Eby, Solomon (1834-1931)
Solomon Eby was one of the founders of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ Church (now Evangelical Missionary Church). Solomon was born 15 May 1834 in Waterloo County, Ontario, the son of Martin W. Eby (4 August 1807, Berlin, Ontario - 13 June 1891) and Catharine Gehman Weber (28 April 1811, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania - 2 December 1890). On 17 June 1855 he married Catharine Shantz (17 May 1836, Waterloo County, Ontario - 29 December 1917, Kitchener, Ontario), and they had 12 children: Lydia, Hannah, Lovina, Priscilla, Jeremiah, Josiah, Magdalena, Fannie, Sarah Ann, Franklin, Nellie, and Ida. Solomon died 7 February 1931 in Kitchener, Ontario and was buried at First Mennonite Church.
Solomon was raised on the farm, and attended public school. In 1858 he was ordained to the ministry in the Mennonite Church, and served in that capacity for 14 years. According to his testimony, he was not converted until eleven years after his ordination (1869, Port Elgin, Ontario, Canada). Following his conversion he became a zealous advocate for a definite religious experience. Eventually he was expelled from the Mennonite Church, and in 1874 he and Daniel Brenneman of Indiana organized the Reforming Mennonites, a group that later became a part of the Mennonite Brethren in Christ Church (now the Evangelical Missionary Church).
For various terms totaling 18 years Eby was presiding elder in the Ontario Conference, and for 14 years he served as pastor, holding pastorates at Breslau, Elmwood, New Dundee, Markham, and Kitchener circuits. He was a member of the first six general conferences, and was chairman of the first one (Zionsville, Pennsylvania, 1885). Eby retired from active work in 1906. A few years later he became interested in the Pentecostal movement, and in 1912 he transferred his membership to that organization.
Bibliography
Brenneman, T. H. "The Late Solomon Eby." Gospel Banner (2 April 1931): 14.
Our Family History and Ancestry Bernethy-Eby-Scribner. "Reverend Solomon Eby." Web. 24 November 2011. http://www.bernethy-eby-scribner.com/getperson.php?personID=I523455784&tree=Eby.
| Author(s) | Everek R. Storms |
|---|---|
| Richard D. Thiessen | |
| Date Published | November 2011 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Storms, Everek R. and Richard D. Thiessen. "Eby, Solomon (1834-1931)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. November 2011. Web. 25 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Eby,_Solomon_(1834-1931)&oldid=102370.
APA style
Storms, Everek R. and Richard D. Thiessen. (November 2011). Eby, Solomon (1834-1931). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 25 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Eby,_Solomon_(1834-1931)&oldid=102370.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 140. All rights reserved.
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