Born: Green County, Kentucky, April 13, 1846.
Died: Plattsburg, Missouri, December 9, 1923.

James Cowherd Creel was born April 13, 1846, on a farm in Green County, Kentucky, of poor but respectable parents, whose names were Henry Clay Creel and Elizabeth Creel. The mother's maiden name was Hatcher. At the age of seven years his father died after a long illness with consumption, leaving a widow and four little children, of which James was the oldest. All the earthly possessions of this family at the death of the father consisted of a few household goods and five dollars in money.

James' parents were pious and devoted Baptists, and at the early age of thirteen he joined the Baptist Church; and when eighteen years old, having learned the way of the Lord more accurately, he gave up all denominationalism and became a Christian only, belonging to the Church of Christ only; and by this act he became identified with that religious body who, as individuals, are simply disciples of Christ or Christians, and, as congregations, are simply churches of Christ, no more nor less. In other words, he ceased to be a Baptist, and ceased to belong to the Baptist Church by becoming a Christian only, and belonging to the Church of Christ only.

James' early opportunities for an education were limited, as he had to support a widowed mother and help care for two younger brothers and a sister, which he did by daily labor as a farm-hand, only attending the winter sessions of the common schools. When nineteen years old he attended the high school one term, borrowing the money to pay board and tuition. After he married and had two children, he went to school two years; one year to a select school, and one year to Gilead Institute, at Canmer, Hart County, Kentucky. These two years at school brought on an indebtedness which required ten years, while supporting a little family, to pay principal and interest. When James was born his mother earnestly prayed that her firstborn might become a preacher of the gospel. God heard that prayer, for when the son preached in the presence of that mother for the first time, she arose in the audience at the close of the sermon and exclaimed: "Thank God! The prayer that I have been praying for twenty-six years is answered today."

On October 28, 1868, the subject of this sketch, in his twenty-third year, was married to Miss Lucy F. Gooch, near Monroe, Hart County, Kentucky, who has been a faithful Christian wife for nearly thirty-four years. To them have been born six children--two sons and four daughters--all of whom have been reared to be grown men and women and, so far, only one death, a son in his twenty-fourth year.

On the first Lord's Day in October, 1871, at Gilead Church, Hart County, Kentucky, Bro. Creel preached his first sermon, on the text: "Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God." (Matt. v. 8). In a few months afterward he was ordained to the Christian ministry by fasting, prayers, and the laying on of hands; immediately after which he located at Litchfield, Kentucky, taught school, and preached for the church and also a country congregation. After this he located at White Mills, taught a select school several terms, preached for the church and some other contiguous congregations, one Lord's Day each. He then gave up school-teaching, and devoted his whole time to preaching, locating with the church at Sonora, where he spent five years, after which he located with and served each one of the churches at Glasgow and Henderson. In January, 1885, he accepted the work at Richmond, Missouri, where he served the church two years, and then came to Plattsburg, Missouri, his present home, where he has lived the past fifteen years, three years of which he served the church as its minister.

On January 1, 1888, he began the publication of the Church Register, which paper he conducted successfully ten years and seven months, making money each year. Being then threatened with nervous prostration, he sold out the paper, making enough money to buy a nice, comfortable home, free from all debt, where he now lives, reads, writes and preaches on the Lord's Day to near-by churches.

Bro. Creel is now (April 13, 1902) fifty-six years old, weighs 220 pounds, is five feet eleven inches high, has dark, slightly gray hair, dark blue eyes, and in the very prime of life. He loves the simple gospel of Christ, and preaches it with force and acceptance, and, as a result of his thirty years of gospel ministry, more than two thousand persons have been induced to become Christians. He has held a number of debates with prominent Methodist and Baptist debaters, such men as W. C. Taylor, W. P. Throgmorton, Daniel B. Turney, A. M., and Jacob Ditzler, D. D., meeting the last named gentleman four times. In the past few years he has not taken so much interest in religious debates, but is devoting his whole time to studying the Scriptures, reading from a well-selected library, writing, preaching, and holding protracted meetings. He loves the old Jerusalem gospel, and hopes yet to spend many years in faithfully preaching the same.