Biographical Sketch of Rev. E. W. BLISS (1893); Chester County, PA Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by John Morris . *********************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: Printing this file within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ *********************************************************************** Source: "Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Chester County, Pennsyl- vania, comprising a historical sketch of the county," by Samuel T. Wiley and edited by Winfield Scott Garner, Gresham Publishing Company, Phila- delphia, PA, 1893, pp. 829-30. "REV. E. W. BLISS, A. M., a scholarly and courteous gentleman, and the highly respected and esteemed pastor of Willistown Baptist church at Malvern, is a son of William Bliss, and was born at Barnston, Canada East, near the border line of the State of Vermont, in 1820. William Bliss was a carpenter by trade and spent the larger part of his life at Barnston, which was mainly settled by New England people. He married and reared a family of five children, one son and four daughters: Nancy Davis, Emily Comestock, Caroline, Rev. E. W. and one other. "E. W. Bliss received his education at Colgate university of Hamilton, New York, form which well-known institution of learning he was graduated in the class of 1844. To secure his collegiate education he had taught sev- eral winter terms so as to secure means to defray his expenses during the summer terms at the university. After graduation he studied theology under a private tutor, and was ordained to the Baptist ministry in 1844. His first charge was the Baptist church of Venice, Cayuga county, to which he received a call in the last named year, and with which he sustained very pleasant pastoral relations for a number of years. Leaving Venice, he served as pastor successively of Baptist churches in Oswego, Kingston, Newburg and Brooklyn, in the State of New York, and in 1876 came to Mal- vern, where he accepted his present charge as pastor of the Willistown Baptist church. This church was organized in 1833 as a branch of Great Valley, and the present meeting house and parsonage were erected in 1875. Under Reverend Bliss' charge the church has prospered in its spiritual life and in the increase of its membership, until it now numbers three hundred and fifty. Mr. Bliss is a close student, a clear thinker and an entertaining speaker. "Rev. Mr. Bliss married Mary Peck, who died and left four children, one of whom is E. W. Bliss, Jr., who is in the real estate business at the corner of Sixth and Chestnut streets, Philadelphia. "For his second wife Mr. Bliss wedded Sarah Pauline Denton, of Plainfield, New Jersey, and by this marriage had three children: Lewis D., Frank C. and Howard R. Lewis D. Bliss, an expert electrician, is now at the head of a large electrical, engineering and constructive company, and was sent some time ago by the Edison Company to visit all electrical plants in Vir- ginia and the Carolinas. He invented an electric light at seventeen years of age, and is the inventor of the electrical fountain in Bethesda park, Washington city, which has been such an attraction to the public. Frank C. Bliss is an electrician in the census building at Washington. He was formerly associated with Professor Lewis of the Edison Company, and after- ward organized an electrical company, which is now doing a large business. He is now agent for the long distance electric light."