Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Missionary Journal of Elder Forrest Whitham Memmott September 1906

Sept 1 – Today is the first of September it has quit raining We met a man in the morning and talked with him till about noon a man ask us in to dinner we had many good talks on religion he played on a Graph one for us for a long time.  We stopped near a church where they were having meeting we went they had a great time praying and singing.

Sept 2 – today is Sunday it is fast Sunday elder Reid and I went to a Christian Sunday School they had very good order and a good time.  We fasted all day, the elders most all of the time goes on Sunday.  We went up to a friend of Elder Reid he treated us very nice was ready for supper and ate a hardy meal.  The man had a boy 23 years old and weighted 500 lbs; he was a very large man.  We had several good talks on the gospel.

Sept 3 – It looked very much like storm the first place where we canvassed was a Methodist, the man was very nice but the woman was most frantic she tried to send us out of the house but we would not go for the man told us to stay he wanted to ask us some questions.  The lady said we was going to hell and he hoped we did she abused us very bad, we talked for about a hour then she said she would give her husband 50 cent if he would not talk to us he told her to go out it was raining very hard by that time.  But we had to leave or the old woman would have gone crazy, it rained on us very hard but we did not get very wet.  Came to a young lady who was very well versed on the scripture did not get any dinner but that was nothing new.  Sat under some trees and studied for about an hour.  We called to a house where Elder Reid had sold a book.  They liked it fine.  They told us of a man who was a good friend to the elders we went there and he treated us fine and was a good friend we had some good talks on the gospel.

Sept 4 – it looks very much like storm we left Bro Hardy’s found the people very bitter.  A gentleman who was sick let us eat dinner with him. It rained on us we got under some trees and put our Umbrella up so we would not get wet gave away 10 tracts and had a very hard time getting entertainment had seven refusals it was very muddy we came back to Bro Hardy he invited us to stop with him.



 
Sept 5 – We left Bro Harden again the weather is a little cool it is getting fowl we came to one of our friends and he ask us in and we stopped and had dinner. They were an aged couple.  The lady gave me some medicine for my cold and told me to be careful we came to some more friends.  We helped one of them fix his straw stack we went and stopped with Bro. Peck.

Sept 6 – We left Bro Peck and was going to visit some friends we went where the people was going to mob Elder Reid and Davis they was not at home went and got our mail and went up to Bro. Holston Elder Reid got him a pair of shoes he wears 7 but in mistake got a pair of 9. The bedbugs very drug us out of bed.

Sept 7 – We went to see some of our friends but the gentlemen was not at home and so we had to go on until we came to where we found the men at home we had some good talks on the Gospel and found the people where we stopped was getting ready to make apple butter so we helped them.

Sept 8 – It was very cold this morning we had a talk on the gospel with Bro King before we left we was going to see one of our friends about six miles away it was a very fine day the people where we stopped was very friendly.

Sept 9 – Today is Sunday we are going to hold two we walked six miles to hold meeting by eleven o’clock, we ate dinner at Bro Havens we held meeting at three o’clock and had a very large crowd out. We have got a good many friends around where we are stopping spent the night with Bro. Haven.

Sept 10 – We bid our friends good-bye and started for our labors.  Sister Hanver put up a nice lunch for we had to cross a large mountain.  We got up in the top of the mountain and ate our lunch and took a bath it looked very much like storm so we walked up pretty part soon after we got to Bro Wilson it started to rain and rained very had.  We had some good talk on religion.

Sept 11 – We left Bro Wilson’s son after breakfast we visited some of our friends on our way Bro Wilson came a little way with us.  We came to a friend of the Elders he wanted us to stay and have dinner after dinner they wanted us to stay and hold meeting with them.  There was two families it rained very hard it was to late to go over the mountain so they wanted us to stay all night with them.

Sept 12 – It looks very foggy this morning and the sky is filled with clouds we left Bro Snowson after breakfast when we got on top of the mountain we stopped and studied for about a hour and looked over our county for we could see a long way from the top of the mountain.  We had some good talks on the gospel.  We stopped with a man who was very rich he had a very nice farm and was very kind to us.

Sept 13 – We left Bro Supes for he had some business to attend to we did not get any dinner we left our grips to a man house and went to Wytheville for our mail.  I got a $2 from Hettie, Con, Papa and Mama for a birthday present.  I got me a new pair of shoes and a new coat and vest.  They cost me $7.00 and shoes $3.25 we changed our clothes at the washwoman and left our dirty ones Elder Reid got him a dollar watch.  I made fun of it and called it a tin box.  We did not get a place to stay until after dark had 6 refusals.

Sept 14 – We left soon after breakfast for we had a long walk to make we had some good talks on the gospel my new shoes about pinched my feet off we stopped with Bro. Blessings.

Sept 15 – We left Brother Blessings soon after we had breakfast and went to see one of our friends.  We were treated very good in the afternoon we took a bath we stopped with a widow and her son by the name of Shelton.

Sept 16 – Today we had a very large crowd to our meeting we took dinner with Bro Peck in the afternoon we held a meeting we had some benches under the trees we had a very good meeting after we was through and was going to dismiss a man came up and said he wanted to ask some questions we told him to wait until we dismissed our meeting. He asks a great many questions we answered them from the Bible.  He insulted us and talk very rudely about us but we took it all in good part.  He found we could do him so he went there was a great many people came and shook hands with us and said they felt sorry for us.  We went and stayed with Bro. Heldres found them all well and glad to see us.  We hand a good talk on the gospel and about the hatred of some people towards another.

Sept 17 – We left Bro Heldres soon after breakfast we had some good talks on the gospel and me up with some good friends it rained a little most all day we went to see the fish Hatchery and saw a great many fish we stopped with a man by the name of Grubb. He had kept our Elders before and liked our doctrine very well.

Sept 18 – It looks very much like storm today.  It rained during the night.  Bro Grubb got us up as soon as it was daylight. We ate our breakfast by lamplight.  We talked with Bro Grubb until about eight o’clock them started on our way.  I sold one book in the A.M. and had some good talks on the gospel.  We ate our dinner at a young man’s place.  It rained a little most all day Stopped with a friend.

Sept 19 – We had some good talks on the gospel and met up with some good friends had good success in selling books we gave all of our tracts away and went to Wytheville for our mail.  Our letter did not come so we had to stay until the next mail.  I got a post card from Ina from SLC and that was all the mail I got.  We went and spent the night with Bro Eversole, about four miles from Wytheville.

Sept 20 – It is very beautiful morning. We left Bro Eversole to go to Wytheville for our mail.  We got our papers and that was all the mail that came.  I got my watch fixed and got me a new pen.  We hand some good talks on the gospel, stopped with a man by the name of Davis.

Sept 21 – It looks very much like storm this morning.  The houses were not very thick so we had to do a great deal of walking to make our record keep up with the rest of the Elders.  We had some very good talks on the gospel and found some friends.  I found a lady who was very bitter against us she would not take a pamphlet and said she had read all she wanted about us.  I tried to talk to her but she told me to get out of her lot in the afternoon it rained very hard.  A lady told us to come and spend the night her husband came and we had a very good time.

Sept 22 – It looks very much like storm today we are going to Foster Falls to see some members and friends.  We had some good talks on the gospel and sold some books crossed new river on a railroad bridge.  There was one of our members just across the river, we got there while they were eating dinner, and we ate dinner with them and went up to see some more about 3 miles. It started and rained very hard.  We found them all well and glad to see us.  We had some good talks on the gospel and sang them some songs stopped with Bro.

Sept 23- It looks very much like storm today, it is fast day for all the Elders.  We went down to Bro Roberts to tell him about our meeting we was going to hold up to his father.  We had a very good crowd and a good meeting sold a songbook and Couleys to one of our friends who was investigation it rained very had during the afternoon.  We came down to one of member to hold meeting their name was Armstrong The man did not belong but he wanted to hear us preach.  There was only five came but we had a good meeting.  We spent the night with them.
This is Bro Roberts & Son & his family; they are all members of the Church.


Sept 24 – We spent the A.M. with Bro Armstrong and after dinner we started for Beath to do some revisiting.  We stopped on our way and studied for a long time we ate our supper with a man who was firing on a steam shovel.  He was Dr. Wilkenson relation.  After supper we went and spent the night with Bro. Richmond there was a Negro meeting close and we went and heard them speak for a while.

Sept 25, 26, 27 and 28 – We did not do but very little during these days for we was visiting friends and members held one meeting and had some good talks on the gospel.  Found all in a good condition and all feeling well in their faith.

Sept 29 – We had a meeting appointed to Bro Warl we left Bro. Armstrong after dinner and went up to Tipton to see our members and friends.  We had a very good meeting there was a large crowd came out to hear us.  Bro David Warf and wife applied for Baptism.  We did not get to bed until after 11 o’clock they had a great deal of questions to ask.

Sept 30 – We had a meeting appointed to some of our friends about 5 miles over the mountain.  It looked like storm so we started as soon as we got our breakfast.  We got there in time for Sunday School.  Sister Wade a friend of ours wanted us to take charge of S.S.  Elder Reid took charge of the Bible class.  There was not many came to our meeting but we had a good time we ate dinner with sister Wade it looked like storm so we wanted to leave soon after dinner but they would not let us go until about 4 o’clock.  We just got started and it began to rain it rained very had we got to Bro. Roberts about dusk and held a meeting.

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