First ordained resident Mennonite minister at this place. (As on stone.)

Bio:
ROBERT LEE SMITH was born September 30, 1864 at Mouth of Seneca in Pendleton County, West Virginia, and died April 19, 1925 in Job, Randolph County, West Virginia of Cancer of the Liver. Robert was buried at a spot on his own land at Wymer, Randolph County, West Virginia, the original burial was in a Pine Wooden Casket. His body was buried on his land near a creek. In 1936 an offering was taken at a preparatory service for a tombstone for his grave, which in 1932 the Middle District Council asked that his body be moved to the Bethel Cemetery, Job, Randolph County, West Virginia. When the body was removed and the area was not being kept up. The body was exhumed and found to be a corpse without his casket by the creek. Noah J. Carr whom married the widow Lucretia told the story that when Robert was removed his corpse was all that was left with no more protection. The church purchased an aluminum casket and buried him in a cement vault, including a new Headstone with the inscription "R L Smith Sept 30 1964 - Apr 19 1925 First Ordained Resident Mennonite at this Place" and is still there today in Bethel Cemetery. He married (1) Sarah 'Sallie' Elizabeth White on January 29, 1887 in Randolph County, West Virginia. A daughter of Emanuel Maul White and Virginia Caroline Elza. She was born abt 1871 in Randolph County, West Virginia, and died in childbirth of Clyde their last child born to them in 1897 in Randolph County, West Virginia. He married (2) his Servant and care-giver of his children born to his first wife, Lucretie Garfield Lambert on January 20, 1901 in Randolph County, West Virginia a daughter of Albinus Lambert and Susan Calhoun. She was born January 19, 1880 in Pendleton County, West Virginia, and died August 04, 1968. Burial: Bethal Cemetery, Job, Randolph County, West Virginia.
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Robert Lee Smith Obituary
Gospel Herald Obituaries - June, 1925

Gospel Herald - Vol. XVIII, No. 10 -June 4, 1925 - pages 206, 207
Smith.---Robert L. Smith was born in Randolph Co., W. Va., Sept. 30, 1864; died April 19, 1925; aged 60 y. 6 m. 19 d. He was united in marriage to Sallie White. This union was blessed with 5 children. The mother and the youngest of the children (Clyde) have gone on before. Those surviving are: Phoebe, Minnie, Jason and Clara, all married. On Jan. 21, 1901, he was united in marrage to his second wife, Lucretia Lambert. This union was blessed with 9 children. The mother and 7 of these children remain to mourn his departure. The oldest son (Clarence) died Aug. 8, 1903. Dora died Jan. 21, 1917. Those living are: Mrs. Floda Summerfield, Mrs. Anna Waybright, Sarah, Joseph, Stephen, Robert and Calora. He united with the Mennonite Church a good many years ago. Later he was ordained to the ministry and served in this office for about 20 years. He made many trips on horseback and on foot across the mountains to preach the Gospel to the people. Several years ago he was afflicted with cancer, which caused his death. Funeral services were conducted at the home by Bro. Rhine Benner and Bro. D. B. Raber. His remains were laid to rest on his farm.

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Robert Lee Smith (1864-1925)

Robert Lee Smith became a minister at the age of 41 years old, in 1905. In September 1905, L.J. Heatwole and Deacon Elias Brunk made an official visit to the field. After two long days of travel over rough and narrow winding roads across four mountains they came to the valley of Red Creek, crossed over into Tucker County, where in the late years there was a small membership. Saturday evening and Sunday morning they held services in the Bethel Meetinghouse. Then in the afternoon they drove south into Randolph County and held a "service at Roy's Chapel near Red Creek Junction on the Dry Fork Railroad." For the night they stayed with Jonas Kisamores near Harman, whose aged mother, Sister Sarah Kisamore, nearly ninety-three years old, said that she was the mother of eleven children, eighty-seven grandchildren, two hundred great grandchildren, and thirty great-great grandchildren.
Monday found Heatwole and Brunk at Job with the Goods and Katie Blosser. For six days they did visiting during the day and held services at night. The councel of the church was taken and on Saturday afternoon a preparatory service was held at which time several persons were baptized. Then on Sunday morning forty-four members partook of the sacred emblems and observed foot-washing. At three o'clock p.m. the congregation met again with Robert Smith who lived high on Middle Mountain, was ordained minister. This was the first time that the people of the area witnessed a service of that type. It was evident that Brother Smith "felt most keenly the responsibility that comes to him; it is hoped that a full measure of God's grace may attend him."
For 1906 Bishop A/P/ Heatwole was likely asked again about workers. He wrote, "Glad that the West Virginia field has a man to stand in the gap." That man was A.B. Burkholder of Harrisonburg who likely went to the field in April. In June Christian Good made a ten-day trip to the field, where he held several funerals in Randolph County. Owing to the great heat, the steepness and tortuous winding of the road, he reported the "journey of one-hundred and seventy miles, going and coming, as having been a long lonely and tiresome one." He added that he found Brother Burkholder "well and cheerful, but very busy with his ministerial duties."
Two months later the picture had changed, for A.B. Burkholder was a sick man and had to return home. S.H. Rhodes and Henry Blosser served until he could take up his duties until September.
Preacher J.F. Brunk and wife took him and Nannie Shank, a niece to the field at that time. Nannie went along to do housework for the workers. Also on that trip a horse was taken for the new native preacher, Robert Smith, who was in "limited circumstances" and had to walk sometimes as far as twenty miles over the mountain to fill appointments. A.B. Burkholder wrote that fifty-three individuals had been received and four backsliders reclaimed during the summer.
About a month later the number received increased to seventy-one "far beyond his expectations that so many expresses a willingness to deny self and sin and submit to Christ's teachings and strive for God's truth until death." When Burkholder left the field that winter, Robert Smith was asked to keep the meetings up as well as he could.
In December 1906, a committee of bishops appointed Joseph F. Heatwole and wife to be in charge of the work, during the summer of 1907.
The winter of 1907-1908 was a rough one with deep snow, so that Robert L. Smith was unable to reach appointments at times, especially those fifteen to thirty miles from his home on Middle Mountain.

BETHEL CHURCH AND MISSION HOME

The work had developed to such an extent that it was thought advisable to build not only a church, but also a home for workers in the are of Job. These needs were presented to the church in a statement placed in the "Gospel Witness" by D.F. Detwiler of Harrisonburg, who was a member of a committee appointed to buy land on which "to build a home and possibly a church." This appeal brought in $24 and Detwiler wrote the further donations should be sent to Elias Brunk, the secretary-treasurer of the home mission board. The committee purchased five and half acres of land about five miles south of Harman and one mile north of Job. This was an encouragement to the people of West Virginia so much that before the matter of building a church was presented to the homebase churches near Harrisonburg, they had subscribed $100 for a church building.
In September 1906, The church building program was presented to Pike and Bank congregation near Dayton, Virginia, and they went on record as favoring it. Then at the district-wide Conference meeting that Fall a resolution authorizing the bank of a meeting house at Job, West Virginia, was approved by a rising vote and the council appointed S.M. Burkholder, Joseph W. Coffman and Elias Brunk as building and soliciting committee.
At the above meetings of the above committees on November 30, 1906, general specifications were drawn up for both church and home. "The former should be 30x40, the latter 16x32, with a kitchen 10x12 feet attached to the church."
Subscription papers were also drawn up to aid solicitors in rising the money to pay all costs, which were established at $1500.
The big thing in 1907 was the actual building of the church and mission home. It is reported that S.M. Burkholder and Elias Brunk were at Job on the 27th of March, 1907, ready to begin the construction. But the weather looked threatening. Even so, Burkholder thought they should go to Horton to buy lumber to build the church. Brunk thought they should return home , as it was going to snow. They came home, and there was snow until April 15, 1907.
Despite that delay the work of building both church and home was well under way by June 29. Joe F. Heatwole wrote at that time "the boys are getting along all right, have the floors all laid into house and porch, windows fitted in, partitions run, are working on the stairs today. Yesterday we lay part of the church floor and in the ceiling.
At one point of the construction D.F. Detwiler and Elias Brunk made a flying trip to Job, in which they spent two days going, one day business and two days returning. This was considered a record for the eighty-mile jaunt. We can assure that S.M. Burkholder acted as superintendent for construction for the committee, for he remained at Job for a period of six weeks during the summer.
Clifford Weaver served as head carpenter; John Ad Fultz of New Erection and John Burkholder did the plastering.

The first meeting was held in the new church, was conducted by D.H. Bender, Joe F. Heatwole, and Robert Lee Smith sometime in August 1907. Bender remained for a series of meetings and as a result five or six members were added to the church.
At the annual Home Mission Board meeting on December, 28, 1907, J.R. Suter and J.P. Wenger of Harrisonburg were named trustees of the church; Jasper Smith of Job was likely a third trustee. In this meeting there were the building committee reported that there was an indeptness over of over $400 on the building operations, and that S.M. Burkholder advanced the money so that bills could be paid until the Home Mission Board could make the payment. Others who served as trustees were Menno Suter, Hiram Weaver, Charles Barnhart, Dan Blosses, and Olin McDorman…

In 1914 J. Early Suter went to the field alone again, having left behind a wife and two children. He remained on the field doing evangelistic and visitation work along with filling regular appointments for fourteen weeks before returning home. As he walked form community to community he lived with People, helping them with their haying , apple butter making, and the like. In August, Deacon Henry Blosser came to help him make the house to house visitation prior to communion, at which service L.J. Heatwole officiated. In October they turned the work over to Robert L. Smith for the winter months. Smith lived on the western border of the field on Middle Mountain, north of route 33, between Elza's Schoolhouse and the Evangelical Brethren Church. His was a big house that he inherited. He did not do very well financially at that place. Finally he sold his home here and bought property at Wymer on route 33, a few miles southeast of the Smith homestead where he had the Wymer Post Office for awhile.

Smith walked to fill appointments summer and winter. The house, which the Home Mission Board purchased for him earlier, was not used very long, for Smith had received a leg injury, which made it difficult to ride. His farest preaching point was Roaring Creek, an eighteen mile jaunt from his home. To make the trip he had to go to Job, spend the night with Flubacher or Jasper Smith, then cross the Allegheny Mountain by White's Run Road the next day. It is possible that he knew how to make numerous short cuts in route. He filled the service on Saturday evening and Sunday morning and made the return trip in the afternoon. On at least one of these hikes there was so much snow that he could hardly walk and it was so cold that his boots froze fast to his legs and feet.
In the records we found a few testimonies about his ministry. H.B. Keener wrote in 1909 that Smith was "somewhat broken down" over the winter season by overwork but continues in his "zealous way to carry the gospel with no uncertain sound." In 1914 Aldus Brackbill characterized him as a very "Zealous worker and is ever ready to do what he can this great field."
Smith did not receive regular support as a native worker for a long time. He was expected to make his own way. When this became almost impossible, he did receive help. In 1916 transportation was provided for him again when the Board purchased the horse and the Maryland Brethren the buggy and harness. Money payments to meet unusual expenses were paid to him form time to time, until his death in 1925. There were hospital expenses for the removal of an eye and other reasons, it was necessary for him to spend time in the sanitarium shortly before his death.
Robert Lee Smith was buried at a spot on his own land at Wymer, he was the only body there, and the area was not being kept up. In 1936 an offering was taken at a preparatory service for a tombstone for his grave, which in 1932 the Middle District Council asked that his body be moved to the Bethel Cemetery and is still there today.

Taken from the History of Mennonites in Virginia 1900-1960
Volume II
By Harry Anthony Brunk
Transcribed by Carolyn S Boggs, Great Granddaughter of Robert Lee Smith.