BIO: Charles H. Seward, Wyoming Conference, Methodist Episcopal Church, PA & NY Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by JRB & JO Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ________________________________________________ Chaffee, Amasa Franklin. History of the Wyoming Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. New York: Eaton & Mains, 1904, pages 391-392. ________________________________________________ Seward, Charles Halberton, was born on January 2, 1871, at Orange, Luzerne County, Pa. The first seventeen years of his life were spent on a farm, during which time he had such school advantages as he could get by working summers and going to school winters. His mother dying when he was seven years old, left him to be cared for by two older sisters, one of whom became anxious about his conversion. Several years passed, however, before that event occurred, which was on December 2, 1886. He had been convicted in a series of revival meetings held in October previous by Rev. C. H. Sackett. On this Sunday evening, after a sermon by the presiding elder, he gave his hear to God, and soon united with the Church. He very soon felt called to the ministry, and in the fall of 1890 decided to devote his life to that work. In the spring of 1891 the Carverton and Orange Quarterly Conference gave him an exhorter's license, and in April of the same year he entered Wyoming Seminary. His father having died two years before this, he was left upon his own resources. Adverse circumstances prevented his remaining continuously at the seminary, and he did not graduate, therefore, until 1897. During this period he did the following work as supply: Gouldsboro, 1893-94; Sugar Notch, 1895. In 1896 he was sent to the Sherman Street Mission, but being unable to speak Welsh found himself unable to carry on the work. Accordingly, in July of that year, he was sent to Bennett Chapel, a mission of Franklin Street Church. He continued here until September, 1897, when he entered Wesleyan University, from which he graduated in 1901 with the degree of A.B. During his junior and senior years in college he was one of the editors of the Wesleyan Argus, a weekly published by the students. In 1898 he was sent as supply to Colchester, Conn., where he remained three years. In 1901 he joined the Conference. His pastoral record is as follows: 1901, assistant pastor of Franklin Street, Wilkes-Barre; 1902-03, Choconut Center.