Friday, February 19, 2010

Missionaries Who Served in Tennessee 1834-1838

LDS missionary work in Tennessee came in waves. The first was during the Ohio/Missouri Period. There is a vague reference to two elders (Major N. Ashley and Burr Riggs) being called to go into the south country in the Doctrine and Covenants (75:17) on January 25th 1832. I couldn't find where the two went or if they went at all. It would be two more years before LDS missionaries made a confirmed visit to Tennessee.

1834
David W. Patten
Warren Parrish

1835
Warren Parrish
Wilford Woodruff
Calvin H. Nicholson
Elias F. Wells
Daniel Cathcart
Abraham O. Smoot
Benjamin Clapp

1836
David Patten
Warren Parrish
Wilford Woodruff
Elias F. Wells
Daniel Cathcart
Abraham O. Smoot
Benjamin Boydston
Samuel West
Thomas B Marsh
Elijah. H. Groves

1837
Abraham O. Smoot
Henry G. Sherwood

1838
Jesse Turpin
Don Carlos Smith
George A. Smith
Julian Moses

Of course, there were probably others I haven't identified yet. Often their call was to an area much larger than just Tennessee, so the church records don't indicate "Tennessee" in a easily searchable format. Many of the Elders listed here served off and on until 1837-8 when troubles in Missouri shifted their focus.

2 comments:

Justin said...

I notice that Berrett's thesis cites a few other Tennessee missionaries between 1834 and 1838, some local, e.g., Henry G. Sherwood and Jesse Turpin

One other name I've come across is Milton Holmes (cited in The Journals of William E. McLellin, p. 409).

Bruce said...

Thanks Justin. That is good to know. I'll check out Berrett's thesis and McLellin's journal.

Now that you bring it up I think Randolph Alexander should be on the list too. And I wonder when John D Lee started preaching in Tennessee. Mmmmmmm.