Note: Frederick’s missionary journal has seemingly disappeared. I have not found any relatives living that know what became of his journal. Any information as to its whereabouts would be greatly appreciated. Contact Us.

Elders Wilker and Hubbard went to Rostock in July 1902. Missionary work there moved at a rather slow pace as they had been there three months before receiving an invitation to a meal. In November the missionaries were banished from Rostock and the whole Province of Mecklenburg. This was due to the action of the clergy in Schwerin. In spite of the efforts of the mission president, Hugh J. Cannon, and the U.S. Ambassador and other authorities, the banishment was enforced. They were then sent Stralsund to labor, but were unable to do any work for a while as they were not registered. They could not register until their passes were returned to them from the Ambassador. They labored in Stralsund until 23^rd of February, 1903, at which time they received another notice of banishment. Soon after this all missionary work was prohibited in Prussia due to the efforts of the clergy. After being banished from Stralsund the missionaries went to Berlin. They stayed with different pairs of elders. Inasmuch as they were not to register it was necessary to change quarters often. They followed this procedure until the mission president could decide what to do with them. In March of that year Elder Wilker went on another walking trip. At this time in company with Elder Peter Allemann he walked from Weisensee (near Berlin) to Frankfurt on Der Order.

Soon after he returned from this trip Elders Wilker and Hunnard were sent to the Stuttgart Conference at which time they were assigned to labor in Frieburg of Baden. Frieburg was at that time about two-thirds Catholic. There they saw many Catholic churches and also witnessed some of their religious celebrations such as Ascension Day. While laboring in this place the elders went on another walking trip, the third for Elder Wilker.  They traveled from Frieburg to Rottweil. Among the towns and villages visited on this trip was the little village of Oberbaldingen, where Elder Wilker’s mother was born. He visited with an uncle who was living there, Paul Wölfle, the husband of his mother’s sister. He also had a visit with some of his cousins in the nearby villages of Sunthausen and Schwerringen. He was happy to have had the privilege of seeing some of his relatives as he had not had that opportunity before. His father and mother had left their homeland to come to America and had no relatives here. He also traveled through Geislingen where his grandmother Kienzli died in 1891.

Elder Wilker left Frieburg in August of that year (1903) being transferred to Karlsruhe to work with Elders Willard Ballam and Merrill Nibley. He and Elder Hubbard parted after having worked together for over a year and being banished twice. After attending missionary conference in the forepart of September at Stuttgart he was sent to labor in Munich (Munchen) with J.F. Thomstorff. While in Munich they were able to take advantage of the many cultural institutions such as the opera, theater, museums, art galleries, etc. They were unable to do much tracting in Munich. However, there were quite a few saints living there and they had many invitations out to eat. Their meetings were held in the homes of the saints. They also conducted Bible and Book of Mormon classes and taught English.

Moses A. Zundel came to Munich to work with them in December, and the following January the elders went to Stuttgart to attend missionary conference. At the Sunday evening meeting January 24, 1904, Elders Thormstorff and Wilker with several others were honorably released. After returning to Munich they gave their farewell sermons Sunday, January 31, 1904.

On the 5^th of February Elder Wilker left Munich to go to Switzerland in Winterthur to visit with his sister Emily and her husband, Julius Billeter. While in Switzerland he made a visit to Solothurn, the birthplace of his father. There he visited a short while with two aunts, sisters of his father. They were really surprised to see him, and were pleased to see the son of their only brother. Because of the inclement weather he was unable to do much sightseeing in Switzerland.  However, he and Emily and Julius went to visit Schaffhausen, where Elder Wilker was born. While there they located the house where their family had lived and also met a neighbor who remembered them as children.

After leaving Switzerland, he went to Rotterdam and then to Liverpool. There in company with thirteen saints and elders he sailed on the Cretic for Boston March 17, 1904, closing his journal with this remark: “We did some singing in the evening and enjoyed ourselves and all felt happy.”