1865-1925
Adoniram Judson Benton
Congregational Pastor IA/MN
A peer of Adoniram Judson Benton, Mr. Truman Orville (T.O.) Douglass, wrote a series of sketches on early Congregational church leaders in Iowa. He included Rev. Benton in his book of over 800 pages entitled Builders of a Commonwealth which is now digitized from the carbon paper of that book. We are grateful for his review of Pastor Benton written in the 1920’s and will make a few edits therein to update this story.
Adcniram Judson Benton, son of James and Amelia Benton, was born in a log cabin near Grand Rapids, Michigan, November 26, 1865. He attended a country school near his home, and a private school in the city, and in his young manhood taught in country schools for three years. Later, he took the scientific course in the institution at Valparaiso, Indiana.
As a special preparation for the ministry, he took the course in theology prescribed by the United Brethren Conference, and also a course in the U. B. Seminary at Dayton, Ohio, from which he graduated in 1893. He was ordained March 31 of the same year. While still in the Seminary, in August, 1891, he was married to Miss Edith Crowell of Ottumwa. She became the mother of five children.
His association with the United Brethren people after graduation from the Seminary was of short duration. In May of 1894, he came into our fellowship, and took charge of our work at Quasqueton and Pleasant Prairie. He was in service on that field until May of 1897, at which time he accepted a call to the church at Dickens, in Clay County. His commission for this field was renewed in 1898 and 1899. The church made rapid progress under his administration.
In May of 1900, he closed his work at Dickens, and began at Edgewood, in Northeastern Iowa. This was a self-supporting field. His first year is reported as one of great prosperity for the church. Pastor Tuttle, of Manchester, assisted him in special meetings. In June of 1901, the pastor and his family took possession of a new parsonage which had been provided for them. However, in July, he resigned and moved to Wittenberg, near Newton. There also a parsonage was provided for him, but he left the field at the end of the second year.
In 1903, he went down into Arkansas, and was pastor at Gentry for a short time. He also spent a little time in San Francisco in the YMCA-work, and then was for a time pastor at Cole Camp, Missouri. But in 1906, he was back in Iowa, and in March of this year, was commissioned for Larchwood. The commission was renewed in 1907.
In 1908, he took charge of Fayette. “Congregational Iowa” for March reports: “The church has called Rev. A. J. Benton, of Larchwood, and with the opening of his ministry the church passes from despondency to self-support.” This pastorate covered a period of four years.
“Congregational Iowa” for September, 1911, reports: “The Rev. A. J. Benton has accepted a call to Wadena, Minnesota…” In 1912, Mr. Benton came back to Iowa, and took up the work of the Children’s Home Society, as superintendent for the State, with headquarters in Oskaloosa. He is still engaged in this service.
While I was superintendent of Home Missions and closely associated with Brother Benton, I used to scold him for running about so much. He did not need to change so often. The people, nearly all of them, always liked him. He was a good preacher, the only drawback “being a bad throat and a weak voice.” He was one of the kindest of men, and made hosts of friends. Probably he is in his element now, working for the children.[1]
Rev. Adoniram Judson Benton died in 1925.
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[1] Truman Orville Douglass, Builders of a Commonwealth, pp. 314-316. Digitizing sponsor: Congregational Library of the American Congregational Association.