A Newspaper That Crossed an Ocean in 3 Days | The Logan Temple Miracle, Revisited

Send us Fan MailHow did an English newspaper reach a Logan, Utah bishop just three days after it was printed — in 1884, when such a journey was physically impossible? In this episode, host Tia Smith revisits the beloved "Miracle of the Newbury Weekly News" and then shares the rest of the story from the England side, with a cemetery tour and an interview with Colin Williams, a writer and local church-history specialist who lives near where it all began.Tia first retells the miracle: Bishop Henry Ballard — an English convert who helped build the Logan Temple — received, through two unknown messengers who handed it to his young daughter, a copy of the Newbury Weekly News from near his birthplace, dated only days earlier. Inside was a churchyard article recording names, birth and death dates from a Thatcham cemetery — exactly the information needed to do his family's temple work. The temple president told him plainly: someone on the other side was anxious for their work to be done.Then Colin and fellow historian Rachel Guy walk us through St. Mary's Church in Thatcham and the very graves the mysterious "Wanderer" recorded, and Colin fills in the remarkable history behind the story — how the Newbury area saw explosive church growth in the 1840s, the Ballard family's roots in Cold Ash, the area's ties to James E. Talmage, and the quiet faith of the "scattered members" who held on for generations. It's a testimony that miracles aren't only the dramatic ones — they're woven through ordinary lives on both sides of the veil, and that our stories are what bind us together.Q: What is the Miracle of the Newbury Weekly News?A: In 1884, just after the Logan Temple was dedicated, Bishop Henry Ballard received a newspaper from Newbury, Berkshire, England — near his birthplace — delivered by two strangers to his young daughter, only days after printing. It contained names and dates from an English cemetery that allowed him to perform temple ordinances for his kindred dead.Q: Who was the "Wanderer"?A: The Wanderer was the unnamed author of a churchyard article in the Newbury Weekly News who, seemingly for love of old cemeteries and their poetry, recorded the inscriptions, names, and dates from a Thatcham graveyard — the very information that became a temple-work miracle for the Ballard family.Q: Is the story documented and verified?A: Yes. The account was recorded in detail by descendant Mary Myrtle Ballard Shirtliff, who investigated and disproved the theory that the paper was postdated. Bishop Ballard later returned to England, visited the same cemetery, and gathered more names for temple work. Elder M. Russell Ballard also personally verified the newspaper.Q: Why does the England side of the story matter?A: It gives the miracle its full context — the explosive early growth of the Church around Newbury, the Ballard family's roots, and the faithful "scattered members" who kept the faith through decades with no organized congregation. It's a reminder that ordinary, everyday faith is its own kind of miracle.👉 Watch or listen to the full episode: [PASTE FULL EPISODE LINK]📎 Read the full account of the miracle on FamilySearch: [PASTE LINK FROM EPISODE]▶️ WATCH & LISTEN🎬 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thinningoftheveil🌐 Website: https://www.thinningoftheveil.com🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinning-of-the-veil/id1753511394🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jWCfMHkZXwnSwy2b98J4M🎵 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a0a45561-d4c2-46d3-af8d-a1e967a21a25📖 BOOKPatterns of Revelation — Spiritual Foundations for Hearing God's Voice: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW36MG9B📱 CONNECTInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinning.of.the.veilFacebook Group (Gathering of the Gatherers): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1429562078443774Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thinningoftheveil💛 SUPPORT THE SHOWVenmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/thinningoftheveilPayPal: https://paypal.me/thinningoftheveil✉️ Have you had a thinning of the veil experience? Email [email protected] — your testimony may be exactly what someone needs to hear.#ThinningOfTheVeil #NewburyWeeklyNews #LoganTemple #FamilyHistory #TempleWorkCITATIONS: Henry Ballard FamilySearch Memories: https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/memories/KW6D-2ZP Support the show