OXLADE FAMILY HISTORY
"Dwellers in the Valley of the Oaks"
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
On July 1, 1837, seven Canadian and American missionaries set sail for England on the packet ship Garrick. The seven, Elders Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde of the Quorum of the Twelve; and Willard Richards, Joseph Fielding, John Goodson, Isaac Russell and John Snider, arrived July 19, 1837. They preached at Preston on Sunday, July 23, and on July 30, a baptismal service was held at nearby River Ribble that was viewed by some 8,000 curious onlookers. Nine converts were baptised by Elder Kimball, the first of whom was George D. Watt. A week later, the number of converts reached 50 . The first conference was held on Christmas. Missionaries began working in Alston and Bedford, where branches were established, but the greatest work was done in the Preston area. Opposition began to mount through ministers and the press, but within nine months, more than a thousand had been baptised.
From 1840-41, seven members of the Quorum of the Twelve laboured in England, finding significant success. Some 800 converts emigrated during the apostles' stay. The flow of British converts was life-sustaining for the struggling Church in America.
By 1850, 42,316 people had been baptised, and 6,832 had emigrated; from 1851-60, 37,215 converts were baptised, and 12,972 had emigrated; from 1861-70, 14,977 had joined and 10,094 emigrated.
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