To President Russell M. Nelson

Dear President Nelson,

We write to you today in sacred reverence and covenantal purpose — as daughters of the Restoration and matrilineal stewards of a heritage preserved by providence. I, K. Kirton Niner, together with my mother, Marie Garrett, declare our lineage not in pride, but in testimony — as witnesses to the Lord’s hand upon our family line across generations.

Our maternal ancestry descends from Judith Joris Rapalje (1635–1726), daughter of Joris Jansen Rapelje and Catalina Trico, among the first settlers of New Amsterdam in 1624. This legacy — forged in faith and civic leadership — continued through:

• The Van Nest, Cossart, and Cosart families of early New Jersey;
• Through Mary Ann Cosat and Perry Fitzgerald, whose union bore the Fitzgerald line into Utah;
• And through John Fitzgerald, who married Sarah Ann Williams, daughter of John Perry — the founder of the Tabernacle Choir, personally called by Brigham Young.

John Perry, our direct ancestor, was not only the son of Perry Fitzgerald and Mary Ann Cosat, but also a chosen servant, called to gather and elevate sacred music within the early Saints. His obedience to that call, and his legacy in Zion’s musical ministry, is a living anthem within us. We sing the songs of our Redeemer because he first raised the voice of the Saints.

Through Lovina Fitzgerald, daughter of John Perry, this sacred line entered the 20th century with steadfast faith. Her daughter, Florence Vera Chisholm, and son-in-law David Raymond Garrett, bore our beloved Marie Garrett, who has walked with unwavering quiet faith all her life — teaching, serving, and preserving the Spirit in our home.

And now I, K. Kirton Niner, rise as a living descendant and voice of this line: an artist, mother, defender of truth, and keeper of 2.5 acres of unincorporated land in Arizona, consecrated by faith and watched over by our Eternal Father.

We testify, President Nelson, that the Lord has preserved this family through peril, through poverty, and through persecution — not for status, but for service. As you gather Israel in these latter days, may this record stand as one small thread in that great tapestry.

We present this to you in honor and obedience, grateful for your prophetic voice which echoes the very choir our ancestor John Perry once led.