The Monmouth inquirer., 1897-07-22
OBITUARY.


OBITUARY.
DIR. e. H. STOKES
DIR. E. H. Stokes died Saturday
July 18th, 1897, at Ocean Grove,
DR.. Stokes was born October 10
1915, in the town of Medford, this
state, and was nearly 80 years of age
when he died. His parents were
Quakers, and he was the youngest
but one of the seven children.
Schools were poor in those days, and
his early education was such only as
could be CLEANED by two or three
months each year in the district
school and by his own reading at
home Having thirst for knowledge
however, he applied himself at every
opportunity, and thereby laid the
foundations of the intellectual struc-
ture which he afterward so grandly
reared He never saw a newspaper
until he was ten years old. When
thirteen years of age he was appren-
ticed to James Crissy, a Philadelphia
publisher. to learn the bookbinder's S
trade. This, he says in his Story of
Fifty Years. was fortunate thing,
as it familiarized him with the writ
ings of the best authors, and was next
thing to going to school. He worked
his way from errand boy, at dollar
a week up to foreman of the large
establishment.
Always of religious nature and
being brought ep under the strictest
moral training, he was converted at
the age of 10, at midnight, in the at
tic of his fathers house in Philadel-
phia, who had now left the country
for the city, where he was working
He became an active member OF the
Methodist Episcopal Church, as it
afforded natural field for the out
gush of his warm religious nature,
and very soon began to be impressed
with the thought that the Lord had
a higher work for him to do.
When % years old he married Miss
Hannah Neff, of Philadelphia, but.
after three years of happy welded
life, she died on the day that he was
26 years of age.
Becoming still more conscious of
Gods call to the work of the ministry,
he finally, after much prayer and
struggle, gave up his lucrative posi-
tion one year later, and in April, 1874.
at the age of %, he was received into
the New Jersey annual conference of
the Methodist Episcopal Church. at
Trenton. His first charge was at
Medford, where he was born. Three
wears after entering the ministry he
again married. His wife, Sarah Ann.
who now mourns his death, was the
daughter of Rev. Edward Stout, a
brother minister The marriage took
place at Haddonfield January 6. 1S47,
he being 80 years old. An only child,
a daughter, blessed this unien, but
death claimed her when "a years old
and it left wound in the parents
that was never healed.
After entering the ministry and
serving his first charge at his old
home he has successively filled the
folling appointments:-G Gloucester
city; Lambertville: Clinton circuit,
Halsev Street, Newark; Morristown;
Belleville; Pitman church. New
Brunswick; Third Street, Camden;
Trenton; PitInan church Second
time): Bordentown, Central church,
Trenton; ST Pauls, Ocean Grove;
West Grove, and Bradley Beach.
During this period DIR. Stokes filed
the office of presiding elder twice
once of the Camden district and orce
of the New Brunswick district. 1t
was during his oversight of the New
Brunswick district that Ocean Grove
was founded, the organization of
the association being effected We'd
nesday, December p, 1869, in Trinity
NJ. Z. church, Trenton, n. j. DR..
Stokes was chosen its first president,
and from that date his exceptional
ability as a director and executive
manifested itself.
Dir. Stokes was always of a poetic
temperament, and during his minis
terial and Ocean tfrove life wrote
much of poetry and prose. Coilec-
tions of the former are found in his
published books, Blossoms, and
-Starlets by the Sea, while What
| Saw In Europe tells the story OF
his trip abroad in delightful prose.
His literary abilities did not pass
unnoticed, for in 1874 Dickinson Col
lege honored him by conferring upon
him the degree of Doctor OF Divinity,
and III 1898 he received from Wash
ington College. Tennessee. the degree
of Doctor of Laws He was always
greatly Interested in educational mat
ters, and for over a quarter of a CEN
tury he served az member OF the
board of trustees of Pennington Semi-
nary, Pennington, N. J.
For twenty years he was cores
ponding editor of the Ocean tirove
Record, and retaining his connection
with that paper when It was consoil-
dated with the Ocean Grove Times
His last public appearances was on
Monday. July 5, at the patriotic exer-
cises. when his second cousin. Sena-
tor Edward Stokes OF Mlllville. deliv-
cred the orafion. On Wednesday of
that week he rode to Farmipgdale,