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Title
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Eldred, Andrew J.
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A N D R E
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JACKSO N
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E L DR E D
1 9 1 0
-oAndrew Jacks on Eldred was born in Cat ski 11,
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New York ,
arch 20, 1825 .
his parents in
Prairie .
He came to
ichi gan with
arch 1834 , and settled on Gull
Two years later they removed to Gun
Plains , and were the first white family to live in
artin township .
Andrew was converted when thirteen years of age
and in subsequent years gained a very clear and
satisfactory experience .
He was baptized by the
Reverend F . Gage, and received into the church in
1841 .
In early life he studied much the science of
civil government a nd English literature .
The love
of the law ne a rly seduced him from the life of a
minister of the Gospel and it was his custom to
mingle theological studies with the highest authorities of the law .
This was his early method of
achieving success and served in some ways in compensating for the loss of a college education .
He
spent two winters in the best schools Kalamazoo
county afforded and one summer in a branch of the
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University of ·richigan then located in Kalamazoo.
It was his purpose to take a college course at Ann
Arbor , but when called by the authorities of the
church to enter the ministry he could not resist.
In 1841 he was licensed as an exhorter and began
his activities at the age of sixteen.
In 1844, he
was licensed to preach, and a year later took up
the work of a circuit rider on the Kalamazoo circui
The last half of the year he was put in charge of
the
ite Pigeon circuit, and from there recommended
to the
ichigan Annual Conference in 1846 and was
ace epted.
He was ordained Deacon by Bishop Ames in 1848,
and Elder by Bishop Morris in 1850.
His appoint-
ments were Edwardsburg, Centerville , Schoolcraft,
Allegan, r iles, Grand Ra pids, Adrian, Detroit,
Niles, Niles district, Albion, Grand Rapids, Grand
Rapids district, Coldwater district, Ionia, Three
Rivers, Grand Traverse district, Sherman, Cadillac,
Elk Rapids, and Ionia prison chaplaincy.
During the Civil War he assisted in organizing
a regiment of volunteers and went out with it as
chaplain.
In the battle of Shiloh he took an
active part and was in great danger a part of the
time.
For this he would have received recognition
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but for the cowardly ·conduct of a superior.
After
two years in the army he returned to the work of
the conference.
For forty-six years he served in
conference appointments and , counting the time he
served as exhorter a nd local preacher, he gave a
tot al of sixty-five years to the church.
One of his greatest achievements was the
organization of the first
~ ethodist
society on the
west side of Grand Rapids and the building of the
beautiful old Division Street church.
In all
f ields of labor he led many souls to Ghrist and
durin g the three years he
as chaplain at Ionia
many former criminals were converted.
1r. Eldred enjoyed many honors.
In 1872,
he was elected a delegate to the General Conference
and never afterward seemed to aspire to it.
He
found his highest joy in gospel preaching, and was
willing to leave le gislation to others.
It was
a fitting tribute to the man that Albion College
after his active ministry had closed conferred
upon him the degree of Doctor of Divinity.
~ r.
Eldred was a man of commanding stature,
five feet ten inches tall and 220 pounds in weight.
His eye was clear and searching, his expression
confident and emphatic, while his earnestness and
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sincerity could never be doubted.
His was almost
an ideal ministry .
He was first married to 1iss Eli zabeth Demott
at Kalamazoo in August , 1848.
She became the
mother . of his six children and died several years
earlier than her husband.
In 1899, he married
Miss Marion Bush, daughter of Reverend Danial Bush.
Death came to Dr . Eldred at the home of his
only surviving son, Nilliam D. Eldred, in Traverse
City, Michigan, June 26, 1910.
by his widow , one son,
He was survived
eight grandchildren, five of
whom resided i n S eattle,
ashington, and several
brothers and sisters: Stephen of Bellaire ,
ichigan;
I
Samuel of
~ artin;
rs. Emily Youngs , Mrs.
c.
E.
Smith, of Grand Rapids, and Ars. L. L. Blair of
t. Clemens .
The funeral was conducted by the Reverend
R . S • .cGregor, assisted by the R . . verends
r, .
rv .
cKee, A. T. Ferguson, T. H. M. Coghlan , · • I. Cogsha 11, D. F . Barnes , J.
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t
•
Mi 11 er,
• Heath and
P. Mosher .
His death was beautiful.
Reverend R.
cGregor says: "His end was peace.
s.
I was with him
for nearly an hour on Saturd ay evening.
He talked
freely of his expected end and that too, with his
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old time vigor and facility of speech, though his
voice was somewhat feeble.
e sang the first and
last stanzas of ' _ll Hail The Power of Jesus' Name.'
He joined in and sang with us to the close, and
during the prayer which followed he responded
clearly several times with a hearty ' Jmen,' and
'Bless the Lord.'
He declared his love for the
brethren of the Michigan Conference .
He gave me
the message for them, which was, 'Tell my brethren
I rest on the old foundations .
dence in modern notions.•
I have no confi -
In all my talks with
him during his last illness of several weeks he
showed the same confident cheerfulness that characterized his convers.ati on when in health.
was no change.
the Lord.
There
His heart was fixed trusting in
He was not disturbed in the least by
the approach of the last enemy."
Eldred, Andrew J.