REV. THOMAS J. FOWLER.

EV. THOMAS J. FOWLER was born in the year 1800, and died November 20, 1878, in his seventy-eighth year. 'He married Aurelia O'Kelly, a grand-daughter of Rev. James O'Kelly, and to them were born seven children. After the death of his first wife, he married a Mrs. Margaret Davis.

      In 1828, he was licensed at the General Meeting at Union, in Orange (now Alamance) county, to exercise his gifts in public exhortation "as the good Spirit may direct." He was assigned to "News [Neuse] River circuit." He was in attendance upon the General Meeting or Conference at New Providence meeting house, in Orange (Alamance) county, North Carolina, in 1830. He was appointed to the Neuse River circuit, in North Carolina. He attended the General Meeting at Lebanon in Surry county, Virginia, in 1832, and was also present at the General Meeting at Kedar, in Warren county, North Carolina, in 1838. He was at New Providence, in 1834, and at O'Kelly's chapel, in 1836, and he was also at the General Meeting at Pope's chapel, in 1848.

      In 1841, at the Conference, at Apple's church, in Guilford county, he was appointed chairman of the [132] committee on ordination, whose duty was to examine candidates for the ministry. He was also a delegate to the North Carolina Christian Conference, which later united with the North Carolina and Virginia Conference. At the Conference at Pleasant Grove, Randolph county, North Carolina, in 1843, he was on the presbytery with Revs. D. W. Kerr and Shubal G. Evans, which ordained Revs. John R. Holt and Ashbel S. Nelson. In 1844, at Hanks' chapel, Chatham county, he was re-appointed to represent this the North Carolina and Virginia Conference in the next session of the North Carolina Christian Conference, and at the Conference at Apple's chapel, in 1845, though absent, he was appointed a messenger to the North Carolina Conference. He was at the Conference at Pope's chapel, in Granville county, in 1847, and served on the committee on the standing of the ministry. He served on the committee on finance at the Conference at New Providence, in 1848, and was chosen a delegate to the Southern Christian Association to meet in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1859.

      He was at the meeting when the Christian Sun was transferred from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Suffolk, Virginia, and Rev. W. B. Wellons made editor and publisher. In 1850, he was chosen moderator at the Conference at Union, Alamance county, in connection with which conference a camp-meeting was held. There were present also Elders I. N. Walter, J. K. Cole and James A. Murray.

      In 1853, at the Conference at Mt. Pleasant, in Randolph county, he served on the committee to raise funds for the relief of Graham Institute, and was assigned by the committee on itinerancy to New Providence, Pleasant Hill, Cane Creek Factory, Mt. Pleasant, Pleasant Ridge, Shiloh, Christian Union, Shady Grove, Brown's and Way's chapels. At O'Kelly's chapel in 1854, the North Carolina and Virginia and the North Carolina [133] Conferences met as one; he was chosen a delegate to the Southern Christian Association. At New Providence in 1855, he was at the Conference and served on the ordination committee.

      In 1856, he was at the organization of the Southern Christian Convention, at Union chapel, in Alamance county, North Carolina. He was one of the committee "to prepare a declaration of the principles generally held by the Christians." He was also appointed on the committee to wait on the Building committee and Trustees of Graham Institute. At the Conference at Hanks' chapel, in 1856, he served on the committee on ordination, and as Treasurer of the Conference. He was appointed to attend as an alternate the Southern Christian Association and also the Eastern Virginia Conference. In 1857, he was at the Conference at Bethlehem, in Alamance county, and was re-appointed on the committee on ordination. He was chosen a delegate from the North Carolina and Virginia Conference to the Southern Christian Convention at Cypress chapel. He was also elected a Director of the Conference Home Mission Society.

      In 1858, at the Southern Christian Convention, at Cypress chapel, in Nansemond county, Virginia, he, as chairman of the committee to whom was referred the subject of the Graham Institute, reported: "That since the meeting of the last Convention, the Graham Institute has by the joint consent of the North Carolina and Eastern Virginia Conferences, passed into the hands of a joint stock company, who propose in the future to conduct it as a denominational school." He was appointed on the Board of Visitors of the Graham Institute, and chosen a director of the "Book Concern." He preached a "sermon of great power and feeling" at this Convention.

      In 1859, he was on the committee to nominate officers for the Conference, at Union chapel, in Alamance [134] county, North Carolina, and on the committee on ordination and to examine the candidates for licensure. He was also appointed chairman of the Conference Executive committee. As chairman of the committee on Education, he reported, "that a college worthy of the Christian Church, South, cannot be established without an adequate endowment, because the advanced classes in college are not able to pay their teachers, who must be highly educated, and who cannot be obtained by small salaries." He was serving Hanks' chapel, Shallow Ford, O'Kelly's chapel and New Providence as pastor.

      At the Conference at Pleasant Hill, in Chatham (now Alamance) county, in 1860, he was still Treasurer of the Conference. The committee on itinerancy report him to preach on Haw River circuit: Shallow Ford, Damascus, Hanks' chapel, and O'Kelly's chapel. He was appointed on committee to examine candidates for ordination or licensure, who may apply at the next Conference. He was appointed on the presbytery to ordain those recommended at this Conference, namely: C. A. Apple, W. S. Long and W. D. Moffitt.

      In 1864, he was elected Vice-President of the Conference at Antioch, in Chatham county. He served on the committee on memoirs, and on the committee of Elders to which were referred the character and standing of certain ministers. At Oak Level, in Franklin county, in 1865, he was re-elected Vice-President. He was chairman of the committee on ministerial supply, and was elected a delegate to the Southern Christian Convention. In 1866, he attended the Southern Christian Convention, at Mt. Auburn, Warren county, North Carolina, which he called to order being the oldest minister present. He also attended the extra session at the same place in 1867. At the Conference at O'Kelly's chapel, in 1866, he was again Vice-President, and chairman of the committee on religious exercises. In 1867, at Union, [135] Alamance county, he was appointed a fraternal messenger to the Deep River Valley Conference, and was pastor of O'Kelly's chapel and Hanks' chapel. At Salem chapel, in Forsyth county, in 1868, he was on the presbytery composed of Revs. T. J. Fowler, A. Iseley, J. N. Manning and W. B. Wellons, to ordain Revs. D. A. Long, R. C. Tuck, W. T. Walker and. J. W. Hatch. He was at the Conference at Union, Halifax county, Virginia, in 1870, and was chosen a fraternal messenger to the Deep River Valley Conference. At Mt. Zion, in Orange county, in 1871, he is reported as pastor of Hanks' chapel and Martha's chapel. In 1872, at the Conference at Shallow Well, in Moore county, he resigned the office of Treasurer, which position he had held consecutively for a number of years. He attended the Conferences at New Providence, in 1873, and at Hanks' chapel, in 1874, and in these latter years preached at Hanks' chapel, Morrisville and Lockville. In 1817, the Conference in session at Pleasant Grove, Virginia, ordered that a letter, "expressive of Christian salutation and regard, signed by the President and Secretary, be sent him. He died at his home in Orange county, while the Conference was being held at Damascus, in the same county, November 20, 1878. There was unanimously adopted the following: "Resolved, That we hear with deepest grief of the death of our beloved brother and co-laborer, Rev. T. J. Fowler, who breathed his last this morning at 3 o'clock, in the 78th year of his age. That in the death of this venerable man of God, the Christian Church has lost one of its ablest and most faithful ministers, one who spent his long and active life in earnest advocacy of the cause of Christ and the principles of the Christian Church." [136]

[LCM 132-136]