Allen, Charles T.
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REV. C. T. ALLEN
•
lin
memor~
of
1Rev. <tbarles \thompson Elllen, ID. ID.
LOVINGLY DEDICATED
JJY
FnEDE.IUOK EvAJ.IT QorcLEY,
Y'I->SlLA~~,
MJCU .
•
COl'Tnl.GIJTED 1004.
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jfu neral $erX'ices.
•
fi~ld
In
th~
'first
m~thodlst
Episcopal £burch, Ypsilanti, mtchtgan,
OdOb~r
14, 1904.
The remams of REV. CHARLES THOMPSON ALLEN, D. D., who
had for seven years been the loved pastor of the First Methodist
Episcopal Church of this city, were, on Friday, October 14, brought
from the city of Detroit, where he had died on the 12th of October,
and taken to the church, borne by his co-workers, Messrs. Austin
F . Burbank, William H. Deubel, William R. Barton, George Lockwood, Albert R. Graves, and Edgar D. Holmes, all of whom were official members of the Church.
A cordon, composed of members of the
Grand Anny of the Republic, formed on either side of the main entrance, extending to a point in front of the pulpit, where the casket was
placed amid a profusion of floral tributes, beautiful beyond description,
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representing the love and respect of the various branches of the
church, as well as of the G rand Army of the Republic.
On all sides,
tastefully arranged clusters of autumn leaves, marvelous in varied
colorings, seemingly emblematic of the beautiful closing of the wellspent life of him whose presence, in life, had soothed the weary one; the
one bowed under great sorrows; the one bent with the burden of long
years, as well as had the leaves in their season g iven their soothing
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shadows to the weary plodder, worn with labor in the heat of the day,
mingled in singular harmony with the national colors.
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As the funeral cortege moved slowly along, the great throng, composed of the young, the middle-aged, and the old, the rich and the poor,
representing all conditions of life, heartbroken over the great loss which
they had sustained, wept in deepest sorrow.
At the head of the procession, REv. WM. DAwE, Chancellor of Albion College, the officiating clergyman, came, reading the funeral service of the dead :
"I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in
me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever
liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
"I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand
at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin
worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and
not another.
"We brought nothing into this world,·and it is certain we
can carry nothing out. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath
taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord,"
mingled with the solemn rendition of a funeral dirge by the organist,
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Mr. Clair Winton .
As the large delegation of clergymen took their positions in the
pulpit, the choir, under the leadership of Mrs. Wm. H . Deubel, sang,
with voices tremulous with emotion:
"My faith looks up to thee,
Thou Lamb of Cal vary:
Saviour divine,
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Now hear me while I pray:
Take all my guilt away;
0 let me, from this day,
Be wholly thine.
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"May thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart;
My zeal inspire;
As thou hast died for me,
0 may my love to thee
Pure, warm, and changeless be
A living fire.
"While life's dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread,
Be thou my Guide;
Bid darkness turn to day;
\Vipe sorrow's tears away,
Nor let me ever stray
From thee aside.
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"When ends life's transient dream;
W hen death's cold, sullen stream
Shall o'er me roll;
Blest Saviour, then, in love,
Fear and distress remove;
0 bear me safe above,A ransom'd soul. "
As the notes of this beautiful hymn died softly away, Rev. J. B.
OLIVER,
of the Denton M. E. Church, offered prayer :
"Our Father in heaven, we pray that thou wilt be with us on this
very solemn occasion, and fold thine arms about us in this sad hour.
Help us to implore thy mercy; help us that we may the more fully understand thy will concerning us, and that we may know that thou doest
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all things well.
Help us at this time to say, 'Thy will and not ours,
be done. '
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"We thank thee, our Father, for the beautiful and simple Christian
life of our departed brother.
We thank thee for his example as a citi-
zen; as a husband; as a friend; involving all that is manifested in
Christian living.
We thank thee for the fact that he h as been the in-
strument in thy h ands in leading many to the Saviour of this world.
"We thank thee for the beautiful and excellent service which has
been rendered the people of this city by him, and that thou hast honored him with so many priv ileges in thy service.
"We pray that thou wilt take these loved ones, whose bereavement
we share to-day, into thy loving care, and bind up their broken hearts,
as thou art abundantly able to do; and may we all realize more than
ever before that thou art still God, and wilt still care for thy children.
May we be thankful for the life that has gone out; for the great influence it has shed in our midst; for the influence it will leave with us.
"We pray that thou wilt bless this service to the good of all present, and to thy g lory, for Jesus' sake.
R EV.
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0 . ].
PERRIN,
Amen. "
a life-long- friend of Dr. Allen's, plainly indi-
cating the great sorrow of his h eart, read the 23d Psalm :
"The Lord is my sh epherd; I shall not want.
"He maketh me to lie down in g reen pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters.
"He restoreth m y soul :
He leadeth me
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the paths of
righteousness for His name's sake.
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
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death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; th y rod and
thy staff they comfort me.
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"Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine
enemtes: thou anointest m y h ead with oi l; my cup runneth
over.
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days
of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
Miss Clendening, of Pontiac, Michigan, a former parishioner of the
deceased, sang with the voice that had charmed and inspired her loved
friend , that song so filled with the sentiment of faith-"Sometz'me, W e'll
Understand."
Not now, but in the coming years,
It may be in the better land,
We'll read the meaning of our tears,
And then, sometime, we'll understand.
\iVe'll catch the broken thread again,
And finish what we here began;
Heaven will the mysteries explain,
And then, ah then, ·we'll understand.
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We'll know why clouds instead of sun
Were over many a cherished plan;
Why song has ceased when scarce begun;
'Tis there, sometime, we'll understand·
Why what we long for most of all,
Eludes so oft our eager hands;
Why hopes are c rushed and castles fall,
Up there, sometime, we'll understand.
God knows the w~y, He holds the key,
He g uides 11s with unerring h and;
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Sometime, with tearless eye, we'll see;
Yes, there, up there, we'll understand.
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Then trust in God throug h all thy days;
Fear not, for He doth hold thy hand;
Though dark thy way, still sing and praise;
Sometime, sometime, we'll understand.
Following the singing of this song, R Ev. MR. DAwE, Chancellor of
Albion College, and who had succeeded Dr. Allen in his ministerial
work in several important pastorates, especially in the city of Detroit,
and who had found in him not only a wise counselor, but a friend with
an interest in his welfare such as only a father could have, and with
great tears of grief trickling down his face, said :
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"Not in a long time has it been our privilege to enter into services
of just this character, a nd I am n ot sure that we shall again for years to
come.
We have come from services in the city of Detroit like unto
this, where loving friends paid their last tribute to our beloved brother,
and now we are gathered here, friends and neighbors, who have ming led
with Brother Allen all these years, to pay our last loving tribute to him
who spent his whole life within the immediate locality of his birthplace,
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whose departure from this life has broug ht forth a tribute of respect
which is truly a great one .
" As a faithful minister of our Lord J esus Christ; as a faithful
soldier of the country in which he lived- faithful on the battlefield of
his country, and in the battlefield of the world- there was no better
representative of the Church, or of the State.
He was a brave soldier
in the kingdom of the Lord; fearless in the discharge of his duty as a
Christian minister, loving a nd kind to all, and it is to do honor to this
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truly great man that we are gathered h ere to-clay.
We honor him for
his life as a teacher of the Gospel; as a great and good Christian, and as
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a soldier.
We honor him for a life so widel y diversified in all that is
good and manly.
"If our departed brother could have planned this service, he would
have requested that it be as simple as possible, and it is the wish of the
friends that it be such.
"We are honored to-day by the presence of many representatives of
the ministry, and by the presence with us of Judge Grant and General
Cutcheon, and I am sure that this service cannot fail to be helpful to
all.
In view of the fact that there are several speakers, the remarks
will necessaril y be brief."
REv.
MR. NINDE, of Ann Arbor, then spoke as follows :
"We are all mourners to-day.
I wuuld much rather take my place
with the sorrowing than stand here.
My heart is very sorrowful, for I
have lost a father in this blessed man, and yet I esteem it a sacred privilege to be pennitted to lay upon the bier of this great man my tribute
of personal affection, and I am not alone in this thought, for we all loved
him.
e
How could any one know him without loving him?
"If I were to choose an epitaph to place upon his tombstone, it
would be this: ''Here lies one who was truly a man of <}od.,
I have
always been g reatly impressed with his real manliness, coupled with his
profound Godliness, as the manifest characteristics of this saintly man.
"He was a man, every whit a man!
A man in the largeness of his
soul; sympathetic and kind to those about him.
His horizon was large;
with all he felt a profound sympath y in their different needs.
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He had
a very distinct impression of right and wrong; he always tried to disting uish between rig ht and wrong.
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H e hated wrong, and was always
ready to help make things right.
He always was just the same, and
treated everybody just the same.
H e recognized all conditions of hu-
manity, was generous and large-hearted.
We who were privileged to be
his preachers when h e was presiding elder, recognized in him a man of
great power and wisdom; his advice was so helpful that we were anxious
to redouble our efforts, not to shirk our responsibility.
H e was a mighty
man, full of God, and his mind full of hope, full of thoughts of labor
for the Master, imparting energy to those with whom he worked.
" I was struck with his wonderful faithfulness to duty.
cabulary, DUTY was spelled with capital letters.
swerved from what h e believed to be right.
In his vo-
Never could he be
He was one of the most
unselfish men I ever knew, and he was a lways ready to make a sacrifice
for others, if by so doing he could help them.
H e was always ready to
give kindly advice, and I learned to love and respect him as a wise
counselor.
"Like other great men in the cause of our Lord, our brother went
to his reward in peace.
In his last moments h e realized that the end
was near, and his last words were, 'I have nothing to fear. '"
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In behalf of the clergy of Ypsilanti, REv.
AR'rHUR
G. BEACH, of
the Congregational church, spoke as follows:
"I deem it a privilege this afternoon, to say a word of simple tribute
to the memory of this man we all loved so much.
I speak not merely
for the ministry of the city here, but also for m yself-my personal 'reel9
mgs.
I have known Dr. Allen only three years, but I am sure that his
familiar figure will always live in m y memory.
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"As a minister, there are three words that always come up in my
mind when I think of him, Big, Brave, Simple.
"Big in mind, big in body, big in heart, and big in his simple life.
"A brave man, also.
Brave on the field of battle; brave in his of-
fice as a minister of the Gospel; big in the expression of his honest
optmon.
In saying this, I am saying what I ought to say.
"I would say that he was a simple man, also.
to his fellowman; simple in his everyday life.
Simple m his love
Such a likeness I think
Dr. Allen had of tha t simplicity that gives us that true bigness of character.
I think I am right in saying that h e was a great man.
are the qualities that make men g reat.
These
He was a brother, also, who was
simple in his consecration to the work of the Christian ministry.
The
spirit of the Lord, our God, was upon him, because he preached with
compassion and love, the good tidings to all men.
the ideal in the truest sense.
As a pastor, he was
As a citizen, he was the ideal, and h ad
the very highest conceptions of its obligations.
Last of all, he was a
noble man; a man whom everybody knew to love ; such a man as we a ll
loved to see and know.
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" I would say for m yself, that I thank God for this opportunity of
joining in this service in h on or of our departed brother."
Dr. Dawe:
"Onr brother took his Uuiversity course for the Chris-
tian ministry on the battlefield, and the impressions were so deep that
they never passed from his mind, remaining there all through the course
of his life.
H e used to great advantage, scenes of the battlefield that
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made a lasting impression on his heart; that united his h eart to God and
man, and brought him closer to the feet of J esus Christ.
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We are glad
to-day that his memory and life is honored by all conditions of men.,,
GENERAL BYRON
M. CuTCI-IEON, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, then
spoke as follows :
"Friends, I have the honor given me to-day to lay one more tribute
upon the bier of Dr. Allen, an honored and respected fellow-comrade.
"It was forty-four years ago that I first came to this city to teach in
the Hig h School, or what was then known as the Seminary,-to teach
the boys here, and among the boys who came under my teaching was
one tall young man.
We called him Charlie, Charlie Allen.
nineteen, and look ed to b e twenty.
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He was
H e was just out of his bud, in the
flower of his youth ; he had a mammoth frame, and was full of life; true,
brave, conscientious, devoted.
"Those of you wh o remember back to the days of Professor Estab rook, remember that when he was our s uperintendent a great revival
swept over the city, and among the first volunteers in that great religious movement was Charlie Allen.
Faithful and conscientious, he re-
mained true to the day of his death.
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"The next Spring came, and with that Spring of '6r came the shot
at Fort Sumpter that was heard around the world; the sh ot that gave
this nation a shock that was fel t through out its borders.
"Among the boys at school, the first one to propose gomg to the
front was Charlie Allen, and h e went to the front with the company
organized at Manchester, Mich. , for the three-months original service.
At the end of the three months, he came back and entered school again,
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and in the spring of '62, you remember that Abraham Lincoln called
for JOO,ooo men, a nd unless I am greatly mistaken, upon the very day
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the call was made, Ch arlie Allen went in the second time,-either the
15th or the 16th of Jul y, it was, he enrolled himself in the company he
was raising at Manchester.
He became the first among the number of
his comrades, company, and regiment.
Within a few months h e was
promoted to the captaincy of his company, and remained such from that
time on until May, 1864.
"As a soldier, he was faithful; he was always brave.
knew him as 'Captain Allen.'
his watchword.
We always
1'he point with him was duty; it was
Where duty was, there you would find him, always.
Captain Allen was not simply a soldier as we understand the modern
term, wh en men become soldiers to play to the 'Grand-stand.'
He was
a soldier sim ply because that meant doing his duty, as God enabled him
to see it.
"I don't suppose there was any officer or any man in that regiment
m ore earnestly loved by his own company, and this I can say, that
while in this company, he was like a brother to every man; no distinctions; he was everywhere t he same.
No doubt about that.
h e said to one of them, 'Go,' he went.
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And wh en
He was a perfect soldier, never
swerving, by the breadth of a single hair, out of the line of duty.
"Now, friends, I think th at this is abou t all I ought to take of the
time, but I wish to add a few words fnrther:
When he was mustered
out of the army, he was but twenty-three years of age.
He was a m an
of great intellect; he was a man in affection; he was a man of duty to
his country, his h ome, his friends.
"He is not dead, he is not dead!
1:!
S uch men never di e ! He lives
in the hearts and minds of every one of his comrades; he lives in the
heart of the Church, and he lives
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1n
the hearts of all who knew him.
E very ch aracteristic will go down from generation to generation in
lives of those who follow him.
time since h e was born.
th~
H e is more alive to-day than at any
His influence is wider, and deeper, and strong-
er, and will go on increasing. And, my friends, there is one great thought
which is very consoling to us to-day:
W e are glad that the work that
our beloved brother has relinquished here in his Master's service, has
not come to an end, for it is in the hands of his two sons, two noble
men, who will carry on the work.
H e lives in their lives again, and
will continue to inspire them to go on, and on, in the great work of
their noble father-the work he engaged in for so many years.
With
this simple tribute, I will close.,,
J unGE CLAUDIUS B. GR ANT, of the Su preme Court of the State of
Michigan, then spok e as foll ows :
" Soldiers:
W e are gathered here to-day to do honor to the memo-
ry of our departed comrade.
without stain.
His record as a soldier and as a citizen is
H e went with us upon every march, slept with us upon
every bivouac--often with his canteen for a pillow and the heavens
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above for his covering.
H e touched elbows with us in every battle,
until the one in which he was almost fatall y wou nded .
"No complaint of hardshi ps, or of short rations, or of discomforts,
ever passed his lips.
fellow-soldiers.
regiment.
His voice was ever raised in words of cheer to his
H e was respected, admired and beloved by the en tire
H e fell seriously wounded in the fatal charge at Spottsyl-
vania Courthouse, May
1 2,
r 863.
In that same charge were killed his
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fellow-officers Carpenter, McCollum, Ainsworth and Gould, wh ile more
than one-third of the entire command were either killed or wounded.
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His wound was so severe as to incapacitate him for further se.r vice.
"Upon recovering from his wounds, he at once entered with the
same vigor and courage h e had sh own in the army, upon the battles for
his country in civil life.
In his chosen profession of the ministry, he
fought always for the right.
He had the courage of his convictions,
and never flinched from expressing them.
In civil as in military life,
he was always found upon the 'figh ting line,' and his tall , manly form
was ever seen where there was fighting for humanity to be done.
" His strong and manly words were always a delight to us at our
Reunions.
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We sorely missed him when absent.
One of the first ques-
tions asked by the boys as they gathered was, 'Will Captain Allen be
here?'
"He has entered that unknown country, where I trust h e awaits
you and me with the same warm grasp with which he greeted us in life.
Captain Allen left no duty undone as God gave him to see his duty.
The only worthy monument, my friends, that we can erect to his memory is to take up the fight where he left it, and fight as h e fought for the
right.
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H e died poor in this world's goods, but rich in brave a nd noble
deeds; rich in ch aracter; rich in g ood citizenship, and rich in nobility.
May God rest his soul. "
The choir then sang, "Sita/l we g atller at the rt.'ve1'?'
Shall we gather at the river,
Where bright angel feet have trod,
With its crystal tide forever
F lowing by the th rone of God?
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On the margin of the river,
Washing up its silver spray,
W e will walk and worship ever,
All the happy, golden day .
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'Ere we reach the shining river,
Lay we every burden down;
Grace our spirits will deliver,
And provide a robe and crown.
At the smiling of the river,
Mirror of the Saviour's face,
Saints whom death will never sever,
Lift their song of saving grace.
Soon we'll reach the silver river,
Soon our pilgrimage will cease,
Soon our happy hearts will quiver
With the melody of peace.
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Yes, we'll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river:
Gather with the saints at the river,
That flows by the throne of God.
The lid of the casket was removed, and the great throng of friends
began filing by, taking a long last look into the face of their honored
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brother and friend.
VlCe.
It was, indeed, the saddest of all the solemn ser-
It seemed as if he must speak to each one, for whom, in life, he
had a comforting word and a cheering smile.
Death had cast its mantle
o'er him, and though silent in the embrace of death, there was the
peaceful expression, almost lifelike, telling the wondrous story of that
"falling asleep, which comes to those whose complete consecration to
Godliness takes away the "sting, of death.
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There was no trace of pain;
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no trace of sorrow; no trace of anxiety; no trace of remorse; no expression of fear; just that unmistakable expression that told of the well-
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earned peace and victory 0f the Christlike man.
cannot soon forget.
It was a scene one
The aged, the infirm, the middle-aged from the
busy marts of trade, the youth in the glow and vigor of life, and the
little children, all in tears, looking, for the last time, into the face of the
great teacher.
Hardly could they believe that he was to be taken from
their sight; for it h ad been but a few days since he had been among
them; only a few days since he had quivered, then swayed, and just
now had fallen into the slumber of death.
But the spirit had answered
the Saviour's beckon, and h ad gone to the mansion prepared for it in
the eternal abode of his children, and now the tenement of clay was to
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be laid away to await the resurrection day .
The remains were then removed to the funeral car, and followed
by a vast concourse of people, such as had never been witnessed before
in this city, were taken to the cemetery and laid to rest.
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1Resolutfons
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of fh¢ Official Board Of
th~
'first
m~thodist
Episcopal £burch,
Ypsilanti, michigan.
WHEREAS, By the immutable wi ll of Him who doeth all things
well , our late beloved pastor, faith ful brother and true friend, Rev. Dr.
Charles T. Allen, has been released from the cares and the sorrows, the
pains and infirmities of an earthly life, a nd has been called into that
higher and etemal life; into the presence and in communion with an
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infin ite and compassionate Father; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That in his death, the Church which he loved with a
devotion born of Godliness, a nd in wh ich he was a pillar of strength,
has suffered an irreparable loss; the community in which he lived has
lost one of its most substantial advocates and Christian exemplification
of purity, rectitude and faithfu l devotion to duty.
His family has lost
a kind and loving husband, an indulgent and tender father, and a wise
and resolute defender; and each one of us, who have come in touch with
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his grand manhood and Christian character, with bowed h eads and
prayerful h earts, feel that our loss is his eternal gain, and that beyond
these scenes of sadness and sorrow, all '.viii be reunited, amid scenes as
joyous as the parting was sorrowful.
And, as we have resigned the tenement of clay, once the casket of
a noble soul, to its final resting place,
RESOLVED, That a copy of these resoh1 tions be presented to the
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family of the deceased; that they be spread upon the records of the
church, and given to the press for publication.
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R ESOLVED,
That, while we are sti11 reminded that kind and sor-
rowing hearts have ministered to the needs of our beloved brother to
the end, and have now consig ned the earthly body to mother earth, we
will remember that we can profit by his example and will ever feel the
influence of his grand and noble life a nd character.
"He lives in each comforting word,
Once whispered in misery's ear;
He lives in each bounty conferred,
That brightened a sigh or a tear.
" He lives in those counsels so wise,
That point the heavenly way;
A wisdom tha t comes from the skies.
To guide us to mansions of day."
CHAS.
0- H OYT,
W. H.
DEUBEL,
Committee.
Dated, Ypsilanti, Mich., Oct. 19, 1904.
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'ij:HE following proclamation
was issued by the Mayor of Ypsilanti and
displayed throughout the city on Thursday, October 13:
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\lrodnmatiou.
As a mark of respeEl to our late beloved follow citiizen, Rev. C. T. Allen, I would respect.fully ask tlzat all
business be suspended as far as possible, and stores
closed from 2:]0 to 4 .00 p. m. on the day of tile jimeral.
(Signed)
Geo. M. Gaudy, iWayor.
In accordance with the request embodied in Mayor Gaudy's proclamation, nearly every business h ouse was closed.
The public schools
and the Cleary Business College were closed during the services, and the
people generally joined in the tribute of honor and respect being paid to
him whose seven years of ministerial service in the city had brough t
him into close touch with them.
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Expressions of sorrow and regret were heard everywhere, by everybody, because of the death of a man who h ad met them on a common
level; who h ad interested himself in the welfare of all the people, without distinction.
The streets were thronged with people of the city, the
outlying districts, neighboring villages, and many cities in the State, ail
uniting in a magnificent testimonial to the worth of a man who had followed so closely the teachings of his Master, Jesus Christ.
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1BfograpbfcaL
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CHARLES THOMPSON ALLEN was born in S haron township, Washtenaw county, Michigan, September 8, r84r, and died in the city of
Detroit, Michigan, October 12, 1904, aged 63 years, r month, 4 days.
His boyhood days were spent on the farm of his father in the above
township, and his early education was acqu ired in the district schools of
Sharon, after which he e ntered the Seminary at Ypsila nti, which at that
time was under the superintendency of P rofessor Esta brook.
Among
the teachers wh ose classes Mr. Allen entered was Gen. Byron M. Cutcheon.
It was during his attendance there t hat the war broke out, and on
April 29, r 86r, he enlisted in Company D, rst Michigan Infantry, as a
corporal, which was organized in the v illage of Manchester, Michigan,
and went to the front for a three-months service, during which time he
was present at the battle of Bull Rnn.
At the end of this service he
returned to Ypsilanti and entered the Seminary again, remaining until
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the following spring.
In May, r862, when President Lincoln issued a
call for JOo,ooo men, Charles wen t to Manchester and began the organization of a company, which became Company B, 2oth Michigan Infantry, including some thirty men from the neighborhood of Manchester,
together with the balance completing the company, raised by Byron M.
Cutcheon, who became its captain, with Charles as first lieutenant, which
office he h eld for some time, when he was promoted to the captaincy.
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He fough t uuder Burnside, Sherman and Grant in many of the
hardest battles of the entire war, among which were the battles of Fred-
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ericksburg, Jackson, Vicksburg, Knoxville, and the Wilderness.
He
was severely wo unded at Spottsylvania Courthouse, May 12, 1864,
while leading his company charging a Confederate battery, and was
compelled to remain in hospital six months.
On October 2oth he re-
signed, and was honorably discharged.
He returned to his native town, and shortly afterwards re-entered
the Seminary at Ypsilanti, completing his course.
On October 25, 1865, he married Miss Elnora Root, daughter of
Dr. Bennett Root, of Manchester, Michigan.
He entered Albion College, where he took a three-years course1866-7-8- after which he entered the Detroit Conference as a probationer, joining in full connection in 1870.
During his ministry, he h ad been pastor at the following churches:
Clinton, three years; Addison, three years; Pontiac, two terms, three and
four years respectively,; the following Detroit churches: Tabernacle,
three years; J efferson (now the Mary Palmer), two years; Simpson, three
years; and Cass Avenue, four years.
H e was then appointed Presiding
Elder of the Detroit District, which position he held for four years, after
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which he was called to the Ypsilanti First Methodist Episcopal Church,
where he served seven years,-thc first pastor in either of the Conferences of the State to serve one ch urch seven consecutive years.
During his pastorate at Pontiac he was granted a leave of absence
for three months, when h e went on an extended trip through A laska,
his entire expenses being paid by one of his parishioners.
He had also
made an extensive trip abroad dnring his pastorate at the Tabernacle
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church, Detroit, the expenses of this trip, as well as the Alaskan trip,
being paid by his close personal friend, Daniel Heath, of Pontiac.
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He was not only a most popular preacher, but became one of the
most interesting speakers on war topics, and delivered lectures on Lincoln and Gettysburg, which were considered masterpieces.
These were
delivered before many organizations throughout the State.
He was an acknowledged leader in Methodism, not only in his own
State, but in the higher councils of the Church general.
He had been
a delegate to three of the General Conferences: 1884, 1896, and 1904,
and took a prominent part in all the important discussions of those
bodies.
He was a member of the Detroit Conference during the entire
thirty-six years of his ministry, and within sixty miles of the place of
his birth.
As a minister, he never sought preferment, believing that promotion should be based upon merit.
He was generous to a fault, and though he received very handsome salaries, he falied to accumulate a competence, ever giving in a
most charitable manner to all the benevolences of the church, especially
to the sick and aged, and the matter of salary had never been allowed
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to occupy his mind in connection with the various churches he had
served, always saying: "Give me whatever you think you can, and it
will be all right."
Dr. Allen came of a sturdy family.
Lewis Allen, with his wife, Eliza Marvin, were pioneers, coming to
Michigan from the State of New York, in June, 1832, and settling in
the township of Sharon, Washtenaw county, where Mr. Allen acquired
a large tract of land.
They were members of the Presbyterian church,
and well and favorably known for their exemplary lives.
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Both had a
profound respect for Christian teachings, and though one of the most
extensive fanners in that section, employing many men, Mr. Allen always observed family worship, and never allowed any one about him to
desecrate the Sabbath.
Lewis Allen was not only a wise counselor in his home, but his advice was sought in the affairs of the township, county and State.
He
was the first supervisor of h is township, and in r839 was elected a member of the Legislature of the State.
Mrs. Eliza Marvin Allen was a wom&n of marked literary taste
and ability, and was a constant an d careful reader of the best literature
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of her time.
She was a woman of great force of character, and proved
herself a mastennind in the training of her children, and in the affairs
of her home, always judicious and loving, inspiring her children to become true in all the walks of life.
Being reared in the atmosphere of profound spiritual sentiment, together with the industrial spirit of a parentage meeting and overcoming
the hardships of pioneer life, were perhaps the chief elements in the
training of the family of boys for future usefulness in the service of their
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country.
The following data is a magnificent testimonial to this fact:
During the Civil war six of the boys enlisted and went to th e front, as
follows:
Rev. A. B. Allen, of Oberlin , Ohio, as a member of the Christian
and Sanitary Commission;
Edward P. Allen, of Ypsi lanti, Michigan, Captain, Co. H, 29th
Michigan Infan try;
Silas F. Allen, late of Indiana, Captain, 29th Indiana Infantry;
Albert F. Allen, of Vinland, Kan., Private of the Fremont Guards,
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of Missouri and Kansas;
Dr. A. M. Allen, of Adrian, Mich., Assistant Surgeon, 7th Michigan Infantry; and
Charles T. All en, Captain, Co. B, 2oth Michigan Infantry.
Dr. Allen's last sickness antedated his death about two years.
He
first suffered a hemorrhage of the bowels, serious in its nature, followed
by three others of like severity, the fourth nearly resulting in his death
at the time it occurred, when h e lapsed into unconsciousness, believing,
and stating to the attending physicians at the time of the attack; that
he was dying.
It required the application of the most powerful restora-
tives and artificial respiration to revive h im.
and his pulse had also ceased.
He had ceased breathing,
He recovered, seemingly, from the
effects of this series of attacks, and again resumed his work for a time,
when he was attacked with hemorrhage of the lungs.
The effects of
this were also apparently overcome by the skillful treatment of his
physician, Dr. Barton, who had discovered symptoms of Bright's disease
at the very beginning of the patient's illness, and all these complications
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were apparently under the control of the physician .
Dr. Allen succeeded in carrying on his pastoral work with slight
hindrance, until the evening of Jan nary 3rd, 1904, when, during th e
closing of his sermon, he suffered a slight stroke of paralysis, and was
unable to finish the service.
other stroke.
This was followed in February, by an-
From these he partially recovered, and in May, accom-
panied by his wife, left for Los Angeles, to attend the General Confer2-t
ence.
While there he was attacked with rheumatism, being confined to
his bed part of the time.
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He returned to Ypsilanti in a very weakened condition, and from
this time on, he gradually failed.
Early in September he went to De-
troit, where he was finally prostrated by another hemorrhage which resulted in his death on the 12th of October, 1904.
He is survived by a widow, two (twin) sons, Eugene and Clarence
E., ·both prominent ministers in the Detroit Conference, and Miss Clara
Eugenia, an adopted daughter, of Detroit, Mich .
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