WELLS, Ashbel Shipley 1798 - 1882

WELLS, HASTINGS

Posted By: Richard K. Thompson (email)
Date: 12/31/2010 at 21:07:01

Contributor note: The following was found published in the Fairfield Ledger (microfilm archives at the Fairfield Public Library, Fairfield,Iowa) on Nov. 8, 1882, on Pg. 3. This particular item is of interest because it serves as an obituary, but the text was written by Rev. Ashbel WELLS himself at the behest of the Fairfield Ledger just a few weeks prior to his death. Therefore, it serves a dual purpose of being an obituary, but also an auto-biographical piece about the life and times of Rev. Ashbel WELLS.

It is transcribed as nearly verbatim as possible, but there were a few smudges in the original microfilm scanning that make certain words and dates questionable. Those are marked with "(sic.)" as needed by this contributor.

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Fairfield Ledger
Nov. 8, 1882
Pg. 3

Death of Father WELLS

In our issue of last week we noted the death of one of our old and respected citizens, Rev. A.S. WELLS. Within the past few months THE LEDGER has requested a number of our old citizens to prepare for us a sketch of their lives for publication when death should call them. As the first result of this request we present the following. It was written by Mr. WELLS but a few weeks previous to his death and will be recognized as characteristic of the man, and we know will prove interesting to his many friends in Iowa. The funeral was held at the Congregational church Wednesday last, Rev. M. E. Dwight conducting the services. The remains were interred in the Evergreen Cemetery.

Editors Ledger: - In accordance with your request I have prepared, and now submit to your disposal, the outline of my life, as one of the octogenarians of Jefferson county. I find it no easy matter to give within the proper limits of a newspaper article the prominent figures and facts of a life protracted to near the close of 81 years, and I shrink from the attempt lest it should savor of ostentation. But I am a witness for Christ, and desire to give my testimony to the world of what His free grace has done for me, who in my early life was the chief of sinners, and ever since a very unprofitable servant.

I am the eldest son of Shipley and Dorothea WELLS, and was born in Jericho, Vermont, Dec. 3d, 1798. When about 15 years old, in answer to the prayers of a pious mother, I was born again in Washington, Me.; and united with the Congregational church. In 1819-1824 I entered and graduated at Hamilton College, in Clinton, Oneida, county, N.Y. There, in 1828, I married Sophia HASTINGS, daughter of Dr. Seth and Hulda HASTINGS, having previously taught the academy in Detroit for two years and taken a short course of theological study at Auburn. Having a passion for the conversion of sinners and for the work of home evangelization in our western states, I was ordained to this work by the Presbytery of Oneida, at Utica, in February of this year, and as the pioneer of the Western Fraternity in Auburn, and under the commission of the A.H.M.S., went forth with my wife to New Albany, Ind., eight hudred miles from her father's home. We were joyfully received by the members of a feeble Presbyterian church, having five male members, only one of whom could lead in prayer, and fifteen ladies, who sustained a female prayer meeting and a small Sabbath school.

The only place for holding religious meetings was a small gloomy court-house and although a place of nearly two thousand inhabitans, had only occasional preaching; and a small M.E. church, whose house of worship was only bare walls covered with a roof, and its membership scarcely stronger than our own. Intemperance was fearfully prevalent, as whisky was in every store, shop and steamboat, as free as water for customers, friends and workmen. All the resistance to stay this tide of death and ruin was in these feeble churches, most of whose male members sanctioned the use of intoxicating drinks themselves.

Here I began my home missionary work, and for four years labored to win souls to Christ; and through His blessing upon the word, and means of grace employed by myself and others, we had erected a good brick church and paid for it from our own means, gathered a good congregation, a large Sabbath-school, organized a vigorous temperance society and added one hundred and fifty to our membership, so that the whole moral character of the place was changed. The revivals we enjoyed during those four years laid the foundation for its commercial prosperity and its religious improvement to this day. There are now in that city three large and well established churches, and after fifty years have passed away there are in all of them valued members still holding forth the word of life who were brought into christian fellowship during that season of grace.

Leaving New Albany in 1832, I settled in Tecumseh, Mich., and became pastor of the Presbyterian church there, and the first that was ever established in that state. Here, too, I was wholeheartedly favored with revivials, one of which resulted in some of our preaching places for two years. Under their influence churches were organized in Clinton (sic. spelling ??) and Racine, and the way prepared to organize them in many other places. Numbers of valuable members were gathered into them, both by examination and letters. Houses of worship have since been erected, and these congregations are now the light and salt of those localities.

In 1826--1840 (sic. not sure if these dates are transcribed correctly; use with caution), similar churches were prepared in Troy, Oakland county, and in the neighboring towns of Rochester, Birmingham and Wing Lake; and in Mt. Clemens in another four years' pastorate, from 1840-1844. From 1844 to 1850 I traveled over the state of Michigan and northern Indiana, and a part of Illinois and Wisconsis, in the service of the A.B.C.F. missions, and for six years labored to promote the cause of foreign missions in all the Presbyterian and Congregational churches in that district. I then resumed my home missionary work, and for five years labored in the churches of Lima, Ontario and Springfield, in Indiana, and in Sturges Prairie, in Michigan. This field of labor, although not barren of good fruits, was not as fruitful as those I had cultivated before.

In 1850 I removed to Iowa, and for the last twenty-seven years my home and center of operations has been in Fairfield. From this point I went forth for several years and labored in the destitute churches in this state and in Illinois until I was laid aside on account of a diseased throat (laryngitis). Since then I have canvassed Jefferson county, and mainly by personal visitation have supplied all who would receive the scriptures, and raised funds to pay off a debt that at one time amounted to nearly seven hundred dollars. I have endeavored in Fairfield to be in all things a "faithful witness" for Christ. And now on the borders of the grave and eternity, I feel happy in all the testimony I have given against slavery, intemperance, the use of tobacco, secret societies, and the use of alcoholic wine in the Lord's Supper, and in favor of the Bible as the word of God and the blessiness of the service of Jesus Christ. I wish to leave it as my last testimony that He who saved me is able and willing to save to the uttermost all who will enthrone Him in their hearts and assure them that they will find, as I have, that "Godliness is profitable unto all things having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come." My life work and my prayers I leave as a heritage for my beloved children and friends; and praying that they and you may follow me as I have followed Christ, I am, dear sirs,
Very truly yours,
A.S. WELLS

*Transcribed for genealogy purposes. I am not related to the person(s) mentioned.

Note: Buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Fairfield, Iowa. Old.P.065