Will Fullmer served in the Southern States Mission from 1910 to 1911. He documented his thoughts about home and his children in weekly letters available on Family Search. Before receiving his mission call, he had already married in the Manti Temple, in 1897, and had ten children at that time. While serving in Tennessee, his wife managed the home, children, and worked in the beet fields to provide for the family. Two children died just before he left on his mission and his daughter caught whooping cough, living long enough to see her father return home. He wrote home several months before the end of his mission asking his wife if she would like to serve a mission with him. She was concerned he was about to be called as Mission President and did not know how she could leave with their many children. Shortly thereafter, two months before he was to be released, she found her husband standing in the doorway. He received an early release to be Bishop at their home ward and they began their next mission together. They had 17 children, 14 of which survived to adulthood. Elder Fullmer baptized Braska Mae Harmon in Millers Cove and Ethel C. Davis in Tuckaleechee Cove, whom he also confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Elder Fullmer regularly wrote letters to his wife, Fannie, and children in Utah. These letters discuss a variety of topics and contain feelings of loneliness and even frustrations unable to assist with finances at home. Though often mundane, they reveal the challenges and worries of a missionary in Tennessee and wife in Utah balancing multiple responsibilities on the Lord’s errand. There are a total of 107 letters available on Family Search from William Fullmer to his wife, Fannie Verona Whiting.
Elder Fullmer baptized two members of the Church during his three weeks serving in Blount County, in December 1910. These letters do not mention the baptisms. As a traveling missionary he labored throughout Tennessee and North Carolina. These are his letters he wrote home during his short time in Blount County.
Letter from Will to Fannie (11 December 1910)
Walland 11 December 1910
Dear Wife and Babeys,
In answer to yours of the 27, will say I was glad to here from you that you was all well as this leaves me just eleven months to day since I left you, only thirteen more to stay. That doesn’t look so long as 24 dose then, besides the time is going faster now than it was. I am sorey that you got in truble abought renting the farm, but it is no falt of mine as you toald me that you had been making [illegible] with [illegible] when you by axedent hired that it was rented to Gra. Gardner. Now if it was you rented it to him as I didn’t neather have I nether am I going to you just rent it to how you pleas and then do not say eney thing to me about it but I want the straw nex year and do not sell eney thing. I left on the place like that steel you let Jno. Mcaffee have, but just send him his $2.00 and tell him I do not want to sell it to please, then the nex man that comes along and says that I
From your loving Husband, Willwanttoaldminehim he could have eney thing which to me for. If I gess you gave Will that letter I sent you abought the ranch and I gess he will understand that now I sepose Jno. Green seen that your job that money from Steve Yess. I got the cake and apresheated it and those muffens but had no use, so I sent them home, did you get them. I verrey often send things home but you say nothing abought them. I will send you word when I get any garments in time and when I do I want the $2.00 garments half lile and half wool, but there are good yet and will last untill Spring. I have sent for me another sute of close to work in the city that will make me class enough with my garments and some shirts, ties, and shoes, and one more hat, but I will do city work from now on and will haf to sell the coalts, I expect, to complete the mission, but I can work old Bird and the Little Bolley untill your team gets big enough, then mabey I can borrow them. Will you rent me your farm next year and what shair will you give me or will you be like Elder Bobeman of Spanish Fork when he went home his wife would [illegible] with him but turned him from done hay [illegible] that sound all right good enough for a mormon preacher. Well God bless you till we meet again.
Letter from Will to Fannie (19 December 1910)
12 19 10
Wallant Blount Co
Dear Wife and Chickes,
Just a line in answer to yours of last Fryday. Was glad to here from you that you was well and happey as this leaves me the same. Landy Foster has been released. I toald you I had a lad from old Mexicow just like Marion Whiting, but I will change new years, then I will have one of the best Elders in the Southern States Mission. We will go to Knoville for the winter and may stay there the rest of the mission. No you and the boys will not go after wood but you send to Charlston for 2 more tones of coal. And you have asked so meney times abought getting me some garments. So how you can get me some and mark them. And by that time I will send for them. Get the $2.25 half lile and half wool. I do not know the sise. Get them at Charlston Coat and get the sise that Jno. Edwards wars. If you send for them, ask the Bishop Garff or Fraughton for the sise they ware and get the same sise. Now do not get cheap ones, because they will not last. Now do not send them untill I send for them. I will send for my over coat and you can send them together. I have answered all the letters I have received from my mother and all other people only one to hollie and one to Geo. But you rember I wroat to you on the back of a letter from the Southern States and toald you that was all the letter I got. Well there was one from ma and one from marrey, they were returned to Chatt[anooga] then they sent them to me and I got them Saterday before last. So that one was what
In the prayers of your loving husband, Willtheyshe had reference, I gess. Well be sure and get the garments and mark them so they will be ready to send when I send for my coat. I do not nead them now, but just so they can be sent to gether. Now do not send them untill I give you orders. Geo. Gardner had come down here he would had good enough edjucation. I have not good eney edecation and they are feeling me in the city to preach to the city people. You tell Sister Gardner that I said George had plenty of edecation to do what the Lord wanted him to do or he would not have called him. For her to tell Geo. not to pay eney atension to to such. Read this here, Jno. 7th Chapter and 14 15 verse also 16. Tell him to seek and, yes, the spirit of the Lord. Do not fear men but fear the Lord, and most but not least, to remember the Lord in seacret and he will remember him. Only I say this because I have proven it and know that the Lord will here and answer prayrs. Well sweet heart, how are you coming by? How are you better of with out a man to jaw you around? Yess, I got the cake all right and apreshated it and sorrey you did not send me one for xmas but you can for nex xmas. Then I will come home just think I have started on my 49 [illegible] 104. Will be all I haf to send in just 33 more which means that meney weeks then one week to get home, which will just mean 56 weeks from nex Sunday and I am [illegible] to be home, if I can get a release. So just get ready to meat me in the dor way. I will not meat you eney where else. Remember 36 weeks from Sunday. Well good by for the time and I ask the Lord to bless you till we meat again.
Letter from Will to Fannie (21 December 1910)
Dec 21 [1910]
Mary Ville Blount Co.
Dear Wife and Chickeys,
This leaves me well and happey as can be in the big city of Mary Ville and will start to canviss in the morning. Will stay here a few days and then go to Knoxville. So I will have all city work
From you loving father and husband, Willfromfrom now on. The place we are staying now will cost us $4.50 per weeke, but we will get a cheaper place in Knoxville than this one. I will hafto. Now do not go with out what you need on acount of me being in the city. Remember if it dos cost us Old Pony and Lark, there is two coalts coming on to make us a team and can we use our money in eney better shape than to fill a mission. I am apt to aplie for a nother mission when this one is field, as I like the work so well. So you must not get the blues if I had the money to keep you and my self I would like to quallefy for and then take a ten year mission of of a mission. Does that sound out of reason? You said you wanted a good missionary to come home for your husband. That would make a good one. Would it not abought 12 years in the missionary field. And mabey I could talk ten or fifteen minutes. Hay Ross and Dick, will you take care of moma while I am gone? Albert and Howard, can you help now? What abought you girls? What can you do? Can you help a little? Doant it make you feal proud to think you have a father in the field preaching the gosple to the world? Yess of corse it dose and how moma dos it not make you feal just a little bit happy to think you have hub you companyon on the alter he that finds his life shall lose it but he that looses his life for my name sake shall find it. So he that forsakes all father mother brother sister wife or children lands home for my name shall have a hundred foalds and life eternall. Matt 19-29. Well sweethart, if I am away from you I love you just the same and if I get life eternal so do you and we both go together. Well I must get to studying an empty spring will not run eney watter and you can not draw eney ought of a dry well. So let us fill the spring with knowledge that we may draw ought when it is neaded. Well, good night. Do not let the bugs bight. Merry xmas and a happy new year.
Letter from Will to Fannie (23 December 1910)
Dec 23 1910
Mary Ville Blount Co.
Dear Wife and children,
In answer to yours of 15 & 17, also the one that I never got at Bobble Springs. Was glad to here from you that you are well. I am happey as this leaves me the same. Was glad to here you had reseved the money all ok from both Steve and Uncle Lon. Now you letter was not plain on Uncle Lon but I thought it was $110.00 one hundred and ten dollars. Is that it? If it is that would all right. Now if that is the case you had better let Bro Jensen have $200.00 untill we nead it if he will pay per cent he cand pay it by $50.00 at a time and this will help out. Be sure and pay tithing on old Dick [illegible] is in Putnam Co in the RR. It has been raining to day and I have not been canvasing. Have spent all day reading and writing letters. What do you mean by a Southern girl? You haven’t been thinking that I was in love with someone else did you? If so, you are fooled, as I am only in love with you. The girls have left my mind and I think of you onley. I am enclosing some cards. Save them, to of them are xmas cards and read that pretty verse on the other side. Them you said it only cost 35 cents to send my coat. How do you know? I thought it would cost $2. I will know in a day or two whether I will need it or not. There is not eney nuse. How dos people treat you? I know that those out of the church treate you all right, but how abought those in or the religos class? Do they treat you en diferant just becase they dislike me and you tell me how you are treated good or bad. And then do not take or pay eney atenson to what people say. We are not depending on men but on our Heavenley Father and he has bless us and will bless us if we are faithfull to his caus. So just seek the Spirit of the Lord and let us do our dutey then we will be successful in our undertakings. Remember ever since we have been married, [illegible] has been trying to put a damper on what I do if is the Spirit of the devil trying to stop or discorege, but we must not let him [illegible] did not come to those who deserved it in this life. So if you do not get reconized as a missionary wife, just get right alone just the same and do not complane. After while those who look down on you now will look up after while. God bless you and take care of you.
In my prayer, Will
Source: Mission Letters from William Price Fullmer Jr to Wife Fannie Verona Whiting, https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/memories/KWCL-JZ1 (accessed: July 9, 2024)
Smoky Mountain Ward 