From the cradle to the grave

Conclusion

It was not the design of the writer when this commonplace sketch of biography was commenced to place it before the public. It was only our aim to chronicle some of the more important events of the pure, noble, useful, and holy life of our beloved son, Solon A. Howenstine, and form them into a neat manuscript to lay away with other relics of the dear departed one. But as the work of preparing the manuscript progressed, we reflected more and more on the fact that his beautiful life went out before it had reached the zenith of his manhood; and comparatively few had come under the influence of its effulgent rays. When we light a candle we must not put it under a bushel, but put it on a candle-stick, that all may see it, and be benefitted by the light thereof.

This is an age when mothers almost shudder at the thought of raising a boy; on account of the pernicious influences that are thrown around boys at such an early age. Good mothers fear and dread the period in life when the child first leaves the parental roof to attend the primary school, for fear that it will be robbed of its innocence and purity; and have its sweet child character contaminated. If anything that we have recorded in the following pages will aid in keeping these little ones from the corrupting influences of evil society, we will freelv give it to them. We give a brief history of this noble character; first as a child, then a youth, then as a young man, as a school teacher, a Sunday school superintendent, and as a farmer, and a carpenter, a candidate for office, and a minister of the gospel. And, through all these vicissitudes he was the same generous, noble, kind hearted christian gentleman, loved and esteemed bv all; and almost idolized by those who knew him best.

VI PREFACE.

There are many biographies written and published, but they are generally of those, who, have had many advantages in life. Such as high parentage, wealth, affluence, leisure, educational advantages in high schools, and colleges. But the subject of this little volume came up through the rough school of experiences and adorned, beautified, and sweetened all the common walks of life by his examples of patience, forbearance and brotherly kindness. And when he laid aside all his other vocations in life and concentrated all the power of his intellect and the benefit of his wide experience upon the ministry of the gospel, he met with a success seldom achieved by those of superior advantages. It is for the benefit of those who are hampered by circumstances and financially cramped, and with no resources but their own exertions, that we present the picture of this beautiful and useful life; that it may be transcribed on the tablet of memory and give impetus to the progress of generations to come.

LYDIA HOWENST1NE.

FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE.

Life of ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE.

Chapter I. Childhood And Parentage The Childhood Home

SPEAKING IN PUBLIC.

|g|OLON A. HOWENSTINE, was born November 29th, c |||x 1856, in Stark county, Ohio. His ancestry were of ^p German stock; from Hanover on his father's side, and from Prussia, on his mother's side. His earliest ancestor in America on his father's side, was George Howenstine, who emigrated to Lancaster county, Pa. , previous to the Revolutionary War, with his brother, John. They both enlisted in the service of the Colonists under General Washington. They were both taken prisoners by the British and John died of starvation and exposure; but George survived. He was an expert blacksmith and could shoe horses for the British officers with neatness and dispatch; for this reason he was better fed, and better cared for than the common prisoners. After the close of the war he married and became the father of six children, namely : John, George, William, Samuel, Elizabeth and Rosanna. Samuel, the grandfather of the subject of this little volume, married Barbara Bender, and there were eight children born to them, six of whom lived to maturity, Samuel Howenstine was a prominent member and elder in the pioneer Christian Church at Sparta, Stark county, O.: and his home was the comfortable retreat of the old pioneer preachers of Alexander Campbell's refor

IO FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE.

mation, and his amiable wife left nothing undone that would contribute to the comfort of such ministers as John Whitacre, Wilford A. Hall, author of ' 'Problem of Life," ' 'Microcosm," &c. , and Lockhart, Moss, Lisitor McBride, and many others.

The children they raised to maturity, were Henry, Mary, William, Isaac, Sarah and Caroline. William, the second son, married Lydia Kimmel, youngest daughter of David Kimmel, Esq. This young lady was twenty-two years of age when married and was a school teacher of more than ordinary success and a great lover of books; especially books of history, biography, and poetry; and had spent most of the meagre wages that teachers received in those days in the purchase of books and apparatus for teaching. We commenced housekeeping in a small, but neat frame cottage which stood on the east bank of the Nimeshilen river near the highway leading from Sandyville to Canton in Stark county, Ohio. The west bank of the river was a large and very steep hill, covered by a dense growth of trees and shrubbery, which made a most beautiful background to this rural picture. In this pleasant little home we lived till there were five children born into the family. The eldest was Solon A., the subject of this little sketch of biography. The second was Barbara E., who is the wife of Elder Arthur Gillespie. The third was Acenath, the wife of Wilbert J. Kaufman. The fourth, Winfield Scott, only brother of the deceased, and married to Alice Kiser. The fifth, Mary L. , wife of Everet Kaufman.

Solon was a slender, delicate child at his birth and before he was three months old he took a very malignant type of whooping cough, which came near terminating his baby existence; but by the skill and watchful care of Dr.

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTINE. II

D. L. Gants, our family physician, good nursing and the blessing of Providence, he was restored to health, and became a very bright and interesting child. He was the first grandchild in the Howenstine family, and was much beloved by all of its members, especially by his grandpa and his uncle, Henry Howenstine and wife, who were childless. As soon as little Solon could run about, his grandpa, who was a venerable old c 'soldier of the cross," would come and take him by the hand and take long walks on the banks of the river and would often come back carrying him in his arms wrapt in the sweet slumbers of childhood. It was in company with his grandpa that he learned many of his early lessons in natural history, and the geography of the old home farm and the surrounding neighborhood. And as he learned to admire the beauties of nature, he was steadily pointed through them to the great God who created them, and taught to love Him, because He created all things so good and so beautiful. But, alas ! these pleasant walks and talks soon came to an end, as do ail the joys ot earth. When Solon was in his fifth year and had a little sister to share his joys and sports, his dear old grandpa was called from time to eternity. And dear as he loved these little grand-children and his own beloved wife and family, relatives, neighbors, and the church over which he had the oversight for many years, he was glad to go, and * 'be absent from the body and present with the Lord." In his dying hour, after having put his hands on his little grand-children and blessing them, he sweetly sang :

"I would not live alway; I ask not to stay Where storm after storm rises dark o'er the way;

The few lurid mornings that dawn on us here Are enough for life's joys, full enough of its cheer."

Then he passed sweetly out of this world of sin and sorrow while some of the bystanders were finishing the hymn. Old Father Whitacre was requested to preach the funeral discourse, but he declined saying that he might as well undertake to preach at the funeral of his own father or brother, as that of Father Howenstine. They then procured the service of A. B. Way, of Alliance, Ohio. His remains were laid away in the the Green Ridge cemetery near the school house where Solon first went to school. After the death of his grandpa, he seemed more attached to his mamma than ever before, though his papa was very kind and affectionate toward him. No matter how busily we were engaged at work we would always take time to answer his' questions and explain things he did not understand. It was in the years that closely followed this event that his mother taught him many grand lessons regarding our duty to God and our fellow man. Such as the Golden Rule, the parable of the good Samaritan, and that of the Sower, and how the human heart is like a garden, with a soil that must be prepared to receive the good seed of the kingdom; and how it must be cultivated and the tares rooted out, in order to have an abundant harvest of fruit that will be fit for the Master's table. And also the story of Joseph, the faith of Abraham, the choice of Ruth, the jealousy of Haman, the promotion of Mordica, and many other lessons drawn from the little incidents of every day life. And also how it is possible to pray without ceasing, and in every thing give thanks.

About this time our boy had his first experience in going to the district school. His "guardian angel" or escort for the first term was Lizzie Hisem, an amiable and refined young lady that lived near by. His first school teacher or instructor in the common school was Rachel

Crisinger, who is now the wife of Rev. G. W. Sicafoose, presiding elder in the state of Washington. He went to school three terms to this estimable lady, who was in former years a pupil in his mother's school for four terms. And, it was under the tutorship of this lady that he took his first lessons in speaking or declaiming in school. His mother composed and taught him many little appropriate pieces to speak on these occasions, and in the last of the three terms, he occasionally went to a lyceum on Friday evenings, that was connected with the school. At one of these meetings little Solon spoke "The House that Jack Built," and when he came to the "rat that ate the malt" he pulled out of his pocket a large rat made of gray cotton ; f flannel, with head and feet and a real rat's tail; and amid cheers and laughter he said with emphasis, "and this is the rat that ate the malt that lay in the house that Jack built. " In long years after this, when he thought and spoke as a man and had almost forgotten these childish things, he was preaching at Beach Grove, in Allen county, Ind., when a strange lady came into the neighborhood to visit relatives. She came with them to church and was much interested in the manner in which the preacher presented the gospel, and enquired who he was; on being told that it was Solon Howstine, she exclaimed, "And is that Solon Howenstine! I saw him at the Green Ridge school house in Ohio when a small boy and heard him speak, 'The House that Jack built;' I said then that I'd bet we would hear from him in after years if he lived." Victor Burnet, a connection of the family of Wm. S. Howenstine, was his earliest playmate; and many an hour did they spend in the old mill yard on the river bank, with their sleds, carts, kites and driving hoops. And Sarah A. Haverland, whom he named "Bodie" for a pet name, was the Peggotta of his early childhood.

Before concluding this chapter I will give one more little incident illustrating his childish joys and sorrows. One bright summer morning his mamma started him and his little sister, Barbara, to school. They were as happy as the birds that caroled to them as they passed along, and their faces were as bright as the daisies that nodded to them by the wayside as they passed. When they got to 'Squire Howenstine's they set their dinner bucket down outside the gate and went in to wait for Mary, a little orphan girl that was living there. In a few minutes the trio came tripping out along the walk in high glee, when lo ! and behold ! a big old pig had eaten their dinner and rolled the pail down the hill. Then was heard a wail of sorrow equal to Rachel mourning for her children and refusing to be comforted because they were not. But these dear children were comforted; for good "Old Aunt Teeny" came out with her spectacles pushed back on her head and dropping words of love and pity at every step, and drove the naughty old pig away and gathered up the pail and lid and took them into the kitchen and washed them, and spread great slices of flaky bread with golden butter and put them in the pail with slices of cheese and ham and wiped away their tears and sent them on their way rejoicing. "Be ye doers of the word, not hearers only, and ye shall be likened unto a man who built his house upon a rock. " This term of school and the winter term following, taught by Harris Smith, of Bolivar, ended his school days in Ohio.

Be on duty every day

And let your words be mild, E'en if wrath beset your way * Speak gently to the child.

Chapter II. Experiences In A New Country Startling News — Car- Ried Home

IN THE month of February, 1862, Solon A. Howen- |B stine, with his parents, little brother, and sisters, removed ^ to Whitley county,. Ind. This was their first car ride and it was very novel and exciting to the children. The country was new and wild, and nearly everybody lived in log cabins. The house into which we moved was built of round logs with the bark on and hewn down on the inside, and the cracks between the logs were filled with clay mortar and ceiled with clapboards, and a great old fashioned chimney fire place, with a brick hearth, in the east end of the cabin. And when the children first entered the house they exclaimed, "O! what's that big hole for?" But they soon found out what it was for, by a bright cheerful fire being built in the "big hole." Here, the scenery was new to the children, and the boy, Solon, was in great glee on the new farm, helping his father tap sugar trees, boiling maple syrup, filling egg shells with hot sugar, and getting up wood for the fires, till at length the summer school commenced. A young lady, who came with the family from Ohio, was the teacher, and was a sister of his former lady teacher. It seemed to be a streak of good fortune that he had the best of teachers in his childhood which was a great advantage to him, in forming good habits and being genteel and polite. A very marked trait of character, in his school days, was to take the part and defend those who were abused by unruly schoolmates, or of those who were made sport of because they were poorly clad or dull of apprehension. This made him many warm friends and also some enemies. So far, in his life he never had the privilege of attending Sunday school, and here there was no Disciple Church nearer than Andrews, a distance of fifteen miles, but Solon with his sisters went occasionally to the Sunday school at the Methodist church two miles west of their home. Everything seemed to be going on pleasantly, but dark, sad days were coming.

At this time fever and ague prevailed in this locality to an alarming extent. His father was afflicted with this malady more or less for four or five years. Indeed it seemed as though he could scarcely get acclimated. And this threw many heavy burdens and much hard labor on Solon and his mother, but with grit and courage we persevered and kept things moving indoors and out. His father brought a large and very gentle grey horse from the old Buckeye state, and the boy would stand on a box and harness him, and hitch to a sled and go to the field and get a load of corn, when his father was sick. When he was eight years old he would mount this horse and ride four miles for the doctor or medicine and the mail, and once in this trying time he rode six miles on a strange road to do an errand and did not return till quite a while after dark. We were very uneasy concerning him; thought perhaps he had taken the wrong road and got lost. We stood outside of the cabin waiting, watching and listening as anxious parents will, when at length we heard the sound of horse's hoofs and the boy whistling and singing as though darkness and strange roads were no terror to him. When his father looked so pale and weak and discouraged he would often say, "papa just stay in the house and lay down on the bed and read the papers, we will get along all right with the out-door work." His father at this time took the i 'New York Tribune/' edited by Horace Greely, and the "American Agriculturist," edited by Orange Judd. The war of the rebellion was still going on, and young as the boy was he could hardly wait till the papers came to hear the news of the war. And on Sunday morning following that eventful day, the i4th of April, 1865, when a neighbor passed by and informed the family that President Lincoln was assassinated, he was almost wild with grief and excitement -and exclaimed, "Where will they get a man wise and good enough to fill his place?" We explained to him that the vice president would be made president and fill his place, but perhaps not so efficiently as Mr. Lincoln himself. The summer passed with its bright days and dark ones, with its sunshine and showers, and the father still in poor health, and Solon, the little "man of all work" did not get to school but a few days; but we still kept encouraging him, by telling him that, he was growing so large and strong that when the winter school commenced he could go every day, though it was a mile and a half distant. But these plans were laid, and bright hopes entertained only to be frustrated; for the children had only gone to the winter school three weeks when a malignant whooping cough broke out in the school and a few cases proved fatal. There were five children to have this unpleasant and lingering disease, for another little sister had come to liye in the family; Ollie was her name and is now

1 8 FRCM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE,

the wife of Ingram Merriman. We plainly saw that our winter's work was "cut out;" and by the time that they had the disease a week or two, it took the father and mother and Solon to take care of them. But our little hero was not discouraged, but kept bright and cheerful and would sit with his book or paper in his hand and rock the cradle or hold the baby, and bring in the wood and keep up the fires, and have a word of cheer for each of the little sufferers. His dear brother, Winfield Scott, took pneumonia and lay for weeks under the doctor's care, struggling between life and death. But, at length, as the winter began to wane and the sunbeams of early spring came to kiss the :Spots of grass where the snow had melted away, life began to get the mastery, and the monster, Death, had to beat a hasty retreat. Now, everything began to look brighter and the home had a more cheerful aspect. The father could begin to leave the house and go to his outdoor work, as the tired and careworn mother was relieved of some of her labor by a lady friend. Callie Finkenbinder, now Mrs. G. W. Howenstine, who came to stay a few weeks. One bright morning while there was still some snow and ice on the ground, Mr. Hovenstine went into the barn lot with his son, Solon, to load a large walnut log, and just as they were palling it up with the horses, a neighbor, Bushnel by name, came up unobserved behind the log, and just at that instant the chain broke, and the log rolled back with great force and rapidity over the man, with nothing to break its force and weight but a heavy fence rail, breaking one of his legs, crushing his shoulder, and almost mashing his skull. Mr. Howenstine uttered an awful shriek which alarmed some of the neighbors, but immediately he and Solon picked up the mangled man and carried him to the house. Mr. Howenstine held him by the shoulders and Solon by the feet; and as they carried him along Solon kept saying, "Papa, he's a dying; papa he is dying;" but never flinched or let go his hold till they were met at the porch by his mother and friend, Callie. Then there was nothing else to be done but to take this mangled man in the house among the convalescing children and have his limbs set and his wounds dressed as soon as a surgeon could be procured. But, in six or eight hours it was all gone through with and the man made as comfortable as possible and carried home on a single bed, and the children did not seem much the worse, at least none of them took a relapse. These events or circumstances may seem monotonous to some of my readers, but I relate them mainly, to portray the sad experiences which Eld. S. A. Howenstine passed through in the first decade of his life.

"Where the heart of happy childhood

Is the home where virtue dwells."

Chapter III. Removals A Large Family Interesting Evenings

"Not content, but ever pressing To the goal of hearts desire."

^jf^FTER the occurence of the events related in the fore-

( \ g°i n g chapter, Mr. Howenstine became dissatisfied / / \ ^^ with the place, on account of so much sickness and

bad luck, and the inconvenience of church and school. He would often say that the children would never get an education as long as we stay here. And from this time he began to look out lor some one who wished to purchase a farm. In the spring following, he heard of one of his old neighbors, John Henry, moving to the county. As soon as they arrived he went to visit them and told them of his intention of selling out. Mr. Henry came and saw the farm and was quite well pleased with it, and in a few weeks came and purchased it. Two years before, Mr. Howenstine had built a room to the south side of the cabin with a loft, and a porch to the east. The spring was opening pleasantly, and men were busy at work on their farms, and of course Mr. Henry wanted possession of his farm. Mr. Howenstine failed in getting a house at this time that would be convenient for him to come and cut his harvest. So Mr. Henry concluded to move in the south room of the cabin, where they thought they could live till

LIFE OF ELD. S. A. HOWENSTlNE. 21

after harvest, by putting some of their goods in the corn house., Sister Henry was a disciple; a member of the old pioneer church at Sparta, Ohio, and was the mother of ten children, all living when they moved in with the Howenstines'. This brought sixteen children together, as it were, in one family. The mothers did not lament for more room or better accommodations, but the lament was that the church of their choice was fifteen miles away and how could they bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. But two women's heads put together always accomplishes something. They wrote a letter to Brother Shortrage, of Wabash, Ind., asking him to come and preach for them occasionally at the school house in their own district. With much joy they received an answer in the affirmative. And that summer the first Disciple meeting was held in that vicinity. Brother Shortrage was a plain, earnest, logical preacher and drew together a good audience of attentive hearers, and before the year closed Mr. Henry, his oldest daughter, and a number of others, heard and obeyed the gospel, were baptized and arose to walk in newness of life. This family of twenty persons lived here in perfect peace and harmony for five months. Of course the children would sometimes have little difficulties about their playthings, but they were never taken up and brooded over by the parents who were day by day teaching their children to live in peace with all men, and do good to all, especially to the household of faith.

Sister Henry was a woman who talked much on religious subjects and could quote almost any passage of scripture she ever read, and. Solon was so interested in these subjects that he would leave the sports and plays, the children were engaged in, and come and listen to these talks. The oldest son of the Henry family was Calvin C. Henry, who is now proprietor of the South Whitley saw mills. About the middle of August the Howenstine family removed to the school district north of their former home, known as the Bash school. Here Solon was a schoolmate and became an intimate friend of Elder Edmund Miller, of whom we shall have occasion to speak in some following chapter. From this school he passed into the Washington Center school and from there, by another removal, to the school at Mering Corners, which was then being taught by Dr. Trembly, of Larwell. Here his father purchased what was known as the "Old Beckley farm" on the northwest corner of which, the aforesaid school house was located, and went heavily in debt in order to get a home convenient to school and church, and for the first time in the history of our family did the children have the opportunity of attending Sunday school regularly, There was no church building in this vicinity when we came to the place; all the public meetings were held at the school house.

The young people had a literary society in session when we came to the place. This was very encouraging to the children. Solon said it reminded him of the "Old Green Ridge Lyceum." Our home was less than a mile from the village of Forest or Laud, as the postoffice was called. Here were places where men and boys would resort to spend their evenings in talking, smokmg, whittling telling stories and playing games. Now the question was how to interest these children and especially the boys, the older of which was fourteen and the younger nine, so that they would have no desire to go to these places to spend their evenings. In the first place their father set the example of being at home evenings, unless business called him away.

I would mention here that the father was very short of means and labored very hard every day in order to send the children to school, and would do his chores and errands after it was too dark to work in the fields.

This left most of the evening training and amusing of the children to the mother. We would pull out the old fashioned table, put up the leaves, place a bright light in the center, and get the children all around it with their books and slates, and paper and pencils; and ' 'mamma'' was the lexicographer, the speller, the mathematician, the historian and almost everything to the children.

In order to get them interested in history and geography, she would tell them stories of the Pharaos of Egypt, the kings of Babylon and Ninevah; of Cyrus, Cnmbysis and Cyaxarus. Of the great wisdom and eloquence of Cicero, Damosthenes, Solon, and Lycurgus; and of the heroic deeds of Washington, Grant, Garfield, Sherman and many other men and women of talent and valor.

She was their advisor as to their company, the books that they should read and the games that it was proper to engage in. Their parents taught them that dancing in itself, with the sexes separate, is a harmless amusement; but as it is practiced in this country, and in this age of the world's history, with late hours, improper clothing and the commingling of the sexes and also with the use of strong drinks, and rich viands all combined, it is a great evil, and often the destruction of young people belonging to the best of families. And also that gambling whether it be with cards, horse racing or selling baking powder, &c. , is the devils work just dressed up in a differc it garb, to make an innocent appearance.

"With books or work or healthful play,