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THE LIFE AND TIMES OF EARLY missionaries TO POLYNESIA

joseph H spurrier spurrier joseph H the first missionaries to be called to the sandwich islands the remaining five elders henry W bigler george Q cannon were addison pratt knowlton F hanks benjamin grouardandgrouard and noah william farrer james hawkins and james keeler set to work on maui rogers the decision to send them was made on may 11 1843 in the and on oahubahu in response to fasting prayer and a consuming desire office of at nauvoo they were set apart on may 23rd to understand the native tongue elder cannon was given the ability 6 and noah rogers was appointed as president addison pratt had been to hear and interpret the language in a few weeks more he was able 7 to the islands before having spent six months at in 1822 to speak fluently elder farrer was also blessed in this way and benjamin grouard was also an experienced seaman they sailed from these two led out in a most successful effort among the hawaiiansHawaiians new bedford in june but bound for the society the first branches of the church were organiorganizedzed on maui in august 1 8 instead of the sandwich islands and on oahu in december of 1851 in less than three years branches A second groupwascalledgroup vaswas called in the summer of 1850 when elder were organized on all major islands more than three thousand members charles C rich of the quorum of twelve called ten elders from the were reported and the book of hadbad been translated into the 9 middle fork of the american river in the gold fields of californiaofcalifornia hawaiian language these men had been members of a temporal mission to dig gold to be the most public account of the earliest days of the sandwich 2 taken back to deseret for use as specie literally for making moneymo ney islands mission is that contained in president george Q cannons they made their way in wagons horseback and walking to NXmy first mission this work was published as a faithfaithpromotingpromoting 3 10 where they worked for money for their passage to the islands the piece by the deseret sunday school union in 1879 it has succeeded company arrived in honolulu on december 12 1850 dedicated the land well in that capacity it falls a little short however as a pri for the preaching of the gospel and set to work immediately mary record since it was compiled and written many years after the assignments were made to send two elders to each of the islands of actual events journals were kept by others of that first company 4 maui molokai oahubahuand kauai however due to the problems of missionaries and they are available to us now elder Keelers of supporting themselves the difficulty of learning the language of diary provides interesting detail about the attitudes and persona- the native population and the fact that most of the white men to be lities of the first missionaries and is especially valuable in that found were either missionaries from newmew england or whalers neither it corroborates the events and experiences chronicled by elder group much interested in a new religion five of the company including cannon in his published account the record kept by elder william 5 president hiram darkclark left the islands in less than three months farrer provides a record of the progress on the island of oahubahu

41 spurrier joseph H spurrier joseph H the conversion of a number of important hawaiians and the organiza go on a proselyting mission to the sandwich islands on arrival 14 tion of the branches on that island the journal of elder henry there he was assigned to the island of molokai with an elder morris bigler is that of an older man faithful diligent competent in this companion however found it necessary to go to work in hon- the doctrines of the church but struggling with the language and olulu to support himself and elder bigler decided to go on to his 15 frustrated by this limitation assignment by himself he travelled to lahaina maui a stop on inasmuch as the record of the life and times of president the way to molokai with elders george Q cannon and james keeler cannon is so readily available attention in these remarks will be there on december 22 1850 the elders sought and were given per given to some others who also made significant contributions to the mission to preach in the bethel or seamans chapel in the afternoon establishment of the church in the islands elder henry william elder bigler gave the major discourse and the meeting was reasonably 16 bigler was one of the more interesting of that first company he well attended adswdswas born in harrison county west and came into the church when five of the missionaries in the first company decided during the days he was called and filled a successful mis to return home or go elsewhere to labor those at lahaina prayed for 11 sion for the church as a young man before the move westward and received the guidance of the holy spirit and decided to remain 17 following the martyrdom of joseph smith he followed in the islands to which they had been called from that time on and the council of twelve from nauvoo to winter quarters they found the way open for the prosecution of the work elder when the government in one of those peculiar paradoxes farrer had joined the maui group and once their decision was made 18 with which our history abounds called upon those who were being he ananddeidereldereiderdElder bigler returned to honolulu to work on oahubahu there driven from its borders for aid brother bigler was one of the 549 elder bigler made the acquaintance and secured the friendship of 12 who enlisted in the a prominent judge and hawaiian of chiefly rank mr I1 W E maikai when the historic march of that unit was completed brother he was invited to live with the judge and through his influence bigler was one of those who remained in he with a many doors were opened to the elders both in securing living quarters i 19 number of other movemoveintointoinco northern california and he was and in planting the gospels seed 13 on hand at sutters mill when gold was discovered there in 1849 As the two elders moved to the windward side of the island he joined the group of temporal missionaries sent from salt lake elder bigler worked in Koolaukoolaupokopoko in the communities of kaneoheKaneohe city to the gold fields and was among the ten called from there to kailua and waimanaloWaimanalo while elder farrer went north to Punapunaluupunalualuu

42 spurrier joseph H spurrier joseph H 20 hauulagauula and laie in the late months of 1851 in honolulu elder at the age of fourteen hebe left his home on long island new bigler converted and baptized a hawaiian school teacher by the york where he had been born on november 1 1822 he sailed on a name of G toma paku who was to serve as his missionary comcompanionfanlonFanionpanion coasting vessel as a crewmanandcrewman and by the igedgeage of twenty one held a 24 for the next two years together these elders brought into being berth as boatswain on a pacific voyage it was this voyage that 21 the branches at kaneohe and waimanaloWaimanalo after fortythreeforty three months brought him for the first time to the sandwich islands due to a of faithful labor elder bigler now in his late thirties was shipboard injury he was put ashore at lahaina where he lived for 25 released to go finally to the valley of the four years it was during these years ashore that he took up the three full years did not pass however until he was called trade of a cobbler and made many friends and acquaintances who would to return to ththee sandwich islands he arrived in honolulu in serve him and the church well in later years september of 1857 and found the elders all preparing to return in 1847 francis hammond went to san francisco on his way home in response to the call from president brigham young he was back to to take a wife while in san francisco earning chosen to preside over the mission until was officially closed means to pay his passage he came into contact with the latter day 22 it 26 in may of 1858 returning to america elder bigler was called to saints and with the book of mormon he was thoroughly converted serve a fourth mission and then assiassignedingnedin the colonizing effort and was baptized that same year changing his plans he travelled to the settlements of southern he ivedlived11 the rest of his life on to where at the age of twenty six he married 23 27 in utahs and died at st george in november of 1900 seventeen year old mary jane dilworth in just three more years by all accounts elder francis A hammond must be reckoned he was called to return to the sandwich islands on a mission he as one of the most influential missionaries in the shaping of the was given permission to take his young wife and baby son with him history of the church in hawaii fortunately his journal is re selling what they had in the valley they outfitted themselves for plete with detail he recorded his most intimate concerns and the trip to the coast they took the well travelled southern road feelings as well as his reactions to those events and persospersqsperses who west of the through southern utah to and touched his life in these records we have a glimpse into the across the to san bernadino recovering there for a workings of a very human and staunchly latter day saint mind and few days they moved on to san pedro where they sold their outfit spirit for money to pay their passage to the islands elder hammond also acquired a cobblers bench and materials for use in supporting himself

43 spurrier joseph H spurrier joseph H 28 by august of 1853 the missionaries felt to begin the gather anahisandhisand his family in part time work the trip to the coast had 35 ing of the saints and several possibilities were considered required two months and was filled with what today would be elder hammond on a proselyting t to the island of lanai formed called hardships but such things seemed the natural order of visivlsivisit 29 a small branch there and saw the basin of lalawaiPapalawailawai he thought things for such pioneers and the trip was considered uneventful 36 it suitable as a place of in making the recommendation the hammondHamnio nd family sailed on the ship eagle arriving in in the council of elders he was opposed by president lewis and honolulu on august 9 1851 with them had come brother and sister benjamin F johnson and by elder nathan tanner an older missionary philip B lewis brother and sister job perkins and brother john 30 whose experience included the episode of camp the older stillman woodbury elder lewis was to preside in the place of the zions men wished to explore the possibility of gathering of the poly departed hiram clark he had had long experience in the church had all nesiananesian saints at san bernadino where they would constitute a work been close to the prophet joseph smith as a member of the council 37 31 force for the agricultural effort there exploration required of fifty and was accustomed to presiding authority the younger this several months and cost the california saints a considerable outlay elder hammond had hadbad long experience at sea and in the islands and 38 in cash only to prove unsatisfactory was in the late summer knew somewhat of the language it was perhaps to be expected that it of 1854 that the lanai site suggested by elder hammond was finally tension would developedevdevelopedelope between the two elder hammond in his dedi- decided upon and on august 28 after a day of fasting and a prayer cation self reliance and faith seemed willing to act more rapidly circle in robes elder benjamin F johnson high priest and and readily in the work than the president was willing to have him 39 32 member of the dedicated the city of joseph in the act 40 valley of ephraim at lalawaipalawai on lanai by the time the hammonds on their arrival elder and sister hammond were assigned to were released march of 1856 elder hammond had been instrumental lahaina where they found living space with former acquaintances of in 33 in obtaining a lease on the property and was under cultivationcultuvation his some of whom were converted to the church he conducted the it elder hammond was again called to the sandwich islands in affairs of the few saints in lahaina and travelled about west maui december of 1864 in the eight years since his release the american in his efforts to spread the word it was obvious that greater elders had been called home due to the unsettled condition intn utah progress was being experienced in central and east maui and that in thetiietiue late 1850s and the mission had been closed walter murray his help was needed there so he extended his travels to assist 34 gibson had come to hawaii in 1861 had assumed presidency of the elder cannon elder keeler and some of the hawaiian elders joseph H spurrier joseph H spurrier two men whom had known and that prominent local business he in earlier church in the islands had been excommunicated in the spring of 46 extended to him 1864 by elders ezra T benson and of the quorum of times credit in salt lake city another reason was given the twelve president brigham young had decided to establish an credence upon agricultural colony in hawaii and invite the hawaiian saints once the other reason was based an experience which occurred somewhat when murray gibson was more to gather together elder hammond was sent to accompany elder at laielaiclale earlier walter excommuni 41 1861 F george nebeker to the islands to secure a new site for the gathering batedcated in elder joseph smith was left in charge of re or dering the of church him were these two brethren visited kauai to look at some property affairs the in the islands assisting L W there but could not agree with the owners on a price on their re- alma smith and william cluff elder cluff drew the asignmentassignment turn to honolulu elder nebeker found it necessary to return to of vellingtratravelling the koolau district of oahu and came eventually to the of 1864 he stopped overnight at the ranch house salt lake city and left elder hammond to make a selection and conclude laielaiclale in fall 42 and following morninggtoppedmorningmoening stopped to hold morning prayer a a purchase only three days later a property came to the attention the his at hau grove nearby he was vouschafed a in which president of elder hammond and he arranged to inspect it it was a six thou there vision brigham young andana C appeared him and sand acre ranch owned by a mr thomas T dougherty ex american heber kimball to indicated was to be place of consul in honolulu and it was located in the koolauloaKoolauloa district at that laielaiclale the for the saints the hawaiian islands As he reported laielaiclale on the week end of january 21 1865 elder hammond rode to elder cluff returned to salt lake city the event to president young who laie attended thechechonho branch of the church there and rode around the confirmed it 43 property he found the site had two to three miles of oceanshore the account of this incident was first told in hawaii at a 1869 by jonathan line ten small villages within thefoundries boundriesboundries and of the sixthousix thou meeting held at laielaiclale in elder napela this hawaiian 44 sand acres about onefifthone fifth of was suitable to cultivation elder had just returned from salt lake city where the event was it V to him A newspaper reporterreporcea meeting on his return to honolulu he offered mr dougherty the sum of rehearsed orteA attended that heard NI was and a napelas talk and had it printed in a hawaiian language newspaper 12000 but the offer refused counter offer of 14000 pelas 47 the nupepa kuoksakuokoa november 13 1869 hammond then was was made elder hammond after some consideration decided to make for elder a the purchase since the price included all improvements and live not left alone in his decision on the selection of site for the 45 of the and stock some marvelleemarvelledmarvel led that the purchase could be concluded so revival church the hawaiian people readily since elder hammond had no local assets he himself noted spurrier joseph H

FOOTNOTES spurrier joseph H elder francis A ramhammondHamnond having been responsible for both ahe pokole no Ek ka published major property acquisitions for the church in hawaiihawaiireturnedreturnreturneddd to lhehe moolelo kokole ka alasia elelealele ciaiooiaio by the L D S hawaiian mission honolulu T H vol 1 no 13 may utah he served both the territory and the church well for the 1909 p 308 S george paradise rest of his and was presiding in the san juan stake in southern ellsworth in early in the life twentyX published by 48 south seas twentswenttwentyfirstfirst faculty honor lecture the universo logan utah 1959 pa utah at the time of his passingatpassingat age 78 in november of 1900 faculty association utah state universuniversityityicylcy p6 candrew2andrew jensen many other anecdotes can be related about any and of the andrew the hawaiian mission bound typescript all 6 volumesvolumss unpaged library BYUHCBYU HC vol I1 september 25 1850 missionaries who served the church in the sandwich Is adsaesnes the isiaIslalaeslads william farrer diary 1821 1906 containing journal 184918541849 1854 brigham young provo of names a fame the typescript library university entry for list resembles hall of in history of the church december 12 1950 ephraim the twins reddick and reddin members 4 allred several 4ibidbibidibid entry for december 14 1850 of the smith family including joseph F smith whose journal was 5georgecgeorgegeorge Q cannon my first mission three mormon classics compiled by preston & destroyed a which burned nibley salt lake city stevens wallace inc in fire the storage building at the lanai 1944 p 143 settlement john R young and john T caine and in later years leuterletter george Q cannon to aunt leonora taylor lahaina the beesleysBee the gates the bluffs richards brothers and the maui S I1 august 22 1851 reprinted in the sandwich islands sleys cluffs millenialmillennialMillenial star vol XIV september 11 1852 p 493 woolleyswoolwooi leys the events related here however have been more than woollens 7farrerpfarrerfarrer diary entry for june 10 1851 enough to point out the value of the records and journals diaries diaries of james keeler 1850 55 BYU MSS 436 entry for august 6 1851 which were kept again by comaiandmentcomciandment by these early elders farrer diary entry for november 2 1851 Q jralph9ralphralph S kuykendall and A grove day hawaii A history from polynesian kingdom to american stalestatestace englewood cliffs N J prentice hall inc 1948 p 79 iocannonIO cannon op cit p ix jensen op cit vol I1 catalogue of missionaries taken from biographical encyclopedia vol 1 121bidibid 13 ibid bucannon14cannonUCucannon14Cannonannon op cit p 133 spurrier joseph H spurrier joseph H 36 36hammondhammond l5iournalsjournals of henry william bigler 1846 1899 microfilm of journals entry for september 28 1853 holograph library brigham young universityhawaiiuniversity hawaii campus entry 37 diary entry 5 for december 19 1850 farrer for october 1853 10 38jensen 16 cannon op p 133 hawaiian mission typescript for march 28 cit to august 1854 entries 17 ibid p 139 39 andrew F ehat op cit p 267 181 bigler journals entry for may 5 1851 40autobiography40 autobiography of benjamin franklin johnson 1818 1905 19 1822551822 55 entry june 16 1851 typescript 340 appp bsdmsd 1289 CHD salt lake city utah farrer diary for entry for august 28 1854 20 bigler journals entry for june 28 1851 41 hammond journals entry for december 23 1864 21 entry for june 28 1853 42 ibid ibid for december 29 1864 22 diary of john stillman woodbury 1851 1877 typescript of 43 ibid 21 document in 3 vols BYU entry for october 4 1857 for january 1865 44 2123 jensen op cit catalogue of missionaries volume I1 ibid 45 24 francis A hammond autobiography 1843 1849 bsdmsd 1430 ibid church department lake city utah 46 historical salt ibid for january 27 1865 25 ibid 47 na cleloolelo 0 jonatanaJonatana napela a koolauloaKoola uloa nupe2anupepa H kuoksakuokoa 26 ibid honolulu I1 november 13 1869 4 8 27 1 ibid 3f1senop eltcithitfcitnyqlqmeI nvelume I1 catalogue of missionaries 28 journals of francis A hammond 1852 1893 microfilm of holograph at library BYU HC entry for july 23 1851 29 ibid 30 farrer diary entry for august 19 1851 313 andrew F ehat it seems like heaven began on earth joseph smith and the constitution of the kingdom of god studies vol 20 number 3 spring 1980 p267 32 farrer diary entry for october 5 1853 33 hammond journals entry for august 12 1851 34ibidibid entries for october through december 1851 35jensen35jensen hawaiian mission typescript entry for october 6 1853

47 spurrier9purrier jasephjdseph H spurrier joseph H bibliography diaries of james keeler 18501350 1855 BYU MSS 436 library BYU provo BOOKS AND PUBLISHED SOURCES utah cannon george Q my first mission three mormon classics comp letters to and from missionaries in the sandwich islands 1851185118601860 salt lake city stevens & wallace inc 1944 bound typescript CHD salt lake city utah appp 113 195 ehat andrew F it seems like heaven began on earth joseph smith and the constitution of the kingdom of god brigham young university studies vol 20 number 3 spring 1980 appp 253 279 ellsworth S george zion in paradise early mormons in the south seas twenty first faculty honor lecture published by the faculty association logan utah 1959 he moolelo kokolepokole no ka alasiaekalasiaEk ka elelealele ciaiooiaio published by the L D S hawaiian mission honolulu T H vol 1 no 13 may 1909 kuykendall ralph S and A grove day hawaii A historyahistory from polynesian kingdom to american state englewood cliffs N J prentice hall inc 1948 na cleloolelo 0 Jonjonatanaatana napelanape la a koolauloaKoola uloa nupepa kuoksakuokoa honolulu H I1 november 13 1869 millenialmillennialMil lenial star salt lake city utah vol XIV september 1853

unpublished MATERIALS journals of william henry bigler 184618991846 1899 microfilm library brigham young university hawaii campus laie hawaii diaryofdiary of william farrer 182119061821 1906 containingjournalcontaifiingtijournalContaining Journal 184918541849 1854 typescript in library BYU provo utah journal of francis A hammond 185218931852 1893 microfilm library BYUHCBYU HC laie hawaii jensen andrew the hawaiian mission unpublished typescript bound in 6 volumes unpaged library BYU HC laie hawaii autobiogrpahy of benjamin franklin johnson 1818 1905 typescript 340 pages mcd 1289 CHD salt lake city utah