-
Title
-
Frye, Noah
-
extracted text
-
Rev . H. FryP.
•
8-Education-schools attended. Give
na~es
and }<>cations
(a)
Rural
schools_~.-~.+:~ (b)
High schools ·--------··-······--·-····-----------------------------------·
( <.~)
College ---------------· .... _____ . ------· ... ___--·· ___.... __ .. ~d)
e nivrrR.ity ______ . __ ........... __ ............. ·--------------------_________
(1•.)
Seminary,. ---· ·--------····-··-····--·---..
D t gn:r s held .. __ ............. ······---------------------------·····-·····
P~~Lis~:~:~;:::.: .::•:ini~;---
. ... . .. . .... (f)
------ ----·--· ---·-·--·-· ··-··-·---· -----·--- --- -- --
~- -- - --;----- - · ·-·
labors"~}'~_t__ ' ___
:·-----(~li'-'t[/~
( a) Conversion, when, where, under whose
(b)
R•·ligious t.rainin•
--· ___
,_'Z 4..,_~-'-~------'f - - --'-;__ .. ___-·· --··----·c·~--I-·----·------·
(c) United with church, when, where __ { &::} __~----~---- ------.,------ __
(d) Offices held in local church___~---~ -1=-:-..........
...... ----------~---------------_____________ ,_____ ? ________
________________.___ _
lQ-Minis.t ry
,;
(a) Vocation before entering the ministry____~--~----------/·-··;.z
~b~~h~, wheree~rienee~~~-~
.U.~-~-~~~~~i{-~~~~~-;;;··--·-···----·-·----------··---·-~--------------------------·
(c) Recommended by C ongregation ~-------·-·--· pastor_f.-.i.J?~
(d)
(e)
•
(f)
.{1r.f:..H...b!~.f~---~----~----··
Ordination, D eacon!...LS':fr..'z: ______________ Elder! .. /.~.~~---····--···· Itinerancy__ _{f£.!r:7... /~-~-~
Give d ates
Licensed, when, where, Conferenct>
Credentials, fro~......................... . ... ... ... . . ....... . .
...................................----- --9f;:.·;~
De~~-~~~~~!~~/c;o
~tcs held, when, whcrP__lJ_f:.~:·:.J~~...i.c/.~J..r.fl.~.'- ··~--~----9... .,
~-1:~-t~-3. ..~~-~-'-a~.J.,_dl~~--u..(-r.t..~ 1 .
~~ / q. p. ~ ~~vf t'~~
12-0ffices held in Conference
(n.) P . E . or D. S., (dates)
.·
.
···········xlso.·o ih~·r· Cle-.;o-m i natioi• s ; if'a n~v · ··········· ·
··-·· · ,. ··-- ···································· ··· · ··· ····
·
·
,
··· · ··-·· · ·· · ··· ··· ··· i\"Jso·~ii~i~l~ i ~ ·5~ ; ;.~(j · · ··· · ··· · ·· ··· ·· ··· ··· · ·· · ·· · ··· · ·· · ··· · ·· ··· · ·· · · ··,· ·· · ··-·----------....... --·
(b)
D elegate to Gen . Conf., (datrs)
(c)
Ot.hrr offices held, name, date
••••• •• ---- - -.- . : •• • • - - .60 ••• - •• - ---- -- --- --- - -- -- - --- - ----- - ----- ---- - -- - - - -- ••• -- ---- - -- - ------- ------- - -- - - - - ·
·· ·· ····· ····.,···············cfve·rt.uJi;,;···· ···· ·······----··· ·· ····· ··· ·····----.-----·--·····-·-···-·-···-··
·--------------- --------------------------- ··-;- ---------------------·---------------------------------------------------------------:----· -------------------------13-Literary productions, books writt<•n
(a) Pamphlets and other productions
14-Politir.al affiliations and offices held
·------------.. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --·---- ---
15- Qther information that will be appr<'ciatcd if available
(a)
Number of miles traveled .......................................... (b)
(c) Conversions--········-·-··· (d) Baptisms.................<c)
(g) M embers received into the church
Sermons preached
.... ------·----------------------------- .......... ..
Wcddings___ _____ _________ __(f) Funerals
·····-··-······-······
J/--"-~~-;;;;;~~:~::~:;~~~--~~i:_1__~----lowest _{P._1-.,..(~~P.~L....]ea.rJ.B~Jt".-f!. ~---·
16-Salary, highest amount received,
17-Fratemal relations
· ·
'
·--... ---- ... ---------------------- _____..___------· ------- .. --- .. --.... .. ------------ .,. __________ ----...--------------------------------... ------ ... ---·
18-Int-eresting experiences............................. ····· ·······=·······-·················-······························-················· ········· ····
.
·-- -------------------------------------------.......... --- ~-- -- -- - ------ - -- - -- ------ -- ~--~- ·--- ~ -------------·:.---. -----· --------,--------------------- ---- -~--- - ---------
························--·--················1····· ··········:···-··-··-····-·········-~::~···· ··············· ·-~;-··- ··············-······· ·· ···· ······· ····'···········
... .......... -·--.. -.-.. ---- .. . --- .. ------------------------------- ... ...... ------- .. ----- ... --------- ---- ......... ----------------------------------------------- ...... ---.. ....... ---------·
~
19-R<:marks
-------------------------------- .... ------------------------ ----· .. -.. ---- ------------- :·- ------------... ---.-------........ ---------·------ ---- ... -·--- ......
·----------·-----------.-- .. .. -. --.----------------------------..... --·------- -------. -- .. -----.----------------------:------ ·--... ------- --------------.----· ·----. . ........ --~-
~~-~~~;~-~i~-~~-~~·:a··~;;~-~--~~~-.-~~~~~~_._,~_(i_"~i.·it~:.·_·_·_·_·_-_·_·_~--:~;~~~.----~~~)2~---~-~----~----~----.~---_·_·_·_·-··
By whom __ ./4:__~~-~-~---···:···::-~ .
Note:We are desirous of securing for th~ Historical files of the Michigan Conference comill..ete and detailed
informat ion concerning all ministers who havo ser_ved and are now serving in the Conference. The above outline
is intended to assist. in securing such information ·in more or less uniform outlines. We urge the addition on a.
sep~rate sheet , of such other important and interesting information as cannot be conveniently placed on this blank.
In the case of men now living, t-he information can, of course, be only up to date. Photographs of living and
dec£>ased ministers, diaries, letters and documents of historical intf'rest are earnestly solicited. Your co-operation
in behalf of the Conference Historical work will be greatly appreciated. Kindly return the blank ~o the Conference Historian, W. H. Wat.son, Kalamazoo, Michigan .
-
Ob ituary-e~ R ev .
--
Noah Frye .
Noah Frye was born i n Uni on County , Pa ., Oct .l0 ,1853 , the s on of
Jacob an d IJa r y Frye . He was the youngest of eleven ch ildren , all of
whom :prec eded him in deatho
\lhen Noah was but a small boy h i s f a ther died. \'/i th hi s widowed
mother he c ame to !.:ichigan s ettling near Litc hfiel d. He rece ived h i s
education in the rural school s of Pennsylvani a a M: ne:tigem.
Reared i n the atmosphere of a devoutly rel i g ious home it was
quite natural that he should expe rience a joyous conver~ion. His
conver s ion occurred in 1 872 when he was nineteen years of age .
I mmediatel y he WwxxMR united wi th the Litchfield congregation,Rev o
J. Paulin being the pastor. Taki ng an active part in the services
of the churc h he was elect ed class l eader and s teward by the congregation.
Shortl y a fter hi s convers ion he bec ame con ~ cious of a c all to
the Christ i an mini s try , but to u s e h i s ~anguage he "pl ayed
Jonah" for nearly twelve year s . Finally resp onding to the c all of
God he was lic ensed by the Mic hi gan Conference i n 1 884. Entering the
active work of the mini s try in 1885 he was a dvanced to the order
of deacon and r eceived int9~ the itinerancy in 1887. I n 1889 he was
orda ined elder. For twent~~e a r s he continued a~ti~ely as a
pastor , serving t he follo wi ng a:ppointments,-Blissfi eld one year,
Sc ottvill e t wo years , Holt one year , St . Jo s ~ph (circuit ? ) t wo years,
Ionia one year,Fremont three y ears, Marcellus t wo years,Park three
years, Oreg on four years and Pigeon three years . Un able,for physical
reasons, to continue his pas toral ministr y he re t ired in 1907.
November 10th,l877 he was united in marr i age to Eliza E.Hayes
of \l est Unit y,Ohio. To this union four childr en were born • .After
an extended illnes his companion passed t o her reward October 23rd
1887.
May 29th,l889 he was united in marriage with Mary E. Vite
who shared with him the experiences of the mini st er's life for a~
period of 37 years ,entering upon her rest Mar. 2nd ,l9~6. Thi s
union was bl essed with four children.
Brother Frye was a man of deep piety and fine consecrat ion.
He always had a genuine interest in the sp iritual life of the church,
and in the conversi on of the unsaved. Aft er hi s retirement from the
active work of the ministry he was always in his place in the house
of God. Ev en when broken health made it exceedi ngl y diff icult for
him he was a regular attendant a t the mid we ek prayer service. He
was a man of fine Chr istian principles and no shadow was everl c a st
upon his character. Stro ng in faith, earnest in pr ayer ,humble in
s pirit,pa tient in suffering , f a ithful in servioe,sacrificial in
sharing,courteous in his social relat ions, Brother Fr ye was al ways
a fine example in Christ i an living .
He had the unique di st inction of being a memb er of a fami l y
that has given 1 2 ministers to the service of ~hrist and the Church.
He gave t wo s ons to t he ministry of the Mich i gan Conference,one
son, Harvey,hav ing served for 34 years in activ e service.
Brother F r~ was al ways deeply concerned for the welfare of
hi s loved onesl an d wi el ded a :pat ernal i nfluence that made his
children exampl es in r i ghteousness.
~
For t wo years he ha~ b e en in i ll he~th. Intermittently he was
well enough to a tt end the services of the church. For the pa st three
we eks hi s condition has grown incre as~ingly serious until Monday
afternoon July 31s t he quietly pas s ed ov er the s ilent riv er to
meet hi s Master. He had attained the ripe age of 85 years,9 months
and 21 day s . He l eaves to mourn their lo s s , eight chi ldren,Georg e
of .l!:lint, Harvey who i s pastor of the li alvary Evangelic al Church,
Pontiac, and Jennie,MBB. Mary Van Si ckle ;lava , Mrs . Roy Martin,
(2)
•
Ivan and L eo~ of Detroit,eight gr~hildren ,one grand child,
other rela tives and many fr i ends . He was a faithful man of God and
his death represents a severe loss to the church he loved.
"Servant of God,
~ ell done ,
Res t from t hy loved employ;
The battle fought ,
The v ic tory won,
Enter thy Master's joy . 11
THE FRYE FAMILY
In this year of 1965 the Michigan Conference has the privilege of holding its
l04th. session as a guest of the Buchanan congregation. This is the third time
that Buchanan has served as host of the annual session of the Conference, the
other years being 1895 and 1904. Thus it is sixty-one years since the Conference
last met at Buchanan.
·
This congregation was organized on ~1arch 14, 1888 by Reverend J. A. Frye, pastor
of the Portage Prairie congregation. From 1899 to 1890, for one year he \'JBS
pastor of the newly fonmed church. During his three year pastorate at Portage
Prairie he directed the building of the Portage Prairie Church, and when the
Buchanan congregation was organized he directed the erection of a fine new
church. Both churches were dedicated free from debt and at the time of their
erection were the two finest churches in the Michigan Conference. From his oneyear pastorate at Buchanan, J. A. Frye was elected in 1890 to the office of
presiding elder in which office he served fQU . !we.~tY years. He came from a most
unusual family, a family that has furnished '"'~eministers for the Michigan
Conference. Because of the present setting it seems an appropriate time to
share some further information regarding this remarkable family.
Some time, approximating 1832, Jacob Frye, born 1809 and Mary Bilger born 1816,
were united in marriage somewhere near New Berlin, Pennsylvania. During their
married life they lived near New Berlin, in the early years the headquarters
of The Evangelical Church. When the father passed away in 1857, at the age of
forty-nine, he left his sorro\'Jing wido\'1 with a family of eleven children - six
sons and five daughters. Since most of the children were very young, the
youngest four years, one wonders how this good woman managed to support her
family.
In 1871 the family moved to Hillsdale County, Michigan locating near Litchfield.
Here she purchased a small farm and gathered most of her children about her.
The influence of a godly hom9~f~~d . expression in an unusual number of young
men from her family circle \~ all) finding their way into the Christian
ministry. Three sons, Abraham, Jacob and Noah all became ministers of the
Michigan Conference. Jacob had one son, and Noah two sons who also entered the
ministry. One of f4other Frye's daughters married a Mrs. Swenk, and three of
their sons, J. A., W. C. and J. S. became ministers of the Conference. Another
daughter married a Mr. Oeabler, and their son, J.S. Oeabler, joined the ranks
of the Michigan Conference. A great grandson Dr. Herdis Deabler is a present .
member of the Conference. Another of Mother Frye's daughters rna rri ed a Mr.
Steininger, and their son, J. S. Ste i~inB~t found his way into the ministry of
The Evangelical Church. A total of "~vmen, children~ grandchildren, and
great grandchildren of this remarkable woman have held honored positions in the
ministry of the Michigan Conference. One great granddaughter, Marian Deabler,
is the wife of Reverend Harold Kohn, the hon~~~~ ~uthor of several books. A
t abulation of the years of service of t hese ;~ nisters of the Gospel gives
the following results :
Name
Born licensed Active Years Total Years
Died
Frye, Abraham
1849
1875
29
59
1934
Frye, Jacob
1851
1874
38
60
1934
Frye, Noah
1853
1884
22
55
1939
Frye, Edwin G.
1876
1895
50
63
1958
1905
49
50
1955
Frye, Harvey A. 1882
Frye, George
1878
191 9
?
Oeabler, J.S.
1876
1900
45
44
1944
Deabler, Herdis 1910
1931
34
34
l ivi ng
Swenk, W. C.
1863
1888
39
52
1940
Swenk, J .A.
1862
1884
15
28
1912 ( ?)
OVER
THE FRYE FAMILY - 2
(?;w'ffi \ ~ ,(/( ~
Name
Swenkll J.S.
Steininger,J.S.
Jq:JJ-{
Born
Licensed
1899
?
1891
-r
/'5_
/'L
Active Year ...;_:;.,1~~~~
Total Years
Jf/'lq
6
_TID
<
3'72...
Of the above the
follm<~ing
have
re :~dered
43 ?
489
.6"0/ .
special service:
J. A. Frye, Presiding Elder - 20 years
Conference Collecto~ - l year
E. G.
Frye~
Presiding Elder - 1 year
Editor of Evangelical ~1essenger - 27 years
W. C. Swenk, Presiding Elder - 8 years
lierdis Deabler, Teaching and Psychiatry - 34 years
--l""
f
~~~
Died 1
. 1934
Detroit, llich.
Hay 2, 1965
~ !.
H. '.'!atson , D. D.
8037 I da East Roa d
I da, llichigan
Dear llr. :;atson:
Uy sist er i s typin~ this l etter for me .
For the
past tv10 months I have not been able to \lr ite , a s
my hea rt and nerves got t he bes t of me . -·iill t r y
to gi v e you all the informati on I have .
I am not sure but I t hink J . A. Snenk Yrent to the
Methodist Church. He died at age of 50 yea r s . I
know that J. S. Swenk also went to the llet hodist
Church, but he move d out of s t at e and so I have no
idea how many years he preached f or them. He died
in 1960. As for J . s. steininger, h e went to t he
Methodist Church a.lso ~nd was prea ching for t hem
in Detroit 1•1hen he suff e r ed a stroke ~nd passed
away in 1934.
Sorr y not to have been of more as si stance. -~!e did
so en j oy your a rti cle in the Conference News
about Uncle Jake . llethink s you must have knovm
him pretty well.
Frye, Noah