REV. JAMES WILLIAMSON.

EV. JAMES WILLIAMSON, son of Francis and Elizabeth Williamson, was born in Hertford county, North Carolina, March 29, 1806, and died at Columbus City, Iowa, April 80, 1885. Through perseverance and industry he procured an education that enabled him to teach Latin and Greek, which he found to be of great value to him when he engaged in the work of the ministry. He united with the Christian Church in North Carolina, when he was about twenty years old. He began to preach in 1881. In 1882, he left his native state for Ohio on account of his opposition to slavery. But in 1888, he returned to North Carolina to witness the death of a dear father, soon after whose death he was ordained to the work of the ministry in Virginia. In 1835, he is said to have traveled the past year in the bounds [152] of the Eastern Virginia Conference, by which Conference he was ordained, but at this time he was in Ohio.

      Elder Williamson states in a letter from Ohio, dated June 8, 1885, "There has been considerable addition to the church at Barrett's meeting house, Southampton county, Virginia, and some at Antioch, Isle of Wight county, and at others." In 1836, he writes from Lebanon, Ohio. In 1833, at the Eastern Virginia Conference held at Barrett's chapel, in Southampton county, it was ordered "that as Elder James Williamson had located in the state of Ohio, the Secretary of this Conference give him a letter of dismission showing his good standing with us, that he may unite with some Christian Conference" in his vicinity. In 1839, the churches and ministers in Eastern Indiana and Western Ohio formed themselves into the Indiana Blufton Christian Conference of which he was appointed secretary. He thus speaks of the meeting: "The people gathered, the ministers began to publish the good news, with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, the ark of God appeared, the shouts of the saints were soon heard, and the forest which not long ago had been a lurking place for wild beasts, and which resounded the noise of the untutored savage, now began to re-echo the praise of Israel's God, and though naturally solemn and awful, was made so by the divine presence. It reminded me of the language of the evangelist prophet, 'The wilderness and solitary place shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose.'" He was a messenger to the Blufton Conference in 1840, and acted as its clerk. He was the clerk of the Miami Christian Conference of which he was a member.

      In 1848, he was married to Miss Phoebe Monfort, daughter of Rev. Peter Monfort of the Associate Reformed church. In 1844, he entered the Theological Seminary of the Associate Reformed church at Oxford, [153] Ohio, and continued there about three years. From 1847 to 1856, he was editor of the Gospel Herald. In 1853, he was present at the Eastern Virginia Conference, held at Cypress chapel, in Nansemond county, and was invited to a seat in the body. The committee on religious exercises announced Elder James Williamson of the Miami Conference, Ohio, to preach to-day (Saturday, November 5th) at 11 o'clock, and on Sunday at 3 o'clock P. M.

      By his life as well as by his sermons he showed the divinity of Jesus and his religion, and that he had been taught of Christ. He enjoyed the fellowship and confidence of other organizations of God's children. He labored as long as he was able and till prevented by old age. When the hour of dissolution arrived he expressed great confidence in God and entire willingness to depart and be forever with the dear Saviour, whom he had served in the ministry more than fifty years, then calmly, peacefully and willingly he fell asleep in Jesus. He left a widow, three sons and two daughters.

[LCM 152-154]