Samuel K. Hoshour
S.K. Hoshour was born in York County, Pennsylvania on December 9, 1803. His ancestors had come to this country nearly a century earlier from the French and German borders.
His father was a Mennonite while his mother was a dyed-in-the-wool Lutheran who clung to her faith and taught young Samuel how to be a Lutheran. His father died shortly afterward and he was placed under a guardian who did not show kindness to the boy. At age sixteen he was hired out to a local farmer at very low wages. He earned four dollars a month. He did not see any possibilities of a higher status so he began his work as a day-laborer. When he reached age 18, he took on a school that gave him a much greater understanding of all things, including mathematics and since he was on another plantation which happened to have a much larger library, he took advantage and started reading much more than he had earlier. At this time, he began to be indentured to a master in the art of tanning. It was here that he hoped his situation would improve. Religiously impressed, strongly inclined to be useful in a public capacity, and encouraged by a maternal uncle, he aspired to the position of a German Lutheran preacher. This was far different than that which was first presented to him at an earlier age. He spent several years in the York Academy during which he read a considerable portion of the Latin and Greek classics, and mastered, to some degree the curriculum of mathematics belonging to the old-fashioned Eastern academies.
He was married on February 7, 1826 to Miss Lucinda Savage. He afterward began his Lutheran “pastorate” work in the spring of 1828 at Smithburg, Washington County, Maryland. He had completed his training and it was now that he set out to do his utmost best in everything he did. He was three years connected with this pastorate. Two events gave some variety to the usual monotony of rural, pastoral life. The first was his public effort against intemperance. One day Hoshour was looking across the roadway when he saw some men coming into town in an inebriated fashion. After inquiring who they were he discovered that they were members of his congregation who owned distilleries. It would take a lot of time and tact to get to the root of this evil. Some of the saloonists of that day—members of the church, told me that my career and that of my coadjutors took the bread out of the mouths of their children. The proprietors of these distilleries were, in the language of society, good, moral, and sterling men, but their eyes at that early day were not fully open in regard to the iniquity of their avocation. In 1831, he removed from that pastorate, to Hagerstown, the county seat of Washington County, Md. Here for the first year he taught a private academy and as Dr. Kurtz, who had been the pastor of the Lutheran congregation for sixteen years, accepted a call to Chambersburg, Pa., the pulpit at this place (Hagerstown), became vacant. At the close of that year, 1831, he gave up his teaching, and the Council, with the ready concurrence of the congregation (about four hundred members), gave him a call to be their minister. At that time a “proclaimer of the ancient Gospel” made his appearance in the community; not a scholarly man, but who understood the New Testament pretty well, and had brass enough to enlist the attention of the whole community. He called attention to many neglected or overlooked passages in the “book;” indeed, made the Scriptures look almost new to reflecting minds. His boldness in proclaiming ” the word,” as also his persistence, made an impression upon some of the best minds about there. He immersed persons who pedo preachers would not have thought would ever go under the water. In a short time, he immersed some forty persons; some from different sects, but most of them from the “outsiders.” The “Campbellite proclaimer” produced quite a stir in the communities around. Wrapped up in clerical dignity, he never condescended to resort to his meetings and listen to his crudities and supposed heresies! Various reports about his abnormal course among the people, of his saying, ” that here is no spiritual influence but that of the ‘ word ; ‘ ” of his refusing to ask a blessing at the table, saying ” the blessing is already here, let us give thanks for it . ”
At another time Hoshour was approached by a Methodist preacher saying that Hoshour could deal with this Campbellite minister on proper manor of baptism. Hoshour concurred. While preparing to meet the Campbellite, by the name of “Webb.” Hoshour concluding his preparation to meet Webb, went into his Lutheran past by consulting Martin Luther himself as well as other Lutheran resources such as Moshiem, etc. He met the word “tauffe” which translated as “ immerse.” After an in-depth study he was feeling far less able to stop Webb. He referred to this as having “his cannons spiked” as a figure that he could not stop Webb’s advance. Also, in regards to his devotion to preaching the gospel, he realized that he just might be opposing it because of his sprinkling his subjects instead of immersing them as both English and German expressed. The grave question was, What shall I do? On the one side was a large kinship, all staunch Lutherans; hundreds, if not thousands of kind friends, in and outside of the Lutheran communion, who would give a verdict against him, should he be immersed; cords of the tenderest kind would be cut probably forever.
On the last Lord’s day, 1835, he was immersed in full agreement with the studies that he had made. It was a major step as it made all whom he knew opponents. His wife cried all night when told the news. His name was cleansed from Lutheran records and he had no fellowship with his friends and associates. He was a man without a country at this time.
Around this time, it was decided by his father-in-law that they would move to the west and change their family locations to some approved location not known at this time. That must have been intimidating to them! But, prior to this time it was decided that they return to Maryland to sell property and articles which they could not take to the west. It was while he was in Maryland that many of his friends that had not turned on him were glad to see and hear what he had to say. He preached on baptism as related in the scriptures and found quite a few people who accepted what he had to say and were themselves baptized. This included his wife and her mother and many others who accepted that the true baptism is one in which the person was immersed in water rather have water sprinkled upon him.
On September 16, 1835 The Hoshours and relatives departed for the west. The trip was very arduous and took a great deal of time as well as money. Necessities such as provender for their animals were available but at a much higher price than they had been used to in their former homes.
They crossed the Ohio river and the hills of Ohio and finally arrived in Indiana. They arrived at Centerville and felt that they needed to stop due to the winter weather. After disposing of 3 of their horses the two families rented a house with barely enough room for one but it was the best that could be done. After this Hoshour looked around for a means by which they might provided food and clothing for the families. He could not be a preacher due to the condition of the society around him. The best that he could do was to take employment as a school teacher. This was a cheap income but was always available.
On Monday, April first 1836 his school began. He received students from all over the state in his area, including the governor’s daughter and many other well-known, and well-off students. He held this school for four years and prospered well.
Professor Hoshour began to preach the ancient gospel and was very soon labelled as a ‘Campbellite’ by people from his area. The strange thing about it was the fact that he was absolutely pure and life without peer. Very soon people understood his preaching and a number of people were baptized and a Christian Church soon was raised and strengthened by his doctrine and peerless life.
The following explanation, which appeared in the Wayne County Chronicle, in September, 1839, may not be out of place at this point: —
EXPLANATION.
M R . E D I T O R : I have for several years observed with no ordinary amusement, the repeated and vigorous efforts on the part of some of my religious fellow-citizens to ferret out some flaw or impropriety in my conduct which, in their estimation, would lower my standing in society and detract from my character as a professor of Christianity. On divers occasions they gave the yell as if they were sure of the game, but they soon lost the trail on the plains of surmise, and had to return with galling disappointments.
Recently, however, they thought with illuminations of joy on their countenances, the deed which they thought should- fix on me an ineffaceable odium. Nay, so important to them did they deem the discovery, that they beleaguered you with requests to spread it before the readers of the Chronicle! And what is the odious deed? Why, in a communication to the Heretic Detector I said that ” t h r e e years ago, when I came here, there was not a believer in the simple primitive gospel in the place.” This sentence was construed as conveying the idea that the population of this village had been entirely infidel before I came here. Such an idea I did not intend to convey. By a believer in the ” s i m p l e primitive gospel,” I mean a person who believes w i t h all his heart that Jesus Christ is the son of God, and that by his sufferings and death he made an expiation for sin; who has such a sense and abhorrence of sin as w i l l induce reformation of life; and who, w i t h such a belief and state of mind, puts on Christ by immersion for the remission of sins, and who subsequently, aided by divine grace, practices the moral and other precepts of the New Testament without any additions by men. Now, if there were any such persons in the town before I came here, I was wrong in my statement. But I knew of none. I did not mean there were no believers in the Christian revelations here. And I am w i l l i n g to have an appeal made to the readers of the Heretic Detector among the ten thousand Disciples in Indiana, whether they thought I meant in the above sentence that there were no believers in Christ in the place before. I never said publicly or privately, at home or abroad, that the professors of religion who lived here before my arrival, did not believe the gospel or the Christian revelation! The only regret I have is that they believe in more than what belongs to the gospel. They believe in infant sprinkling, mourning bench operations and the annexations of Discipline and Confessions to the “Perfect Law of liberty,” about which the New Testament is as s t i l l as the grave, and for which you search in vain on the historic page of p r i m i t i v e Christianity. I wish the readers of this to understand that in the presence of our heavenly Father I disclaim the construction my enemies put on my communication in the Heretic Detector.
- K . H O S H O U R .
C E N T R E V I L L E , September 11, 1839.
In the fall of 1839, he removed to Cambridge City, where he became the principal of a large and tastefully constructed seminary where he conducted for seven years. There were two famous students from here, a major general and a governor of Indiana.
About 1846, with his health declining he left his job as a principal and began privately teaching German in his area.
In 1852 he purchased a small farm near to Cambridge City. After this he made an investment in the local railroad
In June of 1858 he was elected president of Northwestern Christian University where he officiated for several years.
In 1862 he was made State Superintendent of Schools and labored at that job for many years. He read five languages and wrote in three of those. He was extremely prepared in the field of education and he preached the ancient gospel throughout all the days of his adult life. His foes sought to discredit him and watched him constantly but were unable to discredit him in any way as he led a pious and holy walk all the days of his life.
He passed from this earth life in 1883. His autobiography was published in 1884. His was a life devoted to the gospel first and to education secondly.