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Golden, Owen J.
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0 WE N
1 8
J AVAN
4 g
G0 L D E N
1 9 2 3
-oOwen Javan Golden was born September 14, 1848,
in Virgil, New York state.
was twenty years of age.
He was converted when he
In 1868 he married Jeanette
Brink in Binghamton, New York, and soon after came to
Cadillac, Michigan, and for two or three years worked
at the carpenter's trade.
He left the state of New
York to escape what he believed to be a call to preach.
H~
became a class leader in the Methodist Episcopal
Church.
The church asked him to preach.
It was a
favorite saying of his that if a man is called to
preach there are two calls, the call of the church and
the call of God to the person.
At the age of twenty-three Mr. Golden entered the
ministry of his church and for many years was a pastor
of small charges in the Northern part of Michigan,
often walking long distances to preach.
He was one of
the men who did heroic service in laying the foundations of public morals in the Northern part of the
state.
Among the charges which he served were Alden,
Mancelona, Torch Lake, Manton, Elk Rapids, Edmore,
Palo for four years, Belmngfor four years, Pottervill e
for five years, Perrinton for four years, Elsie for
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five years, Martin for six years, Galesburg for four
years, and Richland for one year and one month.
His
pastorates were usually about as long as the law of thE
chur ch allowed.
At the session of the Annual Confer-
ence in 1922, he took the retired relation but was
appointed to Richland and did a year of active and
useful service.
Jeanette Brink and 0. J. Golden were the parents
of three children:
Harry who died when five years of
age, Mrs. Gertrude Morehead who died in 1902, and
Dr. C. M. Golden of Tyler, Minnesota.
The mother died
December 25, 1895·
Mr. Golden was married December 30, 1896, at
Belding, to Miss Alice Crippen, who was born at
Dixboro, Michigan, March 22, 1g65, daughter of Martha
Gawley, of Irish descent, and Marcus Crippen.
The
family belonged to the pioneers of the vicinity of
Dixboro.
She began to attend Sunday School at age
of five and early became a teacher in Sunday School
and continued to teach all through her life.
She
graduated from the Ann Arbor High School in 1886.
She was at one time President of the
w.
F. M. S. of
the Lansing district for three years, and was Vice
President of the W. F. M. S. of the Kalamazoo district.
She taught in the public school of Hubbardston f or
3
one year and was Principal of the Belding High School
or seven years until her marriage.
She was very
active in church work, particularly with the young
people in the Junior and Senior Epworth Leagues and
Sunday School, and in promoting the interests of the
missionary societies.
Her whole life was given to her
church and her family.
She resides with her daughter,
Mrs. D. G. Knapp of Kalamazoo.
She had three brothers
John, Linas, and Frederick.
Mr. and Mrs. Golden were the parents of the
following children:
Eleanor M., who married D. G.
Knapp; Ruth M., who married L. W. Simpson of Muskegon;
Mr. and Mrs. D. G. Knapp are parents of one son,
Richard Gordon, born April 30, 1932.
Death came to Mr. Golden October 19, 1923.
He
preached three times the preceding Sunday and his
last sermon was remembered as one of great excellence.
At the time of his passing the parsonage was filled
with the members of his church and congregation attending a meeting of the Ladies' Aid Society.
The funeral · was in charge of the District Superintendent, Dr.
l_
w.
M. Puffer, assisted by F. E. Cham-
berlain, L. DeLamarter,
w.
I. Cogshall, R. E. Meader,
A. F. Nagler, George Brown, G. D. Chase, ministers.
The bearers were pastors M. E. · Hoyt, J. C. Cook,
4
Q.
s.
G. E.
Walker, J. M. Jensen, A. T. Cartland, and
~ right.
Burial was in Galesburg.
Mr. Golden was a useful, honored Christian minister who did a great amount of good through his long
ministerial career.
He was loyal to the church, a
faithful minister, a good preacher, and a wise and
kindly pastor.
He built his life into t he higher
activities of this state during many years.
most excellent pastor.
He was greatli loved.
He was a
He was
always cneerful and optimistic, often mirthful and
give~
to kindly joking, a princely character.
Written August 25, 1936
Golden, Owen J.