Born: New York City, March 17, 1866
Died: Kokomo, Indiana, November 3, 1943

Was born in New York City on March 17, 1866. His parents came to America from Wales. The religious zeal and fervor of the Welsh people is perhaps in some measure accountable for the evangelistic passion anal love of preaching in the subject of this sketch.

Mr. Edwards was educated in the public schools of New York, and, after completing his course in them, took up the pursuit of mechanics, and while thus engaged matriculated at the night school in Cooper Institute, and completed the course in that institution. The next occupation was as manager of a large hardware and house-furnishing business. In spite of the large returns of this latter business, the young man still felt the call of God to enter the ministry, and only waited the favorable opportunity to take up the studies necessary to the vocation.

At this time the beloved B. B. Tyler was minister of the church where the Edwards family held their membership and where our subject sat under his ministry. This man of God appreciated the longing of the young man for the preaching of the gospel, and arranged for him to enter Kentucky (now Transylvania) University in Lexington, Kentucky. Completing a four years' course at this institution and graduating with the class of 1890, our subject accepted a call to Brooklyn, New York. He had been preaching for the church at Dover, Mason County, and Mt. Carmel, Fleming County, Kentucky, and these charges reluctantly surrendered the young man to enter a greater field. While in charge in Brooklyn,

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advantage was taken of the lectures at Union Seminary. During a ministry of eight years in Syracuse, New York, a course of sociology was pursued under the instruction of Prof. John R. Commons, and continued for two years. Coming to Indiana in 1902, in response to the call at Bedford, Mr. Edwards held that charge for five years. Under a protest from the congregation there, a call was accepted to the church at Kokomo in 1907, and that pastorate still continues.

In addition to the steady, persistent educational work with his present congregation, this preacher makes a practice of holding a series of evangelistic meetings for some church once a year, and explains that this is necessary because of the Welsh strain in his blood that calls for such effort.

Joseph Bradford Cleaver was the minister of the church in New York when our brother, then a lad thirteen years of age, made the good confession and was baptized into Christ.

In 1891 Mr. Edwards was united to Miss Lena W. Lillard, of Lexington, Kentucky. Of this union two sons were born--Tyler Campbell and Edward--and who are now nineteen and seventeen years of age. There is no preacher in the Christian Church who more deeply loves the position of our brotherhood and who urges the plea with a greater love and loyalty. The application of the gospel to the social problems of our day is ever a favorite theme with this preacher, and some of his convictions in that respect will be seen from the sermon he has given for publication in this volume.