RLDS Church History Context

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Source: Church History Vol. 3 Chapter 39 Page: 754

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754 preach, and Mrs. Powers, who is yet alive, and residing with her daughter, Mrs. Cator, at Marion, Iowa, says: "Both believed that it was the doctrine as Christ taught it."

The daughter writes, under date of January 7, 1900, as follows: "Mother cannot remember why they did not obey it then. Possibly the death of Joseph and the breaking up of the church shortly after may have influenced them. They left Canada and moved to Wisconsin, in 1848, settling on a farm near Beloit, where they lived until father's death. Several families of saints lived near them, viz.: Henry Pease, Jason W. Briggs, Ed. Briggs, and others."

Elder Powers was early in the movement to reorganize the church, having united with the church in 1852, both he and his wife being baptized by Elder Z. H. Gurley. He related to a friend that this action was not taken until after a severe sickness, during which he was made to understand that there was no hope for him except in obeying that which he had been convinced for years was the truth.

In 1854, be was ordained a seventy by J. W. Briggs, Z. H. Gurley, and Reuben Newkirk. This office he held for one year.

At the April General Conference of 1855, Samuel Powers and David Newkirk were ordained apostles to fill vacancies in the Quorum of Twelve occasioned by the expulsion of H. H. Deam and John Cunningham, which occurred at the Semiannual Conference in October, 1854. Samuel Powers was ordained an apostle under the hands of J. W. Briggs, D. B. Rasey, and Z. H. Gurley. For the remainder of his life he was prominently and zealously connected with the church, and did much missionary work. He was present at the April conference of 1860, and assisted in the ordination of President Joseph Smith. His death occurred at his home near Beloit, Wisconsin, February 16, 1873.

His daughter pays the following tribute to his worth: "We know that he was faithful unto death. His only regret on his deathbed was that he had not given more of his time to God's work. He was a kind and loving husband and father. I feel that he hastened his death by working to care for his family and preaching whenever he could; but

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