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

East Tennessee Elders 1916

 

From 1915 to 1916, there were several changes in the missionaries serving in East Tennessee. Only one Elder was still there, but the number of missionaries was still the same; just seven. 

C. L. Flake, M. G. Shumway, James Baron, H. E. Leavitt, Chas. C. Robertson, O. A. Peterson, L. G. Winter.

East Tennessee Elders 1915

Years ago, missions did not have "zones", the had "conferences". Tennessee was its own conference at first, but by the 1880's split into two Conferences: East Tennessee and West Tennessee. West Tennessee went through several iterations, being split, renamed and merged several times over the years. But East Tennessee remained unchanged.Even today, there is a Knoxville Tennessee Mission with roughly the same boundaries as the old East Tennessee Conference. That mission today probably has over 150 missionaries, though that is just a guess. In 1915, however, there were only seven missionaries.

Jas. J. Fuellenbach, Wm. S. Hamblin, James Baron, J. P. E. Rasmussen, W. H. Todd, A. W. King, E. E. Frasier.

Bigham Family's Missionary Guestbook

Have you ever signed a guestbook? Ever wonder if anyone ever read your name wondering who you were. Well, a while ago I was blessed with a missionary guestbook belonging to E.S. Bigham, a member from the Humphreys County area of Tennessee. He started keeping a guestbook in the blank pages of his "Ready References" book. The book was published by George Q. Cannon in 1891 for the use of LDS missionaries. All I received were photocopies of the pages with missionary signatures. Brother Bigham wrote in the names of missionaries he knew had been to his home until March 1898, which I'm guessing is when he obtained the book. Thereafter his missionary guests signed the book themselves. Not all of them dated their signature, and even fewer indicated where they were from. A few only gave their last name.

Maybe one of you is related to or knows more about these missionaries. A few I have written about. Most I have never heard of before. What can you tell me?

Name	From	Date
George W. Stanger		1887
Don C Markham		1887
Richard Shipp		1887
Bard Shipp		1887
B. H. Roberts		1887
Stephen S.C. Worthington		1887
A. Srouris		1887
Elias S. Wright		1887
James Danghs		1887
Borks		[no date]
Ray McGenty		[no date]
Ernest E. Brown		[no date]
James M. Eardley		[no date]
Henry A. Grove		[no date]
Oley C. Olsen		[no date]
Joseph D. Young		[no date]
Thadeous W. Naylor		[no date]
John Barker		[no date]
Nephi M. Savage		[no date]
Robert G. Archibald		[no date]
Warren C. Christenson		[no date]
C. O. Christenson		[no date]
Shepherd Crowther		[no date]
John L. Bench Jr.	Fairview, San Pete Co., Utah	31 Mar 1898
R. G. Lowe	Franklin, Oneida Co., Idaho	31 Mar 1898
James M. Smith	Logan, Cache Co., Utah	[no date]
Emery F. Barrns	Fairview, Wyoming	[no date]
David C. Shupe	North Ogden, Utah	16 Jun 1899
Reigo S. Hawkins	Salt Lake City	16 Jun 1899
H. L. Petty	Emery, Emery Co., Utah	8 July 1899
R. J. Foulger	Salt Lake City, Utah	8 July 1899
James Larson	Brigham City	4 Dec 1898
Walter J. Randall	Prada, Gila Co., Arizona	29 Jul 1899
William P. Murray	Wellsville, Cache Co., Utah	19 Aug 1899
Edmond S. Parkinson	Franklin, Oneida Co., Idaho	19 Aug 1899
J. Urban Allred	Lehi, Utah Co., Utah	19 Aug 1899
Mora Stewart	Mesa City, Maricopa Co., Ariz
John L. Bergeson	Lewiston, Cache Co., Utah	6 Sep 1899
Alma Olsen	Logan, Cache Co., Utah	4 Dec 1899
Alfred Fuller	Pine, Gila, Arizona	26 Feb 1900
W. L. Mooper	Weston, Oneida Co., Idaho	26 Feb 1900
John R. South	Randolph, Rich Co., Utah	10 May 1901
David Halls	Mancos, Montezuma Co., Colo	10 May 1901
Wilbur Sowards	Manassa, Colorado	4 Nov 1901
Charles E. Kapper	Logan City, Utah	4 Nov 1901
Chas H. Marttery	Kockland, Idaho	1902
A. G. Haskell	Manassa, Colorado	1 Apr 1902
Heber Ogden	Richfield, Utah	15 Apr 1902
Melvin P. Miller	Murray, Utah
Orson W. Raulin	Salt Lake City, Utah	[no date]
L. R. Porter	Porterville, Morgan Co., Utah	[no date]
C. M. Alston	Salt Lake City, Utah	[no date]
Martin A. Clinger	Lakeview, Utah	31 Oct 1902
Jesse F. Cooper	Overton, Nevada	31 Oct 1902
John W. Caspersen	Preston, Oneida Co., Idaho	Jan 1903
George J. Fox	Salt Lake City, Utah	[no date]
Wm Geo Brough Jr.	Porterville, Morgan Co., Utah	[no date]
J. W. Johnson	Salem, Utah Co., Utah	10 Jun 1903
Golden Shields		[no date]
Joseph Ipson	Paguitch, Utah	19 Aug 1904
L. W. Hatch	Woodruff, Navajo Co., Ariz	19 Aug 1904
John Redden	Coleville, Summit Co., Utah	19 Aug 1904
Lorenzo Hansen	Preston, Oneida Co., Idaho	4 Dec 1904
John G. Shields	Lincoln, Tooele Co., Utah	9 Dec 1904
J. F. Brown	Fairview, Wyoming	9 Dec 1904
Qinn C. Whittier	Oakley, Cassia Co., Idaho	9 Dec 1904
Elmer Kimber	Grouse Creek, Utah	9 Apr 1905
C. E. Rowan Jr.	Coyoto, Garfield Co., Utah	9 Apr 1905
Hugh Roberts		21 Aug 1905
Albert W. Bonham	Hooper, Weber, Utah	20 Jan 1906
John H. Bagley	Nibley, Union Co., Oregon	20 Jan 1906
James William Hansen	Payson Utah	9 Mar 1906
Wm D. Bocker	Salt Lake City, Utah	[no date]
Emery E. Huntsman	Enterprise, Washington Co., Utah	12 Jul 1906
Silas W. Bills	Riverton, Salt Lake Co., Utah	15 Jul 1906
Miller		[no date]
Jas T. Moore	Prospect, Idaho	6 Jan 1907
Michaelson		[no date]
David J. Stewart	Grover, Wayne Co., Utah	6 Jan 1907
[illegible]		[no date]
[illegible]		[no date]
Larson		[no date]

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.