Edward F. Stevens (1874-1944) was called to serve an LDS mission to the Southern States in June of 1895 and served for 38 months. He was a schoolteacher in Utah and also served as Justice of the Peace in his town.

Edward Franklin Stevens was born on November 14, 1874, in Holden, Millard County, Utah, the first son of Edward Stevens and Mettie Johanna Stephenson. As a child, he went to school and was known as something of a cowboy. He attended Brigham Young Academy in Provo, Utah, registered in the School of Business. His cousin, David, described him as being very bashful around girls, and he did not mix well with them while in Provo. Despite this shyness, however, he quickly became interested in a girl from Scipio, named Emma Maud(e) Robins, who often came to Holden to visit her uncle who lived there.

Edward left Utah on June 25, 1895 to serve in the Southern States Mission, which included Alabama and Mississippi, for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was one of the first younger men to be called to serve a mission, as most missionaries had previously been older men. He served for 38 months. Soon after he returned home to Utah, he married Emma Robins, who had waited for him while he served his mission. They were married in the LDS Salt Lake Temple on September 14, 1898. Together they had eight children.

Edward took a position teaching school in Holden with a salary of $45 a month. During the summers he farmed with his father, and in 1915, his father divided his farm land among his three sons and Edward received the southern portion of Whitebush Farm. He also served as Justice of the Peace for several years, as well as president of the first town board of Holden, along with many other positions within the town.

Edward’s health began to fail him when he contracted a severe disease that affected the Whitebush cattle herd in the winter of 1943-44. Edward Stevens died on April 27, 1944.