"Thomas Stubbs was born in Kendal England, in 1801. He was employed as a local preacher until he came to America in May, 1832. Landing in New York at the time conference was in session he presented his credentials to the bishop. He was accepted and appointed as junior preacher on a circuit on Long Island. When he found he was appointed as a single man, he went to the bishop and explained that he had a family. It was too late to remedy the case. The bishop asked, "What was your plan in coming to this country?" Thomas' reply was "I had heard of the great State of Ohio, and thought I would make my way there. The bishop said "All right, Our conference meets in July and I will give you a letter to the presiding bishop."
The family made their way over the Erie Canal to Buffalo and by steamer to Cleveland. When on the canal a man from Ohio seemed to take a great interest in the little group of strangers. They struck up an acquaintance. Found they were all Methodists. The preacher told his story, and the gentleman, .Mr. Redfield, from Ohio. said: "Come to my house and live till conference." On reaching Cleveland the family was left on the beach at the mouth of the Cuyahoga. They made a hollow square of their goods, and slept all night to the music of the waves. The next day they were on their way to Akron by canal. Reaching their destination they found Mr. Redfield with teams to take them and their goods to Atwater.
It was soon noised that a preacher had come and he was kept busy by the presiding elder till the session of the Pittsburg Conference, in July 1832, when he began his active ministry. It was in the days of six-week and four-week circuits, and saddle-bags-and Indian trails, and swimming rivers -log houses and barns for churches. All of the Western Reserve was familiar with his form. and listened to his eloquence. Lawrence and Mercer Counties delighted in his ministrations. In 1836 the Erie Conference was formed and he was one of the charter members. In 1846 he was appointed to Erie. Then followed Cleveland, Ravenna, Cuyahoga Falls, Cleveland, Painesville, Akron, Meadville, Chagrin Falls, Titusville, Warren, Pa. Then on account of his wife's health he remained supernumerary till his decease in 1884, though he served Newburg, East Cleveland, Ashtabula and the Bethel. From -1870 to 1884 he preached frequently in all the churches of all denominations in the City of Cleveland.
On his 81st birthday he preached in his son's pulpit at Forestville, New York, a sermon full of animation, vigor, thought and eloquence. He was full of buoyancy, sunshine, animation, poetical in fancy, by John Bain called "Old Man Eloquent." He was a revivalist. He never served a charge where he did not have a revival, some of them notable. Some of the most magnificent scenes ever witnessed were altar scenes at Painesville, Akron and Meadville. At Akron one Sunday evening he startled his congregation by saying: "Brethren, we are going to have a revival and you will have to knock out this end of the church and build larger." One of the good members came to him and said: "How dare you say such a thing? We haven't had a revival in years." But the revival came and laid the foundation of the modern church. The revival in Meadville has, perhaps, never been surpassed in the history of that church. It had a mighty grip on students and townspeople.
Thomas Stubbs had all the graces of a true orator. His personnel was, impressive, his voice was music, chaste and elegant in diction; rich in imagination, a prose poet, brainy as an egg is full of meat, bold in his utterances, loving liberty as his soul and sublime at times in his flights of eloquence."
[Transcribed by Mary Lewis/Gr Gr Granddaughter]
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