The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1902-03-15
| GOOD NAN GONE TO REST.
Glowing Tribute to Memory of
Rev. R. A. Austin.
WAS WITH GEN, PRICE At LEXINGTON
Began Riding a Circuit at Salary Of
Twenty-Five Dollars Per Year.

After paying a glowing tribute to
the memory Of the Rev. r. A.
Austin, the Carrollton Democrat
prints the appended historical sketch
Of that beloved minister who died at
Carrollton recently:
Robert A. Austin was born in
Bedford county, Va, September 2,
1885, being the Youngest of eleven
children, all of whom lived to man.
hood and womanhood. His father
died a month after the birth of the
subject OF this sketch, leaving the
training of this large family of chill
dren to the mother. In the fall Of
1912, with her large family, Mrs.
Austin started for the west, and two
months later, November s, 1912, they
reached Carroll county and located in
the Sugartree bottoms. The weather
during their trip was delightful, but
the day following their arrival in this
county snow began to fall, the weather
became frightfully cold and then fol-
lowed, perhaps, the most severe
winter ever known in the state Snow
lay on the ground to tue depth Of two
feet till the middle Of the following
April, and the river remained blocked
till this time. A log cabin was built
on the farm, and here the subject of
this sketch grew to manhood and
attended school in the old log cabins
erected as school houses, and in the
same buildings Sunday schools were
organized and once or twice year a
preacher would come along. Later he
was sent to high school in Lexing-
ton, and the finishing touches to his
education we're received in a school in
Carrollton taught by Capt. Eads and
David Ball. Brother Austin IS relig-
ious training had not been neglected.
His mother had always been devout
Presbyterian, and had always desired
that he should be a minister Of
that denomination. While attending
school in Carrollton he was invited to
a Methodist meeting and was con-
yerted and at the same time he was
convinced that he WIS called to enter
the ministry. He felt desire to
join the Methodist church, but the
decision to do so was only made after
much secret prayer in lonely place
where the home in which he lived SO
long was afterwards built. In July,
1855, at a district conference held in
Dewitt, he was granted a license to
preach, and the coming fall he was
admitted to the annual conference
and was given the Trenton Mission as
junior preacher. He started from his
old home for his first appointment on
an old mule, carrying with him a
blanket under which he slept at
night. The mission consisted Of
twenty-eight regular appointments,
embracing part of five counties, and
for the first years labor he received
s25 in money. The following year he
was given a work Of his own Bethany
circuit, and from this time on bis
work prospered and ere long he
occupied prominent position in the
conference. For forty years there
after he continued to preach the
gospel in all parts Of Missouri, and
under bis ministry thousands were
converted.
While stationed in Chillicothe IN
1S59-on April "a, he was united in
marriage to Miss Tillie L. Williams,
who with six children DIR. 9. S,
Austin, Of this city, II w. Austin,
Of st. Louis, DR.. r. e. Austin, nov
In Cuba, Edward Austin, OF Texas
Fla. and Miss Fannie Austin, Of thii
city, survive him.
During the civil war; when th'
war fever was SO high in this section
Mr. Austin was compelled to abandon
his calling for a time He Went (
Lexington, was appointed chaplain il
Prices army and remained in tha'
position till Gen. Price left the state
in May, 1865, he started to Montana
having charge Of large pack train
This trip across the plains was
perilous one, as they passed cam