The REAL TRUTH about "the truth"
Life and Ministry of William Irvine

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CHAPTERS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Chapter Index

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Chapter 9
1905
Revised Aug. 3, 2009

…About the 200+ Workers on the 1905 Workers List

1905 Workers List
Surnames are Revealing
PHOTO GALLERY

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Chapter 9

1905 Workers List
EARLIEST WORKERS LIST:   In the present year 2000, the earliest known Workers List  bears the heading: “Names of Workers at July 1905.”  This list is divided into two sections:  “Brothers” and “Sisters,” and gives (1) the worker’s name, and (2) the “Year Started” in the work.  The order of the workers on the list is by seniority; with the names of the workers who started in the work listed first (William Irvine and John Kelly are first on the list), and the list ends with the worker with the least time in the work, as of July, 1905.  This list contains 204* workers total:  78 Sisters and 126 Brothers; 62% Brothers and 38% Sisters.  (*Some copies of this list show a total of 202 workers)

FORMAT OF WORKERS LIST:  The format of the 1905 Workers List DIFFERS from the current format of the Workers Lists, in that it does not list the workers’ fields and addresses, but rather gives the “Year Started” in the work.  As noted, the first two names on the official 1905 Workers List are Wm Irvine and John Kelly, and curiously, there is no date beside their names.  These two men were also listed on the Faith Mission Staff of Workers for the years 1895 through 1900.

View Original 1905 List
FAITH MISSION WORKERS LIST:  At that time (1905), Faith Mission used precisely the same format for their annual workers list which bore the title, “Staff of Workers,” and was published in their monthly magazine, Bright Words.   Mr. J. G. Govan, the founder of the Faith Mission, was the first person listed on this list.  The names of the Faith Mission workers were printed in order by the year they entered the service of the Faith Mission.  In other words, the founder was listed first (Mr. J. G. Govan - 1886), and under his name, the workers were listed  in order, by seniority.  There were married worker couples and also sister workers on the Faith Mission Workers’ List.  The sister workers' names are italicized.

Click Here to view Faith Mission “Staff of Workers” For November, 1895 For November, 1898 For November, 1899 For November, 1900 See also PHOTO of above.
Can it be merely coincidental that the format used for the oldest Workers List of record was the identical format also used by the Faith Mission??

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MARRIED WORKERS ON THE 1905 LIST:  In the early days, married couples were allowed to go into the work together.  Married workers were also allowed in the Faith Mission. Some married worker couples are listed on the 1905 Workers List of Irvine's workers: (See Married Couple Worker List.) 

• William (Bill) & Margaret (Maggie) Carroll
• Tom & Elizabeth Betty (also spelled Bette)
• Tom & Ellen Elliott
• Wilson & Anne McClung
• Nat & Mrs. Dickson
• Dave Christie - married Emily Wilson in 1923
• Alec Walker – married Queenie Higgins

Go to PHOTO GALLERY for photos of married workers.

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OTHER EARLY WORKER LISTS:   Some other early Lists of Workers are:

Workers in North & South America 1919
Workers in North & South America 1922-23
Workers in North & South America 1925
Workers in North & South America 1926-27

FIRST FULL-TIME WORKER RECRUITS:  Listed on the 1905 List just under the names of Wm Irvine and John Kelly, are the first four (4) brother workers who went in the work in 1899:  Alex Givan/Given, John Long, Thomas M. Turner and George Walker.  After John Long and William Irvine, it would appear that Tom Turner and Alex Given were the very first two men to commit to the work full time.

1905 Workers List Recap
Year    No.  Workers Went Out that year
18--:   2       2 Brothers; Wm Irvine and John Kelly
1898:  0
1899:  4       4 Brothers; 0 sisters; Alex Givan, John Long, Thomas Turner, Geo. Walker
1900:  13   10 Brothers, including Willie Gill, John Sullivan, Irvine Weir, A. Alexander, Ben Boles, Sam Boyd, W. Clelland, John Hardie, Albert Quinn, Matt Wilson;  FIRST 3 Sisters: Emma Gill, Jennie Gill and Sara Rogers
1901:  10     9 Brothers, including Ed Cooney; 1 sister: Mattie McGivern
1902:  23    13 Brothers; 10 sisters; including Sam Jones, hymnwriter
1903:  34    20 Brothers; 14 sisters
1904:  42    25 Brothers; 17 sisters
1905:  74    43 Brothers; 31 sisters

TOTAL:  202 - 126 Brothers; 76 sisters    

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Surnames are Revealing
My married surname is Kropp.  Some readers may recognize this name as German.  My maiden name was Berry, an easily recognized English surname. Surnames often shed light on the country of origin of a family.  If this fellowship was existing all over the world before 1900, there should be many foreign workers' names on the 1905 list...but there are none. The workers' surnames are names very common to the British Isles.

According to the book Family Names by J. N. Hook, the most common Irish names in America are:  Murphy; Sullivan, Bryant, Ryan, Dunn, Burke, Riley, O'Brien, Kelly.  Some other names which are Irish but can also be English or Scottish are:  Kelly, Coleman, McDonald, Kennedy, McCarthy, Boyd, Carroll, and Duncan. O'--anything; Fitz--anything; Mac--, etc.  Interesting that the 1905 Workers List contains many of these common Irish names.

Many of the names brought to America by Scots are identical with English, Irish or Welsh names.  In Scotland, there are more people with the surname of Smith than any other name; with  MacDonald/McDonald in second place; and Campbell in third place.  Other names especially likely to be Scottish are:  Ross, Murray, Wallace, Gordon, Cunningham, Johnston, Ferguson, Graham, Andrews and Duncan. The 1905 Workers' List contains many of these Scottish names.

Some claim the "way" came from Switzerland.  Switzerland has few surnames of its own, but there are some that are based on names of Swiss places that are peculiar to Switzerland; i.e. Huber, Bern, Basler, Bessler, Zurich, Zuercher, Ablanalp, Effinger, Geis or Heidegger, Oberlander, Szer, Thies, Klegerman, Schnyder.  However, the 1905 Workers' List contains none of these names.

How many names are on the 1905 Workers list which you cannot easily pronounce?  How many names appear to be foreign names?  How many Scandinavian, Rumanian, Hungarian, Greek, Polish, Jewish, Arabian, Oriental, Dutch, Belgium, French, Italian, Russian, Indian, African sounding names are there on the list?  See any Spanish Gonzales, Ramierez, Perez or Rodriguez on the 1905 Workers' List?  How many Oriental names?  Nguyen, Chung, etc.   French names often start with the prefixes Le, De, Des, Du (Dubois, Delacroix, Deveau). See any French names? Just a cursory review of a book on common surnames for various countries will show many common surnames that would be a tremendous challenge for an American to pronounce.  Russian, Polish and Italian names are often quite difficult for English-speaking people to pronounce. 

Is there a single name on the 1905 List that you cannot pronounce easily? Absence...speaks.  Why is it that nearly all the early workers who were pioneers to a foreign country were English, Irish or Scottish?  Why were all the head workers throughout the world from Ireland or Scotland??  Because, "Ireland is the only country where workers weren't imported, but rather exported," as Sydney Holt said it so well in his letter dated June 27, 1985. A man who was born and raised in Ireland wrote, "When I realized the part played by William Irvine...that explained why so many of the friends in Ireland had ‘Irvine’ as a Christian name."

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…About the Workers on the 1905 Workers List
Below you will find various tidbits of information concerning the lives of the workers who are named on the 1905 Workers List. This list does not begin to give details about ALL the 202 workers on the 1905 list.  It is far from being all-inclusive.  We could use your help!  The Editor invites you to forward additional information, suitable for inclusion in this chapter.  Please be sure to provide the source of your information. Click here to Email.

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General Comments
“He noted that of the first group of nine original tramp preachers, six left the band for the same reason:   That the sect became unscriptural in methods and teachings.  He said that while preachers readily quoted scripture, they were unable to ‘rightly divide the Word of Truth.’” (Quote of Will Cleland, The Secret Sect, Footnote 20, Pg 10)

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In Alphabetical Order

NOTE:  * means the person is a Sister Worker (female)
 
1905 Abbot, Percy – left 2x2 group and became follower of Wm Irvine’s Omega gospel,  when Wm Irvine was excommunicated in 1914. Wm Irvine wrote several letters to Percy.  See 1927
1901 Abercrombie, William (Willie) – Died 1934. Buried in Council Cemetery southwest of York, NE. (John Doak, Annie Edwards, George Boyle buried there also. )
1900 Alexander, Alex (Sandy?) - In July, 1904, Sandy with John Hardie went to Melbourne, Australia, being the first workers to pioneer New South Wales Australia.  Sandy left the work shortly after they arrived (brother to Hanna Alexander).
1905 Alexander, Hanna* (sister to Sandy Alexander)
1904 Allen, Jean* - Went to South Africa in 1906.
1905 Andrews, John
1905 Armstrong, Adam
1902 Armstrong, Edward (Ed) - (Eddie Armstrong died 1943)
1905 Armstrong, Wm. G. - Died 1938
1904 Arrel, Campbell
1904 Atchison, Sam 
1904 Bashford, Robert (Bob) - In April, 1908, Bob and Sam Jones, together with Tom Turner and Syd Maynard, sailed for Western Australia, PIONEERING the work there.
1902 Beattie, George - Irish, born in March 1877
1904 Baxter, Barbara*   Married Joe Kerr. Was on the original team of workers who went to PIONEER South Africa in 1905. Around 1915-16, Joe and Barbara Baxter were married.  After Joe Kerr was excommunicated from the sect in 1916, Joe and Barbara joined the Plymouth Brethren. They had 3 children.
1905 Betty, Tom (aka Bette & Bettie) married Elizabeth Pendreigh prior to Feb, 1905.  Elizabeth became a FAITH MISSION worker in 1892 but left and married. They are shown on the 1921 Staffordshire Worker Convention photograph as Nos. 73, 101.  The February 16, 1905 Impartial Reporter mentions Mr. & Mrs. Betty. Preached as a married worker couple.
1900 Boles, Ben
1905 Boyd, James
1902 Boyd, Lizzie* - Died 1953
1900 Boyd, Sam - Died in Canada; left the work; moved to Edmonton, Canada; was mtg elder; accompanied Wm Irvine on bicycle mission to Scotland,  (per Secret Sect.)
1902 Breen, John
1903 Bullock, Robert
1905 Burns, Joe -  Was a FAITH MISSION Worker who left to "become a Cooneyite." (Oct 15, 1898;  Nov/Dec 1898)
1903 Buttimer, George
1905 Buttimer, Miriam*
1905 Byers, John

1905 Calhoun, Tillie* (also spelled Colhoun)
1905 Campbell, Jessie*
1903 Cameron, Dick
1903 Carroll, May* (Mae) - Died 1961 - sister of Fannie, Jack and Wm – became a worker with FAITH MISSION in Oct., 1899 and left in 1903.  See Faith Mission Workers List.  She is credited with bringing an end to the professing women having to wear black stockings.  She PIONEERED the work with Annie Edwards in Michigan, USA. See Impartial Reporter January 15, 1903.
1904 Carroll, Frances* (Fannie) - Died November 13, 1980. Sister of May, Jack and Wm.  From her funeral Account:  Aunt Fannie made her choice in 1897. Read her story
1904 Carroll, John T. (Jack) - Died March, 26, 1957 - brother of May, Fannie and Wm.  Was Overseer of Western USA.  Born in Co. Meath, Ireland.  Had 2 Funerals; one in Oakland, CA and one in Miltown, WA;  Buried in WA. PIONEERED the work in British Columbia, Canada and Washington, USA in 1907. Click here for Sermons by Jack Carroll.
1903 Carroll, Wm. C. (Bill) – brother of Jack, Fannie and May. Wm. was born in Aug. 15, 1876 - Died Nov. 12, 1953.  Married Margaret (Maggie) Hastings on June 6, 1901 in Church of Ireland, Rathmolyon, Co. Meath, Ireland.  PIONEERED work in Victoria in 1905, where he was the Overseer until his death.  Bill wrote Hymns 140 and 142 (1951 edition)  He and his wife are shown on the 1921 Staffordshire Worker Convention photograph as Nos. 91, 142; and their daughter, May (Schulz) as No. 201, born in 1901, married ex-worker Dolph Schulz. She wrote hymn Nos. 279, 258, 195, 315 (1987 ed);  203, 219, 280, 290 (1951 edition)
1903 Carroll, Mrs. Wm.* (Margaret/Maggie nee Hastings) See above.
1905 Cavanagh, Cha.*
1901 Cavanagh, John - Was on 1905 boat of workers who went to PIONEER South Africa.
1903 Chapman, Jennie*
1904 Christie, David (Dave) – married Emily Wilson in 1923. Dave died in 1969; Emily in 1975. On 1926-27 List in Hawaii.  Both were workers who married without obtaining the  permission of their overseer.  Dave was a cousin to the Carrolls.  The Carrolls' mother was Cecilia (Christie) Carroll, born in 1854 in Scotland.  On behalf of Dave and Emily Christie and their marriage, Jack Carroll made an announcement and statement concerning workers marrying at the 1923 Miltown Convention. The Christies PIONEERED the work in Hawaii in 1923.  They had 2 children while in the work: Betty & Dave.
1903 Clarke, Tom – PIONEERED work in Tennessee in 1907 with Willie Cleland

1900 Cleland, Willie -  Wm Irvine’s cousin from Kilsyth Scotland came to New York in 1904, along with Jack and Mae Carroll, and 3 other workers.  PIONEERED work in Tennessee in 1907 with Tom Clark. Was interviewed by Doug Parker in Portland, Oregon.  He was friends with John Hardie in the Kilsyth district from their childhood.  They attended prayer Union meetings together for several years.  He was excommunicated.  Doug Parker said in a taped meeting June 9, 1995 in Bellview, Washington, USA: “And then on my way home, I called in at Portland and met one of the original workers then, a dear old man, Willie Cleland.  And I refer to him in my book. He was present right from the beginning in the sect.  He was shocked, absolutely shocked that the sect had given to its worldwide membership a feeling that it went back to Christ.  He could never get over that.  I sat with him in Portland in the Y.M.C.A. building, and when he knocked off work this night I picked him up…He was a watchman at a gate of this factory.  I took him and tape recorded our conversation…He'd been frozen out of the work when he broke both of his legs and became a cripple.  He was involved in a car accident and they just deserted him, and he nearly died, and he became a cripple.  And he said, "I've never heard from them. I spent all those years in the work. For them to have given you the idea that it went right back to Christ," he said, "That's an absolute lie. It went back to Bill Irvine."  And he grew up...in Kilsyth.  He knew John Hardie personally.  And he knew William Irvine personally.  He was one of the original workers.”

1903 Coles, Lily*
1905 Cook, Mary*
1904 Cooke, Bella*
1901 Cooney, Ed – Born 1867 - Died 1960; EXCOMMUNICATED in 1928.
1902 Cooper, Nellie* (Marjorie Cooper died 1973)
1905 Corcoran, Sarah (Sally)*- From Neenah, Tipperary Co., Ireland; Pioneered work in Alaska in 1909-1910.  Sister of Jack & Bill Corcoran.
1903 Corcoran, Jack (John) - From Neenah, Tipperary Co., Ireland. Brother of Sarah & Bill C.
1903 Craig, Tom – PIONEERED work in Nebraska in 1907, USA with Hugh Doak
1905 Crook, Crawford

1904 Dane, Rebecca* - Relative of Mervyn Dane, former editor of Impartial Reporter Newspaper, Enniskillen, N. Ireland.
1905 Darling, Robert (Rob) - Died 1970, buried in Buenos Aires in British Cemetery; PIONEERED work in Alberta, Canada with Noble Stinson in 1907.  Read what he said about the Early Days.
1905 Davis, Anna* (Annie) - Died 1975
1905 Davis, Maud
1905 Dennison, Harry
1903 Doak, John – Died November, 1950.  TTT has Funeral Account. (buried in Council Cemetery southwest of York, Nebraska where Willie Abercrombie, Annie Edwards, George Boyle are also buried.)
1904 Doak, Hugh - PIONEERED work in Nebraska in 1907, USA with Tom Craig.
1905 Dodd, Annie (Dodds?) - Died 1965
1903 Doherty, George
1905 Downie, Frank

1905 Easy, Edie*
1904 Elliot, John
1902 Elliot, Tom – married to Ellen Elliott. Went in work 2 years after they married. Converted thru Ed Cooney. The Elliotts sided with Ed Cooney and left the sect in the 1928 Division. Tom died in 1930.
The pair are shown on the 1921 Staffordshire Worker Convention photograph as Nos. 16, 168. See photo.
Tom was called "Tom the Baptist," and he had baptized ten of the workers who excommunicated he and Ed Cooney.
1902 Elliott, Mrs. Tom* (Ellen) died April 16, 1966. Both passed away in England.  Read Elliotts story

1902 Falkiner, Laura*  - Died in 1967.  Went to West Australia in Jan.1906.  Apart from a couple of years in Victoria and Queensland, she preached in WA  until her death.
1904 Fawcett, James (Faucett?) - Born 1886 – Died Aug. 10, 1958, age 72. From Fermanagh Co. No.Ireland. Was a cousin of George Walker .Spent his last days in Tallassee, Alabama.  During his last year, he was trying to hold a few tent meetings without the help of a companion. It was during that time that he passed away, in 1958. Apparently he had done a lot of physical work on that particular day, and was sitting visiting with one of the friends on her veranda. He mentioned the manner in which his mother had passed away suddenly, and expressed the opinion that something like that would likely happen to him sometime... and at that moment, having spoken those words, he died. Wrote hymns 173, 215, 221, 326, 239.
1905 Foster, Joe
1903 Fraser, John

1905 Garvan, Wm.
1904 Gaskon, Joe
1905 George, Thomas
1905 Gibson, Alex
1900 Gill, Emma* – Died 1944.  Sister of Jennie and Willie. One of FIRST 4 sisters in work.
1900 Gill, Jennie* - Died 1951.  Sister of Emma and Willie. One of FIRST 4 sisters in work.
1900 Gill, Willie -  Died 1951 – Born in 1863.  Brother of Emma and Jennie. Appeared to have been the oldest of the workers in the band of FIRST workers.  Willie was a wealthy landowner, or stood to inherit it, and his going into the work in 1900 made quite an impact on his community.  He was the elder worker in the British Isles from 1914 until his death the age of 88.
1905 Gillespie, Harry
1899 Givan, Alex (also spelled Given/s)  After John Long and William Irvine, Tom Turner and Alex Given  were the very first two men to commit to the work full time. Born Slane, Co. Meath, Ireland on March 12, 1872 - died in Glasgow, Scotland on May 28, 1948, age 74. Labored in Ireland, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, West Virginia.
1902 Glenn, Charles
1905 Gordon, James - Follower of Wm Irvine.  Married Elizabeth Edwards, sister of Willie Edwards; lived in Australia. Had 2 children. Was involved in Bethel Mission.
1903 Gownes, Maggie*
1905 Grace, John
1905 Greaves, Art
1902 Guy, Charles

1903 Haggart, Tom
1900 Hardie, John (sometimes spelled “Hardy”).  From Kilsyth, Scotland. Arrived in Sydney, N.S.W. in March 1907, and John continued in the state until he passed away on the April 26, 1961.  In July, 1904, with Sandy Alexander went to Melbourne, Victoria, being the first workers to that part.  After no response there, John went across to New Zealand in September 1904.  From A Spiritual Fraud Exposed, Mr. Cleland stated:  “I have known John Hardie since I was knee high to a duck.  I can remember John as a young man, and I remember well when John was converted  The reason I remember this is because I had a brother and a sister and my own mother who professed in the same meeting John was converted in, a meeting which was fully CONNECTED with the churches, THE FAITH MISSION.  This meeting was conducted by two women workers, one of whom was Miss Smellie and the other a Miss Harris.  John was a fitter and learned his trade at Twetcher Engineering Shop and became an engineer repairing locomotives.  This belief was wholly and solely founded by William Irvine and if John Hardie says otherwise, he is lying.”  Read Account of John Hardie pioneering Australia
1905 Harrison, Helen* - Born Nov. 8, 1866 - Died 1970.  For many years, it was said that she was the oldest worker on earth; she lived to be 104 years old.
1905 Hodgins, Francis* -  In October, 1905, Francis and Jim Hodgins were with the first group of 8 to PIONEER work in New Zealand. Francis returned to England in 1910 and preached several more years then left the work and married. Sister to Polly and Jim.
1903 Hodgins, Polly* (Mary)  Came with Lizzie Sergent as the first pair of sister workers to Queensland in January 1907, at which time there were only six other workers in Australia. Sister to Francis and Jim.
1904 Hodgins, Jim - Died of tuberculosis May, 14, 1907, at the age of 22, possibly the FIRST death among the early workers. His grave is to be found in the Greytown Cemetery.  Francis and Jim Hodgins were with the first group of 8 to New Zealand in October, 1905. Brother of Polly and Francis.   
1902 Holland, Dora (Dot)* - Died 1968;  aunt of Sydney Holt – THE VERY FIRST person to profess in 1896, through Wm Irvine in Kilrush, Ireland. Click Here For further details.
1905 Holmes, Beattie*
1904 Hughes, Aggie* -  Went to West Australia in January, 1906.
1905 Hughes, Thomas
1902 Hume, John
1905 Humphries, Robert (Bob) – Died 1936
1905 Hutchison, Aggie* (sister to Adam Hutchison) Pioneering sister worker to South Australia.
1902 Hutchison, Adam - Born Sept. 10, 1873 – Died January, 1925 of smallpox in Burma, age 51. PIONEERED work in India and Burma. Wrote hymns 98, 105, 161, 184, 198, 222, 233, 237, 244, 269, 279, 315, 324, 330, 333.   Born in Lauder, Berwickshire, Scotland; Came to Carnteel Ireland in 1903. Professed in 1900 through George Walker and Albert Quinn. Began in the work in 1902.  Wilson Reid heard the Gospel in Adam’s meetings that year.  In September 1906, Adam went to New Zealand.  In early 1908 Adam pioneered the work in South Australia.  He labored about 5 years in Tasmania before going to South Africa in 1921. In Spring of 1922, he went to Madras, India - first worker to go there.  Pioneered India;. was joined by Colin Watt.  He contracted smallpox and died January 19, 1925. (brother to Aggie Hutchison)

18--  Irvine, William –Born January, 1863 - Died March, 1947 in Jerusalem.  He is buried in Zion Cemetery in Jerusalem, Israel.  While cemetery records positively show that he was buried in Zion Cemetery, there is no tombstone for him.  There may have been one that was destroyed as during World War II, much destruction took place in the area of No-Man's Land, where the cemetery was located. Numerous unmarked graves are to be found in this cemetery, and his grave is likely one of them.  See also Notes on George Walker's EARLY DAYS in AMERICA
1904 Irvine, Annie* (no relation to Wm Irvine) Died 1935.

1905 Jackson, William – Died 1951
1901 Jackson, Jack - Came to America i 1904. Pioneered South America where he was Overseer; Died 1966; buried in Buenos Aires in British Cemetery.
1905 Jamieson, Violet* - Sister of Willie and Elizabeth – from Scotland.
1905 Jamieson, Elizabeth* (Lizzie) (not on 1905 list, but went in work October 27, 1905 per her Reminiscences)  Sister of Violet and Willie J.  From Scotland
1905 Jamieson, Willie – Died October 11, 1974.  Professed in his first meeting according to Elizabeth’s Reminiscences. Brother of Violet and Elizabeth.  PIONEERED WORK in Peoples Rep. of China.  Funeral handout:  WILLIAM RANKIN JAMIESON was born April 28, 1881, in Scotland, to William and Elizabeth Jamieson.  He heard the gospel and made his choice January 2, 1905.  Later that month, he entered the ministry.  In the fall of that year, he came to California to work.  He labored in Oregon and Manitoba before going to China in 1926.  He spent six years in the Philippines, from 1939 to 1945, being interned part of that time.  Uncle Willie has been in California since March, 1957.  He became ill January 11, 1974, and passed away October 11, 1974. The funeral service is October 15, 1974, at 7:00 p.m. at the Whittier High School, Whittier, CA. The interment will be at 10:00 a.m. at Pacific Crest Cemetery…on the corner of 182nd and Inglewood Avenue, Redondo, CA… Officiating:  Tharold Sylvester, Ernest Nelson, Howard Mooney and Eldon Tenniswood.”  (The overseers under Willie) Note:  Jack Carroll passed away March, 1957; and Willie J. came back to California in March, 1957, and took over Jack’s place as Overseer of the Western states in the USA.  Willie J., along with some other brother workers (Herman Beaber, Ernest Stanley, Cecil Barrett and Leo Stancliff) were all imprisoned at Santo Tomas, Philippines by the Japanese on January 6, 1942.  They were finally liberated on February 23, 1945.
       "On Saturday Robert took me about 15 minutes ride to just outside the town of Duns where we saw the home where Uncle Willie Jamieson was raised and the hills where his dad shepherded sheep.  Drive down the road Uncle Willie talked down after he said goodbye to his parents who weren't in agreement with his going forth to preach.  Also saw the spot where he sat down and looked back wondering if he were making the right choice!  Then the train depot (not in use now) in Duns where he caught the train...We then drove to Chirnside where Uncle Willie worked for a butcher in his shop.  Saw the very hall in Reston where Uncle Willie worked for a butcher in his shop.  Saw the very hall in Reston where Uncle Willie first heard the truth at a special meeting!  In Chirnside we saw the farm where the first convention was held (1911) in this part of Scotland....Across the road is a...large cemetery with grave markers...Five workers are buried here (saw John Martin, Jean Gibson and Sarah Skerritt's graves).  John wrote some of our hymns and his last was "Nothing Matters But Salvation."   (May 1, 1985 Letter by Sydney Holt).
1904 Jardine, James (Jim) - From Scotland. Born 1884 – Died 1969; wrote Hymns 3,6,27,28,51,61,76 (1951 ed).  PIONEERED work in Switzerland and Germany. Two brothers in American work:  Nichol and Walter in the work.
1905 Johnston, Robert
1905 Jones, William
1902 Jones, Sam - Born 1887 in Portadown, N.Ire - Died Apr 14 1946, age 68, buried in Australia. On Dec. 27, 1907, Sam sailed from London to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.  On April 8, 1908, Sam and Bob Bashford, together with Tom Turner and Syd Maynard, sailed for Western Australia, PIONEERING the work there. Sam wrote hymns Nos. 16,18,19,21,30,34,39,41,46,47,49,52,53,55,57,60,65,67,71,74,75,79,84,85,87,89,93,97,99, 106,126,129,130,133,135,136,137,138,139,141,147,147,150,151,157,159,166,168,170,171,
179,182,186,190,192,196,197,201,207,216,217,220,225,226,234,238,243,248,249,250,254,
255,257,266,267,271,273,292,295,300,301,302,303,312,325,331;  (Sam Jones wrote MORE hymns than any other professing 2x2)

18--  Kelly, John was a FAITH MISSION Worker who left to "become a Cooneyite." (Oct 15, 1898   Nov/Dec 1898). Left the work in 1928. Apparently he married:  "We received a letter from John Kelly's daughter saying that her father was very ill.  She told us he was nearly 90." (Selected Letters of Fred Wood edited by Patricia Roberts, 12/20/60 Letter to Lena Roberts by Fred Wood, p 12)

1902 Kerr, Joe -  Convert of Ed Cooney;  EXCOMMUNICATED in 1916. He is credited with being the one who FIRST applied the Living Witness Doctrine to the 2x2 ministry.  Click Here to read 2 Letters by Joe Kerr.  Was one of the original team of workers who went to pioneer South Africa in 1905. Around 1915-16, Joe and Barbara Baxter were married and had 3 children: Norman, Doreen and Joe Jr. Barbara was a sister worker who went from Britain  to S.A.on the same boat that Joe did.  After he was excommunicated from the sect in 1916, Joe and Barbara joined the Plymouth Brethren.   Joe became Chief of the Traffic Dept. in Cape Town
1905 Kerr, Bella*  Sister to Joe Kerr.
1902 Knox, Mary* (Maggie Knox died 1940)

1901 Little, Jack -  John Sullivan and Jack Little PIONEERED the work in Queensland in 1906.  Jack left the work and ‘the Truth’ within a year or two.
1905 Loftus, Florrie*
1899 Long, John – Died in 1962.  got permission for the FIRST mission which was held at Nenagh, where he and Wm Irvine preached. John was EXCOMMUNICATED by Wm Irvine while he was preaching from the platform at the 1907 Crocknacrieve Convention. He left the sect and married; wrote a Diary of the first days. Was one of the first brother workers to commit to the work full time. Click Here for further details.
1904 Lyness, Dave - Irish.  He married Jane Atcheson in 1930, and lived in Tacoma, Washington USA. and his place of death is Pierce County, Washington.Brother to Tom and Annie Lyness, both workers. Annie spent most of her years in Montana in the work and died just a few months after brother Tom. One who was personally acquainted with him wrote:  "He exuded Irish wit and a love for teasing, making Jane the object of a good share of it.  She seemed to enjoy part of it, deflect another part, and reflect still another part!!  He told stories of getting off the boat in New York and intermittently preaching and working at such jobs as coal mining in order to scrape up a few dollars to have another mission in those parts.  He spent about 20 years in the work, until his 'nerves' and insomnia overcame him and bothered him the rest of his life."
1903 Lyness, Tom - Irish,  Born 8/9/83 - Died 1970. PIONEERED the work in Idaho, USA. In 1931, he was shot and seriously wounded in Bozeman, Montana by a jealous husband, William Sumner, and not expected to live.  See Great Falls newspaper.  Brother to Dave and Annie Lyness, both workers. Annie spent most of her years in Montana in the work and died just a few months after Tom.

1904 McBride, Annie*
1902 McCauley, Maggie*
1903 McClung, Wilson PIONEERED work in New Zealand.  Married to Anne.  Wilson was born c1868; died May 15, 1944 in Auckland. They are shown on the 1921 Staffordshire Worker Convention photograph as Nos. 92, 94.  "The chief Missioner is a bearded Irishman named M'Clung, who is assisted by his wife."(Impartial Reporter  June 21, 1906 p3)
1903 McClung, Mrs. Anne* - Annie was born c1871; died Jan 29, 1945. See above.
1902 McClure, Robert (from the British Isles)
1904 McCreight, James
1902 McDougal, Maggie*
1905 McDougal, Ella*
1901 McGivern, Mattie* - One of the FIRST 4 sisters to go in the work.
1905 McGreggor, Lizzie* - Died 1964
1905 McQuirk, Minnie*
1905 McKay, Hugh
1901 McKay, Donald
1904 McLachlin, Dave
1905 McIlwrath, Wm.  (or McIlgrath?)
1904 McNaughton, Annie*
1903 McNeary, Harry – was a FAITH MISSION Worker who left to "become a  Cooneyite." (Oct 15, 1898   Nov/Dec 1898); on Hutt Valley Friends & Workers List, shown as arriving in New Zealand 1912 and being in NZ in 1963.
1905 McNeill, John – Born June 3, 1878 Castledawson, Co. Derry, Ireland. Died in the work March 2, 1959; buried in Council Cemetery near the York, NE convention grounds, where Willie Abercrombie, John Doak, Annie Edwards, George Boyle are also buried. Professed in 1902. Labored in Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska. No relation to the Rev. John McNeill through whom Wm Irvine professed; and not the same person as the John McNeill who was in the work in Oregon.

1904 Manning, Liz*
1905 Manning, George
1904 Martin, James
1905 Matthews, Charlie
1904 Matthews, Hugh - Died 1974 - Buried in Bangor, Northern Ireland
1902 Meikle, Richard – Died May, 1951 – TTT has written funeral account.
1902 Moodie, Mary*  - Was on 1905 boat of workers who went to PIONEER South Africa.
1904 Moore, Tillie*
1903 Moore, Lizzie*
1905 Myros, Abe

1904 Noble, Tom – Died 1971
1903 Oliver, Harry –Native of Hampshire, England; born 3/3/1881; Preached Eng, Scot, Ire, Canada, Montana; died 5/19/53 in MT
1903 Patrick, James (Jimmie) - Born 1872 - Died 1960; Wrote Hymn 148 (1951 ed); from Scotland
1904 Patterson, Alec
1903 Patterson, John (John Paterson died 1940)
1904 Patterson, Tom - Died November 3, 1964 - Born March 8, 1881 in County Tyrone, N. Ireland.  Interment: Ivy Hill Cemetery, Malcom, Iowa. "I got a letter the same day I heard about his departure...I had a letter there that he had written to me.  In this letter, he mentioned he had been 60 years in the work, October 5."   (James Greenfield)  Geo W:  “It is 62 years now since we (Tom Patterson & George Walker) first met..."   Note:  Tom is not on 1905 list, but entered work October 5, 1904 per his funeral account.  He and John Doak were boyhood playmates, who grew up just 1 mile apart.
1903 Patton, Maggie* -  Princess Victoria wrote several letters to this sister worker in the years 1917-1920. See Princess Victoria Account.
1904 Pearce, Alex - Was on 1905 boat of workers who went to PIONEER South Africa.
1905 Pearson, Minnie*
1903 Pipe, Alice*
1905 Purves, Tom

1900 Quinn, Albert
1903 Reading, Alf
1905 Reid, Bella* - Sister of Wilson Reid
1904 Reid, Herb
1904 Reid, Lily* - Was on 1905 boat of workers who went to PIONEER South Africa.
1904 Reid, Lottie* - Died 1966
1904 Reid, Mina* - Died 1978
1904 Reid, Wilson - Died 1968.  PIONEERED work in S. Africa with Alex Pearce & Joe Kerr.  Some called his converts "Reidites." Read Letter by Wilson Reid; Brother of Bella Reid.  Overseer of Ireland and Africa simultaneously.
1901 Robb, Andrew (Andy) - from Scotland; preached many years in South Africa. Died 1964, aged 91 years.
1900 Rogers, Sara* - Died 1943.  One of the FIRST 4 sisters to go in the work.
1901 Rooney, Edward (Ed)
1904 Rooney, Bessie*
1905 Ross, Charles
1904 Russell, Archie; married Gladys Koekemoer on Feb 3, 1915; joined the Plymouth Brethren; childhood friend of Joe Kerr.
1904 Ryan, Cha.*

1905 Samuel, George - Married and resided in Oklahoma, USA. George's daughter, Mrs. Buchanan, hosted the Perry, Oklahoma conv. grounds, and one of her sons and family reside there (2009).
1903 Scott, Frank
1903 Sergent, Lizzie* Left work and lived in Dublin, Ireland
1902 Skerritt, Robert - Born 1875.  Wrote Hymn 80 (1951 ed); Note in Hymn authors list: "in work in EARLY DAYS."  Was in the work from 1902 until at least 1913, laboring in Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, Minnesota, North Dakota & Nebraska. By 1922, he was married to Nan.  Immigrated to the NE Montana, USA in 1919, per census records. Became follower of Wm Irvine's Omega message.
1904 Skerritt, Annie* - in the work from 1904 until at least 1909, working in Ontario & North Dakota; married Sam Atcheson.
1905 Skerritt, Sarah* - “In Chirnside we saw the farm where the first convention was held (1911) in this part of Scotland....Across the road is a...large cemetery with grave markers...Five workers are buried here (saw John Martin, Jean Gibson and Sarah Skerritt's graves).”  (Letter by Sydney Holt dated 5/1/85).
1903 Skerritt, Martha* - Was on 1905 boat of workers who went to PIONEER South Africa.
1903 Smith, Annie* - labored in Australia and New Zealand.
1904 Smith, J.
1905 Smith, Walter
1905 Sneddin, Wm.
1905 Somers, Bella*
1905 Sommerville, G.
1902 Spence, Mary*
1903 Stanley, Annie*
1905 Stewart, Maggie
1901 Stinson, Noble - PIONEERED work in Alberta, Canada with Robert Darling in 1907.
1905 Stone, John - Died 1965
1900 Sullivan, John – Born 1875 - Died in 1924 unexpectedly, age 50.  Went with first workers to Queensland in 1906. Was the elder worker in Queensland until he died. Wrote Hymn No.13 (1951 ed); from Dunmanway, Co. Cork, Ireland; School teacher in Co. Tipperary, Ireland.

1905 Taylor, Annie*
1899 Turner, Thomas M. - Born August 2, 1877– Died Apr. 19, 1959; from N. Ireland; Schoolteacher in Co. Galway, IRE. After John Long and William Irvine, it would appear that Tom Turner and Alex Givan  were the very first two men to commit to the work full time.  On 4/8/08, Tom, Sam Jones, Syd Maynard, and Bob Bashford sailed for Western Australia, PIONEERING the work there. After some time in WA, and Victoria, he spent the last 35 years of his life as the elder worker in Queensland where he died at the age of 82. He also preached in Poland, Latvia and Ireland. Wrote Hymns 202, 236, 265 (1951 ed)
1899 Walker, George – Born  Feb. 12, 1877 in Co. Fermanagh, N. Ireland to John & Jane Walker. – Died 11/6/81.   Buried in North Wales Cemetery, PA.  Became Eastern USA Overseer.  See further details.  Lived to be 104 years old.

1904 Walker, Alec (also Alex) – married Queenie Higgins.  Born 1876; Wrote Hymn No. 72 (1951 edition).  See Review of Hymns.
1904 Watchorn, Dick
1905 Watson, M.*
1905 Weir, Edie* - Left the work due to rheumatic fever; returned to Dublin, where her parents had the FIRST meeting over Weir's Store.  See photo. Lived over shop til her death.
1900 Weir, Irvine - Born Dec. 7, 1878-died October 18, 1957 in Massachusetts, and is buried in N. Weymouth, MA. Was Pioneer of California in 1904.  One of 9 Weir children, many of who professed. The FIRST Sunday Morning meeting was held in their home in Dublin, over their store, Weirs Hardware Store. Irvine married, had 2 sons and a daughter, and lived in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.  He was later EXCOMMUNICATED by George Walker.
      "Somewhile later I asked George (Walker) about the two men which came with him in 1903. They were Irvine Weir and William Irvine.  Sadly both men got off on the wrong track.  George said that Irvine Weir had a weakness for divine healing and later on in life wrote his sister that nothing could hurt him because he served God.  Before the letter arrived, he fell off a ladder, rose up and said, 'I'm all right,' then died.  He had said that some of the friends, who got killed couldn't have been doing God's will." (From Notes on George Walker's EARLY DAYS in AMERICA).
       "Irvine Weir has written me (Ed Cooney) that George Walker, Tom Tuft, and the bishop in whose house Irvine meets, came to his home.  George told Irvine that he would instruct the bishop to close his house to him unless he promised not to speak in the meetings.  Irvine refused, so without any scriptural reason being given, he has been cut off."  (Letter to the Churches in Alabama and Kentucky, August 2, 1948, Selected Letters Hymns and Poems of Edward Cooney 1867-1960, Edited by Patricia Roberts, p 56)
1903 Weir, William (Willie) – Born 1882 - Died 1969. From Scotland, buried in Bjarnum, Sweden.  Wrote Hymn 152 (1951 edition). (not related to Irvine and Edie Weir above)
1905 Wellwood, Lily*
1905 Williams, Bill
1905 Williamson, Joe
1905 Willis, Eddie*
1900 Wilson, Matt - Left in disagreement.  Married a lady by surname of Armstrong. (Further details - see paragraph re Conventions.)  Ralph Derkland wrote: “Recently we have had the privilege of meeting Matt Wilson and his wife.  Matt was preaching the gospel before he ever met any of the Faith Mission. Then he met William Ervine (Irvine) and joined hands with him, and George Walker and Matt preached together the first mission George ever preached. So we asked him to tell us about the first days, which he gladly did and we got a better understanding of what Jesus had in His heart when He came to earth, as Matt and his wife are still, after 59 years giving their lives as a LIVING SACRIFICE without the support of HEAD WORKERS, and have a few converts here and there, some of which we have had the privilege of meeting and had it not been for seeing the incorruption in their lives, we may not yet have seen His Way as it was in the day He lived the earth. Matt told us that after he was with the others for some time, then George sat himself up as the leader and began telling the rest of the workers where to go and who to go with and after a few years he could not go along with this in getting up and telling people that God sent them to certain places when God had nothing to do with it.  So he went to George and told him they used to set (sic) at the same table, they used to sleep in the same bed, used to preach together and now you go to the soft places and tell the rest of us where to go and I am thru with -?- and plan to go it alone and if I can’t continue, I will take a job. Again I say those were the days when there were a few who had not corrupted His way. From thereon, he separated himself from what was destined to be God’s true way brought back to the world after the ‘dark ages’ but, instead, became “Christian Conventions.”  (Letter by Ralph Derkland)
1905 Wood, Lillie*
1905 Wrightman, J.
1905 Young, Francis*

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