Obituary: Rev. E. D. Ogburn, 4 July 1887 - Smith County, TX Contributed by Vicki Betts 8 January 2003 Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm *********************************************************************** TEXAS CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE, July 14, 1887, p. 4, c. 5 REV. E. D. OGBURN. I have just received the sad intelligence of the death of Rev. E. D. Ogburn, preacher in charge of the White House Circuit, Tyler District, East Texas Conference. Bro. Ogburn was a faithful and true man, growing in usefulness and acceptability in the ministry. We deplore his loss. He leaves a wife and six children. An extended obituary will be forthcoming. TEXAS CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE, September 15, 1887, p. 7, c. 2-3 REV. EDWIN D. OGBURN Rev. Edwin D. Ogburn was born of the flesh in Henry county, Tennessee, December 17, 1849, and died in Smith county, Texas, July 4, 1887. He was the son of Rev. Josiah and Mary L. Ogburn. During the year 1870, under the ministry of Rev. John S. Mathis, he was born of the Spirit and received into the church, since which time he evidenced to the world, by his rigid adherence to vows he assumed, that his conversion was genuine, and his faith well founded. In the fall of 1876, he was licensed to preach, and for eight years was an acceptable local preacher, heartily co-operating with the traveling ministry in all their efforts to give furtherance to Christ's kingdom. During the years of his local relations, he yearned for the time to come when he could enlarge his field of ministerial labors by having his name enrolled among his brethren of the traveling connection. Therefore, he set his house in order to reach that end, and in November, 1884, he was admitted on trial in the East Texas Conference. His first appointment was Big Sandy Mission, which he served faithfully, and with great acceptability with those to whom he preached. At the conference of 1885, held at Beaumont, he was assigned to the White House circuit, and returned to the same work in 1886, where, in the midst of labors abundant and in growing favor with his people, on the morn of July 4, "A mortal arrow pierced his frame; He fell—but felt no fear." Bro. Ogburn's labors as traveling preacher, up to the time of his demise, was confined mostly among the people with whom he had lived since his advent into Texas, and although some had formed prejudices against him previous to his reformation, his upright life, his faithfulness to duty and his earnest zeal for the salvation of souls, unfettered these bound enemies, one by one, and they became his most ardent admirers and faithful supporters. And when the news reached the limits of his circuit that he was dead, "the devout men made great lamentations over him." He was not only in great favor with his people as an urbane Christian gentleman, but he impressed those who waited upon his ministry with his steady growth as a pulpit man. His sermons were textual and well arranged, and delivered with unction, always containing a seed-thought that could be taken home and remembered for days to come. He was thoroughly Methodistic, and was in perfect accord with the standards of the church of which he was a dutiful servant. As a disciplinarian, I know of no preacher, within the bounds of the conference, who excelled or equaled him. His reports at the quarterly meetings always contained the names of those who were expelled, or were under the censure of the church for violations of church vows. Yet this disciplining of the insubordinate, and lopping off the dead branches, was so executed that the wounded ones so respected him that they could kiss the hand that held the rod of correction. To his official brethren, he was a safe and wise adviser. He never gave an opinion, nor made a suggestion, without being able to give a judicious reason for it. And as his presiding elder, I felt that all of the interests of the White House circuit were in safe hands, and that all the conference collections would be garnered, and a sweeping revival would result from his zeal and fervent prayers. But, alas! our ways are not as God's ways. When, with joy, we witnessed him rising higher in the scale of usefulness, and prophesied for him still higher heights, our prophetic vision is begloomed and our joy is saddened by funeral dirges, and we write in our book of lamentation, "he that was, is no more." It was not the province of the writer to be with him during his illness, but we have assurances, from Bros. Fowler, Little, and his family, that not a wave of trouble, at that time, disturbed his peaceful breast. His wife, in a short note, says of him: "He was a devoted husband, an affectionate father and an ardent lover of the Lord Jesus." It was his custom, when at home with his family, to call wife and children four times a day around the family altar and offer sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving to his Benefactor and Preserver. A short time before he passed away, he remarked to Bro. L. M. Fowler that physically, he was very sick and weak; but spiritually, he was well and strong. The last request he made of those who lingered around his couch, was for them to sing. And as the notes of hallowed music fell upon his ear, now almost deafened by the thundering waves of the ocean of death, his strength was renewed and his faith was stimulated to face the trying ordeal without a blanch upon his cheek, and under the soothing charms of sweet song, he launched out upon the broad river of life everlasting. "Music charmed him last on earth, And greeted him first in heaven." In the death of our beloved brother, a legacy is bequeathed to his companions in the ministry. That legacy is a pure and consecrated life. To the church, which is the almoner of every deceased preacher, he leaves his forlorn widow and six orphan children, five of whom are girls. Farewell, dear brother, till the day of consummation; till the bridal of the soul. May God be a husband to the widow and a father to the orphan children. U. B. Philips. Tyler, Texas.