Rufus Smith

As printed in 1882

ELDER RUFUS SMITH was born September 21, 1821, in Deerfield, Oneida County, New York. His father, Rufus Smith, married Lucinda De Groat. His parents moved to Erie County, New York, when Rufus was five years of age. They then located in Jefferson County, New York, where they lived and died, leaving a family of six sons, Samuel, William, Rufus, Eladsit, Wayne and Warren, and two daughters, Helen and Harriet. Of these Samuel, Eladsit and Helen are now deceased. When in his seventeenth year Rufus was converted and called by God to preach the gospel at once. His mother being a Methodist, he joining the New School Lutherans, saw and felt deeply the effect of divisions in the church. He resolved, with the light which God gave him, to preach the pure gospel and let

Lutherism and all other isms take care of themselves. Being requested to hold meetings at Beech Ridge and Clayton, in Jefferson County, he earnestly commenced work for the Master, and was rewarded by having two revivals, one of which was the most wonderful of his life. During all this time he worked for his father on the farm and walked fifteen miles every Sabbath to his appointments. The Lutheran ministers hearing of his success selected a conference and gave him license, October 5, 1842. His mother having died soon after his conversion, his father, who was not a Christian, desired him to remain at home and work on the farm.and have the homestead of 200 acres, or, if he left home, to have his time but never a dollar. Thanking his father for his time, Rufus, believing all God's promises, including Mark x. chapter, 29-30 verses, resolved to follow the Lord fully, hence he worked by the month, day and hour, and paid his way to secure a limited education. Many years after this, Elder Smith's father sent for him, though a thousand miles away, to confess to him that he had done wrong in trying to hinder him in his work, and said: "Rufus, I am glad you obeyed God, and did not listen to me. Be faithful. I will try and meet you in Heaven." Young Smith's first charge as a pastor of a congregation was at Morristown, St. Lawrence County, New York. Here he was united in holy wedlock with Eliza C. Reese, on the 5th day of July, 1843. He remained there for two years, and was licensed in full by the Franckean Synod, June 8, 1844. In these two years there were over two hundred who professed religion. Mr. Smith's next field was at Starkville, Herkimer County, New York, where he remained for six years, having abundant success in that locality. In January, 185 1, he left there for Raymertown, Rensselaer County, New York, there continuing for five years, preaching regularly every Sabbath, and at other places in the county had many revivals; Bryan's Corners had an extended revival, organized a Lutheran Society and erected a meeting house, etc. During this time he buried his only daughter, Eveline Lucinda, who died September 23, 1853. In October, 1856, he moved from Raymertown to Sharon, Wisconsin. On moving west he became acquainted with Julius Movius, General Agent of the Great Western Railroad. Learning his mission west, Mr. Movius always passed Mr. Smith and his family, free., from Buffalo to Chicago and return. Feeling that he could not do more for him, Mr. Smith named his youngest son after him. Upon learning the fact, Mr. Movius replied with the following letter:

Buffalo, N. Y., March 17, 1865.

REV. R. Smith, Jr., — My Dear Sir: Absence from home has prevented earlier acknowledgement of your kind favor of the third instant, but contents are noted with much satisfaction. Let me congratulate you upon the accession to your family circle, and I pray that Julius Movius Smith may live and grow up a good man — a Christian — and be the comfort and support of his worthy parents in their declining years-, and a pride to him whose name he bears. I shall always feel a deepinterest in him, and hope to have it in my power to aid and encourage him in the journey of life, and to secure him such a position as the development of his moral, religious, commercial and scholastic attainments may indicate. This is a period somewhat remote, and if in themeantime I can serve you, it will give me pleasure so to do.

I am, very truly yours, JULIUS MOVIUS.

Julius Movius Smith died March 14, 1865, at Mt. Morris, Illinois. Mr. Smith was in Sharon and Janesville, Wisconsin, preaching in the States of Illinois and Wisconsin for five years, having an outpouring of God's spirit in many places in both states. From the beginning of the war he was for a number of years engaged in preaching as an evangelist, both north and south, showing that if the church of America had been one,, and the pure gospel had been expounded, there could have been no war. During this time he held a meeting at Jackson, Will County, Illinois,, where he had another revival, and built a meeting house, but lacked a few hundred dollars of paying for it. To raise this amount, Mr. S. chartered a train, and took his friends from Jackson and Will County, to visit the southern prisoners confined at Camp Douglas, in Chicago, for the purpose of preaching the gospel to them. The proceeds obtained were sufficient to pay for the train and the meetinghouse. In 1865, he located in Mt. Morris, Illinois, and at that time it was publicly announced that he would not receive one dime from any one only as a free will offering,, consequently the word money was not mentioned during his stay there of two years. His wants were not only fully supplied, but he had hundreds of dollars to give away for benevolent purposes. Mr. Smith would as soon baptize for any other denomination as for the Lutheran, always teaching the people that by the Holy Ghost they were baptized into Christ's Church. That the denominations were only societies, all of which were out of God's order. While teaching this bible truth, he received members into the Lutheran Society only when requested, never asking any one to join, he feeling that all isms were a " stumbling block, which should be removed out of the way of God's people." — Isaiah 57, 14. From some cause, he hardly knew why, he felt impressed to ask for a letter from the Lutheran denomination, which was granted July 7, 1866. We herewith print the letter:

This is to certify that by a vote of Synod, an honorable letter of dismission from our ecclesiastic body was granted to Rev. Rufus Smith on the 7th instant, at our late session, held at Albion, Marshall County, Iowa. Brother Smith has belonged to the Franckean Evangelic Lutheran Synod of New York, for the last twenty-five years, and for the last six years to our Western Conference. He is an eminent, zealous and very active embassador of Jesus. He has for the last six years acted as an.

-efficient and successful Evangelist in various portions of this western country and elsewhere.

We, therefore, recommend him without the least hesitation, with love and confidence, to any ecclesiastic body of the Evangelic Lutheran Church of North America, wherever he may see fit by the direction of Providence to join. May the divine blessings of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ richly rest upon him, on his beloved family and upon all true Israel of God, near and far. Amen.

As printed in The history of Nodaway county, Missouri, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc., biographical sketches of its citizens (1882). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.