EV. JOSHUA LIVESAY was born in Prince George county, Virginia, November 3, 1786, and died August 18, 1858, in the 72nd year of his age. He began life an a carpenter having learned that trade. He was converted on September 13, 1809, and immediately joined the Methodist church. Before his time of probation was out, he became exercised in mind about preaching the gospel. He made known his feelings to his pastor who discouraged him. While thus distressed and troubled in mind Elder James Warren of the Christian Church passed through that county, made the acquaintance of the young man, and saw in him a talent for usefulness. He immediately joined the Christian Church. He says, "It pleased God, of his great goodness, to shed abroad his love in my heart, by the Holy Ghost. In the spring of 1810, I joined the Christian connection in Virginia, near where I was raised, left my home, kindred and friends, and went forth to preach the word of life to a perishing world." He was present at the Conference this same year that the "Division" took place, but with one other was neutral.

      He was thrice married,--first to Mary Nash in 1817, and to them were born five children. She died in 1824; second, to Mary Ann Pitt, who died in 1833, leaving one child; third, he married Charlotte Isabella Rawls in 1834, and to them were born five children. She died in 1849. At the time of the death of his last wife he was living in Portsmouth, Virginia.

      He traveled with Elder Warren on the Richmond circuit, as then called, extending from Petersburg to the mountains. He went the Norfolk circuit in 1814. He labored in Norfolk, Princess Ann, Nansemond, Southampton, Surry, and Prince George counties. He was [96] present at the organization of the Eastern Virginia Conference in 1818. At the Union Meeting and Conference at Union meeting house in Southampton county, Virginia, in 1828, he was appointed on the committee to furnish Elder N. P. Tatem a letter of recommendation to the brethren abroad, and also on the committee to superintend the printing of the minutes of this Conference together with a short address to the churches. He in all probability wrote the address. He was continued on the Conference committee. At the Conference at Cypress chapel, in Nansemond county, in 1837, he was the representative with Risop Rawls, from Damascus in Gates county, North Carolina. He was chosen Speaker (President), and was appointed on the committee of correspondence, which correspondence with the North Carolina Conference was continued, or to visit the Conference in person if convenient. In 1838, he was at the adjourned Conference at Antioch. During this year he had written against what was known as the Conference constitution. He says, "Should this small sketch of facts meet the eye of the churches composing our Conference, I hope their messengers to the next session of Conference will come instructed to vote the 'constitution' out of existence. In, 1839, he was present at the Conference at Providence in Norfolk county, and served on the presbytery to ordain Rev. William O. Baily. In December, 1840, he purchased a house and lot in upper Portsmouth for $100.00 cash and two negroes, Patrick and Jane. The bargain was made by his wife to whom the slaves belonged, but he says, I consented to the bargain, but it inflicted a deep wound on my feelings." In 1841, he advocated the "Union" which was then about to take place, and which would heal the breech made in 1810. By April this year (1841), he began a retail grocery store. May 16, 1841, he attended the great May [97] meeting at Holy Neck, with Revs. William A. Jones and Uriah Rawls. On June 12, he lost his infant son Joshua Van Buren. He says, "My grief was not to be expressed." In August he went to Holy Neck, and preached. He says, "I came out bold and heavy against human inventions for the government of the churches." Saturday, August 28th, he was met in Suffolk by Abram Harrell who carried him to Cypress chapel, where was conducted a protracted meeting. The following preachers also attended: Mills Barrett, Thomas Nash, and William A. Jones. The Conference at Cypress chapel, in 1842, he called "Mills Barrett's Conference." Mr. Livesay was a "destructionist;" he opposed every thing that looked forward to systematic government in the Church. He preached in the Parish house of Bride's Parish and other places while in Portsmouth. In 1843, he had a severe case of sickness, and his life was despaired of. In 1844, on the first day of March, he says he left home with his wife and two small children to visit his wife's sick brothers, Uriah Rawls and Risop Rawls. Went by "railroad to Suffolk, then to Elisha Everett's beyond Suffolk where we tarried all night." After a visit to Uriah Rawls's, they went to Gates county, North Carolina, to visit William Moore's, then to Seth Norfleet's to see Risop Rawls (he represented Gates county in the Legislature in 1820). In April, "Henry Clay came to Norfolk and Portsmouth, and the manner in which the Whigs worshipped him was truly disgusting! I suppose that he received more kisses from the Whig ladies than any man ever did before in this country!!" says he.

      He preached at Deep creek. And at Providence in Norfolk county, he preached, September 13, 1846, at which time a protracted meeting was conducted there. In 1849, he still lived in Portsmouth, and preached at Holy Neck at the opening of the protracted meeting this year. He also preached at Providence. He left [98] Portsmouth in 1851. In 1853, he was present at the Conference at Cypress chapel; he was also present at Cypress chapel in 1819, at the first regular session of the Conference held at this place thirty-four years before. Revs. Joshua Livesay and Mills Barrett, and John Copeland and Abram Harrell, the only four living members of the Conference now sat together, the latter by invitation.

      In 1856, he was residing in Suffolk, Virginia, and lived on the corner of Cemetery and Kilby (Washington) streets in a house built by contributions from the people of the town. He was buried at Bethlehem. In 1858, Revs. W. B. Wellons and E. W. Beale were appointed a committee to collect money with which to erect a monument to his memory.

      Elder Livesay had been a member and a minister of the Christian Church for forty-eight years. He was associated, more or less intimately, with James O'Kelly, Rice Haggard, Burwell Barrett, Joseph Thomas, and other pioneer preachers. No man knew more of the History of the Church than he. He had kept a regular journal from the time he entered the ministry, until a week or two of the time of his death, in which was contained a history of the Church from 1810 to 1858. But this has been lost except a small portion of it. He left a number of manuscripts on various subjects; expositions of passages of scripture; discourses on moral and religious themes; and a work of about five hundred pages, containing receipts for the cure of many kinds of diseases. A few of the facts here given were gleaned from his diary, about 100 pages of which is preserved and is now in our possession.

      He was a systematic preacher and a man of good ability. His sermons were expository. He was also a fair writer, and wrote several articles on the support of the ministry. Had his efforts with the pen been as strong in the support of systematic organization as it was [99] against Conference constitutions, the cause in which he labored would have been far in advance of what it was at the time of his departure. He was a good man, but lacked in broadness and constructive ability. He rather opposed organization.

[LCM 96-100]