Southwestern States Mission: Discreet Sisters, Part 1

Sister Carling?s mission call identifies ?faithful, discreet sisters? as candidates for missionary service. [1] Perhaps I have an idiosyncratic definition, but I think ?discreet? is ?prudently silent and/or unobtrusive,? [2] which seems odd as a primary descriptor for go-ye-into-all-the-world missionaries—and doubly so parallel to the ?faithful, energetic elders? in males? mission letters. [3] Below I will attempt to contextualize the idea of ?discreet? female, Mormon missionaries in the Progressive Era. [4]

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Southwestern States Mission: April Fools’ Day and Other Reasons to Laugh

Since April Fools? Day was this week and General Conference yesterday emphasized the swelling number of missionaries, I thought I?d collect—without analysis—some lighter instances of what happens when young people are sent off into the world. [1] 

Southwestern States Mission: Hymnbooks

Christus resurrexit!

Below are images of four pages from what the missionaries called ?the LDS hymnbook.? [1]

Southwestern States Mission: The Courtship of Amelia Carling

Sorry I?m late posting? critically analyzing someone?s marriage is sticky business and this post is three times longer than my average.

Four years ago I wrote (1, 2, 3) about the bigamous marriage of Mission President James G Duffin, age 42, and missionary Amelia B Carling, age 24, in August 1902, while she was a missionary under his supervision. At the time, I had only Duffin?s diary, which said little of the marriage and almost nothing of its origins. I now have a transcript of Carling?s diary for the first six months of her mission; it ends eight months before the wedding. Carling?s diary gives little new information about the wedding itself but below I will attempt to suss out something of the emotional character of the proto-relationship.

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Southwestern States Mission: Amelia Carling’s Missionary Blessing

Last week Ardis (from Keepapitchinin) pointed out that in the early 1900s some church assignments held by females did not require ?setting apart.? [1] Female missionary did, however, and Amelia Carling received her ?missionary blessing? on 1901 Jun 25 from Apostle John W Taylor. Below I comment on some gendered aspects of her blessing in comparison to a selection of contemporary male blessings. [2] The complete text of Carling?s blessing is in the footnote. [3]

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Southwestern States Mission: The Mission Call of Sister Amelia B Carling

Amelia B Carling was one of the first ?official? full-time female missionaries for the Church and was the first for the Southwestern States Mission. [1] I have previously transcribed her account of the events leading to the mission call and her defense of ?lady missionaries?? right to preach. Below I transcribe her mission call letter and compare it to the letters received by male missionaries.

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Southwestern States Mission: Interactions with African Americans, Part 2

Note: This post contains racial epithets.

In my last three posts I have discussed aspects of Mormon missionaries? interactions with and perceptions of African Americans in eastern Texas. In this post I will focus on the missionaries? language and behavior.

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Southwestern States Mission: Interactions with African Americans, Part 1

Note: This post contains racial epithets.

In the last two weeks? posts, I have established that Mormon missionaries in the Southwestern States Mission (especially those in eastern Texas) had occasion to interact with and observe many African Americans. This week and next I will attempt to better understand the nature of those interactions. Unfortunately, at present, all of my sources were made by missionaries, so the account is one-sided.

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Southwestern States Mission: Epithets for African Americans [edited]

Note: this post contains racial epithets.

As described last week, Mormon missionaries in the Southwestern States Mission (especially those in eastern Texas) had occasion to interact with and observe many African Americans. The missionaries in this study referred explicitly to African Americans in ninety-one diary entries. In this (and next week’s) post I will evaluate the racial epithets the missionaries used.

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Southwestern States Mission: The Number of African Americans

What follows is a very short, simple post, with one idea: in 1900, more African-Americans lived in eastern Texas than lived in the Mormon Culture Region. The missionary diaries often note the presence of African-Americans, but do so less frequently than the proportion of African-Americans in the population would suggest. This post will briefly describe the population sizes; later posts will analyze interactions involving missionaries and African-Americans.

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