Early Mormon Missionaries: William Lester Glade

Here is an excerpt from the Early Mormon Missionaries entry for William Lester Glade:

Early Mormon Missionaries

William Lester Glade

November 1915–April 1918

Central States

Set apart by Jos F Smith

When Lester returned from his missionary service he entered the army. I won't repeat all the information about his missionary and military service, since it's been covered before on the blog, but here are some images. First a program for his missionary farewell, then a card showing him while he was in the military. Note the caption, with its reference to his missionary service ("Reverend"). If I recall correctly, he did not make it overseas to fight in the First World War.

Sgt. W. L. Glade

Camp Lee, Va.

Nov. 28, 1918

Once "Rev."

Now Ready for Over Sea Service!

Early Mormon Missionaries: Archibald Hill

Archibald Newell Hill was an early Scottish convert from Canada. I have not told his life story yet because it is complicated and at least part of the story should be told in a more formal publishing venue, but here is his entry from the Early Mormon Missionaries database.

Archibald Hill, mission picture, courtesy of Sharon Wilbur.

Hill served three missions. The first was to Europe. Daniel B. Richard's Hill Family History notes, 

Archibald served a mission in 1865 (2 years and 4 months) to Birmingham and Southampton and traveled 3,657 miles by foot; 7,631 miles by railroad; 8,786 miles by water; attended 318 public meetings; preached 253 sermons; and baptized 10 persons. He visited his place of birth and met with an uncle.

On his return to the United States, he headed a large company of immigrants. (See more information at Mormon Migration: Manhattan, Liverpool to New York, 1867).

The second mission call was to Canada with his brother Alexander Hill, Jr. Richards notes that he visited his old home in Essex, Ontario.

Archibald Hill and his three children from his first marriage,
Samuel Hill, Hannah Hood Hill Romney, Rebecca Hood Hill Pettit.
Courtesy of Sharon Wilbur.

His third mission had to do with the intense prosecutions in the late 1880s over plural marriage. Richards notes:

In 1887 he left Utah for Joseph City, Arizona ... He got as far as Springville, Utah and returned to Salt Lake. He was then appointed as a missionary to Arizona and he left again for Joseph City and lived with his nephew, Joseph Richards for almost a year. He visited twice his granddaughter Mary Ann Romney Farr in St. Johns and to Luna Valley, New Mexico where his sister Elizabeth Swapp lived. While in Arizona he received word that his wife Margaret had died. At the end of his visit in Arizona and New Mexico, he left on the train for Salt Lake City and went through Denver where he visited with his “lost daughter” Emma Milam Hill Thomas whom he hadn’t seen for 24 years.

Here are two letters he wrote, provided through the Early Mormon Missionaries database and found at the Church History Library.

Archibald Newell Hill Letter, April 13, 1887, First Presidency Missionary Calls and recommendations, 1877–1918, Church History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, CR 1 168, box 3, folder 11, image 14, 1–2.

Transcription of the letters, as written, no correction of spelling, but I do not include the periods he uses to keep space.

Lehi April 13/87 [received by Church] A.N. Hill — April 15 — 1887. 

Mr. F.D. Richdards 

My Dear Brother no doubt but you are aware of my arest & Escape may it be wise or folish. I Have ben Led in this way, Now I +^+would^ be Pleased to Know if you Have any advice or Council for me in the futer. I dow acknolidge the Hand of the in the Past. Escape from the Enemy. Now if a mission to Europ Canada or any wheare Els would be of benifit to the Kingdom or My Self & famly I wish to be Like Clay in the Hands of the Potter 

I am now at Lehi with Bro Wm Yates, just arrived by wagon & will wate for an answer from You. My Famly is all Right as for a Livleyhood I Beleive my adress will be 

A. Currie, Lehi, in Care of William Yates 

As Ever Your Brother in the Gosple & // 

A. N. Hill 

P..S. I Believe I Can get a Recommend from my Bishop of the 19th ward if Necesery in Hase [haste, since] the Train is Coming

Archibald Newell Hill Letter, June 17, 1887, First Presidency Missionary Calls and recommendations, 1877–1918, Church History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, CR 1 168, box 3, folder 11, image 15, 1.

Nephi, Juab. Co     June 17/87 

President F. D. Richards. My Deare Brother 

I Received a Letter Yesterday from Bro. G. Reynolds Stating that I was apointed on a mission, all Right trust I will be of Some use in this great Cause of truth & warfaire, wherever it may be to no place mentioned, I would be glad for a Companion in Labour. 

he wished me to call in the evening the only Safe time I Recon. at the Historan Office. I will notify you which night I can be at Your Servise as I have to be on the Looke out, it will be if all right, the Lord willing Some time next week. May the Lord Bless & Preserve you & all his Servents. as Ever your Brother in Tribulations 

A. N. Hill

Inventory Reports, April 1846: Sidney Tanner

The Mormon pioneer migration was an immense undertaking, requiring careful oversight by the leaders of the Church.

John D. Lee filed this inventory report of Captains of 10 at Pleasant Point, Iowa, April 1846. See  the entries for Amasa Lyman, Sidney Tanner, and Nathan Tanner.

The Tanners had substantial resources compared to some of the other early Mormon pioneers; an earlier page in this collection recorded dryly, "N. W. Whipple has not the first thing but his wife." (Remember that every resource the Tanners had as they started across the plains was due to very hard and skilled farm work.)

Sydney [sic] Tanner...10 in family, 4 beds, 3 cows, 1680 lbs of flour, 126 lbs of meal, 106 lbs of beans, 210 lbs of wheat, 120 lbs of shorts, 3 wagons, 2 horses, 8 oxen, 7 [boxes of doughnuts]*

Church History Library, MS 14290, Box 1, Folder 8, Inventory reports, 1846 April.

* Just kidding. [Indecipherable.]

Roll of Company No. 1: John Tanner

As the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began evacuating Nauvoo for points west, Elias Smith recorded a roll of the original emigration company. Here are John Tanner, Sidney Tanner, John Joshua Tanner, and Nathan Tanner on page 10. Myron was listed on page 8.

I believe the "(10)" next to John Tanner's name indicates a Captain of Ten (see Doctrine and Covenants 136), although I'm not sure how early they began using that designation.

Church History Library, MS 14290, Box 1, Folder 1, Roll of company number 1, 1845, 6.

John Tanner's Funeral

From Hosea Stout's diary:

Sunday 14th Apl 1850. Went to meeting in the fore-noon. Heber [C. Kimball], Geo A. [Smith] & B. Y. [Brigham Young] spoke. In the after noon P[arley] P. Pratt preached G. W. Langley & Father Tanner's funerals

Here are a few more miscellaneous mentions or notes of interest in Stout's diaries.

Saturday August 1st 1846....Before we got breakfast over Father John Tanner came from the camp with a team to assist those who needed it to get up the hill and he turned in and helped me up and learning that I had the public arms he assisted me on to camp   He manifested a great interest in heping [sic] me when he found that I had public property. We had no no [sic] difficulty in going to the camp. 

Thursday Nov 3 1853. To day we made out to start and went up the Cajon Cannon to the narrows some 15 miles from San Bernardino. Bro Albert Tanner and Montgomery E. Button accompanied us to assist us up the Cajon Pass... 

Monday 29 Oct 1855.... In the after noon court met Grand Jury presented two indictments. one against Joe a Spaniard for the murder of Elisha P. Ryan and one against Moroni Green for an assault with intent to kill Nathan Tanner... [The verdict was guilty of assault with intent to inflict bodily injury, sentence six months in prison.]

Early Mormon Missionaries: William John Glade

The new Early Mormon Missionaries database covers the missionary service of a number of Glade descendants, but for today, here is William John Glade. 

We've covered some of the history of William John Glade's mission before in the account called "Burned the Church." (That link leads to an index to the different parts of the account of a memorable mission conference at Two Mile, West Virginia.)

Will was called to the Southern States Mission at age 26. As is also done now, but by letter, not online, he sent in an acceptance of his mission call to the President of the Church. 

Found in the Church History Library collection, "First Presidency missionary calls and recommendations 1877-1918," his letter read as follows, including the endorsement by his bishop, hymn writer and future apostle Orson F. Whitney, and office notation from J.F.S., meaning Joseph F. Smith, at that time Second Counselor in the First Presidency.

Salt Lake City  Jan 28  1895 

President Wilford Woodruff 

                                    City 

Dear Brother 

                         I write you in answer to the call, with regard to the mission to the Southern States.  As I have been thought worthy of this mission, I feel it my duty to respond, and try and fulfill to the best of my ability, any calling confered on me. 

I will make arrangements to start from this City on the date which was named. 

     February 23rd 1895. 

                        Your Brother in the Gospel 

                                        Wm J Glade  

     Prest Woodruff 

              Dear Brother: 

                                        I endorse the answer of Brother Glade. He is worthy of the call made upon him. Knowing his circumstances, I honor his faith and the resolution he has formed   (over)  to let nothing stand between him and his duty. 

              Respectfully 

                           Your Brother 

                                    O. F. Whitney 

                                              Bishop 19th Ward 

January 29, 1895. 

All right
        J. F. S.

William John Glade (1868–1951)

Will was set apart on February 22, 1895. He was already married to Annie Hamilton and had one child, Lester, with another on the way. A family history gives the following account:

William John Glade was given a farewell program in the 18th ward Independent School house. The home Dramatic Club furnished a skit and Maude May Babcock coached a dancing feature for the program. A fifty cent admission was required. They had a capacity house which raised $99.00 for Will’s mission. 

Will boarded the train in 23 Feb, 1895 for the Southern States Mission. The following August, after Will left on his mission, Mary, their second child was born. It was 28 months before William John Glade finished his mission to Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia. He was met at the depot at 2:00 am on 5 July, 1897 by his brothers George, David and George Vine in the buggy with an old sorrel mare. He traveled without purse or script and performed a successful mission. His family was well cared for, not wanting for more than the necessities of life. Their faith for the Lord’s work came first and they received the Lord’s pay.

Early Mormon Missionaries: John Tanner (2)

A follow-up to the last post about John Tanner's mission.

David Pettigrew wrote a letter to Times and Seasons about the mission. Here it is.

Early Mormon Missionaries: John Tanner

The Church just announced the Early Mormon Missionaries database. I will highlight some of the people mentioned in the database. 

First, here is some new information about John Tanner's mission. 

In April 1844 the Prophet Joseph Smith called John Tanner and many others to preach the gospel and assist in his presidential campaign.

Although George S. Tanner searched for any account of John Tanner’s mission, he could not conclude anything in his book John Tanner and His Family (1974) but the following, “Nor is it known what John accomplished on his mission in New York that spring and summer” (107).

New digitization allows the discovery and sharing of information that was close to impossible to find just a generation or two ago, and a short account of John Tanner’s mission is among that information. 

The Journal History of the Church was a scrapbook compiled by Assistant Church Historian Andrew Jenson from newspapers and histories, and organized by date. Even in these computer days, it is still one of the valuable resources for the history of the Church. Here are two documents from the Journal History.

First, a list of the general conferences (more like our stake conferences) in 1844, and the elders called to preach the gospel and assist in the presidential campaign. Most of the states had two presidents appointed to head the missionary work. For the state of New York, it was Charles W. Wandell and Marcellus Bates. A few names of interest on this list are:

(New York) John Tanner, Martin H. Tanner 

(Ohio) Simeon Carter

(Indiana) Amasa Lyman (1st President), Nathan Tanner

Second, an account of a conference in New Trenton, Indiana on November 6, 1844, in which John Tanner’s missionary companion, David Pettegrew (1791–1863), gives a brief account of their mission. It leaves us wanting more, but this is the first account of what happened between the time John Tanner left his teenage sons Albert and Myron in charge of a large farm in Iowa, and when he returned in the fall, dismayed to see how the farm had run down in his absence.

This is what David Pettegrew said at the conference. Note that John Tanner was not with him at the time; he would have returned to Iowa.

Elder Pettegrew then arose and stated that he left Nauvoo the 28th of April 1844, in company with Elder John Tanner for the State of New York, proclaiming the everlasting gospel and bearing testimony of the truth of the Book of Mormon and the Prophet; much good has been done in the name of the Lord, numbers have been baptized, and many renewed their covenant under our administration, etc.

Although there may have been a political component to the mission, especially at first, they understood their mission to be to preach the restored gospel and testify to the truths of the Book of Mormon and prophet, and that is what they did.

David Pettegrew, from FindAGrave, courtesy Schott Family.

Now that we know that John Tanner served with David Pettegrew, we can look at whether he wrote anything about the mission. His journal is in the collections of the Church History Library, and is digitized. It turns out that it is more an autobiography than a journal, and this is what he had to say about the mission:

[Elder Wilard Snow and I] returned to Nauvoo in the month of May, 1843. This Season I Suffered much with Sickness, and also my son, James Phinas. We did not recover our health until the fall of 1844. When in the Spring of that year the conference met, I received my appointment for the State of New York, where I was much blessed in bearing testimony of the truth to Thousands of people. They will long remember my white head. I visited my relations in Vermont and New Hampshire, and the graves of my Father and Mother. I had grave stones put over their graves on the 8th day of July, 1844. It was while in that country that the Sad news of the death of Brothers Joseph and Hiram came to us. It was with deep, humiliating sorrow that we learnt of the assassination of our two brothers, but we Saw many that rejoiced to hear of their death, especially the ministers of different Sects. 

And that’s all. There are a few hints in there that could be worth pursuing, since some of the local newspapers may have mentioned the missionaries, and we know now that David Pettegrew, and perhaps also John Tanner, were in Weathersfield, Vermont (the place of his parents' graves) in July 1844.

What an exciting new collection of information. Next up: William John Glade.

(See an additional Pettegrew account at Early Mormon Missionaries: John Tanner (2).)

Ann Prior Jarvis Diary — January 16–25, 1885

Life in a small town: home-grown music, recreational buggy rides, and the blessings (sometime literal) of a religious community. Charles L. Walker gives a longer account of the January 25th meeting.

Fri 16     Sis Bird ate dinner here Sisters of the relief scy called

Sat 17    Weather fine had a good night rest

Sun 18   Weather pleasant spent the day in going to meeting took Amelia for a ride had a pleasant evening at Ems t^w^ow [two] young men played pl music [indecipherable] one played the dulcimer and the other the bango

Mon 19    Weather warm and bright........

Tuesday 20  went to relief society had a ride

Wed 21     Weather fair went to Ems to a quilting rode in the buggy

Thur 22     Weather pleasant went to see Annie took her for a ride a few blocks went for Josey rode untill five o clock

Friday 23     I went for Josey she is sick

Sater 24     We are sick to day I stayed in bed part of the day at night Br Fawcet and B. [indecipherable] administered to us  Father was much better

[in margin: had letter from Maggie]

Sun 25     Weather pleasant I feel very drowsy went to meeting [page 47] Brs Woodruff and Teasdale preached to us. Also in the first Ward

From Charles Lowell Walker

Jan 25 Pleasant. Went to Meeting. Apostle George Teasdale spoke in a very interesting manner on the absurdities of spiritualism and the powers of darkness which are and would be manifested in the last days, the importance of doing our temple work with acceptance before God, that we might indeed be saviours on Mount Zion. Showed how careful Bishops and presiding men should be in reccomending people to the Temple. Pres Woodroof spoke in an encouraging way to the people. Said he believed that the work done in the Temple would be mostly accepted before the Lord....We were living in perilous times and we should choose to obey the Law of God rather than that of Man. God would fight our battles, and those that were now persecuting us with malicious intent would ere long have trouble enough at their own doors....At night on duty at the Temple. My old friend Addison Everett has passed away. I prepared him for burial a few days ago.

Notes

Sis Bird — Probably Jane Mott Carpenter Bird (1810–1891) A native of Connecticut and New York, she had been widowed for five years. FindAGrave notes that the Bird home was on the corner of 100 West and Tabernacle, so not far from the Jarvis family.

Br Fawcet — William Fawcett (1814–1904), a native of England.

Maggie — Her daughter in Arizona.

Brs Woodruff and Teasdale — Apostles Wilford Woodruff and George Teasdale.