Paton was a stocking manufacturer and later a colporteur. He helped earn his way through college by selling Christian books as a colporteur. He entered ministry as a colporteur for the Adventist church in 1902. Tomlinson's next major influence came from the Methodist colporteur J.B. Mitchell. Most often, the colporteur, or book-sellers, led the way. A few months later, Stray sold his business and began church work as a colporteur. He began his ministry as a colporteur in 1902, and later worked as an educator. Irvine met John Long, a Methodist colporteur, in March 1897 in Kilrush, S. Ireland. He began denominational service as a colporteur in 1906, and as an evangelist in 1908. Jansen was a merchant sailor, and colporteur in China's interior.