In 1877, Judson received his own “Box B” letter. Box B was the Post Office Box identification from which mission calls emanated from the First Presidency. Large numbers of male members of the Church were called via Box B letters to serve as missionaries. Judson’s call was to serve in his native state of Maine. Of that mission we have almost no detail, except for the following entry found in the “Life Sketch of Judson Tolman:”
In 1877, he left for his native state and fulfilled an honorable mission there. Like most missionaries, his enemies tried to overcome him, but he was always gifted with a ready answer. Once a sectarian minister, after having railed the Mormons uselessly, finally said, “Well what about the Mountain Meadow Massacre? You can’t uphold your people there.” Brother Tolman answered, “I will take a Yankee’s privilege and answer you by asking another question. Do you remember the Haun’s Mill Massacre? It was mostly Methodist who did that work. Are you going to blame the Methodist for that, or the men who did it?
He answered, “Why, the men who did it, of course.” “Then,” said Brother Tolman, “Be as lenient to the poor, deluded Mormons.” (“The Things I Remember About Grandma Tolman,” written by Martha Thurgood Ferguson, a daughter of Martha Tolman and Sam Thurgood. This sketch which is written in Martha’s own hand, was made available by the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, Salt Lake City, Utah . A copy is included in the Judson Tolman file at the DUP Museum.)
Another time the subject of polygamy was being discussed, and he was asked why Adam and Noah did not live that principle, if it were true. He replied, “Since woman was made from the rib of a man, would it not have made Adam a very weak man to have lost many ribs? As for Noah, the scriptures tell us that he preached for 120 years and could not win a single soul besides his own family. (The preceding extract is taken from the Diary of Joseph Holbrook, by Mrs. Artie Holbrook Sessions. A photocopy of the extract was provided by the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. Since these accounts are quoted verbatim, they were apparently extracted from a journal of Judson’s or from experiences he shared with his family and friends.)
(Contributed by the Thomas Tolman Family Organization. Excerpt from Judson Tolman: Pioneer, Lumberman, Patriarch by E. Dennis Tolman, Second Edition, 2004, pages 62-63.)