An Analysis of Staffordshire Mormons, 1837 to 1870
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Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 2003 The "Unidentified Pioneers": An Analysis of Staffordshire Mormons, 1837 to 1870 Stephen G. Arrowsmith Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the Cultural History Commons, and the Mormon Studies Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Arrowsmith, Stephen G., "The "Unidentified Pioneers": An Analysis of Staffordshire Mormons, 1837 to 1870" (2003). Theses and Dissertations. 4488. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/4488 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. THE unidentified PIONEERS AN ANALYSIS OF staffordshire MORMONS 1837 to 1870 by stephen G arrowsmith A thesis submitted to the faculty of brigham young university in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of arts department of history brigham young university april 2003 copyright 0 2003 stephen G arrowsmith all rights reserved BRIGHAM YOUNG university GRADUATE COMMITTEE APPROVAL of a thesis submitted by stephen G arrowsmith this thesis has been read by each member of the following graduate committee and by majority vote has been found to be satisfactory 1 J laallakafjlIAA kagKAJ ZOZ 101VJCQIAA0 VJ C R I1 H c1ca p date 202 malcolm R thorp chair tl MHC- coaOU tfjcjlwlL daedaiedate roronaldJLaldyaidyV walker 1 7 Z c z date kathrynkathrynmM dabilldapillda S BRIGHAM YOUNG university As chair of the candidates graduate committee I1 have read the thesis of stephen G arrowsmith in its final form and have found that 1 its format citations and bibliographical style are consistent and acceptable and fulfill university and department style requirements 2 its illustrative materials including figures tables and charts are in place and 3 the final manuscript is satisfactory to the graduate committee and is ready for submission to the university library 4 3vt cl 203ad2d 63 ha v4va C LA vcVL date malcolmVCR thorp rf chair graduate committee accepted for the department dayawhayawHajalfauyAW mary stostovakstovawvy0vya richards graduate ordinatorcoordinator accepted for the college aukdam davi maglebyiglebyogleby djm dean college of family home and social sciences ABSTRACT THE unidentified PIONEERS AN ANALYSIS OF staffordshire MORMONS 1837 to 1870 stephen G arrowsmith department of history master of arts the evidence presented in this thesis advocates an increased level of scholarly interest in english working class mormon converts to illustrate who these people were and what their roles were as part of mormon story this regional study introduces and makes available over twelve hundred staffordshire Morcormonsmormonsmons and asks questions of the collected statistical infoninconinformationnation the conservative staffordshire cormonsmormons clearly assisted the establishment and continuation ofofaziona zion in the american west much of the data confirms previous scholarship however those with differing visions of mormonism for example the RLDS church attracted staffordshire converts in larger numbers than previously suggested the findings suggest a careful examinationreexaminationre of the early british RLDS membership may reveal similar findings if so a reappraisal of RLDSLDSRLDS LDS history not only would be desirable but also necessary acknowledgments hanging on in quiet desperation is the english way roger waters time I1 wish to acknowledge and express my appreciation to malcolm R thorp and ronald W walker for their friendship and patience throughout my time at brigham young university I1 am also extremely grateful to kathryn M daynes for graciously joining my committee at such a late stage her advice has been considerable I1 am indebted to many friends colleagues as well as my vicarious american parents the holmans from sugar city idaho and the reynolds from south weber utah as this work would not have been possible without their love and support I1 also need to recognize the assistance and time given freely by ted moore and william B hartley last but certainly not least I1 need to openly declare my eternal devotion to my wife linda and to our three special daughters zoe rhianna and morgan more than anyone else they have endured sacrifices beyond all imagination TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES viii CHAPTER 1 introduction THE unidentified PIONEERPIONEEW 1 PART ONE 2 MORMONISM ARRIVES IN ENGLAND 17 3 staffordshire THE SETTING 29 PART TWO 4 staffordshire MORMONS THE methodology 39 5 staffordshire MORMONS statistical DISPLAYS 45 6 conclusion THE insignificant AND THE OBSCURE 65 appendices 1 fig 1 OUTLINE MAP OF THE BRITISH ISLES 71 fig 2 MAP OF staffordshire 73 2 membership statistics 1840491840 49 75 3 FINAL LOCATIONS OF UTAH MORMONS 77 4 staffordshire MORMON membership DATA 79 bibliography 115 vilviivilVII TABLES table page 1 staffordshire LDS baptisms 1837891837 89 in decades 48 2 age at baptism staffordshire Morcormonsmormonsmons bomborn before 1870 51 3 age at baptism staffordshire LDS bomborn before 1870 52 4 staffordshire LDS men with plural wives 58 5 affiliation of staffordshire Morcormonsmormonsmons bomborn before 1870 61 6 staffordshire RLDS baptisms 1859971859 97 in decades 62 7 age at baptism staffordshire RLDS bomborn before 1870 63 vmviii CHAPTER 1 introductionB THE unidentified PIONEERS the fact that some areas ofhuman experience in the past are immeasurable is no reason not to measure those that are accessible to us at the least the measurable areas may help us in our interpretation ofthe immeasurable 1 this quantitative study considers mormon converts from the staffordshire england conference 183718701837183 7187 18187070 prior to its division and incorporation as part ofthe birminghamB and manchester conferences ofthe church ofjesus christ of latter day saints hereafter LDS church and during what is often seen as the dionelpionelpioneerr period 2 the most well known areas ofmormon missionary work in england during the nineteenth century were concentrated in the two triangles the area in the northwest ofengland liverpool preston and manchester and that much farther south in the midlands 1 roderick floud an introduction to quantitative methodsformethods for historians princeton NJ princeton university press 1973 232 3 athe2the2 the word conference is a mormon ecclesiastical term used to identify not only LDS quarterly or semiannualsemi annual meetings but also geographical areas of LDS church membership similar to a diocese in this case the conference would consist ofnumerous branches or local congregation meeting places usually presided over by parochial branch presidents or presiding elders throughout the period ofthis study the staffordshire conference area does not always match the staffordshire county boundaries and is ever changing as the success as well as the eventual lack of interest of mormonism is illustrated by the expansion and later the reduction of said boundaries for example parts of south cheshire shropshire derbyshire warwickshireWarwickshire and worcestershire are included in this project see chapter 4 and appendix 1 fig 1 for further explanation herefordshireHerefordshire and BBirminghambirmingham3ahamgham 3 A third concentration ofmormon conversion efforts only a days travel by a combination of stagecoach train and walking situated between the two triangles was the staffordshire potteries 4 during 1840411840 41 the second apostolic missionmissionemission55 to england resulted in the organization ofthe staffordshire conference as part ofwhat came to be a nationwide missionary system following the first successful mormon apostolic visits to britain in 1837381837 38 another important episode in mormon history in staffordshire occurring in the 1860s was the arrival of competing reorganized mormon missionaries from the american midwest from 1860 the reorganized church of jesus christ oflatter day saints hereafter RLDS church also became a force to contend with in staffordshire as RLDS missionaries concentrated their efforts on those LDS members ahowho had not yet 3seeasee3 see appendix 1 fig 1 for an outline map one would also expect london as the major population center ofbritain to be central to the history ofnineteenth century mormon missimissiologyology however as alienailenesplin and whittaker note londonslondonaLondons masses were not as ready for the mormon message as were the people ofherefordshireHerefordshire staffordshire or lancashire see james B alienailenronald K esplin and david J whittaker men with a mission the quorum of the twelve apostles in the british isles 183718411837 1841 salt lake city deseret book 1992 190 for an introduction to mormonism in london see lynn W jorgensen the first london Morcormonsmormonsmons 184018451840 1845 what am I1 and my brethren here for masters thesis brigham young university 1988 beven4even4 even so john needham with richard steel reported the forty miles from manchester to the potteries was the fiutfintfurthesthest I1 have ever walked in a day see john needham journal 11 july 184018401616 historical department archives division the church ofjesus christ oflatter day saints salt lake city utah hereafter LDS church archives 5 the second apostolic mission comprising nine mormon apostles is so called to differentiate it from the first smaller scale mormon missionary incursion into britain led by