REV. JOHN GANG.
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Rev. John Gano, was born in
Hopewell, N. J., July 22, 1727.
His family was of French ori
gin, and its name Gerneaux.
Mr. Gano’s father was a pious
Presbyterian, and he felt in
clined to follow in his father’s
I’eligious footsteps, but an ex
amination of the subect of bap
tism led him to take the Sa
viour’s immersion in the Jor
dan as his model and to unite
with the Baptist church ct
Hopewell. With a new heart,
a scriptural cr^ed, and a call
from Christ to preach the Gos
pel, he was ordained May 29,
175 i, and became pastor of the
Scotch Plains church. He remov
ed to the South after two years'
settlement at Scotch Plains,
where he remained until 1760.
In June, 1762, the First Baptist
church of New York was consti
tuted, its members having re
ceived letters for this purpose
from the parent church at
Scotch Plains. Immediately aft
er their organization they callea
Mr. Gano to be their pastor.
He accepted the invitation, and
held the position for twenty-six
eventful years. His ministry
was greatly ble.ssed in New
York, and the church that com
menced its ecclesiastical life
with twenty-seven members
soon became a power in the fu
ture Empire City.
Mr. Gano was deeply interest
ed in the Revolutionary strug
gle, and when fighting began he
entered the army as chaplain to
General Clinton’s New York
brigade, and performed services
which rendered him dear to the
officers and men with whom he
was associated. Nor did he ever
shun the scene of danger,
though his duties were entirely
peaceful. Headly,' in his “chap
lains and clergy of the Revolu
tion,’’ says, “In the fierce con
flicts on Chatterton’s Hill, Mr.
Gano was continually under fire,
and his cool and quiet courage
in thus fearlessly exposing him
self was afterwards commented
on in the most glowing terms by
the officers who stood neai
him.’’ In speaking of his con
duct on that occasion, he said,
“My station in time of action i
knew to be among the surgeons,
but in this battle I somehow got
in front of the regiment, yet 1
durst not quit my place for feai
of dampening the spirits of the
soldiers, or of bringing on my
self an imnutation of coward
ice.” Headly states that when
he “saw more than half the ar
my flying from the sound of
cannon, others abandoning theii
pieces without firing a shot, and'
a brave band of 600 maintain-1
ing the conflict with the whole!
British army, filled with chival-;
rous and patriotic sympathy foi!
the valiant men who refused to
run, he could not resist the!
strong desire to share their per
ils, and he eagerly pushed for-|
ward to the front.” Any won-!
der that Washington should say I
of chaplains like Mr. Gano, and-
their were other Baptists of his i
spirit, that “Baptist chaplains ^
were the most prominent and
useful in the army?”
On the return of Mr. Gano to
New York at the close of tht
war he could only find thirty-
se\'en members of his church,
these he gathered togather
again, and the Lord soon gave I
him and his people a gracious'
i revival which imparted strength |
and hope to his discouraged
church. In May, 1788, he re-!
moved to Kentucky, and became i
the pastor of the Town Fork i
church, near Lexington. He'
died 1804.
Mr. Gano was the brother-in-;
law of Dr. Manning, the firs!;
president of Brown Univer.sity,
whose ordination sermon he
preached. He was one the ear
liest and most influential
firiends of Rhode Island College.
He went everywhere to to fur
ther Baptist interests. He haa
a fund of energy greater than
most men, and an intellect which
could grasp any subject. He;
was regarded in his day as “a;
star of the first magnitude,” a
prince among the hosts of Is
rael, a burning a^td a shining
light, and many rejoiced in his
life. One of his sons. Dr. Steph
en Gano, was for thirty-six
I clears the beloved pastor of the
First Baptist church, Provi-;
dence, R. I. j
Mr. Gano is the Baptist
preacher that baptized George
Washington. We cannot give
the details of the occurrence |
now, but hope to do so in our'
next issue. We are sure many ,
will be interested in the biogra-!
ph.y of this heroic preacher. It’s;
our aim to give a short biogra-!
phy of several of our noted pio
neers.
years old. He had been a mem
ber of Silver Springs for about
twenty-two y^ears, and a deacon
for about five years. No one
could have been more honored
than he. The enormous crown
present at his funeral was con-
He tried to attend to the welfare
of his children as but few could
do. He gave his children a good
start in life, and never grew
tired of helping them. He was
a great lover of his grand-chil
dren. It was amusing to see
elusive evidence of his being one | him play with them. They lov-
of our most honored citizens, ed him as they did their par-
As a citizen Brother Poplin I ents. He leaves three sons,
was a quiet, honest man. He | James, Crowell and Fred, and
loved his friends as much as any j one daughter, Mrs. Walter Tuck-
man could. He was not a manjer, and about eight or nine
to say much about what he | grand-children. May’ the prin-
thought, but when he was need-1 ciples he taught them live with
ed he was ready. He allowed; them forever,
every’ man his rights and did j Brother Poplin was a Baptist,
not try’ to get a man to do any-1 and when I say Baptist, I mean
thing against his own convic- lone in every sense of the word,
tions. He believed in every’one ‘ He was one from conviction, and
obeying the laws of our coun
try. No one had more respect
for his country’ than this man.
He always tried to do his duty
as an American citizen.
As a neighbor, he loved his
better still, he lived one. The
greatest thing a man can do is to
live what he believes. If he has
honest convictions, he will live
them. To live them is to con
vince others they’ are good. He
friends, and no man was more!loved his church, his bi'ethixn
ioy’al to his neighbors than he. | and sisters, and his paster. No
He was faithful in in trials and! man could be more loyal than
sickness. If he saw y’ou needed | he, but he is gone. May’ Heav-
a favor, he went at once and of- en’s richest blessings rest upon
fered his services. He was very his bereaved ones,
conservative, but not so much Misses Flossie Caton and
so that y’ou could not tell whom itlary’ Meyer visited at the pav-
he liked. He was one of the sonage the s'^cond week in Au-
best neighbors we ever saw. He gust. Miss Caton is a cousin ct
did not confine his friends to Pastor Black.
his immediate neighborh^'od.
but reached beyond. He will be
missed by his entire neighbor
hood
Sister Rosa Dry, wife of Trav
is Dry, died Tuesday morning,
August 11. She had been a con-
As a husband, no one could!slant sufferer for more than a
visit his home without seeing' year. Her husband has been
that he and his wife were ini put to so much disadvantage
perfect harmony. While his j because of her affliction, but he
wife was a constant sufferer, jwas true to his vow, and stood
yet he did not murmur or com- by her as long as life lasted. She
plain. He did all he possibly | was a daughter of Adam
could to make her life happy.! Brooks, deceased. Her mother
He was a most faithful hus- i is living and has been by her
band. But one mors thing calls; bedside all the time. No moth-
our especial attention, that is er could have been more faith-
to see him as a father. We ful. She was an amiabls crea-
have been in close touch wiih'ture, doing no one har i, but
him for some years, and knoAv | aiding in any way she could,
whereof we speak when we say | Her funeral was conducted by
that he was a great father. He i C. J. Black in Big Lick church,
controlled his children at homeland her remains laid to rest in
while they were small, and when the cemetery near the church,
they were grown he could advise ! Sleep on until the resurrection,
them and they would listen.' then aAvake with God’s .servants.
I OBITUARY.
One of the saddest things
I that has ever taken place in the
Silver Springs community hap
pened Wednesday, August 5. It
was the sudden death of Bro.
Martin Poplin. He was well and
hearty just a few minutes be
fore his death. Brother Claude
Carpenter was over at his house
making cider for vinegar, and
Brother Poplin was out at the
road with him. He was as jolly
as usual, but a severe pain
struck him in the breast just
above his heart. He sat down
on a rock for just a minute, but
said he must go to the house as
he was feeling so strange. He
went to the house, sat down
and died within five minutes.
Brother Carpenter was the only
one present outside of the fam
ily’. The going of Brother Pop
lin takes one of the best citizens
of Stanly county, and one ot
Silver Springs’ most consistent
members. He was fifty-five
I Am Just Bask
From the Northern Markets
with a store full of BARGAINS
ready for the early buyer, so
come and let me save you mon
ey. A big lot of Fall Clothing
to select from. A big lot of La
dies’ Ready-to-Wear Hats at
bargain prices. Shoes bought
before the price advanced. Come
and see for yourself.
N. A. Teeter,
BIG LICK, N. C.
ROUTE 2