Inspiring Story

In April 1888, the Hales moved to Cache Valley, bringing their voluminous genealogical records with them, and began an extensive temple activity. They arranged with Samuel Roskelley to prepare the sheets for temple work. He kept names in the temple continuously from then unto about 1903. The Hale family had a week-long reunion in the temple about 1905, when they completed the last baptism and endowment, and then on Friday afternoon the last sealing was done for the 4,000 family members.

As President Merrill neared Smithfield that night on his way to Richmond, he turned to tell the temple good-bye, as was his custom, and his heart about jumped out of his body. He could see the temple was on fire, but as he looked at it for a few minutes he was satisfied that there were no red flames licking upwards. The whole temple was filled with light, and the outside of the building shone with a pale pink glow. All the people in the neighborhood gathered to watch the phenomena and said they heard a heavenly choir sing for nearly two hours.

Everyone marveled at the sight, for there were no electric lights or others means for lighting the building until ten years later in 1915. The same thing happened the following night, too, with all the rooms and the building lighted, and the heavenly choir singing.

President Merrill knew that we had had a very heavenly manifestation. When he reported the incident to President Wilford Woodruff, the president asked what special work had been done in the temple. He was told of the unusual activity of the Hale family and how they had accomplished so much in such a little time. President Woodruff said the Hale and Boynton families had been permitted to come from the Other Side, to sing and rejoice and celebrate their deliverance in the Logan Temple.

Nolan P. Olsen, Logan Temple: The First 100 Years, p175