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Fifth Generation
246. Rev Oliver
ACKLEY372 appeared
in the census 1850 & 1855 in New York. He was born on 5 Jan 1789
in New York.5,182,373 LDS
states of Hamilton, Madison Co., NY
biography has birth place as CT He was living in 1850 in Seneca, Ontario , New
York.374 He was living
in 1855 in Phelps, Ontario , New York.375
He died on 30 Jun 1858 in Phelps, Ontario , New York.49,376,377 His Obituary appeared in the Christian Ambassador
on 10 Jul 1858 in Auburn, Cayuga , New York Death of Rev. Oliver
Ackley
It becomes our painful duty to announce the death of our beloved father in the
ministry, REV. OLIVER ACKLEY. He departed life in his residence in Orleans, Ontario
co., N. Y., on the morning of the 30th ult., aged 70 years. We stated in the
Ambassador of the 15th of May that Father Ackley had experienced a severe attack
of paralysis, and that his recovery was quite doubtful. The fears then cherished
have proved too well founded. He lingered for about eight weeks in utter prostration
and helplessness, before his spirit took its final flight to its eternal rest.
His mind was materially affected by the blow that shattered his body. There
were brief periods, however, when his intellect would seem to revive to almost
natural activity. At these moments, for some time after the commencement of his
sickness, while he expressed his belief that he (w)ould recover, at the same
time he evinced the utmost resignation to the Divine will… His faith in
the impartial grace of God and the salvation of the world remained firm to the
last. Two or three days before his death, becoming satisfied that his departure
was near at hand, he took an affectionate leave of his family, and said to them
in the confidence of a serene and well-founded hope, “I shall not die, but
shall soon fall asleep!”
Father Ackley as a minister was diffident of his abilities and modest in his
aspirations and claims; nevertheless he was an able and very acceptable and profitable
preacher. In prayer, we think we may say, he was unexcelled. We never listened
to petitions more ladened with humble reverence, with confidence in the Father's
goodness, with love to God and to all mankind, with a moving, melting pathos,
than those which we again and again heard flow from his lips. He sowed the seed
of Gospel truth for more than a quarter of a century, in the county of Ontario
and the adjoining counties, which has already sprung up to golden harvests, and
which is destined yet to yield broader and richer fruits in years to come.
The moral character of the departed was without a stain. He endeavored to practice
himself the precepts he enforced on others. Although like all dwellers in the
flesh, he had his imperfections, yet it is exceedingly rare that anyone, clergyman
or layman, succeeds in winning so large a share of the respect and confidence
of the community, of all denominations, and in building up a character so high
for integrity, honesty, and benevolence, as in his case.
Father Ackley entered the ministry in Madison county, some forty years since.
His conversion and consecration to the work of the Gospel were among the fruits
of a general revival which took place among the Universalists in Madison county
in the year 1817. In the Memoirs of Rev. Nathaniel Stacy (P. 302) we find a
paragraph in relation to the deceased. Speaking of the revival to which we have
above alluded, Father Stacy says:-
Mr. Ackley was quite a youth when I removed to Hamilton, and usually attended
my meetings; but made no pretentions to religion until the time of this revival:
he, too, was an early convert, and one of the first individuals who had received
baptism by immersion. He had an uncommon talent of natural eloquence, and improved
it successfully in our conferences. At length he was invited and urgently requested
to hold meetings abroad in the neighboring towns, which after repeated solicitations,
together with my influence, he with great modesty and manifest reluctance consented
to do. And so edifying were his improvements, so confident were the people of
his great usefulness as a preacher of the everlasting Gospel, the he was persuaded,
eventually, to take upon himself the solemn responsibilities of an evangelist.
And how well he has sustained the dignity and the sacredness of that high and
holy vocation, I need not say; for he is well and extensively known to the denomination
as a devoted Christian, and an able advocate for the truth, and enjoys the undivided
confidence of his acquaintance, and is greatly beloved by all who know him.
The funeral of Br. Ackley took place in the Baptist church in Orleans on Thursday
afternoon, the 1st inst. Providentially Father Stacy, the early friend and instructor
of the deceased, was visiting his daughter in Geneva, who is the wife of John
Ackley, Esq., a son of the departed father in Israel. Br. Stacy officiated at
the funeral, and gave a very interesting and moving discourse from 2 Cor.:1.
He was assisted in the services by Brs. A[sa] Saxe and J[ohn] M. Austin, and
also by the pastor of the Baptist church in Orleans. A large audience crowded
the church in every part, and their fixed attention and tearful eyes bore striking
evidence of the affection they bore for the memory of the departed servant of
Christ.
We have received a brief biography of the deceased from the pen of Rev. N. Stacy.
It was too late for this week, but it shall appear in our next.
His Obituary appeared in the Christian Ambassador on 17 Jul 1858 in Auburn,
Cayuga , New York Departed this life on the morning of the 30th ult.,
at 3 o'clock, at his residence in the village of Orleans, Ontario co., N. Y.,
Rev. O. Ackley, in the 70th year of his age. Between seven and eight weeks since,
he arose one morning apparently out of the usual state of his health; but having
some business abroad, in accordance with his habits of industry and his benevolent
perseverance in the discharge of every duty to his family and society, and contrary
to the earnest remonstrance of his wife, he harnessed his horse and drove to
the appointed place. His physical condition was immediately discovered-he was
seized with a paralysis which gradually rendered his left limbs wholly helpless,
in a moderate degree affected his speech, and apparently produced an intellectual
stupor, but by no means depriving him of reason. In this condition he was conveyed
home, and placed upon his bed from which he never afterwards arose! Everything
was done for his relief that the skill of the physician, conjugal affection,
and filial piety could suggest, and that his numerous sympathizing friends could
perform; all of which was evidently appreciated by him, and very thankfully received
but all proved of no avail to arrest that sentence against mortal man-“Dust
thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return.” The writer of this, though
for many years residing in a distant part of the country, in the State of Pennsylvania,
was providentially thrown in this section a few weeks after the attack, and enjoyed
the privilege of visiting him several times. I found him suffering very considerably,
but patient and resigned-his faith lively and his hope strong. Although from
my imperfection of hearing I could not understand all he wished to say, yet there
were seasons when his voice was sufficiently strong for me to hear, and he could
always give me the assurance of his faith, hope, charity, and patient resignation.
I remarked that he could adopt the language of the Apostle-“I have fought
a good fight; I have finished my course; I have kept the faith; henceforth there
is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.” He shook his head, but remarked,
or gave me to understand, that he could “wait all the days of his appointed
time, till his change came.”
A little before his departure he took an affectionate leave of his family, and
the time soon arrived when He who holds the keys of death unlocked the prison
door and bade the freed spirit rise to the enjoyment of immortal life.
His funeral obsequies were attended Thursday, July 1st. The services were performed
in the Baptist church in the village. The writer, Br. J[ohn] M. Austin, Br. A[sa]
Saxe, and Rev. Mr. Wader, pastor of the Baptist church, were present, and each
took part in the solemnization of the occasion. The house was crowded to its
fullest capacity, and the deep interest manifested, the profound and solemn attention
given by the crowded audience bore ample testimony to their respect for the deceased
and their sympathy with the bereaved family. He was buried in Sand Hill Cemetery,
Seneca, Ontario , New York.49,378 He was a minister at New York.379 Mr. Ackley was quite a youth
when I removed to Hamilton, and usually attended my meetings; but made no pretensions
to religion until the time of this revival; he, too, was an early convert, and
one of the first individuals who received baptism by immersion. Hie had an uncommon
talent of natural eloquence, and improved it successfully in our conferences.
At length he was invited and urgently requested to hold meetings abroad, in the
neighboring towns,'which after repeated solicitations, together with my influence,
he with great modesty and manifest reluctance consented to do. And so edifying
were his improvements, so confident were the people of his great usefulness as
a preacher of the everlasting Gospel, that he was persuaded, eventually, to take
upon himself the solemn responsibilitiesof an evangelist. And how well he has
sustained the dignity and the sacredness of that high and holy vocation, I need
not say; for he is well and extensively known to the denomination as a devoted
Christian, and an able advocate for the truth, and enjoys the undivided confidence,
of all his acquaintances; and is greatly beloved by all who know him.
He lived at in New England.373
Biography of380 Mr. Ackley,
it appears by record, was born in the State of Connecticut, in January 1789.
At an early day his father removed from that State into Hamilton, Madison Co.,
N. Y., where Oliver grew up to manhood, and where he received all the literary
education he ever obtained. The country was new. No laws existed in the State
of New-York for the establishment and regulation of common schools, and no literary
institution was then established in that section of the country. But such was
his industry and perseverance, that before his majority he obtained a sufficient
education to become a common school teacher. And such was the integrity of his
character, and his known qualifications for the transaction of business, that
he was chosen to civil office in society, and promoted to military office in
society, and he served a short campaign as a military officer in the service
of his country at Sackett's Harbor, in the fall of 1814.]
In June, 1805, I first visited that section of country and commenced preaching
in Hamilton. And on that or the following year at farthest, I noticed Oliver
Ackley, then a young man in his minority, a very constant attendant at my meetings.
I marked his serious attention and the manifestly deep interest he felt in the
doctrine of God's Universal grace. God had given him an understanding to receive
and a heart to feel and appreciate the glorious truths of the Gospel. I soon
formed a familiar acquaintance with him, and a bond of sympathy and union was
soon contracted which never knew intermission nor abatement until the shaft of
death has separated us for a short season. I was called to solemnize his marriage
with his first wife [Polly Gardner]-an excellent woman, with whom he happily
lived until she was removed from him by the messenger of death, about seven years
ago, and raised a large family of very respectable children, most of whom survive,
and have had the melancholy pleasure of seeing a beloved father finish his course
with joy, and beholding his mortal remains deposited in their last resting place.
Although Mr. Ackley's understanding was thoroughly convinced of the truth of
the doctrine, and he gave his support and all his influence to its propagation,
his heart was never imbued with its living spirit until the extraordinary awakening
in our Society and vicinity in the year 1817-a circumstantial account of which
may be found in the Memoirs of my Life… He now made a public profession,
received baptism under my hand, and united with the church.
He had a natural talent for public speaking, and he was faithful to improve it
at our Conferences, and was soon solicited to visit different neighborhoods and
adjacent towns, and hold meetings; and he was soon under regular engagements.
I have no data at hand by which I can determine the date of his letter of fellowship,
but it was probably about 1819. And shortly afterwards, a meeting and a council
were called in the town of Eaton, Madison co., where he was employing part of
his time, for his ordination; and if memory well serves me, Br. S[tephen] R.
Smith preached on the occasion.
Mr. Ackley continued to itinerate and preach in that section of country with
universal acceptance and great success, until somewhere around the year 1825,
when he removed his family into what we then called the Genesee country, and
settled for a season in the town of Hopewell. Since that time he has traveled
much in Western N. Y., and zealously, faithfully and successfully devoted his
time and talents to the promulgation of that truth which constituted the ground
of his hope, the sun of his life and the joy of his soul, until the infirmities
of age admonished him to moderate his zeal, and circumscribe the field of his
labor to narrower limits.
But his benevolent soul has forbidden him to be indifferent to the needs of humanity-the
sufferings of the poor, the groans of the sick and distressed, the tears of the
bereaved and afflicted, have always excited his warmest sympathy. He has ever
been the uniform friend of the indigent, the sympathizing companion of the sick
bed, and the comforter of the mourner; and he has continued to hold himself in
readiness to attend the calls of the suffering within the compass of his ability,
either to administer material aid or spiritual consolation. He has been, for
many years, extensively known in this section of the country; and his humility,
his honesty and integrity, his benevolence and charity have become almost proverbial.
He has conspicuously illustrated the practical influence of the religion he
professed in his daily life and conversation.
After the departure of his first wife, and remaining in widowed loneliness for
a few years, he married a second wife; and she has truly proved a companion in
faith, in hope, in zeal-a partner of his cares, his labors, his joys and his
sorrows. She married him with all the tenderness of conjugal affection, bathed
his fervered brow, smoothed his pillow, and cheered and comforted him to the
close of his passage to his final goal.
It is the second time she has been left in widowhood, but she is not without
a stay and a comforter. She enjoys the presence of that God who has promised
to be the husband of the widow. May God sanctify this bereavement, and fit and
prepare her for all her further duties and trials of life. Mr. Ackley was quite
a youth when I removed to Hamilton, and usually attended my meetings; but made
no pretensions to religion until the time of this revival; he, too, was an early
convert, and one of the first individuals who received baptism by immersion.
Hie had an uncommon talent of natural eloquence, and improved it successfully
in our conferences. At length he was invited and urgently requested to hold meetings
abroad, in the neighboring towns,'which after repeated solicitations, together
with my influence, he with great modesty and manifest reluctance consented to
do. And so edifying were his improvements, so confident were the people of his
great usefulness as a preacher of the everlasting Gospel, that he was persuaded,
eventually, to take upon himself the solemn responsibilitiesof an evangelist.
And how well he has sustained the dignity and the sacredness of that high and
holy vocation, I need not say; for he is well and extensively known to the denomination
as a devoted Christian, and an able advocate for the truth, and enjoys the undivided
confidence, of all his acquaintances; and is greatly beloved by all who know
him.
Rev Oliver ACKLEY and Polly GARDNER were married on 2 May 1810 in Hamilton,
Madison , New York.5,49,381 Polly
GARDNER was born on 1 Mar 1790.49,382 She appeared in the census
in 1850 in New York. She died on 1 Jun 1851 in Manchester, Ontario
, New York.378,382 Her Death Notice appeared in the Ontario County Messenger
on 11 Jun 1851 in Canandaigua, Ontario , New York382 DIED - In Manchester, on the 1st inst., of
neuralgia, Mrs. Polly, wife of Rev. Oliver Ackley, in the 61st year of
her age. She was buried in Sand Hill Cemetery, Seneca, Ontario , New York.49,378
Rev Oliver ACKLEY and Polly GARDNER had the following children:
Rev
Oliver ACKLEY and Mrs Anniss B BEACH were married on 18 Oct 1853 in Rochester,
Monroe , New York.383 In
Rochester on 18 Oct 1853, Oliver ACKLEY of Geneva and Mrs. Anniss B. BEACH
of Buffalo. |