Allgyer, Samuel Evans (1859-1953)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1953 Mar 19 p. 3 [bio]

Birth date: 1859 Mar 8

text of obituary:

48 Years in the Ministry

Bishop Allgyer of West Liberty, Ohio Honored On 94th Birthday Anniversary

West Liberty, Ohio. — S. E. Allgyer, who has been a minister of the (Old) Mennonite church for 48 years, commemorated his 94th birthday on Sunday, March 8. He served as bishop of the Oak Grove congregation here from 1908 until his retirement in 1951.

Still in fairly good health, Bro. Allgyer received more than 100 relatives and friends during open house held in his honor Sunday afternoon at the home of his son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. A. R. Eschliman.

Visitors here for the occasion were his daughter, Mrs. Ruth Baumgartner and two children of Princeton, N. J., a granddaughter, Mrs. Dwight Yoder of Akron, Pa., a son John and family of Plain City, and son Maurice andfamily of Columbus. Greetings were received from another son, Roy of Washington, D. C., from grandchildren and friends at distant points.

The following life sketch of the venerable church and community leader appeared recently in the West Liberty Banner:

Born in 1859

Rev. Allgyer was born March 8, 1859, in Mifflin County, Pa., near the village of McVeystown, the youngest in the family of Joseph and Barbara Allgyer. He lived there until 1874, when the family came to Wayne county, Ohio. In the spring of 1875, they moved to the farm that is still his home, located about four miles southeast of West Liberty.

On Jan. 18, 1883, at the age of 24, he was married to Priscilla A. Umble, of Lancaster county, Pa. They had eight children, five of whom are living. Mrs. Allgyer died in 1946. A strong family man who believes in the close ties of family, Rev. Allgyer makes it a habit to type eight letters to his family every Wednesday.

In 1875, when 16, he joined the Oak Grave Mennonite church, and he has been an active member ever since. He started serving the church as janitor when 17 and subsequently served as librarian, secretary, teacher, assistant superintendent and superintendent of the Sunday School. He served as bishop at Oak Grove from 1908 to 1951.

Saw English Adopted

While he was superintendent, the Sunday School changed from the use of German to English. “It was quite an event.” he recalls, “but we came through it with very little trouble.”

Rev. Allgyer was a charter member of the Ohio Mission Board, on which he served 19 years, and he served as field worker for the Mennonite board of Missions and Charities for 25 years.

He served as a trustee for the Mennonite Children's Home, Wes Liberty, from 1900 to 1946, and was active in rebuilding the Old People's Home in Wayne county, Ohio, serving as solicitor and chairman of the building committee.

He was ordained as minister at Oak Grove in 1905, and started into evangelistic work the following year. From that time until five years ago, he was continuously active in church work, serving across the country.

Appointed conference evangelist in 1906, he visited all the churches in his conference. He attended the Mennonite general conferences in the U.S. and Canada for 43 consecutive annual sessions.

In 1912, at the age of 53, Rev. Allgyer built a new home on the west end of his farm, and quit farming to devote full time to the ministry.

In his 48 years in the ministry, he delivered 4,000 sermons and ordained 38 men into the church offices, including eight bishops and 20 ministers. He has preached 315 funerals and officiated at 104 weddings. During that time, he crossed the Alleghenies more than300 times, made four trips to the west coast, and made a tour of duty to France in 1919, in reconstruction work. He has preached in 24 states.

He still attends church every Sunday morning, although he has difficulty hearing. He has a system to overcome that, though. A lady takes notes as the service progresses, and passes them to a friend, who reads them and gives them to Rev. Allgyer.

Amiable, and young for his years, Rev. Allgyer has enjoyed good health most of his life. He had a close call in 1913, when he suffered a ruptured appendix while preaching in Toronto, Canada, and again in July, 1950, when he underwent a major operation. However, he recovered miraculously and made a trip the next month to South Dakota to attend a grandson's wedding.

Just last year he traveled from South Dakota to Ohio to New Jersey and back, to attend another grandson's wedding.

Three years ago he went to South Dakota to live with his daughter and husband, Rev. and Mrs. A. R. Eshliman. But he just couldn't be happy, away from the “home place.”

The Eschlimans very considerately offered to return with him to his home, and they now live together there, on the farm that Rev. S. E. Allgyer has known as “home” for 78 years.

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1953 Nov 26 p. 1
Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1953 Dec 10 p. 9