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Edwards, Calita E.

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Edwards, Calita E.

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C A L I T A

E D WA R D S

1878 - 1957
The Reverend Calita Edwards was born February 26,

1878 at Newago, Michigan.

He was the third son of

Timothy and Lydia Martin Edwards.
thers and a sister.

He had three bro-

His father was a Methodist Min-

ister, and as Methodist ministers were moved every
two or three years, Calita lived with the family in
a number of towns.
When his ffather was appointed to Belleville, Cal
was sixteen years old and employed by Wright, Kay and
Compay, jewelers, in Detroit.

One weekend he visited

his folks, bicycling the twenty-three miles to Belleville.

There happened to be a "donation" party that

Saturday evening, ( or "pound social as the.rwere
sometimes called).

As the pastor's salary was three

hundred dollars that year, the "Donations" augmented
it by "pounds" and "bushels" of produce brought by
the people of the village.

They also served to get

the pastor and the parishioners acquainted.

Cal be-

came the life of the party that evening, es pecially
to the Epworth Leaguers. Among the young people was
the girl he was to marry seven years later.
One winter evening Cal called for his girl with
his f a ther 's hors e and cutter.

Fleece lined l e gg-

2

ings and galoshes, wool fascinators, hot soap stones
wrapped in wool to retain heat for our feet, and a
buffalo robe about ·· . . insulated us from the cold.
she showed interest

"Old Fan" ste.rted reluctantly
only when headed home.

After a while she stopped at

the end of some farmer's lane.

We were lost. But

all Cal did was to turn "Old Fan" around, put the
reins around the Whip stalk and command, "Home Fan".
April 24, 1901 we were married -- Mabel Grace
Cobb and Calita Elvin Edwards -- I was the girl he
met at the Donation Party.
dollars per seek.

Cal's income was fifteen

How did we manage?

A large loaf

of bread was six cents. Steak was ten cents a pound.
~

whole beef shank was a quarter.

Cal was given a

raise from time to time, and joined the Masonic Blue
Lodge, Palestine Chapter, Commandery, until he was
made a JJrd degree Mason.
Many honors came to him.

He was successful in

business, but be became dissatisfied. Eventually,
when "he came to himself" he decided he would try
for the ministry -- he had not heeded a "call" when
he was seventeen.

So he went to see Bishop Lester

Smith to find out if he had a chance to qualify at
his age.

The bishop listened to his story, then re-

gretfully told

him~a~

past the age -- thirty-five

was the limit.

Cal said, "All right Bishop, that's

all I Wanted to know.

I'll go back into business".

The Bishop interrupted, "Hold on, if the Lord called
you I don't want to fight against Him." Suffice it to
say that Cal took and passed the Conference Course of
Study, and later took Summer School Courses at Albion
and at Garrett.
He was appointed to Dixboro in 1918.

The charge

included Free Church and North Side, Ann Arbor.
Salary one thousand dollars a year.

Our family then

incbded three children and my mother.
In the spring a "freeze and thaw" made the Free
Church country roads almost impassible.

Deep ruts

filled with water and thenfroze over, but not hard
enough to sustain the car's weight.

~~

is broke

through it cut the tires and by the time Cal had
reached Dixboro all four tires were riddled.
to do?

What

At morning prayers we presented our problem

to the Lord, "and left it there".

In the mail that

morning was a letter from a Masont c friend in Detroi
saying he got to thinking about Cal in his new work
and felt he'd like to help, so he went to the office
to a mutual friend and told him what he wanted to do
and ended up by saying, ''I have fifty dollars I
think Cal could use.

Would you match it?"

And

4

from the envelope out dropped checks for one hundred
dollars. (MBefore he calls I will answer him.")
A farmer took eal to Ann Arbor 1n a horse and
buggy, where he bought four new tires for our Ford
sedan.

$95·50.

Cost.

We felt like

'''!be good hand of my God 1s upon me,..

E~ra

and

Nehem1~h

So we thahk-

ed the Lord and took courage.
In those days the Ladle's Aid was indeed an aid
to the churches -- socially and financially. Chicken
dinners, and others, were served the community for
twenty five cents.

Our Detroit Masoh1c friends

heard of them and proposed to Cal that we put on a
dinner for them for a dollar a plate.

Many a time

throughout the years they helped our work and enjoyei
their outings.
the trees.

The tables were spread out under

In strawberry season, shortcake dinners

were popular also.
An amusing episode occured one day while we were
1n D1xboro.
far away.

We thought we heard a rooster crow-Again came the muffled sound.

We search-

ed everywhere a fowl might be, then,then sat down on
the porch steps to rest.

LO - again 1t sounded as

though under us. Cal crawled under the proch and
discovered an uncovered, apa ndoned well. It was dry.
At the botton was our chanticleer, a clucking biddy

5
( hen ) and our lost calico cat ! ("All's well that
ends well.'' )
Three years in Dixboro led to Milan, Michigan,
and then on to Detroit, where Cal built the first
Strathmoor Church.

The climax of our service there w

was the sunny Sunday morning when the whole Sunday
School marched from the Masonic Hall on Hubbel Avenue
across Grand River Avenue to the beautiful new house
of worship at Schoolcraft and Marlowe Avenues. It is
remembered by many people yet today.
It was then that Cal began to be troubled with
progressive arthritis.

The next year he asked for the

supernumery relation and was granted it.

c.

In 1927, Dr.

E. Wakefield, who was then Superintendent of Flower

Hospital, Toledo _, Ohio, informed Cal he had been
appointed to Flower Hospital as Field Representative
and was reinstated as an ''effective elder". He served
the hospital for two years -- 1927-8.
He then returned to the pa storate, going to Ironwood First Church were the majority of the people were
of English descent as was eal.

His rather, Timothy,

came from Cornwall, England originally.
Cal's natural t a lent for peace making was given
wider expression from his Masonic experience. One
)lad
night he/a call from a church member who held a grudge
against his neighbor.

He answered the call and came

6
home with a beaming face at 2 AM.
His health continued to fail so he requested a
smaller charge and was appointed to Clarkston·· and
pne

Seymour Lake.

Seymour Lake church was the only/we

ever had that boasted an ''Amen corner". built with
church.

th~

There the Lord was praised and amens rang ou

at appropriate places in the course of a sermon.
Once a month during cold weather the adult Bible
class eagerly awaited a supper of raised buckwheat
.home
pancakes andlmade sausage. A Praise and Prayer service foll owed.
There, too, in the fall was enjoyed an unusual
corn roast.

A fire was built on the gound. When the

embers were glowing a dicarded mesh-wire from bedsprings was placed about two feet above the coals, and
firesh plucked garden corn was distributed envenly
all over it.

Delicious t This also gave place to the

mid-week service.
After six years of joy and grief, Call wasgiven a
year of absence, and then he retired "because of complicated health problems."

He said, "I have every

disease known to the human race except housemaid's
knee".
I was born in Wayne County, Michigan, May 16, 1878
and brought up in Belleville.

My young life was lived

practically 1n the old white church.

There was "Class

7
meeting~

at 9 AM Sunday morning, church at 10:)0,

Epworth League at 6:)0, church at 7 : )0. At the ''class
meeting!' or "Love Feast" there was testimony and song.
There, too, you heard Amens, and Praise the Lord and
Hallelujahs.
pi~otal

The churchthen was the
sprang family activities.

point from whi ch

Even the tall Christmas

Tree was laden with family gifts.
One popular event in summer was the annual Sunday
School picnic on the Huron River Flats, now a lake.
Winter was revival time and entered into with
rewarding zeal.
One moonlight winter night - perfect for a bob
sleigh ride - we Epworth Leaguers planned such an
outing to a member's home for our monthly meeting.
The bob sleigh was a lumber wagon box set atop two
pairs of runners.

There a high spring seat up front,

no springs under the wagon box, for the driver and
chaperone.

The box was padded with clean oat straw

and we sat on the botton of the box, our backs against
its sides facing each other.

The horse joggled along

to the music of the bells on the h a rnesses.

We all

sang along the way until, suddenly the horses shied
a nd over we all went into a snow bank.
this occured near our
hurt .

pl~ce

Fortunately t

of meeting and no one was

So into the house we we nt pell mell and were

8

soon warm and dry .

After the program we helped our-

selves to apples, five kinds of native nuts, and popcorn popped over a

\~ood

fire in an iron lei tchen ·range

A stone lid was lifted off and the three-legged, round
bottomed iron kettle set in its place.

After corn was

popped melted butter was stired into it.
Another time we had a molasses candy pull.

So

happily we grew up in the lap of the church, so to
speak.
My share in the service of the ministry was re-

plete with satisfaction.

Eventually Bonita Springs,

Florida became our home.

Out of the jungle we carved

a beauty spot to enjoy our declining years, continuously grateful for daily blessings.
The Lord called C•l on

J~nuary

24, 1957 -- a

blessed relief from his many physical distresses.
"Precious in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of the Saints".
Burial was in Bonita Springs Qemetery,

After two

years I came to live with my daughter, Sheila and her
husband, Robert Pritchard.

Besides Shela, one son

s urvives-- our first born, Calita Jr . , pa ssed , away
January 4, this year, 1966.

A brother John T. Edwards

lives in Detroit and a sister, Eli zabeth Edwards
Ricker is at Chelsea Home.

There are three grand chil

ren and 7 great grandchi1dren.
L Edwards.

Written by Mrs. Ma bel

wife of Rev. Callta Edwards.

19

Detroi t Conference Hi st orical Mes s e ng ~~ ­
Nay 1976
Pu bl i s h ed b y the nFriend s of the Archi ve . ,", Rona l d A. Bru nge r, Ld i tor .

BIOGRAPHY OF RE V. CALITA E. EDWARDS
by Mr s . Mabel Edwa rds
(Editor's note: We think that you will find this short lov i ng b iography of a pr eacher
husband, and the fo llowing fragment of au tobiography of the wife, extremel y inte r es ting for its r eve lati on of t he way life was f rom SO to 80 ye ars ago, and what t he
mini stry meant in that day. We invite al l our retired ministers, and minis t er 's
widows, to write up some of their interestin g r eminisc ences , and depos it their ac c ounts in the Confe rence Historical Collection at Adrian College . Rev. Ra lph Ha rp er
is our Curator.)
Rev. Ca lita Edwards was born February 26 , 1878 at Newago , Michigan. He was the 3rd
son of Timothy and Lydia Edwards. He had three brothers and a sis t e r . His father was a
Methodist minister .
When his f a ther was appointed to Bellev ille, Cal was 16 and employed by Wright, Kay
& c o., j ewelers , in Detroit . One weekend he visited his folks, bicycling the 23 miles
to Belleville. The re happened to be a "Donation" party that Saturday evening or"(Pound
Social" as they were sometimes c alled). As the pastor ' s sa lary was $300 that year, the
Donations augmented it by "pounds" and "bushe l s" of produce brought by the people of the
village. They also se rved to get the pastor and the pari s hi oners acquiainted. Cal became
the life of the party that evening, especially to the Epworth Leage r s . Among t he young
peop l e was the g irl he was to marry seven years later.
One winter evening Cal called fo r hi s girl with hi s father' s horse and cut ter.
Fleece -lined leggins and galoshes, wool fascin a tors , hot soap s tones wrapped in wool to
retain heat for our f eet, and a buffalo robe about insulated us from the cold. "Old
Fan" s t ar t e d r e luctantly-- s he s howed interes t only when headed home . After a while she
~ topp ed at the end of some fa rmer s l ane.
We \vere l os t. But all Cal did was to turn
" Old Fan" a r ound, put the reins around the whip s t alk and conunand, "Home, Fan." (The
Longe:; t way around is the shortest \vay home .")
Apri l 24, 1901 we we re married--Mabe l Grac e Co bb and Ca l ita Elvin Edwards . Cal ' s
income was $15 .00 per week. How did we manage ? A lar ge loaf of bread was six cents,
St eak was ten cen t s a pound. A whole beef s hank was a quarter . Cal was give n a r ais e
from time t o time, and joined the Masonic Blue Lodge, Pale s tine Chapter, Comrnandary un til
he was mad e a 33rd degree Mason.
, Many honors carne to him. He was successful in bu siness, but he became di ssat is fied .
Eventual ly, when "he carne to himsel f " he dec ide d he would try for the ministry--he had
n ot heeded a "call" when he was 17. So he went to see Bis hop Lester Smith to find out if
he had a chance to qualify at hi s age . The Bi s hop listened to his s t ory, th en regretfully
told him he was pas t the age--35 was the limit. Ca l said, " All right, Bishop, that's a ll
I wanted t o know. I'll go back into bu siness ." The Bi shop interrupte d, "Ho ld on, if the
Lord called you, don't want t o fight against Him ." Suffice it to say tha t Cal t ook and
passed the Conference Cour se of Study, and l a t er took Summer Schoo l Courses at Albion and
a t Garrett.
He was appointed to Dixboro in 1918. The charge included Free Church and North Sid e ,
Ann Arbor. Salary one thousand dollars a year . Our family then include d three c h ildren
and my mother.
In t he spr ing a "freeze and thaw" made the Free Church country ro ads almos t impass able.
Deep ruts fi lled wi th water and then froze over, but not hard enough to sustain the ca rs
weight . As it broke throu gh it cut the tires and by the time Cal had r eached Dixboro a ll
four tires were riddled. Wha~ t o do? At morning prayers we presented our problem to the
Lord, "and left it there".(Amen.) In the mail that morning (eleven A.M.) was a l etter f rom
a Masonic friend i n De tro i t, saying he got to thinkin about Cal in his new work and f e lt
he 'd like to help, so he went t o the office of a mutual f riend and told him what he wante d to
do, and ended by saying, "I have fifty dollars I t hink Cal could use . Would you match it?"
And from the envelope out dropped checks for $100 ! "Before he calls I will answer h i m." )

-3Earlier in the fall, on October 22nd, the Stewards of Oxford Circui t had met at
Clarkston, and made the follo~vin g estimates of the ministerial sa laries for the year .
Presiding Elder George Bradley was to rece i ve $25 .00 quarterage from the Oxford Circu i t .
The payment of $6.00 a t the fir s t Quarterly Meeting was near l y on targe t. The sen io r
pastor, T. B. Granger was to receive $216 .00 quar tera ge . Thi s indicated th at he ~vas
married, and that he had pe rhap s one child. He ~vas a l so t o re ceive $60 . 00 Table Expens e
(probably in foodstuffs), $25.00 for Trave l Expense (evidentl y the preachers had to stay at
inns or taverns on part of thi s circuit), $20.00 fo r Hor se Feed (probably f urn ished in hay
and oats ), Fuel $10 .00, Hou se Rent $20.00. Imagine an expecta tion of renting a hou se or
f l a t for a year for $2 0.00~
The junior preacher, George Washington Hoag , was ev idently married , but had no child ren, a t leas t above the age of five, so hi s sa l ary was se t at $200 . 00. In addition he was
t o ge t $55 . 00 in t able expen se , $17 . 00 for trave li ng expenses , $2 0.00 for hors e feed,
$ 10.00 for fuel, and $20.00 for house r en t, a tot al of $322.00. Th e Circuit a imed to
rai se $698 . 00 for these sa l aries and a ll owanc es.
At the Second Quarterly Meet ing Confe r ence , held a t Clark s ton 2 ~ months af t er the
f irst one, on Feb. 22, 1850, it was noted that "All Sabbath Schoo l s are su s pended" . Thi s
was often done in the winter month s the n. Th e variou s classes had r aised the fo ll ow ing
amount s on s alary -- Ox fo rd $42 . 65, Travi s $7 .51, Bra ndon $1 . 62, Block G Hou se $4.25,
S teem Mills $ .56, Cl arks ton $25.41 , Sas hebaugh $5.93, Watterfo rd $6 .72, Springf i eld $14,30,
Nt. Bethe l $2.50, Public Coll ec tion (taken at the Quar t e r ly Meeting) $7.60-- to t al $ 119.05.
The Third Quarte rly Mee ting was held at Mt . Be thel May 11- 12, 1850. The income re ceived tha t spring was me ager . Geo r ge Bradley r ece ived $3 . 00, T. B. Gran ger a to t a l of
$55 . 82, and G. W. Ho ag only rece ived $17 .22. I t appears th a t he could n ot have been ve ry
popu l ar(?) .
The Fourth Quarterly Mee ting was he ld Aug . 24-25, 1850; the pla ce of meeting is not
given. There was a large attendance . The Con ferenc e examined the ch aracter of t he Dea cons and passe d the charact e r s of J ohn Sluter, B. F . Sheldon, Joseph Edmonson, Archibald
Cogs hall, and Ha rvey Allen, and their licenses we re rene~ed . The characters of th ree
Exhorte r s --!. C. H. Woodhu ll, S. S . St arkwea ther, and J oseph Kim- - were passed and their
licen ses renewed . The ch a r ac t ers of the s t ewards were passed.
At thi s l as t meet ing jus t befo r e the Annual Con fe r e nce , Rev. Bradley was paid $25.00
making a t o t al of $43.00 fo r the year. Was l1 e ove rpaid? Or had hi s sa lary cla i m had to
be incre ased? Rev. Granger received $1 12.62 Quarterage, $6 0.00 t able expense, $40 . 00
t ravel expen se , $2 . 50 for f ue l, and $23.50 [o r hou se rent. The Circuit had actu.:1lly paid
$3 7 . 80 for hi s hou se rent during th e year . Rev. Haag received $55 .00 for t able expense,
$36 .99 for travel expen se , and $20.00 f or house rent . Hi s s alary had been sadly deficient,
and fort una tely for him the Con fe rence moved him e l sewhe r e during the coming year.
r

For t he year 1850-51, t he Oxford Circui t est ima t e d Rev . Brad l ey ' s allowance at $30,
Andrew Be ll' s a t $375, and S. He ndri ckson' s at $148 .
Our recor d book fo llows the fortunes of new l y es t abli s hed Clarkston Circuit, after
185 1. The Clarkston Circuit in 185 1- 52 had six classes or soc i e ti es , located at "Clarkston" ,
Sprin gf i eld, Water ford, Mt. Bethe l, LukeS House ( schoolhouse), and Stearn Mi l l. The Circuit
had only one preacher , And rew Bel l. Finances ~vere weak. For the year Clarkston raised
$6 9.26, Spr ing field $26.03, Waterford $39.04, Mt. Bethe l $24.20, Luke School House $9 . 55 ,
and Steam Mill $ 16, 85. Three public c o ll ec tion amount ed t o $8 .24. The total raised $185.03.
Th ese excerpts s hould demon s tra t e the interes tin g data and understanding to be gained
[rom the se ear l y and spar se bu s iness records.

-5-

A farmer took Cal to Ann Arbor in a horse and buggy, where he bought four new t j t·rs
for our Ford sedan. Cost? $95.50 . We felt like Eara and Nehemiah, tha t "the good hand
of my God is upon me." So we th anked the Lord and took courage.
In those days the Ladies' Aid was indeed an aid to the church- - socially and financially. Chicke n dinners, and others, were served the community for twenty-five cents. Our
Detroit Masonic friends heard of them and proposed to Cal that we put on a dinner for them
for a dollar a plate! Many a time throughout the years they helped our work and enj oyed
their outings. The tables were sp read out under the tree s. In strawberry season, s hortc ake
dinners were popular also.
An amusing episode occurred one day while we were in Dixboro. We thought we he a rd a
roos ter crow -- far away. Again came the muffle d sound. We searched eve rywhere a f owl
mi ght be, the n sa t do\~ on the proch s teps to rest . Lo! again it sounde d as though und er
us. Cal crawled under the proch and discovered an uncovered, abandoned well. It was dry .
At the bottom was our chanticleer, a clucking biddy hen, and our lost calico cat! (All' s
we ll that ends well.")
Three years in Dixboro led to Milan .• and then on to De troit, where Cal built the 1st
Strathmoor Church . The climax of our service there was the sunny Sunday morning when the
wholeS .. marched from the Masonic Hall on Hubbel Avenue across Grand River Avenue to the
beautiful new house of worship at Schoolcraft and Marlowe Avenues. It is remembered by
many people yet today.
It was the n tha t Cal began to be troubled with progressive arthritis. The next year
he asked for the supermumery relation and was granted it. In 1927, Dr. C. E. Wakefie ld ,
Superntendent of Flm.;rer Hospital, Toledo, informe d Cal he had been appointe d to Flm.;rer
Hosp it a l as Field Repres entative and was reinsta ted an an "E ffect ive Elder." He served
the ho sp ital for t ow years--1927 - 28. (Through s ome mi s understanding he was not c r edited
for 1928.)
He then returne d to the pas tor a te, going t o Ironwood First Church where the majority
of the people \vere of English de scent--as was Ca l. Hi s fat her, Timothy, came from Corm1all ,
England, originally.
Cal ' s na tural tal ent for peace making was given wider expre ss ion from his Masonic
experience s. One ni ght he had a call from a church member who held a grudge agains t his
neighbor. He answered the call and came home with a beaming face--at 2 A. M.
Hi s health continued to fail so he requested a smal l er charge and was appointed to
Clarkston and Seymour Lake. Seymour Lake church was the only one we ever had th at boa s t ed
an "Amen Corner", built with the church. There the Lord was praised and amen s rang out at
appropriate places in the cour se of a s ermon.
Once a month during cold weather the Adult Bible Class eager ly awaited a supper of
rai sed buckwheat pancakes and homemade sausage. A Praise and Praye r se r vice f oll owed.
There too in the f a ll was enjoyed an unus ua l corn roast. A f ire was built on the ground.
When the embers wer e glowing, a di s carded mes h-wire from bedsprings was placed about two
feet above the coals , and fresh plucked garden corn was dis tributed evenly all ove r it.
De lici ou s ! Thi s al s o gave place to the midweek serv ice.
Afte r 6 years of j oy and grief, Cal was given a year of ab sence , and the n he retired
because of complicated hea lth probl ems. "
(Re v. and Mrs . C. E. Edwards made a great impress ion on the Dix boro Church, and 20
year s later, they were well and ha ppily remembe r ed.
Hi s fa ther Timothy Edwards (1834-193 5), was a n ative of Cornwa ll, En gland , and a
mi ni ster in the Michigan and De troit Annual Confe r ence s. Like the famou s Se th Reed
he l ive d to be near l y 101 .

-b-

(C. E. Edwards retired in 1939 and moved to Florida. He died in his h ome at Bonita
Springs, Jan. 24, 1957, at the age of 78. The funeral services were held in the
Lee Memorial Methodist Church, with Dr. Harvey G. Pearce, his former distirict
superintendent, and the pastor, ~~ight Sailor, of fici at ing.)

MRS. C. E. EDWARDS :
"I \~as born in Wayne County, Michigan, May 16, 1878 and brought up in Belleville.
My young life '~as live d practically in the old \~hite church. There was "Class meeting"
at 9 A.M . Sunday morning, church at 10:30, Epworth League at 6:30, church at 7:30 . At the
11
class meeting" or "Love Feast" there was testimony and song . The re, too, you heard "Amen,
Prai se the Lord, 11 and "Halle lujahs. 11
The Church then was the privotal point from which sprang all family activities . Even
the tall Christmas tree was laden '~ith family gifts.
One popul ar event in summer was the annual Sunday School picnic on the Huron River
Flats, now a lake! Winter was revival time and entered into wi th rewarding zeal.
One moonlight winter ni gh t-- perfect for a bob sleigh ride-- we Epworth Leaguers
planned s uch an outing to a member 1 s home for our month l y meeting. The bob sleigh was a
lumb er wagon box set atop two pairs of runne rs. There was a high s pring seat up fron t-no springs under the wagon box- - for the driver and the chaperone. The box was padded
with clean oat s traw and we sat on the bottom of the box, our backs against it s sides
facing each other. The hor se joggled along to the music of the bells on the harnesses. We
all sang a long the way until, s uddenly the hors es shied and over we went into a snow bank .
Fortunately thi s occurred near our place of meeting and no one was hurt. So into the house
we went pe ll mell and were soon warm and dry. After our program we helped ourselves to
apples , five kinds of native nuts, and popcorn popped over a wood fi r e in an iron kitche n
range . A s tove lid was lift ed off and the three -l egged round -bottomed iron kettle se t in
its place . After corn was popped melted butter \.,as stirred into it.
Anothe r time we had a mo l asses candy pull.
church , so to speak.

So happily, we grew up in the lap of t he

My share in the service of the ministry \~as replete \vith satisfaction. Eventually
Bonita Springs, Florida, became our home . Out of the jung l e we carved a beauty spot to
enjoy our declining y ears , continuously gra t eful fo r dail y blessings.
The Lord called Cal on January 24, 1957-- a blessed relief from hi s many physical
distresses. Burial was in Bonita Springs Cemetery.
They had two sons Calita, Jr. (who passed away Jan. 4, 1966) and Me rrill, and a
daughter Sheila who married Robert Pritcha rd.
In 1808, William Case of the New York Conference was appointed to the Ancaster Circuit
(in the Hamilton area)in Uppe r Canada . Coming to the Niagara River, he was faced by the
Embargo proclaimed by President J effe r son. Toe Embargo prohibited the transportation of pro perty across the Niagara River into Canada. Case went t o a hay loft, and fell on his f ace in
prayer. ~ I asked the Lord, as I was engaged in Hi s work, to ope n my way to ful fi l l my mis s ion
in Canada. 11
Back at the inn, a stranger smilingly suggested to him,~I s hould not wonder i f the mi s - d
sionary should jump int o the boat, take his horse by the bridle and swim around the embargo .Ca
Case did not bother with the boat; he swam hi s horse across the Niagara River, and landed
safely in Canada .

BimRA?HY BY ~fHS . C. E. ED"JARDS •

.,
n.ev. Cali ta !!.dwa
r ds ··· :::~ s torn Feb. '? 6 , 1878 at i• eva~to, luj_ch. n e i"as the 3rd
son of 'l'imot(jv and Lydia Edwa :rtis. ue had three broth~rs and a sist e r . Hi sfather •·.•a s
a "'""'e th di st minister.
1;1 hen hit; f ather vras appointed to Bell ~vill e, C.,l v:as 16 a nd emplo?ed by ·.l rif!ht,
Kay & Co., jewelers, in Det r oit. One weekend he vi s ite d his folk s, bicy clin e the
23 miles to belleville .... here mppen ed to be a "Donation" p arty that '"'aturda y eve11ing
11
(or " Pound ..::iocial a s they were sometimes ca Jlerl) . As t11 he pastor0 s salary '"as $000
11
th t yea r, tre Donations augmented it by " pou nds 11 a nd bushels of produce brotht by
the people of the vlll a[_e . ... hey also served to geti<l the pastor an" th e p!>ri::hioners
a coua in t ed. Cal became the life of the ra rty that evenin~, especially to the Epworth
,e · e;uers . Amongthe youn~ reopleua c: t he g:iirl he n as to l"'!arr-,t seven ;vears l ate r.
I

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ne wi n +er even~ nr va l called fo r his O'irl wi th his fath r s rors e and cutt er.
Fleece - line d l<:e gi ns ; nd gP lo ohes, wool f~cin1to rs , rot soap stones vl!'a pped in wool
t o retain heat for our feet, a nrl a buffa lo ro te about insulated us fro:r the col. rl .
" Old t a n? st. ·- rte d r eluctantl y -- she shov:ed in tere st only when hea ded home. Afte r a •:1hile
she stopn ed at t he en d of c: ome f<1rm e r~ s l ane. We were lost . fut a ll Clil di ~as to
turn "uld l' a n" aroun d, n utt he reins a rotmd the yihip stalk and co""J'lan d, " o - e, r a n. "
(The lon::es t way aromd is th "!s hov·test way home. " )
April 24, 1901 ,~e wore rnarrie-1- - ..... ., bel Lrr -::ce Co1:b anrl Calita .ri;lvi n i:dvrn :rds ••
Cc:l8s income was '"'15 pe wee k . "ow di d-we man a~e ? A l .=>rge lO!> f of br e..,d was six cents
Stea k '.'lA S ten cen ts a noun d. .4 v1hole beef shank 1'T s ~ ~"~UBr ' er. Cal wa s f" i ven a
r<=~ i se from time t o tim~ , a ndi oin~.d ' he .wasonie . . . lue Lo d~ , r alestine uh :1pt~ r, Gomna ndary
until he wa made a 33rd depr ee a son.
=any hono!' S carne to him. rie was sue ·essf ul in business, but he bec e.me di ss atisfie d . iventually, "•hen " he came to himsiH f 11 h~ dec ideti he would try fo vt h e min istry
- - he hai not heeded a 11 cAJl 11 whon h e 'f\S 17. So h e ":ent to see Dishon .....es te r '"'r nith t o
f ind out if he h ad a cha nce to t"]U3lify at his age . illh e nis hop listen_ei _ to his story,
then r~ g retfu,ly tol d him he v1as pas .. thec~[El- -3 5 i'11S th e li · it. C1l s aid,".4ll rig ht,
Bishop, that8s a ll-~. wanted to know . 1 1 !._1 ro bC~ck into business. " The i shop intei'rupte d, 11 nold on, i f't he . . . ,o rd ca llErl you, . donp b.~ -nt to fie:ht against Him . 11 Suffice it
to say that- Cal t02k and pa s :=;ed the Con:'eren ce Course of .::.. tud.v, a nd 1 -te r took Swruner
School Coo r ses .q t lbion and at Ga rrett.
lie \'> a s appointed to Dixbo ro in 1 918. The cha ree incluchki Free Chua:-ch and ·~orth
Sid e, Ann "'Tbo r . '""al a ry one th()usa n d dollars a ye ar . Our fami Jy t hen i 11c l uded three
ch l dr en
a nd ll'\Y mother .
.1.
II
n the s nrinf a "freeze Bnri th 1w merle the Free Church country ro1ds almo st irn!'3 Ssable . Deep ruts fille:l with ~"ale ran -lt hen froze o'·er, but rot h::1 r d e,.,..,ueh to
sust ai n the ca ros ·,··eieh t. As i t b r oke throuP'h i t cut the tires arrl by the timP Ca l
had reache ri Dixboro all four tires vrre riddled . Whet, t o do? At nn r ning pmyers '"r>
pres en tPd our problem tothe -'-t>rd , "and l eft if t 'l.ere. " (Amen.) In the rnail thr1t morning (eleven All ) W-'.J S a l et Le r fran a "•asonic frien<i in Det-roit: ayinr- he go t t o thinkin
about CP.l in is ne•'J work a nd J'elt he d like t o h eln, so he wen t to th e office of a
mutua l friend and told him wh at he wa~ tErl todo,arrl ~nded by sayin e, 11 I ha·v e fifty doll a rs
.... think val could u se. Woul d you match it ' 11 And f-rom t he enve lofJ.&lf')t t ·sJ..fOP.P @~ checks
for ~100 ! 11 Be fore he "nils .L wiJ l a n ~ er ·~,irn. 11 )
·'
,.,.
(T
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C E &h;a rds

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A farm ; r too k Ca 1 to Ann Arbor in a horse a nri bu..C7gy, ···re r e ~ bo uf.Th t four n e.., tires
for our Fo rd S-"'den. Cost? $95.50 . \,e felt like E~:.1ra and Nehemiah, th<>t 11 the g ood
ha nd of my Go d is up:m me . 11 So we th a nked the .La m a nd took cour;:)ge .
I

.Ln those days
th e J.. l adies Aid \"! as in deed an a i d to the chu 1·ch - - socia lly and
v
fina nci ally.
hicken dinners, and oth e rs, were s e rve the ccrnmunit~r for t···enty- five
cents. Our De t.,roit ~asonic f r ien is heArd o f then rtnd p r "'posed to Cal that we put on a
':iinner for them for a doll ar a plate ~ . ~n~r a time throUfhout the ;yea r sthe y h ~" lped
our work and en j oyed th~ir outinos . 'fhe tables were sp~ad out unde r the trees . In
stra wber ry s~=>ason, shortca ke dinners wer e popul~r a l s o .
An amusine episode occurred one day while v·e v:ere in Di xboro . ·vie thought 'ne hea rd
a roost e r crow -- far away . Ar:.r.J in came the rru ff led sound. ~ie f;e a r ch ed ev er ywhere a
fo•J] miP"ht be , then sa t do·m on the n orch steps to re s t . Lo ! aga i n itx so tmded as
.though unde r us . Cal c r awled un e r the ro rch an:l dis co ve red an uncover ed,abandoned well.
. t ms dry . "t the bottom ·a~ our·cha nticlee r, a cluckin e; biddy hen,and our lo st cali co
Cat ~
("'llo~ well that endS well . II)
'
Thr e yea.rs in Jixboro led to ""ilan . . a n d then on to Detroit, vhere L-a l built the
first St ra thmoor Church . The climax of ou r se rvice th ere vas the sunny Sun d3y morni n g
....,
ru
"'""
1 .&.
•
when the \tl ole S . . marc he d from th e asonic al l on ubbel Avenue ac ro ss Grand Itiver
Avenue to the bea uti fu1 ne-1 muse of wo rs hi. p at ""chool craft ani .~. .~.a rlo\-.e Av enues . .Lt is
rerrembered b,•• many peopl e y et torl ay.
itwas then tha t Ga lbegan to be t ro ubled with progress ive a r th ritis. The rext yea
he aske d for the s~ pe mume ry relati on ad wa ~ranted it. In 1927, Or . C E '.'lakefield,
.::>uperin tendent of r lower Hosp i tal, Toledo, informed Ca l he had been appointed to
Flower Hospital as Fi el d '"epresen ',ati w and r1as reinstated as an 11 Effecti v e Eld er. 11 ne
servee t!"le rospita l for two y ear s- - 192 7- 8 . (1'hroU£h some mi. sun de rstanding he wa s not
c re dited for 1928 ).

1~e then ret urn ed to the pastorate, goi n~ to . ronwoo d First Church where the ma jor
ity o · ti-Je people were of -'1-le; lish de s c ent --as was Cal. hi s f ath er , Timothy, came from
Comv.all, ingland, origina lly.
I

Ca l s nat u ral talent for peac e maki.ne ·1as g iven wider expression from his.lluasmic
experiendh . un night he ha d a c all fro ma church men ber vbo he ld a grudge a r: ainst his
1
neighbor. ' e a nswe re " the ca ll anlc'l me hom e with a beamine face-- at 2 A. ?J: .
H

is h ealth continued to fail so he renueste d a sna lle r ch arge and was appoint ed
t o '-'l arkston a11d ~eymo ur Lal< e . Seymour '"'ake 'chu>·ch r1as the oply one we ever had that
boasted a n 11 Amen "'o mer 11 , bu l t with the church. There the Loro was praised and arrens
rane out at ap. ropriate places in the c cur se o f a se nno n.

"'~ nc

v

nee a month during col d w eather th e Adult .uibl e lass e aeS? rly awaited a SU?p e r
of r a i sed buckwheat p1 ncakes a11d homenade saus.,rre .
A r r a ise a nd royer service follo·\'led .
Th -' e too in th e fa llwas enjoyed an anusua l corn ro 1st. A fire v1as built on the
g round. When the embers we1 e g lowin ~, a rl.i f; ca rded mesh- wire fronbe r:laprine s wAs placed
about tv10 feet above th e co als ,and fr~sh nlucked ·-l'li'Cl.en co rn w"ls di stributed ev e nly a ll
over it. o~ licirus ! This a l so r::.ve olace t o the midweek service .

:ft/

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After 6 years of j:Jy a nd §rief, Cal "'a ei v n a ye "'- r of abse nce, :url th e n h e
retired Qbec.<mse of CO !J'U')lic ated heal t h probl ems .".
(C. z. ~dwards ~e~ ir cd i n 19 39 and rnovdd to F lorid a .
He d i ed i~ hi s hone
at Bon ita 5vrings , Jnn . 2 4 , 1957, a t t h e aqe of 78. The fu~era l se~Vl ~~s we e
he ld in he Lee l'le.,oria l Nethod i st l.hurch, \vith Dr . Hc, rv~y , . Pearc e , hlS forl'!le r
district s upe rinte ddent, and the pa~t or , Dwi 1h t ~a il o~ , off ici , ting .(

- 3-

Mrs. C. E. lflnards :
" I v-as born in ··[ayne ""ounty, "'-ichigan, ay 16, 1 878 a nd brought u in Belleville. M~
young life was lived pr,ctically in tre old •·1hite church.
'I\;lere was "Cl ass tneeting
.st 9 R.': Sund· y 11 momine-, church at 10 : 30, .u"'·mrth League at 6 30, church at 7 30 . At the
"cla:>s meetine or ~1 Love F8 a st" there was t timony ani ron£' ; Th e~e, teo,
heard
11 A
me n 11 , "r raif e the Lo rd 11 , ... nd "Hallelujahs . 11
:ne lJhurch ther. ·::as the ! rivotc:l _o ..:..nt fro. _ ·h:.ch s pr~ng all fami y 1Ct i vi t i es.
Even th t all Christmas tre e \'P.s l a oon \•·ith family g ifts.
One popu l Ar event in sunmer wa s the annu:::l wun ds.y School pic nic on the '·uron J.l.i ver
Flats, now a l a ke ! Wint er was revival tim e an:l. en te red i n to wit.~ rev1ardine zeal .

:oo

One moonlig ht winter night - perfect for a bob sleigh rhle- - we Enworth Leagu ers
planned such an outine to a membe r s hom e for our rrnrthly meetine:. 'Ih e bob sleigh wa s
a lumber wago n box set atop two paf:rs of nmn ers . Th er e was a hig h s pring seat up front
- - BO springs unde r the v1ago n b ox--fo rthe d r iver andthe chap erone .
The box was padded
with cle:m 0-3.t s traw a n -:! we sat en the bottom of th e box, ourbacks agains'- its si des
facin::e: ch other. The horse joeg:led alon g tothe rrusic of tre be ll s on the ha rnesses.
We all sang alon gthe way until, suctienly the ho rses shie:i and ove r 1.:e we:1t .into a sno w
bank . Fortun ately this occurred nea r our pl~ce of meetinrand m one was hut . So i nto
the In use we went .:ell mell And W'.:! re soon va rm and dlt'Y . After our pro::_-r am we hel ped
ourselves t o apples, five kinds of native nuts, ?. rrl }:X)pcorn popped ove r a wood fire in
an iron kit chen ra n~ . A st ove lid w~ s lift ed off and the t h ree- l egged rotmd-bottomed
iron kettle set in its place . Afte r corn ·:r>s popped mel ted b utt ~ r was s t irred into it.
Another time we had a mala s es candy pull.
t he church, so to speak.

So h1ppily, we g r evJ up inthe l ao of t

lh.y sh, re in the s rvice o f the mi nis try v1as repl ete with satisfa ction. Eventually
Bonita .:> prin Ps, Flori oo , be c1me our hone . uut of t he jun gl e we car&ed a reauty ~ot to
enjoy o u r declining yeArs, cant inuously er ateful for daily bl e ssings.

The Lord called t-al on van. 24, 1657-- a ble s s e r eli ef from hi s ma llY physical dis
tresses .. Durial VIES i n Bonit a S n rin !!S em~tr~ ry .
~
'U
They h ad two sonKS Calita v r.(v! In p<!Ssed mvay .a n. 4, 1966) a nd l}t~, )
1
-~ nd a dauehter She il a who married 'tlo be rt 1-'rit ohard. .

MABEL G. EDWARDS, 91, died a t the
home of her daughter, Mrs. Robert
Pritchard, in Bonita Springs, Florida, on
October 17. She was th e widow of th e late l
Rev. Calita E. Edwards, retired from the
Detroit Conference. During his ministry,
they served charges in Dixboro, Milan,
Detroit Strathmoor, Ironwood, and Clarkston. During her life in Bonita Springs,
Mrs. Edwa rds served h er best at the Lee
Memorial United Methodist church, from
which she was buried, Rev. Wilbur
Crowder officiating. Survivors include a
sister, Mrs. William Godson; a brother, ,
oy Cobb, both living in Florida; her
aughter in Florida ; a son, Merrill C.
dwards of Detroit ; three grandchildren,
Mrs. Albert Bolitho of Albion, Robert
Pritchard, Jr., of Ypsilanti, Neil Pritchard
of Marquette ; and seven great- grandchildren. A son, Calita E. Edwards, Jr. , preceded her in death, leaving his widow,
Marian, in Detroit. Mrs. Edwards was
born in Belleville, Michigan, and taught
school before her m arriage in 1901 to Calita
Edwards. Her parents, the Cobb familv.
'were early settlers in Michigan. A memorial in the Lee Memorial Chapel of the
local church has been ~ t up for Mrs.
Edwards. 11-J.--t>f

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