Sunday, May 1, 2016

Name that Missionary.

Today I'm going the try a game.  The missionaries in the photo below have recently arrived in Chattanooga Tennessee to start their mission. The mission secretary sent this photo. It is dated July 31st 1895. But the labeling for the photo is somewhat lacking. There is a list of people in the photo, and the names are numbered, but no legend matching the names to the faces. I have added letters A-Q to the photo. The full names and areas of service were fleshed out using other sources.

If we are lucky, a relative has posted a photo online against which we can compare these images. But it is harder than it sounds. I've been working on the Tennessee ones and so far nothing conclusive although I do have a couple of ideas.
1. Shadrach Harris Jones of Provo Utah assigned to Mississippi
2. Chester Vinson Call of Chesterfield, Idaho assigned to South Carolina
3. Ernest Edward Brown of Salt Lake City, Utah assigned to Middle Tennessee
4. Daniel Jones Stewart of Adamsville, Utah assigned to Kentucky
5. William Douglas Dixon of Payson, Utah assigned to Virginia
6. Heber Ricks of Rexburg, Idaho assigned to North Alabama
7. Joseph Barnes Woodward of Wellsville, Utah assigned to East Tennessee
8. Levi Benjamin Pace of New Harmony, Utah assigned to Kentucky
12. Ezra Clark Robinson of Farmington, Utah assigned to North Carolina
13. John Cutcliff Bertoch of Pleasant Green, Utah assigned to East Tennessee
14. John Haigh Glenn of Salt Lake City, Utah assigned to South Carolina
15. George Barton Moore of Payson, Utah assigned to Mississippi
16. William Pardoe of Salt Lake City, Utah assigned to North Alabama
17. George Augustus Huntington of Center Ward, Utah assigned to Middle Tennessee

Also in the photo, but who had not newly arrived to the mission were...
9. George Henry Horne working in the mission office
10. Prest. Elias S. Kimball who is the mission president
11. David C. Hubbard working in the mission office

Missing from the photo, but who arrived with the other missionaries are...
18. Adam Yancey of Chesterfield, Idaho assigned to Texas
19. Lamoni Tolman of Chesterfield, Idaho assigned to Texas
Since both went to Texas, I am guessing they had to leave before the photograph was taken. Extra credit for anyone who can find a photo of each of them. Bonus points for anyone who can find a photo of these two together.

I'll fill in one to get us started. I know, I took the easy one.
A.
B. - 4. Daniel Jones Stewart (ht Cameron)
C. -  1. Shadrach Harris Jones (ht Dustin)
D.
E. - 6. Heber Ricks  (ht Cameron)
F. - 2. Chester Vinson Call (ht Cameron)
G. - 7. Joseph Barnes Woodward (thanks to the Woodward Family)
H. - 8. Levi Benjamin Pace (ht Cameron)
I. - 13. John Cutcliff Bertoch (ht Cameron)
J. - 9. George Henry Horne (ht Whizzbang)
K. - 14. John Haigh Glenn (ht Cameron)
L.  - 10. Elias S. Kimball
M.
N. - 11. David C. Hubbard
O. - 16. William Pardoe
P. - 15. George Barton Moore (ht Shantel)
Q. - 17. George Augustus Huntington (thanks to the Huntington Family)

12 comments:

Dustin said...

I found some pictures online of #1 Shadrach Harris Jones and the best I can tell he is person C in the photo.

Bruce said...

I agree with you Dustin.

Whizzbang said...

I emailed you with some clues to as who are at least some of the brethren are, I hope you got it!

Whizzbang said...

J. would be George Henry Horne, just found a picture of him but without his moustache but it's him I think

Bruce said...

I agree with you on J. It matches one possible numbering sequence. (i.e. right before Kimball).

Bruce said...

Whizzbang, I'm working through a few emails with potential IDs I get through your list shortly.

Bruce said...

So a pattern is emerging that might help us with the remaining ones.

C-1, F-2, The two standing in the back
A, B, D, E, G-7, H-8, The next six standing
J-9, L-10, N-11, P, The four seated on chairs
I-13, K-14, M, O, Q-17. The last four on stools or the floor

It is a little logical, but not how I would have done it. And it presupposes that the person numbering the names knew who the people were, which can't be assumed since most of them had only met a few days before.

Still some more to come

Bruce said...

Cameron is cleaning up the list

Bruce said...

It is interesting that I'm getting emails and Tweets in addition to the comments here. Multi media!!!

Bruce said...

So the pattern is not perfect. "M" appears to be Lamoni Tolman, who should not even be in the photo. He was with the group of missionaries that arrived in Chattanooga on the 27th, so it is totally possible. Just goes to prove that sometimes even documents created at the time can be wrong.

Ernest E Brown sort of matches "A", though it is subjective and could be "D". A better ID could be made if we some additional photos to compare against.

That leaves William Dixon (21) and Ezra Robinson (23). Either could be "D" or "A" based on age. But so far no photographs of either have surfaced.

Clark said...

I'm months late getting to this post, referred over by a link at Keepa. I can confirm that E is Heber Ricks. I'm descended through his brother. Heber is a son of Ricks College founder Thomas E. Ricks, who named his identical twin boys (Heber and Brigham) after the two most prominent members of the First presidency. I can send a photo if you'd like.

As an aside, I had no idea that Heber served in the southern states, although a grandfather on my mother's side (Joseph Ritchie) did. Ritchie didn't arrive until 1896, though, so not relevant to this post.

Bruce said...

Thanks, Clark. Your confirmation is certainly welcome. Especially since it comes from a member of the family.