Connecticut western news., 1879-08-20
Rev. Aaron Ketcham sanford.

The first male member of the Methodist Episcopal church in New England was the | Rev. Aaron Sanford of Bedding, Connecticut the paternal grandfather of the subject of this sketch. His father, the Rev. Hawley San | ford, was also minister of the same church; ! so it will be seen that he whose name stands | at the head of this article comes of good Methodist stock, and honestly enough both by | his Methodist proclvities and his professional calling. Indeed preaching seems to run in the family" his grandfather, father, and one or two of his brothers as well as himself be- ing ministers.
 The Rev. Aaron Ketcham Sanford the pre- siding elder of the Poughkeepsie district New York Conference and er-oficio presiding officer o. the Pine Grove camp-meeting was born in Bedding, Fai.feld county in this state in the year 1897.
 After receiving such education as the schools in the immediate vicinity of his early home could afford, he was sent to Amenia seminary, and completed bis academic course under the principalship of Erastus, O., and his distinguished cousin, Gilbert Haven; the 
 | first now Chancellor of the Syracuse univer- sity, the other one of the Bishops of the M B. chu' cb.
 Amenia was then in it's prime and has sent out more of the eminent men of the church | than almost any institution of the kind in the country but alas, her Methodiscic glory has | departed and she has dropped into the hands of sister denomination.
 After leaving Amenia, young Sanford commenced teaching, but his convictions of duty in the direction of the ministry were so strong that he soon applied for admission to received in the year 1852. His ability as preacher and his taithfulness as pastor have made his ministry under God suc- cessful one and have raised him to stations of prominence and responsibility in the church. He has served several pastoral terms suc- cessfully in New York city and at the con- ference of lS72 was appoir- Jed to the office of Presiding Elder on the Prattsvi'le District.
 The Presiding Elder is substantially sub- Bishop, having the oversight of "all the
 
 The office is very laborious one and the Prattsviile District one of the hardest in the conference Mr. S.,nford's ;ndefatigable in- dustry and administrative ability carried him ; successfully through full term of four ears, and made him hence orth a marked man in the minds of the, Bishops who make the ap- pointments. After pastorate of two years in Kingston, N. Y., he was again appointed Presiding Elder and placed on the Pough keepsie District, the largest in extent of any in the conference and second only in im- portance to the New York District. Some men achieve greatness-some have it thrust upon them. In both these appointments to the Presiding Eldership, the latter was lite-- ally true, Mir. Sanford's wishes not being ever consulted in the matter. %
 The preaching of MT. s., is characterized by an emotional power that seldom fails to awaken corresponding emotion in his hearers, and by genuine earnestness of manner that drives the plain and practical truths of the Gospel into the intellects and hearts of the people, with sleGge hammer force. His clear, ringing voice would be still more effective if better modulated but he is too much in ear nest to seek after any of the meretricious or naments of style or to cultivate any the ar- tifcial graces of oratory. Physically Mir. Sanford has grown to true Presiding Elder proportions, His rotund figure and genial, in- teligent face make him look, as he is, the personi6cation of maeits sanG 5n corp0re sano. His yankee shrewdness and business like ex- ecutive ability, his genial and gentlemanly bearing, his commanding personal presence and tirmness of manner admiralty fit him for the leadership of the multitudcs who throng the Pine Grove encampment from year to year.