Allgyer, Samuel Evans (1859-1953)

Latest revision as of 12:49, 5 March 2020

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

Birth date: 1859 Mar 8

text of obituary:

48 Years in the Ministry

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:

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.

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

text of obituary:

Widely Known Church Leader Called by Death

West Liberty, Ohio. — Funeral services for Bishop S. E. Allgyer, 54, widely known leader and evangelist of the (Old) Mennonite church, took place here Wednesday, Nov. 18. He passed away Sunday evening, Nov. 15, at the home near West Liberty. The funeral sermon was preached by Bishop S. C. Yoder of Goshen, Ind. Born in Mifflin County, Pa., on March 8, 1859, son of Joseph and Barbara Zook Allgyer, he came to this community at an early age. He was ordained to the ministry at the Oak Grove Mennonite church here in 1905. His ordination as a bishop took place in 1908. During his long and fruitful ministry he had bishop oversight of three churches here as well as of several other congregations.

In his younger years Bro. Allgyer engaged in evangelistic [lgyer engaged in eveangelistic][sic line phrase repeated] work throughout the United States and Canada, and also visited Mexico and Europe. He served as field worker of the Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities for many years, and held places of leadership in both the Mennonite General Conference and Ohio and Eastern A. M. Conference.

His interest in benevolent work led to the establishment of the Mennonite orphans home here, in which he was active for 50 years. He also organized support for the establishing of the home for aged near Rittman, Ohio.

His marriage to Priscilla A. Umble took place Jan. 18, 1883, at Gap, Pa. She died in 1946. A number of children and grandchildren survive.

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1953 Dec 10 p. 9

text of obituary:

Samuel Evans Allgyer was born in Mifflin county, Penna. on March 8, 1859, the youngest in the family of Joseph and Barbara Zook Allgyer. He quietly departed this life on Nov. 15, 1953, at 8:15 p.m., at his home near West Liberty, Ohio.

He had offered the prayer of consecration at the morning Sabbath service on the last day of his life, at the age of 94, in the same church in which he had served as Sunday school teacher, superintendent of the Sunday school, pastor and bishop, and in which he had begun his membership at the age of 16. Through the years his guiding influence played a gentle but firm and important role in the growth of this his beloved church. These were years of change and progress: the language of the church was changed from German to English; the building was remodeled; several deacons, ministers and bishops were ordained; a dynamic and continuing program of missionary activity was initiated.

Early in the century, when S. E. Allgyer was ordained to the ministry, he began the true purpose and sacred goal of his life—the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His first sermon, preached at the Oak Grove church, had Luke 4:18 for the text:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

In the first year of his ministry he began evangelistic work, and as he later wrote, “By the Grace of God, and the aid of the Holy Spirit, I have preached nearly 4,000 sermons and have baptized hundreds of converts into His kingdom." He shared the responsibility of organization and management of the Orphans’ Home of West Liberty for almost 50 years. The organization of the financial support for the construction of the old peoples home of Wayne county, Ohio claimed his enthusiastic devotion for a number of years. These two interests well illustrate the practical application of a Christian faith that believed in doing; in a faith that prompted a lively interest, to his last day, in the work and problems of those about him. His years of service as field worker for the Board of Mennonite Missions and Charities took him into nearly every state of the Union and into many provinces of Canada.

On January 18, 1883, S. E. Allgyer married Priscilla Umble of Lancaster county, Penna. Eight children came to bless this happy union: Eva Mae (Mrs. Noah E. Troyer), Barbara Ellen (Mrs. Earl M. Yoder), Maude Umble (Mrs. Dan C. Yoder), J. Roy, Anna Mary (Mrs. A. Ray Eschliman), Ruth Edna (Mrs. John G. Baumgartner), S. Maurice, and John M.

Father Allgyer made his home a home of prayer and consecrated devotion. The spirit and influence of father and mother have guided many decisions and judgments and have often served as a beacon light to guide toward the truth. Neighbors and many a friend scattered here and there, as well as his own children, cherish some counsel or advice which he gave.

Twenty-three grand-children were joined to this happy family circle, and 39 great-grandchildren. Three children have gone before: Maude in 1929, Barbara in 1934, and Eva in 1950. Mother, the companion of joy and sorrow, of happiness and disappointment, through 63 years of married life, left in 1946. There she has waited, as she always did in life, with the sweetest smile, and with the words which she had spoken many, many times, “I am so glad you are home again.”

Here lies the veritable patriarch of our family, the spring and source of our life, a venerable citizen of his community, a respected leader of his church, and a faithful servant of his Lord and Master. He may well have said, with the Apostle Paul:

“The time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to me at that day: and not to me only but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

A number of contributions, in lieu of flowers, have already been made to be used by the family as a memorial to their father. For this reason, provision has been made for the establishment and administration of a permanent fund to be called the “S. E. Allgyer Memorial Library Fund.” The proceeds of the fund will be used to purchase appropriate books, to be given to the Oak Grove church, the Orphans’ Home of West Liberty, Ohio, and to the Old People’s Home of Rittman, Ohio. Additional contributions may be made to the treasurer, Everett B. Yoder of West Liberty, Ohio, a grandson.