125 years ago today - Dec 16, 1894

[Patriarchal Blessing of Samuel RosKelley by James G. Willie]

... thou art of Ephriam through the loins of ElKanah, and Ephrathite, and of Samuel his son. And inasmuch as thy great grogenitor [progenitor] was called upon to administer unto the Great High Priest so that great influence which he enjoyed to administer unto the Holy of the Holies and wait upon Eli the great High Priest and became great and mighty in the things of God, that has descended unto thee for his blood permeates in thy veins. ... the Lord will bless thy progenitors, they have a watchful eye over thee, and the day will come, and that not very long, when your progenitors will visit you, when they will reveal unto thee the full links of thy ancestry, according to the geneology [genealogy] of the Priesthood as it has been handed down from the days of Adam. And those eho have not had the opportunities that you and I have had to live in this great gospel day, they shall be redeemed, they shalt stand forth upon Mount Zion as a Saviour, of the true and living God. ... for thy eyes shall sparkle as living diamonds, that every power within its grasp shall fall before thee. ... and some must "bite the dust" and lay down their lives for the testimony of Jesus Christ as they have done in ancient days. ...