John Beverly
REV. JOHN BEVERLY
Minutes of the Twenty-First Annual Session of the North Texas Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South,
Held at Honey Grove, Texas, Nov. 23-28, 1887, p 47.
REV. JOHN BEVERLY.
The subject of this sketch was born in Roan county, East Tennessee, July 6th, 1829, and came to Texas in company with his father and family during the month of November 1846, and settled in Collin county, near Plano. He professed religion in Jersey county, Illinois, in his fifteenth year. The first society of church members of the M. E. Church, South, was organized in the neighborhood of Plano, in the year 1847. Bro. Beverly was one of the original thirteen that constituted that organization. He was happily married to Miss Isabell Russell, April 11, 1849, with whom he lived in peace and happiness until his departure into heaven. He was licensed to preach the Gospel of the Son of God by the Quarterly Conference of the old Dallas Circuit in the fall of 1850, and was ordained deacon by Bishop Pierce in the fall of 1858, and was ordained elder by Bishop Daggett, at Dallas, Texas, November 1, 1868. He was admitted on trial into the (Trinity) now North Texas conference in the fall of 1873, and was received into full connection in November at Paris, 1875; in 1874 he served Rockwall Circuit in connection with T. E. Sherwood; in 1875-76-77, he served Bethel Circuit, and in the fall of 1877, he was appointed to Plano and Caruth charge. He served this work until May, 1878, when he was forced to give up the work in consequence of mental derangement. As an itinerant preacher he was a success; he was a good sound preacher and a splendid pastor, where he served and was known; he was loved by both young and old. He was thoroughly acquainted with the discipline, doctrines, usages and policy of the church to which he belonged, and to which he was so ardently attached. He was even and smooth in temperament, affable and genial in his manner, modest and unassuming in deportment, yet firm in all of his conviction. His one great desire was to do good and get to heaven. He loved to preach and took great interest and delight in it until his sore affliction, and even then during the nine years of his illness, he often spoke interestingly and tenderly of his ministry and the ministry of his brethren; his soul was deeply in the work as long as he lived; his preaching was plain, practical and forcible, and full of the unction of the Holy Spirit; he spoke readily and with ease. Many souls were converted and brought into the church through his instrumentality. He supplied his own household with good books and wholesome literature, and left an example worthy of their imitation. While he was yet in his teens he instituted family prayer in his father’s house and kept it up until his marriage, and then kept it up until his affliction, and even then kept it up occasionally until the day of his death.
During the whole nine years of mental trouble he retained the power of recognition, and his memory was unimpaired; he could recognize any one whom he ever knew on first sight, and tell you when last he saw such and such a person. He was ready and ripe for the heavenly garner. His future was joyful, bright and full of hope. He would often say to his beloved wife in the last days of his sickness: "Oh that I could go to sleep and wake up in heaven." This was not said in a fault-finding spirit, but in meekness; he knew he never could recover for his serious illness, and wanted to depart in peace. As a husband he was affectionate and devoted; as a father he was kind and indulgent; as a neighbor he was cautious and friendly; as a christian pure and consistent, ans as a preacher faithful to God and the church. On the 7th of May, 1887, at his own home near Plano, while his wife was sitting by him he said to her: "Send for some one." She looked at him and his breath was gone, and his soul was in heaven. He died in a sitting position, he died without a struggle as one going to sleep. He went to sleep and "waked up in heaven." How sad and lonely it was to his companion and children, but their loss is his eternal gain. He has gone to meet loved ones on that bright and lovely shore. These separations are severe and would be definitely more so, but for the blissful hope of the immortality of the soul and life everlasting beyond this vale of tears. His sufferings are over and his probation is ended, and he is happily a rest.
Minutes of the Twenty-First Annual Session of the North Texas Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South,
Held at Honey Grove, Texas, Nov. 23-28, 1887, p 47.
REV. JOHN BEVERLY.
The subject of this sketch was born in Roan county, East Tennessee, July 6th, 1829, and came to Texas in company with his father and family during the month of November 1846, and settled in Collin county, near Plano. He professed religion in Jersey county, Illinois, in his fifteenth year. The first society of church members of the M. E. Church, South, was organized in the neighborhood of Plano, in the year 1847. Bro. Beverly was one of the original thirteen that constituted that organization. He was happily married to Miss Isabell Russell, April 11, 1849, with whom he lived in peace and happiness until his departure into heaven. He was licensed to preach the Gospel of the Son of God by the Quarterly Conference of the old Dallas Circuit in the fall of 1850, and was ordained deacon by Bishop Pierce in the fall of 1858, and was ordained elder by Bishop Daggett, at Dallas, Texas, November 1, 1868. He was admitted on trial into the (Trinity) now North Texas conference in the fall of 1873, and was received into full connection in November at Paris, 1875; in 1874 he served Rockwall Circuit in connection with T. E. Sherwood; in 1875-76-77, he served Bethel Circuit, and in the fall of 1877, he was appointed to Plano and Caruth charge. He served this work until May, 1878, when he was forced to give up the work in consequence of mental derangement. As an itinerant preacher he was a success; he was a good sound preacher and a splendid pastor, where he served and was known; he was loved by both young and old. He was thoroughly acquainted with the discipline, doctrines, usages and policy of the church to which he belonged, and to which he was so ardently attached. He was even and smooth in temperament, affable and genial in his manner, modest and unassuming in deportment, yet firm in all of his conviction. His one great desire was to do good and get to heaven. He loved to preach and took great interest and delight in it until his sore affliction, and even then during the nine years of his illness, he often spoke interestingly and tenderly of his ministry and the ministry of his brethren; his soul was deeply in the work as long as he lived; his preaching was plain, practical and forcible, and full of the unction of the Holy Spirit; he spoke readily and with ease. Many souls were converted and brought into the church through his instrumentality. He supplied his own household with good books and wholesome literature, and left an example worthy of their imitation. While he was yet in his teens he instituted family prayer in his father’s house and kept it up until his marriage, and then kept it up until his affliction, and even then kept it up occasionally until the day of his death.
During the whole nine years of mental trouble he retained the power of recognition, and his memory was unimpaired; he could recognize any one whom he ever knew on first sight, and tell you when last he saw such and such a person. He was ready and ripe for the heavenly garner. His future was joyful, bright and full of hope. He would often say to his beloved wife in the last days of his sickness: "Oh that I could go to sleep and wake up in heaven." This was not said in a fault-finding spirit, but in meekness; he knew he never could recover for his serious illness, and wanted to depart in peace. As a husband he was affectionate and devoted; as a father he was kind and indulgent; as a neighbor he was cautious and friendly; as a christian pure and consistent, ans as a preacher faithful to God and the church. On the 7th of May, 1887, at his own home near Plano, while his wife was sitting by him he said to her: "Send for some one." She looked at him and his breath was gone, and his soul was in heaven. He died in a sitting position, he died without a struggle as one going to sleep. He went to sleep and "waked up in heaven." How sad and lonely it was to his companion and children, but their loss is his eternal gain. He has gone to meet loved ones on that bright and lovely shore. These separations are severe and would be definitely more so, but for the blissful hope of the immortality of the soul and life everlasting beyond this vale of tears. His sufferings are over and his probation is ended, and he is happily a rest.
