Who were we as a people in 1911? Here are photos of a few of us, showing what we looked like, where we were, and some of the things we were doing.
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Lydia Best White, Harpist with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
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Elders Serving in Ireland
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Missionaries of Albany, New York
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Sunday School at Poe, Kansas (mostly investigators)
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Missionaries Laboring in St. Joseph, Missouri
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Elders of Nottingham, England
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Missionaries of North Texas
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Elders Assigned to West Pennsylvania
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North Weber Stake, Utah, Baseball Team
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Missionaries Serving in Bristol, England
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Missionaries of Maryland
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Missionaries Working in Chemnitz, Germany
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West Maryland District
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Sunday School, Darbun, Mississippi
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Tabernacle Choir members en route to New York to sing at presentation of silver service to the U.S.S. Utah
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Franklin, West Virginia
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Elders L.R. Howell and S.I. Johnson,
Serving in Nelson and Augusta Counties, Virginia
I really like the popped-collars that some of the team members are sporting in the baseball photo as well as the overly ornate trophy held by the guy in the middle. Style and panache!
And don’t they know it!
I recognize my grandfather Martin Mortensen in the picture of the Elders in the West Pennsylvania conference.
He was from the Gila Valley in Arizona and was called on his mission by the Stake President Andrew Kimball , father of Spencer W. Kimball.
He was called in a rather unusual manner. He graduated from the first class of the Gila Academy(which is now Eastern Arizona Junior College). At the conclusion of the ceremony Andrews Kimball got up and announced that Martin Mortensen and another young man were being called on missions. This was the first they had heard of it and they had planned to go to college. But they went anyway.
President Kimball was called a few years latter on his mission in a similar manner. See Edward and Andrew Kimballs biography of President Kimball for a discussion of that.
What a great story, john! Thanks.
Somebody always seems to have a personal connection to some picture in these collections, although not usually as direct as john’s. It fascinates me how that works, and I’m always eager to find out what it’s going to be this time.
We need to bring back the mustache, especially for Elders serving missions.
John,
Was Martin Morensen descended from Morten Peder Mortensen, who was in the Willie Martin Handcart Company?
Yes he was . Morten Peder was not in the Willie Company , he stayed behind while his family came to Utah and served a mission in Dennmark. Morten Peder’s father Peder Mortensen was in the Willie Company. His wife and his other children all made it safely to Utah.
The recent novel, IN THE COMPANY OF ANGELS tells the story of the Willie Company using real historical persons as characters in the novel. While Peder is not a major character he and his family are mentioned a number of times.
The nine year old girl Bodil Mortensen who died in the Willie Company was NOT related to these Mortensens. Bodil was mentioned in number of conference talks on the 150th anniversery of the first pionners entering Utah. There is a statue of her in the This is the Place park in Utah.
Go the http://www.familysearch.org website and put in Martin Mortensen born 1890 in Mexico and you can see his pedigree chart on the Ancestral file and the relationship will be made clear.
I visited the Handcart Visitors center in Wyoming this summer and the director of the center is descendant of Morten P and Peder Mortensen.
I herby give Ardis Permission to forward my e-mail address to you if you want correspond.
Cool story, john willis.
Thanks for these, Ardis. I love ’em.
Yeah, John Willis, thanks for piping up. Makes the photos that much more interesting.
I saw the picture of the Maryland elders, and I rejoiced a little bit inside. That part of Maryland in which I live is currently a part of the Wilmington Delaware stake. I long for the day when where I live will be a part of a Maryland stake. Knowing those elders, in their own way, wanted and worked for the same thing reminds me that the Lord knows my heart. There are good Saints back home working for the same thing, good Elders and Sisters serving there still, and it gives me hope.
I love the women in the tabernacle choir picture. Most of the other people in the pictures are quite solemn and austere. These beautiful women just radiate.
Thanks, John. Yes, I recognize Dad (Martin Mortensen) in the picture. I’m going through mountains of pictures in my Mom’s stuff. I’ve got a great one here of Dad when he graduated from the LDS Academy in Thatcher, AZ. Come see me in Hawaii!
Paradox, why the attitude about what state your stake is based in? Do you think you’re too good to travel across a state line for a Church function? Your attitude reminds me of the members of Elkton Ward back in the day who lived in Delaware and grumbled about coming to the meetinghouse that was in another state.
I don’t read any “attitude” there, John, just happy anticipation of the growth of the Church at home, the same feeling people have when a temple is announced for their neighborhood.