John Moore Perkins: The History of a Missionary in Liberia

From time to time I research and write histories about the ancestors or family members of various people. I am not personally related to John Moore Perkins, but I did write his biography for an individual who is part of his extended family. Perkins’ background and story is fascinating:

John Moore Perkins (1865-1949)

John was born on the 15th of October in either 1865 or 1866 (official documents cite either year) in Keppel Township near Owen Sound in Grey County, Ontario, Canada. His middle name, Moore, is the maiden name of his mother (not an uncommon practice at the time).

His parents were Elias Perkins (1831-1912) and Mary Ann Moore (1841-1923), both among the earliest settlers of the area. They were farmers and devout Methodists, originally from Devonshire, England. The couple would eventually have eight children between 1861 and 1874 — including a set of twins; John would be their fourth child. At the time of John’s birth, his father would have been a man in his prime at 35 years of age, and his mother a young woman of 24 years. His older siblings were:

• William James, born in 1861, likely named after his paternal grandfather, and would later immigrate to Manitoba;
• Amelia Jane, born in 1862, would later immigrate to Saskatchewan;
• George Alfred (Evan’s 2nd great-grandfather), born in 1864, and who would continue to live in Grey County.

After John was born, the Perkins’ had four more children:

• Levi Perkins, born in 1867, would remain in Ontario;
• Francis “Frank” Albert, born in 1869, would immigrate to Saskatchewan;
• Frank’s twin, Richard Lewis, would die in the spring of 1877 at the age of seven;
• Rosa May, born in 1874, would die young, although the exact date is uncertain.

Various records and histories of the area seem to imply that John’s family was a close-knit group who remained connected to their extended family. John’s uncle George Perkins, who, along with his wife and children, were originally living in the same log cabin, and later in separate homes on adjoining acreages.

These varied sources all confirm that Elias Perkins and his family were devout Methodists, and pivotal in establishing that Church in the Owen Sound area. One can only imagine the sheer amount of back-breaking work needed on a pioneer farm in that area and at that time, but it seemed that the household devoted much of their energy to matters of the spirit.

There isn’t much documentation on John’s early life, but a local history book mentioned that he attended school at the S.S. # 6 in Cruikshank/Keppel. Later documents state that he completed one year of college, but with no indication of where, when, or what he studied.

Moving forward to 1881, the Canada Census shows that John, now 16 years old, was living at the original homestead in Keppel, with both parents and his siblings (excepting the twin and the youngest sister both deceased by that time).

In 1891, the Census finds John, now 26 years old, living as a “domestic servant” with the Newman family in the River Ward of Owen Sound. The members of this family were all born in Ontario, and had Irish origins. They were Methodists, farmers and had a nursery. The family consisted of a married couple with their 4 children ranging in age from 3 to 8 years, and also present was a teenaged girl relative and an 87-year-old grandparent or grand uncle, both with the surname Galbraith.

John’s other siblings either stayed with the Perkins’ nuclear or extended family, or set out to establish their own lives with their spouses. John was the only one among them who stayed in the area but lived with another family. Was it for work? For religious duties? Because of a rift? It is unlikely that the answer will ever be uncovered.

Sometime between 1891 and 1901, John married a girl named Meriam. There is a source that provides March 20th, 1900 as the date of their marriage, but the location is unknown. Meriam is an elusive figure. We have a documented birthdate of February 2nd, 1876, making her about 10 years younger than John. Some sources state that Meriam immigrated to Canada sometime in 1900. The 1901 Canada Census records show John and Meriam living with Elias and Mary Perkins, and they were the only remaining children of Elias still living with him. The census says that both John and his young wife were missionaries, and that she was born in the United States, of German heritage. Her maiden name was perhaps Speare, but that may have been a middle name. Given naming conventions of the time, if Speare was a middle name then it is likely the maiden name of her mother. There was an Alden Speare, Methodist missionary, who had some involvement in Liberia (more on Liberia later), but whether he was related to Meriam is only speculative.

Shortly after the census was taken, we find Meriam and John in Liberia, West Africa in November 1901 (as indicated in the “The Gospel in All Lands Volume 22” published by the Methodist Episcopal Church). One month prior, in September, John and his wife had “approved and passed examinations” at the Centennial Conference Germany. It is unclear whether this conference took place in Germany, or whether it was a part of the German Episcopal Church based in Milwaukee or California. Alden Speare (above) was a California Methodist, so this event may have been held the United States.

Nevertheless, John and Mary headed off to Liberia, as Methodist missionaries and were a part of a group of ten — presumably five couples. They were assigned to Barraka, Liberia, where things went quite badly. Of the ten missionaries, eight died of malaria and tropical fevers in the first three months, including the young Meriam. Some sources tell that the Methodist Church had not completely approved of the mission, fearing a poor outcome.

About two years later, on February 17, 1903, John married again, this time to Jessie Janet or Jennette Arms. Jessie may have been about four years older than John or about his same age. Born in either 1862 or 1876 on a farm in Bridgeport Wisconsin, Jessie had at some time earlier received the call of God to become a missionary. She had been working in a dressmaking and millinery business, later enrolled in Lucy Rider Meyer’s Deaconess Training School in Chicago, and it was there where she felt compelled to go to Africa, specifically Liberia. She began this missionary work through the Episcopal Board in 1895 for her first term, then returned for a second term in 1900. This second term is where John Moore Perkins had been present with his first wife Meriam. John and Jessie, the only two survivors of tropical disease later married in the Maryland area of Liberia.

The timeline becomes a little confusing from this point, but on January 26th 1904 the couple were appointed to Barraka, or the Barraka Station, as representatives of the Methodist Centennial German Conference.

It appears that in 1906 John and Jessie had returned to the United States (or possibly Canada) on a furlough, for they are recorded as having attended the Azusa Street Holy Ghost Revival in Los Angeles. This massive and historic revival is considered the birthplace of Pentecostalism. The revival began on April 9, 1906 and continued more or less ongoing until 1915.

The Los Angeles Times reported on the event with horror and derision, calling the attendees “holy rollers” and other derogatory names. This revival not only lasted for years, it ran continuously night and day, with the participants speaking in tongues, witnessing miraculous healings, shouting, and being “saved, sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost”.

Many who attended were evangelized and sent off to various places in the world to preach the faith according to what they experienced and learned in Los Angeles. John and Jessie were a part of that outcome. Even though they had both been Methodist missionaries, they were now part of a very different movement.

There are also conflicting stories, about how and where John and Jessie changed their faith; some believe it was a revival held in Toronto rather than the famous Azusa Street affair that changed their views.

Nevertheless, the couple were baptized in the Holy Spirit and had begun speaking in tongues.

The Christmas Miracle

The tale of the arrival of John and Jessie, and the man who greeted them has been largely mythologized by the Church now known as the Assembly of God. Now known as “The Christmas Miracle” the story unfolds as follows:

Jasper Klabioh Toe was living in a village in the interior of Liberia, unhappy with the faith and traditions of his people. He had followed the animistic religious rituals of his family, but felt that he must find the true Creator. On a night in December 1908 he looked up to the sky and asked for help to find God. He then experienced a vision wherein he was told to go to Garraway Beach where he would see a “big box on the water” with steam coming out of the top, and a “little box will come out of the big box” carrying people who would tell him all he wanted to know.

According to the narrative, Jasper reached Garraway on Christmas Day of 1908, just in time to meet with John and Jessie.

The story now switches back to North America (either Canada or the United States), where John and Jessie, now evangelized and with new objectives, meet with disapproval from the Methodist board which withdraws its support.

Despite the financial setback, with no official backing, they somehow managed to acquire the means to sail to Liberia, along with several other Pentecostal believers, all intent upon evangelizing the country.

Here the story continues with the group continuously praying for guidance. At this point John received instructions from the Holy Spirit that they must leave the ship at the coastal town of Garraway. The Captain of the vessel, informed of the missionary’s request, told them that Garraway was not the usual port of call, and furthermore was too dangerous, being populated with cannibals. John and his group were warned that whoever goes to Garraway disappears forever.

Yet John was undaunted. The Holy Spirit was very precise and God had told them where to go. At that point, the Captain allowed the group (or perhaps just John and Jessie; the story is unclear on this) to row onto the beach.

Jasper was there waiting and was filled with happiness in seeing exactly what had been foretold. The story continues to say that John and Jasper communicated with hand gestures, a few tribal words and broken English. Jasper wanted the missionaries to follow him into the interior, through the jungle and back to his village.

In this manner John and Jessie Perkins came to settle in Newaka, built a mission station, open a school, and a few months afterwards, filled with an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, held their own revival. Miraculous salvations and healings occurred, and young people from Newaka were inspired by the Perkins’ to go forth to other villages and evangelize Liberia.

There are several problems with the foregoing narrative. Aside from the rather patronizing nature of the story, the notion that Jasper would not recognize a ship or a small boat is preposterous. John and Jessie had both been in Liberia before, so would probably have had some ability to communicate with Jasper. Lastly, in addition to the native population of the country, Liberia had been colonized by African-Americans (called “Americo-Liberians” at the time) who spoke English fluently. Furthermore, almost all the missions in the country from the mid 1800s to the early 1900s were geared towards the Americo-Liberian population rather than the native groups.

Another problem is with the name of “Newaka”. Other than in the Assembly of God’s writing, there does not appear to be any place in Africa or elsewhere called Newaka, although it may have existed at that time or has since been renamed.

Yet another awkward inconsistency is that according to ship documentation, the vessel that took them to Liberia (see documentation below) was scheduled to land at Garraway Beach.

Returning to the “Creation” story of the Assembly of God Church in Liberia, Jasper Toe would become a leader in the Church there, working alongside H.B. Garlock, missionary and regional director for Africa.

Continuing with the mission work of John and Jessie: In the early 1900s many of the faith, particularly the women, felt compelled to act as missionaries after they were baptized in the Holy Spirit. Single women would enter into the work and marry missionary bachelors or widowers. After and during the Asuza Street outpouring, many individuals departed for foreign lands. Zealous but unprepared, some without financial support, education or general preparation, while some would have received theological and mission training encompassing some language and culture studies. Others, like John and Jessie were already veterans from other denominations.

John and Jessie would no longer have been welcomed by the Methodists after their new beliefs had taken root. Unlike the Methodists, the Pentecostals gave both men and women the empowerment to act as Ministers or to minister in a broader sense. Women could preach in the streets (not from the pulpit however), and act as teachers, healers, writers, and editors.

They continued in Liberia as Pentecostal missionaries, and by 1918 became members of the newly official Assemblies of God. Known for their hard work, they established the first Assemblies of God mission station there and then set up an elementary school program. All together they spent 40 years in Liberia, with John eventually rising to the post of Field Superintendent of Liberia.

By 1935, Jessie’s health had become so poor that the couple had to return to the United States. Despite no longer being active missionaries, they continued to recruit others. Jessie was quite active, despite becoming blind three years prior to her death in 1941 in Pasadena, California.

Why did John and Jessie become missionaries, particularly adhering to the Pentecostal faith? We will likely never know the specific answer to this question, but what is generally known is that the Pentecostal Church was committed to sharing their faith and spreading the gospel to everyone on Earth. They believed that Christ was returning very soon and the duty of a Pentecostal was to save as many people as possible in the brief amount of time that remained.

The Azusa Revival galvanized many. Melvin Hodges, writing about the event said:

“Pentecostal outpourings, whether in the homeland or abroad, have always produced converts with flaming zeal and sacrificial spirit… The emphasis on present-day working of miracles and the healing of the sick has been the means in the land of God of awakening whole communities and convincing unbelievers of the power of God.”

Infused with zeal, many early Pentecostals left their homes holding a one-way ticket. They believed that the Rapture was fast approaching, hence their time to complete the work was short — what need did they have for a return ticket?

This early Church was not very interested in the future, given that the End Days were at hand. In those early days, missionaries were not so much interested in speaking to God but rather about God, and to carry his message to the entire world. For this reason, language preparation and general training was not that important — they had to leave NOW. The Rapture could occur tonight or next week, and millions of Africans (and other nationalities) would perish in eternal damnation if they were not given a chance to repent.

Because many experienced “speaking in tongues” (glossolalia) while attending the Revival, they further assumed that they did not need any language training. They believed that God had given them the power to communicate in African languages, and many were sorely disappointed to discover that this was not the case. Others took a slightly more pragmatic view.

Returning to the specific details of John Moore Perkins, another Church historian later wrote about how John convinced the ship’s captain to set him ashore at Garraway Beach. He said that John declared “Those Africans are dreamers, and God does surely speak to them through dreams”. He urged the Captain to follow the dream of the Holy Spirit, as should be done in Africa, despite regulations. “God had told [the missionaries] to disembark there. So the [Captain] put their party in a surf boat and beached them at Garraway where [a local African] Jasper Toe met them with his face all aglow.” God had told Jasper to wait at that spot for missionaries and take them to his village when they arrived. “When they heard his story they were certain that God was leading them to Barroba (a district in Maryland county in Liberia)… This miracle was a great [assurance] to John Perkins and his party as the story of Peter and Cornelius (a Bible story of visions and resurrection)” (H.B. Garlock).

John Perkins’ party was without the backing of a denomination or mission board. His group included six other Pentecostals, all without any “legitimate” connections. According to this narrative, all eight met with Jasper Toe.

And so began the work. John and his wife would have experienced hardships, but likely found those related to spiritual warfare the most troublesome. Many missionaries feared demonic attacks once they began their work in the field. Afraid of Satanic powers, missionaries would report of conducting public burnings of fetish objects, and would pray to save the Africans’ “darkened souls”.

In terms of more worldly hardships, John and Jessie would certainly have experienced isolation, loneliness, deprivation, the lack of necessities such as shelter, clothing and food, all while trying to forge a new life in their ministry. Finances would have been quite meagre (as will become evident).

Despite privations, John Perkins wrote cheerfully back home:

“Expenses here are naturally quite heavy. But it is simply marvellous how the Lord, in spite of war and famine, continues to supply our needs”.

Both John and his wife had come from farm households so would not have been strangers to physical labour. Yet it would have likely taken some time to become accustomed to the daily life of an African village.

Another missionary, writing from Liberia at the time, commented:

“There is filth and disease on every hand, but God is abundantly able to keep what we commit into His hands”.

Yet returning home on furlough, as did John and Jessie, would have been just as disconcerting, as they would have experienced a disconnect between their reality in Africa and the suppositions of the supporters back home. Another Liberian missionary wrote:

“It is most difficult to describe the difference between living in a fine new house in America, having all modern equipment with living or trying to live and eat and sleep in a low mud hut in Africa, filled with darkness and smoke, to say nothing about goats and chickens and sometimes plenty of insect life.”

John Perkins personally experienced an event where a colony of driver ants overran the missionary compound and attacked the mission’s chickens. John and six “boys” burned them just before the ants reached the house. Driver ants, native to East Africa, are the largest ants on the planet and can measure up to 2½inches in length. Their colonies can have a population of up to 2 million individuals. They can sting, but generally use their powerful jaws to attack. In fact, in East Africa, the jaws of driver ants were used as emergency sutures. John was not the only missionary in Liberia to have an ant problem. One woman wrote home asking for a new Bible, because the ants had eaten hers!

Privation, financial woes, insects, disease: So many missionaries died in Liberia it was known as “the white man’s graveyard.”

Given all these stressors, John and Jessie would have had to manage challenging relationships. John alludes to something along these lines when he writes about the mission in 1910 and his “family of fifty boys”. This would have been a little more than a year after his second terms in Liberia and the third for Jessie. In 1911 the Perkins related:

“We have about 66 in the mission now, and more coming all the time. The work is very heavy, and we would surely be glad of reinforcements… We are still in the mud house but expect, God willing, to move into our new mission house this week even if it is not completed.”

Sometimes missionaries would “go native” but Jessie Perkins kept a Western style home. One can almost sense the relief when John returned from a trip and later wrote:

“I reached home alive, and was so thankful to sit down to a real table, covered with a clean tablecloth where I was not afraid of finding undressed fish and white grubs with red heads.”

Here are a few more miscellaneous pieces of documentation on the lives of John and Jessie.

In “A Busy Day in Africa”, written by John Perkins in August 1930, he related:

“I arose at 4 a.m. and after some time for devotion I started in. It being breadmaking day, I lit the fire for Mrs. Perkins… As we were expecting to make jelly the next day, I had to superintend the picking of guava and other fruit so as to be ready to start work early the next morning.”

In the Pentecostal Evangel April 27, 1935, John wrote:

“During a time of ministry reverses, when Liberians were turning back to idolatry and questioning the efficacy of the Christian faith, I request[ed] that we pray definitely for Mrs. Perkins, who is very tired and run down in health.”

In “On and Off the Trail”, Pentecostal Evangel July 1911, John wrote:

“[When a missionary from Scotland died] Mrs. Perkins directing the splitting of the plank and the making of the coffin.”

Referring somewhat indirectly to relationships among the missionaries, both John and Jessie wrote an article entitled “Off Again for Africa” which appeared in the Pentecostal Evangel, November 2, 1929:

“Above all pray that a fresh anointing and enduement of power from on high may be given to us all for the work there, that peace and harmony and co-operation may prevail among the workers, and that the Lord will send a mighty revival.”

And on the same topic in “A Great Convention of Liberia”, Pentecostal Evangel, April 25, 1931, John wrote:

“Brother and Sister Swartz had everything in readiness, and the compound looking fine. From the very beginning peace and harmony reigned, so that there was scarcely a jar throughout the eight days we were there.”

Relating his feelings about his spousal preaching partnership, John wrote in “Three Days in the Heathen Town”:

“After we had showed [the Liberians] a goodly number of pictures [of the life of Christ on a screen] they begged us for more. The next morning we spoke of going on to another town, but they would not hear of that, so during all the time we spent there the majority of people remained in town, following us about, filling the house where we stayed almost continually and listening with rapt attention to all we had to tell them. First one of us would talk and then the other. After a searching Bible lesson on the secret sins of the heathen, they began to confess their sins, and poured out some awful confessions.”

In a report of the Mission from 1908 to 1916, T.M.L. Harrow related that:

“Here at the town of Newaka the people compelled us to sit down with them and… cleared us a hill near their town, and built us our first mission house of materials brought from the surrounding forests – bamboo undressed country plants, and thatch or leaf for the roof. The native women plastered the walls with cow dung.”

Three months later the Perkins and other missionaries came up from the coast. The report continued:

“The nine of us, practically strangers one to the other, found ourselves ‘at home’ among the heathen.”

Returning to the subject of his spouse and with perhaps a hint of poignancy in never having had any children, John Perkins wrote in a private letter:

“She has never been known to refuse a difficult task. On four different occasions in answer to calls from sick missionaries she had started in the darkness over trails which were almost impassable even in daylight. For twelve long weeks while I was suffering with that dread disease, malaria, Mrs. Perkins scarcely left my bedside. She loved especially to work among the women and girls of Africa, where she was known as a real mother.”

Yet another excursion, and John wrote in “A Trip”:

“I am just back from Dorobo, where I dedicated a new chapel last Sunday. We call Dorobo a cannibal tribe; for they used to be very fond of human flesh, and shortly before we came to this part, they had eaten a man. Now two of our best workers are from this tribe, and many of the people are Christians, Praise the Lord. The gospel of Christ is still the power of God unto salvation to all who believe.”

Another source from the Assemblies of God papers tells:

“The miracles Pentecostals expected and for which they prayed captured the attention of unbelievers. The Perkinses reported: People brought a very sick child for medical treatment, but as the child was already far beyond human help, all that they could do was to pray for the child. The Lord wrought a real miracle, by touching the child back to life right before their eyes, and this helped the situation [of Christians who had begun to abandon the gospel] wonderfully... Just as in Bible times, one healing touch from God, does more to convince the heathen about the reality and power of God than a thousand sermons.”

Some documented travels of John Perkins

2 June 1905

Sailed from Cuxhaven, England to New York City on board the “Pennsylvania” with his wife and a total of $30 in cash.

October 1906

The Perkins were in Owen Sound, visiting family and holding talks about their mission in Africa.

7 December 1908

Left Liverpool to Garraway on the SS Olenda, traveling first class

1909

Declared to have been in Iowa in 1909

7 April 1910

Published in the Owen Sound Sun on 5 July 1910: “The following letter is received from Mr and Mrs John Perkins of Owen Sound in the Mission Field of Liberia. The letter was received by the former’s father, Elias Perkins, of this town… Borobo Bush Country, Las Palmas, Liberia, April 7th 1910. … We have been especially privileged for the last 5 weeks of following in the footsteps of our Blessed Master. With the coming of Bro. Harrow and wife, Mrs Perkins and I have been able to leave our station work for a little and have the desire of our hearts fulfilled in being able to preach this Blessed Gospel of Light and Life to many hungry souls in other towns. During the intervals of our visits to different towns we were loyally entertained by Miss Hisey and Miss Mendenhall at their Mission Station at Gropaka, some 15 miles from here. We certainly had a most interesting and delightful time both in visiting them and preaching the Gospel to heathen people, many of whom according to their own testimony had never heard the story of Jesus and his love before. Our magic lantern and Bible pictures were the chief attraction… never before have we witnessed such deep soul, interest… they think nothing of sitting or standing for hours at a time listening to the simple story of Jesus…Oh what a privilege has been and still is ours! Kings from different towns have sent men long distances over… trails (to us almost impassable) to carry us in hammocks to and from their towns in order that their people might see the wonderful pictures of Jesus and hear our strange sweet story of His love… God willing and as soon as possible we shall write and send you a series of short interesting articles describing more in detail our experiences during these five weeks of great and blessed opportunity… Sincerely yours and glad in His service, John and Jessie Perkins.”

22 August 1913

John and Jessie visited family in Owen Sound

21 December 1914

Sailed from New York to Liverpool on the Orduna

23 April 1920

Arrived in Liverpool from Cape Palmas, Liberia on the ship Onitsha

18 May 1920

Arrived in Montreal on the Valencia from New York, having departed there on 23 April. John declared that he was coming for “a change and a rest”, with his passage paid by “friends”. He did not intend to stay in Canada, but planned to visit E. Perkins in Owen Sound. His reference in Liberia was W.N. Johnson of Las Palmas.

23 April 1920

Arrived in Liverpool from Cape Palmas, Liberia on the ship Onitsha

25 May 1920

Owen Sound Sun Times article “Spent 20 Years on West Coast as Missionary”: Reverend John Perkins and his wife returned Thursday last … neither is in very good health… but with the change to the healthiest of climates their health should rapidly improve. Mr. Perkins served as a missionary for 20 years and Mrs. Perkins slightly longer. It is five years since they last left Owen Sound on their last journey to Africa and for some time previous to that they had visited many parts of Ontario and the United States. Mr. Perkins is a son of Elias Perkins … and is a native of Keppel Township having been born near Murphy’s Mill.

12 August 1921

Crossed the border at International Falls, Ranier, Minnesota. Declared himself a Pentecostal missionary who planned to stay a few months in Duluth. He was described as 5’10” tall, medium complexion, grey-brown hair and blue eyes. The customs officer noted that John had a speech impediment. John declared to have left the United States in 1920.

The Owen Sound Times reported that John and Jessie visited his brother in Assinaboia, Saskatchewan and went for a ‘spin’ in a Ford car. They commented on the destruction of the wheat crop due to hail.

January 1922

The Perkins tour around Seattle and Spokane Washington, and comment on the beauty of the mountains.

24 July 1923

The Owen Sound Sun Times reprinted the contents of a letter from John Perkins, where he expressed his thanks for the efforts of those in Owen Sound to help him buy a horse. He had the horse picked out and is awaiting the funds.

John mentioned that he wanted to move their 12 HP sawmill about two miles down the river. He wrote of all the things they will do with the horse and then comments “I feel with a good horse and a plough I could do more work than a score of these lazy people with big heavy hoes. It makes me tired to see them pretend to work.”

He also related that they were building new structures on cement floors in an effort to curb the ants who live in the ground and feed on wood.

John now paused in his reporting and to tell of the sights he sees at the mission while writing. Three boys are planting corn, and another group weeding. Three more boys are wheeling in earth from a great ant hill and three more are fitting the siding for the house. Two small boys are cooking rice and bread-fruit and the girls are ironing. Other girls have gone to the beach carrying letters and have brought palm kernels with them to use to buy fish.

He mused that having grown up on a farm in Ontario prepared him for hard work, and commented that this doesn’t sound much like missionary proceedings. He continued in saying that they still needed shelter where the heat is 120 degrees in the sun and 90 in the shade, along with over 150” of annual rainfall.

He recalled that over 15 years prior, he and his wife had planted many fruit trees and at that time could reap an abundance of food – oranges, butterpear, breadfruit, breadnut, bananas, guaves, sour-sop, pa-paws, cocoa, coconuts, coffee, plantain, beside a variety of ‘country vegetables’.

John commented that the natives suffer from scarcity and lack of food, but that the mission had food to spare. At the mission they ate green corn, country peas, greens, eddoes, okra, red peppers, cucumbers, sweet potato, cassava, and lettuce. They had lots of pineapples and sugar cane, used in the making of abundant sugar that they were presently using to make guava jam and jelly.

At this point in the letter he quoted passages from the Bible and related a story of a local convert.

Then he moved onto an event mentioned earlier in this narrative. There was a commotion in the night among the chickens who were being attacked by driver ants. Once John and some boys went to aid the chickens, the ants began biting them furiously so they got torches and began fighting them with fire. While struggling with trying the burn away the ants, John’s clothes became filled with them, and he had to go into the house three times to change. He said he believed there were two million ants in the yard and that he could been bitten to death and eaten alive. The ants began climbing the pillars into the house, so John applied fire from their torches under the floor as the ants scurried up the house posts. They killed many ants, and finally, by 9 in the morning, the ants retreated. At this point, John followed their trail until he discovered their home in the ground, and poured boiling water into it.

Despite this traumatic night, John added that the ants were sometimes a blessing, because they devour any spider, lizard, snake, roaches or insects, if allowed into the house.

8 September – 6 November 1923

The Owen Sound Sun Times reported on a letter received from John Perkins, following up on the money donated for the purchase of the horse and where he shared some news from Liberia.

He recounted that they had picked out a horse and once the money arrived they would make arrangements to go and get it. In the meantime, the horse died, so another was found and all was well.

He went on to relate a story about two ‘witch women’ refugees. They were fleeing their villages where their neighbours wanted to harm them. The first of the two women was named Codie, who, along with her young boy, were driven from the town and forced to hide in the bush. The second woman heard that the Mission was sheltering Codie, and so arrived with her little girl. John remarked that they had little space to spare, but put the women together into a small room and removed the children from their mothers.

Codie was “as bad as the Devil can make her” and is “indifferent to God”. Mrs. Perkins gave Codie a dress to wear, and she promptly burned it. In his letter, John enclosed a picture of Codie, and asked that all Christians pray for her salvation. It is likely that the picture at the beginning of this narrative is a reproduction of that photograph.

Some ‘heathen’ people who had children attending the Mission became alarmed when they learned that Codie was there, and they called in soldiers. The soldiers said they would drink palm wine and drive her away unless John did so first. Discussions continued, and when John confirmed that he would not allow Codie to cook, the others seemed more comfortable.

The second witch, Neaddie, who arrived with her little girl had been ‘very bad’ but had tired of her old life and wanted the missionaries to pray and make her a real ‘God-Woman’. John stated that if she were to come to God it would be all worth it, despite it being ‘not pleasant’ to have them around.

If the children became sick, the witch women would be blamed. A leopard killed two goats in a nearby town and people said that Neaddie witched the leopard. The soldiers returned and threatened to beat her, but she had heard they were coming and hid in the bush.

John continues his narrative, and commented that the rainy season was coming and that they have established a new station among a cannibal tribe. While awaiting new missionaries from America, “Moses and Lilly” had begun teaching there.

28 October 1935

John and Jessie were in New York City.

29 October 1935

Arrived in Boston October 29, 1935 with Jessie on the SS Lashaway. John was described as 5’7” tall, fair complexion with brown hair and blue eyes, and with a scar between his right eye and nose. He declared that he was born in Cruikshank Ontario, was 69 years old. He was travelling with Jessie, aged 73, fair complexion, black and grey hair, brown eyes, 5’4” tall. They declared themselves to have been residents of Cape Palmas, Liberia and provided George Perkins of Owen Sound as their reference. They were headed to Phoenix Arizona to stay at the home of Lulu Clifton, a friend, who resided at 215 N 12th Avenue, and were planning to stay one year.

Late 1935 – Early 1936

John and Jessie were travelling from New York to Arizona, stopping in Des Moines Iowa, Springfield Missouri,

3 August 1936

The Owen Sound Times reports that Rev. and Mrs. Perkins were visiting Owen Sound, hoping that her failing health would improve so they could return to Liberia. The article mentioned that the couple spent the winter in Arizona and California but now felt they needed some “frost” to feel better. John told the reporter that he went to Africa in 1900 with the Methodist Church, but that time was filled with sorrow and suffering. After only three months his wife died and he became ill with recurring fevers. In 1902, he married his present wife. He added that he and his current wife, since 1908, had been at Newaka Barobo where he was in charge of 20 white missionaries and many native teachers. From Newaka they kept in touch with about 40 out-stations, working with 8 tribes, all of whom spoke different languages. The most distant station was 200 miles away. He explained that you travel on foot if you are able, or the native boys will carry you in a hammock through narrow trails in the jungle ‘beset’ with elephants, leopards, baboons and wild hogs. He further explained that Newaka is about 60 miles from the coast.

He told of their early contact with a cannibalistic tribe, who since that day no longer practised cannibalism and that his two best preachers came from that tribe. Mrs. Perkins helped in other ways, working with women and children in the school, focusing on reading and writing. Some industrial work is done making cassava into tapioca.

Over the course of their time in Liberia, they recounted witnessing the deaths of over 20 fellow missionaries.

This had been their first furlough in seven years and Mrs. Perkins was showing the “ill effects” of six continuous years in the field [Liberia], just north of the equator.

6 November 1936

Crossed the border from Detroit to Windsor Canada to visit his sister, Mrs. McKay. He declared his residence in Phoenix Arizona, living with a friend named Lulu Clifton

18 December 1936

John arrived in Phoenix at the home of Lulu Clifton. He and Jessie toured the Grand Canyon and the Roosevelt dam. He wrote in a letter that Lulu and friends feed them so much good food, and that they were no longer used to eating such good meat. John related that once he mentioned to his father that he only had a little monkey-ham to eat in Africa and his father immediately sent him money, afraid that he was starving.

3 September 1946

Crossed into Detroit to visit his foster (!!) sister Lawrence Lee. He declared his residence in Pasadena, California.

Pasadena

Lived at a rooming house after his wife’s death

Final Notes

The Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar 1941 reports on the death of Jessie Perkins, 78, formerly a missionary in Cape Palmas Liberia. She died in her home at 581 N. El Molino St. in Pasadena. The article says she began her missionary work in 1808, but that is clearly a misprint. It also noted that she had worked in Liberia for 40 years. Her husband John is still alive at this time.

According to the California death certificate, for one month she had been experiencing dementia with anorexia and vomiting. She had been living at the above address for a little more than a year, and elsewhere in California for 3-1/2 years.

John died on September 24, 1949 in Los Angeles California.

John and Jessie are buried side by side in Valhalla Memorial Park, North Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California, USA.

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