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?
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?
| Name | From | Date |
| George W. Stanger | 1887 | |
| Don C Markham | 1887 | |
| Richard Shipp | 1887 | |
| Bard Shipp | 1887 | |
| B. H. Roberts | 1887 | |
| Stephen S.C. Worthington | 1887 | |
| A. Srouris | 1887 | |
| Elias S. Wright | 1887 | |
| James Danghs | 1887 | |
| 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., Utah | 31 Mar 1898 |
| R. G. Lowe | Franklin, Oneida Co., Idaho | 31 Mar 1898 |
| James M. Smith | Logan, Cache Co., Utah | [no date] |
| Emery F. Barrns | Fairview, Wyoming | [no date] |
| David C. Shupe | North Ogden, Utah | 16 Jun 1899 |
| Reigo S. Hawkins | Salt Lake City | 16 Jun 1899 |
| H. L. Petty | Emery, Emery Co., Utah | 8 July 1899 |
| R. J. Foulger | Salt Lake City, Utah | 8 July 1899 |
| James Larson | Brigham City | 4 Dec 1898 |
| Walter J. Randall | Prada, Gila Co., Arizona | 29 Jul 1899 |
| William P. Murray | Wellsville, Cache Co., Utah | 19 Aug 1899 |
| Edmond S. Parkinson | Franklin, Oneida Co., Idaho | 19 Aug 1899 |
| J. Urban Allred | Lehi, Utah Co., Utah | 19 Aug 1899 |
| Mora Stewart | Mesa City, Maricopa Co., Ariz | |
| John L. Bergeson | Lewiston, Cache Co., Utah | 6 Sep 1899 |
| Alma Olsen | Logan, Cache Co., Utah | 4 Dec 1899 |
| Alfred Fuller | Pine, Gila, Arizona | 26 Feb 1900 |
| W. L. Mooper | Weston, Oneida Co., Idaho | 26 Feb 1900 |
| John R. South | Randolph, Rich Co., Utah | 10 May 1901 |
| David Halls | Mancos, Montezuma Co., Colo | 10 May 1901 |
| Wilbur Sowards | Manassa, Colorado | 4 Nov 1901 |
| Charles E. Kapper | Logan City, Utah | 4 Nov 1901 |
| Chas H. Marttery | Kockland, Idaho | 1902 |
| A. G. Haskell | Manassa, Colorado | 1 Apr 1902 |
| Heber Ogden | Richfield, Utah | 15 Apr 1902 |
| Melvin P. Miller | Murray, Utah | |
| Orson W. Raulin | Salt Lake City, Utah | [no date] |
| L. R. Porter | Porterville, Morgan Co., Utah | [no date] |
| C. M. Alston | Salt Lake City, Utah | [no date] |
| Martin A. Clinger | Lakeview, Utah | 31 Oct 1902 |
| Jesse F. Cooper | Overton, Nevada | 31 Oct 1902 |
| John W. Caspersen | Preston, Oneida Co., Idaho | Jan 1903 |
| George J. Fox | Salt Lake City, Utah | [no date] |
| Wm Geo Brough Jr. | Porterville, Morgan Co., Utah | [no date] |
| J. W. Johnson | Salem, Utah Co., Utah | 10 Jun 1903 |
| Golden Shields | [no date] | |
| Joseph Ipson | Paguitch, Utah | 19 Aug 1904 |
| L. W. Hatch | Woodruff, Navajo Co., Ariz | 19 Aug 1904 |
| John Redden | Coleville, Summit Co., Utah | 19 Aug 1904 |
| Lorenzo Hansen | Preston, Oneida Co., Idaho | 4 Dec 1904 |
| John G. Shields | Lincoln, Tooele Co., Utah | 9 Dec 1904 |
| J. F. Brown | Fairview, Wyoming | 9 Dec 1904 |
| Qinn C. Whittier | Oakley, Cassia Co., Idaho | 9 Dec 1904 |
| Elmer Kimber | Grouse Creek, Utah | 9 Apr 1905 |
| C. E. Rowan Jr. | Coyoto, Garfield Co., Utah | 9 Apr 1905 |
| Hugh Roberts | 21 Aug 1905 | |
| Albert W. Bonham | Hooper, Weber, Utah | 20 Jan 1906 |
| John H. Bagley | Nibley, Union Co., Oregon | 20 Jan 1906 |
| James William Hansen | Payson Utah | 9 Mar 1906 |
| Wm D. Bocker | Salt Lake City, Utah | [no date] |
| Emery E. Huntsman | Enterprise, Washington Co., Utah | 12 Jul 1906 |
| Silas W. Bills | Riverton, Salt Lake Co., Utah | 15 Jul 1906 |
| Miller | [no date] | |
| Jas T. Moore | Prospect, Idaho | 6 Jan 1907 |
| Michaelson | [no date] | |
| David J. Stewart | Grover, Wayne Co., Utah | 6 Jan 1907 |
| [illegible] | [no date] | |
| [illegible] | [no date] | |
| Larson | [no date] |
10 comments:
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.
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.
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!
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?
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.
That is part of why I posted this. I knew a few people would recognise some names. Thanks for the link.
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.
Thank you for stopping by. It would be wonderful if you would be willing to share some of his mission stories.
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.
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.
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