Saga of the Sanpitch Volume 17, 1985 - Sanpete County

BISHOP FARNWORTH'S VISION
Brother George Farnworth, who is bishop of Mount Pleasant, Sanpete County, is a very faithful, earnest
laborer in the cause of truth, and had, about the time of the "Manti Temple dedication, a very singular and
instructive experience.
For some length of time previous to the dedication of the temple he was greatly exercised in his mind
as to his own kindred and the work to be done for them. He had no records, no names. Yet he knew he had
relatives, for he was the only one of his family in the church. The dedication of the temple and the work set a
going there, naturally increased this anxiety and longing for knowledge on the part of Brother Farnworth.
He started from his home in Mount Pleasant to visit Manti shortly after the dedication of the temple,
and what then occurred to him we will let him relate in his own words:
"The Morning of the 16th of July 1888" about 10 o'clock while I was traveling between Pigeon Hollow
and the Ephraim grave yard I felt a very strange sensation such as I never before experienced. Under this
influence I went along and chancing to raise my eyes, it seemed that right in front of me there was a vast
multitude of men; to the right and a little in front stood a large man about the size of my father, who
weighed two hundred and forty-two pound. This man waved his right hand towards the multitude and said:
"These are your kindred! And we have been waiting, waiting, waiting! Waiting for your temple to be
finished. It is now dedicated and accepted by our Father„ You are our representative, and we want you to do
for us what we cannot do for ourselves. You have had the privilege of hearing the gospel of the Son of God; we
had not that great blessing,"
As he ceased, I looked at the great concourse and realized that they were all men, and thought it
strange there were no women„ I tried to recognize some of them but could not as I knew none. The thought
came strongly into my mind, "How can I find out their names, who and what they are?" Then a voice seemed
to answer in my ears,
"When that will be required, it will be made known."
I felt while looking at them, "0 shall I be worthy to help them?" whereupon I found tears were rolling
down my cheeks and in the humility of my soul I shouted, "God help me!" adding aloud, "God being my helper
I will do all I can" and it seemed as if the whole host shouted with one voice, "Amen!"
I could stand it no longer, and cried aloud, while wiping my face and eyes . After I could control myself,
I looked ahead and all had gone.
During all this time, my team were going ahead at their own gait, but I had got no nearer to the
multitude. Some of these men had white and some had dark clothes on. All their heads were uncovered.
By the time I came to myself I was at the Ephraim graveyard, and was so weak that when I reached the
house of a sister where I sometimes stayed, I felt too overcome to go further, but tied up my team and went
into the house to rest.
My sincere prayer is, "God help me to do all I can for them!"
No one could describe the pleasure and exquisite joy that filled the heart of the Bishop at the heavenly
manifestation given him. The sequel was yet to come.
Arrived at the temple, he related his experience to President Wells and others. It reached the ears of
Brother Frank Farnsworth of St. George who was then a recorder in the temple. He went to Bishop Farnworth
and told him that in searching for his own genealogies while on a foreign tour he had found many Farnworths
and although not his own kindred he had still felt the impulse to gather their names and did so. "Now," he
added, "you are welcome to these names for they are evidently your own kindred."
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