Norwich bulletin., 1920-03-30
REV. E. w. cAsWELL COMPLETES
 FIFTY YEARS IN MINISTRY

Rev. Edwin Whittier Caswell, for merly pastor of Trinity Methodist church in this city, who now resides in Middletown, Delaware, and who is also a retired minister of the New York East Conference of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church. is completing his fiftieth year in the Gospel minis try at this time. In harmony with well established custom in Metho- dist annual conferences which calls upon men who reach this point in their ministry to deliver a semi cen- tennial address. Mir. Caswell pre- pared and preached such an address to the session of the New York East Conference which was in session last week in the Hanson place church. in Brooklyn, N. '. As Mir. Caswen is in feeble health and was not able to at tend the conference, the address was delivered by another.
 | Born of Methodist parents January l IS, 1S44, in Herkimer. N. T.. Mir. Cas-
 well with his family moved to Illion, | N. Y., in 1853. He was converted in a revival there in 1857. He pays a fine tribute to the deeply spiritual infiu-
 ence- of his mother whose loving coun- 1 sells during his early Christian life
 bore rich fruit in the training of his | devotional life. As he head of emi- nent Christians who had filled with
 the fullness of the Spirit his own heart longer for deeper work of l grace than he had up to that moment
 attained. This he sought earnestl! and a little time later his faith wa.
 rewarded in vision which came tt
 him in which for a space of abou
 two hours he says 'I saw my Lord il
 his beauty, in his crucified agony, il
 his loving look of mercy, cornpa assioi
 and fellowship" It was out of thi experience that there came to hin with unmistakable clearness the cal
 to preach the Gospel. ~s6
 He was licensed to exhort in 1ss and in 1866, he received license t preach. After two years of faithfu { supply work, under a presiding elder 1883 and '69, he was admitted into tn , Wyoming Conference in 1870 whic was held that year in Wilkesbarrt s Penn. He was ordained a deacon b Bishop Simpson at Oswego, N. Y, i
 1872 and was ordained as an elder b Bishop Gilbert Haven at Wilkesbarr, Penn, in 1874.
 , | Mir. CaswelPs school privileges wer : limited but by hard work and careft Q reading and study, he prepared him [ self for the later tasks which he per
 formed so successfully in later pas f torates. He was married to MI: e Mary 4. Hollister, June 5, 1s6s
 His ministerial career began : South Berlin, N. Y. Tn a later pas < torate at Plymouth, N. Y, ne e church edif1ce was dedicated and | f conversions recorded. At Guilford, ] = r., another new church vas dedi : cated and more than 160 conversion u reported. At Plymouth, Penn., e had a pastorate of three years (the 4 the limit) during which the churt 'e membership was increased from |
 to $40 and fine brick church W; ,t dedicated. This church has sin z grown to a present membership .T about eleven hundred. At Osweg if N. Y, a troublesome debt of s20 O. Id was wiped out and a revival in whi, 'e more than 400 persons professed col
 version. He was now appointed " Tabernacle church, Binghampton, ., T.. where then the people were wo h shipping in a rough board tempora .d building but which was soon su planted by modern brick edifi ,e costing then s50,000. Here during ,e two years pastorate, the membersh et was nearly doubled, in which peric
 three young men, who later becar