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Bibbins, Samuel
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THE COMMISSION ON ARCHIVES AND lllSTORY
DETROIT ANNUAL CONFERENCE
THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Ronald A . Brunge r , Archivist
Home Phone : (517) 456-7992
Archives , Adrian College Library
Adria n , Michigan 49221
Tele phone: (517) 265-5161 ·
First Log Church
on t h e Rive r Rouge
1818
Clinton, oldest UMC
edifice in Confe re nce
1837
ELISHA AND SAMUEL BIBBI NS
ELISHA BI BBI NS . B. \·lar s aw, N Y. , June 9 , 1823. Unite d with Wesleyan f·~et hod ists;
lie. to preach in 1845 & ent ere d at once u pon the ea rne c.t wo r k of the ~ inis try .
Af t e ~ l aboring wit h ma r ked s uc c ess f or 22 ye ar s, in 1867 wi th several of his brethren wa s receive · into h e Detro i t Confe r ence. Fa iling he alih in 1875 r es ult ed
in a supe r annuated r el a tion . He di ed Nov. 22, 1875 ~ L>-~~ ~c "A f t-.:c.V
EJ&YY<-CYV,
SAJnJEL BI BBINS . B. Se pt. 1, 1796 a nd di e d May 19 187 7; Convert ed & unit ed with
t he M. E. Chu rch a t age of 21 ; 3 Y" r1 8 2ft-t er a L. P. After l a boring 8 ye ar s in
t he Genes ee Conference he moved t o Sa lem, M; chigan, t-rher e fo r s ev er a l ye ars h e ivas
pec ulia.rly us eful in hi s loc a l r e l a t ion . When t he anti-s l a ver y agita tion a rose
h e i de nt :i f i e d h msel f t-rith the Abolitionis t s , a nd t a king t he g round •• t hat t he
M. E. Chu ·ch was ess ential y and ho pel es s l y pr o-s l av ery i n s p irit a nd in pr a ctice,
and t hi nk i ng that h e coul d no mor e f or t he cau se of f re edom elset•The r e , he s e c e de d and
h el pe d to orga nize the rle s leyan C hurch ~ \vher e he r emaine d and l a bored wit h g ·eat
zeal till slav e-holde r s be ing deni ed a pl ace i n our co mmunion a nd sla very be i ng
abo lis he d fro m the n ation .
In the year 1867 a t t he Conf er e nc e he l d at Sagi naw }i t y , ivi t h Luther 1 ee, Jo hn
Mc Eldowney a nd sev er a l other s , he r eturned t o the chur c h of hi s e a r l y c hoi ce.
Though i n a s uper a nnuat e d r el at i on h e co nt i nue d hi s mi n i s t erial x l abors till two
\<Te e ks befo r e hi s dea t h •• He was e mployed a s a r egul a r suppl y r especti v el y on t he
Fl a t R--- ck , Tda , Rockl an d and Nei.Y .ooston circuit s ; and afte r c losing hi s l abors on
· he l at e r, d evoted h i s f a iling ene r g i es t o the ear nest C1r i s tian ~"'ork f or t he we ll
be i ng of t he inmat es of t he Wayne County Poor Hous e and Ins an~ Asylum, whe r e
a lmost litera lly , he "ceas ed a t onc e to ivork a nd l i v e . " He was a cons i s tent Xn,
a pr eacher of r espect abl e t a lent s , an exc elle nt exh o ~ t er , and a v ery suc c e s s ful
r evi val i st . He r e s ts in t he e mbr a ce of J esus . May w ~ ~ m it ate his z ea l in the
Mast er' s c ause .
MRS . CAROLI NB BI BBINS .(Elisha) b . Catta r augus Co , N. Y. Anr. 26 , 1 829 ~ d. Yps ila nti
r t . 9 , 1904 . Left a n orphan at an ea rly age . Young girlhood s pe nt with severa l
~am ili es of fr i ends . I n 1849 she c ame t o Lenawee County to l ive wit h an olde r sist er . T•·e next y ~ ar she was b l ess edl y conv er t ed a nd in 1851 was happily un i ted i n
marr i a ge with Rev . Eli s ha ~ibbins , under whose minis try she had been l ed into
Ch r i s t i a ne xperi. enc e a nd l i f e . Twenty- fou r ;}na r s of arduous s <=>rvice in t he i t i ner
an cy f ol loi·re d , 16 y e a r s in the i'l'es l eyan 1' 1 t nodis t and 8 in t he f\! . li: . Church .
A fait ~ ful s ervant of God . She de l i ght ed t o engage i n t h e wor k of t he e hurch
and ma ny s oul s were l e d into t he Kingdom. • St r oke of paral y sis i n Augus t.
Buri e d
a t Romu l us by her husband ; Rev . Geor ge B. M ~ rsh of ~ i l an off i c i a t ed .
Al l ~ibb ins in t hi s c ountry de s c endants o f Arthur (l686-1788) of Gl a s t onbur y ,
C't . who cha nged h i s na me fro m Beg i n. Arthur's s on, Ar thu J r. ( l710-1759) had 4
s ons inc l udi ng:
Wi ll iam(l745-1806), whos e s on Bel a( l 775) live d in War sa\IT be t \'leen 1800-1830
a nd was qui t e l ikel y Elis ha's f a t he r sinc e El ish a was born i n Wars ~w in
1823 ru1 d ~ e l a ha d a s on of hi s a ge .
Samue l(l742-180_) wh o he l ped f oundt he ~ et ho di s t Church i n Hampt o ~ , NY near
Lake George .
Hi s 8 s o ns i ncluded:
who became a Met odi st mi n ist er & founde d the Weedspo rt,
N. Y. Metho di st Church in 18 16 l'lhich h e served until his de ath.
El i s ha ( 1790- 18 59 ) who t•Jas a ~~e thod i s t mini s te r in Pa . & I ll. and vrhose son
Robe r t Ke nda.ll(l 8 24-1898) was a l so a :Methodis t ministe r inill.
Ar-thur( 1779-1862) - An c e s t or of he?.r l e s bi bbins, 58 Ma ple1·10o d Ave., ~iaplet-ro od
NJ 0 7040, my co rr e s p ~ndent
I
Lut he r (1771! who conc e i vably could ha v e be en your Samue l s f a the r.
He h ad chil d ·'en of t he right a ge ckllubho ugh I don ' t kno t h e i r names.
He liv d in NY fo r many yea."S but t hen move d to Sal e m t~hen in his
60's,(to b e ne ar his son? )
S amue l(l ? ~a-1 836)
"Hhi l e I have n o proof t hat Rev. ' s S -...rme l & El i s h a knet•T each other, their
proxi mity in your Co '1fere nce makes it l ike l y . One ··•onders whether Rev. Eli sha
n a me d his o n ly s on Samu e l a ft e r hi s " co usin. ,.,
,
As you c a n see our f amily was hi ghl y act i ve in our ~hurch d uring the 19th century.
I t is pos sible t hat your news - aper ma y hav e .:m obitua ry oft Samue l or Elisha
t hat would provi de mor e i nfo r mati on .
THE COMMISSION ON ARCHIVES AND lllSTORY
DETROIT ANNUAL CONFERENCE
THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
First Log Church
on the River Rouge
1818
Ronald A . Brunger, Archivist
Home Phone: (517) 456-7992
Archives, Adrian College Library
Adrian, Michigan 49221
Telephone: (517) 265-5161
Clinton, oldest UMC
edifice in Conference
1837
May 6, 1987
Charles Bibbins,
58 Maplewood Ave.,
Maplewood, New Jersey
Dear Mr. Bibbins:
Your Letter requesting information on Rev. Samuel Bibbins(l796-1877) and
Rev. Elisha Bibbins(l823-75), sent to Rev. Bruce Brown, has been sent to me.
I ~·;as very interested in your Query, for I have felt a great interest in these
earnest Methodist preachers of the early day, with the same surname, and the same
anti-elaver.y principles, who when the Civil War was over, felt that the reason
for the separate existence of the Wesleyan Methodist Church was ended, and came
back t o the mother Church and to our Conference.
I have wondered if they were related, and would like to lea rn about their
families and ancestry. Unfortun:B.tely our early Methodist Memoirs were interested
in the religious experence and the service of the ministers, but lacked the personal and family interest that we have today.
And so far I have been unsuccessful
in my search for details on their fa~ilies.
I presume that you may have found the Memoir~ of these men and of ~rs. Elisha
Bi nbins, but I am enclosing copies of these, in case you do not h :cw e them.
From the Journal of Rev. James Gilruth, Presiding Elder of the Detroit District from 1832 to 1834, we ca.tch some glimpses of Samuel Bibbins. On o:iunday,
Aug. 3, 1834, Gilruth was at "Smoth Rock" a.s he called it, which is Flat Rock today,
for a Qua rterly Meeting. They held a Love Feast at 9 a.m., end at 11 a.m. came
the church se r vice. Gilruth tTrote:"Br.(other) Samuel Bibbins preache d at 11 at
the close of which Br Elias Patte took a collecti on for the me ' ting house which
amounteri. to UpNards of 30S. (This being a ne ~·I house & not yet clear of debt) After
which we administered th e sacrement to perhaps 40 communicants." Of the afternoon
he wrote,"! admenistered the ordenance of bantism .to 7 adults 3 by immersion & 4
by pouring--(Thi s 'YTP.S done at 2 in the river)." (p. 372)
On Monday Gilruth found that Samuel Bibbins was going to Conference, hopefully
to be ordained. They decided to go together. "We concluded to Rig my waggon for
two horses, accordingly we wnnt to work & by 10 Made a pRir of doublet ~ ees & a
*ongue & neck yoke." They harnessed their horses and set out. 'After a leisurely
journey, which included some preaching, a call on Gilruth's ma rried daughter, and
bathing in the Maumee River, the two men arrived in Circleville the day Conference
began.'
(Margaret Macmillan: The Met hodis t Church in Michigan, 19th Century, p, 110
- 2 -
On Friday after ~oon, Aug. 29, Gilruth a nd Samuel Bibbins set out on their
return journey to Michigan, and got to Columbus, 25 miles, by dusk. On the morning
of Sept. 5, Gilruth f' ixed his wap:on for one hors e again. "About 9 Brs Billings Bibbins
& myself !" et out each on his 01-m conveyance & after traveling 6 Miles together I parted
from them."
(pa ge 384)
From Gilruth's Journel, we l earn th "t Bibbins wa s ordained a deacon in 1834.
He does not appe a r in the Conference appointments; appa rently he w~ s an a ctive local
preacher. The Qua rterly Meeting forthe Plymouth Circuit HaS held on March 28-29.
On Sunday the service s were held in the barn of Brother ~ufus Matthews. At the
closing afternoon service, Bibbins was the prea cher. But we wonder if he had not
become one of the circuit preachers before the end of the year. The las t Quarterly
Meeting on the Plymouth Circuit l'TBS held on June 20-21. In attempting to cross a
small creek n e.,r the meeting place, Gilruth's wagon came uncoupled in the svmllen
stream. He had a terrible time getting out, and was an hour late. He viTote that
"Br s. Bibbens h?..d just rea d out hi s hymn to commence Meeting."
p. 442)
(Reverences here to the Gilruth Journal from Hilliam Harren .:.l'\<Jeet: Religion
.2.!! the American Frontier, 1783-1840, Vol. IV The 1-': etho n.ists."
Gilruth tells u s that at the Quarterly Meeting for the Plymouth Circuit, held
on Oct. 24-25, 1835, he pre ~ ched on Sunday morning from Luke 16:31, "After which we
adm i n ~ stered the sacrement assisted by Brs Swift & Bibbens."
At the end of December
revival meetings were being held in Ann Arbor. Samue l Bibbins was pr ~ sent on Tuesday evening , Dec. 29, and gave an exhort ation to penitents to come to the altar,
following the service. (Journal of James Gilruth, in The General Commission on History and Archives libra.ry, Drew University, Madison, New Jerse:
The 1839 session of the Michigan Annual Confe ~ ence he ld at Ann Arbor under the
leaders h i p of ~ishop Jo shua Soule, who was strongly pro-southern in his sentiments,
refused to ordain l.'ia.rcus Swif !lma Samuel Bibbins as travelling elders due to their
stronR abolitionist views. Both men were wi dely known and respected in the Farmington-Northville area. The feeling in favor of these men ran so strong, that the
membership of the Northville cha r ge declined from 216 members in 1839 to 130 in 1840.
("History of the Northville Methodist Church" by Paul Cargo) •
•••• Fo llow in~ th e dramatic scene at th e Detroit Annual Conference, Sept. 9,
1867, when seven men returne d to the :Methor'l i s t E:ois co pal Church from the Wesleyan
Methodist Church, Samuel Bibbins, now 71,was retired, and Elisha Bibbins w~ s appointed
to Franciscoville and Waterloo, two small places about 25 miles west of Ann Arbor.
In 1868 Samuel Bibbins was g iven as living at NeH Baltimore, Michigan. E:lisha
Bib ins had. received S380 salary the previous ye ar, out of a claim of $450. He was
novr appointed to Oakville Circuit, east of Milan.
In 1869 Samuel Bihbins was registered as living at Pullen's Corners(location is
unkno,.m). Elisha wa s continued at Oakville until 1 Q72. Oakville re ported 178
members and , 36 probationers; 2 churches worth $3000; a p~rs onage worth $600; $68
g iven to missions , and 5 Sunday Schools with 170 schola rs and 500 libr o- ry books.
In 1870 Samue l Bibbins wr.s locate0 at Ida; evidently he had filled in with
t01·:ar d the end of the ye a r, for lvhich he received Sl25. At O"' kville Elisha
~ibbins received a salary of S510 on hi s claim for 8550.
In 1871 Elisha Bibbins W A S appointed to the Franklin Circuit, and lived at
Tipton, 6 mil es we~ t of Tecumseh. Fra nklin in 1872 reported ~ full salary of S600;
98 members, 2 Churches worth $5500, with ~1800 spent for building that year.
In 1873 Elisha Bibbins was s ent to Lambertville, ne a r the Ohio line, north of
Toledo . In 1874 he reported only 60 memhers and a s a lary o f S430, on his $700 cla im!
B.vl 874 Samuel Bihbins \'l i'l. S living at New Boston. When Elisha retired in September 1875,
his address wa s not given.
This i s about a ll that I can tell you about these mi ., isters at present.
I will keep your query in mind, and if more information turns up, will send to you.
prea ~ hing
~~,f;j; !1::U '&~
C HARLES
H . BIBBINS
SB MAPLEWOOD AVENUE
MAPLEWOOD
NEW J ERSEY
07040
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