REV. ALFRED ISELEY.

EV. ALFRED ISELEY was born in Orange (now Alamance) county, North Carolina, October 13, 1813, and died September 13, 1876, in his sixty-third year. He was buried in the church cemetery at Bethlehem in Alamance county. During the Annual Conference at Bethlehem, in 1880, a monument erected to his memory by his friends was unveiled.

      He married twice. His first wife was Miss Margaret Iseley to whom he was married December 25, 1838, and to them were born three sons and four daughters. She died May 24, 1854. A few weeks before her death while he was at one of his appointments, his house caught on fire and the family barely escaped being burned up with the house. Nothing was saved. In a week or two after the death of his wife, his youngest child died. What a trying time, but he bore these afflictions as a good soldier of the cross!

      In 1855, he married Miss Martha A. Garrison, and by this marriage were four sons and two daughters.

      At about the age of nineteen years, he made a profession of religion and joined the church. He was licensed at New Providence church, in Orange (now Alamance) county, North Carolina, in 1834, and was assigned to Norfolk. In 1885, at the General Meeting at Pleasant Grove in Halifax county, Virginia, he was assigned to [180] Neuse River circuit, with Rev. S. Apple. At the General Meeting at New Providence in 1837, he was assigned to the Surry circuit in Virginia. He was ordained at Pope's chapel to the full work of the ministry in the year 1838, by the following presbytery: Revs. J. Fuller, S. Turner and J. P. Lemay, and was assigned with Rev. E. T. Berryman to the Surry circuit. In his early ministry he traveled as an itinerant much also in Sussex and Southampton counties, in Virginia.

      In 1840, he was in attendance upon the North Carolina and Virginia Conference, held at Union, in Orange (Alamance) county, North Carolina, and was appointed as an itinerant preacher on the Haw River circuit the ensuing year. At the Conference at Apple's chapel, in Guilford county, in 1841, he reported on the Haw River circuit, and was appointed on a committee to admonish a brother minister. He says, "I have attended to eight churches the past season, and seventy-five or eighty members have been received into church fellowship."

      In 1843, at the Conference at Pleasant Grove, in Randolph county, he was appointed on the committee on the state of the church. All the churches were reported in a good, and many in a highly prosperous condition. At the Conference at Hanks' chapel in Chatham county, in 1844, he was re-appointed on the committee on the state of the church. He was appointed an itinerant for the ensuing year, and agent for the "Sun." He was also appointed a messenger to the North Carolina Conference, and to the Eastern Virginia Conference. In 1845, he was present at the Conference at Apple's chapel, and was assigned by the committee on itinerancy to labor in the Deep River circuit."

      In 1846, at the Conference at Union, in Orange (Alamance) county, he was on the committee on religious exercises "to arrange the preaching during the meeting," and on the publishing committee. He also served [181] on the committee on itinerancy and was assigned to the Haw River circuit. In 1847, he was engaged in protracted and camp meetings, in Elder Murray's circuit, in Randolph county, at O'Kelly's chapel, and at New Providence in Haw River circuit. And in 1848 he was in a meeting of six days at Kedar (Mt. Auburn), Warren county.

      About this time he taught school in a house, known as Cable's school house, about half mile north of where Elon College is located. At the Conference at New Providence, he was assigned to the Haw River circuit, and chosen a delegate to the Southern Christian Association to meet in 1849 at Raleigh, North Carolina. In 1850, he was at the Conference at Union, in Alamance county, at which time the educational interests of the Church were considered in which he took an active part. In connection with the Conference there was held a camp meeting, and two weeks later, October 5th to 9th, he was in a camp meeting at New Providence with Elders Isaac N. Walter, George G. Walker, John R. Holt, and others. At Union chapel, he delivered the annual address before the Conference in 1851.

      In 1853, at the Conference at Pleasant Grove in Randolph county, he was appointed on the committee on religious exercises, and was assigned to the following circuit: Liberty (Caswell county), Concord, Bethlehem, Apple's chapel, Zion Hill, Vest's, Brisintine's, Cedar Grove. In 1864, at the Conference at O'Kelly's chapel, he was elected a delegate to the Southern Christian Association. At this Conference a monument was unveiled to the memory of the Rev. James O'Kelly, and the prayer was offered by Rev. A. Iseley. At New Providence in 1855, he served on the committee on education. And in 1856 he was a delegate from the North Carolina and Virginia Conference to the Southern Christian Convention, organized at Union chapel, in Alamance county, North [182] Carolina, and was chairman of the committee on the organization of conferences. This year he was President of the Conference at Hanks' chapel, and was also elected a member of the Executive committee of the Home Missionary Society. In 1857, at the Conference at Bethlehem, he served on the committee on ordination, and as chairman of the committee on the Graham Institute. He was also appointed on a committee on statistics for the purpose of determining the number of delegates the Conference was entitled to in the next session of the Southern Christian Convention. He was chosen a ministerial delegate, and was appointed an itinerant on the Graham circuit: Mt. Zion, Union (Alamance), Zion Hill, Liberty, Concord, Burk's School House, Parks' Stand, Barnum's, Mt. Bethel, Western School House, Vest's, Fulp's, Bethlehem, Shallow Ford, and Apple's chapel.

      In 1858, he attended the Southern Christian Convention at Cypress chapel, in Nansemond county, Virginia, and delivered the opening sermon from 1 Cor. 3:11, "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Christ Jesus." He offered a motion to appoint a committee to prepare and report a plan for a Southern Home Missionary Society, of which he was chosen one of the Directors. At the Conference at Union chapel (Alamance), in 1859, he served on several committees. He introduced the following resolution: "Resolved, That from this date Conference agree and pledge herself to pay the servants of this body for any services enjoined upon them by Conference." The committee on itinerancy reported Rev. A. Iseley on the Alamance circuit: Union (Alamance), New Providence, and Pleasant Hill (Chatham). In 1860, he served on the committee on ordination and examination of candidates for license, at the Conference at Pleasant Hill (Chatham). He was elected Vice-President of the Home Missionary Society of the North Carolina and Virginia Conference. [183]

      During the year 1863, he was pastor of Bethlehem church. At the Conference at Oak Level, in Franklin county, he was chosen a delegate to the Southern Christian Convention, to meet in May, 1866. This year the Conference met at O'Kelly's chapel, and he served on the committee on ministerial supply, and was appointed on the Conference Executive committee. He was reported to preach at Bethlehem, Hines' chapel, Salem chapel, and Ebenezer. He attended the Conference at Union chapel, in 1867, and was appointed a fraternal messenger to the Deep River Conference. He was assigned to Shallow Ford, Apple's chapel, Bethlehem, and Hines' chapel. At Salem chapel, he preached the introductory sermon from 1 Cor. 12:31, before the Conference, in 1868. He was on the ordaining presbytery with Revs. T. J. Fowler, J. N. Manning, and W. B. Wellons, to ordain Revs. D. A. Long, R. C. Tuck, W. T. Walker, and J. W. Hatch.

      In 1869, at the Conference at Wake chapel, he was chairman of the committee on Temperance and was also appointed on the Executive committee as chairman. He was elected a delegate to the General Christian Convention, which met at Suffolk, Virginia, May 6, 1870. He preached before the Convention in the Christian church. He was appointed on the standing committee on home missions. This year, at the Conference at Union chapel, in Halifax county, Virginia, he conducted the opening religious exercises. He served on the committee on the circulation of the Holy Scriptures, and on the Board of Education to collect and disburse funds "for the education of Wm. W. Staley and Peter T. Klapp," and was treasurer of the Conference Missionary Society. He was one of the presbytery which ordained Rev. W. G. Clements, the second Sunday in January, 1870. In 1871, at the Conference at Mt. Zion in Orange county, he was appointed on a committee to prepare rules for the [184] government of Conference, and was chosen a fraternal messenger to the Deep River Conference. His ministerial report stated that he "preached to four churches; delivered about eighty sermons; received into fellowship forty-five; baptized forty. My labors have been blessed."

      At Shallow Well, in Moore county, in 1872, he was appointed a fraternal messenger with Revs. J. W. Wellons and W. S. Long to the Methodist Protestant Conference, and elected treasurer of the North Carolina and Virginia Conference. At New Providence, in 1873, he was elected a delegate to the General Convention, also a fraternal messenger to the Deep River Conference. He had served four churches.

      In 1874, the General Convention met at New Providence. He took part in the deliberations, and was reappointed on the standing committee on home missions. He also attended the Conference at Hanks' chapel and served on the committee on periodicals. He was chairman of the Executive committee, on which he had served many years. In 1875, Rev. A. Iseley preached the annual sermon before the Conference at Pope's chapel in Franklin county. He was appointed with Revs. A. G. Anderson and S. Apple on the ordaining presbytery at this Conference. These were among his last official acts. He attended no more conferences.

      In 1876, the North Carolina and Virginia Conference adopted the following resolution: "Resolved, That in the death of Rev. Alfred Iseley, the Church has lost one of her most faithful and efficient ministers and this Conference one of its most useful members." Likewise the General Christian Convention, in 1878, passed resolutions to his memory.

      He commenced his ministerial career in 1834, and filled many of the most important positions of trust and duty connected with the Church. But few men have ever persevered more steadily, met difficulties more firmly, [185] and preached the gospel more faithfully and successfully than he did. When fully aroused he was powerful in his appeals to the unconverted.

[LCM 180-186]