The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1934-03-09

REV. J. p. OTIS

The Rev. John Pickering Otis,
who held twenty or more charges in
the Wilmington M. e. Conference
prior to his retirement in 1919, died
Sunday morning in the Delaware
Hospital, Wilmington, of complica-
lions after an illness of several
weeks. He was 81 years old.
Mr.. Otis lived at III West TWEEN
tieth street, Wilmington, Del, with
his daughter, Mrs. Susan o. Long.
Surviving are three children, I. L..
Otis, an instructor at Polytechnic In
stitute, Baltimore; Mrs. Maurice
Groverman, formerly of Buffalo, and
Mrs. Long; also seven grandchildren
and one great-grandchild. his wife
who was Sarah Augusta Smith, of
Orange, N. j., died June 8, 1925.
Funeral services took place in
Brandywine M. E. Church, Twenty
second and Market streets on We'd
nesday afternoon at o'clock. In
terment was made in Silverbrook
cemetery.
Mr.. Otis, the oldest graduate of
New York University, was venerated
throuhout the entire conference.
When he was Is years old he
stood on barrel close to President
Lincoln at Newburgh, N. Y, and
heard him deliver one of his address
SEES against slavery.
He assumed the retired relation in
1919 and since that time held his
quarterly conference relation with
Brandywine M. E. Church, where he
frequently preached until about two
years ago. Often he assisted the
pastor there in celebrating CT mmun-
ion.
The third oldest member of the
clergy of the Wilmington Confer
ence, he was surpassed, ii years
years only by the Rev. Dr.. Adam
Stengle, of Wilmington, and the
Rev. Levin w. Layton, Greenwood.
In 1929 Mr.. Otis attended re-
union of alumni of New York Uni
versity and led the alumni process
sion as the oldest alumnus. He
then had been graduated from the
University sixty years.
Born in Middletown, Conn while
his father was student at Wesleyan
Theological Seminary there, his first
ambitions pointed towards law ca
reer. Upon his graduation from
New York University in 1895, he en-
tered the universitys law school
from which he was graduated two
years Letter.
It was as a young lawyer that he
felt the call of the ministry, which
led to his enrolment In the Theo-
logical School of Boston University
and his graduation therefrom in
1874.
Joining the New England Con-
ference in 1872, he held several
charges there, and transferred to the
Virginia conference where he stayed
from 1874 to 1877, coming to the
Wilmington Conference in 1878.
His first charge in the Wilmington
Conference was at Cambridge, Md,
where he remained until 1873.
After leaving the charge at Cam
bridge, he went to the Centreville M,
E. Church for two years in 1880 and
1881. His subsequent charges fol-
low: Odessa, 1S82-1SS4, Elkton.
1S85-87; Port Deposit, 1S8S-90;
Bridgeville, 1891; Brandywine M. E.
Church, Wilmington, 1S92-93; St.
Micheals, Md, 1S94-95; Crisfield,
Md, 1896-98; Mt. Salem M b..
Church, Wilmington, 1809-1900;
Newark, 19O1-03; Rising Sui, 1904
0S: Greensborough, Md, 1909-11;
North East, 1911-13; Sharptown,
Md, 1914-15; Marshalton, 1916-1S.
During the period of his earlier
charges in the Wilmington Confer
ence, there was rule limiting each
charge to three years. Laetr this
was extended to five years and now
there is no limit.