USA > West Virginia > A history of the Church of the Brethren in the first district of West Virginia > Part 13
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He was a good man. His children say that he never whipped them, but he was firm and just, so that they respected and
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obeyed his word. He never scolded. Always before breakfast he would read from the Bible and then all would kneel in prayer. As many revivals were then held in wintertime, he would be gone many weeks in winter and the family would carry on the work while he was gone. His travel was mostly done afoot, often a trip of seventy or ninety miles into "the wilderness," as he called it, where no one else cared to go. He always took his family to church and the weather was never too bad. He had great oratorical powers.
Fike, Olonzo Paul
Olonzo, son of Emra and Rebecca Umbel Fike, was born near Eglon, West Virginia, on September 13, 1916, the youngest child and only living son of his parents. He accepted Christ and was baptized at the Maple Spring church on September 12, 1924; was licensed to preach at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on May 9, 1934; was installed into the ministry May 20, 1935, at Harrisburg; and was ordained to the eldership September 10, 1943, in the Maple Spring church.
The first five years of his ministry were given to the Eglon congregation. For two and one-half years he served as pastor of the Terra Alta co-operative Brethren church. In the summer of 1944 he accepted the pastorate of the Bear Creek church in West- ern Maryland. He served one summer (1938) as summer pastor in the Knobley church in West Virginia, and he has done evange- listic work in the home district.
On June 15, 1938, he was united in marriage to Ardith Wot- ring, and they are the parents of two children, twins, born May 9, 1939, John Paul and Evangeline Joy Fike.
In addition to his ministerial duties Olonzo holds a full-time position as sanitarian with the Maryland State Board of Health. Since 1941 the family has resided at Mt. Lake Park, Maryland. Fike, Samuel A.
Five generations before Samuel, the Fike family came from Hanover, Germany. His grandfather joined the Church of the Brethren. His father, Peter, gave his entire life to the church. After Peter's marriage to Magdalena Arnold of Burlington, daughter of Samuel Arnold, God blessed their home with four sons and six daughters; three of the sons were ministers and the fourth was a deacon in the church. The ministers were Samuel, Moses, and Aaron.
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Samuel was the oldest son and grew to manhood on the farm. When twenty-three years old he was married to Rachael Snyder. The following October he united with the Church of the Breth- ren and soon afterwards, in 1854, moved to the Eglon vicinity near his father, becoming with his father and his brothers pio- neer settlers of the church in those parts.
He was born December 22, 1820, made a deacon in 1854, elected to the ministry in 1856 at an election held by Elder John Kline, and in 1861 he was ordained and placed in charge of the German Settlement (Eglon) congregation, over which he re- tained the eldership until his death on May 7, 1905-forty-four years of. faithful service. He preached two hundred sixty-three funerals, baptized two hundred seven applicants, served twice on Standing Committee, assisted in the organization of many con- gregations, and rode many miles through the mountains of West Virginia on his horse, Bill, to preach the Word of the Lord.
His fatherly disposition enabled him to be a good elder and he had charge of a number of congregations. People loved him and looked for his coming. He had a strong physique and tired little from his long journeys. His delivery was vigorous and demonstrative. He would take off his coat when preaching and lay it on the table before him. Once when bringing his fist down upon the table as he was reaching a climax, he hit his watch and smashed it to pieces. His brethren called him the "Son of Thunder," because of his fearlessness and earnestness.
By his first wife he had twelve children. Jonas, Tobias, and John were ministers, while Levi and Peter were deacons. His manner of life was simple. He was absorbed in another king- dom. His temper was so even that his children say they never saw him angry. He was a great servant of the Lord and even now, forty years after his death, his name is almost legendary in West Virginia. His funeral was from the Maple Spring church, conducted by Elder G. S. Arnold.
Fike, Samuel K.
Bro. S. K. Fike was another of the West Virginia ministers who served a great deal outside of the state. He was born in Preston County, West Virginia, near Eglon on March 8, 1864. On October 16, 1884, he was married to Emma S. Hendrickson. He was elected to the ministry in the Maple Spring church, moved to Garrett County, Maryland, and served the Maple
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Grove church as elder and pastor for nine years. The family moved to the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 1906; he served the Peach Blossom church as elder until his death on July 15, 1918. He also served some of the adjoining churches and was very active in evangelistic work. Apart from church work he was a blacksmith and a farmer. To them were born five children.
Fike, Tobias
Tobias was born near Eglon in 1856, son of Samuel A. Fike. He was elected to the ministry in 1888, advanced to the second degree in 1889, and ordained to the eldership in 1891. Many of his years of ministry were given in the vicinity of his later home near Thurmont, Maryland. There he died in 1938.
Finnell, Virgil C.
Bro. Finnell was baptized at Buffington, West Virginia, in the Monongahela River by Elder William Murphy on May 14, 1893; elected to the ministry in the Mt. Union (Morgantown) congre- gation, on September 14, 1901. He is well known and has served the church well outside the district and very well in the field of education through his work in the No-Tobacco League. This sketch is merely to recognize him as a West Virginia boy who has made good.
Flannagan, Robert
Bro. Flannagan was elected to the ministry in 1903 in the Red Creek congregation, at the Bethel church. In 1910 he was advanced to the second degree. He never did much preaching but loved and served the church as best he could. There are some who believe that his father or his grandfather was also a minister.
Frantz, Charley
Bro. Frantz spent the early years of his ministry in the Greenland and Knobley congregations. He was ordained in 1886, and he and William George served jointly as elders of the Greenland congregation for some time, or until about 1894. Then Bro. Frantz served alone until 1903, when he resigned to move west.
George, T. Ezra
Bro. Ezra George is a native of West Virginia, a man of large ability, who has served outside the district. At present he serves the pastorate at Goshen, Indiana.
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George, William
Bro. William George was born January 16, 1817, and died May 27, 1899. He married Lydia Ann Michaels, sister of Elder William Michaels of the Greenland congregation. To this union were born eleven children. The sixth child, Rachael, married Dan Ludwig, whose son Berzy is a minister. Betty married Taylor Martin, and their son Charles was a minister. Many oth- ers of the family of children, grandchildren, and great-grand- children were great church workers. William was a very faith- ful worker in the church and to him belongs largely the credit for the Knobley congregation and her progress for nearly fifty years.
William, before conversion, was a dance leader. One night upon returning home from a dance, he saw standing in the chimney corner a man dressed in white. This man talked to William, and never again did William go to a dance. Soon after- wards he was converted and used his musical talent to teach music in the church. He was a very muscular and strong man, and when he hired someone to work for him, he told him that he was not expected to keep up with him. Yet he was very tender- hearted, and though a successful lover of fishing, he always killed all live bait before fishing, knowing it had feeling and a sense of pain.
He was very friendly, though the children say that they never saw him laugh aloud, nor did they see him angry. He died of facial cancer.
Grapes, Charles E.
To George W. and Mary Jane Saville Grapes of Hampshire County this son, Charles, was born September 22, 1891. This lineage of Brethren heritage reaches back through Grandfather Isaac and Grandfather Jonathan Grapes, in whose barn the first Brethren meetings were held in what is now the Tear Coat congregation.
Charles was baptized in Tear Coat in 1905, elected to the min- istry in 1910, advanced to the second degree in 1915, ordained to the eldership in 1919.
He served the Tear Coat congregation until 1924, the Bean Settlement congregation from 1916 to 1924. In 1924 he left West Virginia. While in West Virginia he served in the mission field from 1914 to 1924, and also served on the mission board.
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He was united in marriage to Ada F. Bucklew, daughter of Silas Bucklew of Hampshire County. They moved to Southern Pennsylvania in 1924. He has served as pastor at Lost Creek and Chambersburg. At present they are at Greencastle.
Guthrie, Joseph
Joseph, son of William and Mariah Guthrie, one of a family of twelve children, was born in 1846 near Hazelton, West Vir- ginia. There he lived as a farmer and minister until his death in 1912. Early in life he became a member of the Church of the Brethren. He served as a deacon for many years; in 1880 he was elected to the ministry and was later elected to the eldership of the Sandy Creek congregation.
In 1870 he was married to Hannah Kelly and to this union were born six children: Charles Allen, who was twice married, first to Emma Spiker, and second to Flossie Speorlien; Martha Ellen, who married Rev. George W. Van Sickle; Samuel Floyd, who married Rosa Barnes; Mary, who married Oren Van Sickle; Sarah, who married David Van Sickle; and Frank, who married Millie Knox.
Bro. Guthrie served well his church in his time.
Hamstead, Obed
Bro. Hamstead was elected to the office of deacon in 1892, elected to the ministry in 1893, advanced to the second degree in 1894, and ordained to the eldership in December 1897. This was in the Maple Spring congregation, where he spent most of his life and ministry. He has served as elder of the Seneca and Greenland congregations, and of the Shiloh congregation in the Second District. In 1927, feeling the call to devote more time to the ministry, he and his family left the farm at Eglon and ac- cepted the call to the pastorate of the Morgantown church, where he served for ten years, and where he still resides.
Harsh, Alva C.
Bro. Alva Harsh was born September 29, 1910, near Eglon, West Virginia, to Jesse and Effie Fike Harsh. He attended grade school at Eglon, high school at Aurora, college at Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, and seminary at Bethany in Chicago. He was baptized August 13, 1921, licensed to preach May 26, 1928, and installed May 31, 1931. On June 6, 1934, he was married to Mary Hykes, who was to him a loving and helpful companion.
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They served as pastors at Petersburg and Greenland from June 1934 to July 1936, at which time they answered the call of their church to serve in China. They served there until De- cember 2, 1937, when they disappeared from the mission station at Show Yang. The town was under the military control of the Japanese and had been for about a month. That evening a young girl came to the missionaries with an urgent request for them to come to her home. Alva and Mary and Minneva Neher secured permission from the authorities and responded to the call. From this call of duty they never returned. Dr. Y. T. Hsing, a Chinese co-worker, says of them: "Their last act of kindness, so far as we know, was to go out at night to help oth- ers, and they never returned. We are sure that their work on earth is done, and that they have safely arrived at their heavenly home." Bro. C. D. Bonsack, former secretary of the General Mission Board, asks, "Shall we let them die in vain, or shall we here and now dedicate our lives to that higher call to help the need of a world that suffers for love, guidance and God?" A memorial service was held in the Maple Spring church for them on August 7, 1938. The September 26, 1938, issue of the Gospel Messenger was dedicated and devoted to them.
Harsh, Norman
Bro. Norman was born June 27, 1926, near Eglon, West Vir- ginia, to Jesse and Effie Fike Harsh. He was licensed to the min- istry on August 9, 1942, at the Maple Spring church and or- dained in September 1943. Since his licensing he has been preaching in the local and near-by churches. At present he is taking his college work on the accelerated basis at Manchester College, Indiana. He loves rural life and aspires to serve the rural church and community.
Harman, Asa
Bro. Asa, son of Solomon and Elizabeth Harman, was born October 31, 1834, in the Harman Hills of Pendleton County. In 1856 he married Elizabeth, daughter of Jonas and Mary Rohr- baugh Cooper. She died and in 1863 he married her sister, Bar- bara Cooper. Their children were Clay, Job, Mary, Daniel, Mar- tin, Jason, Simon, and Asa. His home was in Randolph County near the present town named for him, Harman, West Virginia. At one time he owned two thousand acres of land and divided it among his children. In his later years he met with financial
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reverses which interfered with the education of some of his children who were attending the university. This came through sacrificing his home work for the ministry.
He was reared in a United Brethren home, but after moving to Harman he became interested in the Church of the Breth- ren. A sermon by S. A. Fike on the text, "Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only," opened a good many things to him. After the service he entered into a lengthy argument with Bro. Fike, and some who heard it remarked, "It won't be long now until he is in the church." Others who heard it said, "By the way he argues, it doesn't seem he will ever be in." But he was trying to get light and soon he was in the church, and within a few years had become one of the leading ministers in the state, so his contemporaries said.
In John Kline's notes we find: "Sept. 3, 1859, Asa Harman is elected speaker." At that time the Harman field included all of the present congregation, and Red Creek, Seneca, and Circle- ville, now a part of Second Virginia. He traveled extensively over that field, and elsewhere. He died in 1902, leaving a con- gregation and a family to carry on the work of the church.
Harman, Ellsworth
Bro. Ellsworth is of the third generation of ministers in the Harman family, his father and his grandfather, Asa, having been ministers. He is the oldest child of Simon and Nettie Sny- der Harman. Graduating from Bridgewater College he came home to work at home and in the home church during the sum- mer, sometimes teaching away from home during the winter. At present he teaches near home, and takes his turn in the home pulpit on Sunday.
Harman, Simon P.
Bro. Simon, the third child of Rev. Asa Harman, was born on Horse Camp Run, near the present site of Harman, West Vir- ginia. He married Nettie Snyder, daughter of Capt. Sampson Snyder, and is at present a prominent farmer and stock raiser. His children are Ellsworth (a minister), Iva, Carrie, Snyder, Harry, and Twila. He never exercised in the ministry very much, feeling that his work was farming, and that the minister should be one who could give more time to, and be paid for, his services. He learned from his father's experience that one
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cannot be an extensive farmer and give much time to the min- istry. He and his family are faithful, energetic workers in the church.
Hesse, Clarence G.
Bro. Hesse was born in Grant County, West Virginia, on Sep- tember 6, 1887, the son of Charles and Catherine Hamstead Hesse. He was married to Myrtle Idleman of his home congregation on August 11, 1920. He united with the church at Greenland in Jan- uary 1905, was elected deacon in September 1907, and minister in September 1909.
His school record is: Bridgewater College, A. B., 1917; Crozer Seminary, B. D., 1919; University of Pennsylvania, M. A., 1920. He has served the church as pastor at Bethany in Philadelphia, Norristown, Pennsylvania, Somerset, Pennsylvania, and at Bridgewater, Virginia. He served as president of the National Pastors' Association for a number of years. His ministry has been outside the state of West Virginia.
Hockman, India
Bro. India has resided at Romney, Franklin, and elsewhere, but his home and his home church were in his thinking the White Pine church and community. He now serves that church as pastor and elder.
Hockman, P. Stein
Bro. Hockman, son of John W. and Savilla Alice Hockman, was born at Hoy, West Virginia, on July 28, 1892. He united with the church in 1904 and in 1917 was married to Grace E. McGee of Rada. To this union eleven children have been born, eight of whom are already members of the church, as are also the three sons-in-law; one son is in C.P.S. work in the mental hospital at Sykesville, Maryland.
Licensed to preach in 1928, ordained in 1929, and advanced to the eldership in 1930, he has served in the free ministry in the White Pine and Tear Coat congregations. He is affiliated with the Clean Life League of America and in 1930 and for four years thereafter served as state superintendent. Since then he has been more or less active as a lecturer in that field.
Holsinger, Amos S. A.
Amos Holsinger was born November 21, 1888, and was in-
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stalled into the ministry March 28, 1918. He served as summer pastor at the White Hall church in 1919 and at the Sand Ridge church, Ohio, in 1921, as student pastor at Nashville, Tennessee, 1922-23. He was ordained to the eldership in 1928 and has served as presiding elder in the Beaver Run congregation much of the time since then. On August 1, 1923, he married Bessie Wright Arnold, daughter of Elder George S. Arnold, and they have since then made their home on the old Arnold homestead. He has been active in the ministry in the home congregation, and also in the service of the district, serving as clerk of the elders' body since 1939 and on Standing Committee in 1944.
Huffman, Jacob S.
From a long line of faithful Brethren horseback preachers, who often crossed from the Valley of Virginia to the mountains and valleys of West Virginia, Zigler as well as Huffman fore- bearers, Jacob was born on December 27, 1911, to John D. and Annie Zigler Huffman, near New Market, Virginia.
Jacob united with the church at the age of eleven and at the age of eighteen was licensed to preach in the Unity congregation in Virginia. He graduated from Bridgewater College in 1933 and then taught school near his home for three years, taking his turn preaching in his home church.
In September 1935 he was married to Olive Fike, daughter of Ezra Fike of Eglon. He then taught school two years in Preston County, West Virginia, and followed that with two years in the medical school at Morgantown. During those years he often preached in the Maple Spring and Morgantown churches. He finished his medical degree at Richmond and his internship at Roanoke, Virginia, during which time he used a large percentage of his Sundays doing religious work.
Both he and his wife, being eager to serve some needy com- munity in the practice of medicine and some needy church in a helpful way, were glad to find such a place in the mountains of West Virginia, at Harman, where they have a busy medical practice and have been serving in the Harman congregation since July 1, 1943. They have two children, Eleanor Ann and Harold Ezra.
Idleman, Russell T.
Bro. Idleman came to the end of his life in the Memorial hos-
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pital in Harrisonburg, Virginia, following an operation. Born in Grant County, West Virginia, on April 26, 1871, he was the son of Simon P. and Sarah Lyon Idleman, deceased, and brother of Mrs. J. H. Cassady, Mrs. C. G. Hesse, Mrs. Willye A. Poling, Misses Ollie and Loretta Idleman.
As a lad he was of a thoughtful mind, and observing others falling into bad habits, resolved that he would keep himself free from those things, which he did. He united with the church at the age of seventeen and lived faithfully. Prayer was to him vital breath and native air.
He entered Juniata College in 1894 and thereafter for fifteen years taught school in Grant County. In 1900 he was called to the ministry by his home church, and was later ordained. On August 29, 1909, he married Amanda Weaver of Somerset County, Pennsylvania, and immediately they went to the Ten Mile church in the Western District of Pennsylvania, where he faithfully served the rest of his life, loving the small and needy places of the church. Four children were born to them: Ruth, Sara, Mabel, and a boy who died in infancy. His last sermons were preached in his old home church on August 8, 1938.
Johnson, Albert
Bro. Albert Johnson was called to the ministry in the Green- land congregation.
Johnson, Otis W.
Bro. Johnson was elected to the ministry in the Sunnyside congregation on April 22, 1922, and served in that congregation until the Keyser congregation was formed. Since then he has lived in the latter congregation, kept a butcher shop, worked in the Sunday school, and served in the ministry in the outlying places where needed.
Johnson, Ross
Ross was born in Preston County, near Eglon, August 5, 1897, and was elected to the ministry in the Greenland congre- gation about 1923 or 1924. He attended normal school at Eglon and Potomac State College and has taught about twenty years. At present he lives on his farm near Laurel Dale, and takes care of the preaching at the Oak Dale and Brick churches. Jones, Ollie P.
At Eglon, West Virginia, on March 4, 1894, to Charles and
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Tobitha Fike Jones, Ollie was born. He took life's challenge seriously and worked hard to prepare himself for greater service to the church and the community.
He began teaching school in 1911, attended Mt. Morris Acad- emy in 1917-18, served as a conscientious objector during World War I, doing dairy farm work near Richmond, Virginia, in 1918. He was installed into the ministry in 1919, entered Blue Ridge College in September 1919, did home mission work during the summer of 1920 in Monroe County, West Virginia, and the same kind of work in Preston County in the summer of 1921.
He married Edna Dotter on September 5, 1922. He taught school in 1922-23, completed his college work at Blue Ridge in June 1925, and taught high school in West Virginia five years. Since 1930 he has served as principal of the schools in Kitzmiller, Maryland.
Perhaps his greatest contribution has been through his serv- ing as manager of Camp Galilee at Terra Alta. During his pe- riod of service there he has paid off a large indebtedness and es- tablished the camp on a sound basis. He has given himself un- reservedly to serving the good of the camp and her great pur- pose. He is most careful for the comfort of the campers, and eager that the spirit of the "Galilean Accent" be maintained.
Kelly, Nelson
Bro. Kelly lived in the Russeldale community of the White Pine congregation. He gave the land for and built the church now called Kelly Chapel. There he lived and preached and served as elder.
He was born August 5, 1848, and died July 20, 1920. He was a prosperous farmer and stock raiser, with a family of two sons and seven girls. He was married twice. He was buried in the Kelly graveyard on the farm owned by his father, Henry Kelly. The funeral was conducted by Elder B. W. Smith.
Keplinger, Edgar
Born near Maysville, West Virginia, he married Nellie Barger, daughter of Frank Barger of Jordan Run. They have lived since their marriage with the Barger family. Bro. Keplinger came in- to the Church of the Brethren from the United Brethren Church. Soon afterwards he was called to the ministry and he has served
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his congregation in that office according to his talent. He has loved the church and believed strongly in her doctrine.
Leatherman, Ernest
Bro. Ernest was elected to the ministry in the Knobley con- gregation August 19, 1916, and after serving a time in his home congregation, moved to Mt. Airy, Maryland, where he died.
Leatherman, George W.
Elder G. W. Leatherman was born July 2, 1835, the son of John Leatherman and wife, near Burlington, West Virginia. He was baptized in November 1867 by Solomon Biser. His first marriage was in 1856 to Mary Whip, and his second marriage was to Caroline Thrush. He was elected to the ministry about 1884, and was ordained not long afterwards. He died October 8, 1905, at the age of seventy.
About the year 1885 he moved into the New Creek Valley and settled on a farm about four miles above Keyser. He took the lead in building what was known as the Leatherman church, which was the mother church in that valley. Over a period of twenty years, ending with his death, he was the presiding elder of the congregation known as New Creek.
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