Born: Kentucky, 1806.
Died: Illinois, 1875.
At the age of eighteen, Mr. Happy united with the Baptist Church. He came to Jacksonville in 1830, and soon thereafter became a member of the church of Christ there. In the thirties he was twice elected to the lower House of the Illinois Legislature from the Jacksonville district as a Whig. He served his constituents with fidelity and efficiency.
When about thirty years of age, he was urged by his brethren to give his life to the Christian ministry, and shortly thereafter entered upon this work. He traveled through the State with Mr. Campbell in 1853 in the interest of Bethany College, and frequently preached for the churches they visited. Later, the great reformer said of Mr. Happy that in intellectual endowments he was the equal of any man in the West, and that his grasp of the scheme of redemption was quite superior. He was a great thinker and had the courage of his convictions. His affiliation with the Russell defection grew out of his deep spiritual desires and his longing to be right with God. His return to the church in later years was evidence of his Christlike humility. He was a Christian pioneer of noble character, who gave his life in unselfish devotion to the gospel's advocacy. He died in humble circumstances.