Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-08-18
informing Star
The Rev. Ephraim Harding.

old. At the age of seven he was sen,
away among strangers, and realized many
of the hardships which often fall to tn.
lot of the fatherless. He was converted
Oct. 25 1925. and baptized by Rev. Sam
uel Hutchns. uniting with the church in
his native town. In 1882 he began To
preach, and Oct. Is, received his license
Jan. %, lS43, he was ordained at New
Portland by the Anson q. NJ. During his
last forty-ive years he has lsbored exten.
sively in the Maine Central and Penob.
scot Y. Ms. preaching in Edgecnmh. Farm
ington. Watervile, Sebec. Exeter and
Ellsworth q Ms. He has been pastor of
fourteen churches and had revivals In If
teen. baptizing about two hundred per
sons, and attending numerous weddings
and funerals. He organized eight churches,
among them the Hancock, Calais and Ellis.
worth. In 1871 he helped build the church
at Corinth. He labored twenty years in
the Sebec q. NJ, preaching at Charleston,
Bradford. Sebec, Maxdeld etc having re-
vivals In those towns. He was pastor OF
the Hancock church ls67-69, in 1870. the
missionary of the Ellsworth a. NJ, and
pastor OF the Calais church lS-3-15. lie
| spent nineteen years at Ellsworth. and hast
summer removed to Corinth and settled
| his family in a comfortable home, mani
Testing as much ,igor and energy as many
man in the prime of life; riding seven
miles to attend his regular appointment
three weeks before he died
He has been in the Penobscot Y NJ
| thirty years, has attended all but two of
its sessions. and been member of the
| business committee six years Five times
| he has been delegate to the General Con
! ference, and once a delegate to the Free
HhFtn lie
| Brunswick. He married. June l3, 1882
| Catherine Hanncwell, who has been a true
helpmeet To him; a woman earnest In Gods
service and in every good work Although
! converted when very young, yet he pre-
'iously had strong impressions that il
would be his duty to preach. After his
| license he rode ten miles on horseback 10
attend The ordination of Rev. John CLANCY
and finding his experience similar to his
, own was much strengthened In his mind
lie lshored as an evangelist, when atle 10
preach. previous to his ordination Hi.
first impression was TO 20 10 East Pond
now Smithiield; but for some reason did
not 70 I'll after his ordination He found
good deacon there trying 10 hold meet.
ings with no one To help him. Soon after
he began to labor & revival broke out, and
many were converted ami added to the
church About this time hc was much
troubled with diilideuce. Sometimes every.
thing would grow dark TO his mind and he
would >it down discouraged and dsheart-
! ened He labored for tim as q mission
ary in the Anson . NJ Like others Of
the fathers, he performed more or less
pioneer work. He and a brother minister
were once sent as a committee to visit a
church up the Dead River. They follow
,-i tod str
Having but one horse between them. they
took turns in riding each riding while,
then htchtng his horse and going on foot
tin the other came up, took The horse, and
rode till he overlook the first
lie was very punctusl In meeting his
engagements, often travelling over roads
that few would care to try. His tender,
sympathetic nature made him welcome
visitor in the home He noticed eyery
child and manifested a deep interest in the
young. The diaries he kept for 50 many
years show plainly that In labors he was
more abundant" Three fourths of the
time when he labored as a missionary he
averaged travelling one hundred miles a
week. He has labored in every county in
the State. In his diary he SAYS. II have
travelled in company with my wife, more
than any other minister oi my acouaint-
entry: April ., 1855, received a telegram
to 20 to Beddington to attend a funeral:
started at 30 P. VI reached there at | |
\. NJ. the next day. Attended the funeral
at p. NJ. had a meeting in the evening;
got home April II, about dark, rery tired >
The roads were very bad, vet he had tray-
eled over hundred miles, and found word
waiting to attend a funeral the next day
thirteen miles away; which he attended
May ~, lsss, went to Beddington; was
gone six days. Held i've meetings preach
ing four times; made thirty calls, and
travelled 1913 miles" This when he was in
his eightieth year. His life was one long,
loving service in the Masters cause We
also lind, four weeks later Drove forty
miles and preached in the evening The
next morning Sunday | preached at 10
4. NJ, drove four miles, preached at p.
~, drove four miles farther, and preached
In the evening" Again II was gone
from home nine days. Made twenty calls
and attended ten meetings" In one place
he writes How one called Of God who
has felt the woe is me if preach not the
gospel can give it up, TO me j. a mystery
Ii was hard for me to make up nv mind 10
preach; but when did said 1t shall be
for lite
He was intensely denominstiona, al
ways and every where anxious To build up
the cause, yet ready to join hands with
brethren of other denominations in general
work. Though preaching for very small
rtmunei aton--a part of the time without
salary and laboring diligently to help
support his family, he gave literally to
found our schools to help build churches,
and to our mission work. He possessed a
thoughtful mind, and though his early o.
portunities were limited he made the most
of them; and, being a lifelong student,
kept in sympathy with the times and found
no dead line" in the ministry his latest
sermons being among his best. At the
Exeter q. NJ. last fall he preached to a
large and appreciative audience one of the
most earnest, touching appeals to Christ
ians-especially to his brethren in the
ministry-to live faithful, holy lives that
it has ever been our lot to hear The
Exeter and Ellsworth Q. Ms have passed
resolutions of respect to his memory, the
| Ellsworth q. NJ. also holding memorial
I services.
! He cast one of the first votes on the
anti-slavery ticket, and was ALWAYS the
firm, fast friend of the slave in company
with his wife giving one hundred dollars
| to Storer College at the General Confer
ence at Harpers Ferry. He voted the first
| prohibition ticket. and 1t was said of him
| by a rumseller, 'He votes as he prays"
He was a mission worker from the first
In ls4l. after Rev. Eli Noyes returned
I from India, he travelled in company with
the missionary, introducing and assisting
him. He also assisted the Rev. O. r.
Bachelor in his work. During his ministry
he has done much to introduce our litera-
ture into our Sunday schools, and The
Morning Star, which he has taken for
sixty years, into our churches.
In the earlier years of his ministry he
possessed q sweet voice, and many will
remember how he used to enliven the
prayer and conference meetings with the
songs of Zion. Nearly all of his CO la
borers have passed over the river. He has
been gathered to his fathers in a ripe old
age. He retained his faculties in re-
markable degree to the last. When asked
if he had anything more to say, he said he
had been saying for sixty years, and had
nothing different to say. His death was
caused by pneumonia following Ia grippe
The funeral services were conducted a,
the F. b. church at East Corinth by the
pastor, Rev. +. ID. Tasker, assisted BY
Rev's Banks, Hill, and Freese. The tex
from which the sermon was preached wal
Tin. Al, 8.
His aged wife, the companion of hi.
labors, for whom he showed an affection
ate care seldom equaled, feels very deeply
the separation; and we ask for her tn,
prayers of those among whom they hav,
SO long labored. The son and family an(
1.-the 0dnpfa1 6auuhtor mourn fnr fotha