Philo Dibble, Faithful Friend of the Prophet
Figure 1 . Philo Dibble, who is buried in the Springville, Utah, Cemetery. Philo Dibble showed faith and courage throughout his life. He was an early convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed the Mormons) and a close friend to the Prophet Joseph Smith who recorded several miracles and important events in Church history in Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, and Utah. He was born in Peru, Massachusetts, on June 6, 1806. Marrying Celia Kent in 1829, the couple moved to the Kirtland, Ohio, area (three miles west of Chardon). One fall morning in 1830, while the twenty-four-year-old Philo stood by his gate, two neighbors asked if he had heard the news about four missionaries with a new book called the Book of Mormon. One of those missionaries claimed to have seen an angel. Though the men ridiculed the idea of angels visiting the earth, Philo thought that if an angel had appeared, he wanted to know about it. He and Celia went to investigate. ...