According to The Life and Ministry of John Morgan by Arthur M. Richardson, page 361, Jennie Whipple was John Morgan’s first convert, while he was serving in Illinois. This picture of her is [a copy of a copy]from the John Hamilton Morgan collection, Special Collections, Marriott Library, University of Utah.
From The John Morgan journal there I found some entries mentioning her.
From The John Morgan journal there I found some entries mentioning her.
Normal, Illinois
1876, January 3
Returned to my father’s home today. The Christian Church at Lexington was refused at the last moment and so I failed in my endeavor to speak there.
Normal, Illinois
1876, January 4Went to Bloomington this morning and visited with Sister Beeston [Beeson]; had a truly pleasant interview with her. It is surely good to meet one of your own people and I thank God for His blessings to her and to myself. [Note: On this day, John Morgan entered in his journal a paragraph about his genealogy. It is posted here on this blog.]
Bloomington, Illinois
1876, January 5Brought Aunt up from Father’s today and called on Sister Beeston; [Beeson] had a pleasant talk and administered to her. …
Normal, Illinois
1876, January 8
Visited Sister Beeston [Beeson] this morning and fixed her windows for her. Had an interesting interview with her and Miss Miller. ...
Money Creek, Illinois
1876, January 14
... [Note: The following is inserted in his typed journal following the entry for this day.] (Eliza Jane Beeson (Whipple) born February 6, 1842 in Fairfield, Columbiana County, Ohio – daughter of Henry Martin Beeson and Ruth Cope, baptized August 25, 1883 by Elder John Morgan, Confirmed by George Reynolds. Desires to be sealed to John Morgan – copied from a note that she left with Lily T. Freeze).
I have learned the following about Sister Beeson or Whipple. From page 361 of The Life and Ministry of John Morgan by Arthur M. Richardson, "Another visitor he was happy to see, came to town on the 20th Jennie Beeso Whipple from Illinois who had been his first convert to the Church while serving as a missionary in that state in 1876. On the 25th he baptized her at 11:30 a.m. at Warm Springs with George Reynolds serving as witness."
[Note: The 1883 John Morgan journal section, that may substantiate this 1883 baptismal date, and the same New Family Search baptismal date, isn’t in the Marriott Library collection. ]
Salt Lake City
1884, October 29Accompanied Jennie Whipple south on the [illegible] C. train. She is going to Nephi. I left the train at Draper and returned on the 10:10 a.m. train. ...
[Note: In August, 1887, John Morgan was in Salt Lake City, visiting Mellie and his family. He was being sought by the Marshals. His journal entries from that visit are posted here in this blog.]
1887, August 4
At home quiet all day. Sister Jennie Whipple came down in the afternoon and remained until dark when I drove her out to the Hot Springs ...
According to New Family Search, Eliza Jane Beason was in the Salt Lake Temple completing her own temple work on August 17, 1899. She was sealed to her parents January 17, 1900.
In 1900 Jennie Whipple was Head, or Superintendent of the County Infirmary at 1979 State Street, in Salt Lake City, according to the Farmers Precinct, Salt Lake County Census. She was born February 1842, was 58 years old, widowed, and both of her parents were born in Ohio.
Jennie B. Whipple was living at 210 Fern Street, in Salt Lake City, when she died on May 30, 1909. The information on her State of Utah death certificate was provided by Bishop T. F. Tingey.
She was buried June 2, 1909 in John Hamilton Morgan’s family plot at the Salt Lake City cemetery. You can see her gravestone’s proximity to John Morgan’s gravestone in the picture at the end of this post.
Eliza Jane Beason [Jennie Beeson Whipple 1842-1909] was sealed to John Hamilton Morgan, December 14, 1927, in the Salt Lake City Temple.
Note: I did not know who this "fallen headstone" belonged to [front left], when I first began visiting John Morgan's gravesite--years ago. Another descendant pointed it out to me last Fall. It appears all of John Morgan's wives were living in Salt Lake City in 1927. No--there is a wife who never lived in Salt Lake City!
Here's another resource for Jennie; she was evidently one of the first sister missionaries:
ReplyDeleteList of the First 85 Sister Missionaries
I may have mentioned that she's mentioned in Ellsworth, Mormon Odyssey: The Story of Ida Hunt Udall, Plural Wife.
Thank you for that important fact Amy. I enjoyed reading the link and the list of the first 85 sister missionaries. How well it fits with our Relief Society lesson for this week from the teachings of president Joseph Fielding Smith: Chapter 24: The Work of Latter-day Saint Women: “Unselfish Devotion to This Glorious Cause”
ReplyDelete