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Crippen, John W.
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REVEREND J OffiiJ" WESLEY CRIPPEN
Served at Lee Chapel Sept . 9, 1867 to Aug. 31, 1868.
Born a t SUperior, washtenaw County , Michi gan , July 3 , 1833 .
Converted Dec. 23 , 1852 .
Rece i ved exhorter' s licens e from Wm . Mahon Oct . 23 , 185 4 .
Received loca l prea cher ' s licen s e May 24 , 1856 .
Joined Detroit Conference on tri al, 1857; full member , 1859 .
SUperannuated in 1883 .
Married Mis s Esther E . Withey in 1859 a t Plea s ant Va lley, Mich.,
nea r Brighton.
She was born a t Pleasant Lake, Mich., June 8, 1838.
Her father , Eli as With ey, was an old time Methodist and his home was
the pr ea chers ' refuge at all times .
re source.
She wa s a woman of wonderful
No matter how di s couragi ng the situa tion she a l ways
"managed somehow 11 and kept many a nxietie s a way from her husba nd.
On every cha r ge the doctor thought firs t of Mrs . Crippen when a
nur se was needed, and her ski ll saved many live s .
She was happy,
loyal to the old i deas and receptive to the new, interested in
every kind of good work.
She organized the Y. W. C. A. a t Ann
Arbor and wa s it s genera l sec reta ry for some time.
of a shut-in
~fter
She was much
1906 , a s the re sult of a f all, but was a s young
in hea rt as ever up to the time of her dea th on April 6, 1916.
It
was i mpos s ible to rea lize that she was 78.
They ha d one child, Mi ss Hattie A. Crippen, who wrote her mother's
obituary for the Detroit Conference Minut es .
Rev. Crip pen' s mi ni s tery consi sted of 26 years a ctive work and 26
ye a rs in ret irement.
frai l ty.
•
insecure.
Thi s fine life was handicapped by phy s ical
From childhood to age his hea lth was infirm and hi s li fe
With a neTvous temperament, he proba bly bore four-fold of
the average of human suff ering.
Hi s f a ther wa s a
f ~ rme r
odi st loca.l pre acher, and came to Michi gan in 1827.
was a "Yankee " and a Bap tist.
and a Meth-
His grandfa the r
Hi s mother ' s blood had s trains o:f
En glish, Iri sh, and Dut ch blood in them.
He loved books and h a d a passion for study .
As health permitted
he went to di strict school to a bout his f ourteenth yea r, and aft erwards had nearl y three years a t Al b ion seminary an d a bout t wo terms
in Garrett Biblical Institute.
In his ea rly years he was very open to reli gious influences and
i mpress ions , a nd experienced many sea s on s of deep emotion, a sharp
sense of sinfulmess, a keen relish for devotion and love of goodne ss , and an i mpul sive de sire to live and l abor so as to ple ase God.
At t imes he counte d himse lf a t the gate of the kingdom and was uncertain whether h e wa s on the inside or t he outside of the gate.
One may infer, fr om his own minute s of his condition, that a wise
guide would have led him i nto a clear under standing of his spi ritu a l privilege s as a child and would h ave been the means of his being
e arly esta blished in a Chri sti an experience and faith .
Unfortunately
he was brought under the spell of a skeptica l s chool of thought and
read the periodica l publica ti ons of an infidel pres s , and fo r f ive
years was in a re a l m of mi st and unre st .
per si stent re a ding of the Bible.
Hi s change came by his own
It s li ght banished hi s da rknes s .
s trengthening hi s Bible reading by church attendance, he carne to a
deliberate surrender of him s elf to God and t he commencement of a
calm and clea r religious experience.
After retiring in 1883, he settled in Ann Arbor where he and his
family l a r gely provided for them selve s by renting room to students
and serving them in other ways .
Because of hi s feeblenes s h e sel dom
preached and was seldom found in the meetings of hi s brethren where
the commotion woul d unnerve him .
His fondnes s for books , his absorb-
ing concern for the church and joy in it s a dvance were unabated to
the end.
Hi s death occurred saturday night, October 1 6 , 19 09 in Ann Arbor.
L
le
REVE lThND J . 'N . CRI PPEN
Reminisc enc e s spora dic ,
By a Methodist nomadic ,
No t of somber days and dre a r y ,
But of days well filled and cheery ,
In t he v ineyard of the Lo r d .
No t of ma rtyr - l ike endura nce ,
Wonders wrought t hrough great assur ance ,
But of ·w ork in vTh ich we glory ,
Just a plain and simple story ,
Told by one who pr eac h ed the Word.
---Mich i gan Christian Advoc a te
Apri l 27, 1 895 , page 4 .
236
Methodist Episcopal Church.
Detroit Annual Conference, 191 0,
!!37
hiM tniuislry and lalt•r )'Pill'S Ill' su lfc n•d g-n·atly from ltodily alllictio n
and l"'rltaps hall !Jonu• f'o ur -foltl o f t he avt•ragu of huma n physit:al
Mnlf.,rin~;.
II is tempcmnu•nt w;Ls nervous and his phys i<·al typ•: the
~a lll P,
In the drath of thi s Chri stian ministPr I.IH! Detroit Conference
loses one of it8 rarest s pirils, a man of very lin e St'IIMiLilites and !liscriminating intell ect, and o f •nark('(! u_no!Jtrusive nPss o f nature; a ma_n
of solid worth of t•haral'lcr. We fcl'lnn pell cd to Hpeak strongly of Ius
p ersonal worth, because he was so littl" conce rn ed hilnse ll' ahout im press ing It upon oth ers. Jl e had hcl!n a su pe rannuate so many )'l'!l r8
and had heen in 80 rt!tired a life tlurin~ thut time, thai. IIIIIIIY me mbers
o f th e confl!rCnCIJ did 11ot know h ow good a mall he was.
ll e wns !Jorn In the townHhip of Huttcrior, Washl•••oaw County, not
fnr from Ypsllnuti, in ltl:l:!, .July a, was con verted ll!,.'l'tllher :.!ll, lllf>:.!,
received nn ex horter's l icense from William J\lahon O<·tobcr :.?ll, 185·1 ,
nnd n local prencher's license ]l[ay 2'1, ltl50, ami joinctl the Detroit
Confer ence ns n p1·obntloner at P ort Jllll'on in 1807.
H is nppoinlments were: Che lsea (jn11lor preacher), Tirighton
(junior), l•'remont and Newburg (Owosso section), Holly, Goodrich,
Urn nd Blnnc, Cli11ton, Morenci, Lee's Chape l (Drtroit), Northville ,
U tica St. Charl es, Tre nton, Bellev ille, Commerce , W<!Bt H aven , Ames
Chnrdh (Sngl nnw) nml Bridgeport. 'l'hls brought his minis try down
to the fall of 188U , when he su p erannuated after twe nty-s ix ycar9 of
active work in the p atltomtc. 'fhis p eriod Is oxactly 1.11 11 !l rsL half of
his minis try, for It is just twenty-six y ears since he reti red. 'fhc
whole s tretch of confere nce connection covers li fty -two Y•~ars, and
they were nil ynars of honor und grace.
This fin o life was handi capped hy physical fr alll.y. J•'rom nhild hood to u~:c his h ealth was lnlirm ami his life insc•·ure. During all
!lis fa I hPr was a far mer and a Methodist loc:a l preacher, nud camP
10 "llli•·hil!au in t:;:.!'i. II is grandfath er was a "Yankf'P'' and a Baptist.
I Ii>~ mullu·•·'s l't:illS had HI ra ins of E nglis h, Irish anti llut<·h hlood in
t ht• nl.
As a lad ht• lm·ptl loouks. lly nalm·e h•• hat! a passiUII for stlltly.
As hPal lh IH~n niliP d h• · wt·nl t.o dislrit·t s<:hool up lo h is thirtt• c•ut h or
fonrll't'lll h .v••a1·, and aflcrwanls hat! ucal'ly th1·ee )'l':II'S i11 Albion ~t'llll
nary, aud about two te rms in t:arrctt Bilolical Institute.
In hi s l'ady yuan! he was \'IH'Y open lo reli gious inllu encl'S aiiCl
im pn!ssions , allll PXJwrienc•·d very many s1·11sons of d• ·e p t•nwtion, a
sharp sc• ns•· of sinful ness, a kee n relish for devol ion and lm·c o f goodlll'ss, allll an impu ls ive desire lo live and la hur so as to pleas•· Uocl .
At liuu•s het·ountPdhimsPif al th•• gnll~oflhl' ldngdom and was un<·ortaiu wh el hl'r lu: \\' llS on l.lw ins id1: or outsid e of the gate. On•· may
in fPr 1 frum hh1 own miuutes of his condition , t hat nn appreciatii'O and
wise guide wunld havP. led him inlo a d ear nndl'rsta ndi ng of his
s piritual pril'ilcges us a child nml wouhl luli'C bc!en t he mP.a ns of his
ill'ing l!a•·ly estaltlh;lu:d in a Chrisli an cxpPI'ienec and faith. Un fw·tunately lw was lwought under till' Slt!'ll of n skl'p l.il:al sl'lwol of
tliuug h t and r ead Lhe .pnl'iodil!al puhlications of llll in Iitle! press, ami
for live years !J., wa~ in Lhe n·alm of mist and u nrest. I I is change for
the UCtler <::I II IP. from t he beginning O il hiS part of a jlCrSistent l'eacling
of Lhe Jlibll', !Is light lmnh;hcd his dnrknf'ss. Undc1· the in lhw nce
o f the Word, which was strength••ncd l!y his church atl.endaiH:e, he
eanu• l.o a dl'li ht•ra lo ~III T endcr ol' him self lo God anti the commt•ncolllt'llt of a calm ancl clt•ar rc li ~i o us cxperir nce.
li e was m arried in l S!l!J at Ple nsant Vall ry, ncar Brij!lllon, to
Miss Eslhc:r E. With ey , a sister of Hc1', .1. K Wilhcy, of !<'li nt, and
t hey hc1·ame tht: happy pare 11ts of 1111ss llattie A. Urippt- n, who s urv iv"s ami mourns he r father.
Afte r rctil'ing from the active ministry, Brot hr r Cl'ippr•n nnd Ihe
family settlctl in Ann Arbor and largely provided for tiH·msclvcs l!y
caring for stud en ts to whom they renled rooms. Because o r his fet'hiPIH!SS and tlw form of h)s m nlatly h e r ar ely preached and was seldom
in the gath eri ngs of his brethre n where tile commotio n wou ld un ucrve
h im. II is fon•l ncss fo r books and his nl•sorbing concern for th e
church nnd hi11joy in its advance were una llnLed to t he end. Hi s dcnth
occurred Satu rday night, October Hith, J!JOU, and t he fun eral was held
from our chu1·c!J In Aun A1·1Jor o n Tuesd ay .
Crippen, John W.