JS and others, Blessing, to , , Geauga Co., OH, 1 Mar. 1835. Featured version copied [not before 25 Feb. 1836] in Minute Book 1, pp. 181–182; handwriting of ; CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for Minute Book 1.
We you to be an in the . When you did obey the gospel the eye of the Lord was upon you, and you are now called and set apart. You shall go to many land & Islands, where missionaries are now stationed, and some of them shall receive the truth at your mouth. You shall have powers over all weapons formed against you. You shall see the Heavens opened and the spirits of the Just shall min [p. 181]
Alden Burdick (1803–1845) was born in western New York, the son of Gideon Burdick and Catherine Robertson. He and his family were baptized near Buffalo, New York, in June 1833. His father moved to Kirtland sometime in November 1833. Alden may have moved there around the same time. (Bennett, “Ancestors of Gideon Burdick,” 2–3; “Short Sketch of the Life of Mother/Laura Burdick Smith,” 1.)
Bennett, Archibald F. “ The Ancestors of Gideon Burdick,” no date. Typescript. Burdick Family Histories. CHL. MS 18469.
“Short Sketch of the Life of Mother/Laura Burdick Smith,” no date. Typescript. Burdick Family Histories. CHL. MS 18469.
This probably refers to missionaries from other churches. Except for excursions into Upper Canada, no missionaries for the church had yet preached outside of the United States or on any islands. (For an example of preaching in Upper Canada, see JS, Journal, 14–29 Oct. 1833.)