FREDERICK D. POWER. Mr. Power is a Virginian. He was born January 23, 1851, within a few miles of historic Yorktown, and was the second of nine children. His father, Dr. Robert Henry Power, was a well-known physician, and served in both houses of the State Legislature. His grandfather, Dr. Frederick Bryan Power, was a Baptist, and old Grafton church, where the family worshiped, was founded in 1813. The congregation accepted Alexander Campbell's position and he visited them in 1856. Mr. Power's mother was Abigail M. Jencks, of DeRuyter, Madison County, N. Y. She was educated at Mrs. Willard's famous Troy Female Seminary; was a teacher and a woman of exceptional culture and beautiful character. He received his early education from his mother. When a boy of ten years of age, the Civil War broke out and his home was in the track of the armies. Big Bethel, the first battle, was fought within three miles, and the battle between the Merrimac and Monitor and the siege of Yorktown and battle of Williamsburg, were near by. During these four years there were no schools. Then for three years his father employed a teacher in the home, but two winters he was in Richmond as a page in the State Senate. He obeyed the gospel under the preaching of A. B. Walthall, when fifteen years of age, and in September, 1868, entered Bethany College to prepare for the ministry. Three years were spent in Bethany. During the vacations he preached in Eastern Virginia, and for several months, in 1870, served the church at Washington, Pa., while a student. Graduating in 1871, he was ordained at Mathew's C. H. at the Tidewater Convention, August 13, by Robert Y. Henley, Peter Ainslie, and J. W. Williams, and took charge of Smyrna church, King and Queen county, Jerusalem, King William, and Olive Branch, James City county. These congregations were far apart, means of transportation difficult, and his labors were severe, but he regarded the two years spent with these country churches as of inestimable value to him. The second year, instead of Jerusalem, he served his old home church, Grafton. January 1874, Mr. Power accepted the church in Charlottesville, Va., the seat of the University, with the purpose of taking lectures at that institution. One Lord's day was given to Gilboa, Louisa county. March l7th of that year, he married Miss Emily Browne Alsop, of Fredericksburg, and in September was called to Bethany College as adjunct professor of ancient languages. His salary as pastor was $500 a year. The year spent at Bethany was one of great profit to him, being associated with his old professors, Pendleton and Loos. He preached during the session at West Liberty, W. Va. In May, 1875, he was called to Washington, D. C., and declined the invitation. Afterward, by a personal visit of one of the elders of the church, he was induced to visit them, and the result was an engagement upon which he entered in September. For twenty-eight years he has been pastor of the Vermont avenue church. He found a little frame chapel, with 150 members, poor and little known in the city. It was a hard struggle. In 1880, General Garfield was elected to the Presidency and great interest centered about "the little Campbellite shanty" and its little flock. A new church building was erected and dedicated in 1884, and the church has now a property worth $70,000. In 1881, Mr. Power was made Chaplain of the House of Representatives, to which office he was chosen by acclamation. Three other churches have been formed from the Vermont Avenue church, the Ninth Street, H Street, and Whitney Avenue and three others are about to be added to them: The Fifth church, in the Southeastern part of the city, Antioch, near Vienna, Va. and Woodridge. The mother church has a membership of 625. Through the influence of this church the Christian Missionary Society of Maryland, Delaware, and District of Columbia, was organized October, 1878, of which Mr. Power was president for twenty years. The subject of this sketch is six feet in height and weighs 195 pounds. Since he was thirty years of age his hair has been grey, and he is often taken for a venerable man. He received from Bethany the honorary degrees of A. M. and LL. D., and has been for years a trustee of that institution. He is also a trustee of the United Society of Christian Endeavor. He was for many years a correspondent of the Christian Standard, and is at present associate editor of the Christian Evangelist. He is the author of a Life of W. K. Pendleton, Bible Doctrine for Young People, Sketches of Our Pioneers, etc. He is also a lecturer, and frequently appears on Chautauqua platforms and in lecture courses. His life has been a very busy and a very happy one.--- John T. Brown, Church of Christ, 462.
∼REV. F.D. POWER CALLED BY DEATH
Pastor's Body to Lie in the Church To-morrow
ELDERS TO BE PALLBEARERS
Service Will be Conducted by Rev. Earle Wilfley - Interment in Rock Creek Cemetery - Wife, Daughter, and Nurses at Bedside When End Comes - Born in Virginia
Funeral services for Rev. Frederick D. Power, pastor of the Vermont Avenue Christian Church, who died at his residence, 1236 Irving street northwest, yesterday morning, will be held from the church in Vermont avenue to-morrow.
The body will be removed from the residence to the church at 10 o'clock, where it will lie in state until 2 o'clock. Services will be conducted by Rev. Earle Wiltley, co-pastor. Eight members of the board of elders will be selected as active ballbearers, and the remaining members of the board will act as honorary pallbearers. Interment will be in Rock Creek Cemetery.
Dr. Power's death had been expected for several days. On Monday morning he began sinking rapidly, and physicians gave up hopes for his recovery. Death was due to a complication of diseases from which Dr. Power had been suffering for the last two years. Gathered about his bedside when the end came were Mrs. Power, Mrs. Sparks, a daughter, and the nurses.
NATIVE OF VIRGINIA
Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Power was born in the tidewater district of Virginia, near Williamsport, on January 23, 1851. He was the son of a physician with a large practice in the region around Williamsport.
Dr. Power was educated at Bethany College, the alma mater of Champ Clark, where, after his graduation, he occupied the position of instructor for a short time. But Dr. Power soon entered upon the work of the ministry, and while still young held many charges around his home.
He was married to Miss Emily Alaton, of Fredericksburg, at whose home Gen. Keiper was nursed while wounded in the war, and this bond formed a strong attachment between the members of Mrs. Power's family, and made the tie between Dr. Power and Gen. Keiper a lasting one.
In 1875 Dr. Power accepted a call to the charge in Washington, which he held for so long a time, and where he exerted an influence for inestimable good. Early in his pastorate, and when only about twenty-five years of age, he set about the tassk of raising funds for the erection of a suitable church to replace the little frame building, which was so poorly suited for the growing need of the congregation. To accomplish this, Dr. Power went out over the field, soliciting aid from other and stronger churches throughout the country, and was soon able to begin the work of building the present church in Vermont avenue. The present church was moved back on Fourteenth street while the present building was in course of erection.
SHOOTING OF GARFIELD
It was in the old frame building, on the site of the present church, that President Garfield worshiped, and in which he might have been seen with his wife and mother on every Sunday morning while in the city. This old building with its low windows and the Garfield pwq near the window, offered, one Sunday morning about two weeks before the tragic attack on President Garfield by the assassin Guiteau, a temptation to shoot the President while in church. It was afterward learned that Guiteau was prowling about there on that morning, seeking a favorable opportunity to carry out his horrid purpose.
The old Garfield pew was removed from the little frame building and now occupies a proud place in the new building.
An estimate of the work Dr. Power accomplished in his thirty-five years of active ministry may be based upon the fact that in place of the little frame building which he found as the only representative of the Christian Church congregation in this vicinity, there are now no fewer than ten churches of this denomination in the neighborhood of Washington. This is to be almost wholly regarded as one result of the great efforts which Dr. Power exerted in his church work.
The District Missionary Union, which embraces the churches in Delaware, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, was also formed by Dr. Power, and has grown into one of the strongest factors in church work in the territory over which it operates.
For years Dr. Power wielded a pen of great influence in propagating the Christian faith all over the country. He was for years a regular correspondent of the Christian Standard, of Cincinnati, and the Christian Evangelist, of St. Louis.
During his two terms of office as Chaplain of the United States Senate, Dr. Power came into close contact with many of the prominent public men of the country, and there were laid during that time friendships that lasted throughout his long and active life. His work as secretary of the Congressional Temperance Society was as conspicuous and as fruitful as was his other social reform work.
HIS FUNERAL ORATION
He was brought before the nation most prominently early in his career, when he delivered in the rotunda of the Capitol in the presence of one of the most illustrious of gatherings the funeral oration over President Garfield.
The notable work Dr. Power did on the lecture platform in all parts of the United States and abroad added much to his national fame, and increased his opportunities for the spread of Christian work, and did much to make him a conspicuous national character in the Christian Church work. His sphere of influence was by no means confined to his own denomination, but beyond its borders he was known and respected by representatives of all churches as an able champion of social and moral uplift in all of its departments.
Besides his wife, there also survives him his adopted daughter, Mrs. Abbie Sparks, wife of Ernest Sparks, of the Post-office Department, who resides in Harvard street.
The Washington Herald, June 15, 1911, Pg 6, Col 5 & 6
--------------------------------------------------
BODY TO LIE IN STATE
RITES FOR REV. DR. POWER TO BE IMPRESSIVE
A last opportunity to catch a glimpse of the face of the man who for thirty-five years had their best interests at heart will be given the members of the Vermont Avenue Christian Church today, when the body of Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Power will lie in state in the church from 10 until 1 o'clock. Members of the family consented to this arrangement, so the hundreds of friends of the venerable clergyman may have a farewell view of the familiar features.
Funeral services will be conducted in the church by Rev. Dr. Earle Wilfley, co-pastor of the church. Clergymen of all the Christian churches in this vicinity will assist. The funeral also will be attended by clergymen of almost every denomination in Washington, and many public men, including Justice Lamar and Speaker Champ Clark.
The pallbearers will be William P. Lipscomb, Andrew Wilson, Edwin M. Davis, John D. Fall, and Dr. N. R. Jenner, all of whom are elders of the church. The other members of the board will serve as honorary pallbearers. Interment will be in Rock Creek Cemetery.
The Washington Herald, June 16, 1911, Pg. 12, Col 2
--------------------------------------------------
∼REV. F.D. POWER CALLED BY DEATH
Pastor's Body to Lie in the Church To-morrow
ELDERS TO BE PALLBEARERS
Service Will be Conducted by Rev. Earle Wilfley - Interment in Rock Creek Cemetery - Wife, Daughter, and Nurses at Bedside When End Comes - Born in Virginia
Funeral services for Rev. Frederick D. Power, pastor of the Vermont Avenue Christian Church, who died at his residence, 1236 Irving street northwest, yesterday morning, will be held from the church in Vermont avenue to-morrow.
The body will be removed from the residence to the church at 10 o'clock, where it will lie in state until 2 o'clock. Services will be conducted by Rev. Earle Wiltley, co-pastor. Eight members of the board of elders will be selected as active ballbearers, and the remaining members of the board will act as honorary pallbearers. Interment will be in Rock Creek Cemetery.
Dr. Power's death had been expected for several days. On Monday morning he began sinking rapidly, and physicians gave up hopes for his recovery. Death was due to a complication of diseases from which Dr. Power had been suffering for the last two years. Gathered about his bedside when the end came were Mrs. Power, Mrs. Sparks, a daughter, and the nurses.
NATIVE OF VIRGINIA
Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Power was born in the tidewater district of Virginia, near Williamsport, on January 23, 1851. He was the son of a physician with a large practice in the region around Williamsport.
Dr. Power was educated at Bethany College, the alma mater of Champ Clark, where, after his graduation, he occupied the position of instructor for a short time. But Dr. Power soon entered upon the work of the ministry, and while still young held many charges around his home.
He was married to Miss Emily Alaton, of Fredericksburg, at whose home Gen. Keiper was nursed while wounded in the war, and this bond formed a strong attachment between the members of Mrs. Power's family, and made the tie between Dr. Power and Gen. Keiper a lasting one.
In 1875 Dr. Power accepted a call to the charge in Washington, which he held for so long a time, and where he exerted an influence for inestimable good. Early in his pastorate, and when only about twenty-five years of age, he set about the tassk of raising funds for the erection of a suitable church to replace the little frame building, which was so poorly suited for the growing need of the congregation. To accomplish this, Dr. Power went out over the field, soliciting aid from other and stronger churches throughout the country, and was soon able to begin the work of building the present church in Vermont avenue. The present church was moved back on Fourteenth street while the present building was in course of erection.
SHOOTING OF GARFIELD
It was in the old frame building, on the site of the present church, that President Garfield worshiped, and in which he might have been seen with his wife and mother on every Sunday morning while in the city. This old building with its low windows and the Garfield pwq near the window, offered, one Sunday morning about two weeks before the tragic attack on President Garfield by the assassin Guiteau, a temptation to shoot the President while in church. It was afterward learned that Guiteau was prowling about there on that morning, seeking a favorable opportunity to carry out his horrid purpose.
The old Garfield pew was removed from the little frame building and now occupies a proud place in the new building.
An estimate of the work Dr. Power accomplished in his thirty-five years of active ministry may be based upon the fact that in place of the little frame building which he found as the only representative of the Christian Church congregation in this vicinity, there are now no fewer than ten churches of this denomination in the neighborhood of Washington. This is to be almost wholly regarded as one result of the great efforts which Dr. Power exerted in his church work.
The District Missionary Union, which embraces the churches in Delaware, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, was also formed by Dr. Power, and has grown into one of the strongest factors in church work in the territory over which it operates.
For years Dr. Power wielded a pen of great influence in propagating the Christian faith all over the country. He was for years a regular correspondent of the Christian Standard, of Cincinnati, and the Christian Evangelist, of St. Louis.
During his two terms of office as Chaplain of the United States Senate, Dr. Power came into close contact with many of the prominent public men of the country, and there were laid during that time friendships that lasted throughout his long and active life. His work as secretary of the Congressional Temperance Society was as conspicuous and as fruitful as was his other social reform work.
HIS FUNERAL ORATION
He was brought before the nation most prominently early in his career, when he delivered in the rotunda of the Capitol in the presence of one of the most illustrious of gatherings the funeral oration over President Garfield.
The notable work Dr. Power did on the lecture platform in all parts of the United States and abroad added much to his national fame, and increased his opportunities for the spread of Christian work, and did much to make him a conspicuous national character in the Christian Church work. His sphere of influence was by no means confined to his own denomination, but beyond its borders he was known and respected by representatives of all churches as an able champion of social and moral uplift in all of its departments.
Besides his wife, there also survives him his adopted daughter, Mrs. Abbie Sparks, wife of Ernest Sparks, of the Post-office Department, who resides in Harvard street.
The Washington Herald, June 15, 1911, Pg 6, Col 5 & 6
--------------------------------------------------
BODY TO LIE IN STATE
RITES FOR REV. DR. POWER TO BE IMPRESSIVE
A last opportunity to catch a glimpse of the face of the man who for thirty-five years had their best interests at heart will be given the members of the Vermont Avenue Christian Church today, when the body of Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Power will lie in state in the church from 10 until 1 o'clock. Members of the family consented to this arrangement, so the hundreds of friends of the venerable clergyman may have a farewell view of the familiar features.
Funeral services will be conducted in the church by Rev. Dr. Earle Wilfley, co-pastor of the church. Clergymen of all the Christian churches in this vicinity will assist. The funeral also will be attended by clergymen of almost every denomination in Washington, and many public men, including Justice Lamar and Speaker Champ Clark.
The pallbearers will be William P. Lipscomb, Andrew Wilson, Edwin M. Davis, John D. Fall, and Dr. N. R. Jenner, all of whom are elders of the church. The other members of the board will serve as honorary pallbearers. Interment will be in Rock Creek Cemetery.
The Washington Herald, June 16, 1911, Pg. 12, Col 2
--------------------------------------------------
FREDERICK D. POWER. Mr. Power is a Virginian. He was born January 23, 1851, within a few miles of historic Yorktown, and was the second of nine children. His father, Dr. Robert Henry Power, was a well-known physician, and served in both houses of the State Legislature. His grandfather, Dr. Frederick Bryan Power, was a Baptist, and old Grafton church, where the family worshiped, was founded in 1813. The congregation accepted Alexander Campbell's position and he visited them in 1856. Mr. Power's mother was Abigail M. Jencks, of DeRuyter, Madison County, N. Y. She was educated at Mrs. Willard's famous Troy Female Seminary; was a teacher and a woman of exceptional culture and beautiful character. He received his early education from his mother. When a boy of ten years of age, the Civil War broke out and his home was in the track of the armies. Big Bethel, the first battle, was fought within three miles, and the battle between the Merrimac and Monitor and the siege of Yorktown and battle of Williamsburg, were near by. During these four years there were no schools. Then for three years his father employed a teacher in the home, but two winters he was in Richmond as a page in the State Senate. He obeyed the gospel under the preaching of A. B. Walthall, when fifteen years of age, and in September, 1868, entered Bethany College to prepare for the ministry. Three years were spent in Bethany. During the vacations he preached in Eastern Virginia, and for several months, in 1870, served the church at Washington, Pa., while a student. Graduating in 1871, he was ordained at Mathew's C. H. at the Tidewater Convention, August 13, by Robert Y. Henley, Peter Ainslie, and J. W. Williams, and took charge of Smyrna church, King and Queen county, Jerusalem, King William, and Olive Branch, James City county. These congregations were far apart, means of transportation difficult, and his labors were severe, but he regarded the two years spent with these country churches as of inestimable value to him. The second year, instead of Jerusalem, he served his old home church, Grafton. January 1874, Mr. Power accepted the church in Charlottesville, Va., the seat of the University, with the purpose of taking lectures at that institution. One Lord's day was given to Gilboa, Louisa county. March l7th of that year, he married Miss Emily Browne Alsop, of Fredericksburg, and in September was called to Bethany College as adjunct professor of ancient languages. His salary as pastor was $500 a year. The year spent at Bethany was one of great profit to him, being associated with his old professors, Pendleton and Loos. He preached during the session at West Liberty, W. Va. In May, 1875, he was called to Washington, D. C., and declined the invitation. Afterward, by a personal visit of one of the elders of the church, he was induced to visit them, and the result was an engagement upon which he entered in September. For twenty-eight years he has been pastor of the Vermont avenue church. He found a little frame chapel, with 150 members, poor and little known in the city. It was a hard struggle. In 1880, General Garfield was elected to the Presidency and great interest centered about "the little Campbellite shanty" and its little flock. A new church building was erected and dedicated in 1884, and the church has now a property worth $70,000. In 1881, Mr. Power was made Chaplain of the House of Representatives, to which office he was chosen by acclamation. Three other churches have been formed from the Vermont Avenue church, the Ninth Street, H Street, and Whitney Avenue and three others are about to be added to them: The Fifth church, in the Southeastern part of the city, Antioch, near Vienna, Va. and Woodridge. The mother church has a membership of 625. Through the influence of this church the Christian Missionary Society of Maryland, Delaware, and District of Columbia, was organized October, 1878, of which Mr. Power was president for twenty years. The subject of this sketch is six feet in height and weighs 195 pounds. Since he was thirty years of age his hair has been grey, and he is often taken for a venerable man. He received from Bethany the honorary degrees of A. M. and LL. D., and has been for years a trustee of that institution. He is also a trustee of the United Society of Christian Endeavor. He was for many years a correspondent of the Christian Standard, and is at present associate editor of the Christian Evangelist. He is the author of a Life of W. K. Pendleton, Bible Doctrine for Young People, Sketches of Our Pioneers, etc. He is also a lecturer, and frequently appears on Chautauqua platforms and in lecture courses. His life has been a very busy and a very happy one.--- John T. Brown, Church of Christ, 462.
∼REV. F.D. POWER CALLED BY DEATH
Pastor's Body to Lie in the Church To-morrow
ELDERS TO BE PALLBEARERS
Service Will be Conducted by Rev. Earle Wilfley - Interment in Rock Creek Cemetery - Wife, Daughter, and Nurses at Bedside When End Comes - Born in Virginia
Funeral services for Rev. Frederick D. Power, pastor of the Vermont Avenue Christian Church, who died at his residence, 1236 Irving street northwest, yesterday morning, will be held from the church in Vermont avenue to-morrow.
The body will be removed from the residence to the church at 10 o'clock, where it will lie in state until 2 o'clock. Services will be conducted by Rev. Earle Wiltley, co-pastor. Eight members of the board of elders will be selected as active ballbearers, and the remaining members of the board will act as honorary pallbearers. Interment will be in Rock Creek Cemetery.
Dr. Power's death had been expected for several days. On Monday morning he began sinking rapidly, and physicians gave up hopes for his recovery. Death was due to a complication of diseases from which Dr. Power had been suffering for the last two years. Gathered about his bedside when the end came were Mrs. Power, Mrs. Sparks, a daughter, and the nurses.
NATIVE OF VIRGINIA
Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Power was born in the tidewater district of Virginia, near Williamsport, on January 23, 1851. He was the son of a physician with a large practice in the region around Williamsport.
Dr. Power was educated at Bethany College, the alma mater of Champ Clark, where, after his graduation, he occupied the position of instructor for a short time. But Dr. Power soon entered upon the work of the ministry, and while still young held many charges around his home.
He was married to Miss Emily Alaton, of Fredericksburg, at whose home Gen. Keiper was nursed while wounded in the war, and this bond formed a strong attachment between the members of Mrs. Power's family, and made the tie between Dr. Power and Gen. Keiper a lasting one.
In 1875 Dr. Power accepted a call to the charge in Washington, which he held for so long a time, and where he exerted an influence for inestimable good. Early in his pastorate, and when only about twenty-five years of age, he set about the tassk of raising funds for the erection of a suitable church to replace the little frame building, which was so poorly suited for the growing need of the congregation. To accomplish this, Dr. Power went out over the field, soliciting aid from other and stronger churches throughout the country, and was soon able to begin the work of building the present church in Vermont avenue. The present church was moved back on Fourteenth street while the present building was in course of erection.
SHOOTING OF GARFIELD
It was in the old frame building, on the site of the present church, that President Garfield worshiped, and in which he might have been seen with his wife and mother on every Sunday morning while in the city. This old building with its low windows and the Garfield pwq near the window, offered, one Sunday morning about two weeks before the tragic attack on President Garfield by the assassin Guiteau, a temptation to shoot the President while in church. It was afterward learned that Guiteau was prowling about there on that morning, seeking a favorable opportunity to carry out his horrid purpose.
The old Garfield pew was removed from the little frame building and now occupies a proud place in the new building.
An estimate of the work Dr. Power accomplished in his thirty-five years of active ministry may be based upon the fact that in place of the little frame building which he found as the only representative of the Christian Church congregation in this vicinity, there are now no fewer than ten churches of this denomination in the neighborhood of Washington. This is to be almost wholly regarded as one result of the great efforts which Dr. Power exerted in his church work.
The District Missionary Union, which embraces the churches in Delaware, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, was also formed by Dr. Power, and has grown into one of the strongest factors in church work in the territory over which it operates.
For years Dr. Power wielded a pen of great influence in propagating the Christian faith all over the country. He was for years a regular correspondent of the Christian Standard, of Cincinnati, and the Christian Evangelist, of St. Louis.
During his two terms of office as Chaplain of the United States Senate, Dr. Power came into close contact with many of the prominent public men of the country, and there were laid during that time friendships that lasted throughout his long and active life. His work as secretary of the Congressional Temperance Society was as conspicuous and as fruitful as was his other social reform work.
HIS FUNERAL ORATION
He was brought before the nation most prominently early in his career, when he delivered in the rotunda of the Capitol in the presence of one of the most illustrious of gatherings the funeral oration over President Garfield.
The notable work Dr. Power did on the lecture platform in all parts of the United States and abroad added much to his national fame, and increased his opportunities for the spread of Christian work, and did much to make him a conspicuous national character in the Christian Church work. His sphere of influence was by no means confined to his own denomination, but beyond its borders he was known and respected by representatives of all churches as an able champion of social and moral uplift in all of its departments.
Besides his wife, there also survives him his adopted daughter, Mrs. Abbie Sparks, wife of Ernest Sparks, of the Post-office Department, who resides in Harvard street.
The Washington Herald, June 15, 1911, Pg 6, Col 5 & 6
--------------------------------------------------
BODY TO LIE IN STATE
RITES FOR REV. DR. POWER TO BE IMPRESSIVE
A last opportunity to catch a glimpse of the face of the man who for thirty-five years had their best interests at heart will be given the members of the Vermont Avenue Christian Church today, when the body of Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Power will lie in state in the church from 10 until 1 o'clock. Members of the family consented to this arrangement, so the hundreds of friends of the venerable clergyman may have a farewell view of the familiar features.
Funeral services will be conducted in the church by Rev. Dr. Earle Wilfley, co-pastor of the church. Clergymen of all the Christian churches in this vicinity will assist. The funeral also will be attended by clergymen of almost every denomination in Washington, and many public men, including Justice Lamar and Speaker Champ Clark.
The pallbearers will be William P. Lipscomb, Andrew Wilson, Edwin M. Davis, John D. Fall, and Dr. N. R. Jenner, all of whom are elders of the church. The other members of the board will serve as honorary pallbearers. Interment will be in Rock Creek Cemetery.
The Washington Herald, June 16, 1911, Pg. 12, Col 2
--------------------------------------------------
∼REV. F.D. POWER CALLED BY DEATH
Pastor's Body to Lie in the Church To-morrow
ELDERS TO BE PALLBEARERS
Service Will be Conducted by Rev. Earle Wilfley - Interment in Rock Creek Cemetery - Wife, Daughter, and Nurses at Bedside When End Comes - Born in Virginia
Funeral services for Rev. Frederick D. Power, pastor of the Vermont Avenue Christian Church, who died at his residence, 1236 Irving street northwest, yesterday morning, will be held from the church in Vermont avenue to-morrow.
The body will be removed from the residence to the church at 10 o'clock, where it will lie in state until 2 o'clock. Services will be conducted by Rev. Earle Wiltley, co-pastor. Eight members of the board of elders will be selected as active ballbearers, and the remaining members of the board will act as honorary pallbearers. Interment will be in Rock Creek Cemetery.
Dr. Power's death had been expected for several days. On Monday morning he began sinking rapidly, and physicians gave up hopes for his recovery. Death was due to a complication of diseases from which Dr. Power had been suffering for the last two years. Gathered about his bedside when the end came were Mrs. Power, Mrs. Sparks, a daughter, and the nurses.
NATIVE OF VIRGINIA
Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Power was born in the tidewater district of Virginia, near Williamsport, on January 23, 1851. He was the son of a physician with a large practice in the region around Williamsport.
Dr. Power was educated at Bethany College, the alma mater of Champ Clark, where, after his graduation, he occupied the position of instructor for a short time. But Dr. Power soon entered upon the work of the ministry, and while still young held many charges around his home.
He was married to Miss Emily Alaton, of Fredericksburg, at whose home Gen. Keiper was nursed while wounded in the war, and this bond formed a strong attachment between the members of Mrs. Power's family, and made the tie between Dr. Power and Gen. Keiper a lasting one.
In 1875 Dr. Power accepted a call to the charge in Washington, which he held for so long a time, and where he exerted an influence for inestimable good. Early in his pastorate, and when only about twenty-five years of age, he set about the tassk of raising funds for the erection of a suitable church to replace the little frame building, which was so poorly suited for the growing need of the congregation. To accomplish this, Dr. Power went out over the field, soliciting aid from other and stronger churches throughout the country, and was soon able to begin the work of building the present church in Vermont avenue. The present church was moved back on Fourteenth street while the present building was in course of erection.
SHOOTING OF GARFIELD
It was in the old frame building, on the site of the present church, that President Garfield worshiped, and in which he might have been seen with his wife and mother on every Sunday morning while in the city. This old building with its low windows and the Garfield pwq near the window, offered, one Sunday morning about two weeks before the tragic attack on President Garfield by the assassin Guiteau, a temptation to shoot the President while in church. It was afterward learned that Guiteau was prowling about there on that morning, seeking a favorable opportunity to carry out his horrid purpose.
The old Garfield pew was removed from the little frame building and now occupies a proud place in the new building.
An estimate of the work Dr. Power accomplished in his thirty-five years of active ministry may be based upon the fact that in place of the little frame building which he found as the only representative of the Christian Church congregation in this vicinity, there are now no fewer than ten churches of this denomination in the neighborhood of Washington. This is to be almost wholly regarded as one result of the great efforts which Dr. Power exerted in his church work.
The District Missionary Union, which embraces the churches in Delaware, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, was also formed by Dr. Power, and has grown into one of the strongest factors in church work in the territory over which it operates.
For years Dr. Power wielded a pen of great influence in propagating the Christian faith all over the country. He was for years a regular correspondent of the Christian Standard, of Cincinnati, and the Christian Evangelist, of St. Louis.
During his two terms of office as Chaplain of the United States Senate, Dr. Power came into close contact with many of the prominent public men of the country, and there were laid during that time friendships that lasted throughout his long and active life. His work as secretary of the Congressional Temperance Society was as conspicuous and as fruitful as was his other social reform work.
HIS FUNERAL ORATION
He was brought before the nation most prominently early in his career, when he delivered in the rotunda of the Capitol in the presence of one of the most illustrious of gatherings the funeral oration over President Garfield.
The notable work Dr. Power did on the lecture platform in all parts of the United States and abroad added much to his national fame, and increased his opportunities for the spread of Christian work, and did much to make him a conspicuous national character in the Christian Church work. His sphere of influence was by no means confined to his own denomination, but beyond its borders he was known and respected by representatives of all churches as an able champion of social and moral uplift in all of its departments.
Besides his wife, there also survives him his adopted daughter, Mrs. Abbie Sparks, wife of Ernest Sparks, of the Post-office Department, who resides in Harvard street.
The Washington Herald, June 15, 1911, Pg 6, Col 5 & 6
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BODY TO LIE IN STATE
RITES FOR REV. DR. POWER TO BE IMPRESSIVE
A last opportunity to catch a glimpse of the face of the man who for thirty-five years had their best interests at heart will be given the members of the Vermont Avenue Christian Church today, when the body of Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Power will lie in state in the church from 10 until 1 o'clock. Members of the family consented to this arrangement, so the hundreds of friends of the venerable clergyman may have a farewell view of the familiar features.
Funeral services will be conducted in the church by Rev. Dr. Earle Wilfley, co-pastor of the church. Clergymen of all the Christian churches in this vicinity will assist. The funeral also will be attended by clergymen of almost every denomination in Washington, and many public men, including Justice Lamar and Speaker Champ Clark.
The pallbearers will be William P. Lipscomb, Andrew Wilson, Edwin M. Davis, John D. Fall, and Dr. N. R. Jenner, all of whom are elders of the church. The other members of the board will serve as honorary pallbearers. Interment will be in Rock Creek Cemetery.
The Washington Herald, June 16, 1911, Pg. 12, Col 2
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