Rev. George C. Vincent and Margaret Cowden Walker
Husband Rev. George C. Vincent 1 2 3 4
Born: 4 Apr 1813 - near Harrisville, Butler Co, PA 3 Christened: Died: 16 Oct 1889 - Allegheny City, Allegheny Co, PA 3 5 Buried:
Father: James Vincent, Sr. ( -1847) 2 3 Mother: Charity Gilmore (1770-1847) 2 3
Marriage: 10 Sep 1838 3
Other Spouse: Martha Hanna ( -1899) 3 4 - Jul 1845 3
Wife Margaret Cowden Walker 3
Born: Christened: Died: Jun 1844 3 Buried:
Father: Rev. Dr. John Walker ( - ) 3 Mother:
Children
1 M John Walker Vincent 6
Born: 13 Jun 1839 - Washington, IA 7 Christened: Died: 19 Dec 1862 - Falmouth, Stafford Co, VA 7 Buried:
2 M Alvan Stuart Vincent 7
Born: 13 Apr 1841 7 Christened: Died: Buried:
3 M Robert Milton Vincent 7
Born: 8 May 1843 7 Christened: Died: Buried:
General Notes: Husband - Rev. George C. Vincent
He became a Presbyterian minister, and for nearly fifty years preached the gospel in Ohio, Illinois, Iowa and Pennsylvania. He was also a prominent educator, being a professor in Westminster College at one time, and president of Franklin College for seven years. He was an editorial writer of considerable ability and continued his labors in the ministry until a few months before his death.
He was a teacher in the Mercer, Pennsylvania, Academy.
He received at the hands of his parents careful religious instruction, and such training in the common English branches as the neighborhood schools afforded. In the autumn of 1833, at the solicitation of some friends in Belmont county, Ohio, he visited there and later in the year became a student in Franklin College, at New Athens, Ohio, from which he graduated in 1836. Soon after the close of his college career he entered the Theological Seminary of the Associate Presbyterian church, located at Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. After the completion of his theological course he was sent on a tour as a home missionary to western Illinois and Iowa. Early in the summer of 1841 he was called to the pastorate of the First Associate congregation of Washington, Iowa, and of the Grandview, Iowa, church, which he had established as the home missionar y of that section. These calls were accepted and he became the resident pastor in November, 1841. The toils and hardships of these pioneer pastors were very great. They traveled on horseback to preaching stations from fifty to one hundred miles in this new territory, in addition to serving their own churches. The country was almost destitute of money, and for months the minister could scarcely find money enough to pay postage. But food was plenty, and the people did all in their power to make their ministers comfortable. The most discouraging feature of the work in those early days was the sickness, which was almost universal. The malaria was in itself very debilitating, but it induced many other diseases, among which consumption was the most fatal. This took his first wife from him. During the trying times that followed this bereavement Dr. Vincent cared as best he could for the growing work and for the three little motherless boys dependent upon his care.
He continued in charge of the work until the autumn of 1847 when, on account of broken health, he was compelled to seek a change of climate. Late in the autumn of that year he accepted a call to the First Associate congregation of Mercer, Pennsylvania. During his pastorate there he was principal of the Mercer Academy. In 1852 Westminster College was founded at New Wilmington as an enlarged outgrowth of the academies at Mercer and Greenville, of which Rev. D. H. A. McLean was principal. These principals became professors in the college, and as it became more fully organized Professor Vincent was chosen vice-president. During the time of his association with the college he founded the Westminster Herald, a weekly religious newspaper, which was afterward merged with The Preacher, a similar paper published in Pittsburgh, and the new paper took the name of The United Presbyterian, and Rev. Vincent became an associate editor.
Desiring to have some relief from the exacting cares of college life, he resigned his professorship in 1871 and accepted a call to the First United Presbyterian church of Brookville, Pennsylvania, where he enjoyed many years of successful work in the ministry. In 1877, without any knowledge of the matter on his part, he was chosen to the presidency of Franklin College, his alma mater, at New Athens, Ohio. As several of the younger members of the family had not received their education his desire to make suitable provision for them induced him to give up his delightful pastorate and once more enter upon the college life, and he became president of the college in the autumn of 1877. The college work was greatly advanced under his administration. The faculty was enlarged, a fine new college building was erected, and a multitude of young people prepared for careers of usefulness. He continued in the work until 1884 when, having provided an education for his family, he felt he should return to the pastorate. In October, 1884, he accepted a call to the pastorate of the First United Presbyterian church of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, with which was associated the neighboring congregation of Fairmount. He continued to minister to these churches until his removal to Allegheny, Pennsylvania, in the summer of 1889. His health was now much broken, and he continued to decline until October of 1889, when, surrounded by his family and supported by a strong, triumphant faith, he passed to his reward. He was honored with the degree of Doctor of Divinity by Washington College in 1864, and with that of Doctor of Laws by Franklin College in 1884. Rev. J. B. McMichael, president of Monmouth College, a former student under Dr. Vincent's care, wrote of his death as follows: "Fifty years in the ministerial armor, a true, knightly soldier of the cross, bravely battling wrong and defending the right, teaching the ignorant, warning the unruly, comforting the feeble, consoling the dying, and with tongue and pen pointing all to Jesus, the lamb of God for salvation. What a long, useful life! But life's battle is at last ended, the victory is won, the last enemy is conquered, the work and warfare are all behind, the rest and reward of faithful service are before thee, thou man of God. Fare thee well, faithful guide of my boyhood, good-bye teacher. Thy work is done, all done, well done, and thou art gone to be with the Great Teacher. Write 'blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, from henceforth; yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.' "
General Notes: Wife - Margaret Cowden Walker
Early in the summer of 1841 her husband was called to the pastorate of the First Associate congregation of Washington, Iowa, and of the Grandview, Iowa, church, which he had established as the home missionary of that section. These calls were accepted and he became the resident pastor in November, 1841. The toils and hardships of these pioneer pastors were very great. They traveled on horseback to preaching stations from fifty to one hundred miles in this new territory, in addition to serving their own churches. The most discouraging feature of the work in those early days was the sickness, which was almost universal. The malaria was in itself very debilitating, but it induced many other diseases, among which consumption was the most fatal. This disease struck her and after a lingering illness, she died.
1 Editor, History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Its Past and Present (Chicago, IL: Brown, Runk & Co., Publishers, 1888), Pg 947.
2 Editor, History of Butler County, Pennsylvania (R. C. Brown & Co. Publishers, 1895), Pg 1301.
3 John W. Jordan, LL.D, A Century and a Half of Pittsburg and Her People, Vol. IV (New York: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1908), Pg 138.
4 Charles A. Hanna, Ohio Valley Genealogies (New York, 1900), Pg 57.
5 Editor, History of Butler County, Pennsylvania (R. C. Brown & Co. Publishers, 1895), Pg 1302.
6 John W. Jordan, LL.D, A Century and a Half of Pittsburg and Her People, Vol. IV (New York: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1908), Pg 139.
7
John W. Jordan, LL.D, A Century and a Half of Pittsburg and Her People, Vol. IV (New York: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1908), Pg 140.
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