Moroni L. Pratt’s Mission to Great Britan
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Apr. 5, 1884, 9 — listed in General Conference as a missionary called to serve in Great Britain
[Journal History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Apr. 5, 1884, 9]
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Arrival of Missionaries
The following named missionaries arrived in Liverpool on the morning of the 3rd inst., having left Utah on the 15th of April, and sailed from New York, per S.S. Abyssinia, on the 22nd: Albert Jones, Moroni L. Pratt, Wm .C.B. Orrock, George Fraser, Reuben S. Collett, Arabel H. Woodruff, Frank Tolton, Joshua Brown, S.W. Musser, E.T. Woolley, Edward Morgan, Thomas P. Biggs, M.M. Sheets, Reuben Carter, James L. McMurrin, James Harvey, Thomas Aubrey, Hans Christensen, Jens Nielsen, Isaac C. Gadd, F. fritz, Wm. S. Read, James R. McPherson, Thomas Wright, James W. Paxman, L.H. Young, James Olsen, Samuel Mitton, James Eardley, Peter Mekkelsen, James Ogden, Thos. F.H. Morton, Waldemar Petersen, Geo C. Naegle, C.F. Olsen, Peter P. Dyreing, Rollin R. Tanner, Ricy H. Jones, Richard Douglass.
They were accompanied by a number of persons who had come from Utah to visit friends in this country.
All arrived in good health and spirits, and those destined for the Scandinavian Mission, as well as many of those appointed to Great Britain, proceeded on towards their field of labor during Saturday afternoon. A number of others, among whom were the two missionaries bound for Switzerland, remained in Liverpool until Monday morning, when they too departed to enter upon their duties.
[Journal History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, May 3, 1884, 19]
[Millennial Star, May 12, 1884, 295]
[transcribed and proofread by David Grow, Apr. 2006]
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Appointments
The newly arrived Elders have been assigned as follows: Albert Jones, Wm. S. Read and James W. Paxman to the London Conference; Rollin R. Tanner, Frank Tolton and Thomas Aubrey to the Birmingham Conference; James Eardley, Thos. Wright and Lawrence H. Young to the Nottingham Conference; E.T. Woolley, Asahel H. Woodruff and Samuel Mitton to the Manchester Conference; Edward Morgan and Isaac C. Gadd to the Norwich Conference; Wm. C.B. Orrock, James Ogden and Joseph Lapish to the Leeds Conference; James L. McMurrin, James Harvey, George Fraser and James R. McPherson to the Glasgow Conference; Thos F.H. Morton and R. Douglass to the Newcastle Conference; Thos P. Biggs and Moroni M. Sheets to the Bristol Conference; Joshua Brown and Reuben S. Collet to the Sheffield Conference; Moroni L. Pratt to the Liverpool Conference; and Ricy H. Jones to the Welsh Conference.
[Journal History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, May 12, 1884, 6]
[Millennial Star, May 12, 1884, 295]
[transcribed and proofread by David Grow, Apr. 2006]
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Extinguished
Elder Moroni L. Pratt thus writes from Nottingham, under date of 19th ult.:
“In the Nottingham Borough Sessions last Thursday, the Deputy-Recorder dealt a death blow to the ‘antics,’ and there is nothing left of their organization which once had an existence here. They are completely demoralized as a society, as they already were as individuals. We are feeling quite jubilant over our recent success in defense of our rights. It is somewhat refreshing to observe the favorable tone of the Nottingham press towards us. We have not yet converted the Deputy-Recorder, but I am going to send him a copy of the Voice of Warning.”
[Journal History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jan. 19, 1886, 11]
[Millennial Star, 48:75]
[transcribed and proofread by David Grow, Apr. 2006]
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Releases
Presidents Moroni L. Pratt of the Nottingham Conference, and Ricy H. Jones of the Welsh Conference; also Elders William C.B. Orrock of the Manchester Conference, Reuben S. Collett of the Sheffield Conference, Isaac C. Gadd of the Liverpool Conference, and Joshua Brown of the Bristol Conference, are released to return home with the company that sails from Liverpool May 22, 1886.
[Journal History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Apr. 26, 1886, 11]
[Millennial Star, 48:265]
[transcribed and proofread by David Grow, Apr. 2006]
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Departure
The Second Company of this season’s emigration left Liverpool on Saturday, the 22nd inst., per S.S. Nevada, of the Guion Line. There was a total of 279 emigrating Saints, of which 144 were from Great Britain, 106 from Switzerland and Germany, 14 from Scandinavia, 2 from Iceland, 1 from Holland, and 12 returning missionaries. A meeting was held just before starting, when remarks were made by Elders George Osmond and Frederick Schoenfield, after which an organization was effected with Elder Moroni L. Pratt as President, and Elders George C. Naegle and Ricy H. Jones as Counselors. May the Lord bless them with a safe and speedy journey. It is a singular fact that the company, although comparatively small, contained representatives of 12 different nationalities. “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it” (Isaiah ii, 2).
[Journal History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, May 22, 1886, 9]
[Millennial Star, 48:336]
[transcribed and proofread by David Grow, Apr. 2006]
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The Immigrant’s Trip
We had the pleasure last evening of meeting Elder Moroni L. Pratt, who had charge of the company of Saints that arrived on Tuesday. He left home in April, 1884, and has therefore been absent considerably over two years. He labored at first in the Liverpool Conference, and at the end of six months, succeeded Elder J. Cartwright, as President of the Nottingham Conference. He occupied that position during the remainder of his mission. The work prospered in that section unto his administration, 101 additions having been made during last year. This was the largest number of baptisms in any Conference in England during the same time.
The trip of the company home was generally pleasant, both over the ocean and the land. The principal unpleasantness occurred at New York, where they were detained at Castle Garden 48 hours by a clearing house or immigration commission, who undertake to forward all immigrants to their destinations by arrangements made by them. This would necessarily have broken into arrangements already entered upon with different companies. They undertook even to dictate the route which the company should take. Elder Pratt had Guion & Co’s order for tickets good to Chicago, with a choice of roads. This was presented to the agent of the commission, who contemptuously and peremptorily refused to honor it. Elder Pratt made affidavit of the fact of the refusal before a notary public. The controversy was then taken up by Guion & Co., who brought the commission around to a degree of reason and fairness, and the company were enabled to travel on the route they had themselves elected.
At Buffalo the employees of the Michigan Central Railway conducted themselves in a brutal and discourteous manner toward the party, declining to supply them with a sufficient number of cars, while those they did provide were exceedingly filthy.
They were met 30 miles east of Chicago by A.W. Van Hafften, agent of the Chicago & Alton Railway Company, who showed them every kindness and courtesy that could be desired. First class coaches and other conveniences were provided, the treatment being all that could be expected. They received the same kind of entertainment at the hands of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe road, through E.F. Burnett, traveling passenger agent of company. They were similarly handled on the D. & R.G. and D & R.G.W., the whole trip west of Chicago being exceedingly pleasant, everybody the company came in contact with being kind courteous.
[Journal History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, June 10, 1886, 4]
[Deseret News, June 11, 1886]
[transcribed and proofread by David Grow, Apr. 2006]
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