Baptism of James Hooper

I just got a reply from a representative at the Church History Library that John Brown sent a letter to Brigham Young on 12 Sep 1868, reporting that James Hooper had been baptized.  As soon as I get a copy of the letter, I will post it.

Missionaries - Take TWO

I had decided that Warren Dusenberry and David Stuart were the missionaries that had taught and baptized James Hooper.  This is not entirely true, for the following reasons:

- When Brigham Young first wrote about James Hooper, neither Dusenberry nor Stuart had begun their missions in the area.  There must have been other missionaries who initiated contact, perhaps John Brown himself.

- While Stuart corresponded with James for a while and is probably the one who baptized him, Dusenberry apparently did not know of James until they visited him, 2 months after his baptism.

Other people who were nearby and may have participated in James' conversion:

Willam H. Miles
Jesse W. Crosby
Lorenzo D. Rudd

Unfortunately, I have been unable to find any records from these men during their missions.  Records may surface with time.

Timeline

The following is a partial timeline of James Hooper's conversion:

26 Sep 1867 - Brigham Young writes to John Brown directing him to contact James Hooper.  By this point, James has visited Salt Lake and has written twice to Brigham Young.

7 July 1868 - David M. Stuart writes that James Hooper asked to be baptized on this date.  It is unclear whether it occurred on the same day.  He also writes that James had previously visited St. Louis to talk about the Gospel and had corresponded with him for some time.

25 Sep 1868 - According to many sources, including Warren B. Dusenberry's missionary journal, missionaries Dusenberry and Stuart arrive in Knox County, Indiana.  During their stay, Dusenberry makes no comment as to whether the family is already baptized.

1869 - The Hooper family apparently travels to Utah sometime during this year, possibly due to Elizabeth's failing health.

4 July 1870 - James Hooper speaks at an Independence Day celebration in Pleasant Grove, Utah.  This is possibly the first evidence that the family had reached Utah.

26 July 1870 - James Hooper and the rest of his family are (re)baptized in the Pleasant Grove Branch.

Letter from Brigham Young

On September 26, 1867, Brigham Young wrote a letter to John Brown telling him to send missionaries to James Hooper.  I discovered this letter by "chance" yesterday.  Below are the copybook entry and the transcription from LDS Church Archives.

This (partially) answers the question of how James Hooper joined the Church before missionaries arrived in his area.

Warren Dusenberry's Journal

Warren Dusenberry was one of the missionaries that taught the Hooper family.  This file includes his journal entries from the end of September to the beginning of October, 1868, when they passed through Knox County.  It is simply from photocopies of the original, so you will have to be able to read his handwriting...I will write up a transcript sometime.

Warren Dusenberry Journal

John Brown's Journal

John Brown was the mission president of the mission that included Indiana at the time (It was referred to as the Southern States Mission).  His journal has been published and a copy can be found in the BYU library.  The following file is a copy of the section in his journal that deals with Knox County and James Hooper.  He visited twice and mentions James Hooper many times.  (The document is searchable, so just search for "Hooper" to find the pertinent passages.)

John Brown Journal

Pleasant Grove, 1870

Here is another article from the Church archives.  It describes the Fourth of July celebration in 1870 in Pleasant Grove.  James Hooper was part of the festivities, giving what the reporter describes as a "splendid speech."

Note: Notice that John Brown was also part of the celebration.