The Harvest of Converts the Harvest Wastodocument, - - -

those whodidnotmakethe journeytoAmericainthenineteenth the IntermountainWest.Wefoundfewerrecords availablefor whose writingshavebeendepositedatlibrariesor archivesin ten historiesbyindividualswhoemigratedtoNauvoo ortoUtah Latter-day Saintsinthenineteenthcentury.Weconsulted writing theirconversionsandsubsequentjourneysthrough lifeas of theearlyconvertsleftjournalsorpersonalhistories record records, andfamilyrecordsfoundonFamilySearch.org. Several Jesus ChristofLatter-daySaints,emigrationrecords, census sources, particularlymembershiprecordsfromThe Churchof sources, includingjournalsandreminiscences,public ment oftheChurchasawholeinThreeCountiesovertime. stories, theirfamilyrelationships,andthegrowthdevelop and demographicbackgrounds,theirconversionemigration ular, wewereinterestedinlearningmoreabouttheireconomic understand theconvertsasindividualsandfamilies.Inpartic This chapterwillfocusonhowotherdocumentscanhelpus spective ofthemissionarieswhowenttoThreeCounties. Woodruff’s firstarrivalintheareahasbeenbasedonper ous researchoftheharvestconvertsfromtimeWilford the Church in the Three Counties from the 1840s. Most previ- To learnmoreabouttheconverts,weusedbothpersonal insofar as possible, information about theconverts to A MAJOR FOCUSOF THIS RESEARCH The Harvest of Converts The Harvest wastodocument, - - - -

91 Chapter 5

92 The Field Is White or stayedbehindinEngland. and whethertheyemigratedtoAmericajointhebodyofSaints Church, particularlywhethertheyremainedfaithfultothegospel will considerwhathappenedtotheconvertsaftertheyjoined located andhowtheywereorganizedordisbanded.Chapter6 also wanted to understand more about where the branches were to identifyindividualsandfamilieswhojoinedtheChurch,we version andtheirdemographiccircumstances.Alongwithtrying as theyfirstjoinedtheChurch,includingtheirstoriesofcon- throughout theirlives.Thischapterwillfocusontheconverts they wereandifabletoremainactiveintheChurch individuals inavarietyofrecords,welearnedmoreaboutwho many emigratedorstayedbehindinEngland.Byfindingthe the livesandexperiencesoftheseearlyconverts,includinghow cences writtenbymissionariesandmembersfromthatarea. vert namesusedinthisstudycomefromjournalsandreminis period wasnotcompleteoraccurate,sothemajorityofcon and otherChurchleaders.recordkeepinginthattime of baptismnumbersfoundinthewritingsWilfordWoodruff searching tounderstandmoreaboutthemanydifferentreports was toidentifyasmany converts fromtheearly1840saspossible, ences asmembersoftheChurch.Thefirstaspectthisresearch learn moreabouttheearlyconverts’individuallivesandexperi- research methodsintheappendix. century. Wehaveincludedmoreinformationonthedetailsofour his words,inpartbecause heusedphrasesthatcouldbeseen the samedetails.Someindividuals mayquestiontheaccuracyof his reflectionsonthesuccess oftheworkdidnotalwayscontain stances ofhisreminiscencesandthepurpose discussion, members oftheUnitedBrethren.Dependingon thecircum tershire, andWorcestershire,includingconvertswho hadbeen cess hehadinsharingthegospelHerefordshire, Glouces Later inhislife,WilfordWoodruffoftenmentioned thegreatsuc Identifying theEarlyConvertsinThreeCounties The secondfocusofthisresearchwastolearnmoreabout This chapterandthenextdescriberesearchcarriedoutto - - - - - ren statethattherewereabout 600membersofthegroup. close to600,becauseother descriptionsabouttheUnitedBreth from theUnitedBrethren congregationswasmostlikelyvery easier to say than a number such as 572. The number of converts descriptions. Simplystatingthat600peoplejoined theChurchis details ofhisexperiencesandthusprovidedaround figureinhis over timeWilfordWoodruffmaynothaveremembered precise reason forthechangesinbaptismnumbersispossibility that during theyearWilfordWoodruffwasinEngland. Oneobvious ments regardingthebaptismsandmembershipof theChurch to reconcilethesedifferentstatements. the first year thegospel was preachedinthe Three Counties. cumstance hetalkedof“1800people”whojoinedtheChurchin the sixhundredUnitedBrethrenwerebaptized. the ThreeCounties,ononeoccasionhesaidthatallbutof as contradictory.Forexample,whenhespokeabouthistimein Countryside intheThreeCounties.(PhotobyCynthiaDoxeyGreen.) just over300peoplehimself. 600,” In anotherinstance,WilfordWoodruffstatedthat he “baptized There areseveralpossibleexplanationsforthevarious state 3 buthis“BaptismalRecord1840”showsthathebaptized 4 Furtherresearchseemednecessary 1 Inanothercir- 5

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93 The Harvest of Converts

94 The Field Is White available after160years. very fewChurchmembershiprecordsfromtheThreeCounties tisms andnamesofthosebaptizedinthattimeperiod.Wefound century, thereisnofeasiblewaytofindtheexactnumberofbap- in the1840sdidnotkeeprecordsascarefullytwenty-first easily havebeenabout1,800baptisms. area duringthefirstyeargospelwaspreached,therecould Woodruff wasdescribingthenumberofpeoplebaptizedin and Britishmissionariesbeganteaching baptizing. If Wilford ford Woodruffperformedtheinitialbaptisms,otherAmerican These numbersshouldbequitedifferent,becausesoonafterWil number ofpeoplewhowerebaptizedintheThreeCountiesarea. referring tothenumberofpeoplehepersonallybaptizedor was usingatthetime.Hedidnotalwaysstatewhetherhe the precisionofwordsandspecificitydetailsthathe ford Woodruff’scommentsaboutnumbersofbaptismsmightbe friends andneighborsforwhomtherearenorecords. many moremissionariesandpriesthoodholdersbaptizingtheir did notalwayswritethenamesoftheirconverts,andtherewere though thesesourcesaresporadicandincomplete.Thewriters list, weusedthenamesfoundinmissionaryandmemberjournals, pioneer collections. are availableinpublishedformasautobiographiesMormon in theiroriginalformvariousrecordrepositoriesUtah;some Record 1840,”anotebook withthesubtitle“W.Woodruff’slistof verts intheThreeCounties was“WilfordWoodruff’sBaptismal of theirancestorsforownpurposes. add toortakeawayfromthehistoryinorderfocus thestories tions who,notknowingthestoryfromtheirownexperience, may not taintedbytheembellishmentsofindividuals latergenera individuals torecollecttheirpastaccurately,these sourcesare While autobiographicalwritingscanbeaffectedby theabilityof tories writtenbychildrenordescendantsoftheoriginal converts. accounts ratherthansecondaryaccounts,suchas personal his Method of Identifying Names ofConverts. Another possibleexplanationforthedisparityamongWil Many ofthesejournals,diaries,orreminiscencesarelocated One ofthemostimportant sourcesforthenamesofcon 8 Inallinstances,weusedonlyfirsthand 6 Intheabsenceofacomprehensive Because theChurch 7

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ordained topriesthoodoffices,notingalsomembershevisited. journal heoftenmentionedindividualswhowere baptized or he nolongerkeptadetailedreportofthebaptisms,butinhis he left the areafor a conferencein Manchester. Afterthattime baptisms intheareafrom6Marchthrough22June1840,when Woodruff listedthenames,dates,andplacesformanyof FamilySearch.org. Overland Travelwebsite,andgenealogieshistoriesfoundon website, thecompanyrecordsfound on the MormonPioneer records, theships’passengerlistsonMormonMigration suses inbothBritainandtheUnitedStates,marriagedeath involvement withtheChurch.Ourrecordsearchincludedcen public recordstolearnmoreabouttheirmovementsorlater journals, we searched for these individuals on other Church or the numberbaptizedinHerefordshireEngland1840.” in theThreeCountiesarea. last ofthemissionariesforwhomwehadjournalswerenolonger sometime between6March1840and5February1843,whenthe for 775individuals.Allofthebaptismsinthisdatabaseoccurred partial name,orbaptismalinformationinthejournaldatabase significantly tothejournaldatabasewecreated.Wehaveaname, sionaries wroteofpeopletheyvisitedandbaptized,whichadded In additiontoWilfordWoodruff,manyoftheconvertsandmis difficulty identifyingtheconverts; Mary Foxfamily.Without such information, wesometimes had Ann Weaver,ninety-fiveyearsold,livingwiththe Thomasand Fox, inDilwyn,Herefordshire.The1841census Dilwyn shows baptized Ann Weaver, the ninety-five-year-old mother of Mary or informationonage.Forexample,JohnSpiers wrote thathe rare occasions, thejournal writer included familial relationships places thathelpedusidentifytheconvertsinpublic records.On many of the missionaries’ journals, we found baptismal dates and tion, suchasgender,age,maritalstatus,orplaceofresidence.In converts, theydidnotalwaysprovideotheridentifyinginforma converts baptized in the early 1840s in the ThreeCounties area identify 73percentofthe 775 peopleonthedatabase. After compilingthenamesofconvertsmentionedin Number ofBaptismsinthe Early1840s. 12 Althoughthejournalscontainednamesof 11 13 however,wedidpositively Finding thenumberof 9 Wilford 10 - - -

95 The Harvest of Converts

96 The Field Is White dence supportstherewere between1,500and2,000converts. Counties duringWilfordWoodruff’s servicethere.However,evi question ofhowmanypeople joinedtheChurchfromThree conferences. ber ofChurchmembersfromeachthebranchestwo and atStanleyHillon20September1840,includingthenum- of the conferencesheld at Gadfield Elmon14 September 1840 not includedwiththenumbers.Thejournalreportsminutes later publishedinthe ship numbersinconferencereportshisjournal,whichwere in the Three Counties area, WilfordWoodruffrecordedmember records arescarce.However,duringthefirstyearofChurch can bedifficultbecausepersonalandofficialChurchmembership England between September 1840 and March 1841. show atleastsevenshipswithMormonemigrantsleavingfrom emigrated fromtheThreeCountiesbyMarch1841,butrecords such individuals. conferences, meaningthatthenumber1,550doesnotinclude had died,emigrated,orbeenexcommunicatedbythetimeof Woodruff notedtherewere1,550Churchmembers inthearea. had alreadyemigratedtoNauvoobyMarch1841, when Wilford a largenumberoftheearlyconvertsfromThree Counties left EnglandbeforetheMarch1841conferences.Possibly quite including theBenbow,Kington,andHolmesfamilies, whohad fifty oftheconvertsfromourjournaldatabasewere ontheships, emigrants in those ships would be from the Three Counties, over know howmanyindividualswereonthem.Although notallofthe those shipsdidnothavecompletepassengerlists,sowecannot Three Counties. the endofMarch1841therewereatleast1,550membersin newly createdGarwayConferencewith134members.Thusby the FromesHillConferencehad1,008members,addingin wrote thattheGadfieldElmConferencehad408membersand Woodruff recordedtheconferencemeetingsinMarch1841,he after WilfordWoodrufffirstarrivedinthearea.When Three Countiesof1,007inSeptember1840,justoversixmonths Simply stated,wemayneverfindadefinitiveanswer tothe There are no complete records of howmanypeople had 14 Thesereportsprovideatotalmembershipforthe 15 Thereportsalsomentionthatsomeconverts Millennial Star.Unfortunately,nameswere 16 Several of 17 - - same answer.Hestated,“That causedmetothinkthattherewas asked thesamequestion ofotherpeople,andhereceivedthe I don’tknowand knowwhocouldtellyou!”Thomas “My boy,yououghtnottoasksuchquestion, tobelieve; the Redeemercrucified1800yearsago.”Theteacher answered, “asked [his]teacherifanybodyknewGodlived,and ifJesuswas never knowalloftheirnames. likely tobeveryclosethecorrectnumber,althoughwemay area, WilfordWoodruff’srecollectionofabout1,800convertsis baptized duringthepreachingofearlymissionariesin While thereisnocomprehensivelistofindividualswhowere accounts wecouldlocate. all theseconverts,wefocusedourresearchonthefirst-person of thegospel.Becausewecouldnotbegintotellstories ties werepreparedtohearandacceptthemessageoffullness Saints helpusglimpsethewaypeopleinThreeCoun Church, anumberofjournalsandautobiographiestheseearly While wecannotknowthestoriesofall1,800members Understanding PeopleThroughStoriesofConversion Church inMalvern. Thomas totheChurchofEnglandSundaySchool attheAbbey participating in those meetings, his parents continued to send Brethren andopenedtheirhomeforpreaching.In additionto a youngboyin 1835 whenhe and hisparentsjoinedthe United tized. other missionaries,theywerepreparedtoacceptitandbebap when theyheardthegospelpreachedbyWilfordWoodruffand ent thantheirearlierexperienceswithreligiousworship.Thus, religious groupbecausetheywerelookingforsomethingdiffer sified as“seekers,”orpeoplewhohadbelongedtomorethanone of thosewhowerememberstheUnitedBrethrencouldbeclas- form ofChristianitythantheyhadfoundinotherchurches.Many itive Methodists.TheUnitedBrethrenweresearchingforapurer members oftheUnitedBrethrensect,abreak-offfromPrim- Seekers. Thomas Steed’sfamilywasamongtheseekers. was Many oftheconvertsfromthispartEnglandwere 18 WhileattendingSundaySchool,Thomas - - -

97 The Harvest of Converts

98 The Field Is White and Imadeupmymindtohavenothingdowith it.” nothing inreligion,ifnobodyknewanythingabout thesethings, attended themeetingand later wrotethathe“heardthefirstprin- the sameauthoritythat ancientApostleshadheld.Thomas ruff, hissisterRebeccahad informedhimthattheApostlehad vern. ThomaswrotethatpriortothemeetingwithWilford Wood of 1840 was the Steed family home at Pale House, in Great Mal- Woodruff arrivedin1840. provided fertile ground for the seeds of the gospel when Wilford the inabilityoflocalreligiousleaderstosupplythese answers Steed’s desiretolearnanswersquestionsofeternal worthand One oftheplacesElderWoodruffpreachedatin summer Thomas Steedandhiswife.(ChurchHistoryLibrary.) 19 Thomas - Green.) Jonathan Lucy’shomeinColwall,Herefordshire.(PhotobyCynthiaDoxey in hislife. at thehomeofJonathanLucyinColwall.Thomasrecorded itlater marvelous spiritualmanifestationwhileatagathering ofSaints sibling—an oldermarriedsister—whodidnotjointhe Church. months, aswereseveralauntsanduncles.Thomashadonlyone and histwoyoungerbrotherswerebaptizedduringthenextfew his parentsandfiveofeightsiblingswerebaptized.Thomas my mindthattheprinciplesheadvancedaretrue.” and plainness,forthefirsttimeinmylife.Iwasconvinced ciples of the Gospel, a Gospel sermon preached in all simplicity then plainlymadeknownunto methatGodlives,Jesusis through mywholesystemlike fireshutupinmybones.Itwas convincing poweroftheHoly SpiritandwhichIcouldfeel the powerofGod,andeveryonepresentwasthrilledwith the rested upon me. . . The house was filledwiththeSpirit and All atonceapowerputmeonmyfeet,theSpiritofprophecy Fourteen-year-old convertThomasSteedexperienced a 20 Rightaway 21

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The Field Is White United Brethren.Johnsaid: Wilford WoodruffchangedJohn,alongwiththeentire groupof and become involved in teaching and preaching. The coming of become aseeker,jointheUnitedBrethrenwhenhe wasyoung, boy. ciples wasJohnGailey.Hisdesiretofindtruthbeganasayoung events tooccurinEngland. of Saints, includingtheireventual travel toNauvoo alongwithother occasion, enablinghimtoprophesyofthingscomeforthegroup Although a young man, Thomas received the gift of tongues on that mind fromthatdaytothis. High God.Ofthetruthofthisadoubthasnevercrossedmy the RedeemerandthatJosephSmithwasaprophetofMost ists whohadseperatedfrom thePrimitiveMethodistsundera her doctrine)andshortlyattached myselftoabodyofMethod of England(moreparticular the characterofherministersthan about 15yearsIbegantoviewtheabominationsofChurch was zealouslyattachedtotheChurchofEngland.When Iwas When quiteyoungIhadveryseriousthoughtsofreligion and Similarly, JohnSpiers’searlyviewsonreligionled himto with thefulnessofgospel. it pleasedGodtosendElderWilfordWoodruffCastleFrome 1836. . I continuedtopreachamongst them till in 1840 when me togivemyselfwholytheministrywhichIdid.Thiswasin ten months.ThomasKingtonwhowasthenourleader,desired was topreachonSundayswhichIcontinueddooneyearand the firstandjoinedunitedbrethrenasa localpreacherthat some time, and at last joined their Church. . . . Soonafter I left through Christbyfaithalone.Iattendedtotheirpreachingfor themselves PrimitiveMethodists,holdingforthSalvation it forsometime.AfterawhilePreachersvisiteduscalling the comingofSonGod,butItoldnooneanythingabout When Iwasyoungdeeplyconcernedabouteternityand Another truthseekerwithanearlyinterestineternalprin 22 23 -

- viduals couldascendthehill. sent fromJesusChristto“puteveryoneintheway” beforeindi told thatthesemenwouldtellherwhattodo.Theysaid theywere men standinginacircle,eachholdinganopenBible. She was would learnwhattodo.Sheenteredthegardenand foundfive ascend thehillshemustfirstgodowntogarden whereshe felt agreatdesiretoclimbthehill.However,shewastoldthat scene was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and she like achurchwithnarrowwhitepathleadingtoit.Thewhole high hill,andonthesummitwasabeautifulbuildingthatlooked aries arrivedinEngland,shehadadreamwhichsaw Smith toldhimthatinFebruary1837,beforethefirstmission ham arrivedon his mission to the area in November 1840. living inHerefordshirewhohadjoinedtheChurchbeforeNeed from a SisterSmith,former member of the UnitedBrethren it throughdreams.JohnNeedhamrelatedadreamthatheheard viduals werepreparedforthegospelorguidedontoapathtoward all sangahymn,“TheSpiritofGodlikefireisburning.” her dream.Whensheattended ameetingweekorsolater,she ruff inHerefordshire,she recognizedhimasoneofthemenin ing ofthedream.InMarch 1840,whenshemetWilfordWood in her life. After she awoke, she often wondered about the mean- to herafeelingofhappinessbeyondanythingshe had sofarfelt then prayedinawayshehadneverbeforeexperienced, bringing ken up,onthe3rdofApril(1840). those whowouldnotwerescatteredsothatthesocietywasbro Woodruff allthroughhissocietymostofwhichembraceditand debate withhim,embracedtheworkandthenintroducedelder who fellinwiththemandwasbaptized.Mr.Kingtonaftermuch duced theprinciplestosomeofleadingmenoursociety from America,andshortlycameintoHerefordshireintro Apostles oftheChurchJesusChristLatter-daySaintscame which appointmentIatfirstrefusedbutafterwardsaccepted. . andbeforeIwas17yearsoldappointedalocalpreacher Brethren. Iwasappointedclass leader ofthe Redmarley class Mr. Thos.Kington,andotherstakenthenameofUnited Dreams. Early intheyear1840,ElderWilfordWoodruffoftwelve Spiritual preparationtakesmanyforms.Someindi 26 Whileshevisitedwiththem,they 24

25 27 Sister They - -

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The Field Is White jects ofthoughtandtalk.” the PotteriesManchester&callthesethingsseemed tobesub who preachedwithoutmoney&hadmadeconsiderable Stirin told them“ofsomestrangemen[that]hadcome from America ings. HerecountedhowJohnBenbow,amember ofthegroup, embrace it whereever found,” so he began attending their meet- in thegardenherdream. she recognized them as being two of the other men she had seen when shemetElderBrighamYoungandWillardRichards, heard him sing “The Spirit of God Like a Fire is Burning.” Later, boss, SamuelJones,were concernedabouttheeffectthisAmer- some ofhisfellowpreachers oftheUnitedBrethren,includinghis Woodruff’s teachingsupon firsthearingthem.Hedescribedthat apprenticeship withaSamuelJonesinMalvernHills. mother hadadreamthathe(William)couldgetshoemaking isfied with the Church of England’s teachings. He related that his they wouldgotohearotherpreachingbecausewerenotsat because hismothertaughtSundaySchoolclasses,butattimes liam describedhowhisfamilyattendedtheChurchofEngland family, andworkassociatestoheartherestoredgospel.Wil the UnitedBrethren,resultinginopportunitiesforWilliam,his William felt that the United Brethren “tried to love truth and went onenightwithhim. way. .MyMasterurgedmetoattendtheirPrayermeetingsI Church ofEnglandandmyPrayerwasLordleadmeintheright not whattodoIwentamongstothershadlostallrelishforthe in theirdevotionsIsoonfoundthatSpiritwascatchingknew and hearthemIwentthoughtaPeoplethatwereSincere nearly theSameasMethodistshePressedmehardtogo was aPreacheramongsttheUnitedBrethrentheyBelieved whoever ReadsmaySeethehandofLordinit..MyBoss engaged togoonthenextmondayImearlymentionthisthat to doSheLovedmewellnotgoshewentthatdayIwas She went immediately [tosee Mr. Jones]. ThisI Pressed her William Williamswasnotconvincedofthetruth ofElder A dreamhismotherreceivedledWilliamWilliamstojoin 30 29

- - - William thatifhewerecrossed again,he should takeCheeseto colleagues toldhimtotry againthefollowingSunday.Theytold ren preachers, William told them of his defeat at preaching. His ments onourlibertybyStrangers.” was fightingagainstthisnewdoctrineandresisting“allencroach newly convertedLatter-daySaintpreachershadgivenup.He five ofthepreacherstofulfillpreachingtasksthatsometheir ican washavingupontheirassociates.SamuelJonesorganized Malvern Hills.(PhotobyCynthiaDoxeyGreen.) fused, anddistressed. ing mannerthatWilliamswasleftfeelingabashed, puzzled,con with authorityandinaplainstylesounlikehisprevious teach that BrotherCheeseproceededtopreachtherestored gospel invitation topreach.Asdescribedinchapter4,Williams found there. Williamslunktothebackofroom,refusing Cheese’s United BrethrenwhohadbecomeaLatter-daySaint, wasalso found thatJohnCheese,aformerveryzealousmember ofthe William wenttohispreachingappointmentoneSunday,andhe men andtheirnewreligion,theyallsecretlywishedtohearthem. and Williamconfessedthatalthoughtheyhadopposedthese On thefollowingday,whileatworkwithfellowUnited Breth 32 31 Thistheydidfornineweeks, - - - -

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The Field Is White and wecouldlisten.” Colwall, wheretheboss(SamuelJones)would“fightthemhimself he believedthegospelanddesiredbaptism. ford Woodruffcametovisithisboss,andSamuelconfessedthat baptized. Soonafterthisexperience,WilliamsreportedthatWil the followingevening,andfivepeople,includingWilliam,were that hisfellowbrethrenwouldfeelashehad.Cheesepreached day evening.Williamreturnedhome,notintriumph,buthope members, andsoWilliampressedhimtogoColwallonMon appointment. Cheese preached and baptized several of their best there againtospendthewholedaywithWilliamathispreaching preached mustbetrue.” and happy,Ithoughthemustbeagoodman,theGospel “while hewassingingIlookedathim.Hesopeaceful as hesatbythefireandstartedtosingahymn.Sherecalledthat Jenkins home.ShewasgreatlyaffectedbyWoodruff’sdemeanor was theonlyoneathomewhenWilfordWoodrufffirstvisited about hisexperienceandbaptism.MaryAnnrecountedthatshe Soon after arriving home, Jenkins told his wife and Mary Ann liam JenkinswhilewasvisitingfriendsinHerefordshire. The Leigh,Gloucestershire.WilfordWoodruffhadbaptizedWil living withayoungcouple,WilliamandElizaPhelpsJenkins,in of theyoungconverts.MaryAnnwasanapprenticedressmaker Wilford Woodruff’spresenceandinherentgoodnesshadonsome with Latter-daySaintbeliefs: the missionariesandgospel.Herecalledhisfirst connection quickly impressedbythefeelingshehadwhen encountered of persecution. ruff inthepondmiddleofvillageatmidnightforfear soon found thatMormonism had found its way there sinceI left. heart. AtNewYear’sholiday Iwenthometovisitmymotherand the doctrinetheytaught. I received the glad news with a joyful hear theMormonspreach.Iwassoonconvincedoftruths of woman oftheMormonfaith,PamelaKnight.Iwentwith herto In thefallofyear1844Ibecameacquaintedwitha young Impressions. Charles Sansom, like many early converts to the Church, was Mary AnnWeston’sexperienceshowstheeffect 33 OnthefollowingSunday,JohnCheesewas 35 ShewassoonbaptizedbyElderWood 34

- - - - Holmes haveimmediatefamily membersandcousinswhojoined relatives and connections. Not only did Robert and Elizabeth on 9March1840. Robert andhiswife,ElizabethColeHolmes,whowere baptized baptismal record also includes Jane Holmes Benbow’s nephew Not alloftheBenbowrelationscarriedthatsurname. Woodruff’s siblings andtheirspouses,alongwithsomenephews andnieces. individuals includedJohnBenbow’smotherand several ofhis FamilySearch FamilyTreeandotherrecordsshow thatthese name BenbowarelistedinWilfordWoodruff’sbaptismal record. family connections were baptized: twelve individuals with the last preaching andbaptizing.TheBenbowfamilyseveraloftheir and theyofferedtheirhomethepondonpropertyfor the firsttohearWilfordWoodruffpreachinThreeCounties, Benbow inHerefordshire.JohnandJaneHolmeswere fordshire, hadnotinvitedElderWoodrufftovisithisbrotherJohn Herefordshire ifWilliamBenbow,whohadbeenbaptizedinStaf strength ofsuchties.WilfordWoodruffwouldnothavegoneto Many werealsorelatedthroughbloodormarriageties. spread easilyamongthem,andtheyjoinedtheChurchtogether. through theirmembershipintheUnitedBrethren,doctrine converts intheThreeCountieswerealreadycloselyconnected his apostles.” restored. IusedtowishhadlivedinthedaysofSaviorand when apostlesandprophetsthegiftsofgospelhadbeen was livingatatimewhenthetruegospelagainonearth; his enthusiasm.“ItwastrulyahappytimeformetorealizethatI that anumberofthemsharedfamilyties. While identifyingtheconvertsinjournaldatabase,wefound Learning theGospelThroughFamilyRelationships Wilford Woodruff’srecord alsolistsseveraloftheHolmes The conversionsoftheBenbowfamilydemonstrate confirmed atChalfordbyBrotherWebb. During mystayIwasbaptizedatAvening,January3,1845,and Charles’s motherdidnotjointheChurch,buthelose 37 36

38 Becausemanyofthe -

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The Field Is White as preachersfortheBranGreenandGadfieldElm Branch. Ann Oakeywerelistedonthe“UnitedBrethrenPreachers’ Plan” Ann CollettOakeyfamilyandtheirrelatives.Both Thomasand mother andsiblingswerebaptizedbyJohnGaileyin1840. Benbow’s nephews,wasmarriedtoHannahGittens,whose 1 JunebyWilfordWoodruff.FrancisHolmes,anotherofJane Elizabeth ColeHolmes’sfather,WilliamCole, was baptizedon the Church, but some of the spouses’ families were also baptized. the 1841census.(PhotobyCynthiaDoxeyGreen.) Worcestershire. TheThomasOakeyfamilylivedwithWilliamaccordingto Site ofWilliamandElizabethCollett’shomeinFrogmarsh,Eldersfield, joined theChurch.Hermother, AnnSparksEagles,hadmarried ert Harris’swife,Hannah MariaEagles,hadseveralsiblingswho ris, DiannaHarrisBloxham,andElizabeth Browett. Rob a sister,EstherOakeyHarris,andseveralcousins: RobertHar also hadmanyfamilymemberswhojoinedtheChurch, including tized byWilfordWoodrufforThomasOakey.Brother Oakey Daniel Collett,andhersisterElizabethCollettRuck wereallbap parents (WilliamandElizabethBromageCollett), herbrother Another familygroupofnewconvertswastheThomasand 39 Ann’s - - -

ciated withthelowerclasses. towns, with nearly 90 percent of them having occupations asso years 1850–62statedthattheoverwhelmingmajority camefrom a study of the Mormon emigrants who left England during the land.” might becalledwealthy, he beingafarmerandownerofsome few workingmeninfairlygoodcircumstances,and onemanwho including a“greatmanyverypoorpeopleasitsmembers, and Brethren converts,JobSmith,describedtheUnited Brethrenas and connectionstolearnmoreabouttheirnewfoundfaith. pel andjoinedtheChurch,theyinvitedtheirfamilymembers children andtheirfamilieswerealsobaptized. Samuel Robertsafterherfirsthusbanddied;manyofthe ish convertswereurbanandofthelowersocialclasses. early ChurchmembersinEnglandhavefoundthat typicalBrit researchers whohaveexaminedthesocioeconomicstatusof including theiroccupations,socialstatus,gender,andage.Past ple whowerejoiningtheChurchinthatareamid-1800s, into thearea.Wewantedtolearnmoreabouttypeofpeo Counties inthefirsttwentyyearsafterWilfordWoodruffcame sible aboutthepeopleandgrowthofChurchinThree One ofthepurposesourresearchwastolearnasmuchpos- of theEarlyConverts Exploring theDemographicBackground and connections. and friends.Thegospelnetspreadoutquicklytotheirkindred affiliation, theconvertswerealsofamilymembers,neighbors, bringing peopletogether.Inadditiontotheirpreviousreligious area, theUnitedBrethrencongregationshadasignificantrolein ruff preach. Certainly, when the gospel was first preached in the just happened to be in the neighborhood to hear Wilford Wood- and friendship.Theconvertsgenerallywerenotindividualswho nected notonlybytheirreligiousfaithbutalsotiesoffamily Thus wefoundthattheearlyconvertstoChurchwerecon mere anecdotaldataandreminiscences toexaminemorespecific As theBenbows,Holmes,Oakeys,andothersheardgos- 43 Informationinthedatabase enabledustogobeyond 42 Similarly,oneoftheearlyUnited

41 Infact, 40 - - - -

107 The Harvest of Converts Home in Brand Green. (Bran Green is now called Brand Green.) (Photo by Carol Wilkinson.) information regarding the socioeconomic conditions of the converts in these counties. To add to the information from the journal database, we examined Church membership records from the Bran Green and Frogmarsh branches to learn more about Church growth after the initial missionaries left in the 1840s. Although the membership records for the local branches in the Three Counties are not complete, we chose to do a case study of the membership records from the Bran Green Branch and Frogmarsh Branch, some of the first branches organized in 1840 for which actual records are still in existence.44 These branches encompassed the area in and around the Gadfield Elm Chapel. 45 Our database for these branches was much smaller than the journal database because we used only the records from the Frogmarsh and Bran Green Branches. Although they may have originally been separate branches, the records appear to have been blended. We found them collected together on microfilm, with many duplicates on the pages of both branch records. After uals listedinthemembershiprecordsbetween1840and1856. deleting theduplicatenames,weidentified118uniqueindivid Cynthia DoxeyGreen.) Home inFrogsmarsh.(FrogmarshisnowcalledFrogsmarsh.)(Photoby one constable&anumber ofwealthyfarmers.” churches, 46Preachersone clark[ Counties, henotedthatthere werepeoplefrom“mostallclasses& When WilfordWoodruffdescribedtheconverts in theThree the earlyconvertswouldlikelyhavebeenagricultural laborers. spent histimeteachingandpreachinginthevillages. Manyof Gloucester, ElderWoodruffrarelymentionedgoing tothem.He nearby, includingCheltenham,Bristol,Worcester, Hereford, and cultural, astheyaretoday.Althoughseverallarge citieswere Woodruff’s mission,theThreeCountieswere largely agri- the databasenamesinotherrecordsources. years, and birthplaces,we could positively identify 86 percentof ship recordsincludedinformationaboutparents’names,birth Green andFrogmarshBranches.Becausesomeofthemember- Later referencestothe“branchdatabase”referbothBran Occupations andSocialStatus. sic] oftheChurchEngland, During thetimeofWilford 47 Accordingtothis 46 -

109 The Harvest of Converts The Field Is White century England: circumstances ofhaving an unemployedfatherinnineteenth- when hewasoldenoughtobeemployed. and somearithmetic.Johnworked for masons and bricklayers all theeducationshecould,whichconsistedofreading, writing, was abletohelpwiththefamilyfinances.Theirmother gavethem elder brothergrewolder,hebecameanapprentice to atailorand John’s motherprovidedforthefamilyasadressmaker. AsJohn’s Spiers’s fatherhaddiedwhenJohnwasaboutsix years old,and a numberofconvertsstruggledfinancially.For example, John poor laborerstowealthyfarmers. status amongtheearlymembersofChurch,rangingfrom statement, therewasawidespreadintheeconomicandsocial View fromBrandGreennorthtoPauntleyCourt.(PhotobyCarolWilkinson.) Living inBristol,FrederickWeightdescribedthe difficult Accounts byJobSmithandotherjournalauthorsnotedthat 48 farm. life difficultenoughfor him thathechosetoleavehishomeand on hisfarm.Afterbaptism, thelandownerapparentlymade Ockey. Asatenantfarmer,JohnBenbowhad lifelong lease that twoofthewealthyfarmerswereJohnBenbow andEdward ruff mentionedarenotidentifiedindatabasesources, wedoknow View ofHillFarm,homeJohnBenbow.(PhotobyCynthiaDoxeyGreen.) While the parish clerk and the constable that Wilford Wood- from runningdebtandstarving. from weektoforabouteightofus.Mywagesjustkept us a peck of potatoeseachday.Thiswas all we had to live upon rent andbuyusbreadfromweektoalittlebacon and gave mymotherwageseveryweek.Shecouldjustpaythe time andthisenabledustojustkeepthewolffromdoor.I house andhome.Iwasgettingthirteenshillingsperweekatthis what itmeanstobeoutofwork.Iteverything, most allthetimeandpoorpeopleinEnglandknowverywell was outofworkagooddealandasithappenedIin When I was about sixteen oreighteen years of age, my father 50 JohnBenbowusedhiswealth tohelpothers.Forexample, 49

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112 The Field Is White have toworkforaliving. relatives aspartofthehighgentry,meaningthat theydidnot and employedservants.MaryAnndescribedhergrandmother’s family livedinCorseLawn,nearEldersfield,Worcestershire, Cheltenham, alongwithotherpropertiesinnearbyvillages.The cially stableasamerchantowningshopontheHighStreetin as unskilledlaborers,issometimesreported. lies. NotallthenewChurchmemberswerejustekingoutaliving sans orlaborers;otherswereindividualsbornintowealthyfami financially welloff.Someofthemweremerchantsorskilledarti ber of other converts from the Three Counties who were also nals ofmissionariesandearlyconvertsprovidestoriesanum converts in our databases, we were able to see a more accurate a fewexamplesareavailable. Bylookingattheoccupationsof nomic levels among theconverts in the Three Counties,butonly attended. Thefamilywaswealthyenoughtohaveits owncook. Emily hadherownponytoridebackandforththe schoolshe very young, and she remembered many pleasant trips with him. private school.Herfatherretiredfrombusinesswhen shewas father ownedagreatdealofland,andshewas educated ina Green.) Ockey. (PhotobyCynthiaDoxey Moorend Farm,homeofEdward For example,MaryAnnWestonMaughan’sfatherwasfinan Anecdotal dataarehelpfulinshowingthevarious socioeco 53 Similarly,EmilyHodgettsLowder’s Ockey prosperous. Farm showsthathehadbeen of hispossessionsatMoorend the advertisementforsale day Saints. of fortytheotherLatter- Benbow paidforthepassage voo inSeptember1840,John When heemigratedtoNau mon andaChurchhymnbook. cation ofboththeBookMor money tohelpwiththepubli able toprovidesignificant he andThomasKingtonwere Autobiographies andjour-

emigrated toNauvoo, 52 51 WhenEdward 54 ------ well-established society.These changesinoccupationmightalso England, becauselifeonthe frontierwasnotthesameaslifeina ferent occupations from thoseoccupations theindividualshadin Nauvoo or to Utah,the United States censuses often listed dif they werebaptized.Inaddition,whentheconverts emigratedto censuses reportedtheoccupationsofconverts atthetime that ten-yeartimeperiodwewerenotconfident thatlater also listedoccupations,somanychangesmighthave occurredin who lefttheareaatanearlierdate. of thecensus,orfromMormonMigrationIndex forthose the 1841censusforthoselivinginThreeCounties onthedate as notedbyWilfordWoodruff. people, asdescribedbyJobSmith,orpeoplefromallclasses, out whetherthisgroupofconvertswasmadeupprimarilypoor picture ofthegroupasawhole.Thisexaminationhelpedusfind Corse LawnHotel,datingfromthe1700s.(PhotobyCarolWilkinson.) The informationforoccupationsinthedatabasescame from 55 Althoughlatercensuses -

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114 The Field Is White branch databasewereinvolved inoccupationssimilartothose as agriculturallaborersor servants.Theskilledlaborersinthe only onefarmer,with71 percent ofthemembersbranch cent ofthedatabase.Incontrast,branchdatabase showed ers. Theunskilledworkersandtheirfamiliescomprised 58per of themiddleclass;29percentfamilieswere skilledlabor that 13percentofthefamilieswouldhavebeenconsidered part most ofwhomwerewomen.Inthejournaldatabase, wefound of converts,asexpected,alongwithservantsand laundresses— laborers, agriculturallaborersmadeupthelargest percentage dressmakers, milliners,orglovemakers.Among the unskilled penters, stoneorbrickmasons,miners,blacksmiths, tailors, group ofskilledlaborersorartisans,includingshoemakers,car as others.Wealsofoundanumberofpeopleinthemixed-class and an innkeeper—although somewere probably not as wealthy gory, wefoundseveralfarmers,shopkeepers,schoolmistresses, among theconvertsinourdatabases.Inmiddle-classcate our databasesinclude. appendix includesamoredetailedanalysisoftheoccupations similar categoriesinanalyzingoccupationsourdatabases.The laborers, includingdomesticservantsorfarmlaborers.Weused gory wascomposedofthesemiskilledorunskilledworking-class such asshoemakers,blacksmiths,andcarpenters.Thethirdcate mixed groupofclericalworkersandartisansorskilledlaborers along withfarmersinruralcounties.Thesecondcategorywasa the middle-classgroup,includedprofessionalsandmanagers, atlas ofoccupationsineachcountyovertime. ries orclassesforoccupationsofworking-agemalestocreatean Through Time who performedmanuallabor. a socialsuperiortomorehighlypaidshoemakerorcarpenter, situation. Forexample,apoorlypaidteacherorclerk would be mined bytypeofwork,notnecessarilyearningsorfinancial and havemorecontrolovertheirsituation. upon emigratingtoacountrywheretheywerelikelyownland have shownthatmanypeoplewereabletochangetheirstatus Like WilfordWoodruff,wefoundavarietyofoccupations In mid-nineteenth-century England, social status was deter- analyzed England’scensusesusingthreecatego 56 Thewebsite 57 A Vision ofBritain Thefirstcategory, ------Shucknall Hillin1841, and she was recordedinthe census as a ably amale.However,we foundthe only FrancesBrushlivingin wrote thatFrancisBrushwas baptizedinShucknallHill,presum spelling wasnotstandardized.Inoneinstance,Wilford Woodruff to afemale,wecouldnotmakethatassumption,in partbecause most peoplemightassume (2) notlegible,or(3)happenedtobeFrancisFrances. While determine gender because the first names were (1) not provided, their names.Therewerefiveindividualsforwhom wecouldnot liam, soweassumedthegenderoftheseindividuals basedon such asJane,Mary,Elizabeth,Charlotte,Charles, John, orWil of the first names in the databases were very traditional ones, rarely specifiedwhetherapersonwasmanorwoman.Most journals ormembershiprecords,sincethejournalwritersvery names ordescriptionssuchas“brother”“sister”usedinthe database wasamidwife. baker, miner,andsaddler.Oneuniqueoccupationinthebranch found inthejournaldatabase,includingcarpenter,shoemaker, Gloucester. lived inthelargertownsofHereford,Worcester,Cheltenham,or Leominster, andGreatMalvern,nooneinthedatabase als inthejournaldatabasewerelivingtownsofLedbury, According tothe1841census,fewerthantwenty-fiveindividu the congregationsofUnitedBrethrenwerealreadyestablished. their effortsinthesmallervillagesandhamletswheremanyof ties andtothefactthatearlymissionariesappearedfocus results maybedueinparttotheruralnatureofThreeCoun- in whatmightbeconsideredmiddle-classoccupations.These nal databasewereworkingasartisans,skilledlaborers,oreven in spiteofhardships.Infact,nearlyhalfthepeoplejour not havebeenrich,theseSaintswereabletomanagesurvive receiving helpfromtheparishorgovernment.Whiletheymay census, none of the converts were listed as a “pauper,” or one most ofthemappearedtohaveworksomekind.Onthe1841 class laborers.However,theywerenotthepoorestofpoor; the majorityofearlySaintsinthesecountieswereworking- Gender Ratio. Consistent withearlierresearch,thesedatabasesshowedthat 58 Gender wasdeterminedbylookingatthefirst Francis referredtoamaleand Frances - - - -

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116 The Field Is White dren oftheolderconverts, asfrequentlyawholefamilywasbap twenty. Manyofthoseyounger thantwentywereprobablychil were agefortyorolderatbaptism, and17percentwereunderage ninety-five years old. We foundthat35 percent of theconverts tismal datesin1843.Theagesatbaptismranged from eightto the journaldatabasewerebaptizedin1840,with latestbap new religion and to be able to emigrate. age group would be most likely to have the freedom to accept a teenth centurywereintheirtwentiesandthirties,becausethat stated thatthemajorityofconvertsinBritainduringnine imbalance, with62percentwomenand38men. were men.Thebranchrecordsdatabaseshowedmoregender verts listedinthejournaldatabasewerewomen,while43percent seventy-year-old female.Wefoundthat57percentofthecon View fromShucknallHill.(PhotobyCynthiaDoxeyGreen.) Search.org asthesource. individuals inthejournaldatabaseusingcensus orFamily and emigratingtoAmerica.Welookedatthebirth yearsforthe less likelytouproottheirfamiliesbychangingreligious affiliation sumably havemoreestablishedcareersorfamilies andwouldbe Age. Previous researchabouttheearlySaintsinEnglandhas 60 Overfivehundredoftheconvertsin 59 Older people would pre------convert inotherpartsofEngland. parents wereolderandthechildrenyoungerthan theaverage convert groupwasthatmanyfamilieswerebaptized inwhichthe changed religions.Anotherage-relevant characteristic ofthis ruption totheirlivesasitwouldforolderpeoplewho hadnever religion withtheirfriendsandfamilydidnotcause asmuchdis strong bondsoffellowship,makingthechangeto anothernew affiliation. As theyhad continued meetingtogetherand forming were moreopenorenthusiastictowardchangingtheir religious United Brethrenintheirtwentiesandthirties,agesatwhichthey the teachingsofWilfordWoodruff.Someperhapshadjoined meeting togetherforseveralyearspriortobeingintroduced of theUnitedBrethren.ManyBrethrenhadbeen ish Isles,theymaybeexplainedbytheparticularcharacteristics different fromdemographicsofconvertsinotherpartstheBrit in theirtwentiesandthirties.Althoughthesefindingsareslightly majority oftheearlyconvertsfromThreeCountieswerenot time ofbaptism. The oldestpersoninthebranchrecordswaseighty-twoat they werebaptized,and43percentofthemfortyorolder. that 25percentoftheconvertswerechildrenandteenagerswhen journal database, a number offamilieswerelisted,so we found in theirtwentiesorthirtiesatthetimeofbaptism.As individuals. Wefoundthatonly32percentoftheconvertswere baptismal dates,wecalculatedtheageatbaptismforninety-five date. Using the names of peoplefor whom we had birth years and Eleven peoplewereidentifiedinthedatabasewithnobaptismal mal records,excommunicationdates,andbaby-blessingrecords. lyze becauseofthenaturerecords,whichincludedbaptis database. thirties atbaptismconsistedoflessthanhalfthepeoplein their parents. Hence, those whowouldbe in their twenties and tized. However,anumberoftheteenagerswerebaptizedwithout Unlike thefindingsofearlierstudies,wecalculatedthat The branchrecordsdatabasewasalittlemoredifficulttoana - - - -

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118 The Field Is White discovered aBookofMormoninhisroom,hetried todissuade grate toAmericawiththeSaints.Whenowner,Mr. Campbell, named TheLodgeinMalverntoearnmoneysohe couldemi those inhissphereofinfluence.Hesecuredajob atamansion his besttostandasawitnessofChristandsharethe gospelamong Although notofficiallycalledasamissionary,Thomas Steeddid forward, evenastheyworkedattheirplacesof employment. Recognizing BlessingsandOpposition persuade himthathisbeliefs werewrong.Buttheattemptwas literature. Campbellalso had thelocalministervisitThomasto Thomas fromhisbeliefs byfurnishinghimwithanti- Orcop Hill.JameseventuallybaptizedMaryAnn. aries tostaynumeroustimesathishome,thePigeonHouse,in wife, MaryAnnPrice,becauseheruncleallowedthemission converts. Asdescribedinchapter4,JamesPalmermethisfuture who hadnotyetmarriedwereabletofindpartnersamongother For example, some of theyoung adults who joined the Church also receivedmanyblessingsbecauseoftheirnewfoundfaith. the ThreeCounties.Theyhadtheirshareoftribulation,butthey Life wasnotalwayseasyforthenewconvertsofChurchin church meetings. and fellinlovewithMaryBrooks,agirlhemetseveraltimesat nal, William Williams described in rapturous detail how he met Francis wrotethatallintheblessinghadcometopass. to findFrancissittingupinbed.Yearslater,ninety-five-year-old and temples.Thefollowingmorning,thedoctorwasastonished to America,wherehewouldhelpbuildtowns,churchbuildings, him ablessing,promisingthathewouldlivetogreatageandgo who werelivingwiththefamilyadministeredtoFrancisandgave him to liveuntilthe next morning. That night,the missionaries could forhim,butfinallytheytoldhismotherdidnotexpect for months.Ashisconditionworsened,thedoctorsdidallthey lected inhislungsmadehimextremelyill,confiningtobed ing factory.Indigoblueingispoisonous,andthedustthatcol riences. Asayoungman,FrancisGeorgeWallworkedinblue Church memberssoughttomovethemissionary effort Other greatblessingsoccurredasremarkablespiritualexpe 62

61 Inhisjour 63 Mormon ------recalled, and becameconvincedofthetruthgospel message. She from herfamilyassheinvestigatedtheChurchinHerefordshire sionary work. problem. Consequently,shealsoopposedtheChurch anditsmis sons, andshedecidedthattheChurchwasroot ofthesibling tershire. John’smotherwassaddenedbytherift betweenher that JohnwenttolivewithDanielBrowettinTheLeigh, Glouces family opposition.JohnSpiers’sbrotherpersecutedhimsomuch families whojoinedtheChurch,andsomeexperienceddirect ulation andopposition.Manyweretheonlymembersoftheir the cookwasconvertedtorestoredgospel. unsuccessful. DuringThomas’sfirstyearworkingatTheLodge, Doxey Green.) View oftheareaknownasTheLeigh,Gloucestershire.(PhotobyCynthia Father inparticular.Hethought Ishouldobeyhim,heforbidme My parentsandallmyrelatives persecutedmeverymuch.My In 1850,JaneAnnFowleralsoexperiencedgreatpersecution Along withtheblessings,theseearlySaintsexperiencedtrib 65 64

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The Field Is White her fatherwasbaptized. prayers forherfamily.The summerafterhisarrivalinthevalley, join her in the Bear Lake Valley in Idaho, an answer to her many Ann hademigratedtoAmerica,hermotherandfather traveledto many trials,blessingsfollowed.Overtwenty-fiveyears afterJane did. Ultimately,hetoldhernottocallhimFather again.After continue withtheMormonssheshouldleavehome, whichshe At lastJaneAnn’sfathertoldherthatifshewas goingto nor answerme.Then Iwouldgetawhipping. I mustbebaptized.Fathergotsobitterhewouldnottalk tome that itwasright,andthemoreIpersecuted,felt ing andpraying,wasconvincedbytheSpiritofLord to go inside a Mormon meeting. I spent all the time I could read- 67 66 Doxey Green.) by Cynthia shire. (Photo in Gloucester parish church The Leigh of TurkeyHall.TheyweregettingreadytogoNauvoo.” offered mebyfriends,butIwenttoboardwithMr. andMrs.Hill try tostopmefromgatheringwiththeSaints.Ihad manyhomes happy bride.Ididnotgohome,forfeltthatmyparents would widow, wherelessthanfourmonthsbeforeIhad been takena the grave.Shestated,“ThenextdayIleftmyhomeasadlonely if shedidnotdoso,wouldshortlyfollowherhusbandto her toleaveandtravelforthesakeofhealth,predictingthat rated untilhediedon6April1841.MaryAnn’sphysicianadvised this event,andsoonafterwardhehadafall.Hishealthdeterio kicking John,whowasinjuredinternally.Heneverwellafter At thesecondmeetingintheirhome,amobarrived,beatingand Elders WoodruffandRichardstoopentheirhouseformeetings. were the onlyLatter-daySaints in Tirley and wereinstructedby Tirley, Gloucestershire, who was a cooper and carpenter.They married on23December1840toanotherconvert,JohnDavisof Church. MaryAnnWestonwas due tohermembershipinthe only suffering she endured nately, lonelinesswasnotthe and fromthem.” walking manymilesaloneto all themeetingsIcould,often sorrowful andlonely.Iattended not opposeme.Thismademe obey theGospelbuttheydid Church: “Myrelativesdidnot none ofherfamilyjoinedthe described hersadness,because day theladyofhouse found thegirlreadingBookofMor- Mormon, withaservantgirl whowasalsoa Latter-day Saint.One gentleman, begansharingChurch books, including the Book of George Wall,whileworkingasachoreboyinthe kitchenofa these newconvertswasputinjeopardy.Forexample, Francis form ofphysicalabuse,quiteoftenthetemporal well-being of Mary AnnWestonMaughan Although thepersecutionofSaintswasnotalways inthe 68 Unfortu- Green.) Hill. (PhotobyCynthiaDoxey shire, homeofBenjaminandMary Turkey Hall, Eldersfield, Worcester 69 -

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The Field Is White had joinedtheChurch. the lodgekeeperforestatewhenvicarfoundthatshetoo School. Oneoftheirfriends,HannahJames,lostherpositionas and William’smotherwas dismissed from teaching theSunday William’s fatherhadorderstoleavethehomeinsixmonths’time, potts, whowrotetotheEarlofBeauchamp.Bythatsameevening was spreaduntilitreachedthevicar,ReverendThomasPhil her motherthattheywereLatter-daySaints.Theinformation in theneighborhoodoverheardtheirconversationandinformed often spokeofthegospelwithfriendsandneighbors.Ayounggirl brother hadbeenbaptized,andwhileWilliamwasvisitingthey School for the Countess of Beauchamp. William’s mother and over fortyyears,andhismotherwasateacherattheSunday field, Worcestershire.Hisfatherhadworkedonafarmtherefor secution. Latter-day Saints.William’sfamilyexperiencedthistypeofper that thoseindividualsorfamilieshadbecomeassociatedwiththe to thepoor,buttheywouldwithholdfuturehelpifheard landowners, and aristocracy would often give food and clothing the Christian people around him. He explained that the clergy, wrote thatheexpectedoppositionfromtheworld,butnot deprived oftemporalhelporopportunity.WilliamWilliams gospel, Francislosthisjob. mon andaskedwhereshegotthebook.Asaresultofsharing son. off William.Thefatherrefusedtodothis,choosing to supporthis liam’s father and promised to help the family if they would cast family wouldhavenoplacetolive,Philpottsapproached Wil not torentahometheWilliamsfamily.Whenhe sawthatthe listen tothemessageofLatter-daySaintsand telling people the parishinformingpeoplethatLordpunishes thosewho a schoolmistresslivingin Leigh,Worcestershire. Reverend Philpotts), but by 1851 William’s widowed mother was Madresfield inthe1841census(abouttimeof conflictwith In 1841WilliamwenttovisithisfamilywholivedinMadres Similarly, someoftheChurchmemberssufferedbybeing According to William, the Reverend Philpotts went around 72 The family must have moved eventually; they were listed in 71

70 - - - - Tracing ChurchGrowthintheEarly1840s been organizedinthefirstsixmonthsofpreaching. in theareaduringSeptember1840,overfortybrancheshad According toWilfordWoodruff’sreportsoftheconferencesheld was preachedintheareaatimeofextraordinarygrowth. Church over time.As is widely known, thefirstyeargospel the Three Counties was to learn more about the growth of the One ofthepurposesstudyinghistoryChurchin the ThreeCountiesareabetween1840and1854. 5.1 comparesthenumberofmembersinBritish Islesand place duringthefirstfewyearsofChurchin Britain.Table between thereports. not be any way to know how many people left or were baptized cation. Duetothewayinformationwasreported,theremay another areaofthecountryinfirstfewyearstheirpubli number ofpeoplewhohademigrated,apostatized,ormovedto the branchesateachconference,buttheydonotaccountfor fairly reliablesourceforthenumbersofpeopleparticipatingin sentatives frombranchesandconferences.Thesereportsarea ings, whichincludedmembershipnumbersprovidedbyrepre was theperiodicreportofregionalandnationalconferencemeet Church growthintheThreeCounties. Green andFrogmarshbranches,providealittlemoreinsightinto Historical Reports the branches and conferences after the first year. Sources such as able journals are not very specific about thecontinuedgrowthof by 1849, the members in the Three Counties area decreased to overall membershipinthe BritishIslesforthattimeperiod.Yet members inJune1842.This numbercomprised24percentofthe increased dramatically from 1840 to 1843, reaching a high of 1,838 Church membershipintheBritishIsles.Membership inthisarea in theHerefordshirearea,constituting9percent oftheentire John Benbow’sfarminHerefordshire,therewere 160 members 1840, justoveramonthafterWilfordWoodrufffirst arrivedat Millennial StarandtheBritishMissionManuscriptHistory According totheseconferencereports,manychanges took One oftheregularfeaturespublishedin , alongwith results ofthecasestudyBran Millennial Star 74 By15April 73 Theavail- - - -

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The Field Is White Conference ofTheChurch ofJesusChristLatter-daySaints, branches wereassigned to theBranGreenandGadfieldElm Church membershipinthe area.On14June1840,anumberof baptized earlierinthedecade. majority oftheUnitedBrethrenanditsconnections hadbeen be becauseotherareasbegantogrowatfasterrates whilethe Counties comparedtotherestofBritishIsles in1849may the later1840s.Thelowerpercentageofmembers intheThree ish Isles,probablyduetogreateremigrationandapostasy during 1,409, accountingforonly5percentofthemembers intheBrit ship by conference, only as an overall number for the British Isles. ** From1843to1849,theconferenceminutesdidnotlistmember the BritishIsles. * Conference minutes noted that nearly 800 had emigrated from Counties, 1840–1854 Table 5.1ChurchMembershipintheBritishIslesandThree 1854 31 December 1 June1851 December 1849 4 June1843** 1 June1842 6 April1841 6 July1840 15 April1840 Branches andconferenceschangedwiththefluctuation of Date Number of members 5,814* British 29,441 32,226 26,012 7,975 7,514 2,513 1,671 in the Isles

members in Number of the Three Counties 1,933 2,382 1,409 1,620 1,838 1,550 534 160 Three Counties membership in percentage of British Isles overall 6% 7% 5% 20% 24% 26% 21% 9% - - ferences. ber was 1,261 fortheGarway,GadfieldElm,and StanleyHill con with 95members,andhestatedthatthetotalmembershipnum 1840, theGarwayBranchhadbecomeConference, Young reportedtheconferencemeetingsheheldinDecember Church continuedtogrowrapidlyinthisarea.WhenBrigham ference, bringingintheprevious branchesandaddingtheKing ferences subsumed under the auspices of the Cheltenham Con boundaries changedagain,withtheEdgehillandChalford Con with overtwentybranches. and aweeklatertheFromesHillConferencewasorganized tenham Conference. Caudle Green,Compton,andGloucesterwereleft intheChel and Vineyhill.OnlyCheltenham,Apperley,Norton, Frogmarsh, ference: Edgehill,BranGreen,Pouncel,Littledean, Woodside, Cheltenham Conferencewereassignedtothenew Edgehill Con created. Forexample,in1847,thefollowingbranches fromthe were reassignedtootherconferencesornew were Conference fluctuatedfromseventotwenty,assome branches the nextfewyears,numberofbranchesinCheltenham ence andbranchboundariescontinuedfromtimetotime. changed totheCheltenhamConference,andchangesinconfer- in 1841or1842,thenameofGadfieldElmConferencewas branch orconferenceboundarieschangedovertime.Sometime of thebranchesandconferences. Three Counties”includedintheappendixcontainsadetailedlist 75 Officers,viz.–10 Elders,52 Priests,and13 Teachers.” and 1TeacheratLittleGarway,is33Churches;534Members; ferences, togetherwithasmallBranchof12members,1Priest, with theBranGreen and GadfieldElm,theFroomeHillCon ual Church,butthewholenumberofChurchesconnected ascertain thenumberofmembers connected witheachindivid in thisregionaresoscattered,thatithasnotbeenpossibleto the June1840conferences.Hewrote,“ThedifferentBranches the Church, as evident in the reportby Wilford Woodruff from new membersprovedtobedifficultinthoseveryearlydaysof The Cheltenham Conference is a good example of how the 77 The“TableofNineteenthCenturyChurchUnitsinthe 79 ByJune1848,however,theconference 75 Determiningspecificnumbersof 78 During 76 The ------

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The Field Is White prior organizationoftheUnitedBrethren. showing thatthecreationofbranchesnaturallyreflected congregations listed on the “United Brethren’s Preachers’ Plan,” in June1840,therecordedbrancheswereverysimilarto minutes fromthefirstconferencesinThreeCountiesheld tisms andemigration.WhenWilfordWoodruffrecordedthe members wascontinuallyincreasingordecreasingduetobap left forUtah. was recordedin1856,the sameyearthatThomasOakey’sfamily Thomas Oakey.Thelastordinancelistedinthebranch records 52 ofthe118memberswerebaptizedbyeitherRobert Ruckor Rucks wereobviouslyinfluentialinthebranch. We foundthat cent oftheindividualsinbranchrecords. The Oakeys andthe Collett. TheCollettsandtheirdescendantsaccounted for16per- children andgrandchildrenofWilliamElizabeth Bromage the Robert Ruck and ThomasOakey families, allof whom were taining theChurchinacertainarea.Thebranch recordlists are examplesoftheinfluenceastrongfamilycan haveinmain emigrated toAmerica.TheBranGreenandFrogmarshBranches branches wouldusuallydisbandafteranumberoftheirmembers numbers ofpeoplewerenotcontinuallybeingconverted,the ably whileagroupofmemberswerelivinginthearea.Iflarge branches. swood, Cam,Tetbury,Avening,ChalfordHill,andCirencester had fewerthantwentymembers. only sixbrancheshadoverfiftymembers,andelevenofthem branches oftheFrome’sHillConferenceon20September1840, than anextendedfamilygroup.Inthereportoftwenty-three branches werequitesmall,perhapsnotincludingmuchmore that the United Brethren had two different meeting places. Most the Newentparishboundaries,buttheywerefarenoughapart the KilcotandBranGreenBrancheswerebothlocatedwithin small hamlets,sometimeswithinthesameparish.Forexample, neighbors, whichcouldaccountforbranchesbeinglocatedin may havebeengatheringsoffamilyconnections,friends,and Branch boundariesalsochangedovertimeasthenumberof Many brancheswereinexistenceforonlyashorttime,prob 80 82 81 Thesecongregations - - - others living in the Three Counties area bore unanticipated fruit. ously, Elder Woodruff’s work amongthe United Brethrenand the currentestimatesareverysimilartothosehereported. Obvi exact numberofWilfordWoodruff’sbaptismscannot beverified, standing aboutthepeoplewhojoinedChurch. Althoughthe gration records,andcivilregistration,provideagreater under information fromotherpublicrecords,suchasthe census,emi to paintafullerpictureofChurchgrowthinthearea. Theadded and theconferencereportsfoundin membership records,thejournalsofmissionariesandconverts, century arenotcomplete,theinformationfromavailable that area.Althoughthebaptismalrecordsformid-nineteenth ties has providedinsightinto several aspects of Church growth in by CynthiaDoxeyGreen.) Robert RuckhomeinHawcross,RedmarleyD’Abitot,Worcestershire.(Photo Examining thelivesofearlyconvertsinThreeCoun Millennial Starcombine - - - -

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The Field Is White Notes example, WilfordWoodruff’sbaptismalrecord mentionsthat 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.

hundred peoplebeforeheleftEnglandin1841. he did not record their names, so he could have easily baptized six in Manchester.HecontinuedtobaptizepeopleHerefordshire,but 23 June1840,whenWilfordWoodrufflefttheareaforaconference Journalruff’s , 1:377–95.The“BaptismalRecord”hasnoentriesafter ple withoutrecordingtheinformation. Presumably, manyotherpriesthood leaderswerealsobaptizingpeo with them atvarioustimesandforwhomwehavenowrittenrecord. Henry Glover,MartinLittlewood,andWilliamKay,who preached Palmer, JohnNeedham,Gailey,andJamesBarnes wroteof JournalWilford Woodruff’s,1:387.Additionally,JohnSpiers,James from 1–15May1840,“EldersRichardsandKingtonhadBaptized 50.” history isalsoonlineatchurchhistorycatalog.lds.org. appendix hasmoreinformationaboutthebranches.The manu Counties during the nineteenth century. The table of branches in the Salt LakeCity)listsover125branchesorconferencesintheThree and HistoricalReports, 1841–1971(LR11402,ChurchHistoryLibrary, the ThreeCounties.However, ferent branchorconferencerecordsfromthenineteenthcentury Church HistoryLibraryinSaltLakeCity.Therearethirty-threedif tury areavailableonmicrofilmattheFamilyHistoryLibraryand Journal, 126. History Library,SaltLakeCity.SeealsoWoodruff, was PhilipHoldt. that theoneUnitedBrethrenpreacherwhodidnotjoinChurch City. Inthetypescriptofhisautobiography,EdwardPhillipsstated 1889, 1926,1949,”1,MS11215,ChurchHistoryLibrary,SaltLake “Biographical SketchesofEdwardandHannahSimmondsPhillips, For Branch andconferencemembershiprecordsfromthenineteenthcen John Gailey,“HistoryofUndated,”1,MS11009,Church “Wilford Woodruff’sBaptismalRecord,1840,”in Woodruff, Wilford Woodruff,in Wilford Woodruff, in Leaves from MyJournal, 128. Journal ofDiscourses , 15:343. Journal of Discourses, 18:124. Edward Phillips, British MissionManuscriptHis Leaves from My Wilford Wood- script tory - -

8. 16. 15. 14. 13. 12. 11. 10. 9.

gies, andbaptismaldates. information onFamilyTree,includinghistories,photos,genealo ilySearch.org hasbothuser-contributedandChurch-contributed Travel informationisfoundathistory.lds.org/overlandtravels.Fam at mormonmigration.lib.byu.edu.TheMormonPioneerOverland senger listsandotherinformationforMormonMigrationisfound England areonFreebmd.org.ukorAncestry.com.Theshippas Search.org orAncestry.com.Birth,marriage,anddeathrecordsfor records aftertheyleftthearea. shire, Worcestershire, and Herefordshire. We did not follow their grated toNauvooorwerepreachinginareasotherthanGloucester inside ofthesecondmanuscriptjournal.” Baptismal Recordisasmallnotebookattachedbystringtothe Journal, found inKateB.Carter,comp., (October 1840),the 1841 weretheNorthAmerica (September 1840),theIsaacNewton The shipswhichhadleftEnglandbeforetheconferences inMarch Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 2:61–62,66–69. twenty-three branches,withatotalmembershipof754. with atotalmembershipof253.TheFromesHillConference reported Bran GreenandGadfieldElmConferencehadseventeen branches, Wilford Woodruff’s ers wrotethatMaryFoxwasbaptizedon31March1841. 16 April1841,MS1725,ChurchHistoryLibrary,SaltLake City.Spi priesthood ordination. tion, suchasafullnameanddwellingplace,orplacedateof included inthedatabaseunlesstherewassomeidentifyinginforma Examples ofpublished Mormon MigrationIndex,http://mormonmigration.lib.byu.edu. John Spiers,“JohnSpiersReminiscencesandJournal,1840–77,”16, All ofthesesourcesareontheInternet.CensusesfoundFamily By 1843,themissionariesforwhomwehaverecordeitherhademi Not everynamementionedinWilfordWoodruff’sjournalwas Wilford Woodruff,“BaptismalRecord1840,”in Pioneer Heritage. (Salt LakeCity:DaughtersofUtahPioneers,1939–51),orCarter, 1:377–95. According to Kenney’s note on page 377, “The Journal , 1:513–14,517–19.Atthoseconferences,the Alliance (December1840),the materials would be the autobiographies Heart Throbs ofthe West Wilford Woodruff’s Caroline (January , 12vols. Our ------

129 The Harvest of Converts

130 The Field Is White 21. 17. 28. 27. 26. 25. 24. 23. 22. 20. 19. 18.

7–8, MS1089,ChurchHistoryLibrary,SaltLakeCity. provide thenumberofemigrants. from theThreeCounties.Unfortunately,there is nopassengerlistto rather thanLiverpool.Inalllikelihood,mostofthepassengerswere be greaterthaneighthundred.The baptized membersoftheChurch.Thenumberindividualscould We donotknowiftheemigrationnumberincludeschildrenoronly included inthecalculationofnumbermembersChurch. the BritishIslesinpreviousseason,whichnumberhadnotbeen minutes statethatnearlyeighthundredpeoplehademigratedfrom the Alesto(March1841). 1841), the summer of1837. because thefirstmissionariestoEnglanddidnotarrive untilthe Smith wouldnothaveknownthesongexceptthrough her dream, written fortheKirtlandTemplededicationon27March1836. Sister not abletoidentifySisterSmithinourlistofconverts. Sister Taylor,wholivedinWestBromwich,Staffordshire. Wewere Smith otherthanthefactthatshehadamarrieddaughter named the family,Needhamgavenoidentifyinginformationabout Sister Salt LakeCity.Unfortunately,onpage53,whenhewasdescribing August–1842 December,”53–54,MS25895,ChurchHistoryLibrary, Steed, “LifeofThomasSteed,”5. Steed, “LifeofThomasSteed,”4–5. online athttps://books.FamilySearch.org. Harold B.LeeLibrary,BrighamYoungUniversity,Provo,UT.Also 1826–1910,” 2, BX 8670.1 .St32, L. TomPerrySpecial Collections, “Conference Minutes,” Needham, “Autobiography,” 57. Needham, “Autobiography,”57.Thehymn“TheSpiritof God”was Needham, “Autobiography,”55–56. John Needham,“JohnNeedhamAutobiographyandJournal,1840 Spiers, “Reminiscences,”1–2. John Gailey,“JohnReminiscenceandDiary, Steed, “LifeofThomasSteed,”5–6. Steed, “LifeofThomasSteed,”4. Thomas Steed,“TheLifeofSteedFromHisOwnDiary Sheffield (February1841),the Millennial Star1,no.12(April1841):302.The Caroline originatedfromBristol Echo (February1841),and

ca. 1840–41,” 29. 42. 41. 40. 39. 38. 37. 36. 35. 34. 33. 32. 31. 30.

tion areintheoriginal. torical Quarterly22,no.3(July1954):260–62. that mightbeinourdatabase. members connectedtothem,searchingforrelationshipswithothers the converts’namesinFamilySearch,wealsolookedatotherfamily than canbefoundinotherpublicrecords.Thus,whenidentifying information abouttheconvertssubmittedbytheirfamilymembers verified. However,inspiteofthepossibilityerror,thereismore mitted bydescendantsandresearchers,therecordshavenotbeen ships. BecauseFamilyTreeisacompilationofgenealogiessub the records,butjournalsveryrarelymentionedfamilyrelation- Just overhalfofthebranchmembershadparents’nameslistedin mation thatisnotalwaysavailableinthejournalsorbranchrecords. 9132, Early VictorianBritain,”BYUStudies 27,no.1(Winter1987):29. neer OverlandTravelwebsite. together ontheMormonMigrationwebsiteor Pio each otheroncensuses.Wealsofoundmanyofthefamilies listed relationships, althoughsometimeswefoundthefamilies livingnear 248.6 U58p1840,ChurchHistoryLibrary,SaltLakeCity. History Library, SaltLakeCity. grandson Howard and wifeLaVon Sansom,” 2, M270.1 S229s, Church by great-granddaughterDorisBarber Smith; addendumresearchby Maughan,” inOurPioneerHeritage,2:353–54. William Williams,“WilliamWilliamsreminiscence,1850,”3–4, Philip A.M.Taylor,“Whydid BritishMormonsEmigrate,” Ronald W.Walker,“CradlingMormonism:TheRiseofthe Gospelin FamilySearch.org’s FamilyTreehelpedusidentifythese family “United BrethrenPreachers’PlanoftheFroomsHillCircuit, 1840,” FamilySearch.org’s FamilyTreeoftenprovidedrelationshipinfor Sansom, “Journal,”3. Charles Sansom, Mary AnnWestonMaughan,“TheJournalof Williams, “Reminiscence Williams, “Reminiscence,”6. Williams, “Reminiscence,”5–6. Williams, “Reminiscence,”5. Williams, “Reminiscence,”4. Church HistoryLibrary,SaltLakeCity.Spellingandpunctua “Journal ofCharlesSansom, 1826–1908/prepared ,” 6–7. Utah His-

MS - - - -

131 The Harvest of Converts

132 The Field Is White 44. 43. 50. 49. 48. 47. 46. 45. 53. 52. 51.

and Film#86998Items17–18. available intheFamilyHistoryLibrary:Film#86991Items15–16, at somepoint.Themembershiprecordsforthesetwobranchesare the branchesbecameone or atleast their recordswerecombined individuals listedonbothsetsofbranchrecords,itappearsthat Bran GreenBranchdisbandedin1848.Withthenumberofduplicate (10 April1840). abode ofaseasonatFrooms[ had soldhispossessions&entirelylefttheHillfarmandtaken uphis to visit the Benbows on 10April1840,he“foundBrothJohnBenbow Will Prevail, 139–40.WilfordWoodruffalsowrotethatwhenhewent 1840 to1856.The their recordswerecombinedatsome point during the periodfrom Harold B.LeeLibrary,BrighamYoungUniversity,Provo,Utah. by himself,”4–5,MSSSC3200.L.TomPerrySpecialCollections, Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 1:440(16April1840). Hence, nobaptismaldateislisted. children ortheymovedintotheareawereexcommunicated. individuals are listed in the records because they were blessed as on thebranchrecordshaveacorrespondingbaptismaldate.Some maps showthesehamletsasBrandGreenandFrogsmarsh. to whichwearereferringspellsthenames differently. Today,the will consistentlyuseBranGreenandFrogmarshunlesstherecord or Brandgreen.FrogmarshissometimesspelledFrogsmarsh.We on therecord.BranGreeniswrittenasBrangreen,BrandGreen, Herefordshire, ToSellByAuction,” Hereford Times, 27March1841. sacks ofgrain,andcasks cider.“MoorendFarm,CastleFrome, possessions showsthathewantedtosellcattle,farming utensils, JournalWilford Woodruff’s,1:490–91(11August1840). While BranGreenandFrogmarshwereseparatebranchesin1840, Job Smith,“TheUnitedBrethren,” V. BenBloxham,“TheApostolicFoundations,1840–1841,” in Frederick Weight,“ABriefHistoryoftheLifeWeight Spiers, “Reminiscences,”1. One importantnoteaboutthisdatabaseisthatnotallthenames Bran GreenandFrogmarsharespelleddifferentways,depending Maughan, “Journal,”348–49. The advertisementoftheauctionallhisfarmimplements and British Mission Manuscript History sic] Hill.” Improvement Era , July1910,819. Wilford Woodruff’s showsthatthe Journal, 1:433 Truth

55. 54. 60. 59. 58. 57. 56.

Our PioneerHeritage,7:424. sus recordstocorroboratethe dates,weweremoreconfidentinthe date, wedidnotknowiftheyear wascorrect.Whentherewerecen not haveoccurredwhenthechild wasaninfant.Iftherenobirth because therewerenobirthrecordsatthetime.Christenings might the appendixfordatesofbranchorganization. See “Nineteenth-CenturyChurchUnitsintheThreeCounties” in aries whose diaries are available did not baptize many people there. lished by1841inthelargertownslisted,butapparently, mission- the FamilyHistoryLibrary(SaltLakeCity),brancheswere estab www.visionofbritain.org.uk/atlas/. Britain Through Time, “StatisticalAtlas,SocialStructure,” of A Vision Lake City:UniversityofUtahPress,1989),163. Victorian Britain,ed.RichardL.JensenandMalcolmR.Thorp(Salt of LeedsandTheirNonconformistNeighbors,”in the Lilley, wasanagriculturallaboreronthe1841census,butboard from theChurchofEngland.Similarly,anotheremigrant,Richard did notreceivethesamelevelofrespectfromsocietyasaminister However, anitinerantpreacherfortheUnitedBrethrenprobably ton bothlistedtheiroccupationsonthepassengerlistas“preacher.” their socialstation.Forexample,JohnCheeseandThomasKing one tostatetheoccupationassomethingthatwasnotreflectiveof ships’ listsweremorelikelytobeself-reporteddata,allowingsome more likelytoreflectthesocialstatusoffamilyinEngland.The rather than the Mormon Migration Indexbecause the census was same socialclassasfarmersinthe1841censusEngland. with caution,knowingthatperhapsthoseindividualswerenotinthe from theMormonMigrationIndex,wehadtouselabel“farmer” hired agriculturallaborers.Whentheonlyrecordofoccupationwas in thesamesocialclassasJohnBenbow,agentlemanfarmerwho tural laborersperformedfarmingwork,buthewasprobablynot When possible,weusedtheoccupationlistedin1841census Emily HodgettsLowder,“EmilyLowder—103years,”in In FamilySearch.org,thebirthyearsareactuallychristening years Walker, “CradlingMormonism,”29. According tothemanuscripthistoryandbranchrecords heldat Susan L.Fales,“Artisans,Millhands,andLabourers:TheMormons Chaos inlate1841,hisoccupationislistedas“farmer.”Agricul Mormons inEarly - - - - -

133 The Harvest of Converts

134

The Field Is White 78. 77. 76. 75 74. 73. 72. 71. 70. 69. 68. Ann FowlerSparks, 67. 66. 65. 64. 63. 62. 61.

(August 1840):86–89. tle Frome,Herefordshire,June21 1840): 84–85.“MinutesoftheConferenceHeldatStanley Hill,Cas tershire, England, June 14th, 1840,” Pioneer Heritage,7:363–64. 88–89. the ageofatwenty-four-year-oldwasusuallyrecordedastwenty. rounded down tothe fives for anyone over the ageofsixteen, so that we usedthebirthyearlistedincensus.The1841censususually we knewthattheindividualcouldhavebeenolderthanlisted,but birth yearslisted.Iftheonlyagewehadwasfrom1841census, this area. no statistical reports listed in the for thetwenty-yearperiodof1840–60,butwefoundthattherewere JournalWilford Woodruff’s,1:519. 1752, ChurchHistoryLibrary,SaltLakeCity. (Montpelier, ID:M.Passey,2004),4;emphasisinoriginal. “General Conference,” Brigham Young,“NewsfromtheElders,” “Conference atStanleyHill,” “Minutes oftheConferenceHeldatGadfieldElmchapel,inWorces Initially wewantedtoexamineChurchgrowthintheThreeCounties Williams, “Reminiscence,”12–13. Williams, “Reminiscence,”11–12. Wall, “Journal,”363. Maughan, “Journal,”356. Maughan, “Journal,”354. Sparks, Jane Spiers, “Reminiscences,”2. Steed, “LifeofThomasSteed,”6–7. Francis GeorgeWall,“FrancisWall–Pioneerof1863 Williams, “Reminiscence,” James Palmer,“JamesPalmerReminiscences,ca.1884–98,”50,MS is the first time we see thename “Cheltenham Conference”instead the FromesHillConference was stillinexistenceuntil1844. ence. However,accordingto the Stanley Hill,andBrighamYoungcalledittheHill Confer (January 1841):239.TheFromesHillConferencemetat ahomein Memoirs, 13. Millennial Star3,no.2(June1842):29.This Jane Ann’s Memoirs, 14–18. Millennial Star1,no.4(August1840): British MissionManuscriptHistory st Millennial Star , 1840,” Millennial Star 1, no. 4 (August Millennial Star Millennial Star1,no.4 comp. Marsha Passey from 1856–60 for 1,no.9 ,” inOur - - - , 79. 82. 81. 80.

ence,” MillennialStar9,no.12(15June1847):188–89. that timetheGadfieldElmchapelhadbeensold. of GadfieldElmConference.Possibly,thenamechangedbecauseby Wilford Woodruff’s JournalWilford Woodruff’s,1:517–19. plan werenotlistedasbranchnamesfortheseconferences. 1840): 86–89.Onlysixofthemeetingplaceslistedinpreachers’ 84–85. “ConferenceatStanleyHill,” (1 September1848):267. Field, Manchester,SundayAugust13,1848,” “Conference Minutes: “Conference atGadfieldElm,” “Conference Minutes,GeneralConferenceheldatMusicHall,Camp Edgehill Conference,CheltenhamConfer Millennial Star1,no.4(August1840): Millennial Star1,no.4(August Millennial Star10,no.17 -

135 The Harvest of Converts