Benjamin Franklin Grouard (1819–1894) was one of the earliest Latter Day Saint missionaries to the Society Islands

Society Islands

The Society Islands are a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. They are politically part of French Polynesia. The archipelago is generally believed to have been named by Captain James Cook in honor of the Royal Society, the sponsor of the first British scientific survey of the islands;...

, which now constitute French Polynesia

French Polynesia

French Polynesia is an overseas country of the French Republic . It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...

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Grouard was born in Rockingham County

Rockingham County, New Hampshire

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 277,359 people, 104,529 households, and 74,320 families residing in the county. The population density was 399 people per square mile . There were 113,023 housing units at an average density of 163 per square mile...

, New Hampshire

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...

. He joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and in 1843 was called to go with Addison Pratt

Addison Pratt

Addison Pratt was an early Latter-day Saint convert and missionary. Pratt preached in French Polynesia from 1844 to 1848 and from 1850 to 1852, and is recognized by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the first Mormon missionary to preach in a language other than English.-Life:Pratt...

, Noah Rogers and Knowlton Hanks, with the plan to preach the gospel in Hawaii

Hawaii

Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

. On the trip aboard a whaling ship, Hanks died. Due to ship sailing schedules they were only able to reach the Society Islands. They had many converts there and Grouard married a native woman. When the other missionaries left Grouard stayed.

After Pratt returned he reconnected with Grouard. In 1852, Grouard and his family returned to the United States, settling in San Bernardino, California

San Bernardino, California

San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...

. He later left the church and became a spiritualist

Spiritualism

Spiritualism is a belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living...

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Groauard was the father of the army scout Frank Grouard

Frank Grouard

Frank Grouard was a Scout and interpreter for General George Crook during the American Indian War of 1876.-Early years:...

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