Knob Creek Branch

One of the early branches of south west Tennessee was Knob Creek. Formed by Elder J. J. Fuller, it included just a handful of members.

The Knob Creek Branch was part of the South West Tennessee Conference. It is a small community about 10 miles south west of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. Even today it is a distinctly rural location.

Below is a list of the baptisms at Knob Creek.

Finlay Allison Houser: Baptized September 9th, 1883
Polly Houser (nee Shaffer): Baptized September 25th, 1883; Died in full faith September 3rd, 1885
Eveline Finney (nee Spiers): Baptized October 25th, 1883; widowed before 1880.
Matilda Green: Baptized October 25th, 1883; Excommunicated for apostasy June 7th, 1885
Aurena Marinda Spiers: Baptized Nov. 1st, 1883; Excommunicated for bad conduct Oct. 25th 1886.
John R Spiers: Baptized March 13th, 1884; died 1889 in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee.
Sarah Spiers (nee McGee): Baptized March 13th, 1884

In the summer following the batism of John and Sarah Spiers, "Elders J. A. Ross and A. J. McCueston were harassed considerably. While holding meeting in Knob Creek they were accosted by a fiendish mob of five, armed with hickory cudgels and warned to leave the county before 10 o'clock next day. Despite their portentious premonitions the Elders unrelentingly prosecuted their labors warning the people of the dangers of living in Babylon and partaking of the sins of the world."

No baptisms were reported after the mob violence. Two members were excommunicated, a third passed away. Reports about branch membership were noted twice a year, in February and August and continued until August 31st, 1888.
 
In 1895, when Elder Willard Washington Bean made his visit to Cane Creek, he met with the "Uncle" Fin Houser who told him quite a story about his conversion. Today, the area is part of the Lawrenceburg Ward.

Will the real Johnston F. Lane please stand up

One of the problems in researching people is that often you only have a small amount of information to go on. Take Johnston F. Lane, for example. My first clue to his identity is the healing of his wife and their subsequent baptism in 1834. From there, however, it is difficult to be sure whether every person with that name is the same person. It is entirely possible that I have two or more people with the same name, who joined the same church, and yet for whom no documented activities overlap.

Johnston F. Lane was born in Virginia in 1801 or 1809. His wife Matilda Kelly was born in Tennessee in 1815. In 1834 near Paris, Tennessee, Mrs. Lane, who had not been able to walk for 8 years, heard about Elder Patten and sent her husband to bring him back. Elder Patten wrote

I took her by the hand, and commanded her to arise in the name of Jesus Christ, and be made whole; and she arose, and was made whole every whit.

They were immediately baptized and during the confirmation Elder Patten promised she would have a son, which had been previously impossible due to her health. The Lanes did have a son shortly thereafter and named him David Patten Lane. Brother Lane was called to serve as the Clerk of the Tennessee Conference and at the same time was ordained an Elder. In some places this is date September, 2, 1836 and in other it is dates December 2, 1836. Patten never names Mrs Lane. And so the only connection between some of these events in the name Johnston F. Lane. In some cases it is spelled Johnson F Lane. And sometime the iddle initial in E and sometime P. If only research were only more clear cut.

In 1836, the Lanes moved from Paris Tennessee to just across the state line into Kentucky. In 1838, Brother Lane signed a petition sent to congress asking for redress for the depredations in Missouri. Not everyone who signed the petition actually lived in Missouri. Soon they moved to Nauvoo, Illinois. They buried a one year old child in Quincy, Adams County, Illinois on August 17th, 1839. Between 1841 and 1844 he shows up in Nauvoo Tax records. In 1845-47, he shows up in Ward 3 at Winter Quarters.
Johnston then joined a community of saints led by Charles B Thompson, also known as Father Ephraim, who started the settlement of Preservation, Iowa in the fall of 1852. Under Elder Thompson’s leadership, they held all property in common. Johnston F. Lane was selected as the first sheriff of Monona County in the election on April 3rd, 1854. He was also the first to die in the settlement in April of 1855. The community eventually dissolved when Elder Thompson left for Philadelphia to avoid a confrontation with them members of his church over the disposition of the common property.

Sister Lane died in Chase County, Nebraska on March 30th, 1886.

Problems? After his birth, probably in 1835, David Patten Lane is never mentioned again. A biography of the Lanes names four children: Clara Melissa, Joshua M., Francis E. and Joseph, but also notes that she had two other unnamed children that did not survive her. That same biography never mentions Tennessee as one of their homes, claiming they moved from Virginia straight to Illinois, but doesn’t explain how Matilda, who was from Tennessee, met Johnston. I'm not sure which events belong to the Mr. & Mrs. Johnston F Lane who were baptized by David Patten. It is possible all of them describe the life of the same couple. But I may never know for sure.

Out of my comfort zone

I stepped way outside my comfort zone last night. I went to a weeknight fireside put on by a descendent of Joseph Smith. She and her son joined the church back in the 1980's and now do firesides telling about their conversion. It was interesting, but going to the fireside was not the part that was outside my comfort zone. The presenter was late, really late, (rain delay) and so I positioned myself near the food (normal) and ended up pouring hot apple cider (normal). But for some reason I started talking to everybody I met (not normal). I spoke with perfect strangers and old friends, and as I did a funny thing happened. I met a few people who had been in the church in Tennessee since there was only one branch in all of Nashville over 40 years ago. There are now four or five stakes depending on what you consider Nashville.

We got to talking about where the buildings were, which ones were still standing, who had already written histories of the Stake, who were the right people to interview for living history. It was like I found a goldmine. One lady told me about watching the current stake center being built near her home. She would take her Labrador retriever walking through the site and he would love to play in the baptismal font, at least until they put the roof up.

We arranged to meet again, this time with a tape recorded (maybe a video recorder) and save some of the stories for posterity.

Wilford Woodruff & Warren Parrish

This is a continuation of Wilford Woodruff's mission to Tennessee

Wilford Woodruff did not stay in Memphis very long. Presumably he left on March 28^th, 1835, the day after he preached at the Josiah Jackson's Tavern. From there he followed the roads east to the town of Somerville in Fayette County and then to Bolivar in Hardeman County. From there Brother Woodruff turned north, arriving at Eagle Creek  in what is today Benton County. The trip from Memphis to Eagle Creek was about 140 miles and took about a week. Wilford appears to have been heading to meet two Elders already working in the area; David W. Patten and Warren Parrish. The two were probably the first to preach the restored gospel in Tennessee, having arrived in October 1834.

Wilford arrived at Eagle Creek on April 4^th 1835, a couple of months after Elder Patten had returned to Kirtland, Ohio. Brother Woodruff and Elder Parrish preached together for the next three and a half months. Their circuit included branches at Eagle Creek, Chalk Level, Cypress Branch, Blood River, Academy, Paris, and parts of Kentucky that were also along the Tennessee River.

Their companionship came to an end when they received a letter on June 23^rd from Oliver Cowdery asking Warren Parrish to return to Kirtland and leave Brother Woodruff in charge. The two spent the next four weeks putting things in order and preparing for elder Parrish's departure. On June 28^th, 1835, Elder Parrish ordains Wilford Woodruff an Elder.  He also ordains some Deacons over specific branches. Caswell Medlock over the Eagle Creek Branch and Able B Wilson over the Chalk Level Branch.

On July 23^rd, 1835, Warren Parrish departs  for Kirtland, Ohio. While serving together they baptized forty people, according to Elder Woodruff's estimate. From then until the following December Elder Wilford Woodruff would be the only LDS missionary in Tennessee.

Abraham Owen Smoot before Far West

Abraham Owen Smoot was born 17 February 1815 in Owenton, Kentucky, to Ann Rowlett and George W. Smoot. His family moved to Tennessee when he was thirteen. After joining the Mormon Church on 22 March 1835, he was active in missionary work in Kentucky and Tennessee. He was a companion of Wilford Woodruff (no not the one that left him alone injured in a swamp). They got along so well that Wilford named one of his sons after him; Abraham Owen Woodruff.

Abraham is also known for being the only source of the "David Patten meets Cain/Bigfoot" story which is quoted in Spencer W. Kimball's Miracle of Forgiveness. It is an interesting tale which I can not say much about. Except two things ...

1) We have the story second hand. Given the opportunity would David Patten confirm it?

2) Smoot did not at the time record the story in his journal.

In 1837, Abraham returned to his old mission field to bring converts to Far West, Missouri, which at the time was the gathering place of Zion. Smoot would later write that he "went South, and in the month of May had succeeded in organizing a company of about two hundred souls with about forty teams and started on our journey." (Nixon and Smoot, Abraham Owen Smoot, 71). Exactly who was in the company is hard to say. An official list does not exist but some names have been identified. [As I write this I start thinking this would be a fun list to compile.]

David W. Patten's first mission to Tennessee

David Wyman Patten and Warren Parrish, were probably the first two missionaries to preach the restored gospel in Tennessee. Elder Patten described the historic events.

I started in company with brother Warren Parish to go into the world to preach the Gospel, travelled through Upper Missouri, preaching by the way. At La Grange I took steamboat for St. Louis, and from thence by steamboat to the mouth of the Ohio, where we landed October 2nd [1834], and proceeded to Paris, in Tennessee; where we tarried about three months, preaching the Gospel in that vicinity and the region round about, we baptized twenty, during which time several instances of the healing power of God were made manifest, one of which I will mention, which was wrought upon the wife of Mr. Johnston F. Lane, who had been sick for eight years, and for the last year had been unable to walk, she hearing of us, and the faith we preached, prevailed on her husband to send for us: I went with him immediately and taught them the Gospel, showing what power was exercised by the Lord upon those who had faith; she believed with all her heart all the words which I spake unto her; and I laid my hands upon her and said, "In the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke this disorder, and command it to depart." I took her by the hand, and commanded her to arise in the name of Jesus Christ, and be made whole; and she arose, and was made whole every whit. I then commanded her to go to the water and be baptized; she walked down straightway the same hour, and was baptized. After I had baptized and confirmed her I told her she should amend and gain strength, and in less than one year she should have a son (she had been married some twelve years, and had no children,) which came to pass according to my words, and the parents called the child David Patten; she afterwards bore several children.

This and many other events contributed to Elder Patten's reputation as a healer in the South. His first mission lasted only 3 months. It would not be his last mission to Tennessee.

[Try as I might, I could not find any other records of Johnston Lane, his wife, or the son they named after Elder Patten].

LDS History Blogs

Here is an interesting site that you might have missed. LDS History Blog. The premise is to gather in one spot local LDS histories. Hal Pierce has written "The History of the Rise of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" in a handful (eight as of the time I write this) of U. S. States. So far they have all been written by Hal himself but he openly offers to put up"Ward, Stake, Area, and/or State histories" that are sent to him.

Anyone with historical information about the rise of the Church is invited to share that information by sending it to this website and it will be added.

Who is N. L. Brown and why do I care?

I can't tell you why you would care, I'll leave that to you to decide after you read about who he is. Below is a snippet from the Elders Journal of the Southern States Mission, Volume 4 on page 316.

N. L. Brown's Opinion of the Latter Day Saints

     The following is a copy of an affidavit voluntarily made and circulated by a former Tennesseean. The JOURNAL has received several copies of this declaration and since the author has lived in the South. the publication of his opinion of the Mormon people as he found them will no doubt be interesting.

Garland Utah February 28 1907

To WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
     This is to certify that I have lived in Utah among the people called Mormons nearly four years and can truthfully say that they are truthful honest upright and virtuous that they live their religion and practice what they teach.
     Had I found them different instead of being in these Valleys of the Mountains I would be breathing the atmosphere in the Blue Hills of Eastern Tennessee

N. L. BROWN,

Formerly of Evensville, Rhea Co Tenn

Such statements were meant to counter the horrid stories coming out against the Mormons in the newspapers at the time. Of course I can't help myself. I just had to figure who this person could be. The brevity of the record just begs to be fleshed out. Just how many N. L. Browns could there be? [you don't want to know]. But I did have some clues to go on. I know he was living in Garland, Utah in 1907, and that he lived in Rhea County, Tennessee prior to 1903.

My new favorite starting point for searches like this is the Census. I start in 1910. Sometimes I find if I narrow my search I don't have to filter through a lot of distracting material. I can easily get distracted. In 1910 I find a 49 year old (born in Feb 1861) Nathaniel L Brown, living in Ogden with his 42 year old wife Maggie (born Jun 1867) and four children: Leonard C. (20), Lester L.(16), Fletcher B. (13), and Soren E. (9). He and his children were born in Tennessee. His wife was born in Georgia. Surprizingly enough, he is my only hit. So I start to widen my search. But still just one hit. This may be easier than I thought.

After finding no other N. Browns who lived in Utah and Tennessee, I decide to see if I could verify that this might be him. So I start looking for Nathaniel Brown born in Tennessee in 1861. I see him still in Utah in 1920, but that is really no surprise, and brings me no closer to my goal.

In 1900, I see a Nathaniel L Brown in Rhea County, Tennessee. But are they the same person? This Nathaniel is married to Lydia M. Brown. But don't let the name fool you. She was born in Georgia too and is the right age (32). They have 5 childen Hulda L. (14), Curtain H. (10), Joseph B. (8), Hester L. (6), and Fletcher B. (3). OK there are a couple of matches. But there are some parts I can't explain.  Hulda and Joseph could have moved out or even passed away, but Curtain H. only matches Leonard C. by age. If I could just find a second document to verify this is who I a looking for.

Having seen enough Census records to know that name are not always consistent between the decades I figure I could still go back another 10 years to see what I would find....except that the 1890 census is unavailable [mild profanity].

The 1880 census doesn't really tell me much about Nathaniel. It was 5 years before he would marry Lydia. But I do see that his father, Joseph, is a carpenter which matches Nathaniel's profession in Utah. Interesting, but not really proof.

Family Search turns up two Nathaniel L Browns and one Nathaniel LaFayette Brown all born in February 1861 in Rhea County Tennessee. Honestly they are probably all the same person. I don't generally like to use Family Search as a reliable original document. But the leads can be very useful in tracking down the original documents. The first was based on LDS Church membership records and shows a baptismal date of 29 October 1899. But nothing else useful. The second shows the same sources with only a slightly different birth date 10 Feb 1861 versus 16 Feb 1861.

The third however is a gold mine. Full names for each of the children, including a set of twins, a boy and a girl with very similar names, who were born and then died before they would ever have appeared on any census. Curtain H. is listed as Howard Curten, which explains Leonard C, especially when I go back to the census and understand how the nearly illegible Howard could have been mistaken for Leonard.

Beyond that I now have phone numbers, email addresses and other ways of contacting people who are probably descendents. To tell you the truth though, I have never had anyone return my phone call or email.

From there I checked other sources. In a handwritten copy of the Early Tennesse Baptims I find these entries. Nathaniel L Brown was baptized on October 29th, 1899 by Cristo Hyldahl and confirmed the same day by L. R. Anderson. His wife, Maggie L. Brown was baptized and confirmed a month later on November 26th, 1899 by F. B Hammond. Their daughter Hulda Brown was baptized and confirmed on April 15th, 1900 by L. E. Jordan.

From The LDS Southern Star I find that Brother Brown was ordained a priest and set apart as the superintendent of the Oak Hill Branch Sunday School. The branch had been organized by Elder David H Elton. I also found this letter.

Editor Southern Star


Please allow me a little space in your welcome weekly visitor to tell to its many readers what the Lord has done for us through the humble Elders. I will never forget the rainy evening three years ago that Elder Soren Peterson and E. R. Needham came to my house. We granted them shelter from the depths of our hearts. I will never forget the words spoken by them when they promised if we would be humble and prayerful we would never regret the day the Elders visited us. Since that good day we have had the pleasure of entertaining thirty four Elders and have heard 400 sermons preached and have had many Gospel conversations I have read my Bible and compared its teachings with those of the Latter day Saints and found them to be in harmony. My wife and myself were baptized the latter part of last year and since that time much joy has filled our hearts I bless the day that the Elders found their way to our door. Best wishes we send to the readers of the Star. Your brother and sister in the Gospel.


NL BROWN AND WIFE

So they named their last child Soren Elton Brown, after one of the Missionaries who broguht them the gospel, Soren Peterson, and another missionary David H Elton, who had formed the Oak Hill Branch. I think I have enough to be confident these are the same people. So why do you care? If you have to ask......

Wilford Woodruff in Memphis part 2

Wilford Woodruff finally made it to Memphis Tennessee where he reached an agreement with Josiah Jackson, the owner of a large local tavern to preach in exchange for some food and a place to eat. In Woodruff's own words.....

"He took my valise and the landlady got me a good supper I sat down in a large hall to eat. Before I got through the room began to be filled by some of the rich and fashionable people of Memphis dressed in their broadcloth and silk while my appearance was such as you can imagine after traveling through the mud as I had done. When I had finished eating the table was carried out of the room over the heads of the people I was placed in the corner of the room with a stand having a Bible hymn book and candle on it hemmed in by a dozen men with the landlord in the center.

There were present some five hundreds persons who had come together not to hear a gospel sermon but to have some fun I read a hymn and asked them to sing. Not a soul would sing a word. I told them I had not the gift of singing but with the help of the Lord I would both pray and preach. I knelt down to pray and the men around me dropped on their knees. I prayed to the Lord to give me His spirit and to show me the hearts of the people. I promised the Lord in my prayer that I would deliver to that congregation whatever He would give to me. I arose and spoke one hour and a half and it was one of the best sermons of my life. The lives of the congregation were open to the vision of my mind and I told them of their wicked deeds and the reward they would obtain. The men who surrounded me dropped their heads. Three minutes after I closed I was the only person in the room.

Soon I was shown to a bed in a room adjoining a large one in which were assembled many of the men whom I had been preaching to. I could hear their conversation. One man said he would like to know how that Mormon boy knew of their past lives. In a little while they got to disputing about some doctrinal point. One suggested calling me to decide the point. The landlord said No we have had enough for once. In the morning I had a good breakfast. The landlord said if I came that way again to stop at his house and stay as long as I might choose.

Memphis was a young city at the time. It's founding in 1819, and incorporation in 1826, was funded by a group of investors which included Andrew Jackson, a general of the war of 1812. Coincidently, Jackson was President of the United States when Woddruff made his visit to Memphis in 1835. That there would have been a tavern large enough to hold 500 people is remarkanble since that number of people would fill an average LDS chapel. In addition, the population of Memphis in 1830 was only 663, and in 1840 was only 1,799. The number who lived there in 1835 would be just a guess, but was probably between the two figures. Since I don't hink the 500 number is realistic (though not impossible) I can only conclude that there was some understandable embellishment.

I did look  for a record of Josiah Jackson or this tavern at which Woodruff stayed but found nothing. I did find The Gayoso House Hotel was built a few years later in 1842 and was a large first class hotel included indoor plumbing with marble tubs, silver faucets and flush toilets. That there could have been a large tavern prior to it is certainly plausible.

Wilford Woodruff in Memphis part 1

Those of you who have been following Keepapitchinin will know Ardis has been posting a treasure. Comics about the first mission of Wilford Woodruff. Today should be the first episode about the part of his mission in Tennessee.

Wilford Woodruff was not the first missionary to Tennessee, but he was one of the earliest. It was the evening of March 27th, 1835 he crossed the Mississippi River and stayed in Memphis, Tennessee. Those familiar with the tales of his life will recognize the story. He described it in an article printed in the Millennial Star.

I went to the best tavern in the place, kept by Mr. Josiah Jackson. I told him I was a stranger, and had no money. I asked him if he would keep me over night. He asked me what my business was. I told him I was a preacher of the Gospel. He laughed, and said that I did not look much like a preacher. I did not blame him, as all the preachers he had ever been acquainted with rode on fine horses or in fine carriages, clothed in broadcloth, and had large salaries, and would see this whole world sink to perdition before they could wade through one hundred and seventy miles of mud to save the people.

“The landlord wanted a little fun, so he said he would keep me if I would preach. He wanted to see if I could preach. I must confess that by this time I became a little mischievous, and pled with him not to set me preaching. The more I pled to be excused, the more determined Mr. Jackson was that I should preach. [Millennial Star, June 20, 1881, 391]

In an earlier version of this story, Wilford Woodruff explained Mr Jackson's motivations a little differently. "I was suspected of being an impostor. Mr. Jackson believed I was one of Murril's clan, who were then murdering and stealing negroes" Woodruff believed that Mr. Jackson wanted to test him to prove whether he was indeed a preacher. [Millennial Star, April 15, 1865, 231]

At the time, in Tennessee, the interstate slave trade was proscribed by law. Slavers did an illegal but lucrative business along the Mississippi River. In fact, Tennessee was a hotbed of abolitionist sentiment at the time. It wasn't until cotton agriculture took hold in western Tennessee in the 1850's that public sentiment in the State turn pro-slavery.

I find it fascinating that Wilford was dressed so that he would have been mistaken for a slaver. I'm guessing his clothes were not very clean, and probably not very fine to start with.

to be continued.......