Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Bigham Family's Missionary Guestbook

Have you ever signed a guestbook? Ever wonder if anyone ever read your name wondering who you were. Well, a while ago I was blessed with a missionary guestbook belonging to E.S. Bigham, a member from the Humphreys County area of Tennessee. He started keeping a guestbook in the blank pages of his "Ready References" book. The book was published by George Q. Cannon in 1891 for the use of LDS missionaries. All I received were photocopies of the pages with missionary signatures. Brother Bigham wrote in the names of missionaries he knew had been to his home until March 1898, which I'm guessing is when he obtained the book. Thereafter his missionary guests signed the book themselves. Not all of them dated their signature, and even fewer indicated where they were from. A few only gave their last name.

Maybe one of you is related to or knows more about these missionaries. A few I have written about. Most I have never heard of before. What can you tell me?
NameFromDate
George W. Stanger1887
Don C Markham1887
Richard Shipp1887
Bard Shipp1887
B. H. Roberts1887
Stephen S.C. Worthington1887
A. Srouris1887
Elias S. Wright1887
James Danghs1887
Borks[no date]
Ray McGenty[no date]
Ernest E. Brown[no date]
James M. Eardley[no date]
Henry A. Grove[no date]
Oley C. Olsen[no date]
Joseph D. Young[no date]
Thadeous W. Naylor[no date]
John Barker[no date]
Nephi M. Savage[no date]
Robert G. Archibald[no date]
Warren C. Christenson[no date]
C. O. Christenson[no date]
Shepherd Crowther[no date]
John L. Bench Jr.Fairview, San Pete Co., Utah31 Mar 1898
R. G. LoweFranklin, Oneida Co., Idaho31 Mar 1898
James M. SmithLogan, Cache Co., Utah[no date]
Emery F. BarrnsFairview, Wyoming[no date]
David C. ShupeNorth Ogden, Utah16 Jun 1899
Reigo S. HawkinsSalt Lake City16 Jun 1899
H. L. PettyEmery, Emery Co., Utah8 July 1899
R. J. FoulgerSalt Lake City, Utah8 July 1899
James LarsonBrigham City4 Dec 1898
Walter J. RandallPrada, Gila Co., Arizona29 Jul 1899
William P. MurrayWellsville, Cache Co., Utah19 Aug 1899
Edmond S. ParkinsonFranklin, Oneida Co., Idaho19 Aug 1899
J. Urban AllredLehi, Utah Co., Utah19 Aug 1899
Mora StewartMesa City, Maricopa Co., Ariz
John L. BergesonLewiston, Cache Co., Utah6 Sep 1899
Alma OlsenLogan, Cache Co., Utah4 Dec 1899
Alfred FullerPine, Gila, Arizona26 Feb 1900
W. L. MooperWeston, Oneida Co., Idaho26 Feb 1900
John R. SouthRandolph, Rich Co., Utah10 May 1901
David HallsMancos, Montezuma Co., Colo10 May 1901
Wilbur SowardsManassa, Colorado4 Nov 1901
Charles E. KapperLogan City, Utah4 Nov 1901
Chas H. MartteryKockland, Idaho1902
A. G. HaskellManassa, Colorado1 Apr 1902
Heber OgdenRichfield, Utah15 Apr 1902
Melvin P. MillerMurray, Utah
Orson W. RaulinSalt Lake City, Utah[no date]
L. R. PorterPorterville, Morgan Co., Utah[no date]
C. M. AlstonSalt Lake City, Utah[no date]
Martin A. ClingerLakeview, Utah31 Oct 1902
Jesse F. CooperOverton, Nevada31 Oct 1902
John W. CaspersenPreston, Oneida Co., IdahoJan 1903
George J. FoxSalt Lake City, Utah[no date]
Wm Geo Brough Jr.Porterville, Morgan Co., Utah[no date]
J. W. JohnsonSalem, Utah Co., Utah10 Jun 1903
Golden Shields[no date]
Joseph IpsonPaguitch, Utah19 Aug 1904
L. W. HatchWoodruff, Navajo Co., Ariz19 Aug 1904
John ReddenColeville, Summit Co., Utah19 Aug 1904
Lorenzo HansenPreston, Oneida Co., Idaho4 Dec 1904
John G. ShieldsLincoln, Tooele Co., Utah9 Dec 1904
J. F. BrownFairview, Wyoming9 Dec 1904
Qinn C. WhittierOakley, Cassia Co., Idaho9 Dec 1904
Elmer KimberGrouse Creek, Utah9 Apr 1905
C. E. Rowan Jr.Coyoto, Garfield Co., Utah9 Apr 1905
Hugh Roberts21 Aug 1905
Albert W. Bonham Hooper, Weber,
Utah
20 Jan 1906
John H. BagleyNibley, Union Co., Oregon20 Jan 1906
James William HansenPayson Utah9 Mar 1906
Wm D. BockerSalt Lake City, Utah[no date]
Emery E. HuntsmanEnterprise, Washington Co., Utah12 Jul 1906
Silas W. BillsRiverton, Salt Lake Co., Utah15 Jul 1906
Miller[no date]
Jas T. MooreProspect, Idaho 6 Jan 1907
Michaelson[no date]
David J. StewartGrover, Wayne Co., Utah6 Jan 1907
[illegible][no date]
[illegible][no date]
Larson[no date]

10 comments:

Christopher said...

What a cool source, Bruce. This is useful is trying to determine how frequently these members had contact with missionaries, which in turn could sometimes affect how frequently Latter-day Saints met together for worship.

Bruce said...

I also thought it would help me identify where missionaries served. The Missionary Index in SLC only names the mission. It does not say where in a mission they were assigned. That, in turn, could lead to tracking down journals or letters for the missionary which might describe who they met while serving there. OK it is a pipe dream, but I have had some (i. e. a little) success with this.

Ardis E. Parshall said...

I recognize a few names, chiefly from your earlier posts. I know Charles Elliott Rowan because of my work on Piute County -- after his Southern States service, he was Garfield Stake president and president of the Texas Mission (early 1930s).

What a treasure!

Bruce said...

Thanks Ardis, I am impressed you knew his full name, from such little info. Great job.

Can you imagine the other similar sources hidden in boxes in attics around the country?

Bessie said...

Thank you, this is so very interesting. More so, because of the names I recognize. I became acquainted with Elias Smith Wright while trying to understand some of John Hamilton Morgan’s 1887 journal entries, and following theancestorfiles. I posted an Elias Smith Wright experience here.
http://ancestralties.blogspot.com/2009/12/1887-september-southern-states.html
And there were others; Parkinson and Shipp and Roberts and Brough. I’ll look to this list from time to time.

Bruce said...

That is part of why I posted this. I knew a few people would recognise some names. Thanks for the link.

Anonymous said...

Charles E. Rowan, Jr. is my grandfather. He served a mission in the Southern States and ended up as Mission President over the same area sometime during 1931. I know it was that year because my mother was born in Houston where the Mission Home is. It was wonderful to see his name pop up as I know he served an honorable mission. He died when I was very young (before I was two years old I believe). Anyway, I will ask my mother to remind me of some of his mission stories.

Bruce said...

Thank you for stopping by. It would be wonderful if you would be willing to share some of his mission stories.

Vaughn and Amy said...

Hello BruceCrow,

I don't know if you still following this page as the last post was in 2011. However, I am looking for information about James Larson from Moroni, Utah. A missionary who served in the Southern States Mission in 1898. According to his son, Harris Bailey Larson, James Larson served from April 1898 to about August 1898. Could this be the same James Larson above from Brigham City who signed the book Dec 4 1898?

There seems to be stories about James Larson on your site, but I don't know if it is the James Larson I am related to. All the best.

Bruce said...

Sorry about posting this late. I didn't see your comment until just now. There were only three people named James Larson/Larsen in the southern states mission. One from Mt Pleasant 1888-1889, one from Brigham City from 1896-1898 and a third [James Y. Larson] from Moroni Apr 20th, 1898 to June 23rd 1898 who went home due to an illness. I'm guessing the third one is a match for your James Larson. The records show he served in the Middle Tennessee Conference, but without any specifics about where.