Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.pdf/662

 COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES stu d ies; thcncc, in the fall o f 1848. he en­ tered the university at Lewisburg, P a., the collegiate de{>artiTicnt, and graduated in 1853 with the second honors o f his class. Soon a fte r he took clu rg e of the Logan A'allcy Baptist Church, in B lair county. Pa., where he had an opportunity to study theology, hav­ ing the use of the library o f Kcv. .A. IC Bell. On .Aug. 15, 1854, he married Hannah, daugh­ ter o f John I>cen. S r., o f Danville, .and shortly a fte r accepted a call to the Huntingdon Baptist Clm rch. entering upon his laliors in the autumn. There he had arduous duties, preach­ ing three times on Sunday, and also through the week, and spent the greater part o f (he winter in protracted meetings in his own field, and assisting at meetings in ncighlmring churches. Ilis labors were greatly blessed, and large numbers were converted and added to the church. He remained pastor for over fo u r years, during which time he w as in­ strumental in organizing the Spruce Crcck Baptist Church. In the fall o f 1858. at the earnest desire of the Center Baptist .Asso­ ciation. he enlereil ujion missionary w ork and spent over a year in earnest and self-denying lalior with the feeble destitute churches and in destitute pLaces. T he calls for his labors w ere numerous and pressing, and were abundantly blcssc<l in the salvation o f many souls. H e next accepted a call to the First Baptist Church at Danville, where he began h is duties as pastor .April i. t86o. Here he rcnrairieil for two years amid the excitement of the Civil w ar. He then became pastor of the law rcn cevillc Baptist Church, in Chester county, in .April. 1862. where he had a field o f lalior which taxed all his energies, and at that time, though he never entered the army, took a deep interest in supporting the gnvcm m cni. H aving spent two years there he ac­ cepted a call in the spring o f 1864 to the P itts Grove Baptist Church. Salem county, ,V. J .. where he reaped abundant han'csts in the building up o f (he church. I a the spring o f 1867 he returned to Danville that he might g iv e some attention to his w ife 's estate, and si>eiit the greater part of the following seven y e ars in preaching for the destitute churches in the Northumberland Association. During th is time he w as instrumental in reorganizing the Sunbury Baptist Church, und also in organizing the first Baptist Church at Sham okin. In the spring o f 1874 he ac­ cepted a call and became pastor of the Afartton Baptist Church, in N ew Jerse y, where he rem ained .about four years, and in .Anril. 1878. took up his labors as pastor of the Bethlehem

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Baptist Clmrch, in Hunterdon county, N. J ., where he continued for eight years. During that period he gave much time lo Sunday school and I ’roliibition work. In the fall o f 1885 he w as chosen moderator of the Central .New Je rse y Baptist .Association, at Baptistown, and in the spring o f t 880 closed his labors with the Bethlehem Church and re­ turned to Danville. A fte r returning to Dan­ ville he did not have ch aise o f any church, but frequently w as engaged with temporary services to various churches in the Northum­ berland Baptist Association. He reached the age o f eighty-nine years, his death occurring Ja n. 26, 19 13 . H is mental faculties remained clear until the last week o f his life. T h e lat­ ter years of his life he s]icnt with his son Judson. H is w ife passed aw ay Dec. 2 1. 1899. at the age o f seventy-eight years. T hey had two children, Adoniram Judson and AVilliam C, the latter dying .March 18, 1864. M rs. Hannah (D ecn) Still w as born at Dan­ ville, Dee. 28, i 8 j o, ilaughtcr o f John Deen, who w as l>orn l>ec. 2 2, 17 8 3 . in Pennsylvania, o f Scotch origin. His father was an old sea captain and w*as lost at sea. H is mother, Eleanor (F ra z ie r), w as a native o f Scotland. Sh e married John Wilson, and died in Dan­ ville, Oct. I, 18 2 7, in her sixty-sixth y e a r; she w as buried in the old Presbyterian ccmetery. John Dccn lived at Danville with his uncle, m n ic l Frazier, with whom he came from Philadelphia in 179 0. H is uncle's log house was on the hillside a little east o f Bloom street, near the present site of the Reform ed Church, his farm covering the ground that is now the Fourth ward. Here, at the shorticrmcd subscription schools. John ac<|uired what education he possessed. In 17 9 6 he was apprenticed lo Mr. Hendrickson to lcam blacksmithing. (.atcr he followed fanning. In 1809 he nurried M ary Flack, daughter of Hugh and Susan Mack, who w as Imrn near Washingtonville, in .April, 17 8 5 . The Flacks were a large family, o f Irish extraction, and their dcsccnd.ants arc intermarried with nu n y o f (he pioneer families. In 18 0 9 Mr. l>cen and w ife came to Danville. T he town w as then a mere hamlet o f lug buildings scattcrc<l over the territory west o f what is now Church street .and south of the canal. H e located on the corner now occupied by W. G. Shoop. where he lived until 1 8 1 4. Here he had his smith sh o p; here three o f his children w'crc born, v iz .: Thoma.s {w h o died at the age o f five y e ars), John and J u l u .Ann. H e then purchased ground on the opposite side of the street o f Daniel MontK<»mcry. and thereon