Bontrager, Eli A. (1861-1956)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1956 Feb 2 p. 3

Birth date: 1861 Dec 16

text of obituary:

Pioneer Minister Died At Age 94

SERVICES FOR ELI A. BONTRAGER OF FAIRVIEW, MICH. WIDELY ATTENDED

Fairview, Mich. — Friends from many parts of Michigan and from Indiana gathered here Sunday, Jan. 22, to attend funeral services for Eli A. Bontrager, 94, pioneer minister of the Fairview Mennonite Church. An estimated 600 persons were present.

Bro. Bontrager passed away at his home here Jan. 19 after several weeks of failing health.

Born in Lagrange County, Ind. on Dec. 16, 1861, he was ordained to the ministry at the North Main Street Mennonite Church, Nappanee, Ind. in 1900. Three years later the family moved to this community where he farmed and also preached to the small group of Mennonites. The church grew rapidly in the following years as new families moved in from other states.

Bro. Bontrager also traveled extensively in evangelistic work, and in 1915 took charge of the small congregation at Midland, Mich.

(A more complete story of Bro. Bontrager's life will appear in a future issue of the Review.)

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1956 Feb 9 p. 7, 10

text of obituary:

SEATED in his favorite chair, Eli A. Bontrager is shown in the midst of familiar surroundings at his home in Fairview, Mich. The photo was taken Dec. 15, 1955, the day before his 94th birthday. Soon after this his health began to fail rapidly and he passed away Jan. 19, 1956.

Hard Work, Unusual Experiences Marked Life of Pioneer Minister

(EDITOR'S NOTE; The following life sketch of Eli A. Bontrager, pioneer minister of the (Old) Mennonite church in northern Michigan, was written by his son, Bishop Floyd F. Bontrager of Clare, Mich., drawing extensively on the father's own records and recollections of his life's experience. It was compiled during Bro. Bontrager's last illness, at which time he was cared for by his son and daughter-in-law. in his later years Bro. Bontrager was a faithful and enthusiastic Review correspondent.

Eli A. Bontrager, son of Amos and Lydia Miller Bontrager, was born in Newberry township, Lagrange county, Ind. on Dec. 16, 1861. He stayed at home with his parents until he was 21 years old.

When Eli was 14 years old his father bought a team of big oxen, black as crows. One was named Nig, the other Nigger. His brothers persuaded him to drive the oxen and they would drive the horse teams. Eli told them he is "just ox enough" to do that, so they got along allright.

His father bought a grain binder that was built to have two men standing where the grain was elevated to them to be bound. Eli could easily bind his share. They also had a threshing machine which was operated by horsepower using five two-horse teams. They never owned a tractor or engine of any kind on their 380 acre farm. All work was done by hand, horses or oxen.

When Eli was 20 years old his father gave him a very nice horse, buggy and harness. He gook good care of it and later bought another horse that matched the one he had. Driving two nice speedy horses hitched to a buggy drew the attention of the opposite sex, like the young men with their new cars today.

*       *       * On His Own

AT THE age of 21 his father told him that since he was of age, he could work for himself. He hired out to farmers. At one place he got a straw hat as wages for a summer's work. Another farmer hired him for $18 per month and put him to picking stones. He worked till his hand would bleed and his back was almost broken. One day at 4 o'clock he straightened up and as he looked over the field and saw the stones yet to be picked up and his bleeding hands, he took a long breath and quit right there.

He continued working for farmers until some time later when he sold his horses, harness and buggy. Having a desire to see California, he decided to go. He left home on Christmas day and after riding on the train for 10 days and nights he arrived at Los Angeles. there he worked in a store for one year and then returned to his home in Indiana.

*       *       * Marriage, Ordination

ON MAY 3, 1885, he was married to Katie J. Johns, daughter of John and Kathryn Yoder Johns. They shared married life for over 50 years. They had 13 children. Two boys and two girls died in infancy.

In 1898, the family moved to Nappanee, Ind., and Eli worked in the furniture factory a while for $1.25 per day. His next job was raising onions. He signed a contract to care for 10 acres of onions. This was a new experience but with the sons he then had, they started. The rows were 80 rods long and 14 inches apart. This required being on their knees all day long pulling weeds but they did the job.

Eli was Sunday school superintendent for nearly seven years. On August 23, 1900, he was ordained a minister in the North Main Street Mennonite Church in Nappanee. Bro. D. J. Johns of Goshen, Ind., preached the ordination sermon and Bro. J. P. Schmucker of Topeka, Ind., performed the ordination.Bro. J. H. McGoun was the local pastor and Eli was ordained to help him They got along very nicely.

*       *       * Join New Settlements

IN 1903 they sold their property in Nappanee and he with his family moved to Fairview, Mich., which is in Oscoda Co. They bought a farm of 105 acres for $1,500. Only a small part of the farm was cleared. At this time much of the country was covered with big pine, beech, and maple trees. Much land was not for sale until it was lumbered oll {sic]. After that a real estate agent (A. R. Code) from Chicago started selling land. he went to Holmes Co., Ohio and got three Amish men to go with him to Oscoda Co. and see the land. He paid all expenses and gave each one 80 acres, then sold each one another 80 acres along side of the 80 acres he had given, at the rate of $2 per acre.

Mr. Code took them back to Ohio and the men sold their farms, loaded their goods and moved to their new farms at Fairview, Mr. Code paying all moving expenses. Then he asked them to write letters telling about this new country. Mr. Code put these with some pictures into pamphlet form and sent them out to interest other people. A number of families in Howard and Miami counties in Indiana became interested and moved to Fairview.

The only religious services these people were having was a union Sunday school in an old log school house one mile west from Fairview. When Bro. Bontrager moved to Fairview in 1903, he began preaching for these people following the Sunday School service. Bro. D. J. Johns from Goshen served as bishop, but he instructed Bro. Bontrager to do bishop work in his absence.

The Bontrager family worked hard to clear their farm, lead in the church work, and also take care of the many people that came to see this new land. Sometimes people almost ate them out of house and home. With grocery bills up over $100, father would have to borrow money at the bank to pay the bills. The railroad ran excursion trains to accommodate the people from the east, south, and west. Many bought farms. In 8 years the church membership increased to 250.

*       *       * Preaching on the Frontier

IN 1906 Bro. Menno Esch was ordained to the ministry. This made it possible for Bro. Bontrager to go and preach in other settlements nearby such as Kittle schoolhouse, Red Oak, Lewiston, Commins, Cloverdale, Sunnyside and Mio.

One time he preached in an old sheep stable out in the woods. The building had no windows or door but people wanted to hear preaching so they took scoopshovels and cleared out the place and had services.

Many times he would sleep in homes where the bed was inhabited before he got there, so while he was preaching on Sunday the bugs would start crawling out from under his coat and when he saw them he would just brush them off and keep right on preaching. When he returned home mother would always see to it that he would change clothes before he went into the house.

*       *       * A Helping Hand

HE ALSO held evangelistic meetings. Once when he was holding meetings in Ohio the house at home burned to the ground, and not much goods was saved. It was in winter time and the people had to travel with horses and sleds, but many were there. They got busy right away, went to the woods, cut and hauled trees to the mill and returned with the lumber and built a house large enough for the family. Seven days after the fire the family moved into the new house — it was the day father came home from the meetings.

*       *       * New Work at Midland

THE CHURCH increased in numbers and other ministers were ordained. In 1915 he was asked to go to Midland, Mich. where a few Mennonite families had moved from Indiana. In the spring of 1916 he moved there and took charge. The work continued to grow. He had convictions that young men should be ordained while older ministers were still available to help them. This was also done at Midland.

On Easter morning in 1936 his companion died. After that he did much traveling and became widely known. He moved back to Fairview in 1944, where he lived alone.

On his 90th birthday, Dec. 16, 1951 he preached his last sermon which was at Fairview. In 1953 the Fairview church observed the 50th anniversary and he was well able to relate many of the early experiences of Oscoda Co.

The last 11 years of his life he enjoyed living in Fairview in the midst of his many friends and acquaintances, both young and old. His home was always an open house of friendship to all.

He died at his home on Jan. 19, 1956, aged 94 years, one month and three days. Funeral services were held at the Fairview Mennonite Church on Sunday, Jan. 22, with Menno Esch and Harvey Handrich officiating. Burial was made in the Fairview cemetery.

He leaves to mourn his passing eight sons and one daughter, Ray of White Cloud, Mabel and Otis of Fairview, Ottis of St. Johns, Erie of Vestaburg, Floyd of Clare, Charles of Midland, Truman of Ashley, and Ernest of Estacada, Ore., as well as 22 grandchildren and 56 great-grandchildren.