William Kent McDaniel (1823 - 1889)

Born 23 Apr 1823 in Lawrence County, Ohio

Ancestors

Husband of Sarah (Rife) McDaniel — married 25 Apr 1846 in Gallia County, Ohio

Descendants

Died 18 Jan 1889 at age 65 in Pataskala, Licking County, Ohio

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Loretta Layman [send private message]

Biography

William Kent McDaniel was born in Lawrence County, Ohio, grew up on his father's farm, married Sarah Rife, and began his own farm near that of his father.^[1][2][3]

William had joined the United Brethren Church at the age of 19. At age 30, he was called to full-time Christian ministry. He became a United Brethren circuit preacher in the spring of 1853, shortly after the birth of his only son.^[4] In 1860, he and his family were living in Cynthiana, Pike County, Ohio, Cynthiana being the name of the U.B. circuit he was then serving.^[5]

Sometime later, Rev. McDaniel and his family settled in Pataskala, Licking County, Ohio, while he continued to ride the circuit. In all, he served God and man for 36 years until his death in 1889, spreading the gospel through the United Brethren Church. A memoriam in his church's newspaper, "The Christian Conservator", tells us much about the character of this ancestor:

He was successful as a minister, greatly attached to his flock. He loved the work, and gave up ease, comfort, and submitted to absence from home, and many privations for the sake of Christ's cause. ... Many are in the church now, and some have crossed the river ahead of him that he received into the Church. Last winter his labors were intense. He worked on and on, without abatement or rest, and God blessed his work to the edification and salvation of many. He was preparing to go to the last session of conference, when he took sick, and was unable to attend. ... He slowly and very gradually went down for many weeks.

He suffered severely yet his patience never failed him. On Wednesday morning, his breathing was difficult and labored, and he repeated the words: "Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise." He called his family to his bed and told them his time had come, his work was done. ... To Charley he said, "My dear boy, God bless you. You will have many trials in doing your work. Go on and finish the work on my field. Tell the brethren there I am dieing a triumphant death, tell them to be true to the principles of the Church and cling to them to the last. Tell them to look after my wife and little ones." ... From about Wednesday last he seemed to divide his time between the associations of heaven and earth. He was with his two daughters that had died - Allie and Mollie. ... He called the name of Joshua Montgomery and brother Johnson, mother, father, sister. ... Thursday evening sister McDaniel went to him and told him she was tired and would lay down. He said, "Yes, God bless you my dear woman. By-by, by-by." To Carrie his granddaughter, he said, "God bless you Carrie. Hold your head up, and go straight through the world." ... Before he took sick he would go around to visit his children, soon after arriving home [from the circuit] and before he would go away [again], singing a song as he went. Lida, [his daughter Elizabeth, a/k/a Lydia] asked him on Wednesday evening: "Do you know me?: [He answered,] "God bless you, my dear child, it is Lida," put his hand on her face, and said to her, "Don't cry. I am safe, I am safe." His last words that were distinctly audible were: "All is well, all is well."^[6]

Rev. William Kent McDaniel had lived through the Civil War. He did not enter military service as his father and his father's father had done; but he fought the good fight, wrestling not against flesh and blood but against the rulers of the darkness of this world. He was victorious, dispelling some of that darkness and helping to heal the wounds of war. "The Christian Conservator" dated 21 March 1889 carried this tribute from a close acquaintance, B. W. Mason:

I returned home from the army in the year 1865 and found our circuit in a broken-down condition. It was known as New Albany Circuit. ... The spirit of the great rebellion had had a terrible influence on the work. What few members we had were all divided on the war and there was more or less strife and contention at every appointment. ... It was a very dark time. ... So we looked forward to the annual conference to send us a preacher who was both able to meet and overcome the opposition to the Church. The time for conference came, and when the appointments were read out by the bishop, 'New Albany, W. McDaniel,' one brother said to him, 'You have a hard appointment. I pity you. What will you do?' His answer was: 'I will move to my work at once. I am going in the strength of my God, and I feel sure I shall have a good year.' And when he came, he did not act and talk as though he had a hard field, but as if he felt he had the best work in the conference. ... We soon found he was determined to know nothing among us but Christ and him crucified. He commenced his revival meetings early. The Lord greatly blessed his efforts. ... Rev. William McDaniel, as a man, was pure. As a pastor, there was no better. ... He was humble, sincere and strictly honest.

If he was found on the side of the majority, it was when the majority was on the right side. We have men who are always with the majority. ... What he had to say he said openly and fearlessly. ... He was loyal himself and he loved a loyal member wherever he found him. He loved his brethren. He was a man of strong convictions. He was not for sale at any price. While many of the members were selling out to the Liberals, and selling cheap, too, this man was as firm as a rock. He was a true United Brethren, and loved the principles of the Church. He was a good neighbor, always ready to help the needy. If he had enemies, it was only for the truth's sake. ... In the death of William Kent McDaniel the Scioto Conference has lost her purest, humblest, truest and most reliable, strongest and ablest preacher she had, except our venerable Dr. Davis. Praise the Lord for such men.^[7]

Rev. William Kent McDaniel was laid to rest at the Pataskala Cemetery. His Findagrave memorial lists his place of birth as Brown County, Ohio, an error picked up from an error in his church memoriam.^[8]

Sources

1. ↑ Lee, Esta McDaniel, “Our McDaniel Family”, D.A.R., 1975, p. 39
2. ↑ Probate Court Register of Marriages for Gallia County, Ohio, vol. 2, p. 35: William McDaniel and Sarah Riffe; image available at www.family.search.org
3. ↑ "US Census, 1850", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXQV-MZF : 12 Apr 2016); citing family 49, p. 425, NARA microfilm publication M432
4. ↑ "US Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCLR-19X : 13 Dec 2017); p. 8
5. ↑ "Christian Conservator", vol. 4, no. 25, United Brethren Church, January 31, 1889: Memoriam of Rev. William Kent McDaniel
6. ↑ "Christian Conservator", vol. 4, no. 25, Ibid.
7. ↑ "Christian Conservator", vol. 4, no. 32, United Brethren Church, March 21, 1889: letter to the editor from B. W. Mason
8. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/16170031/william-kent-mcdaniel : Findagrave Memorial for Rev. William Kent McDaniel