Alexander
Kennedy Caswell, Missionary and Pastor 1850-1911
A.K.C. 47 years May 12, 1897
A brother Sam photo,
Palmerston
Alexander
Kennedy Caswell (AK) was born on May 12, 1850, at Orono, Ontario (family
Bible). The 1851 census (taken February
1852) shows “Anne K”, an obvious mistake.
Alexander Kennedy Caswell-
married (1) Martha Fanny Baird on 25 Dec 1877 Palmerston, Ontario, (daughter of
James Baird and Mary Ann Jackson). She was born on 01 Dec 1852 Brantford,
Ontario, and died on 29 May 1894 in Meriden, Cherokee, Iowa. He married (2) Martha Ann Hall on 26 Jun 1900
in Millbank, Ontario. She was born on 19 Mar 1855 and died on 29 Jul 1927 in
Ceres, Stanislaus, California.
Children of Alexander Kennedy Caswell and Martha Fanny Baird:
i.
Ernest Kennedy Caswell, B: 09 Sep 1878 in Palmerston, Ontario, D: 28 May 1951
in Modesto, Stanislaus, California, M: Olive May Stull, 02 Jun 1905 in Greene
County, Indiana
ii.
Bessie Ann Caswell, B: 07 Jun 1880 in Palmerston, Ontario, D. 22 August 1980
Salem, Oregon M: Marcus Willard Baker, 01 Jan 1901
iii.
Andrew Baird Caswell, B: 25 Feb 1882 in Toronto, Ontario, D: 17 Dec 1932 in
Evanston, Cook, Illinois, M: Kathryn Irene Maddison, 22 Oct 1916 in Chicago,
Cook, Illinois
iv.
Arthur Moffat Livingstone Caswell, B: 16 Jan 1884 in Neche, North Dakota, D: 26
Mar 1973 in Chilliwack, British Columbia
v.
Clarence Alexander Caswell, B: 17 Sep 1887 in Hagersville, Ontario, D: 15 Mar
1959 in Santa Clara, California
vi.
Gordon Stanley Caswell, B: 25 Nov 1888 in Oneida, Ontario, D: 22 Jun 1943 in
Sibbald, Alberta, M: Maggie May Hartwell, 06 Dec 1916 in Sibbald, Alberta
vii.
Nellie Margaret Caswell, B: 07 Aug 1891 in Ontario, D: 1942 in Calgary, Alberta
viii.
Francis Thomas Caswell, B: 25 May 1894 in Meriden, Cherokee, Iowa, D: 13 Sep
1960 Alameda, California.
A letter AK
wrote on the fiftieth anniversary of the Granton Presbyterian Church furnishes
a glimpse of his boyhood. “When I was a
boy of ten I went to church barefooted, hopping from log to log over the
corduroy road. When I was a boy of
sixteen I wished to unite with the church, but was told that I was too young;
better wait till I was older, and would understand better what I was
doing. In the meantime, no effort was
made to explain away my difficulties.
Young people were not expected, or at least not urged, to ‘come forward’
till they had babies to be baptized.”
“No prayer-meetings in those days, and no teacher’s meetings;
but now how many people meet every week to worship God and study His word. The kist o’whistles (organ) is no longer a
bugaboo, or an instrument o’ the deel dishonouring God. But I often wish for the good old
congregational singing. I wish I could
hear those sturdy Scots and Irish, with their bairns and gossoons sing out as
if their voices had been trained all week driving oxen or calling the kye to be
milked, or calling for the midday meal.”
After mentioning others in the congregation, Alexander
continued, “And there comes Mary Caswell, never more happy than when she led
her sons into the church and filled up two or three pews, and then sits to see
that they behave, and get strength to train all these boys. Andy and Mary Caswell saw one of their most
cherished hopes realized in seeing their ten sons all grown to be men.””
“Aye, those people felt that it meant much, amid the
struggles with nature in the primeval forest, to go ‘aside awhile’ and sit with
their Lord, and eat and drink with an in memory of Him. What self-denial it must have taken in those
days for the people who lived in log shanties and wooden houses to build and
pay for a brick church. How often it must have meant real self-sacrifice to
give money when people raised so little, and prices were so low. It must have meant less to eat and fewer
things to wear to many of those hardy pioneers?
Was it those solemn preparatory services and fast days before the
communion season? Or was it the strong meat given out by the ministers who
spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost?
Both.”
“And then there
were the annual Sunday School picnic which drew in others of many faiths to
William Grant’s bush pasture for food and talk, with swings for all sizes and
games of many kinds. To or three popular
ministers would have been invited and each would speak to such as would
listen.”
Alec saw the other side of the community life, for he
recalled that there were eight saloons between the church and Saint Mary’s
(village 8 miles east—a little farther by road). His brother John also remembered the violence
in the township.
We know little of Alexander’s activities until his marriage in December 1877. Presumably he was hired out in his early ‘teens to neighbouring farms and later went west to Michigan in the winter to fell trees in the pineries. A legal document lists Alex as a school teacher at about the age of 17 (1867). The 1871 census lists him as a printer.
We know little of Alexander’s activities until his marriage in December 1877. Presumably he was hired out in his early ‘teens to neighbouring farms and later went west to Michigan in the winter to fell trees in the pineries. A legal document lists Alex as a school teacher at about the age of 17 (1867). The 1871 census lists him as a printer.
On 28 January
1875 Alex joined his brother John in giving Robert Shields a quit claim deed to
property in Palmerston.
Alexander
Kennedy & Fanny Baird Caswell
On December 25, 1877 Alec
married Martha Fanny Baird in Palmerston.
In the fall of 78 their first child, Ernest, was born in Palmerston,
Ontario. Bessie arrived a year and nine
months later, also born in Palmerston.
Shortly after this, the family moved to Chicago, where Alec proposed to
learn to be a printer and thus moved his young family there. He did learn the printing trade and bought a
little hand printing press which he kept and used for church news and
bulletins.
In Chicago he
heard a famous evangelist, “Billy”, and Alec’s whole life was changed. While still in Chicago he distributed tracts
on the damp windy streets as a missionary for the YMCA. The damp cold caused painful inflammatory
rheumatism in his feet and legs. His
physician told him to get out of Chicago and go back to Canada. (1) After a few months in Palmerston he
recovered.
“After AK came home I went with him to the
Granton School and we went for a year and he was able to get a certificate for
teaching. He taught school in the
summer and went to Knox College in the winter.”
“Before making his decision to attend Knox College, AK
started a four-room house next to his parents.
AK left for college before the house was finished. Robert decided to
finish it and he and his mother moved in. They rented the big house to a
minister who had a large family.”(2)
In 1881, prior to graduation from Knox College, AK went out
to Manitoba for the summer as a missionary.
AK graduated from his theological studies at Knox College, Toronto, in
1882. That same year Alexander received
a call and was licensed and ordained in the Presbytery of Pembina, North
Dakota. His first charge was a mission
field at Ernest and Neche, in the northeast corner of the state, just south of
the Canadian border.
Thanks to a
search of church records made by Gordon Allison of Hamilton, Ontario, we have
an almost complete list of pastorates which Alexander held:
1884 Home missionary at Byng Inlet on Georgian Bay, Ont.
1885-86 First minister Wentworth
Church, Hamilton, Ont.
1886-90 Minister Hagersville and
Oneida, Ont., about 20
miles southwest of Hamilton
1891 Pastor, Waterford, Ont.
1893-94: Pastor, Meriden
Presbyterian Church,
Sioux City Presbytery, Iowa Synod
1895:
Evangelist residing in Philadelphia
1896:Home Missionary, Philadelphia.
1897: Stated Supply, Tioga
Mission, Philadelphia.
1898: Stated Supply, West Tioga Mission, Philadelphia.
1899 Stated Supply, Sanborn,
Iowa (Sioux City Presbytery)
No organized church listed.
1900: Stated Supply, Sanborn
Presbyterian Church
1901-02: Stated Supply, Mt. Olivet Presbyterian Church, Olney, IL Cairo Presbytery, Illinois Synod.
1903:
In transit. Still living in Olney and affiliated with Cairo Presbytery but no charge.
1904: Pastor, Wellington Presbyterian Church Bloomington Presbytery, Illinois Synod
1905: In transit.
Residing in Wellington. No
charge.
1906 – 07: Stated Supply at Tracy and Grayson
Presbyterian churches, California. Residing in Modesto (Stockton Presbytery, California Synod).
1908-10: Honorably Retired. Residing in Modesto.
1911:
Ministerial Necrology occupation, Evangelist, Presbytery of San Joaquin
In a history written by
one of Alex’s granddaughters is the following: “Alexander married and they had
eight children. They moved from church
to church. Alexander’s first wife,
Fanny, died on 29 May 1894 at Meriden, Iowa.
For several years daughter Bessie took care of the family and finished
school in a girl’s school. Her father
remarried and old maid who Bessie disliked.
At eighteen Bessie left home which was a very daring thing to do in
1898.”
It appears that this series of
three photos was taken at the same time at brother Sam’s studio in Palmerston.
On 26 June 1900
Alex married Martha Ann Hall, at Millbank, Ont.
At the time of his death in 1911 all but one of his eight children lived
within a few miles of his “cozy cottage”, in Ceres or Modesto, CA.
Rev AK Caswell is Called by Death 1 March 1911
At 12:30 o’clock
Tuesday afternoon, death came to relieve the sufferings of Rev. A. K. Caswell
one of Ceres most respected citizens. He
had been a sufferer for a long time with heart trouble and medical science
failed to save his life although every efforts was made. The sorrowing family have the sympathy of the
entire community.
Rev. Caswell was
born in Ontario, Canada 60 years ago. He
was ordained a minister of the Presbyterian Church in early manhood and was
active in the ministry for 38 years. He
came to Stanislaus from Chicago a few years ago.
Besides his wife,
the deceased is survived by six sons and two daughters….
Rev A K Caswell Laid to Rest
Impressive funeral of Ceres Resident
4 March 1911
The funeral services for the late Rev. A.K. Caswell Friday
morning were beautifully and impressive.
At half past ten, services at the house were conducted by Rev. J.R.
Thompson and Rev J M Helmsley. Then at
eleven o’clock services were held by the M. E. church which Mr. Caswell had
made his church home in Ceres, there being no Presbyterian church here. Rev. H. K. Pitman of the Presbyterian church
of Modesto had charge of these services.
The church was tastefully decorated with greenery, white carnations and
violets. Before the hour arrived there
was a good congregation. At the
appointed time the funeral cortege appeared.
The pall bearers were three elders of the Modesto Presbyterian church
and three ministers of the Gospel. The
male quartet of the Presbyterian Church rendered three impressive hymns without
accompaniment.
CONTEST
FILED IN CASWELL ESTATE
25 March 1911
Claiming that as
a result of a prolonged illness, the late A.K. Caswell was of unsound mind and
was therefore incapable of making a will in accordance with his previously
expressed wishes. Clarence Caswell, one
of the legalese of the will filed an opposition to the probate of the document
in the Superior court, Friday.
The opposition states (1) that Mr. Caswell was mentally
incompetent at the time the will was made out; (2) that the will contains
indefinite statements; (3) that from the wording of the will the beneficiaries
and legalese cannot be ascertained; (4) that the document was not the last will
and testament as it does not express the finale intentions of the testator, as
it was his wish that the children should share equally in the estate; and
finally the opposition contains general objections to the various codicils
appended in the will.
Attorney Edwin H. Zion representing Mr. Caswell.
A.K. Caswell left an estate valued at approximately $14,000
and by the terms of the will, the estate is divided not only among the children
but among several religious institutions.
The petition for the probate of the document was filed by W.A. Harter,
Mr. I. Scranton and C. Henry Caswell, through their attorneys, AJ Carlson and
PH Griffin.
The devisers are as follows:
Martha, the widow; Ernest
Clarence, Arthur, Gordon, Modesto; Andrew, Chicago; Francis, Bessie Ann Baker,
Nellie, Ceres; The board of Ministerial Relief of the Presbyterian Church,
Philadelphia; The Board of Freedmen, The Board of Foreign Missions; Board of
Home Missions; Catherine, Dorothy, Albert Baker, Andrew Baker and Winnie Colt,
all of Ceres; Theological Seminary, San Auselmo; Public Library, Ceres;
Presbyterian Church, Modesto.
The estate is divided as follows: Home at Ceres $1200; 40
acres of land, $7,000; insurance $3,000; notes, $1,950; personal property,
$600.
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