Bailey, Alvin L.
Alvin L. Bailey (1892-1970) served in the Southern States Mission from 1911 to 1913. He wrote to Joseph F. Smith to accept his mission call, writing: “I feel grateful for this opportunity.” He married Leona Walton in the Salt Lake Temple, in 1916. They raised at least two children together. Elder Bailey confirmed Carl Allen Farr a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in 1911.
Higginson, Jacob Benjamin
Jacob Benjamin Higginson (1888-1929) served in the Southern States Mission from 1911 to 1913. In 1919, he married Florence Holdaway – in the Salt Lake Temple – who served in the Western States Mission from 1917 to 1919. They had five children together. He died of pneumonia at the age of 43. Elder Higginson baptized Carl Allen Farr in Maryville, in 1911.
Sampson, George Alma
George Alma Sampson (1888-1975) served in the Southern States Mission from 1912 to 1914. In his mission acceptance letter to Joseph F. Smith, he wrote: “I fill (sic) my inability, but I am willing to go and do the best I can in helping to spread the gospel.” He married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1915. They raised ten children together. George was well known for his singing and violin playing. At the time of his death in 1975, he had 70 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In 1912, Elder Sampson baptized Toliver Andrew Parham and Austin Hale Harmon, in Millers Cove, and confirmed Laura Walker and Jane McClanahan, in 1913, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Hales, Earl Bradford
Earl Bradford Hales (1888-1975) served in the Southern States Mission from 1912 to 1914. He married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1911. In his mission acceptance letter to Joseph F. Smith, he wrote: “I am well pleased with the call.” He served as a home teacher and later as a Bear River Stake missionary. He and his wife raised four children together. Elder Hales baptized Jane McClanahan in Tuckaleeche Cove in 1913.
Sullivan, Frank
Frank Sullivan (1887-1962) served in the Southern States Mission from 1912 to 1914. In his mission acceptance letter to Joseph F. Smith, he wrote: “Dear brother, I received your letter and will be ready at the date you appointed.” He married civilly in January 1912 and had to delay his mission a few weeks due to his wife’s illness. On October 16, 1912, they were sealed in the St. George Temple. On November 15, 1912, he was set apart by Joseph F. Smith and departed for Tennessee. His first child was born two months before he left. He returned home and they raised six children together. Elder Sullivan baptized Laura Walker in 1914.
Laney, Louis Henry
Louis Henry Laney (1889-1982) served in the Southern States Mission from 1913 to 1914. He enlisted in the US Army and served in Europe during World War I. In 1920, he married in the Salt Lake Temple. They raised six children together in New Mexico. Elder Laney baptized Charles Milus Kilburn in Townsend, in 1914.
Robertson, Charles Clifford
Charles Clifford Robertson (1892-1982) served in the Southern States Mission from 1913 to 1916. In his mission acceptance letter to Joseph Fielding Smith, he wrote: “I received your letter and consider it an honor to have the privilege to serve a mission.” He was known for “his kind and gentle ways and concern for the people he served.” He returned home to Blackfoot, Idaho to farm the land where he left off before his mission. In 1920, he married in the Salt Lake Temple. They raised four children together. He held many positions in the Church, including home teacher, Bishop, and Scout leader. Elder Robertson’s complete mission journal is available on Family Search and select portions are transcribed below. Elder Robertson attended the funerals of three members and helped erect the tombstone of Sister Sarah Garland, which remains standing in the Millers Cove cemetery. He baptized Mary Lucinda Tefeteller, Rhoda Anna Whitehead, Stella Mae Whitehead and Cora Elverta Whitehead, and confirmed the last two named as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Journal of Elder Cliff Robertson (1913 – 1915)
Hedin, August Emanuel
August Emanuel Hedin (1889-1986) served in the Swedish Mission and Southern States Mission from 1914 to 1916. In his mission acceptance letter to Joseph F. Smith, he wrote: “I feel it is a great honor in receiving the call and will be glad to accept the same.” He served a second second mission to the Southern States from 1927 to 1929. He was born in Sweden and immigrated to Idaho as a child. He married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1948. His wife, Mary Hannah Meikle, who also is from Sweden, served in the Southern States Mission from 1924 to 1925. They did not have children. August was a train conductor for 50 years for the Union Pacific Railroad. Elder Hedin baptized and confirmed Cynthia Sawyers a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Yates, Clarence Hyrum
Clarence Hyrum Yates (1887-1966) served in the Southern States Mission from 1914 to 1916. He married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1907. They had two children together. His wife died in 1913. He left his two children in the care of family while serving in the Middle Tennessee Conference. He remarried in the Salt Lake Temple, in 1917, and had one daughter with his second wife who survived to adulthood. Elder Yates confirmed Charles Milus Kilburn a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Townsend, in 1914.
Baron, James
James Baron (1892-1982) served in the Southern States Mission from 1914 to 1916. In his mission acceptance letter to Joseph F. Smith, he wrote: “It is with pleasure I accept… I am willing to do the best I can.” He returned home and was drafted into the Army during World War I. He married in the Logan Temple, in 1919. They raised ten children together and suffered the loss of several children to tragedies. Their children remember their parents discipline to living the Gospel standards, serving in the Church, and dedicating time each day to prayer and scripture study. Elder Baron confirmed Jesse Brown a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Hamblin, William Stanton
William Stanton Hamblin (1893-1987) served in the Southern States Mission from 1914 to an unknown date. Elder Hamblin would go on to serve as a stake missionary and again as a Mission President. He married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1918 and raised four children together. Elder Hamblin confirmed Mary Lucinda Tefeteller and Rhoda Anna Whitehead members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Happy Valley, in 1914.
Flake, Charles Love
Charles Love Flake (1893-1919) served in the Southern States Mission from 1915 to 1918. Elder Flake was asked to extend his mission by six months, when shortly thereafter he was drafted into service for WWI. In 1918, Charles Flake married his wife in the Salt Lake Temple. In 1919, Private Flake was killed in Siberia attempting to rescue a company of US soldiers who had been captured by the Bolsheviks. Private Flake’s Captain wrote the following to Charles’ wife: “The members of this Company extend to you their earnest and heartfelt sympathy. You who were near and dear to him will suffer the greatest loss, but we also feel the great loss very keenly as we have lost a faithful friend and a true comrade.” Elder Flake baptized Jesse Brown, in 1916.
Loren, Joseph Blain
Joseph Blain Loren (1890-1919) served in the Southern States Mission from 1916 to 1918. In his mission acceptance letter to Joseph F. Smith, he wrote: “I am certainly glad to know that I am worthy to be called on a mission and will be glad to accept it.” Elder Blain was released from his mission December 13, 1918 and died January 20, 1919. He fell ill and died of pneumonia after returning home to Thatcher, Arizona. He was not married. Elder Loren baptized Wilburn B. Townsend, Bessie Ann Frye, Homer Frye and Burley Lorina Harmon in Cades Cove, in 1918, and Georgia Edna Wilcox and Lila Tefeteller in Maryville the same year. Elder Loren confirmed Lona Parham in Millers Cove, in 1917, and Georgia Edna Wilcox and Lila Tefeteller in Maryville, in 1918, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Pond, Horace Raymond
Horace Raymond Pond (1893-1972) served in the Southern States Mission from 1916 to 1919. In 1920, he married in the Salt Lake Temple. They raised six children together. He attended Brigham Young Academy, was a dairy and poultry farmer, and a politician as a member of the Utah House of Representatives. He was President of the Benson Stake for 12 years and Stake Patriarch for 26 years. Elder Pond confirmed Minta Lovada Harris and Virgil Hiram Harris members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Walland, in 1918.
Service, Hugh Hamilton
Hugh Hamilton Service (1890-1942) served in the Southern States Mission from 1916 to 1919. In his mission acceptance letter to Joseph F. Smith, he wrote: “I feel highly honored and accept the call by all means.” He was born in Scotland and emigrated as a child. He married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1919. They raised two children together in Utah, Idaho, and California. In 1918, Elder Service baptized Susie Malling Sills, in Maryville, and confirmed Burley Lorina Harmon, Wilburn Townsend Garland, and Bessie Ann Frye – in Cades Cove – as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Langston, Ernest
Ernest Langston (1893-1978) served in the Southern States Mission from 1917 to 1919. He married in the St. George Temple in 1952. He served a second time in the Southern States Mission, this time with his wife, in 1955. Of his first mission, his family wrote: “President [Charles A.] Callis [Southern States Mission President] had a positive influence on Ernest’s life as he often spoke of him and his experiences in the mission field.” Ernest and his wife did not have any children. Elder Langston confirmed Georgia Edna Wilcox a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Sutton, Thomas Charles
Thomas Charles Sutton (1896-1954) served in the Southern States Mission from 1917 to 1919. In his mission acceptance letter to Joseph F. Smith, he wrote: “I have always had a feeling that I would someday be called upon to go out in this great world and preach the true word of God to the people.” He married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1920. They raised four children together in California and Utah. In Millers Cove, in 1917, Elder Sutton baptized Hattie Jane Gentry, Lona Parham, and Lewis Calvin Parham, and confirmed the last named a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Adams, Daniel Stanley
Daniel Stanley Adams (1894-1990) served in the Southern States Mission from 1917 to 1919. He married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1920. They raised eight children together. He began attending church as a kid with encouragement from his brother-in-law. Soon thereafter, he learned about the Word of Wisdom and stopped making coffee at home for his family. His brother-in-law ordained him to each priesthood office growing up. He married in the Salt Lake Temple and attended the University of Utah. Elder Adams baptized Minda Lovada Harris, Virgil Hiram Harris, and Dempsey Roosevelt Harris, whom he also confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints near Happy Valley in 1918.
Owen, Marion Davis
Owen Marion Davis (1897-1975) served in the Southern States Mission from 1917 to 1920. In his mission acceptance letter to Joseph F. Smith, he wrote: “I will accept the mission call to the Southern States.” At his homecoming talk in the Pioneer Ward in Utah, he “told of his call to go on a mission and the good it had done him, if no one else… He spoke of the effects of repentance on our lives.” In 1920, he married his choir sweetheart in the Salt Lake Temple and they raised five children together. He became school principal and a teacher of science and math. In 1964, 44 years after his mission, he wrote: “The thirty-seven months [on my mission were] the best of my life.” Elder Davis baptized and confirmed Margaret Lane Russell a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Maryville, in 1919.
Griner, Mernice Linton
Mernice Linton Griner (1884-1966) served in the Southern States Mission from 1917 to 1919. In his mission acceptance letter to Joseph F. Smith, he simply wrote: “I accept the call for a mission to the Southern States and will be ready for June.” He married in the Salt Lake Temple, in 1912, and left his wife and first son to labor in the East Tennessee Conference. He and his wife had four children together, two of which served in World War II. Mernice served in the Church as Bishop, Stake President, and Stake Patriarch. Elder Griner confirmed Susie Malling Smith a member of The Church of Latter-day Saints, in 1918.
West, Roy
Roy West (1898-1993) served in the Southern States Mission from 1918 to 1920. He served again in the Northern States Mission in 1941. He married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1929. They raised seven children together. He was a pioneer for the Church Education System (CES), beginning as a seminary teacher in 1928. He earned a B.A. and M.A. from Utah State University and conducted his Ph.D. work at Duke and the University of Wisconsin. He shaped the seminary and institute programs in the early days, writing many of the manuals and outlines. He also taught at and was the director of LDS Business College for many years. He said, “My special interests have always been in helping the youth of Zion to adjust themselves to the world they live in.” Regarding his work for CES, Harold B. Lee said Roy was a “tremendous influence.” He wrote “Family Eternal,” “Introduction to the Book of Mormon,” “Messages of the Early Apostles,” and “Choose Your Pathway to Eternal Happiness,” which he finished when he became blind at 93. Elder West baptized Lewis Carson Whitehead in Happy Valley and confirmed Leroy Morley Russell, in Maryville, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Hansen, Marius Fred
Marius Fred Hansen (1899-1971) served in the Southern States Mission from 1919 to 1921. He married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1923. They raised two children in Utah. Elder Hansen baptized Mack Davis in Happy Valley and confirmed Rosie Davis in Happy Valley, William Moses Whitehead in Happy Valley, and Horace Lester Wilcox in Maryville members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Jensen, Oswald
Oswald Jensen (1899-1925) served in the Southern States Mission from 1919 to 1921. He married in the Salt Lake Temple shortly before leaving for Tennessee. They did not have any children together. He died only a few years after returning home from his mission, tragically, in an auto accident when the driver of a vehicle attempted to pass another car with its lights turned off. Elder Jensen baptized Leroy Morley Russell in Maryville and confirmed Lewis Carson Whitehead a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Happy Valley, in 1919.
Paxman, Douglas Love
Douglas Love Paxman (1896-1969) served in the Southern States Mission from 1919 to 1921. He was born and raised in Utah. While working as a loggerman in Canada – during the draft for World War I – before his mission, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. The Armistice was signed while he was in training and he received his discharge papers. He received his mission call the end of that year. Of his mission, he wrote: “We made most of our friends from the poor class people. In the city, the upper class had a servant answer the door and that was as far as we got. We missed a lot of meals but there were berries and nuts along the road and we didn’t suffer.” In 1924, he married in the Cardston Alberta Temple, where is wife was from. They raised three children together in Canada. Elder Paxman confirmed Frank McPherson Harris a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Millers Cove, in 1921.
Sorenson, Alden Conrad
Alden Conrad Sorenson (1897-1989) served in the Southern States Mission from 1919 to 1921. In his mission acceptance letter to Heber J. Grant, he wrote: “I received your expected letter and was very much pleased. I am well satisfied with my appointed place… hoping I will fufill (sic) an honorable mission.” He had recently married in the Salt Lake Temple when he received his call to serve. He was described as “a wonderful man, very kind, and helpful.” He was self-made, being kicked out of school at a young age and made a name for himself with his hands, laboring in the Ogden Iron works. He and his wife raised two children in Utah. He baptized – in Cades Cove, Maryville and Happy Valley – Ralph Lamon Whitehead, Pearl Edith Wilcox, William Moses Whitehead and Horace Lester Wilcox, and confirmed the first two named and Mack Davis as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Rogers, Collins Rulon
Collins Rulon Rogers (1899-1991) served in the Southern States Mission from 1919 to 1921. He married in the Mesa Temple in 1921. They raised four children together in Arizona. Elder Rogers confirmed William Wade Hampton Brown a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Cades Cove, in 1921.
Heiner, Joseph Parley
Joseph Parley Heiner (1900-1973) served in the Southern States Mission from 1920 to 1922. He married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1925. He spent his career working as a sales manager for Salt Lake Flour Mills. He and his wife raised five children together. Elder Heiner baptized Rosie Davis in Happy Valley, in 1921.
Jensen, Royal Q.
Royal Q. Jensen (1899-1964) served in the Southern States Mission from 1920 to 1922. Years later he also served in World War II. He spent his career working as a machinist for General Motors and William Claypool Company. He never married or had any children. Elder Jensen baptized Frank McPherson Harris and Ernest Edgar Washington Harris and confirmed the last named a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Walland, in 1921.
Nielsen, Rulon Harlum
Rulon Harlum Nielsen (1899-1973) served in the Southern States Mission from 1920 to 1922. He married in the Logan Temple in 1926. They raised one daughter together in Cache Valley, Utah, where he was manager of Anderson Lumber Company for 25 years. Elder Nielsen baptized William Wade Hampton Brown in Cades Cove, in 1921.
Smoky Mountain Ward 