Edgar Allen Hastings (1865-1917)

ALTHEIDE, BUSSING, DAVIS, HALL, HASTINGS, MEREDITH, NELSON, PURDY, REAVIS, RENO, STOOKESBERRY, SWINNEY

Posted By: Carl Malone (email)
Date: 5/19/2017 at 18:21:57

Unknown Newspaper
May 1917

Edgar Allen Hastings, youngest son of Isaac S. & Mary J. Hastings was born near Floris, Iowa, August 14,1865. He died at his home two miles northeast of Floris May 16, 1917, aged 51 years, 9 months and 2 days. He grew to manhood in the vicinity of Floris, attended the country school at Bunker Hill until he was 15 years old. During the fall and winter months of 1880 he attended school at Pulaski, Iowa where his brother Dan lived and taught. Later he attended the Floris school, making his home during that time with Mr. Davis.

Under the ministry of his brother Dan of Floris he became a Christian and was baptized Feb. 3, 1885. Soon after this he decided to enter the Christian ministry. His first sermon was preached at Mt. Gilead a year later. He taught school to secure funds to enable him to attend Drake University which he entered in the fall of 1888 and from which he was graduated in the summer of 1894 having spent six years at that institution of learning.

While attending school at Drake he preached at Mt. Sterling, Tingley, Griswold, Kirkville and Floris. One of his first ministries as a student preacher was at Mt. Sterling where he held a meeting resulting in 60 additions to the church. The older members there yet speak of that meeting as "the new birth" of the church. While preaching at Griswold he and Geo. F. Hall held a meeting which resulted in 200 additions to the church. Here he became acquainted with Miss Clara Belle Nelson whom he married Dec. 23, 1890 and who with their only child, Roswell survives the husband and father.

After his graduation in 1894 he located in Lenox. While living at this place he received a call to serve the church at Burlington. Here he had a pleasant and profitable ministry. His next field of labor was at Brandon. In 1899 he was chosen by the Iowa Christian Convention at Des Moines to serve as evangelist in the southeast district of Iowa. After serving one year as evangelist he resigned and at the request of his father and mother built a house across the road from them on the old farm, moving his family there in the fall of 1900. In 1907 he moved a few roads north to the Martin Minnick farm, which he had purchased and continued to reside there until his death. Thus for 17 years he lived close to his father and mother and the tender care of himself and wife during the declining years of his father and mother was a comfort to them and a real heroic service.

Since coming back to the vicinity of Floris he has ministered to the churches at Floris, Stiles, Savannah, Mt. Gilead, West Grove. Pulaski, Ash Grove and Pleasant Hill in Davis County and Eldon, Blakesburg, Russell, Chapel Hill and Agency in Wapello County and Walnut City in Appanoose County.

In addition to his regular work he held a number of meetings one at Beaversville, MO. and one at Harris, MO. At the time of his death he was minister at Harris where he preached his last sermon resulting in the conversion of the man after whom the town was named together with four other members of the family. The last night but one before his death he worked on a special chart sermon to preach at Harris when he returned. In his delirium before his death he talked of that sermon and told his wife to have Frank Binz come and paint the chart for him.

The world can ill afford to lose such men especially when they are in the very height of usefulness. Besides his wife and son he leaves three brothers, Dan of Floris, Henry of Eldon, Alva of Moulton, two sisters, Mrs. Swinney of Floris and Mrs. Flora Meredith of Pulaski and a number of other relatives, his father and mother having preceded him less than two months ago. B. S. Denny a college chum and life long friend conducted funeral services at the Floris Christian church Saturday at one o'clock assisted by the following ministers: James Altheide, Arthur Stookesberry, Geo. E. Purdy, Isaac S. Bussing, W. E. Reavis and Milo Reno. Representatives of the following churches where brother Hastings preached were present at the funeral: Walnut City, Blakesburg, Agency, Eldon, Stiles, Savannah, Ash Grove, Pleasant Hill, Pulaski, Mt. Gilead, Russell Chapel, Griswold. Harris sent a message of condolence. The churches of Stiles and Savannah sent a beautiful wreath. There were present also representatives from the following churches: Bloomfield, Davis Street and First Church of Ottumwa.

Brother Hastings was literally an apostle to the country church. He was a natural scholar, a clear thinker and had the mental capacity to serve larger fields of usefulness had he cared to do so. But he was content with the smaller fields of labor; believing that the country church was entitled to the best, he devoted his talents and very life among the weak churches with whom he was a shepherd indeed and truth. His great passion was to preach the gospel. Few men could present a gospel theme more clearly or logically and define it more ably and yet in a kindly spirit. He was not much given to compliments but his friendship was of the kind that never fails. No one could speak evil of a friend in his presence without his protest. He was considerate with his friends, was a man of clean life, pure speech and an exemplary man of God.