The Clio messenger., 1914-11-06
INTERESTING BIT OF
PIONEER HISTORY
REV. SETH REED TELLS OF ExPER-
FENCES Sc YEARS AGO
Venerable Preacher Now Past Ninety
and Was One of the Earliest
in Genesee County

The following was contributed to the
Michigan Christian Advocate by Rev.
Seth Reed, Of Flint, who was one of
the first settlers in Genesee county and
who is widely known and much beloved
for his devotion to the pioneer church
of not only this county but throughout
eastern Michigan. He is now past
ninety years old, but still hale and
hearty and frequently conducts services
through the Detroit Conference district:
Sixty six years ago this fall l was
appointed to the two-weeks Genesee
circuit. 1t lay in all directions around
the village of Flint, which was then a
station, having Rev. M. B. Camburn
for its pastor. My circuit embraced
ten regular preaching places beside oc-
casional extra ones. The most north
ern point on the circuit was Flushing, a
new little village ten miles west of
Flint. There being no parsonage on
my circuit engaged house of DR.. H.
C. Fairbank at Grand Blanc, six miles
south of Flint, and boarded the doctor,
who was single man, for the use of
I his house.
That year Rev. Lowell H. Harris was
our missionary to the Indians in this
part of Michigan. He lived at an In
dian camp on the bank of Flint river
sixteen miles below Flushing. In the
summer of 1849 l received word that
the missionery was sick. l rode down
to see him, following Indian trails
through woods much of the way.
found Brother Harris and his little fam
lily living in small parsonage that had
been built for the missionary. He was
sick with a fever. The Indians were
very anxious about him, and gave him
every attention and care possible. /
preached to them in the evening and
next day returned to my circuit. In a
few days l received notice that the
missionary was dead. and request
that should attend his funeral.
went and found the camp in par
oxysm of grief, and the grief was
shared by the pagan as well as the
| Christian Indians. 1t was decided that
the burial should be at Flushing; so his
remains were brought to that place,
and almost the entire camp, men and
women joined in the procession, walk
ing the entire distance of sixteen miles.
The funeral was one of the most touch
ing scenes l have ever witnessed.
When the body was lowered INTO the
grave the Indians gave full vent to
their sorrow; many fell upon their
knees, others fiat upon the ground
amidst weeping and waiting and pray
ing When the grave was filled and
the exeitement had somewhat subsided
they gathered around me and begged
that our people would send them an.
other missionary ''just like Brother
Harris" promised them we would
do the best we could for them, and left
them never to meet again onearth.
Yesterday friend called at our Flint
home and invited Mrs. Reed and myself
to be seated in his auto for little ride.
We did so, and gliding over the smooth
roads soon saw that we were approach.
ing the village of Flushing, ten miles
from home. | asked my friend to let
us alight at the entrance of the village
cemetery, and he did so. On entering,
instead of seeing the few graves upon
Flushing's first half of Goods Acre, -
which saw there sixty-five years ago,
we found large and beautiful GENE.
terry in which is great number of cost
ly and beautiful monuments, many OF
them bearing names that were dear tc
me in the years that are passed.
found the cemetery's sexton and asked
him to show me the grave that was
seeking. He led me to distant part
of the ground, where read upon 9
weather marked stone the following
"Rev. Lowell H. Harris, Indian mis-
sionory. Died August z, 1849, aged 3e
years." Under it is this quotation
from Acts 11:24. "He was good
man, and full of faith and the Holy
Ghost" And that, thought l. is the
best description of the saint whose
body sleeps here that could be given.
Brother Harris was an exceedingly diff.
dent man. tender in spirit as child,
untaught in the schools, but mighty in
the Scriptures, and in the pulpit an
evangelist of surprising eloquence and
power May God give us more such.