Bragg, Charles I.
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- Bragg, Charles I.
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CHAR1 ES
BRAGG.
I was born February 21, 1877 in
Dunde e
Township, Monro e County, r,iichi gan, the fifth son of
Levi and Car r ie Bragg.
My father Levi F. Bragg ,
was t he son of Ebeneze r Bragg , Sr., who was a devout Metho d ist, a member of the official Board and
lo cal p rea cher.
k y g randfather moved t o rft ichig an
f r om Syr a cuse, New York in 1832, and settled first
in Allegan County, and moved in 1838 to
County.
r,~onroe
My mother was born in Mechtenburg, Ge r many
but came t o t hi s country when she was e leven yea rs
of a ge.
She was a Ge rman Lutheran until she was
fariiE d out to a Presbyterian family, when she be affiliated with that denominati on.
I r e cei ved my early educati on at the
Bragg school, a distr i ct s chool s i t uated on the
corner of my Grandfather' s farm.
I had a de s ire
to re ad law and was anxi ous to conti nue my education.
But on account of my father's health, it was i mpos sib l e t o go on t J schoo l at t h i s time, since I was the
only boy left at home and was needed t o carry on the
farm work .
I was conve rted to t he
at the age of 1 6 .
Chris t i a n Fa i th
A r evival wa s be i ng c onducted at
a school house n e ar my home, by a Eethod ist Mi n i s t e r,
2
Rev. W. G. Stevens, who was pastor of the Deerfield
I u n ited with
and Petersburg Methodist Churches.
"-
the W.ethodist F rot e stant
South
Rais~n,
a charge on
Chur ch at a place called
t~e Be a v 0i~cuit.
I was ma rried at t h e . ag e of twenty, to
She was a mem-
Edi t ll Hindes of Britton, I.: ichig an.
ber of the Congregational-Christian Church of that
place.
To t h is union was born a son, F . J. Bragg ,
a graduate of Adrian Colleg e and the University of
l.~ ich i gan,
now Principal of the High School at
sega, l: ichigan, an d a daughter, Theo.
Ot-
c., who became
the wife of Harold Laskey of Dundee, r:: i ch i g a'n.
She met a trag ic death August 20, 1923 from severe
burns received while cleaning a stove with liquid
pol ish.
~hen I
was first conve rted I felt t he
call t o the Chri s tian Ministry ..
But as we men-
tioned be fore, extensive t r aini ng was impossi b le,
9ecause of our f a th ~ r's ill heath, but at t he 29,
under the influence o f Rev. M. R. Sai geon, who was
pastor of the Rea M. P . Church, I attended the Conf erenc e at Caro, J..i ich i g an and accepted my first
char ge at Attica, serving three churches.
During
our stay at At t ica, I t ook the Conference preparatory work, and was tutore d in En glish, history
3
and othe r Hi gh School subjects by Professor Burcamp
who was l ocal sup e ri nt endent of schools.
I also
t ook extension work in t heology, Bible and
Hami l eti~s
with Dx .. John W. Gray who was Dean of Men a t Adrd.an
college.
F i nally I fulfilled the requirements
for ordination a n d receive d t hat h onor at t he annual confe rence in 1909, wh ich met at Midland Park,
Gull Lake.
The next three years were s pent on t he
Goodland wor k, a pastorate of three churches, where
we bu i lt a new p ar sonag e .
Yale, Michig an, wh e r e we
Our next charge was
b~ilt
another parsonage.
The n ext two years we re spent a s Conference Evangelist, wi th r es i den ce at Adrian, where my s on at t ended co llege.
The next five ye ars we re spent
serving our h ome Circuit of Rea and Cone.
He re
we p ut basements und e r the churches, promoting
t he m as commun i ty cent ers, also new h eati ng and
l i ghting sys t ems were installed .
Vie also made
extensive repairs on th e pa rsonage .
Our next move was to the
~ain
Stre e t
lV•et hodis t Church in Lansin g and fr : :>m there I
served a s P resid ent of the 1:ichig an Conference of
th e Method ist Pro testant Church.
time
I was a ppo inted one
o~
tre
During this
Com~ issioners
of Method ist Un ion, by t h e Presi de nt of the General
4
Conference of the Eethodi st Protestant
Chu rch.
I served on this Commission till the Uniting Conf erence at Kansas City in 1939.
After serving as
head of the Gonf erence, we served the follow ing
charges: Columbiaville, Cli o Tri nity Church, and
Marlette .
In
1~42
I became a retired supply
of the Londcon and r.,:oorville churches, moving to
my farm home in Dundee, Kichig an where I
n~,r.
r eside.
This year, l 946 ,I retired c8mpletely fr 8m the active mi n istry and tave become an ac t ive member of
the old home church at Rea .
Du~ing
my service on the Commission for
lvietho dist Union, I was an ardent worker. for this
cause, being one
the i dea .
8~
th e first t o fall in li ne fo r
In the begi nn ing there was much opp osi-
tion in our Conference; in fact, I almos t stood
alone on the question.
Wh en the vote was taken
for Union the r e was a majority by only one vote.
Thi s W8U l d n ot have been the c ase if work, faith,
and trust in our Lord and Savi our, Jes us Chr i st
h 1d gone toge t her .
During my pastorate a t Mar-
le tt e the Clif ; ord chu r ch was built.
I was responsib le in lifting the :t :ort ga g e s
on seve ral 8f t he
Churche s in my charge: na me l y ;
Lansing, Clio Tri n ity an d Ma rlette.
I was also
5
Treasurer of the Ad Interim Ad j us tme nt Committee
for t h e liqui dation of t he indebtedness of the old
Methodist Conference .
'.'/hile li vi ng in Lans ing1, I had s ome time to
fulfill an old ambition to read law. I spe nt many hot rs
in the law library i n our s tate capitol.
Kow my a c tive wo rk is ov e r , and the resp on si bi liti e s of the Christian Mi nistry I can no l onger carry.
~ ith
reluctan ce I pass t hem on to y0ung-
er and mo re cap able hand s.
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- - - - - - - - - -
---
Ma rch 7, 1966
It is a good t h ing tha t I wrote this aut obiogr aphy in 1961 for in 1962 a ft e r prea ching for
56
yea rs in September I prea ched my l a st sermon in the
Aza lia Meth odist Church, and on October 7 I prea ched
my lEt s e r mon in the Congrega ti ona l Chur ch in Dundee.
The fist of Novemembe r t ha t yea r I had a light strok e
a nd for 22 days I was in the Herrick Memoria l Hos p ita l. I wo uld n ot at tempt to t ry to prea ch on a ccount
of my h eart wh ich a cts up a t th e lea st provca ti on .
I told my
o.s.
a b out my l a st s e r mon in the Congre-
ga tional Church and he sai d he was going to question
my char ac t e rs beca use of th i s . I me t Bish op Loder a t
Columbiaville Dedica tori a l servic e a nd told him.
He said, '' I c om.med your for you should do a certain
amount of missiona ry work".
Cha rl e s Bragg
en tilled in plceao r
•
tt
ln tul.l:
t~m
Charles
to 1.
I wi~
Bra gg
I
1.
fFOUDtl :
Plnoo Dundee Michi gan
tloleht ,Rft. I I in .o1gbt !79 lb ~l~r of heir ~g...r_a .x..
Y- -•.:-~oa blue
£'1)racnal ppoosanoe:
!'t:J:ily &l
l
Father Scotch Irish decent, a nd d other born in Germany.
t hor 's tlatlO t.n tu~l _ ...I;::;;,ot...,v,...l.·
gi.Qs-----""-----_....------
-I...e...r....a-.n._..B....r,..a...
....
t1onaltty Sc.o t ch
Dlte ot Birtb ,J§n •• ~tQ.I8~8 rlllce §yracJ?Jie liew
Irish.
·
t
z. ~~-.--------~ ~c~a~po~
li~o~e~D~~~Q~k~l~e.t_._.______~--~-------------
Dllto ot lllrth APril I7-I8i3 Pl· ,. Stachberg, Pro ~ r .Bay~ t1ono.lit y Germaru
!862~
3. !!arri AAO of ,I<oronta : tflte i!J.lQe 2nQ, . I"luco.
4 • ...,moo ot
"'»nd~e. M ich ~··
H9me of Groam.
.DYQde.,e iji Qhigag. ~0 r;od s fr;;Qm .t.bJe Monroe and Lenawee Co. Line
reolclo~ce
a otll!'othgrd!.. nnd Ja~ttra. [:rgderick Ji:ug~me. Cl,!f \'Q....Ql.A, l,.amoJit, A, Archibla l_d
'
J.ev;~, M1J. tgn. Ea,wfilrQ. ~.
..~
.,
tor Which on7 bro\bero or e1oter rGknown :
s @ rgi ni stet, iQ :t.b.e Mi cbi gao Aoousal Conference '
._
~ o-t'--t"he Methodb·t~ Pr-otestant IDlurch, He we nt ;-rest for hie hea lth, and
~
ti~t~¥~Asp~~i! ~~dhodist M 1sst~n ," ae ar~ tne Tto wn 6fJ aaomme Idaho.
7 . · All rl+%iXoll~o 1n?o
lion· c~tn~t Jttz:PQJET *ti\~~ tto lit7•
u.cation . oocupc> t.1o.....o,
egnnoctiou , u~1oo • d ~h . eto .
My Father born at s;racuse New York, came
to Michigan in !832, with his pa rents, ~nd settled at Otsego Allagan CO
living there till !842, then moving to the old Bragg Homestead in Dundee
Twp, on what is now known ae the Bragg Road·, Thie Bra gg School house is
located on this farm a nd there his edudation a s w~ll as my mothera, ·
was acquired, My Father lived and died on this farm, ahd served the
Method'ist Protestant Church, and the Comunity, as a Church worker, an Farmer.
6. note 41ot1nSUidh9d
.
~r11~~o
Arc}Jiba.l d I e.v1,
8.
Wfj
,JlfrC :I
1. FAuoottoxu COboolo, <1
·
na . etc.
I itaduated (t9W t;he $th. Cl.J:ade, "li th1 s §~me
9Qha~, . aQQ tb~u .~tyg t eg YD t;o the ~~~n. sta~~
Sickness and death of my oldest brother, necessit2· · to rtb7 eqorie11coa of 4 l\~3!¥,oot1 at.erJ. mY staxJ,ng at hQme, ~Q 11ft J.he Mgttsage tija t
~~u .
on the farm,The paying of this mortgage W5 an
eXtst!Ftence trtat r
3.
4.
o.
sha!I" n~V@r
tte1q e: Datu Oct, 27th.I897 '1 ce Britton Mich.
9.1
rorget,
•·
Rev. E.R. Rutlege
J' / _/
t lt
w
Edith Mary Hindes.
;
4 LBri tton.H.s.
'jj~()="('"Fatner ~fiie'i':lcan M~man Born in
e ot cb1l~r'ln, w1tb d;;-ted'.El4 plaao or btrth __o_a_n_a_
'a_a_._,__. ______,______
wtte••
August 20th I898, Theo Caroline
B&Pfl !h~r>ti se~:h:. I090Ja •Ele•i'artreEi
-e.
r er• ot oh114ro , wUb te~tit1one, ottin a
tsa:l s
ta!i.f{~_.~ugus t 20 • th. 19 23.
The d~ght&~· was &A 8esem~tiehea -
musi ci an, and t aught music.
The Son a Gr a dua te -of Adri a n, a nd a Masters Degree, from An n Arbor, h a s been
'Princina l of the ptse G~:o. Ci tv Schoo~ls for \:Re Paet. I~ Y li A rs,
7. Your rel.1gl.ous experJ.encecm:'d Chul"eh connectfons: I w as Cpmce rted under the Minis try
of the La te W.G . Stevens, of the Detroit Conference,
J
a t the ag e of seventeen yaa rs, United w~th the South
Ra is~n M. P . Church, wa s a Trustee, a nd Steward tilll90?
a. Your call to the Chriati.an m1n1atry I Wa Q Oii llQd. v 9 ry &ooll' a ftor my Conyertion4
a~d t ha t cell was + o p r epa re, a nd I did not~
it, a nd k ept on till I wA s 29 yrs old then I
.
hea r.d. the c a ll ruzain, a nd responded, To l al te in life for pre para t1o1
9. When and where &d.Inltteit onTrierand Ord1nat1onl>:I' UTi& IHlmi1tted an Tri a l at the Conf.
held a t Caro M.P. Church ie. H~Oe, '~rda1P'id at Midland Fark
10. W.li tan record __A
_u-Ngeu-.s-tt~2~8t:-t~h!l-i.'f"J.f"I-9ROe-9&e.N.....-----.,....-_:.._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
11. Public offices held
Ne Military Reeer~.
-~1\,;:.J.;;O.....:.P-=u:.:b:.::l~i:..:c::....O::;:.::..f=..f.:i.::::c.::::e.::::s;..;:•;___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
12. Favorite recreations, hobbies, etc. In my youn~er day! .I. enjoyed hunting, and
a Scrubb game of· asn ball, But in these days
I am a ttracted to thE ~ Golf Links, Ialike
tha
1
13. Offices held in . Church and Community game ve r y much.
I was Trustee, and S1teward in the Local Church
~resident of the Con3 f erence, for three years
Treasurer of the Mid l land Park Gull Lake ~semb
ly for t wenty one yaz 1rs.
14. Author of' what books and Publications! have written one :little phamphlet, " "The
Fatlhhful Pastor, and the Summer Vacation."'
Just one issue of 0 ne thousand copies.
15. Member of what Clubs and Fraternal Socie'ties I am a merrib e!r of the Mas onic Fraterni ty, Gleanetr·s, and Rot a ry Club.
16. Appointments
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=-~~&··
30. Columbiaville,,I'
, Clio, till 1940
Marlette, I942., R<e t : ired, and on Farm Pastor
of Mooreville, ancd : London Methodist Churches
While P resident of C(pnference, I kept a record o.f 1my tra vels, and they are
18. Biographical Comments, experiences, epiaode.s filed a way im ta scrap book in my case.
My experience ~! •were v a ried, but qf no
pa;jicu~ar use to any sffie but nyself, I suppose. ·
19. Can you give on a separate paper one or two or three daamatic incidents occurring
during your ministry which might be published in a book under such a title es
. "Highlights of' Methodist Ministers"?
Yes, and will se10d it along with this copY •
t
lll. Clippings of family or public life:
20. If the subject of this sketch is deceased, please give
Date of' Death __._ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___:Place - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-------------------i----------
Place ot Burial
Nemes of Officiating Ministers:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
~
•·
l
_,
Drama tic I n cident s in the Ministry of Rev. Chas. Bra gg.
I shall try to t e ll briefly, one or t wo incidents of my min~stry tha t
will a l ways sta nd out cl early in my mind a s lo ng a s I live.
The first when I was o rda ined, a t Mi dl a nd Park a t the Conferen ce of
I909 , a nd s e cond when I was elected a s President of the Michi gan Annua l
Conf erence of the Methodist Protesta nt Church. This Off.i ce gave ·me the
honor of being Dele ga te to the Genera l Confe rence, held a Ba ltimore Md.
in May nineteen hundred t wenty ei ght, it was a t t his Conference tha t
pla ns were made for the uniting of Methodism, a nd I was chos en a s one
of the Commisioners on Methodist Union, to represent the Methodist
Protestant Church, and that fall we met with the 6omission of Methodist
Union, a t the Willi am Penn Hotel in the Ci t y of Pittsburgh, I shall
never forget the address of Bisho p Me . Dowe ll, as he ~lead for the union
of the th r e e outstanding bodies of Methodism, and the a ddress of Dr.
A.N. Wa r de President of the Western Ma ryl a nd Colle ge , of the Methodist
Protestant Church, who said tha t we could not unite til1 the South
we re ready to come with us, for as yet they had not attended any of the
meetings, 'Nhen we met in our head quarters at the Wm. Penn Hotel Dr.
Ward said that this was a Grea t Day for Methodism, and urged us all to
' b e faithful, a nd work to ga ther for the final consumation of this union,
For si a d he "• A great Day awaits us to work in a Grea t Church.e He never
11 ved to see the consuma tion, of this Union for God too·k him, a s well as
Bishop Me. Dowell, and Boshop Muzone, of the Southern Church three Gre a t
men,they were Gods noble men, and if one ever. hea rd these men speak on
~ ethodist Union they could never get away from
the impression they made.
Then when the Elan was a l l £armed it was_my_£rea t Ple~sure to be present
a t the election of our two Bishops, a t the First Methodist Protestan t
Church in Kansas City, Bishop J ames H. Straughn, a nd John Broomfi e ld,
and on Sund ay ~ fternoon the ordina tion of these t wo Bishops, with others
of the Church who were n ewly elect ed, The Uniting Conference a t Kansas
City was pne of the Hi gh li ghts in my life for it wa s at tha t time my
Pr ayers, and l a bors we re fully realized, for a t l as t I was in a Gre a t
Church, Methodism was one, no M.E. Nprth or South or M. P. But ond body
c a lled Methodists, my only re gret is tha t I do not have many more yea rs
ih which to serve th~s Church. Wha t a Grea t opportunity is the y oung
J
minist~~· ~;{,int(l:;~n~/
P.S. I might add that I was present a t a ll the meetings on Methodist Union
but t wo, sickness, and de a th prevented my a ttendance a t t wo mee ti ngs of
the commi ssion.
Open House Planned Sunday On
60th Wedding Of Charles Braggs
c •
The Rev. and Mrs. Chal'les Bragg
'
1 1b 3
S peclnl to The Telcgrsun
Wellsville after his retirement as
DUNDEE, Oct. 23 - A former a full time minister in 1942.
Adrian Methodist minister and A daughter of the Braggs, Mrs.
bis wife, the Rev. and Mrs. Harold Laskey of Dundee, died
Charles Bragg, will observe their of burns suffered while cleaning
60th wedding anniversary S"un· a stove in 1923. In addition to
day afternoon at an open house in their son they have two grandtheir home on Dennison Road children. 1\!rs. Duane Steele of
three miles west of Dundee. Rela- Tecumseh and Charles Jr. of
tives, friends and neighbors are Monroe, and two great grandchilv.sked to omit gifts.
dren, Sylvia and Michael Bragg.
Mr. Bragg and his wife, Edith, One of the highlights of Mr.
were married at the Big Prau·ie Bragg's career took place Sept.
church near Britton Oct. 27, 1897. 6, 1956, when he preached the
They settled down on bis father's same sermon in the same church
farm on which Mr. Bragg had at Cone that he preached 50 years
worked since 14 years old. Nine before on his first day in the minyears later , at the age of 29 and istry. The members of the Cone l
with his wife and two children, and Rea churches gave a golden '
he left the farm io enter the min· anniversary celebration in his
lsb.·y.
honor afterwards.
In preparation for his f\linistry, The open house Sunday is being
l'rtr. Bragg studied at Adrian Col- arran~ed by ~he son, F. J. Bragg,
lege, and was ordained in 1909. and hls family.
While at his first church in Aillca,
- - -1
~r. B~agg was tutored in English, history and other subjects
by the superintendent of schools
there, John BUJ·camp.
After leaving Attica, the Braggs
served at Goodland and in 1918
moved to Adrian where he served as 'the Methodist conference
evangelist. While the family liv'.!d here their son, F. J. Bragg,
now superintendent of schools al l
Oi~ego, attended Adrian College.!
O~her. pastorates after leaving I
c\dr1~n mcluded Monroe, Dundee, I
Lansmg, Columbiaville,
Clio,l
Marlette, London and Wellsville.
l\Ir. Bragg served at London
l
II
I
~
REV. CHARLES BHAGG, who hns
se t·ved the London-1\fooreville chm·ge on
~ the Ann Arbor. District for t he pas t s ix
t'f\ years a s a retired s upply preacher ha s
.j res igned .. Hev. Hany ,V, Coleman', his
» neat· netghbot· and hig hl y acceptable
C local prea chet·, has been appoi nted f ot·
the balance of the confe rence year.
'<:I-
REV. CHAS. BRAGG, retired, whose
fann home is located between the Dundee, Rea and Cone Methodist churches
has attended all three and finds an able
minister at each, namely, Robert Searls,
Charles Reynolds and E. C. Stringer.
Mr. Bragg was township chainnan of
the CROP campaign, in which about
$1,060 was r aised for Overseas Relief,
and found it exciting and inspiring to
work with other denominations. The
county goal of three carloads of wheat
was exceeded. Mr. Bragg is spending
his spare time reading "Man's Disorder
and God's Design," a wonderful book
which he th~nks every minister should
read and use in his sermons. Mr. Bragg's
son, J . F. Bragg, an Adrian College
graduate of 1923 and principal of the
Otsego school since 1945, has taken over
the superintendency because of the illness of Mr. Dew~ ~J:aql~r, wh~ ill~"'ll
fined to his bed. f'..t:O" ·I U} I<(If -, . #1 ~g.
REV. CHARLES BRAGG of Dundee, retired, has been supplying various
churches a nd m eeting a real need among
them. By preaching at Azalia recently
he m ade it possible for its regular past or to attend the church school at Dundee. The Official Board of Azalia expresse~ hiJ?h.1 appreciation of his ~e t"V
ices. ~ l }11'44, l't· c. ,If·
Retire~
Minister Is Honored,
1 1
On H1s 89th Birthday ..'j -/ D -,pp
Rev. Charles Bragg, a retired member
of the Detroit ·C onference, was honored
and presented with gifts at the celebration of his 89th birthday on February 21
when 85 relatives and fri ends gather ed
in the Rea Church t o pay tribute to one
of Methodism's venerable ministers.
In his 56 years of service, Mr. Bragg
has served the following churches:
Attica, Goodland Circuit, Yale, ReaCone-South Raisin, Lans ing Circuit,
Columbiaville-Bethel, C I i o, MarletteClifford, London-Moor ev ille, Wellsville
a nd Rea-Cone. He served the former
Method ist Protestant Conference as
evangelist, 1916-18; a nd president,
1927-30.
Mrs. Charles Bragg
RS. Charles Bragg was buried in
the Ridgeway Cemetery follow ing
funeral services a t the Rea Methodist
Chu rch on Thursday, February 18. Her
death came j us t four and one-half days
after she entered Herrick Memorial
H ospital in Tecumseh. She had suffered
a cerebral embolism at home on Thursday morning.
Mary Edith Bragg was born on New
Year's Day, 1876, at Britton, the daughter of James and Anne Hindes. On
October 27, 1897, she became the wife of
Charles ~· Bragg in Britton where they
made t hen· home for the next nine year s.
M
When, in 1906, Charles Bragg began a
long and significant career in t he Metl~
odist ministry Mary matched his devotion, courage a nd consecration to serve
as a parsonag e queen in a dozen parishes. Together they served Methodist
Pr·otesta nt churches at Attica, Goodland, Yale, Monroe, Dundee, Lansing
Main St., Columbiaville a nd Clio. During this period Mr. Bragg served as conference evangelist a nd as president of
the Michigan Conference of the MP
Church. F ollowing un ification, Charles
and Mary .s hared· labot·s at Clio Trinit y
and Marlette. Retired i n 1942, they
served London and Wellsville whi le li ving in their own home at 6600 Dennison
Road, Dundee. They had shared over
62 years of married life, plus t he burdens and honors of a high and holy
calling. She was a m ember of t he Rea
Methodist Church, WSCS, and OES.
Survivors include: her husband; a
son, F ordyce, superintendent of schools
at Otsego ; a granddaughter, Mrs. Duane
Steele, T ecumseh ; three great-grandchildren ; and a sister, Mrs. Rube Hayward, Montpelier, Ohio. A daugh ter,
Theo, died in 1923.
Funeral ser vices were conducted by
Dr. L. La Verne Finch, district superintendent. He was assisted by Rev.
H arry Coleman, and Rev. Ronald Cor!,
her pastor.
3 ...] • ~ (J
REV.
After a potluck supper in the church
basement , a special program was con.
ducted under the leadership of Rev. Tom
Badley, minister. Rev. and Mrs. Badley
provided special music and Mr. Bragg's
g randdaughter, Mrs. Betty Steele, read
excerpts from his memoirs. Mr. Bragg
closed t he progr am by telling of some
memorable incidents that occurred in his
life.
CHARLES
BRAGG
of
~enniso n ~d., Dundee, observed his Sixt teth A.nmversary of preaching in The
Methochst Church on Sept b
A
special service wa 11 ld . e~ er 6·
Sunda
.
sS \
tn hts honor on
Cone YMeet~e;~~~· Ch~~r:~ber. 4, at the
lOO pers
h rd M ,BMtlan. Ove1·
r:
ragg, who is
ons ea
89
the ype~~·Ps. told,h once hagaf~n tptb·each behind
1
egan it a ll
60 yea t.s agow.mer~ 906e. Rtrs
ev. Tom Badley,
p~s~o r, and Rev. J:lany Coleman, London
mmtstet·, led t he fn·st part of the service
After Mr. Bragg's mess age, a f ellowsl}it.
hou r was held in the basement.f-4~~ £
REV. CHARLES I. BR AGG, 89, of
Dundee, retired member of t he Detroit
Conf erence, died F ebruar y 18 at Her rick
Hospi tal in Tecumseh where he ha d been
a patient for one week. He was born
F ebr uary 21, 1877, in Dundee Township,
the son of Levi and Carr ie Deckler
Bragg. On October 27, 1897, he
m a r r i e d E dith
H i n d e s.
Mr.
Bragg, at the time
of his death the
oldest living minister in the Detroit
Confer ence, began
his ministry in the
former Methodist
Mr. Bragg
P rotest ant Chur ch
and at one time served tha t denominat ion as president of the Michiga n Conference; two years as confer ence evangelist; a nd was the representa tive on the
Com mission on Union at the time of
Unification in 1939. During his 60
years in the ministry he served pastorat es at Attica, Imlay City, L ans ing
Ma in S tr eet (now Chri st), Goodland,
Yale, Monroe, Dundee, Columbiaville,
Clio, Marlette and Rea-Cone. After his
r etirement in 1942, he ser ved at London,
Mooreville, W ellsv ille a nd again at ReaCone. Mr. Bragg was a life member of
Attica Lodge F & AM and Ru th Chapt er OES, and a m ember of Dundee
Lodge Knigh ts of Pythias. He is survived by a son, F ordyce J . of Dundee,
t wo g r andchild ren a nd three g reatgrandchildren. He wa s preceded in
death by his wife in 1960; and a daughter, Mrs. Theo Laskey, in 1923. Funeral
ser vices were held in the Rea Methodist Chu rch, Februa ry 21. Officiatin g
clergymen wer e Rev. Thomas Badley,
Rev. H arry Colema n and Rev. Karl
Keef er. Buria l took place in the Ridgeway Cemet ery. 3 - :l.- ~'7
J
PRESIDENT'S VISITS
From April 9 to End of Conference Year
I
Mon. and Tues. evenings, April 9 and 10, at North Branch.
Wed. and Thur., April 11 and 12, at W.H. M.S., Port Huron.
Sat. and Sun., April 14 arid 15, at Kinde.
.
Sat. and Sun., April 21 and 22, at Livingston.
.
Wed and Thur., April 25 and 26, W. F . M.S. at Stevens St. Church, Saginaw.
Sat. and Sun., April 28 and 29, at Stevens St. Church, SagiD.aw.
Sun. and Mon., April 29 and 30, at Genesee.
'
Sat. and Sun., May 5 and 6, at Flowerfield.
l\fay 11, Denominationa·l Young People's Convention at Baltimore and General
Conference following.
Sat. and Sun., May 26 and 27, at Bradley. Sun. and Mon., May 27 and 28, at
Malamazoo. On account of limited time I shall begin my second visit over the District. If any of the brethren think it too ear1y they are at liberty to make other arrangements, and can save me a drive if they let me know.
May 29 at Barryville; May 31 at Attica ; June 1 at Jeddo; June 2 and 3 at Port
Huron. Dedication of the church unit the 3rd.
All midweek meetings will be held in the evening.
June 4 at Capaf ; 5 at Goo~ells; 6, Greenwood; 7 at Yale; 8, Goodland.
Sat and Sun., June 9 and fo, at Dundee ; 11, Adrian College Commencement.
June 12. Hillsdale; 13. ~ritton; 14, Detroit First; 15 Detroit H_. M ..
Sat. and Sun., June 16 and 17, at North Adrian.
Jpne 18, Wellsville; 19, Adrian; 20, Disco; 21 , Lnm; 22, North Branch.
Sat. and Sun., Jul)e 23 and 24, Marlette and Urban.
June 25, Lapeer ; 26, Columbiaville; 27, Caro; 28, Cass River.
Friday, July 29, starting for Frederic ;St1nday A. M. July 1st, there, and in the
evening, July 1st, at Butterfield.
July 5, at Hickory Corners; July 6, Lansing.
Saturday and Sunday, July 7 and 8, New Lothrop.
,
•
July 9, Flint First ; 10, Flint Second; 11, Genesee; 12, Clio; 13, Bir.ch Run.
Sat. and Sun., July 14 and 15, Brant; Sun. eve. and Mon., July 15 and 16, at (
Ow.o sso; July 17 and 18 at Porter and Wal<el ee; 19 at Three Rivers; 20, at Flowerfield; Sat. and Sun., July 21 and 22, at Unib• ; Sun. eve. and Mon., July 22 and 23,
at Wells and Wahiamega; July 24, Otter Lake · 25, at Mayville; 26, Gagetown; 27,
Kinde; Sat. and Sun., July 28 and 29, Prair, ~.
·
~
July 30, Saginaw First; 31, Stevens St.; Aug. 1, Sheridan Ave.
'
Sat. and Sun., Aug. 4 and 5, Fostoria.
;Mon., Aug. 6, Smith's Creek; Aug. "'' Riley and Berlin; Aug. 91 Leonard; 10, Richfield; 11. Livingston; 12 and 13, Ingham; 14, Dimondale; 15, Ainger; 16, Assyria.
On Tuesday, Aug. 21, our Assembly beghs, and t}Je follow/rig Tues., Aug. 28th,
the eighty-seventh session of the Annuaf Cor.f •renee.
j
Charles Bragg, President of the Conference
~
!
'
0 uy hG~rt i~ full or nu~ic and o ~ Gla~~e os
()n ~. L~ Ll u ,"' ..:-.... J. th W'l.d l ove I upwar d flJ;
Not a s hado11-cloud ny SavlJ ur' s f a ~ e obscurin··
While I ' c cl '-...1bi i1G t o 7'\., ~o 1es t e ~d in t he sky.
A~
7
CHORUS
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I
I
I
am cliMbinc u-, the
~old en s tairs t o t;l ury
cli-:1bi11.G wi th :::ry ...) ~ l d en _;rown pefore r.le,
a !!l. climbinG in t he lic;ht,
am cli mbi!l~ dUJ' ~d nic;ht,
wil l shdUt with a ll my Mi ._;ht when I 6 et t here
a.m. climbine; U'O the ·~ol den s t a irs t o t.,;l.Jry
D.l!1 cl ihb~-:£; wit ... mJ _;ol en crown bef o r e o e,
~
!l.m c l iabi-11; i n the l~ i_;ht I
c.m ~l f"lbin. · d?;J '"'!ld ni.....;ht,
..,m·
cl.i.nbin\J·· U-') ·t h e , u··olden s t a irs .
~
Q.l:l'
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I ~ve tak en u:> ny cro ss t o f ollow JeBua,
..\nd n o l on..;er in the "'1U the :l ~ s i n I r oan ;
And my hea.rt nc.n h e c.u:•r the oua ic of t 10 r ansa~ed ,
'.1b.1le I' !:1 cl:!.'cibi nu ne2,re::.• "to-:> l'l~' heav~ ·nl~r ho"ae. ·
. .
0 t he j oy o;f c;et ti!l~ other s to cli rab Tri tl1 t!e !
Lo3t , .:!.ca)alrilk; , pro 1 ~ en he arted., Ll.ll na,/
>n e; ·
Cal •! 1 1'~' ' b lov ~
as I!l".de t he stli:" u. vr-!rJ wi U.e ~r~e ,
Slrm.er, l.::.~r ~· "'u.r .J urden ,d own and ho.s t e1n 'L :> 1e .
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PAGE FOURTEEN
THE MONROE EVENING NEWS, MONROE, MICHIGAN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12,
The
County
V isitor
By D. N. Roberts
Ann iversary Marked
-Evening News pbolo
MEMORIES OF 50 YSARS AGO -The Rev. Charles Bragg of Dundee preached t he same sermon Sunday morning in Cone Method·
ist Churcb that he preached there as his first sermon 50 years ago. More than a score of persons of the Rea-Cone circuit attended
Sunday who also were in attenda nce 50 years ago. They included (left to right, seated) Mrs. Fern Burrows, Mrs. Blanche CarneY,
(first row, standing) Mrs. James Weaver, Mrs. Minnie Gittus, Mrs. Harry Coleman, Mrs. Hazel Dennison, Mrs. Rowland Farrar,
Mrs. Roscoe Wendel, (second row) Mrs. Viola Daisher, Mrs. Bert yeorgen, Mrs. Ethel Olds, Mrs. George Burkett, Mrs. Mary Ander·
son, (third row) Rev. Bragg, Mrs. Grace Coffey, Mrs. Lillian Patterson, Mrs. Clyde Drake, Mrs. Lee Rheum, James Taylor, Roscoe
Rende!, (back row) Grant Laskey, Clare Dennison, Mrs. Josep h Custet· and Ja mes Dennison.
At least 23 residents of the Cone
community in Milan Township
were present Sunday in Cone
l\lethodist Church to hear the Rev.
Charles Bragg or Dundee deliver
a sermon on "Prayer" that he
preached to them SO years ago in
the same church.
Many of them were small boys
and girls at the time, altending
Sunday school and church regularly. Other s were young men
and women and a few were
adults.
.
Sun~ay was the . occaston f_or
honormg the ~etet an Methodist
preac~er for .h!s more than so
y~ar~ m the m trustry. He preach~d
hts ftrst sermon SO years ago m
the Con_e church Sept. 6, 1906. Rea
Methodtst ~hu~ch, part of the
"!l~a-Cone. ctrcutt for many year_s,
JOtned. wtlh the Cone church m
hononng Rev. Bragg. Rev. Bra~g
~las served .both ch~rche1i a~ mmtster. and smce retirement ts n\)_w
a regular member and_ worker m
the ~ea churc:h near hts home .on
Denmson Rd. _;n ~un.dee Townshtp.
Church Is Packed
The Cone church was full to
o,·erflowing for the morning service at 11:15, at which Rev. Bragg
preached. Many were un ab~ e to
i:et into the chur ch and stood outide during the service. Many olhers were in the basement of U1e
church. ,
The. morniru! service was con-
er but a jovial person who drew
all men to him.
He was happy to have his entire family with him for the service. His good wife, who has been
somewhat of an invalid for some
time, sat with their son and
daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. F.
J. Bragg of Otsego, their son,
Charles, and their son-in-law and
daughter, Mr. and _Mrs. Steel of
Te_cumseh an~ thetr b~o small
children, Sylvta and l\1ichael.
• • •
Day Is Perfect
It was a great day in the lives
of Rev. and Mrs. Bragg and family as well as in the history of
the Rea and Cone Methodist
Churches. The day was perfect
as far as weather conditions were
concerned. It was sunny and
warm with hardly a cloud in sight.
Those present who were present
on that September Sunday 50
years ago were Mrs. James Wea·
ver. Mrs. Minnie Gettus. Mrs.
Harry Coleman. Mrs. Hazel Dennison , 1\lrs. Roscoe Rende!, Mrs.
Mary Farrar, Mrs. Fern Burrows.
Mrs. Blanche Carney, :Mrs. Viola
Daiser, Mrs. Bert Georgen. Mrs.
Earl Ochs, James Taylor, Roscoe
Rende), Mrs. George Burkett.
Mrs. Mary Anderson, Mrs. Grace
Coffey, Mrs. Lillian Patterson,
Mrs. Clyde Drake, Mrs. Lee Rheurn, Clare Dennison, Mrs. Joseph
Custer, James Dennison and
Grant Laskey whose
mother
;>layed the org~n for Rev. Bragg
when he sang so year.
ers were in the basement ot tne l
chu rch. ,
The morni ng service was cond ucted in regul ar worship fashion with the pastor of t he Rea·
Cone circuit, the Rev. Phillip E.
Gage, in charge. Spe cial number~ were sung by the j unior
choir of the Rea Chu r ch , and
Rev. Br agg himself sa ng a solo
at the close of 'his sermon. His
selection was · the sam e which
he sang at the close of his sermon 50 years ago. " I H a v e
Heard the Call for J esus."
Almost everyone attending the
morn ing ser vice seemed to ha ve
brought a covered dish along and
stayed fo r the potluck meal served
in th e basement of the church at
1 p. m . Again the crowd overflowed
the fac ilities. a nd many took their
plates lo the chut ch lawn, church
steps or other shad y places lo eat
with groups of fri ends or fam ilies.
,
• * •
Friend s Pay T ri bute
After a group pic tu re was taken
of Rev. Bragg a nd those who had
attended the service 50 years ago,
folks aga in assembled in the
church auditorium where an honorary progr.a m was conducted
Again th e capacity of the church
was taxed to the full est as folks
paid tribute to the long-time
preacher.
Short talks were given by the
Rev. Harry Coleman , a neighbor
and long time friend of Rev.
Bragg; the Rev. James Weiss
of Lulu , former pastor of the
Rea-Cone circuit; Earl Stowell,
a long time friend , a nd Dr. L.
Laverne Finch , superintendent
of the Ann Arbor District of the
Methodist Church .
All the speakers paid high tribute to the man y years of service
of Rev. Bragg. Re v. and Mrs.
Bragg received a purse of more
than $150 from the Rea and Cone
churches in . loving token of his
service.
.
"' "'
Adult Choirs Sing
Music was supplied by the Rea
and Cone adult choirs and the
Rea junior choi r with a trio, comprised of two members of the
adult choir and Rev. Gage, taking the lead . Roge r a nd Lynn
Canine played a piano and organ
duet which was . received wi
great applause. Mrs. Ted Hea
gave a vocal solo , and Gay Jear
Wilson gave an interesting mono
Iogue a nd solo with the assistanc
of her talking doll, Jerry. Rev
Gage sang " The Lor d's P r ayer '
at the close of th e service.
The entire day' was filled with
spiritual an d humorous tidbits.
and truly exemplified the life
of Rev. Bragg, who always has
been a deep and serious think-
"""
Preaches First Sermon in Same Place
After Interval of Fifty Years
HAT is it like to preach the same
sermon in th e same church in
which you began your ministry fifty
years ago? For an answer to this question one will have to consult Rev. Charles Bragg of Dundee, a retired minister
of the Detroit Conference. His was a
rare experience on Sunday, September
9, when he stood behind the pulpit of the
Cone Methodist Church and delivered
the same sermon on "Prayer" he had
delivered fifty years previously. It was
his first sermon as a young minister
starting a ministry which was destined
to be a long and fruitful one.
W
Charlie, as he is affectionately called,
may be said to have come up the hard
way. Owing to his father's ill health he
had to leave school to take over the
du,ties of the farm although he had a
desire to study law and was an.-xious to
continue his education. At 16 he was
converted to the faith at a revival m eeting and united with the Methodist Protestant Church at a place then known
a s South Raisin, a part of a c i r c u i t
which included Rea. After his convers ion he felt called t o preach but again
because of t he illness of his father this
was postponed. He did not begin preaching until he was 29 years old.
At the Methodist Protestant Conference held that year at Caro he was g iven
a three-point circuit at Attica. While
serving there he caught up on his education taking the conference preparatory
course and some tutoring by Professor
Bm·camp who was superintendent of the
loca l public schools. Theological work
was done under Dr. John W. Gray, dean
of men at Adrian College. Having met
the r equirements he was ordained in
1909 and after serving the Goodland
three-point charge he became conference evangelist and moved to Adrian
where his s on attended college. Other
pastorates included Monroe; Dundee ;
Lansing, Main St.; Columbiaville; Clio ;
Marlette; London and Wellsville. The
last two churches were served after his ·
retirement in 1942.
Perhaps one of the most sig nificant
contributions rof his ministry was his
efforts on behalf of Methodi st union .
As president of the Michigan Conference of the former Methodist Protestant Church, he exerted an influence in
favor of unification and became a member of the commission on unif ication to
which he was appointed by the president of the General Conference of the
Methodis t Protestant Church. He often
s tood alone among his ministerial brethren in favor of the uniting of the three
branches of Methodism which finally
carried in his conference by one vote.
Much of Mr. Bragg's life was spent
in the southeastern part of the state
where h e was born 79 years ago last
February. His preacher grandfather
came to Michigan from Syracuse, N. Y.,
in 1832, f irst settling in Allegan County and later moving to Monroe County
in 1838. A r oad and school were named
after him. Mrs. Charles Bragg, the former Edith Hindes, lived in Britton and
was a member of the Congregational
Church there.
Because of his f arm background Mr.
Bragg has always been interested in
animals and agriculture and is now retired on his farm near Dundee. His son,
F. J. Bragg, is a graduate of Adrian
College and the U. of 1\1. and is employed as superintendent of schools at
Otsego. A daug hter, Mrs. Harold Laskey
of Dundee, died in 1923 of burns, the
result of cleaning a stove with liquid
polish.
The fiftieth anniversary celebration
was marked by an overflow congregation that crowded into the sanctuary, the
church basement and on to the lawn
outside. About 25 persons present for
the occasion a lso had been present fifty
years ago when Mr. Bragg Qelivered
his first sermon. Many of them were
youngsters at the time.
Special guests pres ent for the celebration were the District Superintendent, Dr. L. LaVerne Finch; Rev. Harry
Coleman, a long-time friend of the
Braggs; Rev. James Weiss, a former
pasto1· of the Rea-Cone circuit and Earl
Stowell another friend. Each gave short
tributes of high praise. The offering
from the morning s ervice of $151.15 was
g iven to Mr. Bragg. The reg ular worship S€Tvice was in charge of the past or,
Rev. Phillip E. Gage. A potluck meat
was enjoyed following the service after
which a nother service, this one more
informal, was held honoring the veteran
minister.
1\'Ir. Bragg was fortuna t e in having
his family present for t he day. Mrs.
Bragg, who has been in poor health for
some time, sat with their son and his
wife and their son Charles, their daughter and son-in-law Mr. and Mrs. Steel of
Tecumseh and Sylvia and Michael t heir
children. The members of the Rea and
Cone churches provided special music
and otherwise cooperated to make the
day a memorable one.
Saginaw Bay Sub-District
Youth Begin New Year
AGINAW BAY Sub-District Metho-
Sdist Youth Fellowship met . at Owendale Sept. 9 for the first meeting of the
fall. The host church led the 115 young
people in worship, which included a
Message for the Day. R ev. William
Fraser conducted the inst allation of new
officers. Sidney Smith, presid€'nt, took
over the business meeting at which
time the secretary's and treasurer's r eports were read a nd approved. Roll call
revealed ten churches repr esented.
An announcement was made concerning a contest for MYF members, which
includes an essay on "The Benefits of
Total Abstinence." Awards are: First
prize, scholar ship to Lake Louise Methodist Camp; Second prize, pre-scholarship to Lake Louise Methodist Camp.
The president asked for a representative f rom each local MYF g roup so that
any business could be tran sacted.
A sack lunch was enjoyed in the
'Yh~n Hev. c.harles Bragg, retired member of the Detroit Conference, celebrated his
f1fheth year m the minis try by preaching t he same sermon in the same church where
he delivered i~ fifty years ago, he had in his congregation some who had been present at that ftrst service. They included (left to r ight , seated) Mrs. Fern Burrows,
Mrs. Blanche Carney, (first row, standing) Mrs. James \Veaver, Mrs. Minnie Gittus
Mrs. Harry Coleman, Mrs. Hazel Dennison, Mrs. Rowland Farrar, Mrs. Roscoe \Yen:
del, (second row) Mrs. Viola Daisher, Mrs. Bert Georgen, Mrs. Ethel Olds, Mrs.
George. ~urkett, Mrs. Mary Anderson, (third row) Mr. Bragg, Mrs. Grace Coffey,
Mrs. L1lhan Patterson, Mrs. Clyde Drake, Mrs. Lee Rheum, James Taylor, Roscoe
Rendel, (bacl< row) Grant Laskey, Clare Dennison, 1\irs. Joseph Custer and James
Dennison.
I '
AN OLD PRE ACHER'S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
TO HIS FRIENDS, IN HIS NINETIETH YEAR
After thirty-seven years of active ministry, retiring in 1942, and taking retired
s upply work, at London, Wellsville, and Rea and Cone, and filling in for various ministers at nearby churches, after 56 years of preaching, and the first of September
1962, substituting for Rev.. Ronald Corl, Pas tor of the Rea, Cone and Azalia Churches.
At nine o'clock at Rea; 10:15 ..t Cone, and 11:30 at Azalia. My very las t preaching, and
communion service was for the Congregational Church in Dundee at the request of their
ministerial Board because they did not have a pastor for the World Communion Sunday,
October 7th, 1962.
On the first of November, 1962, I was s tricken with paralysis and in Herrick M ~m
orial Hospital for 22 days, coming out in a wheel chair, and gradually to two crutches,
one crutch, and cane, two canes and now to one cane.
My name is Bragg, and I am going to live up to the name.
Joining the Conference in 1906, I have missed only two conference roll calls
up to the time of my stroke. I attended every conference but the two mentioned, from
the sound of the fir st gavel to the last. I was elected Pres ident of the Michigan annual conference in 1927, arid served unlil 1930, visiting every charge of the Conference twice a year, driving and t r aveling a distance on the average of twenty-five thousand miles a year.
I became a Commissioner of Methodist Union by virtue of this membership of
the general Conference. Only one representative was or could be chosen from the Michigan Conference M. P. Church. The firs t meeting of the three commissions of Methodism was held in the William Penn Hotel on July l-2, i930 in Pittsburgh; and arranged
by Bishop Herbert Welch of the M. E. Church North, and Rev. John Hawley~D. D., pastor of the First Methodist Protestant Church, Pittsburgh. The last meeting of the three
Methodist churches commissioners was held in Jackson, Miss issippi, in January, 1939,
in the Heidlebergh Hotel , then in June 1939, The Uniting Conference was held in Kansas
City. I was a delegate to the Century Conference in St. John' s M. P. Church in 192~
Before my hospitalization in 1962, I seldom· missed being present at the Ann
Arbor District Ministerial Association, and knew many of the brethren. The fir s t
year through the kindnes s of my pastor, R ev. Thomas Badley, and Mrs. Badley, and
Rev, Harry Coleman, I attended the Chris tmas meeting at Belleville , and there were
s o many changes and I found many s trange faces.
I seldom mi ss hearing my pas tor, the Rev. Thomas Badley, and am trying to be
a good parishioner. I like my pas tor , and think he is doing a good job. Last year I
was able to attend the dedicatory services of the Columbiavllle Educational Addition,
October 23rd. This year the dedicatory services of the Bethany Methodist Church
October 25th at Clio, Michigan, with Bi shop Loder preaching at both of thes e services .
They were happy occasions for me, as at both places I had indulged in building and
financing, with the help of the good p eople, a basement at Columbiav1lle, and at Clio
raising and finan cing, and burning a large mortgage on the Trinity Church, and practicing Methodis t Union with the pas tors of the M. E. Church. I thought when I was at
Clio that much credit should be given to Rev. Robert Bryce and Rev. Elias wonderlick, p astor s of the M. E. Church and M. P. Churches respectively. However, Bishop
Loder delivered wonderful messages at both these services, and was enjoyed by all.
The first Sunday in September of this year, I sat in a chair, ~d on my_~Oth y~
of my ministry I gave a resume of my ministry. The house was packed to its utmost
capacity. It was a wonderfUl climax to 60 years of ministry.
Having preached my firs t sermon in the Cone Church like the criminal who returned to the scene, I requested Rev. Badley to thank the WSCS for the refreshments
they served after this service, and asked him how long I had talked. He said, "45
minutes ," I said, "don't thank the m, apoligize to them."
I am in possession of the Conference Cane, and at my death it wlll be pres ented
to the next oldes t preacher of the Detroit Conference.
Taken from
a gospel hymn, "I am waiting for the morning Qf that blessed Day
to Dawn, when the sorrow and the s adne ss of this fleeting lite is gone." Ira D. Sanckey
Sincerely, REV, CHAS. BRAGG
,.
The Rev. !'i lli am A· Johnson
Box. 4 58. Wh i tmore La ke , Mich.
r.unde e , t.H ch. Oct. 7th. I 9EO
De a r Brothe r : In yesterda ys ma il I rece i ved t ~o l etters ad dr essed to a
Cha r l es Bragg , a nd a ~ ev. Cha r l es Br ag€; s i g ne d by th e N e ~·: D.S.
The ~ ev . Ed v1in Stri ker •. I am wond ~rinf: vl'h ich one of these ind i v i d u a ls
I s hould IX~ M~OCXM make a cha ck fo r th e a mount wantec, so on second
t nought I will just s i cn i t just pl a i n Chas . Br a gg .
I a r r ived l a te a t the ~ inist er i a l Ass n . a nd di d not hear
al l the D.S . Se r mo n, but what I he a r I li ked it very much, I ~ a s
i mp r essed by i t ve r y mu c h, a fte r the d inner , he ~ as st a nd i n; a t the
re a e of the d i ni nG r oom, a nd I a ppr oache d him, and told him ~ho I was,
a nd he s e emed to be ve ry d i s t a nt to me , so I d i d not botner h i m ver y
much, I thin k tha t he mue t have be e n in a r a t her thou Ghtful mood for
t h e moment, or is t ha t th e way some Di st rict Sup er i ntenda n ts a re?
Howeve r I sha ll not interfe ar with h i s a f f a i rs, I sha l l
not ap proach him again, It mi~ht be t ha t he is true to h i s name St riker ,
as W·.. ! ll a s I am tnue to my name Br abb by name , a nd Br a gL by na ture.
~.: r.
Retired Minister Is Honored
.J
I 1o/ ~ (p
Rev. Charles Bragg, a retired member
of the Detroit ·Conference, was honored
and presented with gifts at the celebration of his 89th birthday on February 21
when -85 relatives and friends gathered
in the Rea Church to pay tribute to one
of Methodism's venerable ministers.
In his 56 years of service, Mr. Bragg
has served the following churches:
Attica, Goodland Circuit, Yale, ReaCone-South Raisin, Lansing Circuit,
Columbiaville-Bethel, C I i o, MarletteClifford, London-Mooreville, Wellsville
and Rea-Cone. He served the former
Methodist Protestant Conference as
evangelist, 1916-18; and president,
1927-30.
On His 89th Birthday
Rev. Charles Bragg and his faithful dog.
After a potluck supper in the church
basement, a special program was conducted under the leadership of Rev. Tom
Badley, minister. Rev. and Mrs. Badley
provided special music and Mr. Bragg's
granddaughter, Mrs. Betty Steele, read
excerpts from his memoirs. Mr. Bragg
clos ed the program by telling of some
memorable incidents that occurred in his
life.
2
A
graduate of Ad ri an Colle e and t he Uni ve rs1 ty of .1ich1 an,
no~
Superintendent of Schools a t Otae o, Uich1 an, and a
dauehter Theo
c.,
Dundee, M1ch1 an,
ho be came t he
~ ife
of Harold Laskey of
She .me· a tr cic death Au ust 20 , 1923
from severe burna received
cleanine a stove with li quid
~hile
polish.
\Th en I \las first Converted I felt t he ca ll to the Christian
Ministry.
But as we mentioned before, extensive trainin
impossible, be cause of our father 's ill health .
~as
But a t t he a e
of 29, under the i nfluence of Rev • .M. R. Saigeon, who was pastor
of · the Re a !4 . P. Church, I a ttended the Conference at Caro,
Michi an and accepted my first char e a t Attica aerv1ns three
churches.
During our stay at Attica I took t he Conference pre-
paratory wo r k, and was tutored in English, history and other
hi h ochool subJects by Profeosor
Supt. of Schools.
I also took extens ion
Bible and homiletics
a t Adr i an Colle ae .
who was the loc a l
B~rcamp
1th Dr. John
ork in theoloay,
• Gray who was Dean ot Yon
Finally I fulfilled the requirements for
ordination and received that honor a t t he annual Conference in
1909, uhich met a t Midland Park, Gull Lake.
The noxt three years
were ope nt on t he Good l and work , a pastorate of throe churches
here we bu ilt a ncn parsona o.
i gan ,
Our next chnrso was Y le, Mich-
hero we built another parsona e.
The next two years
were spent as Conference evangelist, with residence nt . Adri an,
nhere my son att ended Colle e.
The next five years we re spent
eerv1ns our home Circuit of Roa and Cone.
mente under the churches, promot1n
Here ne put base-
t hem ae community centers,
aleo nen heating and 11 ht1ne oya temo were insta lled.
made extensive repairs on the paroonnee • .
We a lso
Our next move was to t he Main Street Methodist Chur ch in
Lansi ng .
While serving t his pastorate, I performed t he marria e
of my eon to Florine Pilbeam of Dundee ,
1ch1gan .
They have
t wo childr en, Betty Braes Steel e of Te cums eh, Micbi an , and
Charles
Bro.eg o.t home 1n Ots e o.
There o.re also t wo Greo.t-
grand children Sylvia and l.Uchael Steele of Tecumseh, Michigan.
From there I served as President of the MichiBan Conference of
the Methodist Protestant Church.
During this time
I
~as
appointed
one of t he Commissioners of Methodist Union, by the President of
the General Conference of the Methodist Protestan t Church.
I
served on this Commissio n till the Uniting Conference at Kansas
City in 1939.
After serving as head of the Conference, we
served t he followinc charees, Col umbiaville , CliQ Trinity Church,
and Marlet te.
In 1942 I became a retired supply of t he London
and Uooreville Churches, moving to my farm home in Dundee ,
U1ch1gan where I no w reside.
This year 1946, I retired completely trom the act ive
Ministry and have become an active member ot the old home church
at Rea.
Dur i ng my service on the Commissi on for Methodist Union I
nao an ardent worker for this cauae, being one of the first \o
fall 1n line for t he idoa.
In the be 1nn1ns there was much
oppo$1t1on in our Conference, 1n f ct I almoat stood alone on
the question.
en t he vote was takon f o r union there
ma Jority by only one vote.
~as
o.
This nould not have been the case
if work , f aith, and trust in our Lord and Savior, Jeaue Christ
had gone together .
1 was respone1 blo in llfttn
t ho Mort a es on several of
the Churches 1n my ohorse, nnmoly, Lanain , Clio Trinity, and
P.tarlet te •
-,-'
4
I was also Treeurer of t h e Ad Interim AdJustment 'Comrn1 ttee
for the liquidation of the indebtedness of the old Methodist
Conference.
While livin
an old ambi tion to read
in Lansing I had some ti me to fulfi ll
l a~ o
I s pent many hours in the l au
library in our state cap1tolo
Now my active work is over, a nd t he
Christian Ministry I c an no lonBer carry.
~esponsibi l~ties
of the
"'ith reluctance I
pass t hem on to younger and more capable hands.
Sup~ ~e men t
nage
f~r
An incident of my
B ro t t~ r
32
na st~ r a t e
Geor€e Evans
a
a t Yale
~ ic~igan
Bugner a
w \dow~r ~ave B rot ~Fr T h~rna s
deed to ei gh t y a cre s of l and and took a l ife lease .
agr e erne~ t
t ~a t
would
B u~ner
fun e ra l services .
ca r e of h i m and h i s e e n=ra l
t a~ e
movP.d into Evans
B u~·n~r
t he
~ith
h~uc:
e i n t he f a l l of
191 4 anc nu t in th"' w!1eat uut before S'1ri nc:· cane in 1915
co ul d not
t~P
a~r ee
d eed .
Port
and Evans s t a rt ed le gal uroc eedings to
Evans l ay ye r s
Hur ~n a n~ B u ~ n e r ' s
to t ake nl
a ce
.
in~ e
wer e t wa
b 1 ~ th ~ rs
Lawy ers was G. W.
- -
sn rin ~
t erm of
r eplace
l aw i n
p rac t icin ~
Th i s s u i t was
~a c kl ero y .
c~urt .
A
t hQy
Gorman Hubert of
~w .
Yal e appro ec h Pd me and s a i d why don ' t y ou se c if t hose t wo men
c a n ' s se t t l e
my c ' urcb .
They were membe r s of
affa ir out of c our t .
t ~ is
It se emed p ossib l e
and a s '· ed him hha t
t~
me
s~
I a nu ro ached Tom fir st
h e wo ul d ta ke t o se t t l e \-J i t·~
He
Geo 1· ~ e .
said he \·:oul d g i ve G"'orge bac ...{ h i s d eed and move out of t ho ho uRe
t o hls own house for $400 .
a opro a ched
George settle with h is
GA or 7en and bee cc ep t ed t h e nr onosal .
I had t he mone
and I t ook t he p . m. t r a i n
$75 .
But Evans l awye r
sat on
~ne
t~e
next
in my p oss ess io n
vias no so ear:y t o settle wi t h .
side of h i s o f: ice t ab l e a nd we
he s hook h is !list i n my f a e a nd said,
a t te nd to your b 18 ines s nreac··· i ng
~i o
So
I
$700 i n cash and Eugne r and h i s wife and Geor p e
day Ge orge *odk
fi ct undPr
l aw y~ r .
noRP and e r io ,
o t ~P r
and
"Hhy d ')n' t y')u
theGos D ~ l
" T ~1a t ' s
hhe
He
?
11
I shook my
exact l y '\v'r:lat I' m do nr. ."
Af t er muc h arFrument he fina l ly se t tled for $150 .
'·e :tl:elllurn od
to Yale and Hr . Gorrno.n Hu">ert \oJ"r.:::> waP a n')tary made a u t t he na Prs
a~d
Tom
fi nally
andG~o!ge
shook hands
and were frie nds again.
gave h i s farm to t he ~et~~diet Ro~e
GQJrge
for the A~ed and
I was conte nt ed and
or 27 .
Bo t h
t h at I had
sit ua tion .
~a ~DY
till be
uaes~d a~ay
aroun d thP
y~ ar 1926
men h a ve gone to t h e i r reward and I h e VF been baDDY
sooe t ~ i ng
t ~ d o in s t rai ght en in n o ut th i s bad