vol. 1 of the Journals series of The Joseph Smith Papers, ed. Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2008), 19. A slightly edited version appears in Joseph Smith Jr., History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ed. B. H. Roberts, 2d ed., rev., 7 vols. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1971), 1:444 (hereafter cited as History of the Church).
3. Patriarchal Blessing Book 1:8–9, Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City. This transcript is taken from Early Patriarchal Blessings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, comp. H. Michael Marquardt (Salt Lake City: Smith-Petit Foundation, 2007), 3.
4. Patriarchal Blessing Book 1:13, in Marquardt, Early Patriarchal Blessings, 9.
5. Jessee, Ashurst-McGee, and Jensen, Journals, Volume 1, 61–62.
6. Bruce N. Westergren, ed., From Historian to Dissident: The Book of John Whitmer (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1995), 173–74.
7. Fred C. Collier and William S. Harwell, eds., The Kirtland Council Minute Book, 2d ed. (Salt Lake City: Collier’s Publishing, 2002), 101.
8. Patriarchal Blessing Book 1:30–32, in Marquardt, Early Patriarchal Blessings, 53–55. An almost identical transcription was recorded by Henrietta Elizabeth Crombie Williams—daughter-in-law of President Frederick G. Williams and wife of his son Dr. Ezra Granger Williams—in Frederick G. Williams, Medical ledger, 197, Church History Library, which suggests that Frederick had his own copy. Henrietta added, “Given in Kirtland, Geauga County, Ohio, September 14th 1835 by Patriarch Joseph Smith Sen. Oliver Cowdery Clerk.”
9. Patriarchal Blessing Book 1:31, in Marquardt, Early Patriarchal Blessings, 54. Again an almost identical transcription was recorded by Henrietta Elizabeth Crombie Williams in Frederick G. Williams, Medical ledger, 198, which suggests that Rebecca had also received her own copy of the blessing. Henrietta added, “Given in Kirtland, Geauga County, Ohio, September 14th 1835 by Patriarch Joseph Smith Sen. Oliver Cowdery Clerk.”
10. History of the Church, 2:273. Oliver Cowdery was the principal scribe, but Williams wrote a few blessings. See, for example, the blessings of Burr Riggs on June 7, 1835, Patriarchal Blessing Book 1:26–27; Agnes Smith, wife of Don Carlos Smith, on September 15, 1835, Patriarchal Blessing Book 1:8; Herman Hyde on September 20, 1835, Patriarchal Blessing Book 1:30; George M. Hinkle on September 26, 1835, Patriarchal Blessing Book 1:28; Newel K. Whitney on October 7, 1835, Patriarchal Blessing Book 1:33–34; Lyman Wight on December 29, 1835, Patriarchal Blessing Book 1:29–30; Ezra Hayes on December 29, 1835, Patriarchal Blessing Book 1:30; Abigail Dow on January 9, 1836, Patriarchal Blessing Book 1:39; and Willard Richards on February 22, 1837, Patriarchal Blessing Book 1:140–41, in Marquardt, Early Patriarchal Blessings, 31, 48, 53–54, 57–58, 61, 154.
11. Recorded by Henrietta Elizabeth Crombie Williams in Frederick G. Williams, Medical ledger, 198.
