It may not look like a lot, but baptisms in Tennessee were picking up. Yes, there was still a war going on. But that was looking like it was coming to a close, which it did in November. True, there was also the Spanish Flu going around. In fact, in October 1918, just before the war ended, Nashville would see one of the largest outbreaks of the flu in the nation.
But there were some positive news for the mission. Hamilton county, where there were 14 baptisms, had recently been opened to missionary work. Up until now, no proselytizing was done in Chattanooga, the principle city of Hamilton county, for fear that it might stir up violence against the mission home itself. It was not an unreasonable concern in a state where homes were burned just for allowing missionaries to preach there.
Other counties were also opened. Blount county saw 7 baptisms and it was also newly opened in 1918. Madison county had 8 with 4 more in neighboring Chester county because several converts lived in Bemis which straddles the county line.
Weakley county which had 10, was a older branch at Turkey Creek. Maury county which had 9, also had an older branch at Hampshire. Shelby county, home to Memphis, too had an established branch with 4 converts as well as 4 more in Tipton county where a dependent branch had been meeting. Perry county (with 4 baptisms) has a branch too at Short Creek. Putam (5), Davidson/Nashville (5), Lawrence (5), Van Buren (4) and Bledsoe (4) counties round out the mix of active areas. Followed by a handful of baptisms in isolated counties.
Missing were Knox county, Grundy county which both have branches as well as proselytizing efforts, but no baptisms for the year.
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