The Almost Forgotton Mission to Bedford County Tennessee

While browsing the pages of the Messenger and Advocate I found the following entry...

To John Whitmer Esq.

Hamilton co. Illinois, Nov. 2, 1835.

Dear Brother

I left Clay co. M[issouri] on the 23 of December, 1834 in company with elder J[oseph] Holbrook, we travelled and preached until we arrived at Salt River church. From this place I journeyed with Elder W. Ivy, we journeyed as far as Montgomery co. Ill. preached by the way and baptized two. From thence we journeyed to Bedford co. Tennessee: we tarried in this State about two months. The people flocked from every quarter, to hear preaching, many were convinced of the truth, but few obeyed the gospel. We baptized five in this State; we left Bedford co. [Tenn] the first day of June; arrived at Hamilton co. Ill. the 8th day of same month, here we tarried, and labored in company with elders E[lisha] H. Groves and I[saac] Higbee about three weeks, and baptized 33. After this elder Ivy and myself baptized seven, after the afore mentioned brethren left us. Elder Ivy left here the 29 of September, since he left, I baptized two more, I expect to baptize a number more in this place, who believe the work of the Lord. The Lord is blessing his children here with some of the gifts of the gospel.

I remain your brother in the new covenant,

Milton Holmes.

As early Tennessee Mormon history goes this is interesting to me for a few reasons. First, Bedford County is in my local ward. So I'm a little more interested than your average historian. Second it predates any LDS activity in that part of Tennessee by decades. Third, it makes me wonder why have I never heard of it before? Or these two missionaries?

My first thought was perhaps it was transcribed wrong. For example in a William McLellin biography I found that he was living in Paris when he met the missionaries. He was born in Tennessee so I thought it was Paris, Tennessee, but what was meant was Paris, Illinois. Big difference. Anyway, Elder Holmes did go from Illinois to Tennessee and then back to Illinois for no apparent reason. Was this also a error of mistaken location? A quick check finds no Bedford county in Illinois, nor in the surrounding states. And Bedford county is named twice in this except. It took eight days to go 250 miles, doable if they went by riverboat when possible. So maybe it is not a typo.

Other missionaries at the time would redirect the efforts away from their primary assignment, sometimes several hundred miles, so they could teach members of their own family. It was a practice known to church leaders and often encouraged. Many early missions by members of the Smith family were directed to distant family members. Milton Homes did not appear to have family in Bedford county. He was from Massachusetts and New York. There is a note in the Joseph Smith Papers on 7 December 1835 about receiving a letter from Holmes (i.e. the above excerpt). The note does not, however, mention Tennessee.

W. Ivy, however, might have been William Shelton Ivie. William shows up in an index of Early Members of the Church. He is the only person with the right last name and the right first initial. But is he the right person?

William was born in Bedford county, Tennessee. It appears to have been the portion of Bedford county that later became part of Marshall county since his parents joined the Rock Creek Primitive Baptist Church and Rock Creek is entirely in present day Marshall county. So his birthplace is evidence in the "yes" column.

It is not likely that the five baptisms were among his family. First, his immediate family had moved to Missouri by then. Second, His father's family still lived in Franklin County, Georgia. His mother's family had moved with them to Missouri. But he was 18 year old when his family left Tennessee. He would have known many people and the people he baptized could have been friends. OK, this one isn't conclusive, but neither is it evidence in the "no" column.

A review of his immediate family finds that many of them were baptized after their death by proxy. But even William's baptism date is recorded as after his death. This is frustrating since it is caused by the practice of showing only the most recent ordinance date in Family Search. One brother, Thomas and his wife, received their endowments in the Nauvoo Temple in 1846.

Parents:
Anderson Ivie 1889* = Sarah Allred 1889*
Siblings:
Polly Ann Ivie 1836  = Ezekial Billington 1888*
James Russel Ivie 1832 = Eliza McKee Fausett 1832
John Anderson Ivie 1889* = Anna Robinson 1970*
Elizabeth Ivie 1932* =William Hackley Allred 1880 (1832)
William Shelton Ivie 1889* = Julia Louisa Van Dyne 1992*
Isaac L Ivie 1889* = Melissa Long 1992*
Thomas Celton Ivie 1932* (E 1846) = Amanda Jane Moore 1836 (E 1846)
Sarah Melinda Ivie 1932* = William Long 1932*
Martin Joseph Ivie 1889* = Lucy Harrison 1998*

Name, Baptism date, * means by proxy

For the sharp ones out there, yes Sarah Allred is related to the Allreds I have written about already. The Allred family, and their cousins, the Faucetts and the Ivies were living in Salt River, Missouri when they were baptized into the church. It looks like they moved there in about 1829-30. Missionaries would pass by the Salt River settlement as they traveled between Kirtland and Jackson county. Soon there were converts and a branch.

Salt River also served as a reference point for early Church leaders. When Zion's Camp formed, it did so in two groups, one leaving from Kirtland led by Joseph Smith, and a second leaving from Pontiac Michigan led by Hyrum Smith. Salt River was where the two group were suppose to meet up. Some members living at Salt River joined as well, Including William Ivie.  Notice that in the above excerpt it was at Salt River that W. Ivy joined Milton Holmes. Another piece of evidence in the "yes" column.

William married his wife on August 2, 1835 in Hamilton Co. Illinois. According to the excerpt above, he was in Hamilton county on that date, although there is not a mention of a marriage. I'll put this as a tentative mark in the "yes" column.

There are also other connections to Montgomery Co. Illinois. named in the above excerpt.  John McKee Faucette - who was the brother of Eliza Faucett, William's Sister-in-law - was baptized in Montgomery Co. Illinois, on April 1834. According to one biographer, Moses Martin Sanders and wife Amanda Armstrong Fausett Sanders were baptized in Montgomery County, Illinois, on 28 January 1835 by their nephew William S. Ivie. Another mark in the "yes" column.

Then I found this in Joseph Holbrook's autobiography. He wrote...

"On the 23rd of December, 1834, I took my leave of my family and started in company with Amasa Lyman, Heman T Hyde and Milton Holmes. We preached on our way whenever we could get a privilege, sometimes going a day and night without food in the winter season across the praires with the houses 25 miles apart which made it very severe upon me until we came to the Salt River church where there was a conference held. On account of being lame, it was counseled that Milton Holmes, my former partner, should take William Ive and go to Tennessee and that I remain a few days with the church and Martin Allred and go a heart mission in the part of Missouri and Illinois."

This is more than just circumstantial like the other evidence that I have been wading through. A strong mark in the "yes" column.

Many of the Ivie family appear to have left the church at about the time the Mormons were expelled from Missouri. Only one went to Nauvoo, probably because Illinois was not a slave state and the Ivie's did own slaves. A couple did go on to Utah (those two were cut out of their father's will) and they did not bring their salves with them, but most stayed in Missouri. William started for Utah, but part way he changed his mind and settled in Kirkville, Adair county Missouri. He would later help bring the Christian (Campbellite) church to Kirkville.

So the big question. why have I not heard of this before? They were roughly contemporary with David Patten and Warren Parrish, and certainly contemporary with Wilford Woodruff.  Sure, Patten and Parrish were first. But I have two other theories. First, David Patten later became an apostle, and Wilford Woodruff, later became President of the Church. Second, Woodruff wrote about his mission service in his journal. Combine that with how most of the Ivie family left the Church, I guess it demonstrates just how much it matters who gets to write the history.

Bedford County Baptisms

[What follows is an excerpt from a letter from George J. Woodbury written on February 2, 1885 at Beech Creek, Wayne County, Tenn. It led me to the records of four people baptized in Bedford County in 1885, the earliest I have found so far.]

A few days ago I received a letter from a gentlemen in Bedford county by the name of Daniel C. Walker requesting me to send him some tracts, and papers, also to write to him. He said he had met two of the “Mormon” Elders some two or three years ago and had a short talk with them and it had been on his mind ever since. He said he had read with sorrow of the murder of Elders Gibbs and Berry and hoped that the guilty parties would be caught and punished as they deserved; also requested us to come and see him as soon as we possibly could. I think he is an honest man from the tone of his letter, and have just mailed him some tracts and papers with good sermons in them. We will take another trip soon and will likely call on Mr. W. Things seem very quiet in this section of country at present and I hope and trust that no more of the elders will be called to sacrifice their lives; still if we are forced to do so in the defence of truth, great will be our reward.

I have not found who the other missionaries were, but previous to writing his letter, Daniel Walker lived in Wayne County, Tennessee (1850-1870) and then in Lawrence County (1880) before moving to Bedford County. Daniel C Walker joined the church on 31 Jul 1885; followed by Annie Johnson (his daughter) and Mary Bell Crutchfield (Her mother was Martha Walker so perhaps Mary was Daniel's niece) on 27 September 1885; and then by another daughter, Josephine Walker, on 25 December 1885. Daniel passed away in Nashville on March 24th, 1887.

Opening Bedford County Tennessee

Middle Tennessee Conference
Bedford Co., Tenn. SHRD SHRDS
Shelbyville, Bedford Co., Tenn

May 10, 1895

Editor Church and Farm:
With some eight other Elders, I left Salt Lake city on April 28, 1894, and and after a pleasant trip across the country, we arrived in Chattanooga, Tenn., on the 1st day of May. Here we were assigned our fields of labor, Elder [E.S.] Larsen and I being assigned to Middle Tennessee. Arriving there we were given companions who had some experience in missionary labor. We labored in the counties of White, Dekalb, Coffee, Davi[d]son, Warren, and Moore. The 24th day of November when Elder Larsen and I were called to go into Bedford county, where we have since labored with very good results. This country has never been visited by our Elder as before, save in one corner, and that was years ago. We find many who are ready to accept our teachings, and last Sunday we had the privilege of taking two¹ of these down into the waters of baptism, the first fruits of Bedford county. But the harvest has just begun. Since coming to this county we have held forty meetings, visited 903 families, distributed 733 tracts, and walked 1,112 miles. Of our forty meetings about ten were held in private houses, and the others in public houses. We have found the people in the South very hospitable in all the counties where we have labored, and it has been very easy, in most instances, to obtain buildings in which to hold our meetings. Taking all in all, our labors have been a source of pleasure.
In the last two years our conference has increased from six to eighteen Elders, and it is getting much easier to get the principles of the Gospel before the people than it has been in years past. The rich as well as the poor are beginning to listen with more interest than they have done heretofore, and our meetings are very well attended.
Last Wednesday Elder Larsen started for Nashville, and Elder Kennington has taken his place in this county as my companion. He arrived in Tennessee October 16, 1894, and labored in Rutherford county until he was assigned to this county, the labors of the Elders in Rutherford county being now finished.
From your co-laborers in the vineyard,

Jonathon H. Hale

W. H. Kennington

1. Francis Collins & Sarah Durham on May 5 1895. By the end of summer Francis' wife Mary would be baptized as well as nine members of Sarah's family.

Albert L. Cullimore in Bedford County (part 2)

This is part 2 of the missionary recollections of Albert L. Cullimore. He had just arrived in the mission and was assigned to work in Bedford County.

We were told to travel without purse or script as the missionaries of old had done.  We were in Chattanooga at the time.  I must confess my weakness, when I started out I took a five dollar gold piece with me.  As we would tell people we were traveling without purse and script, the gold piece got bigger and bigger, until I sent it back to the office.

One of the first thrills of my mission was when Elder Erastus Larsen, my companion from Cache County, took me to call on a convert to the Church, a Brother Collins.  Brother Collins [Francis U. Collins] had been baptized in the fall or winter [5 May 1895].  Elder Larsen said, "I promised Brother Collins that if he would faithfully pay his tithing and live the teachings of the gospel as he had been taught, he would prosper.  I told him if he paid his tithing and was a faithful member he would not lose a thing."  As we approached the home of Brother Collins, I noticed his crops of corn seemed to be double that of his neighbor's.  The soil was apparently the same quality, all other conditions seemed the same so far as material was concerned.  This was faith-promoting to me.

On December 15, I received word that my son, Lloyd, had been born December 10th.  This was indeed a wonderful message.

Elder Larsen and I were assigned to labor in Bedford County.  We started at once to tract.  We left a tract at one home, the lady was out raking the lawn.  She picked up the rake and told us to get out of the yard or she would hit us over the head with the rake.  The next place they turned their dogs on us, and the next place we were told to get off the place.  It was very discouraging and disheartening.   It was about time to stop for the day, finally we went to a home where the man of the house told us he would give us a bite to eat and a place to sleep. When we went to bed the man locked us in the room.  The next morning he awakened us at 3:00 a.m., we ate breakfast and he told us that he was going to work.  We told him not to let us detain him.  In a few minutes he repeated that he was going to work.  We again told him not to let us hinder him.  Then he said, "Before I go, you must leave this house."  It was 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. in October.  We were not familiar with the surroundings, but had to wander around in the cold and dark until daybreak.

We were very concerned about the unfriendly treatment that we were getting in this part of the county, so we worked to find the reason for the people reacting as they did.  Then we were told this story:  "A short distance away a Mormon missionary had stolen a Mrs. Shelton and taken her to Utah, so all the neighborhood had declared vengeance on the Mormons." My companion and I checked the story.  We went to talk with Mr. Shelton.  We found that his wife had joined the Church and gone to Colorado with his consent.  He said that she had left at the same time Elder Ezra Walker was released from his mission [in 1887].  She had gone with Elder Walker, not by force, but because she was going to Colorado to make her home and wanted company.  Elder Walker was innocent of any accusations.  Mrs. Shelton had gone to Colorado, and Elder Walker had gone to his home in Utah.  We were happy to get the story straight and refute the accusations.

[Elder Walker married twice: Laura Jane Brown in 1881, (she passed away in 1882, six days after their only child was born) and Annie Swensen in 1889. He certainly didn't marry Mrs Shelton. However, I have not been able to find Mrs.Shelton in Colorado, or locate her on the Tennessee baptism record. Plus there are lots of Shelton's in Bedford County in the 1880 census.]

Everything wasn't as easy as we had expected, however, very few believed us when we told them of Mr. Shelton's statement.  One person, after we told him of Mr. Shelton's statement, said it was not true.  He picked up two rocks and said, "D___ you, don't you call me a liar or I will kill both of you."  He ordered us off his place, calling us every vile name he could think of.  His neighbor lady treated us nearly as bad.  She said if she had known who we were we wouldn't have gotten through her gate.  She ordered us out, calling us thieves and robbers, and told us never to come back.

In the same neighborhood another man would not believe our statement about Mrs. Shelton, and came at us like a mad dog--threatened to shoot us and would not allow us to speak back, under threat of our lives.  He said if we ever came along that road again he'd kill us.

We had many similar experiences in this section of the County.

Albert L. Cullimore Starts his Mission (part 1)

The following, as well as all the parts to follow, were dictated in December 1952.

The Missionary Experiences of Albert Lorenzo Cullimore

I received my call for a mission in August of 1895, from President Wilford Woodruff, then President of the Church.  I left for the mission field on September 27, 1895.

The Bishop called together for interview, a group of men who he thought worthy to go on a mission.  On this occasion, there were seventeen of us in the group.  There was no question as to whether it was a convenient time, or whether one was able to go; he was expected to be ready to go at any time.  It was considered a divine call and was readily accepted.

After the interview by the Bishop, and the recommendation to the First Presidency, the call was issued.  We were again called into the bishop's meeting and given our call, and then assigned which month we should leave.  I was asked to leave the following month, September.

One of the chief problems in leaving was to see to it that my family was provided for while I was gone.  Merle was two years old when I was called; and my wife, Luella, was expecting another child in three months.  This made my concern about leaving even greater.

My brother, William, had just recently returned from his mission. While he was away, I managed his farm for him, getting the provisions for his family.  I cut and hauled their wood for fuel, took care of the cows, etc.  Of course all proceeds from the farm went to his wife and family.  There was no sharing in profits for running the farm.  It was a responsibility that I accepted for him.  Luella and I even moved in with Aunt Lizzie and her family for a short time while Will was gone.  It was while living with them that Merle was born.

When my call came to go on my mission, Will reciprocated.  This way we knew that our families would have the necessities of life while we were away, and someone would look after them.

After I had been interviewed by the Bishop and the month had been set for me to leave, I had an interesting and impressive dream. I dreamed I got on a train; we went a long distance some place, where I am not sure.  I was impressed by the sharp curve that the train went around and the loud whistle that it gave.  Just after going around the curve, the train came to a stop.  Two people were there to greet us.  We walked some distance through the timbers and came to a house.  The house was a log house with a chimney on the outside, built up with mortar.  As we approached the house there were people out to greet us.  They said they had been waiting for us.  We went into the house and had a big meal.

My dream impressed me so much that I told my brother, Will, about it.  He said, "Al, you will be assigned to the Southern States Mission.  The home as you described it was exactly as some of the homes in the South are built.  You described the house better than I could."  (My brother, Will, had been in the Southern States on his mission.)

When my call came, it was to the Southern States Mission. President Elias S. Kimball of the Southern States Mission assigned me to go to Bedford County, Tennessee.  As we were traveling along on the train we went around a sharp turn and the whistle blew, immediately the scene came back to my mind as vividly as it was in my dream.  (I had forgotten about the dream until the particular incident revived it.)

The train was late.  There were two missionaries at the station to meet us.  They told us that some members, the Durhams, had prepared dinner for us; and they knew that they would be waiting for us, so we would take a back path through the timber.  There in the clearing I saw the house just as natural and vivid as if I had lived there for years.  The people hurried out to greet us, and we enjoyed a big supper which they had prepared for us.  This dream and the incident that followed was very inspiring and important to my missionary experiences.

(To be continued...)

It Would Not Burn

The following describes an event which occurred in 1898 in southern middle Tennessee, about halfway between Nashville and Chattanooga.

By Elder N. Donald Forsyth

Written for the Southern Star

During the past few months in which I have been laboring as a traveling Elder in Tennessee, I have been permitted to witness many manifestations of the power of God. I desire to make mention of one particular instance:

While Elder J. P. Dalley and myself were traveling as companions in Bedford County, we canvassed one day the city of Wartrace, a railroad station, in the eastern part of the county. We had visited a number of families, when we came to the home of a lady whose husband (a minister) was not then in. After introducing ourselves and making known the object of our visit, we presented her with a tract and resumed our walk down the street.

We visited the houses below, and, returning, passed by the house before mentioned. In the meantime the gentleman had returned; and as we passed his door he came out and held up before us the tract we had left, struck a match and held to its open leaves the flame. The fire blazed up as if to consume it, but, lo! it would not burn!

Thus baffled in his attempt to destroy those sacred pages, he withdrew, leaving us to witness to the well known fact, that every time the adversary of the great cause arrays himself against it with a view to its suppression – he is defeated.