Vice Presidential Candidate Solomon Copeland

In keeping with the upcoming presidential election, I thought I would bring out a little piece of Tennessee's connection with the first Mormon who ran for the office. I'm speaking of Joseph Smith and his second choice for the VP position. Solomon Copeland.

Colonel Solomon Copeland. Perhaps one of the most prestigious friend of the church from Tennessee that you've never heard of. But he was well known to the leaders of the church. When Joseph Smith was picking a Vice Presidential candidate, one of the names on his short list (and closer to the top that Sidney Rigdon), was Solomon Copeland of Paris, Henry County, Tennessee. According to Joseph Smith's own notes, he was not a member of the Church. In the interest of full disclosure, Joseph had to pick someone who wasn't a resident of Illinois, since the U.S. Constitution forbids both the Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates from being from the same state.

Colonel Copeland appeared in a couple other places in the Mormon historical record. When David Patten returned to Tennessee in April 1836, following the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, Wilford Woodruff notes that he is at Solomon Copeland's home. Then in July 1836, when Patten and William Parrish are arrested in Benton County, Woodruff receives the news while staying at the Copeland home. Sometime between July and September of 1836, two young men, Lewis and Robert Copeland, were baptized in the Academy Branch by David Patten, the same branch in which Solomon Copeland lived. It isn't clear from the record how they were related, but it is likely they were.

By the time Joseph was considering Solomon for the VP position, the church leader who knew him best, David Patten, had since died. But Wilford Woodruff knew him too. So it was he who, on March 8, 1844, was asked by Joseph Smith to write a letter to Colonel Copeland requesting that he come and visit the Prophet in Nauvoo, with the possibility of joining the presidential ticket. Woodruff completed the letter and showed it to Joseph Smith almost two weeks later on the 20th. No specific answer is recorded, but we can assume the answer was not a positive one, since attention is soon directed toward Sidney Rigdon instead, who accepted the nomination.

Solomon appeared in a few non Mormon records, but none after the 1840 census. He was certainly a wealthy man, and a prominent citizen. And perhaps had he accepted the position, we might know more about him today.

Missionaries in Tennessee from 1834-1860

One of my long term projects has been putting together a list of LDS missionaries who served in Tennessee. The Church History Library (CHL) has a pretty good list of missionaries and the mission in which they served. But Tennessee was never a mission unto itself. For much of the time period I am looking at it was part of the larger Southern States Mission. So the CHL list is not detailed enough for my purposes. For what I want to do, I must pick through missionary journals, letters, publications, and the like.

Recently I have turned up a large list of missionaries serving in Tennessee between 1834 and 1860. The list has been on my radar for a couple of years, but always just a little further down the list than whatever I was working on at the moment. Then a couple of weeks ago, I had some downtime and finally took a close look at it.

The list was really good, with proper documentation and some good analysis. It covered the entire Southern States Mission, but included enough detail for me to extract the Tennessee portion. It did have some holes which were a product of the sources used by its author. I have added a few names from a variety of other sources to create the composite list of 63 missionaries named below.

After 1860, missionary work in Tennessee stops altogether until well after the Civil War ends.

David W. Patten 1834, 1836
Warren Parrish 1834, 1835, 1836
Wilford Woodruff 1835, 1836
Calvin H. Nicholson 1835
Elias F. Wells 1835, 1836
Daniel Cathcart 1835, 1836
Abraham O. Smoot 1835, 1836, 1837, 1840, 1844
Benjamin Clapp 1835, 1839
Benjamin Boyston 1836
Samuel West 1836
Thomas B. Marsh 1836
Elijah H. Groves 1836
Henry G Sherwood 1837
Jesse Turpin 1838
George A Smith 1838
Don Carlos Smith 1838
Julian Moses 1838, 1840, 1841
Jesse Divine Hunter 1839, 1844
Jeremiah Mackley 1839
Davis Lewis 1839
John D. Lee 1839, 1841, 1843
Levi Stewart 1839
George Washington Brandon 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842
George W. Gee 1839, 1840
Pitkins 1840
Dwight Webster 1840
Charles Crismon 1840
Norvel Head 1841
(Moses?) Sanders 1841
Paden 1841
Alphonzo Young 1841
Samuel B. Frost 1841
T. M. Edwards 1841
Amasa Lyman 1842
William Camp 1842
Horace K. Whitney 1842
Adam Lightner 1842
Lyman Wight 1842
W. H. Edwards 1842
Frances M. Edwards 1842
Randolph Alexander 1842?
Jonn Brown 1843
Haden Wells Church 1843, 1855
John L. Twiss 1843
Thos Wm P Vance 1844
Archibel Cure 1844
Joseph Mount 1844
Alonzo Young 1844
Samuel Heath 1844
Joseph Younger 1844
David P Rainey 1844
Wm L Cutler 1844
Z. D. Wilson 1844
Kerr 1844
Burry 1844
Casteel 1844
R. Thomas1844
J. Thomas 1844
John W. Grierson 1844
James Holt 1844
Jackson Smith 1844
W. B. Corbitt 1855
William Laney 1855?
Hyrum Blackwell 1857
Emanuel Masters Murphy 1857
Elijah Thomas 1860

Jude, the Mormon Missionary Horse

When Wilford Woodruff served a mission in Tennessee, a local member from the Chalk Level Tennessee Branch, Samuel West, loaned him the use of a horse in his travels. The horses name was Jude and Woodruff used the horse in his 200 mile circuit from west Humphreys county (now Benton County), Henry County, and Weakley County in Tennessee and Calloway and Graves counties in Kentucky

Woodruff grew close to the horse, and he spoke/wrote of it fondly. Once when crossing a flooded river, the horse became snagged on a submerged tree. Risking his own life, Wilford stayed with the horse until he was able to get him loose. The two swam to shore separately, the horse making it to shore first where it waited for him.

In November 1835 in Henry County, someone the missionaries horses, including Jude, loose though they were able to retrieve them.

In August 1836 while Wilford Woodruff and his companion Abraham O. Smoot were baptizing their most recent convert, opponents of the Church poisoned the two men's horses. Woodruff noticed the horses were sick right away, though they were able to ride them four miles to a friends home. There was speculation among the Elders' friends that the horses were poisoned. Elder Smoot's horse soon recovered, but after two days, Elder Woodruff's horse, Jude, died. To test the poisoning theory, the horses remains were fed to some pigs, which also died. A collection was taken to help Elder Woodruff pay Samuel West for the loss of his horse. A total of $8.56 was donated. Woodruff borrowed a horse from Brother [Emanuel] Murphy in order to continue his circuit with Elder Smoot.

In his journal, Woodruff recorded his feelings about the death of Jude briefly. "Thus ended the life of Jude a beast who had carried thousands of miles to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ"

Eagle Creek Branch

Eagle Creek wasn't the first branch of the LDS Church in Tennessee, but it is close. The first was in Paris, Henry County formed in October 1834. Eagle Creek was formed sometime between November 1834 and January 1835. But the first reference wasn't until Wilford Woodruff arrived in April 1835 and preached in the meeting house for the Eagle Creek Branch on April 6th and 7th. It is unlikely the branch had built their meeting house already. They might have borrowed a meeting house belonging to another church, a common practice. Later on they are meeting in the Eagle Creek Academy, probably a school house.

On 28 Jun 1835, as Elder Warren Parrish was preparing to leave for Kirtland, he re-organized the Eagle Creek Branch, ordaining John "Caswell" Matlock to the office of a Deacon to preside over the branch. In addition Wilford Woodruff was ordained an Elder, and was given the responsibility to preside over the whole conference. In addition to the two missionaries already named was a mysterious figure noted only here: Elder Calvin H. Nicholson. It is unlikely he was a local member, since as an Elder he would have presided over the branch instead of Deacon Matlock. He does not show up in other missionary journals, nor in other church records.

On 2 Aug 1835, Elder Woodruff returned to Eagle Creek to preach again. This time he baptized two converts as well, though he did not name them.

On the 24th of December 1835, tragedy struck the nascent branch. Deacon J. Caswell Matlock unexpectedly died. His obituary was printed in the Messenger and Advocate published in Kirtland, Ohio on February 1836.

-At Eagle Creek, Benton co. Ten. Dec. 24, Deacon Caswell Matlock, Aged 27 years. He was a worthy member, and died in the hope of a glorious immortality. "Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord."

At the first meeting of the Tennessee Conference on 26 Feb 1836 (held in Kentucky which was part of the Tennessee Conference at the time) there were 15 members in good standing of the Eagle Creek Branch. I have only been able to identify seven names, but it is likely the others were relatives of these seven.

Br. Crawley (Grawley?)
Br. Joseph Frey
Br. Caswell Matlock (died in 1835)
Br. William Miles Malin
Br. Michael David Fry
Sis. Rachel Matlock Frey
Br. Bird B. Barnett

The second meeting of the Tennessee Conference was held at the Chalk Level Branch in Benton County Tennessee on 28-29 May 1836. This was only a short distance from Eagle Creek, less than one days ride. There were reported again 15 members in the Eagle Creek Branch in good standing.

There were notes Abraham O. Smoot's journal indicating four others were also members, but without baptism dates:

Br. Cutler
Sis. Mary Amanda Utley (1821- )
Sis. Lucy Ann Fry (1809- )
Sis. Barnett

From there Eagle Creek is quiet. Missionaries focus their energies elsewhere and as a result mission news is about other places. But eight years later, in preparation for Joseph Smith's campaign for U. S. President, a handful of meetings were scheduled in branches across the south and east, including one at Eagle Creek for 8-9 June 1844. The conference did not actually happen until 22 June 1844. At the meeting it was noted that there were 17 members of the branch. It appears that the nearby Chalk Level Branch (as well as probably every other branch in Benton County) had dissolved. Robert C. Petty was placed as Eagle Creek Branch President and Seth Utley (1789-1866) was ordained a priest. Both of them had been in the old Chalk Level Branch. Bird B. Barnett was ordained a teacher. Four were baptized at the conference: Samuel Little, Burwell L. Utley (1827-), Nancy Elizabeth Utley (1827-), and Adeline Utley (1831-).

Following the death of Joseph Smith, the remaining organization of the church in Tennessee began to dissolve. Some members probably left to join the saints. Others, like the Utleys, gave up on the Church and moved west to restart their lives.  Still others, like William M. Malin, drifted away to other churches. One we know remained true to the church even without any organized branch.  When missionaries finally returned in the 1870's, Michael Fry was still there and showed his treasured 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon. Though the Eagle Creek Branch was not formed again, missionaries stilled used Eagle Creek as a point of reference.

Today, Eagle Creek and all of Benton County is part of the Paris, Tennessee Branch in neighboring Henry County.

Captain Jesse D. Hunter

In the early LDS publication Times and Seasons is the following letter written by Elder Hunter while on his mission in Tennessee.

Jackson County, Ill. Dec. 26th 1839
Dear brethren in the Lord, having a few leisure moments I have taken my pen in hand to write a few lines to let you know what I have been doing since I saw you. I left Far West, last January the 14th and after a few days travel fell in company with Elder Jeremiah Mackley; we held three meetings in the State of Missouri, in the neighborhood of St. Charles; from thence we steered our course for this State [Tennessee], and after a few days travel we found ourselves in Jackson County where we commenced publishing the gospel, and very soon the honest in heart began to embrace the truth, after we had introduced eight souls into the kingdom and a number more believing. Br. Mackley was warned to leave and return to his family; then the whole burden rested on me; but the Lord was with me and confirmed my words with signs following; the sick were healed, and that not a few, and devils cast out also. I kept up a regular march until I had baptized 28, when Elder Benjamin Clapp arrived; we then with united force, pushed forth the conquest until we baptized 10 more;l we then organized them into branches and departed to travel to the south. I have just returned from the south and have found the brethren still firm in the faith, except a few who have tumbled over to try the faith of others as is usual. we had very good success for the time I stayed in the south, we held 25 meetings in McNary[sic] County Tennessee, and baptized 14 persons; we held 5 meetings in Tishamingo county, State of Mississippi and baptized 6 persons, and left a number who were believing. Br. B. Clapp is still preaching in the State of Mississippi and desires other Elders to come to his assistance.
I have understood that you are publishing the papers again, and I have taken some names, and have recieved[sic] the pay for the same, and if you will send the papers you shall have the pay for them when I come; I will come by April conference if the Lord will; I desire an interest in the prayers of the saints. I feel to exhort the young Elders, who am young also, to gird on their armour[sic], walk out into the field and commence reaping, for the harvest is truly plentious[sic] and the laborers few.-The sooner we preach the gospel, the sooner we will have rest, for God cannot, in rightousness[sic], bring about the Millemium[sic] until all are warned. No more at present, only yours &c. J. D. HUNTER.

[Unrelated side note.How does someone spell so many words wrong and yet correctly spell "Tishamingo"?]

Jesse Divine Hunter (1806-1877) was born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky in 1806. He married Keziah Brown in 1825 in Kentucky. I have not located a baptism date, but it must have been before 1838. He served a mission in 1838 and 1839 which included Jackson County, about half way between Nashville and Knoxville. After several months he  relocated to McNairy County on the Tennessee/Mississippi border. He and his companion crossed over into Mississippi becoming the first missionaries in that state, before returning to Nauvoo in the fall of 1839. He returned to Tennessee in the first four months of 1844 to collect tithing and donations for the completion of the temple in Nauvoo. After bringing the donations back to Nauvoo,  he was one of the men charged with the defense of the city following the death of Joseph Smith. When the temple was finished he married his second wife Lydia Edmonds in 1846.

He stayed with the saints and was among the first to journey across Iowa to Council Bluffs. There he joined the Mormon Battalion in 1847 as captain of Company B. His second wife, Lydia, accompanied the Battalion. In San Diego his wife Lydia died shortly after the birth of their only son Diego.

Captain Hunter stayed in southern California when he was discharged, and took a job as an Indian Agent for the US Government. His first wife Keziah joined him and they lived in the Mormon settlement of San Bernadino until it was abandoned, at which time they moved to Los Angeles where he opened a successful brick business. In 1855 he traded his brick home in Los Angeles for 1,200 acres called Rancho Cañada de los Nogales. He died in Los Angeles County on 27 August 1877.

Don Carlos Smith & George Albert Smith

On September 26th 1838, a special high council was convened in Daviess County, Missouri. They decided to send missionaries east to the branches of the church asking for donations. They was to be used to pay for a buyout of the land owned by the non-Mormons living in Davies County who did not want to live in the same county as the Mormons. Ultimately the buyout never happened and it was the Mormons who were forced from their homes. Two of the missionaries who went east, went through Tennessee. They were cousins: Don Carlos Smith and George Albert Smith. The group arrived in Paducah, Kentucky on October 11th 1838 where others split off on the Ohio river. The two Smith cousins started up the Tennessee River visiting branches in Kentucky along the way. In a few days the crossed over into Tennessee.

Don Carlos wrote:

We visited a number of small branches in Tennessee; the brethren generally arranged to be on hand with their money, or lands for exchange in the spring. Brother Samuel West have us twenty-eight dollars to help defray our traveling expenses. We also received acts of kindness from others, which will not be forgotten.

In Benton County, the pair stopped their eastward journey. The Tennessee River was low due to drought and river travel was impractical. On October 23rd, Don Carlos wrote his wife telling her they had decided to turn back since without river transportation they would have to walk[1]. Their stay in Tennessee was no more than two weeks.


[1] That same drought, and the lack of river traffic, was one of the reasons why most of the Cherokee were forced to walk instead of riding boats in what has since been called the Trail of Tears.

Henry G. Sherwood and the 200 Saints from Tennessee

In my research into Tennessee LDS history I have frequently come across references to a group of two hundred saints who left Tennessee in 40 wagons to gather at Far West, Missouri. Exactly who they were has, until now, eluded me.

In November 1836, the priesthood quorum in Kirtland, Ohio to which Brother Sherwood belonged, took a vote. It was in response to a request from the Tennessee Conference that the Church send more missionaries to supervise the missionary work there. As a result of that vote Henry G. Sherwood was sent to the Tennessee Conference, an area that included a handful of counties between the Tennessee and Mississippi Rivers in both Tennessee and Kentucky. Sherwood left Kirtland, Ohio in late November and probably didn't arrive in the Tennessee/Kentucky area until early December.

Sherwood labored by himself for over four months. Twenty five more converts joined the church during his tenure, bringing the total membership in the area to just under 140. It is interesting to note that the growth of the church was almost equal to the number who were emigrating to Zion. So total Church membership in the Tennessee Conference was fairly stable between 100 and 150.

After the arrival of Abraham O. Smoot in April 1837, preparations were made to lead a company of saints to Far West, Missouri. Although Smoot had been sent by Joseph Smith to organized the company, and we know about their work and the trip from Smoot's journal, it is pretty obvious from other journals that the saints from the conference were following Sherwood. At a conference held just before the company left, Elder A. B. Wilson, probably a local Elder, was placed in charge of the Church in the Tennessee portion of the conference, by a popular vote. Another Elder, James Beaty, was placed over the Kentucky portion of the Conference.

There were only a handful of families named that came from the Tennessee Conference: Simeon Hendrickson and Keziah Paddocks and at least one child, Randolph Alexander and Myrza Murphy and their four children, Lindsey A. Brady and Elizabeth Hendrickson and their three children, Daniel S. Thomas and Martha Jones and their five children, Brother Smith and his family, Emanuel Murphy and Nancy Easters and their two children, and a widow Margaret T. Atkinson. Including the two missionaries, and a few not named, including slaves, servants, and hired hands like teamsters, the group was probably only 35-40 people and some of them were from Kentucky. Along the way to Missouri, they met other families also on their way to Zion. Some of them joined the group while others refused to submit to the leadership of Elder Sherwood.

One group that refused to submit was nicknamed the Judas company. That group never got far out of sight, usually traveling just ahead or just behind Sherwood's company. The other company's presence was felt by those in Sherwood's company for most of the journey. Sister Thomas recorded an instance when leadership began to breakdown.

One day it was very hot; both man an beast were suffering for water. Our leader went ahead and found running water, "but you must not noon here," he said: " loose your cattle, let them drink all they want and you can pack enough for dinner." We did not like the idea, but we had not forgotten the windstorm. We all moved except one family. Sister Margaret Atkinson was with them. She did not like to stay back but she did.

It was about a quarter of a mile to the edge of the grass. There was not a tree nor a bush to shade us. Brother Sherwood had crawled under our wagon, I thought he was asleep. Old father [Simeon] Hendricks came walking up to our wagon, harmless as a child, saying "I don't see why we can't travel without a leader as the Judas company do. They get along as well as we do." I wish you could have seen our leader roll out from under that wagon and call the attention of the company.

We soon got it for he spoke with such power we were fairly paralyzed. I cannot think of the hundreth part, but he said if we not do better and acknowledge him as our leader, the judgements of God would come down upon us. "Now hitch up your teams and start." 

Our beloved sister Margaret, who was back with the family at the water, saw we were starting and thought she would overtake us, as it was lonesome to be so far behind. The sun was very hot. She had a large umbrella she usually carried when walking. When she was over half way between her wagon and the company she noticed a black cloud rising very fast. We were all watching it. It was but a few minutes when we were in the most severe storm that we ever saw. 

It thundered, the lightning was so vivid that it almost blinded us. The rain and hail came down with such force and the wind was so strong the teamsters hand to stand with their oxen, to keep the wagon quartered with the wind, for fear we might all go rolling together. 

But where is Sister Margaret. Brother Allen, I think it was, looked back and saw her sitting in the middle of the road. He went to her as quickly as he could, helping her out of the mud and water. Her umbrella was wrong side out, the wind and hail were so strong she could not stand up. Where she sat down in the road, the mud and rubbish drifted around her. Her skirt where it was gathered full of mud and rubbish. She was frightened nearly to death.

Where the storm came from I do not know, whether it was called down from above or from below we could not say, but we all acknowledged the hand of God in our deliverance.


By the time they arrived at Far West enough people had joined the company that Elder Smoot estimated they numbered two hundred souls and forty wagons, though that was certainly hyperbole. He may have even included the saints who travel close with them but who had refused to join them. After leading his company to Missouri, Elder Sherwood returned to Kirtland where he made his report.

History of the Church in Rutherford County before the Civil War

In 1834, James and Lucinda Pace moved from Cripple Creek (which empties into the East Fork of Stone River) in Rutherford County, Tennessee to Shelby County, Illinois. James left behind much of his family, but Lucinda brought along her father, Judge Warren Gibson Strickland of Murfreesboro. There in 1839, they met Dominicus Carter (see note 1), who had recently been driven from Missouri. On 14 April 1839, James and his wife accepted baptism into the LDS Church. In September of that same year Almon Babbitt organized a branch of the Church in the area. On 15 April 1840 James was ordained a Deacon, and in June 1840, the Pace family left for Nauvoo. All along they were thinking of their relatives back in Tennessee.

In 1841 while Elder J. D. Lee (see note 2) was preaching in Overton and Jackson Counties, in Tennessee, he received a received a letter from James Pace who was a neighbor of Lee's in Nauvoo. In his letter, James asked Lee pay a visit to his brother William on Stone River. Lee agreed and with a letter of introduction, Lee and his companion traveled to Rutherford County to meet with William Pace.

On that same visit Lee and his companion Elder Dwight Webster, publicly debated with some Campbellite ministers.The debates went well for Lee and he baptized some influential people: Sheriff (see note 3) John Thompson and his wife, William Pace and his wife , Major D. M. Jarratt and his wife, Mrs. Caroline Ghiliam, Major Miles Anderson, and others. After a month, Elder Webster returned to Jackson County, while Lee spent the next six month preaching in and around Stone River. He ordained William Pace to the Aaronic Priesthood, probably to the office of Priest, and set him to preside over the branch. Elder Lee then returned to Nauvoo, stopping in Jackson and Overton Counties along the way.

In the winter of 1842-3, members of the "Branch of the Church on Stone River, Tennessee and Cripple Creek, Rutherford County Tennessee" sent a letter to the Church in Nauvoo, asking for them to send Elder Lee to continue the preaching efforts. It appears that most of the converts in the Stone River area had emigrated to Nauvoo. Captain John H. Redd was one of the few left and was behind the invitation to Lee to return. Redd explained to Lee that after those who favored the church had left, the mood toward Mormons in the area had soured. One missionary, Randolph Alexander, had even been run out of town.

Lee preached for months withstanding every attempt to silence him. He had run-ins with opponents of the Church from Missouri ad debates with ministers. Before he was done he claimed to have organized two branches and had made sixty converts. The second branch in Rutherford County was west of Murfreesboro. Lee "called it the Friendship Branch of Rutherford. [He]Set apart and ordained the following officers — Brother John Holt, an Elder; Wm. Holt, lesser Priest; Brother John H. Redd, Teacher and Clerk." (see note 4)

In 1843, a man professing to be a Mormon Elder conned the members in Rutherford County out of a horse and related gear worth a hundred dollars. He claimed to have been wounded in the Missouri troubles and was unable to walk long distances. Convincing the congregation that his horse was stolen they raised donations to secure him a new one. Once he had the horse, he left with the explanation that he was visiting a nearby branch. He was never seen again.

In 1844, a special conference was scheduled  in support of Joseph Smith bid for the U. S. Presidency on the 20 and 21st of July. It was part of a series of conferences held in several locations. Since Joseph was killed before the conference was held, the political aspects of the conference were dropped.

After 1844, few missionaries were sent to Tennessee, and just two made it briefly to Rutherford County. In 1857, Elder Blackwell and Murphy passed though Rutherford County briefly warning the saints that it was time to gather to Zion. Even with that warning, one couple William and Mary Ann Hickman, refused to go west to Utah. Sister Hickman recalled years later that the missionaries warned them that there would come a day when they would wish they had gone to Zion barefooted.

One by one branches dissolved due to emigration, attrition or death. The remnants of the branches set up before the war had faded beyond recognition when missionaries finally returned in the 1870's. But that is a subject for another post.

Note 1: Dominicus Carter (1806-1884) must have been a fast traveler. Dominicus married his first plural wife, Sylvia Ameret Meacham near Quincy in Adams County, Illinois on 28 March 1839. To make the journey, he would have to travel 160 miles in less than 17 Days. The Carter family does not record his serving a mission until 1844. New family search indicates an alternative baptism date for the Paces of 14 Apr 1837, though Pace family historians stand by the 1839 date. There was an unidentified Elder Carter preaching in Shelby County, Illinois in 1837. 

Note 2: John Doyle Lee wrote his memoirs many years later shortly before his execution for his part in the tragic events at Mountain Meadows. His memory of the details may be suspect.

Note 3: The Sheriff of Rutherford County in 1841 was Wilson L Watkins, though that does not preclude Thompson from being a deputy sheriff.

Note 4: This was found in a family history written by Laura Redd, as though it was quoting Elder Lee's journal. I have not been able to confirm the source yet.

Known converts:
John Thompson and his wife
William Franklin Pace (1806-1876) and his wife Margaret Elizabeth Nichols (1808-1887), 
Major David Mitchel Jarratt (1798-1867) and his wife Clemetine Charlotte Sanders (1824-1858), 
Mrs. Caroline Ghiliam, 
Major Miles Anderson (1798-1876) on the 4 Feb 1841 
and his wife Nancy Pace (1801-1875) on the 7 Feb 1841
Captain John Hardison Redd (1799-1858) baptized June 17, 1843 (Aug 1843 in LDS records)
and his wife Elizabeth Hancock (1798-1853) baptized June 17, 1843 (1 Jan 1842 in LDS records)
Venice (a slave of the Redd's) baptized June 17, 1843
Chenia (a slave of the Redd's) baptized June 17, 1843
William R. Hickman (-1869) and his wife Mary Ann Hickman (1812-)
William Holt (1820-1888) baptized June 1, 1842
Parson John Holt (1792-1872) baptized June 6, 1843.
Mary Redd Holt (1792-1875) baptized June 6, 1843
William D. Pace  baptized June 14, 1843
Harvey A. Pace  baptized June 14, 1843

Moses Sanders and his Mormon Horse

What do you think of when I say Mormon horses? If you put the two words into a search engine you will likely find arguments about horses in the Book of Mormon. But when I hear those two words I think of Tennessee. Yes, Tennessee.

Moses Martin Sanders Sr., born 17 August 1803, came from a wealthy family in Maury County, Tennessee. The details are lost to history, but he and his wife were converted the Gospel of Jesus Christ and was baptized on 28 Jan 1835. They gathered with the saints in Far West, Missouri in 1836, and then later in Nauvoo, Illinois. Moses worked as a policeman in Nauvoo, as well as on the building of the Temple. He was ordained a Seventy and lived very near the home of Joseph Smith. Like many in Nauvoo, Moses knew Joseph personally.

Moses owned a beautiful horse. It was spirited and unruly. Even his wife feared to take care of the horse when Moses was away. Then one day Joseph said to Moses, “Brother Sanders, give the horse to me and I'll promise that you will never lose by it." Moses Martin replied, "I would, but I am afraid that he may hurt you." Then the Prophet said, "No, he would never hurt me." So Moses tossed him the rope and said, "He is yours." Joseph rode that horse on parade in the Nauvoo Legion. And the painting we often see today of the Nauvoo Legion is one of Joseph riding “Joe Duncan.” The story goes that he was named, not respectfully, after Joseph Duncan, the governor of Illinois from 1834 to 1838. So the next time you see this image, think of the Tennessean horse on which he rode.

Emanuel Murphy warns Tennesseans of the Civil War

In Elder Jensen Jenson's Encyclopedic History (1930), there is a slightly cryptic entry about missionary work in Tennessee just prior to the Civil War.

In 1857 Elders Hyrum H. Blackwell and Emanuel M. Murphy were appointed to gather up scattered saints in Tennessee and arrange for their migration to the Rocky Mountains.

I can see it now. Two Elders traveling to the known branches of the Church in Tennessee, telling the saints who had not gathered to Zion yet that now was the time. It was only a few short years before the devastation of the Civil War. I love a good prophetic forewarning. But is it real?

It isn't that I don't trust Jensen's work. It's just that I like to get more than one version of the story. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. That's why I just love it when I find just such confirmation. In the Autobiography of Hyrum Belnap I found the following story. While it isn't a slam dunk match, it does give me a possible new avenue to search.

The next day [Oct 21, 1879] was spent in advertising our appointments in that vicinity, and while in the northwestern portion of the neighborhood, we met an elderly lady by the name of Mary Ann Hickman. We soon learned that she was a Mormon and it had been many years since she had seen an elder of our faith. She was baptized in 1847 [probably 1843] by John D. Lee. Her knowledge of the church at present was very limited, but her recollection of what was taught in the early days of the Church was very distinct. She told us of many prophecies of the elders and very earnestly related the fulfillment of some of them, one of which I will relate.

While they lived in [Rutherford] County, if I remember correctly, one of the elders told her of a few other scattered members, whom the elders had told that if they did not emigrate to Zion then, the time would come when they would be glad to have gone to Zion barefooted. The elders also said that not many years afterward there would be a war between the North and the South and that a battle would be fought where they lived. At the time, these sayings were little heeded. Ere long the rebellion broke out and surely enough, one morning they heard the roar of the cannon and soon horses came rushing by, some had riders and others had none. On every side could be heard the groans of the dying and wounded. At this point the old lady grew nervous and exclaimed, “Then we remembered the saying of the elders and would to God we had obeyed them”

In truth, it is little more than just a second after-the-fact version of this story. Hindsight is oddly accurate at predicting the past. But I'm hoping that one of these stories will lead me to a verifiable contemporary story.

Emanuel Masters Murphy was born on 15 September 1809 in South Carolina to Mark Murphy and Holly Duke. The family moved to Tennessee sometime after 1832. While there, they were introduced to the gospel by his cousin Randolph Alexander. Emanuel Murphy joined the church on 8 September 1835. His wife Nancy was baptized a few days later on 12 September 1835. Emanuel's brother Jeremiah joined the Church too and his family entered history in their own way.

Emmanuel and his family decided quickly to move to Missouri and their next child was born in Far West in 1837. But then they did something strange. They moved to South Carolina and then to Georgia. The story goes that he was told by Joseph Smith to warn the inhabitants of South Carolina about the impending war (the Civil War). By the time the Church sent their first missionary to South Carolina, many people had been prepared by Brother Murphy.

According to Jensen, in 1857 Emanuel M. Murphy and Hyrum H. Blackwell made a similar trip to Tennessee. Although Jensen never says a warning of the impending Civil War was part of their message, Murphy's history of doing the same in South Carolina and Georgia does suggest he might share a similar message.

Later in life Emanuel moved to Salt Lake City where he was called to serve on the High Council. After a long and distinguished life, he died in Salt Lake County on July 23rd, 1871.

William Allen Aden: Artist and Adventurer

William was born near Paris, in Henry County, Tennessee in 1838 to Sidney Bennett Aden (1806-1879) and Delilah H. Brown (1809-1889). He was handsome, six feet tall with blue eyes and dark hair. When he was a young man, a Mormon missionary came through town by the name of William Laney (1815-1891). While Elder Laney was preaching in front of the court house, William Aden and a few of his friends, secured a small canon and set it up on the other side of the building. Without warning they set off the canon, with the intent of surprising the missionary. It was more successful than they had hoped, Laney was so sure that an armed mob was upon him that he immediately fled the scene. On his rush out of town, he ran into William's father Dr. Sidney B. Aden who assured the Elder that he would protect him. Only after taking the missionary to his home was the truth of the prank fully revealed, including William's participation.

William was an artist. In addition to painting, he wrote poetry and played the banjo "tolerably". Letters from his father and brother, however, both describe him as an artist, and from their descriptions and the jobs he took, he was quite good. To earn a living he painted signs, but he was interested in so much more. So when the opportunity arose, he set off for California in search of adventure.

While in Wyoming, he met a member of the Provo Theatre Company who recognized William's talent and offered him work painting scenes for the theatre. William seemed to like the idea. He wrote his father telling him he was going to spend the winter in Provo painting for the theatre and continue on to California in the spring.

When he arrived in Provo, however, something changed his mind. Perhaps he heard rumors of the coming war. So instead of staying to work he joined a group of Mormons heading south. He hoped he would catch up with a wagon train heading to California.

At Parowan he caught up with the wagon train while they were camped outside the town walls. The town was under orders not to trade with any wagon train, except for small amounts of grain. While they were making their trade, William recognized a man from his past, Elder Laney, who his father had sheltered in Paris, Tennessee a few years earlier. William identified himself. Laney, who remembered it all, invited William to his home inside the fort. Laney was polygamist and at the time had two wives and they both lived in the same home. During the visit, William noticed some onions growing in the garden and asked about purchasing them. Laney, eager to repay the kindness William's father had shown him, immediately had them harvested and presented them to William as a gift. Laney later said he was beaten by town authorities for trading with the wagon train against specific orders. His life was saved by his two wives who dragged hin into the house away from the thugs.

The details of what happened to William after he left Parowan starts to diverge based on who is telling the story. From the various versions William appears to have been accepted into the wagon train, led by Alexander Fancher. Yes, the Fancher Party. The full story of what happened to the Fancher Party is beyond the scope of this post, but a day or so after the initial "Indian" attack, William was shot and killed by William C. Stewart. William Aden's murder and that fact that a witness made it back to the rest of the wagon train, was one of the pivotal events of the Massacre at Mountain Meadows.

William's family, and most particularly his father, spent years trying to track down William, even offering a reward of $1,000. They hoped that perhaps he was merely captured by Indians. It would be 1874 before William's family was convinced he had joined the Fancher party and was certainly dead.

Fast forward to the spring of 1884. While Elders John H. Gibbs and William H. Jones were traveling somewhere in west Tennessee, the two missionaries were accosted by two men with clubs who said they were angry about the death of a relative at Mountain Meadows. Jones, who spoke about the event with a newspaper reporter, had no idea who that relative might be. But in this case I believe it was William Aden they were angry about.

There were several people among those killed at Mountain Meadows who were born in Tennessee. In most cases, their parents had settled in Tennessee briefly before continuing on west to Arkansas. Plus nearly all of them were from counties east or south of Nashville. But William's  family still lived Tennessee. In addition, Aden's home in Henry County, Tennessee was very close to where Gibbs and Jones spent the first couple of weeks of their west Tennessee tour. 

The full extent of the attrocity at Mountain Meadows wasn't widely known at first, and even today more is being discovered. But certainly after John D. Lee published his book in 1877, most Tennesseans who knew about it at all would have correctly believed that it was perpetrated by the local Mormon residents in southern Utah. That a couple of relatives of William Aden's would have made a connection between two Mormon missionaries and William's death does not seem far fetched.

Others of the Fancher Party born in Tennessee:
Captain Alexander Fancher was born in Overton Co., Tenn., but left when he was a young man. He still had relatives there but many of them joined him when he settled in Arkansas.
Milum Lafayette Rush was born in Rhea Co., and lived in Meigs Co., Tenn. before he moved to Arkansas
Three of the Huff Children were born in Meigs Co., Tenn., before their parents moved to Arkansas
Mary M. Wharton & Nancy Jane Wharton were from Lawrence Co., Tenn., before they moved to Arkansas
Jesse Dunlap, Jr. was born in Warren Co., Tenn., before he moved to Arkansas
Cynthia Tackitt was born somewhere in Tennessee before she moved to Arkansas
Armilda S. Miller Tackitt was born somewhere in Tennessee before she moved to Arkansas
Silas Edwards born in Hickman Co., Tenn., before he moved to Arkansas
Charles Roark Mitchell was born somewhere in Tennessee before he moved to Arkansas
Allen P. Deshazo born in Hickman Co., Tenn., before he moved to Arkansas

A second Benton County History

I found this account of early Mormon history in Benton County in a book by Jonathon Kennon Smith. He cites the LDS Church Historian's office for his facts.

"It was probably 1834 or 1835 that the missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, commonly called Mormons, made their appearance in the county. They were zealous and out-fundamentalized the fundamentalists! Their history and doctrines are most interesting, but it is beyond the scope of this study to develop these, here. Suffice it to say, that so radical a group met instant rebuttal in Benton County."

"Elder's Dvid Patten and Warren Parrish made several converts in the county. In February 1836, the Eagle Creek Mormons claimed 15 members in good standing and the Chalk Level group claimed 21 members. By May following, a group had been established on Cypress Creek, but it never flourished. Michael Fry embraced Mormonism and it was at his house in May 1836 that a "mob" beset the elders."

"On 19 June 1836, the Mormons were having a meeting at Seth Utley's near Eagle Creek, when a large group of citizens appeared about sunset.; the mood was dangerous and Matthew Williams, a Methodist minister, was among them, having been the man who swore out a warrent for the arrest of Elders Patten and Parrish. [Woodruff was on the warrent too, but he was in Kentucky at the time]. A bone of contention was that the Mormons had been preaching that Jesus Christ would appear before their generation had passed away, etc. It appears nonsensical from such a distance in time, but the crowd was riled and grasped at anything to get rid of the elders. By going bond, the later were allowed to appear on the 23 of the month in a magistrate's court."

"Accompanied by their friends, the elders made their appearance at the court. Ephraim Perkins was the state's attorney and he delivered a fierce speech against the Mormons who were presumably not allowed to answer satisfactorily to the charges made against them. Sheriff Jones finally allowed the men to go since they agreed to pay court costs and to leave the county immediately. The elders first rode to Seth Utley's but suspecting that the mob would follow them there, they went on to Albert Petty's, from which they moved toward the Henry County line. Petty's house was indeed searched and after a time the mob dispersed."

"Mormonism did not flourish in the county but there was a considerable congregation on Eagle Creek for several years. A general conference was held there in Jne 1844; at the time, a membership of seventeen was reported. Robert C. Petty [who was one of the sheriff's men in the mob that arrested Patten and Parrish] was ordained and elder; Seth Utley, a priest, and B. B. Barnett, a teacher. In a few years, the Mormon adherents had moved west with the exodus of their fellow believers and there were the inevitable apostates, reducing their ranks."

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.

Wilford Woodruff and Benjamin Clapp

One of the interesting stories Wilford relates of his mission while serving alone in Tennesse is of his ride through a storm. Except that he was riding between two branches in Kentucky, and so was not likely in Tennessee. Though not really happening in Tennessee, I include it because it gives us a good idea of how Wilford operated on his mission.

From his Autobiography we read this.

November 15.--While traveling in the night, with Brother Benjamin L. Clapp and others, a tremendous storm of wind and rain overtook us. We came to a creek which had swollen to such an extent by the rain, that we could not cross without swimming our horses; several of the company were females. We undertook to head the stream, to ford it; but in the attempt, in the midst of the darkness and the raging of the wind and rain, we were lost in the thick woods, amidst the rain, wind, creeks and fallen treetops. We crossed streams nearly twenty times. I was reminded of Paul's perils by water; but the Lord was merciful unto us in the midst of our troubles, for while we were groping in the dark, running the risk of killing both ourselves and animals, by riding off precipitous bluffs, a bright light suddenly shone round about us, and revealed our perilous situation, as were upon the edge of a deep gulf. The light continued with us until we found a house, and learned the right road; then the light disappeared, and we were enabled to reach the house of Brother Henry Thomas, at nine o'clock, all safe, having rode twenty miles, five hours in the storm; and we felt to thank the Lord for our preservation.

In "Wilford Woodruff: History of his life and labors as recorded in his daily journals" edited by Matthias F. Cowley, we read a slightly different version of the events.

At the close of the meeting I mounted my horse to ride to Clark's River, in company with Seth Utley, four other brethren, and two sisters. The distance was twenty miles. We came to a stream which was so swollen by rains that we could not cross without swimming our horses. To swim would not be safe for the women, so we went up the stream to find a ford. In the attempt we were overtaken by a severe storm of wind and rain, lost our way in the darkness, and wandered through creeks and mud. But the Lord does not forsake His Saints in any of their troubles. While we were in the woods suffering under the blast of the storm, groping like the blind for the wall, a bright light suddenly shone around us and revealed to us our dangerous situation on the edge of a gulf. The light continued with us until we found the road; we then went on our way rejoicing though the darkness returned and the rain continued. We reached Brother Henry Thomas' in safety about nine o clock at night having been five hours in the storm and forded streams many times. None of us felt to complain but were thankful to God for His preserving care. On the following day I preached at Damon Creek and organized a branch called Damon Creek Branch and ordained Daniel Thomas a teacher.

I like reading who was there. I start to think, did one of these people with him write their version of the events? Unfortunately, neither Seth Utley nor Benjamin Clapp wrote anything about the events.

Set Utley you can find here.

Benjamin Clapp was born in West Huntsville, Alabama and was baptized in Kentucky probably by Elders Patten and Parrish sometime before February 26th, 1836 when he was ordained a priest by Wilford Woodruff. Brother Clapp emigrated to Far West, Missouri and fought in the Battle of Crooked River at which Elder Patten was killed. He escaped to Illinois with the rest of the saints and was called on a mission to Alabama. After his return he was ordained as one of the Seven Presidents of the Seventy. After the move to Utah, he had a disagreement with Bishop Warren S Snow. As a result he was excommunicated and he left for California where he died a year later.

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.

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].

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.......