Transcript

GERMAN MISSION (The) comprised the German Empire, which occupies a large portion of central Europe with an area of 208,000 square miles. Previous to the World War, the population of Germany was estimated at over 60,000,000.

Johann Greenig, a native of Stockstadt on the Rhine, who had emigrated to the United States, where he embraced the gospel, was called in 1843 to preach the restored gospel in his native land. He founded a branch of the Church in Hessen-Darmstadt and returned to Nauvoo, Ill., U. S. A., early the next year.

In 1851 Elder George P. Dykes, having assisted in opening the gospel door in Denmark, was obliged (on account of persecution) to leave that country. He crossed the border into Schlesvig-Holstein, and on Sept. 15, 1851, baptized two converts in the river Elbe. Learning that Apostle John Taylor was contemplating the organization of Germany as a L. D. S. missionary field, Elder Dykes concluded to go to England and consult him in regard to the matter. This led to the appointment of Elder Dykes to accompany Elder Taylor to Germany, and these two brethren arrived in Hamburg in the latter part of October, 1851. Almost immediately after their arrival, with the assistance of Elder Dykes, Elder Taylor commenced the publication of "Zion's Panier," a periodical in the German language, the first number of which was issued in Hamburg Nov. 1, 1851. Only three or four numbers were printed, on account of opposition to the work of the Elders on the part of the civil authorities in Hamburg, and also through lack of means. In the first number of this periodical Elder Taylor remarked that the greater portion of the German people were devoutly reverent in their worship of the Supreme Being and expressed his belief that many thousands of German-speaking people would flock to Zion. While in Hamburg Elders Taylor and Dykes also commenced the translation of the Book of Mormon into the German language. Elder Taylor was unable to remain long in Germany, and consequently left Hamburg in the middle of December, 1851, leaving Elder Dykes to finish the translation of the Book of Mormon and to supervise its publication, which was accomplished in May, 1852.

On April 3, 1852, Daniel Garn arrived in Hamburg, having been appointed in Salt Lake City, Utah, to preside over the German Mission, the first Elder to be thus commissioned.

A branch of the Church with 12 members was organized in Hamburg Aug. 1, 1852, by Pres. Garn. He discovered shortly afterwards that a branch of the Church had been organized in the town of Slesvig (Schlesvig) a short time previously by Elder Hans P. Jensen of the Scandinavian Mission, who in 1852 also organized another branch in Flensburg, in the province of Slesvig. Elder Garn published the "Voice of Warning" by Parley P. Pratt in the German language, and also other pamphlets and tracts. In January, 1853, Elders George C. Reiser and Jacob F. Secrist arrived in Hamburg and commenced missionary work, while Pres. Garn, who had been banished from the city, commenced to labor in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, where he raised up a branch of 25 members at Boizenburg.

On Aug. 13, 1853, a company of 17 emigrating saints sailed from Hamburg for America. They consisted of Christian Binder and family, Daniel F. Lau, an unmarried man, a Bro. Lange and a Bro. Neuman with their families, Fred. Fichzer and wife, and Louisa Arens, an unmarried woman. These were the first Latter-day Saints to emigrate to Utah from Germany, and Pres. Garn accompanied them as far as Liverpool.

At the close of the year 1853 Pres. Garn reported that 128 persons had been baptized in the mission and that fifty had emigrated to Zion. In view of the opposition and persecution to which the Elders had been subjected this was considered a very satisfactory condition.

In August, 1854, the meetings, which had been held for some time in the home of Bro. Johan Martin Garner in Hamburg, were stopped by the police. Nearly all the Elders laboring in that mission had been subjected to arrest, and some of them to imprisonment, and many of their books and tracts had been confiscated. At the close of the year 1854 the German Mission had a membership of 69 souls, organized into four branches, namely, those at Hamburg, Boizenburg, Schlesvig and Flensburg.

Elder Garn having been banished from Germany, Elder George C. Reiser succeeded him as president of the mission in February, 1854. But persecution was waged against him also, and, in company with Elder Jacob F. Secrist, he left for America Feb. 3, 1855, in charge of a company of 15 emigrating saints.

Among the prominent converts to the Church in 1855 were Karl G. Maeser, Edward Schoenfeld and Edward Martin, of Dresden, Saxony, who, having become interested in the doctrines of the Church, addressed a communication to Elder John Van Cott, president of the Scandinavian Mission in Copenhagen. President Van Cott sent William Budge, of Logan, Utah, a newly arrived missionary, to Dresden, who, in order to avoid complications with the civil authorities, boarded with Karl G. Maeser and his family. In this way the gospel was preached and the three converts were baptized by Franklin D. Richards and Elder Budge Oct. 12, 1855. Shortly afterwards others were baptized and a branch of the Church was organized in Dresden Oct. 21, 1855.

Difficulties encountered by the missionaries in Germany prevented much progress, and in January, 1861, Germany ceased to be a separate missionary field and became a part of the Swiss, Italian and German Mission, and it was not until January, 1897, that the German Mission as a separate organization was again established. At that time Elder Peter Loutensock was called to preside over the German Mission with W. Frank Olsen as secretary and Adolph Merz as translator of "Der Stern," the German publication of the former Swiss and German Mission. This periodical had been published for some time at Bern, Switzerland, but with the reopening of the German Mission publication was transferred to Hamburg, Germany.

At the time of the reorganization in 1897, the German Mission consisted of five conferences, namely, Berlin, Dresden, Frankfurt a. M., Hamburg and Stuttgart, with a Church population of 1,028, including 192 children. Sixty-seven Elders from Zion were laboring in Germany at that time.

On July 8, 1898, a monument was erected at Dresden over the remains of Elder Joseph A. Ott, who had died there Jan. 10, 1898, while filling a mission in Germany.

In 1899 Peter Loutensock was succeeded in the presidency of the mission by Arnold H. Schulthess, and in 1900 Richard E. Haag succeeded Adolph Merz as translator for "Der Stern." President Schulthess was succeeded Sept. 1, 1901, by Hugh J. Cannon, who presided until May 22, 1904, when the German Mission and the Swiss Mission were again amalgamated under the name of the Swiss and German Mission (which see), with Hugh J. Cannon as president.