List of the First 85 Sister Missionaries

By December 8, 2014

Below is a first-draft list of sister missionaries called in the first three years of the formal female missionary program. I needed to know which ?number? an early sister missionary was for another project; I was surprised at how difficult the information was to chase down in digital form. To spare others similar pain, I submit the following list. I also commend the list to any History instructor assigning mini-biographies to classes of undergraduates (and please share the results). While we?re on the subject, check out Matt McBride?s http://sistermissionaries.org/.

Please note, with emphasis, the first-ness of the draft. I have verified very little on the list and am certain there are transcription errors and possibly even wholesale omissions.

M = married, S = not-married. A more complete key is below the table.

Sequence Name (Age), Mission Date Set Apart
M-00 Anna Hall Mohr (46), Sweden 1898 Mar 02
M-01 Harriet Maria Nye (51), San Francisco 1898 Mar 27
M-02 Martha Stringfellow Morris (58), Great Britain 1898 Apr 01
S-01 Lucy Jane Brimhall (23), Great Britain 1898 Apr 01
S-02 Amanda Inez Knight (22), Great Britain 1898 Apr 01
M-03 Fredericka Bergman (66), Scandinavia 1898 Apr 01
M-04 Louisa Robinson Miller (24), California 1898 Apr 02
M-05 Samantha Perry (26), California 1898 Apr 05
M-06 Belle Taylor Copening (28), Southwestern States 1898 Apr 11
M-07 Emma Chivrell Barrell (53), California 1898 Apr 16
M-08 Jane R. Plummer (26), Great Britain 1898 Apr 22
M-09 Gussie May Baker (32), Eastern States 1898 Apr 22
M-10 Lovinnia Bennett (27), California 1898 Apr 22
M-11 Julia Matilda Brixen (39), Europe 1898 Apr 26
M-12 Ellen E. Chase Cole (25), Sandwich Islands 1898 May 28
M-13 Ethel Lowry Reid (25), Samoa 1898 Jun 10
S-03 Sarah Elue Asper [Aspen?] (33), Eastern States 1898 Jul 06
M-14 Lettie Ann Dewey Campbell (23), Great Britain 1898 Jul 08
M-15 Jane Jennings Eldredge (42), California 1898 Jul 25
S-04 Liza Chipman (24), Great Britain 1898 Sep 09
M-16 Annie L. H. Merrill (27), Baltimore 1898 Sep 23
M-17 Margaret R. Taylor (21), Samoa 1898 Sep 30
M-18 Adriana N. Keilholz (46), Netherlands 1898 Oct 14
M-19 Clara Hansen (22), Sandwich Islands 1898 Oct 14
M-20 Margaret C. Fifield (22), Sandwich Islands 1898 Oct 14
M-21 Emerette E. C. Smith (27), California 1898 Oct 21
S-05 Rhoda C. Nash (32), California 1898 Nov 09
M-22 Lucindia M. Woolf (28), Manitoba 1898 Nov 13
M-23 Myra I. Longhurst (26), Samoa 1898 Nov 25
M-24 Althea Hyldahl (23), Southern States 1899 Mar 15
M-25 Catherine Dean Christensen (30), Germany 1899 Apr 14
S-06 Jean Clora Holbrook (21), Great Britain 1899 May 19
M-26 Lydia Dunford Alder (53), Great Britain 1899 May 23
S-07 Josephine D. Booth (23), Great Britain 1899 May 24
M-27 Annie N. Naylor (62), Great Britain 1899 Jul 14
M-28 Georgenia Nowland Day (44), Great Britain 1899 Sep 01
M-29 Carrie C. Platt (42), California 1899 Sep 01
M-30 Marina Nichols Hansen (26), Northern States 1899 Oct 12
M-31 Eva Ruth Park (31), Great Britain 1899 Oct 13
M-32 Diana Farr Rich (41), Southern States 1899 Oct 14
M-33 Mary Ellen S. Frame (23), Great Britain 1899 Oct 27
S-08 Mary L. Lyerla (27), Northern States 1899 Nov 10
S-09 Emily Ramsey (21), Germany 1899 Nov 10
M-34 Anna Smart (32), Eastern States 1899 Dec 18
M-35 Mary E Woolley (—), Colorado 1899 Mar 20
S-10 Alice McLachlan (31), Northern States 1900 Jan 03
M-36 Emily Summerhill Hunsaker (26), Southern States 1900 Jan 07
M-37 Maude Pratt Griggs (28), Colorado 1900 Jan 08
M-38 Agnes McMurrin Sears (27), Samoa 1900 Jan 20
M-39 Olive Earline Pendleton (25), Sandwich Islands 1900 Jan 20
M-40 Mary I. Wadman (27), Northern States 1900 Mar 03
S-11 Alice Elizabeth Sargent (22), Great Britain 1900 Mar 23
M-41 Minnie Sarah Hinck (18), Samoa 1900 Apr 09
S-12 Sarah Whalen (38), United States 1900 Jun 12
M-42 Annie R Phillips (21), Sandwich Islands 1900 Jul 06
M-43 Emily M. Brinton (45), Great Britain 1900 Jul 10
M-44 Maria Ann Clark Kimball (24), Great Britain 1900 Aug 08
M-45 Odah Croxall Cannon (30), Netherlands 1900 Aug 08
S-13 Emily Isabel Penfold (22), Great Britain 1900 Sep 05
M-46 Christina M. Smithies (39), Indiana 1900 Sep 19
M-47 Mary Ellen Ercanbrack (35), California 1901 Jan 15
M-48 Julia E Dillman (39), Chicago 1901 Feb 05
S-14 Jane Pixton (22), Great Britain 1901 Apr 10
M-49 Mary Ann Torey [Toney?] Billeter (24), Switzerland 1901 Apr 16
M-50 Helena B. B. Lyon (35), Northern States 1901 Apr 24
S-15 Lucinda Viola Curtis (25), California 1901 Apr 29
S-16 Susie Becraft (25), Eastern States 1901 Jun 03
S-17 Jane Woodward (28), Great Britain 1901 Jun 14
S-18 Emma Purcell (18), Samoa 1901 Jun 14
S-19 Amelia B Carling (23), Southwestern States 1901 Jun 25
M-51 Elizabeth Mary Patterson (20), Great Britain 1901 Jun 25
S-20 Olive Edna Clark (22), Great Britain 1901 Jun 25
M-52 Minnie Ann Knell Robinson (32), California 1901 Jun 20
M-53 Elizabeth H Duckworth (29), Australia 1901 Jul 03
M-54 Jennie Beeson Whipple (59), United States 1901 Jul 03
M-55 Martha Cruickshank (29), Eastern States 1901 Jul 09
M-56 Ella R Hunt (26), Netherlands 1901 Oct 01
M-57 Marina Jean McAllister Thatcher (21), Germany 1901 Oct 01
S-21 Diana Bean (20), Great Britain 1901 Oct 09
S-22 Mary Margaret Thurman (22), Great Britain 1901 Oct 09
M-58 Julia Teoa Johanson Hanson (60), Scandinavia 1901 Oct 15
S-23 Lucy Grant (21), Colorado 1901 Oct 29
S-24 Fannie Woolley (37), Colorado 1901 Oct 29
S-25 Sarah Maria Giles (27), Southwestern States 1901 Nov 06
M-59 Lillian M Young Canova (21), Southern States 1901 Dec 30

 

Key

The information comes from two sources: ?Missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,? prepared by Historian?s Office under direction of Andrew Jenson, circa 1925, held at Church History Library, Call Number CR 100 160, microfilm, Reel 3 (Box 5, Vol 5, year: 1897-1899) and Reel 4 (Box 5, Vol 6, year: 1900) and ?Missionary Registers,? ?Book C? (1894 April 27 ? 1906 October 16), prepared by Missionary Department, held at Church History Library, Call Number CR 301 22, microfilm, Reel 1, Vol 3.

The lists overlap, but not perfectly, and I have not carefully compared them. They contain other information not reproduced here, like birth date, baptism date, parent names, release date, and residence.

The first column has a letter and a number. The number tells the sequence of entry into the missionary register, with married and unmarried missionaries counted separately. ?M? means the missionary?s last name does not match the father?s last name in the missionary register and that, presumably, the missionary was married or widowed. ?S? means the last names of missionary and father do match so, presumably, the missionary was unmarried. I haven?t run the details to ground, but Mary L. Lyerla and Alice McLachlan, listed below as ?S,? seem to have entered polygamous marriages prior to their missions but kept their own last names. Anna Hall Mohr was sent on a genealogy mission prior to the decision to formally call female missionaries. I have included her here since this is a transcription of female missionaries listed in the missionary register for 1898-1901, and to hint at the continuity with semi-official female missionary work prior to the 1898 March decision.

The second column has the name, an approximate age at time of setting apart (ie, setting apart year minus birth year), and the assigned mission or region. The last column has the setting apart date.

Article filed under Miscellaneous


Comments

  1. Impressive. Thanks, Edje.

    I like the idea of having a class write biographies. The students would need a few things including:

    1. A list of resources (something like my Guide to Researching Mormon Ancestors; I’d suggest other guides but don’t know of any; the FHL used to publish guides, but they’re out of print and the FamilySearch Wiki isn’t good enough yet)

    2. The concept of having to research the entire extended family to write the biography of a single person

    3. The concept of writing a timeline

    I recognize three of the women on this list: Brimhall and Knight, of course, but also Jennie Beeson Whipple.

    Jennie (Eliza Jane) was John Morgan’s first convert from his mission to Illinois before he was sent to the Southern States. She was a widow, and worked as housekeeper for the Morgans when she got to Utah. She subsequently worked at the Deseret Hospital, in what capacity I do not know. She is buried in the Morgan family plot at the Salt Lake City Cemetery and long after she and John Morgan were dead, the family had them sealed. That’s all I know about her; I didn’t know she’d served a mission. Here are pictures and other information from Bessie:

    http://ancestralties.blogspot.com/2010/05/john-hamilton-morgans-first-convert-is.html

    Comment by Amy T — December 8, 2014 @ 7:07 am

  2. Such a great project!

    I recognize several names as ones I’ve run across, and I am sure I could dig out a few details by searching my computer, but I’m not ready to turn in any biographies. At least two of these women I recognize as genealogists, and I think most or all of those who went to Germany were music students (Emma Ramsay is probably your “Emily” Ramsey, and these details all fit her personal history). The further research you are calling for will no doubt sort all these sisters into categories, sifting out those who were called as proselyting missionaries for special honors.

    Comment by Ardis Parshall — December 8, 2014 @ 7:34 am

  3. Thanks for the link to sistermissionaries.org. Caveat lector: I am still polishing off the rough edges of that site. It is my middle-of-the-night-and-can’t-sleep project. The search should be up and running soon along with an interactive page for statistical analysis based on mission, age, and marital status.

    Comment by MattM — December 8, 2014 @ 7:59 am

  4. I love this. You are bringing them out obscurity. Thank Edje.

    Comment by EmJen — December 8, 2014 @ 10:14 am

  5. Edje. You are incredible. I look forward to seeing where this goes (and to helping)!

    Comment by J Stuart — December 8, 2014 @ 10:28 am

  6. I wondered about the “Asper (Aspen?)” entry, and looked up Sarah E. Asper in Family Search.

    There was a woman named Sarah Elise Asper, born in late 1865 in Salt Lake City, married in 1902 (so, single in 1898). She might be the one.

    Her half-brother, nearly 30 years her junior, was Frank W. Asper, who was a tabernacle organist.

    Comment by Mark B. — December 8, 2014 @ 12:48 pm

  7. I spent a little while today sourcing Jennie Whipple’s FamilySearch FamilyTree entry.

    After she was baptized in the early 1880s and moved to Utah, she worked as a real estate agent, bought and sold property, and worked as matron of the Deseret Hospital and Superintendent of the Salt Lake County Infirmary. She was either widowed or divorced and never remarried.

    Her obituary said she served as a missionary in Chicago for two years. The information I saw today leads me to believe that someone could write an interesting short biography of her life and service, so I hope someone takes up the project of researching these women.

    Comment by Amy T — December 8, 2014 @ 4:34 pm

  8. Amy T: Those are great suggestions, and thanks for the info on Whipple.

    Ardis: As you note, the temptation to categorize in ways that obscure how the participants experienced their service is almost overwhelming.

    MattM: Caveat noted. I look forward to the more developed project.

    EmJen and J Stuart: Thank you, very much.

    Mark B: Thanks for looking that up.

    Comment by Edje Jeter — December 8, 2014 @ 4:37 pm

  9. Awesome, Amy.

    Comment by Edje Jeter — December 8, 2014 @ 4:38 pm

  10. So great!

    Comment by Saskia T — December 11, 2014 @ 10:19 am

  11. Quick update: I have uploaded the latest version of sistermissionaries.org and the search is now fixed.

    Comment by MattM — December 13, 2014 @ 9:30 am

  12. That’s awesome, MattM. Thanks for the update.

    Comment by Edje Jeter — December 14, 2014 @ 8:06 pm

  13. Just came out of my hibernation to find this gem. Wonderful.

    I also recognize a few names from their service in the Southern States, each with an interesting story far beyond the scope of this comment.

    Comment by Bruce Crow — January 5, 2015 @ 10:13 am


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