Category: Clara Wetherald

Clara Wetherald, Uncategorized8 Comments

Clara Wetherald A Methodist, Free Methodist and Finally A Congregationalist

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Clara Wetherald noted in her testimony at the 1890 Free Methodist General Conference that when she was younger, she thought the only way a woman could preach was if she married a minister. So, that’s precisely what she did when, at seventeen, she married John Wetherald, an ordained elder in the Methodist Protestant Church.   Methodist Protestant Church Years Between 1866 and 1874, Clara and John Wetherald worked within the Michigan Methodist Protestant Church. John was an ordained elder during their time in the denomination. Clara and John were appointed to churches, with Clara having separate appointments from John. Clara first … Continue reading Clara Wetherald A Methodist, Free Methodist and Finally A Congregationalist

Clara Wetherald, Free Methodist General Conferences, Uncategorized7 Comments

As God Will: 1892 Update from Clara Wetherald

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After about a 5-year break, I am returning to the topic of 19th-century women’s ordination. Currently, I’m working on tracing the stories of the Free Methodist General Conference female delegates from 1890, Anna Grant, (Northern Indiana), and 1894, Clara Sage (Wabash, Ind,), Mrs. Colemen (Wisconsin) & Mrs. Barnhart (Pittsburg). More on what I have found to come. While my dissertation traced the stories of the two women delegates who spoke up in defense of their ministry (Clara Wetherald & Ida Gage), I have begun to wonder about those who were silent. Why didn’t they speak; what did they think? Some … Continue reading As God Will: 1892 Update from Clara Wetherald

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Are Tears a Sin? Clara Wetherald’s Views on Emotion and Preaching

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This article was published while B.T. Roberts was editor of The Free Methodist. It shows the emotional/embodied nature Clara most likely also practiced as she addressed a congregation. As I’ve blogged about her for several years, her passion cannot be doubted but how she physically and emotionally expressed that passion was something I was unsure of until I found this article. My favorite quote from Clara in this article is: “Tears often speak louder than words. “ By Clara Wetherald The Free Methodist November 23, 1887 A meeting was held in a certain place to labor with a sister, and … Continue reading Are Tears a Sin? Clara Wetherald’s Views on Emotion and Preaching

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Keep Our Faces Before Thee: Clara Wetherald’s Report from South Lyon, MI

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I am beginning a long series of publishing Free Methodist women’s original articles in their entirety.  I’ve spent the past few years telling the stories of various Free Methodist women trailblazers and while I have quoted them, I want them to have a chance to say more in their own voices. This first article published in the February 22, 1888, The Free Methodist was a ministry report by Clara Wetherald from South Lyon, Michigan. Clara illustrates the tension between a believing and unbelieving spouse and women’s lack of legal status in this article. It’s a remarkable story and incredible example … Continue reading Keep Our Faces Before Thee: Clara Wetherald’s Report from South Lyon, MI

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Who was LeGrand Buell? – The Continuing Story of Clara Wetherald

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I apologize for the delay in blogging. I’m trying to finish up my dissertation this semester, so I’m afraid my posts might not be as often as I’d like. I’d also like to thank members of the  Miller family who have been amazing in helping me find information on Clara Wetherald. Who was LeGrand Buell? In the story of Clara Wetherald he was the second husband who died three years into their marriage. He was the man that Clara supposedly left John Wetherald for and caused a scandal in the community. He was the drunkard who Clara married to reform. … Continue reading Who was LeGrand Buell? – The Continuing Story of Clara Wetherald

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Temperance Music and Religion through the Example of the Miller Family

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It’s been awhile since I’ve written on my dissertation topic – Clara Wetherald, Ida Gage and their work as nineteenth century Free Methodist evangelists, but it’s time to get back to work. I’ve missed these women. Clara (Miller) Wetherald came from a musically gifted family. As more fragments from her life emerge it’s clear that music was something that was an important part of both who she was and her ministry. Her second husband Legrand Buell was a musician and songwriter. Even the NY Times article about Legrand’s death in 1895 noted his musical accomplishments. Clara’s brother Frank Miller was … Continue reading Temperance Music and Religion through the Example of the Miller Family

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The Demise of John Wetherald

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This dissertation topic has taught me to believe that you can find that “needle in the haystack” or in the case of Clara Wetherald and Ida Gage’s lives “multiple needles in the haystack.” Once again, I have to thank the wonderful people who have helped me find so many of these tidbits that connect the dots. An 1895 New York Times article notes that the Reverend Clara Buell caused quite a sensation when she divorced her husband, John Wetherald, in 1891 and married Legrand Buell in 1892. Supposedly her main motivation for wanting to marry Legrand was to convert him … Continue reading The Demise of John Wetherald

Clara Wetherald, Free Methodist General Conferences2 Comments

A Sermon Illustration Understood Two Different Ways

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At the 1890 Free Methodist General Conference Clara Wetherald delivered an address on women’s ordination. Clara was a powerful public speaker. A woman who heard her preach in Montrose, Michigan, at the beginning of the twentieth century noted that Clara “Usually preached with tears running down her cheeks, although she was smiling all the time. She was a very attractive woman, and the tears did not interfere with her attractiveness.” Clara stood in front of the 1890 General Conference delegates and admitted that she knew the adversity facing women in ministry but felt they were particularly gifted to care for … Continue reading A Sermon Illustration Understood Two Different Ways

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Clara (Miller) Wetherald’s Family Legacy

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No one can ever accuse Clara Wetherald of living a boring life. From start to finish, her family narrative is filled with fascinating accounts – some true and some exaggerated. She was born Clara Miller June 20, 1849, in Erie County, Pennsylvania. Her parents, Esther and Harvey Miller, moved to Michigan when she was three. Clara had three other siblings, older brother and sister Sarah Miller and Commodore Perry Miller and a younger brother Frank Miller. Her parents’ marriage was rocky, and both Frank and Clara in later writings call their father “a wicked man.” This was probably due to … Continue reading Clara (Miller) Wetherald’s Family Legacy

Clara Wetherald, Ida Gage1 Comment

Archival Research is Complicated: Additional Information on Ida Gage and Clara Wetherald

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New feature: The 1890 Debate on Ordaining Women is now posted under the Debates on Women in Ministry Page. It can be downloaded in PDF, Kindle or epub formats. When I began my blog in May 2010 I began it as research tool. I really didn’t expect to get many readers. I was writing for myself and to help process my thoughts and ideas as I worked. Perhaps, my family would read it out of pity for me and say “Good job, great post,” but getting anyone outside of immediate family and a few close friends as readers wasn’t something … Continue reading Archival Research is Complicated: Additional Information on Ida Gage and Clara Wetherald