Pastors at Peoples Number 5

Pastors of Peoples Number 5
1893-1895 Ira G. Ross: Probably the most difficult pastor of the church to track down.. Even in the New England Archives at the Boston University School of Theology they list nothing more than what I have already stated. What we have found by Googling Ira G. Ross in a number of formats we have discovered a rather intriguing individual. The first thing that we discovered is that he entered the Ministry by gaining his Deacon’s Orders on April 9, 1878 in the New York Conference. He really desired to be a missionary and he and his wife by 1887 had moved to seek sponsorship from the New England Conference since apparently it wasn’t available in New York. The New England Conference that year met in Leominster, Massachusetts. The conference approved and Ira and his wife left to help run a school for girls in Concepcion, Chile. Within a matter of months the leadership of this mission school indicated that the financial problems that they were already experiencing would close the school within a short time without getting additional financial support. It was the task of Ira to return to the states and try to raise those funds. Apparently it was futile to seek funds of this nature in the midst of a financial panic that was then in progress in the United States. According to the record he did not return to Chile. Ira left the New England Conference and joined the Maine Conference and was then placed at Peoples. Much of the emphasis on programs during his time here was on supporting foreign missions. For whatever reason after 1895, Ira and his wife left the conference never to be heard from again in Maine. Another reference indicated that in leaving Maine, the Rosses then became active in the Philadelphia Conference where his wife at least was noted in the Women’s Missionary Friend, a publication of the Conference that both were still engaged in supporting missionary activities in May of 1903.is His

1895-1897 William Wood: Reverend Wood was born on October 14, 1863 in
Ashford, County Kent, England to John and Mary Wood. While still a child his family moved to Ontario in Canada. The frontier town that the family lived in offered little in the way of advanced education thus he came to the United States and enrolled at Kent’s Hill Seminary (Maine Wesleyan Seminary), graduating from that institution in 1891. In the following year he married Ms. Helena Stirling Snellgrove of St. Stephen’s, New Brunswick. They had one child, however, Paul as he was named, was called to his eternal rest while still a child. Helena became ill almost immediately and for the rest of her life was frail calling for William to spend many long hours and years in attendance to her needs. Her health worsened around 1928 and he then took the status of retirement with the intent of nursing his loving and devoted wife. Brother Wood before serving Peoples had already served churches in Vassalboro, East Readfield, Cornish, and Kittery. Reverend Woods served several other locations throughout Southern and Central Maine including Boothbay Harbor and Berlin, NH which was then in the Maine Conference. He also served in Bridgeton, Kennebunkport, Kents Hill and Madison. e also served in Bridgeton, Kennebunkp[
According to his biographer, Reverend Harley A. Shattuck, Reverend Wood and his wife moved to an immaculately kept cottage on the river in Bath. Not only was the cottage and grounds a thing of beauty, but beauty was present in the Lord within the cottage as well. Anyone who had the privilege of being there always came away feeling good having been in the presence of Reverend Wood. In later years Reverend Wood was often called as a supply pastor for not only Methodist churches, but other denominations as well. Known as the "Poet of the Maine Conference" many of his sermons were given in that form. He also served the conference as the publisher and editor of the Maine Conference Year Book for many years and served the conference as the Historical secretary as well.
Reverend Shattuck closed the memoir for Reverend Wood with one of the poems created by Reverend Wood.
"Whoever sees the signs of life
Must marvel at the mystic force.
What can it be? Faith calls it God.
Than whom there is no other source.
The lifeless body of our Lord
Seemed proof of fell destruction here;
Death plays restless conqueror now,
Benumbing human hearts with fear.
But patience, oh my troubled soul!
A short time hence this trembling heart
Will thrill with an exultant joy
To see stern death quake and depart!
O heart of mine, Life wins at last;
Divine its strength, it comes to stay,
Enlarging as the aeons roll,
Through him who conquers Death today!
What joys await beyond the veil,
What areas of service there;
Lord, fit us now for that blest home
Exceeding glories visioned here."
Reverend Wood died on June 23, 1937 and was buried in Berlin, New Hampshire beside his wife who had passed away on March 23, 1935, and their son, Paul who had died in childhood..
1897-1899 Wilbur Fisk Holmes Reverend Holmes was born in North Brookfield, Massachusetts in 1849. He was the son of Jerusha Woodward and Lorenza Holmes. He was noted as a pastor for his quiet, kindly, gracious living and his efficiency as a minister. He was an outstanding preacher and splendid pastor. As a member of the Maine Conference he served for many years on the Board of Examiners.. He was well loved by new pastors because of his gracious spirit. Reverend Holmes had been educated at Wilbraham Academy and Wesleyan University in Connecticut. In 1880 he married Mary Evelyn Howe of Worchester, Massachusetts. Before serving at Peoples, Reverend Holmes began his pastoral career at the West End ME church on Pine Street in Portland. Later he served parishes in Alfred, Hollowell, South Paris, Bath, Orono and Brunswick. Later he served churches at Kents Hill, Kennebunk, Farmington, Westbrook, Berwick and Mechanic Falls. Together Wilbur and his wife had three children; Samuel who became a professor in Connecticut, Henry who became a Doctor in New York City and a daughter, Mrs. Walton Bailey who settled with her husband in Mechanic Falls. Reverend Bailey was living with his daughter in Mechanic Falls at the time of his death on January 9, 1939.
1899-1903 Joseph Albert Corey: Reverend Corey had been born in Southbridge, Massachusetts. The memorial written to honor Pastor Corey in 1916 in the Maine Conference Annual Report was by W.F. Holmes who had preceded Reverend Corey as pastor at Peoples. In that memorial Pastor Holmes said of Pastor Corey, " he had at one time lost the glow of his first love for the Lord, but when it returned he had had a clear call to the ministry." Before entering the ministry he, like Reverend Holmes before him, graduated from Wilbraham Academy in Massachusetts and then spent a little over two years at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. He left that institution for lack of funds and offered his services to the Maine Conference as a preacher. While still at the academy in Wilbraham, he had actually taught courses in Rhetoric and Theology to other students. Pastor Corey began his ministry with a two point charge in 1878 at Baldwin and Hiram. There was a church in both adjoining towns but even though distance was rather short by today’s standards the means of transportation indicated a great time gap in serving both towns on a Sunday. In the very next year Pastor Corey went to South Berwick and two years later he served Gorham for one year. In 1882 to 1884 he was assigned to Fairfield followed in 1885-1886 at York. It is obvious that Reverend Corey was the epitome of the itinerant preacher. In 1887-1888 he was off to Norway and in 1889-90 he made it to Portland where he served at Woodfords in East Deering. This was the name of what in time would be named Clark Memorial. Reverend Corey then served in Lewiston at the Hammond Street Church from 1891-1892. He became the Presiding Elder for the Lewiston District the following year and served in that capacity from 1893-1898. With his duties as Presiding Elder completed he was then assigned to Peoples in the newly renamed town of South Portland.
In 1876 he had married Carrie N. Howe of Preston, Connecticut. She died in 1910 in the parsonage at Searsport. Together Carrie and Joseph had 5 children. Two of the children died in childhood. Reverend Corey’s health deteriorated after the death of his wife, which was quickly followed, by the death of his eldest daughter. One of the surviving male children is listed as the Pastor of the Bath Methodist long time elementary teacher in the Woonsocket, Rhode Island School system. Reverend Joseph Corey married for a second time to Abby A. Chandler who had for many years taught at the high school in Dexter, Maine. They were not married for long before he passed away. His public funeral was held at Clark Memorial and he is buried in the family plot in Mt. Pleasant Cemetary in South Portland.
In the year 1901, Reverend Corey in addition to the charge at Peoples also served as the pastor of Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church in Knightville.
1903-1909 Wilmont P. Lord: Pastor Lord entered the ministry serving the Maine Conference in the year 1892.The first parish he served was at York for one year. He was then placed at Kennebunk and on Saco Road from 1894-1898. For the following three years his charge was the church at Farmington. Pastor Lord then served Peoples for six years, a long placement in those days. In 1909 he left preaching and became the Field Secretary for the Christian Civic League of Maine, followed after one year by serving as Assistant Pastor at Chestnut Street in Portland. His next two placements were at Peaks Island followed by First Church in South Portland. Reverend Lord beginning in 1917 served as Protestant Chaplain to the hospitals in and around Portland While serving as Chaplain to area hospitals, Reverend Lord served for a few years as the Pastor of Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church in Knightville. He was the second pastor who had served Peoples that also served Trinity at a point in their careers. Sometimes the supply for Trinity was with the Cape Elizabeth Methodist Episcopal Church or Elm Street. In one instance Louis S. Staples supplied Trinity while also serving as the Pastor of Washington Avenue, for a short time in the early 1920’s.
A pastor who served Trinity from 1909-1911 was named Alexander Hamilton and was said to be a descendent of the original politician and economist who was famous for his mortal dual with Aaron Burr.
1909-1912 Frank Hosea Hall: Reverend Hall was born in Athens, Maine in 1871. His early schooling took place in a "one room schoolhouse" in the town of Athens. Later while still attending school, Reverend Hall learned the shoe making trade in the mills of Skowhegan. His secondary education was spent first at Kents Hill (Maine Wesleyan Seminary) and later at Bucksport Seminary. He served churches at Leeds and Greene while he was a student at Cobb Divinity School. Eventually he completed his ministerial training at Boston University School of Theology. After his student years serving the above mentioned churches, Reverend Hall served at Livermore and Hartford, Strong and Freeman, Park Street in Lewiston before arriving at Peoples in 1909. After three plus years at Peoples he then would go on to serving at Livermore Falls, Clark Memorial, Bath, Brewer, Auburn, Farmington, Caribou, Milo and Winterport. At one time Reverend Hall served as the Financial Secretary of the Maine Conference. It was while serving at Winterport in poor health that Reverend Hall passed away. Reverend Hall had served parishes faithfully with two wives; Evelyn Kelley and later some years after Evelyn’s death with Edith Rankin. Five sons also survived him including Rev. Carl of the Maine Seacoast Missionary Society, Edmund who resided in South Portland, Clayton, Roland and Richard. The memoir used for this information indicated his death occurred in the Winterport parsonage on March 22, 1942 after 45 years of dedicated and consecrated service to the Lord. His body was interned in Brooklawn Cemetery in Portland.