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33 JAMES WOFORD HEATH was born in North Carolina 1821. His middle name was that of his grandmother on his mother's side. It should become the custom for the middle name of every child to be the maiden name of mother. The subject of this sketch was not a very stout boy and early in life he learned that he would have to earn his living by his wits rather than by hard knocks. He graduated from the nearest log schoolhouse in the Three R's and attended an academy at Cambridge, Ind. conducted by Prof. Hushower, after which he taught school in the old log school houses and boarded around from house to house and receiving the large salary of from $8.00 to $15.00 per month. These school houses were very crude affairs with split log floors and slab benches, with no backs, and a flat slab or board placed along the wall on which to write. Just above or in front of this writing desk a log had been left out and narrow strips filled the space over which was placed greased paper to admit the light. There was no blackboard and the room was heated by an open fireplace. Father always opened school with prayer and all the pupils had to kneel. One morning three boys were kneeling side by side when one boy noticed the seat of the pants of the second boy from him drawn very tight. He couldn't resist the temptation to touch him up with a pin. When the pin had penetrated the posterior part of his anatomy, he pushed over the slab bench with a slam and a war whoop. That soon terminated prayers and such a warming up as that boy with the pin got; he vowed if he ever grew to manhood and met that teacher he would pay him back with compound interest. One sample of father's gad generally satisfied the most obstreperous boy, that he didn't care for anymore. One school where they had run out two teachers, they sent for father to finish the school year. The first forenoon he discovered the ringleader and called him out on the floor, and as the fellow came by the woodpile in the corner, he stooped to pick up a stick of wood to defend himself, when father yelled at the top of his voice, and the fellow dropped the stick of wood and father grabbed him by the coat collar and the dusting he got, settled the whipping question for the balance of the term. In teaching in the Painter neighborhood he met with Lydia Painter, whom he married in 1847 and moved to the old farm where he lived until 1874. To them were born three sons and two daughters. All are dead but the writer. Father was very strict in religious matters and in observing the Sabbath. He held family worship both morning and evening and prohibited all unnecessary work on Sunday. No blacking of shoes, shaving or writing letters on Sunday was allowed. A neighbor who had borrowed some tools brought them home on Sunday. Father would not receive them and made him take them back and bring them another day. Rev. Eli Ramel stopped one Sunday morning to black his shoes but father told him he would not allow him to do what he would not allow one of his own family to do. He went on to the church and took for his text "Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy" and in his sermon he told what had happened that morning and approved it. Father became a regular ordained minister of the M. E. Church and during the war traveled as a circuit preacher. We remember an instance of where he turned a man out of church for coming to church barefoot, another man had bet the fellow a pair of boots that he was afraid to go to church barefoot and the bet was taken and while he won the boots he lost his church membership.
Father took an active part in preventing a draft in his township during the Civil War by raising bounty money and hiring men to go. During the war he went to Cairo, Ill. to get a man out of a hospital who was dying with malarial fever and had a large family at home who were being supported by neighbors. After spending three days at the hospital without accomplishing anything, he introduced himself to the hospital steward as a mason and he told him all the surgeons and doctors were masons and two hours from that time he had his man examined and discharged and was leaving there. After the war he was elected Township trustee of Salem township, Delaware County, Ind. and served term after term until he resigned in 1874 to move to Muncie, Ind. where he died 1875 age 53. Rev. Ben Smith who had known him many years said of all the men he had ever met Rev. James Heath was the purest minded man he had ever met. His wife, Lydia, is still living at age 85 in Minneapolis, Minn.
Indiana Marriages Name: James W. Heath Spouse: Lydia Painter Marriage Date: Oct 7, 1847 County: Henry State: IN
Heath Cemetery Listing
Heath, Rev. James W. died May 25, 1875 age 53 yrs. 10 mo. 1 da.
Muncie Weekly News 27 May 1875
James W. Heath who has been lying almost at the point of death for several weeks died at his residence last Tuesday night at ten o'clock in his 54th
year of age. Mr. H. has been a resident of Delawre County for the past forty-five years and is well known by a large number of the citizens of this county,
and his death will be regretted by them all. His funeral services will be held today at two o'clock, at Mt. Zion, four miles south-west of Muncie.