GENEALOGICAL ABSTRACTS FROM REPORTED DEATHS
THE NASHVILLE CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE 1911-1914
By Jonathan Kennon Thompson Smith
Copyright, Jonathan K. T. Smith, 2003JULY-DECEMBER 1913
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July 4, 1913
No obituaries appeared in this issue.
July 11, 1913
Rev. WILLIAM B. HULL born Sept. 29, 1833; married M. E. Carlisle, 1855; six children; licensed to preach in Methodist Church in 1869; local Methodist preacher; Confederate veteran; died Sept. 12, 1912.
Dr. E. P. C. HAYWOOD son of Dr. G. W. and Sarah Dabeny Haywood, born Sept. 5, 1845; died Feb. 5, 1913; Confederate veteran; graduate, University of Nashville, 1872.
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SARAH A. KEITH born McMinn Co., Tenn., Dec. 28, 1823; died April 3, 1913; moved with parents, Dr. A. P. Fore and wife, into Athens, Tenn. [Husband's name not provided] Children, Carnelia, wife of D. C. Carter; Annie, wife of Capt. S. J. Frazier; Louise, wife of James B. Frazier; Katharine, wife of C. C. Vaughn; C. F. Keith; A. M. Keith. A son, Augustus Keith, died in 1906 aged 59 years.
July 18, 1913
No obituaries appeared in this issue; emphasis in this issue was placed upon colleges and college education.
July 25, 1913
Rev. W. T. HART, nearly 30 years a member of the Tennessee Conference, died July 1, 1913 in a mental hospital in Nashville, Tenn. where he had been a patient since 1909.
ALICE WILKES PEEBLES, widow of Rev. William Rives Peebles, born Jan. 29, 1859; died Mar. 13, 1913; married June 30, 1874.
JAMES FRANKLIN BELL, near Alto, Tennessee, born Sept. 11, 1846; died May 23, 1913; married (1) Sallie Rowe, three children; (2) Emma C. Hinton (seven children).
August 1, 1913
Rev. JAMES BUCHANAN BRIDGERS, N.C. Conference, died Bath, N.C., July 17, 1913; preacher "of the evangelistic type."
Mrs. C. C. PEEPLES, nee Paschall, born Obion Co., Tenn., June 18, 1843; daughter of Jesse and Mary Paschall; married Alfred H. Peeples, 1859; eleven children; died March 18, 1913.
EMILY PUCKETT SPILLERS born Wilson Co., Tenn., Jan. 8, 1825; married Robert T. Spillers, Feb. 1, 1853; had one son who died. She died in Gallatin, Tenn., June 19, 1913.
August 8, 1913
J. W. MANIER, SR. born Durham Co., N.C., Dec. 24, 1825; died Nashville, Tenn., August 2, 1913; moved to Nashville in 1853 where he became a prominent businessman and a member of the board of stewards at McKendree Methodist Church.
MARY LEE CROWELL born Bethel, Tenn., July 24, 1886; died Pulaski, Tenn., May 31, 1913; daughter of Dr. John A. Meadors, dec.; married Ernest W. Crowell, December 18, 1912.
TENNESSEE ENGLAND born March 19, 1844; died July 1, 1913; joined the Methodist Church at Prospect near Sardis, Tenn., married Rev. J. F. England, Aug. 4, 1823; an invalid for thirty-five years; no children.
JENNIE WORD McKELVEY daughter of John W. and Martha White Carnell, born Humphreys Co., Tenn., Feb. 1, 1844; died Humboldt, Tenn., May 13, 1913; married Thomas G. McKelvey, Dec. 25, 1860; children, John C., farmer, Humboldt; Rev. Thomas C., Memphis Conference; died May 13, 1913.
Rev. J. J. COSTEN, local Methodist preacher and charter member of Marble Plains Methodist Church, born 1832; died June 11, 1913; husband and father.
ALBERT B. DUNCAN died recently, aged 53 years. "As a businessman he was careful, accurate and painstaking." Memphis, Tenn.
August 15, 1913
Rev. L. T. HENDREN, local Methodist preacher, Western N.C. Conference, died Spencer, N.C., Aug. 3, 1913.
S. C. FOLLIN widow of Rev. J. F. Follin and sister of Rev. F. E. Hammond, Baltimore Conference, died Ft. Worth, Texas, July 14, 1913.
LOUISE McFERRIN BRYAN daughter of Dr. John B. McFerrin, died Nashville, Aug. 7, 1913 aged 57 years; married William R. Bryan, 1882. Children: Claiborne N. and Louise. Buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Nashville.
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Rev. W. G. McMILLAN born Stewart Co., Tenn., Sept. 14, 1846; died June 15, 1913; licensed to preach in Methodist Church in 1870 and labored in the Tennessee Conference; married Susie Hutton, Dec. 27, 1876; husband and father.
A tribute of respect in memory of Rev. JEROME DUNCAN, recently deceased; by the pastors of the Fort Worth, Texas District, dated July 24, 1913.
Rev. GIVENS BROWN STICKLER, DD, Southern Presbyterian Church, died Atlanta, Ga., August 4, 1913 aged 73 years; professor in Union Theological Seminary, Richmond, Va.
RUFFNER WEBB son of Rev. R. T. Webb and wife, Barboursville, W. Va., died August 3, 1913 aged ten months.
Dr. JAMES K. POWERS, president of State Normal College, Florence, Ala., died in that city, August 15, 1913.
J. H. SCHURER, Nashville, Tenn., died August 13, 1913; interment in Spring Hill Cemetery.
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Photograph of "Five Generations of Methodists," i.e. Rev. MILUS E. JOHNSTON; his daughter, Mrs. J. T. ELLIS, Watertown, Tenn.; granddaughter, Mrs. W. R. THOMPSON, Nashville; great-granddaughter, Mrs. J. H. YATES and her daughter, MYRTLE YATES. [A splendid genealogical gem for some descendants!] Reverend Johnston celebrated his 90th birthday, July 23 [1823]."In Memoriam," Judge LUDWELL H. ESTES born Columbia, Tenn., May 15, 1846; served in Company A, Sixth Battalion, Forrest's Cavalry, CSA; he was a lawyer and served sixteen years on the circuit court (Memphis); wife's name not given but they had nine children, Ludwell H., Jr.; Anne; Mary, Fraser P.; William H.; Maria; Lon; Mrs. A. G. Manasco and Mrs. G. A. Hoffman. He died June 5, 1913.
Professor HENRY A. SCOMP, LLD, born Dec. 20, 1843; died July 20, 1913; professor of Greek and Hebrew languages, Emory College, Oxford, Ga., 1876-1895; president of Beech Grove College, Tennessee, for three years; had prepared an Indian dictionary; daughters, Viola and Corinne Sister, Mrs. E. B. Moore.
August 29, 1913
Dr. JOSEPHUS ANDERSON, Florida Conference, born Hanover Co., Va., Oct. 7, 1829; died Leesburg, Florida, August 11, 1913; licensed to preach in Methodist Church, January 1848; at first in Va. Conference, then Florida Conference and White River Conference. In 1886 returned to the Florida Conference; editor of the FLORIDA CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE for fourteen years.
Dr. E. M. BOUNDS, DD, Methodist preacher, died Washington, Ga., Aug. 24, 1913 aged 78 years.
WILLIAM A. WEBB, newly-appointed president of the Randolph-Macon Woman's College; native of North Carolina, born in Durham, July 30, 1867. His uncles, Senator William R. Webb and Professor J. M. Webb, were founders of the famous Webb preparatory school in Bellbuckle, Tennessee; graduate, Vanderbilt University, 1891; sometime professor in Central College; studied abroad in Germany and just previously, president of Central College, Fayette, MO. [William Alexander Webb, president of the woman's college until his death November 4, 1919, had a sturdy genealogical heritage.]
ELIABETH KEY BRUNNER daughter of Rev. John and Margaret Key, born Monroe Co., Tenn., Feb. 12, 1826; died near Hiwasse College, Tenn., Feb. 1, 1913; married Dr. John H. Brunner, Dec. 10, 1850; only sister of Hon. David McKendree Key, U.S. postmaster general in Hayes' administration. Had two daughters, deceased and one son.
MARY ANN LAMB, nee Lindley, born Shelbyville, Tenn., April 10, 1846; died Coquille, Oregon, July 26, 1913; moved to Arkansas in 1853; married J. J. Lamb near Jonesboro, Ark., Sept. 19, 1866; seven children; moved to Coos Co., Oregon, April 25, 1873. Died November 1, 1912.
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September 5, 1913
Rev. JAMES McGLATHERY, Falkville, Ala., died August 6, 1913 in the 96th year of his age.
CAROLINE McHENRY only child of James Spencer and Carrie Hoyte McHenry, died Nashville, Tenn., July 25, 1913; granddaughter of Dr. J. W. Hoyte and wife and Judge J. W. McHenry and wife.
JOHN OWEN BLANTON son of Richard and Sarah Campbell Blanton, born Coffee Co., Tenn., Dec. 10, 1848; began his Methodist ministry in 1871 and served in numerous charges; married (1) Leonora Saudesk, daughter of Dr. Joseph Saudek (died July 4, 1880), children: Willie, wife of Robert W. Neel and Nora C. Blanton; (2) Mrs. Mary Bearden, Nov. 29, 1881; daughter of Nimrod Burrow; she died August 4, 1902; children: Pearl, wife of. A. T. Peers and Josephine, wife of W. C. Sweeny. He died July 20, 1913.
September 12, 1913
In a memoir written by Rev. J. W. Boswell, he recalled the black Methodist preacher right after the Civil War; this man was AUSTIN HAZLEWOOD who preached at Old Smyrna, halfway between Dancyville and Whiteville in southwestern Tennessee. Of other blacks mentioned, page 23:
Good old Jake, faithful servant of Brother John Harrell, prayed, among other things: "O Lawd, git upon de white hoss of de gospel and ride all round dis groun', and ramshack de devil's kingdom." There was no mistaking his earnest desire. It was as clear as that of Brother Bill Holland (an Arkansas steward and blacksmith) so forcibly set forth in a love feast. "Brethren," said Brother Holland, "It is my one purpose to do good. And in order to do good, I am willing to be anything or do anything the Lord wants. You know I am a blacksmith, and I've often thought that if the Lord could make nothing else out of me, I'd be willing for him to make of me just a common punch, so I could put a hole in the devil's boat and sink the whole thing."
Old Boston, a large dignified brother, was boss at Sylvestria, north of Holly Springs. He was deeply interested in the welfare of his people, and prayed earnestly for them, especially those in the "Masseysyppy" bottom, which he thought was next to the last place in the universe. He invariably prayed twice for them. He felt slighted if at the close of the sermon the preacher failed to ask him to lead in prayer, but he didn't resent it as did the old leader on Mrs. Bowles's plantation in Lafayette County. At my first appointment there not being acquainted, I called on a prominent looking hearer in front of me. The old boss was at my left. When I called tp prayer, seeing he had been overlooked, he raised his head and hand and said: "Dis is my s'ciety."
At Ebenezer Moses was a faithful attendant. He was big and fat and black, with more white in his eyes than was good for him. He took a fancy to me; and when I told him good-by he was lavish in his expressions, and closed by saying: "I forbid you to go on your way rejoicin'." Moses didn't have straight ideas of religion and the rights of property. Once between two suns he took a fellow servant and a couple of mules and went to Lumpkin's mill and appropriated a bag of flour. The old master, for some reason, went to the lot and, missing the mules, concluded to hide and wait results. In a little while Moses came up, turned the mules loose, and said to his fellow servant: "Nobody knows dis but you and me and de Lawd." But Moses was mistaken. A voice sounded from a near-by corner of the fence: "Me too, Moses; me too." Master had caught him, and Moses was forced to carry the flour back in the daytime.
The negroes were always responsive to the gospel message, enthusiastically so. If a man knew how to preach to them, he was sure to receive all needed encouragement. A few preachers didn't exercise good judgment, and their ministry among them was a failure. One man I knew seldom preached to them without severely denouncing them for stealing and lying and other sins of which they were guilty. The negroes didn't like to hear him. They said: "Master talks to us enough on such things. We want to hear something else when we go to Church."
The Negroes were as responsive to the prayers as they were to the preaching. Their responses were sometimes apt and surprising. The richest man in the country, a strong Methodist and religious, built a house especially for worship. He frequently led the meeting himself. He was also the most energetic man in the land. He kept everybody about him busy. His foreman was very religious and a man of more than ordinary sense. One first day of January in his devotions he deplored the shortcomings and slothfulness of the past and prayed that during the coming year they might be more diligent in their business. "The Lord forbid!" responded the foreman. Another brother, with emphasis, asked the Lord to "curtail the works of the devil." The response to the petition showed that it did not fall on unappreciative ears: "Amen! Do, Lawd, cut his tail smack smooth off."
The negroes were always serious in their worship, but many times they were unconsciously amusing. Austin Hazlewood was preaching at Old Smyrna, halfway between Dancyville and Whiteville, Tenn. He had not proceeded far when several bucks jumped up and went out of the house. Austin stopped his sermon and said: "Now look here. We's nothin' but poor niggers, just sot free. We'se got no churches of our own, and de white folks kindly lets us use theirn; and, 'stead of appreciatin' it and settin' still to hear de gospel, some of you jes' jumps up and runs out like a set o' fools, jest what you is." Austin applied for a license to preach not long before the colored people were "set off and set up" by our Church. John Moss was the presiding elder. Among other questions he asked Austin was this: "Do you believe in the possibility of apostasy?" His answer was: "Now, Mr. Elder, you constabulates me." But Austin made a useful preacher among his people.
SYDNEY CATHERINE FOLLIN, nee Hammond, born Botetourt Co., Va., Jan. 1, 1854; married Rev. J. F. Follin, Jan. 1, 1874; died Ft. Worth, Texas July 14, 1913.
LAURA NEBLETT born Jan. 19, 1837; her mother died leaving four children when Laura was 14 yrs. old; married P. P. Neblett, June 17, 1857; five daus., five sons. Buried in Greenwood Cemetery Montgomery County, Tennessee.
MARY BANCROFT born Prattville, Ala., June 9, 1857; died East Lake Ala., July 11, 1913; daughter of Dr. Josiah and Annie Bancroft. Three brothers, Frank, W., Dr. J. D.
ALBERT J. TARNAGE born Chesterfield Co., S.C., Nov. 14, 1840; died near New Hebron, Miss., Jan. 29, 1913; served in Company I., 7th. Miss. Inf. Reg., CSA; married (1) Louisa Bullock (died 1892); eleven children; (2) Mrs. Nancy Leggett.
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September 19, 1913
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BURIAL PLACES OF OUR PRESIDENTS.
BY AUGUSTUS W. DOUGHERTY.George Washington, our first President, breathed his last on December 14, 1799, at Mt. Vernon, his magnificent country home, in Virginia. He was buried in the old family vault of plain red brick, situated near a wooded ravine only a short distance from his stately residence. In 1831 his body was removed, and to-day, inside a heavy iron grating, visitors are daily permitted to gaze upon two marble sarcophagi which contain all that is mortal of George Washington and his wife, Martha, who passed away in 1801.
At a medial point in the basement of the national Capitol at Washington is a vault like apartment known as the crypt and supported by forty massive columns of marble. A star in the middle of the floor marks the exact center of the mammoth structure. That spot was originally intended as a sepulcher in which the remains of General Washington were finally to rest. Beneath the star, in the center of the crypt, is a small vault, popularly known as the Washington Tomb, above which was formerly a circular opening in the rotunda floor. Presumably this was intended as a means of lighting the lower inclosure and also of permitting visitors to look down upon the statue above the tomb. For some reason Washington's remains were not decreed to occupy the spot.
John Adams departed this life July 4, 1826, the date being the semi centennial anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, in which he had taken an active part. Adams died at his home, in Quincy, Mass., and his mortal remains were laid to rest in a basement room beneath the Unitarian church in that city.
Thomas Jefferson's death occurred on July 4, 1826, the natal day of the republic and the same date as his predecessor, at Monticello, Albemarle County, Va., and his body was interred in his private graveyard, which is situated in a grove of trees not far from the old Charlottesville highway. A massive square pillar of granite marks the sacred spot.
James Madison died June 28, 1836, at Montpelier, Va., and was buried in the center of a level field on his estate.
James Monroe breathed his last on July 4, 1831, in New York, and sleeps in Hollywood Cemetery, in Richmond, Va. His wife had died a year before at Oak Hill, their Virginia seat, and the ex-President had removed his residence to that of his son-in-law, in New York City, at which place he died and was buried. In 1858 his remains were brought back to Richmond and reinterred.
John Quincy Adams died from a paralytic shock in Washington on February 23, 1848. In the afternoon two days before he had arisen in the House to make a speech, and, as he addressed the Speaker, was stricken with that malady which stops the use of the limbs. In the tiled floor, in the southeast corner of the old House of Representatives, now known as Statuary Hall, a small brass plate commemorates the spot where the venerable statesman fell; and in the room just northeast of the hall, where he died two days later, now stands his bust in marble. His remains were conveyed to Quincy, Mass., and buried in the room under the Unitarian church, where he sleeps near his illustrious father.
Andrew Jackson died on June 8, 1845, at the Hermitage, his country seat, situated twelve miles east from Nashville, Tenn. In a corner of the flower garden, about eighty yards from the historic dwelling, under a massive canopy of Tennessee limestone, rests the brave General with his beloved wife, who had gone before.
Martin Van Buren died July 24, 1862, at Kinderhook, N.Y., when seventy-nine years of age, and was buried in a cemetery near that town.
William Henry Harrison died April 4, 1841, just one month after his inauguration as President, at Washington, and was first interred in the old Congressional Cemetery, in the capital city. A few years later his body was removed to North Bend, Ohio, where it now rests. In 1887 his native State raised an imposing monument to his memory. His death was the first break in the presidency since the organization of the government.
John Tyler died July 8, 1862, at Richmond, Va., and was laid to rest in beautiful Hollywood Cemetery.
James K. Polk's death occurred on June 15, 1849, at Nashville, Tenn. He was laid to rest in the garden of the old homestead, on North Vine Street, in that city. After the death of his widow, in 1891, the remains of both were removed to the northeast corner of the Capitol grounds, where, not far from the thick stone wall that incloses the hill, a granite canopy overspreads their tomb.
Zachary Taylor, after serving only sixteen months as chief executive of the nation, was taken away on July 9, 1850, at Washington, and his mortal remains now rest in the little cemetery at Frankfort, Ky.
Millard Fillmore passed away on March 8, 1874, at Buffalo, N.Y., and sleeps in Forest Lawn Cemetery, near that city.
The death of Franklin Pierce occurred on October 8, 1869, at Concord, N.H., his native State, and his remains are interred in the old city cemetery there. Nathaniel Hawthorne, the famous author, was his most intimate friend for years, and contributed a biography of Pierce before his death.
James Buchanan, the bachelor President, died on June 1, 1868, at his country seat in Pennsylvania, called Wheatland. He was buried at Woodward Hill Cemetery, near Lancaster, in the same State. His accomplished niece, Miss Harriet Lane, assisted charmingly in dispensing hospitality and in conducting the social functions at the White House during his turbulent administration.
Abraham Lincoln closed his eyes in death on the morning of April 15, 1865. The deathbed scene took place in an old-fashioned red brick house at 516 Tenth Street, in Washington, the home of William Petersen. On the fourth day of the following May the martyred President was laid to rest in Oak Ridge Cemetery, at Springfield, Ill., where he now sleeps, and where a magnificent monument has been erected to his memory.
Andrew Johnson, then a distinguished member of the United States Senate, died suddenly on July 31, 1875. His death occurred in Greeneville, Tenn., at the home of his daughter. He was buried in the Greeneville Cemetery at a spot selected by himself years before. A magnificent granite shaft towers high above his grave.
Gen. Ulysses S. Grant died at Mt. McGregor, N.Y., on July 23, 1885, and lies in a sepulcher at Riverside Park, in New York City. His tomb is perhaps more handsome and imposing than that of any other deceased President.
Rutherford B. Hayes passed away at his residence, Spiegel Grove, in Fremont, Ohio, January 17, 1893, and his body rests in the cemetery near that city.
James A. Garfield was cruelly shot by an assassin in Washington July 2, 1881, and died at Elberon, N.J., on September 19 of that same year. His remains were interred in Lake View Cemetery, at Cleveland, Ohio.
Chester A. Arthur died at his home in New York November 18, 1885, and was buried in the old Rural Cemetery, at Albany, N.Y.
Benjamin Harrison breathed his last at his home, at Indianapolis, Ind., March 13, 1901, Mrs. Harrison having died at the presidential mansion on October 25, 1892. The ex-President was buried in the Crown Hill Cemetery, near Indianapolis.
William McKinley was shot by an assassin on the afternoon of September 6, 1901, while holding a public reception at Buffalo, N.Y. At the residence of Mr. Milburn, President of the Buffalo Exposition, the wounded President closed his eyes in death on September 14, 1901. Four days later his remains were placed in Westlawn Cemetery, at Canton, Ohio, his home city.
Grover Cleveland, the last of our ex-Presidents to die, passed from earth June 24, 1908, at Westland, his Princeton home, where he had spent the last eleven years in retirement. His remains were interred in the Princeton Cemetery on June 26, 1908. Since that time a movement has been on foot to raise funds by popular subscription for a memorial tower at Princeton in honor of that New Jersey city's most distinguished citizen.
The only living former Presidents to-day are Col. Theodore Roosevelt and William H. Taft, both of whom bid fair to lead active lives for many years to come.
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September 19, 1913 continued
Mrs. J. M. THOMAS daughter of John Douglas and Frances Anna Dudley Schoolfield, born Smyth Co., Va., June 27, 1847; died April 18, 1913; married Capt. J. M. Thomas, May 25, 1876; five daus., three sons.
SAMUEL BENSON "Ben" WRIGHT born near Bowling Green, Ky., Oct. 4, 1828; died Mayfield, Ky., June 24, 1913; grandparents, Thomas and Katherine Cumings Briggs, came to U.S. from Scotland in 1793 and settled in southern Kentucky; one of their daughters, Ann Briggs, born in Scotland, married Josiah Wright, who moved to Kentucky from South Carolina; of their fifteen children, Samuel Benson was the thirteenth in birth order. He married Sallie J. Richardson, June 18, 1867; five children; surviving were Harry J. and Marvin J. A daughter, Mrs. Annie Saffold, died recently. Buried in Maplewood Cemetery.
"In Memoriam", DANIEL G. FRASER son of Benjamin Lewis Fraser and grandson of Daniel Fraser pioneer Methodist; born Stewart Co., Tenn., 1833; died Memphis, Tenn., June 1913; married Sallie Polk (died 1911), 1855. Children, Mrs. L. H. Estes, Samuel, a Confederate veteran (dec.), Walter, Mrs. Laura Steiger, Mrs. Ruth Humphreys, Leonidas, Blanche and Ebert.
September 26, 1913
MARY HOWARD GIDDENS born August 10, 1847; died May 10, 1913; married James Giddens, Maury Co Tenn.; moved to Giles Co., Tenn. where they died; eight children.
Dr. S. A. WALLACE, Plainview, New Mexico, died June 14, 1913 aged 80 years; practiced medicine for twenty years in Comanche Co., Texas; married Margaret Fulkerson (died April 1903). Children: Birch, Mrs. Bell Harris, Myra Crockett, Nora Tisdale, Lula and six children who died young.
Resolutions of respect in memory of DANIEL COLLIER, esquire; recently deceased; by Tuscaloosa Ala. District Conference (Methodist); undated.
R. HAL PEOPLES died recently in Franklin, Tennessee.
October 3, 1913
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Dr. James Russell Miller
BY JAMES RIDDICK LAUGHTONOn the afternoon of July 2, 1912, a glory passed from the earth. "O, how happy Jesus must be now!" exclaimed one of his little grandchildren when Dr. James Russell Miller went to be with his Friend.
"The best known and most widely read writer of devotional books in the world," Dr. Robert E. Speer wrote of him. But he was more than that. "He was an irrefutable evidence of the truth of Christianity," also wrote Dr. Speer. Could it have been otherwise with him who wrote, "To me religion can all be expressed in one little line, 'Jesus and I are friends'? That is my creed."
That was indeed the creed of J. R. Miller. Through the seventy-two years of his life he exemplified friendship with Christ. During the Civil War, as assistant field agent and later as general field agent of the Christian Commission, he showed soldiers of both sides what it was to be friends with Jesus. Through pastorates covering over forty years and through more than thirty-two years of service as an editor he lived his simple creed in such a way as to win men and women and children as few have ever won them.
It would be impossible to give within a brief compass an adequate sketch of Dr. Miller's life. The facts of his life are few and simple. He was born March 20, 1840, near Frankfort Springs, Beaver County, Pa., of good Scotch-Irish ancestry, the second child in a family of ten children. He graduated from Westminster College, at New Wilmington, Pa., and from the theological seminary of the United Presbyterian Church at Allegheny, Pa. He was with the Christian Commission from March, 1863, to July, 1865. He served the First United Presbyterian Church of New Wilmington, Pa., from September 11, 1867, to August 24, 1869; the Bethany Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, from November 21, 1869, to 1878; Broadway Presbyterian Church, Rock Island, Ill., 1878-80; Hollond Memorial Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, 1881-1897; and St. Paul Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, 1898-1912. He was assistant to the Editorial Secretary of the Presbyterian Board of Publication from March, 1880, to 1887, when he became Editorial Superintendent, in which position he served until his death.
To say that as pastor and editor Dr. Miller was eminently successful would be trite. During the nine years of his pastorate at Bethany Church 1,620 persons were received into its membership, an average of 180 a year. During the sixteen years of his association with Holland Memorial 1,817 persons were received, an average of 113 a year. During the fourteen years of his connection with St. Paul Church 1,904 persons were received, an average of 136 a year. In the thirty-nine years of his pastorate in these three Churches 5,341 persons were received, an average of 137 for every year.
As editor Dr. Miller's fame was world-wide. Dr. W. B. Greene, of Princeton, pronounced him the "greatest religious writer of our day," Dr. C. R. Blackall, of the American Baptist Publication Society, wrote him on his seventieth birthday: "You don't belong to one Church or to one denomination; you belong to all Churches of all denominations." Another editor likened him to Spurgeon in the voluminousness and variety of his literary output. "Both in continuousness and in literary charm and lasting quality even his rare genius seems to me outshone by your work, while also you kept it up to a riper age," he wrote on the same occasion.
Though indefatigable as a pastor and editor, though the author of more than sixty books and booklets, their total circulation during his lifetime being over two million copies, this man found time to carry on a private correspondence that would have overtaxed the energies of most other men. His letters were just as he was and as his writings are — sweet, helpful, simple, Christlike, with a literary finish as choice as his published writings, for Dr. Miller never slighted any work. His correspondence was scattered over the world.
J. R. Miller literally lived for others. He did not regard his time as his own, but as belonging to others for Christ's sake. He loved people, and they loved him. At all hours of the day people were coming into his office to seek his counsel-his own members, strangers, and many who had traveled hundreds of miles to seek his advice. People came from abroad to talk with
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him. They were never denied, no matter how busy he was. "His secretary's room, where the visitors waited their turn, frequently looked like the anteroom of a famous specialist," says a biographer. He talked with all who called at his office or at his home, regardless of time or self, regardful only of their needs. Often he would go out into the city to look up some wanderer in sin of whom he had just been told, and usually he found the object of his search. Nights as well as days he was in homes of sorrow and need, helping, counseling, praying, always carrying sunshine. In age and feebleness, when unable to walk without assistance, he continued his visits in the homes of the people, going there in a cab. "His legs have been worn out in the service of St. Paul Church," said his physician, who was one of the elders of the Church.
A woman asked Dr. Miller to visit her daughter who was dying of consumption. "She heard you pray in the house of a friend, and she wants you. We are Catholics, but that won't make any difference, will it?"
A young woman had been detected in shoplifting by an officer in a Philadelphia department store. In the private office of a member of the firm she confessed and asked for mercy. The business man told her she would be released on one condition-that she go to Dr. Miller, tell him about her wrongdoing, and listen to what be would say to her. And this man had no personal acquaintance with Dr. Miller, and was not a member of the Church.
A visitor to St. Paul Church looked from the characteristic Sunday evening audience that filled the building to the speaker, who could be heard only with difficulty in the back of the room, and said, "How does he do it? Where is that man's power?" One standing near said; "O sir, if you were in trouble and Dr. Miller called on you or wrote to you, you would never ask that question again. He has built up this Church by his wonderful pastoral work."
What was the secret of Dr. Miller's marvelous life and powerful influence? Let him answer: "Our errand in this world is in a small way the same that Christ's errand was. He does not now go about doing good. We are to go for him. The only hands Christ has for doing kindness are our hands. The only feet he has to run the errands of love are our feet. The only voice he has to speak cheer is our voice."
In 1910 a young minister, in the West wrote to Dr. Miller, asking him to tell him how to make his ministry a success. A part of his reply was: "Cultivate love for Christ, and then live for your work....The supreme motive in every minister's life should be the love of Christ....If a man is swayed by the love of Christ, he must also have in his heart love for his fellow men.....I have always loved people. I have had an intense desire all my life to help people in every way....If yon love people, they will love you; and you can lead them anywhere and make anything of them it is possible to make." He delighted to quote Dr. Alexander Maclaren's words: "To efface self is one of a preacher's first duties."
Dr. Miller lived up about as nearly as a man could to the ideal of Louis Kossuth: "I would like my life to resemble the dew, which falls so noiselessly through the night and just as silently passes away as soon as the rays of the morning's sun beam upon the earth. Unnoticed by men's eyes, save for an occasional iridescent sparkle here and there upon some blade of grass, it is drawn upward and passes away; but all that it has touched is freshened and beautified by its silent yet potent presence." Truly"Just the art of being kind
is all the great world needs."And J. R. Miller had a genius for kindness.
DUNCAN GRAHAM SMITH born January 3, 1895; died McRae, Ga., July 9, 1913; son of C. H. Smith and grandson of Hon. Duncan Graham, Telfair Co., Georgia.
JANE W. FEW born Greenville, S.C., May 15, 1824; married Dr. C. A. Few and moved to Rusk Co., Texas in 1849; moved to Ark. in 1869; died near Texarkana, Ark., August 12, 1913. Children: Dr. Ignatius, John H., Rev. A. P., Rev. B. A. and Mrs. Sallie Latimer.
WILLIAM JACKSON LONG, SR. born August 3, 1833; died July 26, 1913; married Martha, daughter of Charles Askew, Dec. 30, 1858; officer in Confederate army. Children: Mrs. James I. Wood and Rev. W. Fred Long.
LUELLA BURCHAM, nee Downing, wife of J. R. Burcham, born Feb. 22, 1868; died July 30, 1913; buried in Columbia, Tenn.
Resolutions of respect in memory of W. R. MONDAY, recently deceased; by a quarterly conference; undated.
October 10, 1913
JAMES M. ROBERTS, Troup, Texas, died Sept. 23, 1913 aged 72 years.
Mrs. E. F. KELSEY died near Holly Springs, Miss., August 16, 1913.
Rev. J. B. STONE born in Vernon District, S.C., December 1831; moved with family to Alabama when he was ten years old; afterwards moved to Miss.; licensed to preach in Methodist Church in 1856; labored in the Alabama Conference. He married (1) Rebecca J. Mosely (died 1864); one daughter, Mrs. E. E. Buder, Columbus, Miss. (and her children were George Stone Buder and Bessie Curtis Buder); (2) Mary Koger; five children, surviving were ; Mrs. J. K. Stone, Mrs. Dowden Rogers, Mrs. J. B. Small, Mrs. John Kirk. He was 21 years a presiding elder; served as a Confederate chaplain.
October 17, 1913
WILLIAM GRAVES HEFLEY son of William Michael and Margaret Simonton Hefley, born Madison Co., Tenn., November 2, 1853; died Jackson, Tenn., April. 29, 1913; the Hefley family had come from S.C. to west Tenn. in 1850; his father died when he was a few months old; a tribute written by Arthur C. Bell.
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October 24, 1913
EDWARD C. ALLISON born Lancaster, S.C., August 13, 1859; died there, July 10, 1913; a descendant of Peter Clinton, Continental Army; descendant as well of Captain John Chambers and William Henry, Revolutionary soldiers; alumnus, Eastman College.
Dr. SAM HENDERSON, Williamson Co., Tenn.; a tribute by W. B. Taylor.
October 31, 1913
ELIZABETH HAYNES born Coffee Co., Tenn., Oct. 22, 1838; married John F. Haynes, June 23, 1854; died August 23, 1913; a daughter of John Howard. Children: Elizabeth, wife of Colonel Haleman; Lonnie; Mrs. Mary Jackson Buckley.
SARAH A. "Sallie" DOWDLE born Pickens Co., Ala., May 22, 1836; married John A. Dowdle (died 1901), Oct. 15, 1854; died Sept. 9, 1913.
ROBERT JASPER WILFORD born Trigg Co., Ky., April 22, 1840; died Dec. 4, 1912; married Annie Emmerson, Dec. 20, 1863; four daus., seven sons.
Mrs. M. E. DARDEN died October 12, 1913.
Resolutions of respect in memory of HARRISON HOLMES, recently deceased; by Sunday School, Longstreet Methodist Church; undated.
November 7, 1913
Reverend JOHN T. BASKERVILLE died May 1, 1873. Page 23:
TALES OF THE OLD TIME.
BY JOHN W. BOSWELL, D.D.
A CELEBRITYThere were celebrities as well as giants in the old time. They were not such celebrities as hang up their hats in our Publishing House. Two men were engaged in repair work about the building. One of them was a stranger. He didn't know what to make of so many men sitting around, apparently doing nothing — editors and assistant editors, missionary, Sunday school, and Epworth League secretaries and assistant secretaries and Book Agents and bookkeepers. He said to his fellow worker: "Did you ever see so many men in one house? What are they doing?" "They are celebrities," was the answer. "Celebrities? What are they?" The reply was satisfactory: "Celebrities are men who live without working. " The old-time celebrities in our ministry worked; some of them worked hard and incessantly.
Among the celebrities in the early days of the Memphis Conference was Dr. John T. Baskerville, a man worthy of everlasting remembrance. He was no ordinary man-a Virginian, highly educated, and a graduate in medicine. If he practiced his profession, he did not keep it up long, for he was yet a young man when he entered the itinerancy. His love of books and habit of study were maintained to the close of his life. He knew words and how to use them. When he had anything to say, he said it straight. Preaching once in Somerville, Tenn., on the subject of repentance, he closed a paragraph in his earnest and zealous way by saying to the sinners: "If you do not repent of your sins and turn to God, you will be damned, and I will be damned if I do not tell you." The Doctor had in mind St Paul's experience, "Woe is me if I preach not the gospel!" But the boys said: "Dr. Baskerville cussed in the pulpit."
His talents and learning, together with his burning zeal, brought him into prominence in the very beginning of his career. Though comparatively young at the time, he was a delegate to the General Conference of 1846. He was always useful and honored. For many years he sustained the relation of supernumerary, but be never lost interest in the Church. He was ever active. What he undertook, he undertook heartily, whether it was work in a revival, maintaining a camp meeting, helping poor young men preparing for the ministry, or keeping up the finances of his Church. His enthusiasm for missions was unbounded. Old Wesley Circuit, in the bounds of which he lived, took the lead in contributions to the cause, giving more in one year than many whole districts. The largest contributors did not give in dollars, but in bales of cotton. On more than one occasion have I seen the subscription in bales mount up into the thousands in value, notably at Wesley and Oakland camp meetings. Much of the success was due to Dr. Baskerville, who took the lead in giving and exhorting. He was not the richest man in the country, but the most liberal. His private benefactions were as liberal as his public giving. He was a great friend and admirer of my father. They had tastes in common, but their worldly circumstances were widely different The Doctor was rich with a small family. My father was a poor man with nearly a dozen children to feed and clothe. A donation never came amiss, and was always gratefully received. Shortly after the close of the war the Doctor and father met at a flour mill about halfway between their homes. They had not seen each other for a long time. After a long and brotherly talk the Doctor said: "Good-by, Brother Boswell; I want you to come and see me. If you will come to see me, I'll give you ten bushels of wheat." That was a tempting offer, The Doctor talked for a while longer and again said: "Good-by, Brother Boswell. If you will come to see me, I'll give you fifteen bushels of wheat." Father of course expressed his gratitude and promised to make the visit. But still the Doctor lingered and after several moments said: "Brother Boswell, I want you to come to see me. If you will, I'll give you twenty bushels of wheat." Father was as profuse in his thanks as the Doctor was generous in his offer. Finally the Doctor with a word of farewell said: "Brother Boswell, I'll bring that wheat to the mill for you." And the dear old doctor was as good as his word.
In the early years of his ministry Dr. Baskerville was stationed at Jackson. He was faithful to all the interests of the Church. He put his whole time and strength into whatever he undertook. He was as serious as death in all his work. It never occurred to him for a moment that anything he said or did was at all calculated to provoke laughter. It is nevertheless true that he did sometimes succeed in producing more than a smile. I could name several instances. Once when holding the quarterly love feast in his charge, after the preliminary exercises, he called on the brethren and sisters to relate their Christian experience. As they were rather slow in responding, he began calling on them by name. He first called out a sister: "Let us hear from you, Sister Hunt." Sister Hunt was a modest and timid saint, and quietly and quickly gave her testimony. Looking around, he saw an old Virginia acquaintance, Ned Davis, and urged him to speak: "Brother Davis, give us your experience." Brother Davis was an emotional soul, and with a heart full began in a blubbering sort of way: "Brethren and sisters, I was the only child of wealthy parents." "Yes," said the Doctor, "and badly spoiled at that." "I was wild and roving, but by grace I was halted in my career, and for years I have been trying to live a religious life; but I have many trials, and sometimes I
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find it hard to keep in the right way." The Doctor followed his talk closely and added: "That's so, brethren; he is the hardest man to keep in the Church I ever saw," "But by and by," said Brother Davis, "I married a good religious woman, and she has been a great help to me," "That is so, Brother Davis," said the Doctor; "and if you would do like your wife tells you to do, you would do better than you do now, sir."
ROSE GARLAND LEWIS daughter of Landon C. Garland, dec., former chancellor, Vanderbilt University, died Birmingham, Ala., Oct. 29, 1913 aged 74 years; widow of Dr. Burwell B. Lewis.
November 14, 1913
W. A. ALBRIGHT born near Brownsville, Tenn., Sept. 26, 1838; moved with parents to near Collierville, Tenn., 1845; Confederate veteran; married Sallie, daughter of Rev. Miles H. Ford, Sept. 25, 1866; eight daus., 3 sons, surviving: Mesdames C. A. Dyke, F. E. Wood, A. L. Bell, E. T. Wells, C. W. Smith, J. R. Russell. Messrs. J. F., J. C., F. H. and also Miss Sarah Lou Albright.
EUDORA KELSEY, nee Moore, born Miss., Nov. 30, 1843; married Dr. George E. Kelsey, Dec. 18, 1874; died near Red Banks, Miss., Aug. 16, 1913; three children, one, Pearl, still living.
SARAH L. WEAVER, mother-in-law of Rev. J. Nelson Jones, South Georgia Conference, died Aug. 25, 1913 in the 90th year of her age.
ANDREW SAMUEL HENSON born in MO, Dec. 16, 1859; died Cooledge, Texas, Oct. 12, 1913; at age 5 years moved with parents to Maud, Ala.; married Cynthia Alice Kay, Sept. 24, 1882; moved to Dawson, Texas in 1886; five children.
LEAH CELIA GARRETT daughter of John W. and Susan B. Walton, born near Greensboro, N.C., Oct. 4, 1847; married James J. Garrett, May 6, 1875; died Birmingham, Ala., October 6, 1913.
CALVIN D. SHEETS born July 9, 1840; died October 25, 1913; husband and father (seven children).
Reverend JOHN M. HOLLAND died August 13, 1851. For more about him, see MY OLD CITY CEMETERY, BOLIVAR, TENNESSEE TOMBSTONE INSCRIPTIONS SCRAPBOOK, by Jonathan K. T. Smith, 1993, page 16.
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TALES OF THE OLD TIME.
BY JOHN W. BOSWELL, D. D.One of the pioneers of Methodism in West Tennessee was John M. Holland. He was among the foremost in his day as a preacher and leader of men. As an expounder of the Scriptures he excelled. Sometimes he impressed the truth in a striking way. Preaching once at Bolivar, which at that time was a stronghold of Satan, he told the congregation that "when the devil took our Lord into an exceeding high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, and said unto him, "All these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me," he held his thumb over Bolivar."
Brother Holland was finely educated and insisted that a preacher should use good English both in the pulpit and in social conversation. He took much time and care in guarding young preachers against mistakes. Some expressions current among Methodists he sought to eliminate. One of these, common then and for a long while afterwards, was the saying "coming through," used with reference to a penitent who had made a profession of religion. If a person at the mourners' bench professed conversion, especially if he had been there any length of time, it was always said: "He has come through." This expression Brother Holland seriously objected to. Lecturing some young preachers on one occasion, he gave his reasons for rejecting this inappropriate phrase. Arthur Davis, somewhat of a leader himself, though comparatively young, took issue with Brother Holland and proceeded to illustrate in his own homely fashion: "It is this way Brother Holland: Here is a pig on one side of a fence, and he wants to get over to the other side. The only way to get there is through a crack, and he starts through. But it is a narrow crack, and when he gets his head in, he sticks. He struggles and kicks and squeals, and after a long time he gets through. Now, here's a sinner at the altar. He is 'in the gall of bitterness and the bonds of iniquity." He is in a tight place. He wants to get out. The only chance for him is to go through the narrow way. He prays and struggles and agonizes, and by and by he comes out on the right side. He comes through. I say it is a proper word." Brother Holland yielded and said: "From now on, Brother Davis we will use it."
The reader must not mistake John M. Holland for Jack Holland, another man and a wholly different character. Jack Holland was a preacher, and a good one too, but "he loved this present world." He dealt extensively in fine horses. The only time I ever saw him was in his livery stable. He was a man of fine appearance, attractive, an excellent singer, and, notwithstanding his eccentricities, was very popular. In his palmy days he visited Philadelphia and while there was invited to preach. He accepted the invitation on condition that he be permitted to conduct the service in his own way. It was an up-to-date church with a choir loft and a choir. Just as Holland was ready to begin the choir struck up a tune. Turning to the pastor, he said: "Didn't you give me permission to conduct this service in my own way?" "Yes," replied the preacher. Then, looking up to the choir, he said: "Please stop that music up there." The choir subsided, and Holland's voice rang out in an old-time song: "We are traveling to the grave."
Dr. Edward C. Slater grew up in the Tennessee Conference and became a great preacher; not profound, but a highly polished and eloquent pulpit orator. He was orthodox and useful. I had great respect for him. My license to preach bears his signature as presiding elder, February 13 1859. This was after his transfer to the Memphis Conference. About the time he became a "star." (we had no giraffes in that day) he was appointed Agent of the American Bible Society. He visited West Tennessee, which was part of his field. In the course of his travels he visited Memphis, where Rev. J. W. McFarland, father of our Hon. W. I. McFarland, was stationed. During the visit he got into a friendly dispute with Brother McFarland over the relative strength of the Tennessee and Memphis Conferences. Dr Slater was loyal to the " Old Jerusalem Conference" and clinched his argument by saying: "Now to prove that the Tennessee Conference is stronger than the Memphis, there are twenty men there that can beat me preaching." "Ugh!" said McFarland, "There are forty here that can do it." There was nothing more to say.
Away back in the fifties of the last century, or about that time, a great big, awkward boy, uneducated but bright and of great force of character, joined the Memphis Conference. His name was James B. McCutcheon. His friends called him Jim. During the first years of his ministry he operated in the Kentucky Pur-
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chase, at that time largely under the influence of the J. R. Graves order of Baptists. On one circuit, where the "Gravesites" as they were called, had great strength, Jim felt that he was at a disadvantage, but he determined that what he lacked in education and experience he would make up in some other way and hold his ground against all odds. A preacher up there by the name of Herrington made it part of his business to bluff and scare the young "Methodist circuit riders." Jim was warned of this man's tactics, and he prepared himself. In his first sermon at one of his churches Jim took occasion to say something about Mr. Graves's doctrine. Herrington was present. He jumped to his feet in an instant and said: "That is not so, sir. You shan't misrepresent Mr. Graves in that way." Jim looked at the man and asked, "is your name Herrington?" "Yes, sir; that is my name." "Can you spell 'baker'?" Herrington dropped like he was shot. "That's right," said Jim, "take your seat, get your lesson good, and when I come around again I'll turn you over to 'crucifix.'" Herrington didn't interrupt that young preacher again.
Old "Pap" Goode was a local preacher, tall and slender, fair of skin, and remarkably neat in his dress. He was a widower when I knew him. He never gained much from school books in his youth. He grew up with little learning and held his own all through life. He exercised his gifts principally among the negroes. Some of the things he preached to them they understood. It is doubtful whether they understood some other things. On one occasion be solemnly warned them against trifling with the salvation of their souls.
"Souls," said he, "are amazin' scace. You haven't got but one, and if you lose that you are gone. You can't get another." That was plain; the negroes understood. Preaching to Dr. Dandridge's negroes one night, the old man waxed warm and shouted out: "You must forsake your sins and turn to God, for I tell you God ain't going to save you roly boly." He had heard some preacher say that "God does not save men nolens volens." After dismission the Doctor said: "Pap, you used a Wrong word tonight. You said 'roly boly. '" He replied: "Maybe I did call it wrong, but I know what is right." "What is the right word?" asked the Doctor. "Why, it is rolus bolus." The negroes understood this last warning of the simple old man about as well as the majority of white people understand the educated preacher who talks about "inhuming cadavers" or the one who proposes"metaphysical disquisitions" on the plain Scripture texts, or the one who speaks of the mighty power of God "in rolling the universe along the brow of the everlasting hills."NASHVILLE, TENN.
November 21, 1913
Rev. MATTHEW H. NEELY, DD, born Warwick Co., Indiana March 6, 1836; moved to Texas when a boy; licensed to preach in Methodist Church in 1855; attended McKenzie College, 1855-1856 and entered the Methodist ministry in 1856.
November 28, 1913
No obituaries appeared in this issue.
December 5, 1913
Photograph of Rev. WILLIAM FRANKLIN LLOYD, DD, 1855-1913; page 18.
December 12, 1913
No obituaries appeared in this issue.
December 19, 1913
Miss MARY HELM died in Louisville, Ky., Nov. 12, 1913; editor of OUR HOMES.
December 26, 1913
Colonel S. A. CUNNINGHAM, editor of the CONFEDERATE VETERAN, born Bedford Co., Tenn., July 21, 1843; died December 20; 1913; Confederate veteran; established the magazine mentioned above in 1893. Cumberland Presbyterian.
Published in the CONFEDERATE VETERAN, volume 22, number 1, January 1914, page 6:
SUMNER ARCHIBALD CUNNINGHAM.
"The shadow of the wings of death
Broods over us; we feel his breath;
'Resurgam' still the spirit saith."Sumner A. Cunningham, soldier and journalist, so widely known as editor of the CONFEDERATE VETERAN, died at Nashville, Tenn., on December 20, 1913, after a brief illness. Death was due to a series of hemorrhages of the nose which sapped his vitality. Seemingly in the best of health, on December 17 the first hemorrhage came on as he was seated at his desk; and though he was given medical attention at once, he was much weakened by the loss of blood. However, he rested well that night and through Thursday, and friends expected that he would soon be well again; but a recurrence of the hemorrhages on Thursday night so reduced his strength that he could not recuperate, and he passed into unconsciousness, gently drifting over the dark river to join the comrades waiting on the other shore.
A devoted friend of many years, Mrs. Felix DeMoville, requested that his body should rest in her home until the funeral, and there it was taken on Saturday night. On Sunday morning a detail from Troop A, Forrest's Cavalry, acted as guard of honor, their colors drooping over him. On the casket was spread the worn old battle flag of the 12th Tennessee, Day's Battalion.
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