Thomas Stubbs

THOMAS STUBBS

Thomas A. Stubbs Mary Kellett Cole Stubbs
1801_1884 1798 - 1886
Parents: Parents:
John Stubbs William Kellett
Isabel Fawcett Jane Bird

Thomas first married Agness Scott and had the following 2 children

1. Stubbs, Isabella		born: 29 December 1822		died: Bef: 1873		Married:Edward B. Fankell
2. Stubbs, John		born: 10 March 1825		died: 26 January 1826		Married: Maria P. Overy

Mary Kellet first married Samuel Cole and had the following children

1.Cole, Joseph						born: Between January & April 1823		died:		Married:
2. Cole, Jane Bird						born: 24 June 1827		died:		Married:

Thomas & Mary
married Abt 1828, England
They had the following children

1. Stubbs, John	born: 7 August 1831	died:1896	Married: Maria F. Overy
2. Stubbs,Thomas	born: 1834	died:19 July 1835	Married:
3. Stubbs, William	born: Dec 1835	died: Dec 1835	Married:
4. Stubbs, James	born:1838	died: 1916	Married: Maria Durant
5. Stubbs,Robert N.	born: 19 Jan. 1840	died: 17 Nov. 1929	Married: 1. Letitia Adrain, 2. Mary Johnson
6. Stubbs,Jabez B.	born: 17 Nov 1841	died: 1913	Married: Sarah A. Hickok

Some history on Thomas

The following excerpt is found on Pages 652-54 of "The History of the Erie Conference, Volume 1 / written by Rev. J.N. Fradenburgh / published in 1907 by Derrick Publishing Co. in Oil City, Pennsylvania
Thomas Stubbs was born in Kendal, England, in 1801, and was the son of Rev. John Stubbs, who was converted in the days of John Wesley, and for 60 years preached the gospel. Soon after conversion the son was licensed to preach, and was regularly employed as a local preacher till he came to America in May, 1832. Landing in New York at the time conference was in session he preached his credentials to the Bishop. He was accepted and appointed as junior preacher on a circuit on Long Island. When he found he was appointed as a single man, he went to the Bishop and explained he had a family. It was too late to remedy the case. The Bishop said: "What was your plan in coming to this country?" His reply was "I had heard of the great state of Ohio, and thought i would make my way there." "All right," said the Bishop. "Our conference meets in July and i will give you a letter to the presiding Bishop." The little family made it's way over the Erie Canal to Buffalo and by steamer to Cleveland. When on the canal a man from Ohio seemed to take a great interest in the little group of strangers. They struck up an acquaintance. Found they were all Methodists. The preacher told his story, and the gentleman, Mr. Redfield, from Ohio said: "Come to my house and live till conference." On reaching Cleveland the family was left on the beach at the mouth of the cuyahoga. They made a hollow square of their goods, and slept all night to the music of the waves. The next day they were on their way to Akron by canal. Reaching their destination they found Mr. Redfield with teams to take them and their goods to Atwater. It was soon noised that a preacher had come and he was kept busy by the presiding elder till the session of the Pittsburg Conference, in July 1832, when he began his active ministry. It was in the days of six-week and four-week circuits, and saddle-bags----and Indian trails, and swimming rivers---log houses and barns for churches. All of the Western Reserve was farmiliar with his form and listened to his eloquence. Lawrence and Mercer Counties delighted in his ministrations. In 1836 the Erie Conference was formed and he was one of the charter members In 1846 he was appointed to erie. Then followed Cleveland, Ravenna, Cuyahga Falls, Cleveland, Painsville, Akron, Meadville, Chargrin Falls, Titusville, Warren, Pa. Then on account of his wifes health he remained supernumerary till his decease in 1884, though he served Newburg, East Cleveland, Ashtabula, and the Bethel. From 1870 to 1884 he preached frequently in all the churches of all denominations in the City of Cleveland. On his 81st birthday he preached in his sons (Robert Newton Stubbs) pulpit at Forestville, New York, a sermon full of animation, vigor, thought and eloquence. He was full of buoyancy, sunshine, animation, poetical in fancy, by John Bain called "Old an Eloquent." He was a revivalist. He never served a charge where he did not have a revival, some of them notable. Some of the most magnificent scenes ever witnessed were altarscenes at Painesville, Akron and Meadville. At Akron one Sunday evening he startled his congregation by saying; "Brethren, we are going to have a revival and you will have to knock out this end of the church and build bigger." "How dare he say such a thing? We haven't had a revival in years." But the revival came and laid the foundation of the modern church. The revival in Meadville has, perhaps, never been surpassed in the history of that church. It had a mighty grip on students and townspeople. Thomas Stubbs had all the grace of a true orator. His personnel was impressive, his voice was music, chaste and elegant in diction; rich in imagination, a prose poet, brainy as an egg is full of meat, bold in his utterances, loving liberty as his soul and sublime at times in his flights of eloquence.* Thomas Stubbs was licensed to preach, 1821; admitted on trail, Pittsburg Conference, 1832; full connection, 1834; deacon, 1834, Soule; became a member of the erie conference at it's organization, 1836; elder, 1836, Soule; deceased, Cleveland, Ohio.,February 8, 1884. Appointments---1832-1833, Chardon; 1834, Warren, Ohio.;1835-1836, Youngstown;1837, Hartford; 1838-1839, Edinburg; 1840-1841, New Castle, 1842-1843, Greenville; 1844, Poland; 1845, Youngstown; 1846, Edinburg; 1847-1848, Erie, 1849-1850, Cleveland, 1851-1852, Revenna; 1853, Cuyahoga Falls; 1854-1855, Cleveland Erie Retreat; 1856, Cleveland City Mission;1857-1858, Painesville; 1859, Akron; 1860-1861, Meadville; 1862-1863, Chagrin Falls; 1864-1865, Titusville; 1866, Warren Pa.; 1867 supernumerary; 1868, East Cleveland; 1869, Ashtabula; 1870-1882, supernumerary.

Ministerial Appt. 1832 Admitted on trial to the Pittsburgh Conference 1
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1832 - 1834 Chardon, Geauga County, Ohio
Ministerial Appt. 1834 Deacon to Rev. Soule
Ministerial Appt. 1834 Full connection with Pittsburgh Conference
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1834 - 1835 Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1835 - 1836 Youngstown, Trumbull County, Ohio
Ministerial Appt. 1836 Became a member of the Erie Conference at its organization
Ministerial Appt. 1836 Elder to Rev. Soule
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1837 - 1838 Hartford, Licking County, Ohio
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1838 - 1840 Edinburg, Portage County, Ohio
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1840 - 1842 New Castle, Belmont County, Ohio
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1842 - 1844 Greenville, Darke County, Ohio
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1844 - 1845 Poland, Trumbull County, Ohio
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1845 - 1846 Youngstown, Trumbull/Mahoning County, Ohio
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1846 - 1847 Edinburg, Portage County, Ohio
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1847 - 1849 Erie, Erie County, Pennsylvania
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1849 - 1851 Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1851 - 1853 Ravenna, Portage County, Ohio
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1853 - 1854 Cuyahoga Falls, Summit County, Ohio (originally known as Stow Township)
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1854 - 1856 Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio (Erie Street)
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1856 - 1857 Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio (City Mission)
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1857 - 1859 Painesville, Lake County, Ohio
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1859 - 1860 Akron, Summit County, Ohio
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1860 - 1862 Meadville, Crawford County, Pennsylvania
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1862 - 1864 Chagrin Falls, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1864 - 1866 Titusville, Lawrence County, Ohio
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1866 - 1867 Warren, Warren County, Pennsylvania
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1867 - 1868 Supernumerary
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1868 - 1869 East Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1869 - 1870 Ashtabula, Ashtabula County, Ohio
Ministerial Appt. BET. 1870 - 1884 Supernumerary

The following is a copy of what Thomas wrote on a page of someone's album.
A ROSE FOR MELLISSA'S BOUQUET You have presented to me your Album for to write a few sentences as a remembrance of me. Anciently an Album was a kind of white table, or registrar, in which the names of certain magistrates, public transactions &c were entered. From that it changed into a kind of common place book, found in places of ??? --- as Niagara Falls, ??? ??? Hotel--- some ??? to use for strangers & visitors to write their names, with a motto accompanying them. But now it is more like the representation of a Bouquet of flowers, one brings a dalia, another a Lilly, a third a Pink, untill your boquet becomes large & varied & beautiful & fragrant, representing those persons who placed them there. And though far away from you, they are the living flowers, beautiful & sweet. The flower that I place here, I will call it a Rose to remind you, not so much of me, as that flower which is the fairest amongst ten thousand, the alltogether lovely, the Rose of Sharon. Melissa what then so beautiful as a flower. In the delicacy of its form, the elegance of its colours --- and the exquisiteness of its fragrance. But O what an emblem of youth & its dangers too. Nipt by the chilling wind, or plucked by ??? hand, or trodden under foot by the careless passerby --- so it is with man. Thou art a flower and may thou shed around thee the fragrance of piety & virtue & whatsoever is pure and of good report. .And when the period of thy flowering and bringing forth flowers in this wilderness terminates, may the Heavenly Gardener transplant thee into that clime where the flowers never wither, never droop, never die. Your Pastor, Thomas Stubbs

Ohio Newspaper/Plain Dealer/Cleveland
1/1/1884-6/30/1884
Microfilm/Roll # 37124
Death of Thomas Stubbs

Died at his home, 67 Whitman Street, Cleveland, Ohio. He was listed as being at this address in City Directories from 1869 until his death. Interred in Riverside Cemetery, Cleveland, Ohio (Lot 39). The reason that Thomas was buried so long after his death is quite simple. The ground froze in Ohio (back when winters were colder) in the winter. There was a special receiving vault built under the chapel at Riverside, with many shelves to hold the coffins. They would just line them up until the ground thawed (usually around the beginning of April).
Thomas was instrumental in the formation of Riverside Cemetery. The east side had Lakeview Cemetery, The place to be buried. The westsiders wanted a nice lace of their own, so they formed a committee, and Riverside was created. Thomas was such a big part (we do not know what his part was, unfortunately) of these early days that his was one of the few biographies in their anniversary booklet, featuring famous people in the area (published by Riverside Cemetery in 1889). The text, found on Page 63-4, for Thomas' write-up is as follows:
REV. THOMAS STUBBS, who was more or less intimately associated with the religious life of Cleveland, for half a century, was born in the beautiful hill country of England, town of Kendal, 1801, and died at his home in Cleveland, February, 1884. He began preaching at eighteen, and preached his last sermon in the Franklin avenue M.E. church, about eight months before his death, making a period of sixty-five years in the ministry. In 1832, in May, he landed in Cleveland, camping over night on the beach. At once he began his ministry, becoming a member of the then Pittsburgh Conference, from which was formed the Erie, of which he was an honored member all his life. For a number of years, he traveled the then wilderness, called the Western Reserve. Along the lake shore, and into the interior, as far as Youngstown, his name was a household word. In 1848 he was stationed at the First M.E. church, located on the corner of St. Clair and Wood streets. During his two years' ministry, the church was greatly prospered. There, as everywhere, large revivals prevailed. From 1854 to 1857 he had charge of the Erie street church, which has since removed to another part of the city, and the Mission located on East St. Clair. In 1866, on account of his wife's health, he located in Cleveland, West Side, where he resided the remainder of his life. During this time he served East Cleveland, Ashtabula and the Bethel. For a few years he was not in charge, yet he was vigorous in body and mind, preaching in various pulpits to the delight of the people. He was catholic in spirit, and beloved by all denominations. He was a man of rare mental gifts--of a poetical temperament--of noble thought--a great lover of nature and his fellow men. In his prime no man in his conference surpassed him in eloquence. He was a most ardent lover of his adopted country, and his voice rung out for the slave when it took nerve and courage, and when the applause often came in rotten eggs and stones. The war for the Union waked his eloquence and enthusiasm, and in the darkest hours his inspiring voice gave hope to the people. He had great power over men in attaching them to him personally. Friends once, friends always. Beloved by all who knew him; a man of remarkable purity of character and life, traits that shone in his benevolent and winning face, and exemplified in his walk and conversation. Of more than ordinary ability, clear and vigorous in mind, original as a thinker, fluent, graceful and powerful as a speaker, his discourses abounded in beautiful figures and bright, poetic fancies. Coupled with a brilliant mind was a big heart, that found expression in charity and kindness, which will endear him to thousands all over his extensive field of labor. When eighty, he was able to walk ten miles. When eighty-one, he preached a sermon in his son's pulpit that, for enthusiasm and buoyancy, would have done credit to a young man--that for noble thought and elevation of sentiment would have honored a man in his prime. The grasp of his mind ceased only as he ceased to breathe.

"History of Methodism : Erie Conference, Vol. I, Page 293" by Rev. Samuel Gregg: Rev. Thomas Stubbs, second preacher on the Chardon Circuit, was born, educated, converted to God, and licensed to preach in England. On coming to this country he moved west to Ohio, where he united with the Methodist Episcopal Church, and being recommended to the Pittsburgh Conference, was admitted on trial in 1832, and into full connection and ordained a deacon in 1834, and an elder by the Erie Conference in 1836. Mr. Stubbs was a middling sized man, well proportioned, very gentlemanly and agreeable, and possessed a fine imagination, with a warm, glowing heart, which enabled him to move the feelings of an audience sometimes to tears and at others to joy, and generally leaving them both interested and profited. In 1848 he was stationed at the First M.E. church, located on the corner of St. Clair and Wood streets. During his two years' ministry, the church was greatly prospered. There, as everywhere, large revivals prevailed. From 1854 to 1857 he had charge of the Erie street church, which has since removed to another part of the city, and the Mission located on East St. Clair. In 1866, on account of his wife's health, he located in Cleveland, West Side, where he resided the remainder of his life. During this time he served East Cleveland, Ashtabula and the Bethel. For a few years he was not in charge, yet he was vigorous in body and mind, preaching in various pulpits to the delight of the people. He was catholic in spirit, and beloved by all denominations. He was a man of rare mental gifts--of a poetical temperament--of noble thought--a great lover of nature and his fellow men. In his prime no man in his conference surpassed him in eloquence. He was a most ardent lover of his adopted country, and his voice rung out for the slave when it took nerve and courage, and when the applause often came in rotten eggs and stones. The war for the Union waked his eloquence and enthusiasm, and in the darkest hours his inspiring voice gave hope to the people. He had great power over men in attaching them to him personally. Friends once, friends always. Beloved by all who knew him; a man of remarkable purity of character and life, traits that shone in his benevolent and winning face, and exemplified in his walk and conversation. Of more than ordinary ability, clear and vigorous in mind, original as a thinker, fluent, graceful and powerful as a speaker, his discourses abounded in beautiful figures and bright, poetic fancies. Coupled with a brilliant mind was a big heart, that found expression in charity and kindness, which will endear him to thousands all over his extensive field of labor. When eighty, he was able to walk ten miles. When eighty-one, he preached a sermon in his son's pulpit that, for enthusiasm and buoyancy, would have done credit to a young man--that for noble thought and elevation of sentiment would have honored a man in his prime. The grasp of his mind ceased only as he ceased to breathe.

1860 census lists his value as $1500 real estate and $100 personal
Preached first sermon at the age of 18.
Title: Methodism in Western Pennsylvania 1784-1968 Page: Pages 77 & 635 Text: An Historical Records Volume, written by Wallace Guy Smeltzer and Norman Carlysle Young, printed by The Straight Publishing Co., Little Valley, New York, 1969

Evening Observer (Dunkirk, New York) 1884 February 13 Rev Thomas Stubbs, father of Rev R.N. Stubbs of Forestville, died at Cleveland on Saturday, at the advanced age of 82, of heart disease. The deceased was one of the earnest Methodist laborers in the country, and was widely known throught the lake region as a pioneer preacher.

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