Transcript

NORTHERN STATES MISSION embraces the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. It consists of twelve districts, or conferences, namely, Chicago, North Illinois, South Illinois, North Indiana, South Indiana, East Iowa, West Iowa, East Michigan, West Michigan, North Ohio, South Ohio and Wisconsin, with headquarters in Chicago, Ill.

Only a little missionary work was done in the United States for some time after the Civil War (1861-1865), but during the years 1875-1877 Elder Bengt P. Wulffenstein labored quite successfully as a missionary in Minnesota and Wm. H. Palmer in 1876 in Michigan.

In the spring of 1878 a mission, named the Northwestern States Mission, was organized with Cyrus H. Wheelock as president. It contained within its boundaries the states of Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The name of the mission was changed to the Northern States Mission in 1889.

Elder Wulffenstein having made many friends among the Scandinavian people in Minnesota, a number of missionaries were called in 1878 to labor in Minnesota, Nebraska and Missouri, especially among the Scandinavians, and some of John Morgan's tracts were translated into the Swedish language by Elder August W. Carlson for distribution. In 1895 and 1896 Elder Christian D. Fjeldsted performed a successful mission among the Scandinavians in Chicago, Ill. As converts of different nationalities were made in various parts of the mission, a steady flow of migration westward to the headquarters of the Church took place, in spite of much opposition, and even persecution endured by the Elders in some sections. Pres. Wm. M. Palmer having labored very successfully among the Bickertonites (a small apostate sect) in St. John and other parts of the state of Kansas, that state was added to the Northwestern States Mission in 1887. In that year the headquarters of the mission were established at Council Bluffs, Iowa, but were in 1896 transferred to Chicago, in which city they were located in 1930.

In 1890 the mission, then known as the Northern States Mission, had extended its territory over 22 states and into Canada and contained within its boundaries much of the territory formerly belonging to the Eastern States Mission, which had ceased to function temporarily. The Northern States Mission at that time consisted of three conferences, namely, Pennsylvania (containing the states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York and New Jersey in U. S. A., and the province of Ontario in Canada); Indiana (containing the states of Indiana, Illinois and Ohio), and Iowa (containing the states of Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Wisconsin and Minnesota). The reorganization of the Eastern States Mission in 1893 changed these boundaries, as the state of New York and the Canadian missionary fields were taken from the Northern States Mission to make the Eastern States Mission. In 1895 the state of Kansas was transferred to the Indian Territory Mission, and in 1897 the states of Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia were transferred to the Eastern States Mission. At the close of 1900 the Manitoba Mission in Canada was annexed to the Northern States Mission, which at that time included the states of Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Indiana and Michigan. That part of the mission located in Canada was transferred to the Canadian Mission at the time of its organization in 1919, and the state of Minnesota became a part of the North Central States Mission in 1925. Ohio was added to the Northern States Mission in 1925.

On Dec. 31, 1930, the numerical strength of the Northern States Mission was 7,099, including 14 High Priests, 20 Seventies, 443 Elders, 226 Priests, 90 Teachers, 236 Deacons, 4,728 lay members and 1,342 children. Elder Noah S. Pond presided over the mission. Branches of the Church with commodious chapels owned by the Latter-day Saints were located at 2555 North Sawyer Avenue, Chicago (Logan Square Branch); at 6111 Kenwood Ave., Chicago (University Branch); at Indianapolis, Ind.; at Detroit, Michigan, and at Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus, Ohio. Regular meetings were also held at Aurora, Decatur, Galesburg, Peoria, Rockford, Rock Island, Springfield and West Frankford, Ill.; at Evansville, Fort Wayne, Linton, Muncie, Peru, South Bend, Terre Haute and Vincennes, Ind.; at Ames, Boone, Davenport and Sioux City, Ia.; at Flint, Grand Rapids, Jackson, Lansing and Saginaw, Michigan; at Akron, Middletown, Portsmouth and Toledo, Ohio; and at Eleva, La Crosse, Milwaukee and Racine, Wisconsin.

Within the limits of the Northern States Mission are six large universities, namely, the Chicago University and the Northwestern University in Chicago, Ill., University of Wisconsin at Madison, Wis., Ann Arbor in Michigan, the Ohio State University at Columbus, Ohio, and the State Agricultural College at Ames, Iowa. In all these universities there are L. D. S. students, some of whom render efficient aid to the missionaries.

Following are the names of the presidents of the Northern States Mission (originally Northwestern States Mission): Cyrus H. Wheelock, 1878-1879; Wm. H. Palmer, 1880-1889; John E. Booth (pro tem), 1883-1884; Dennis E. Harris (pro tem), 1888-1889; John E. Booth, 1889-1890; Charles W. Stayner, 1890-1895; Joshua Reuben Clark, 1895-1896; Samuel G. Spencer, 1896; Louis A. Kelsch, 1896-1901; Walter C. Lyman, 1901-1902; Asahel H. Woodruff, 1902-1904; German E. Ellsworth, 1904-1919; Winslow Farr Smith, 1919-1923; John H. Taylor, 1923-1929, and Noah S. Pond, 1929-1930.