Holbrook line: Reverend Isaac Hetrick

For my first "real" post, I'm highlighting Isaac Hetrick.  The Holbrook children (Ray, Howard, Lois, Gladys) were his descendents through their mother, Etta Alice Stanard, and her mother, Mary Alice Hetrick Stanard, who was the daughter of Isaac Hetrick and Elizabeth Black. 

Information about ancestor Isaac is more plentiful than for many of our ancestors, yet there are great gaps in his record which means there is still more research to do. On the theory that sharing what I've learned may lead to someone sharing with me what they've learned, and also on the theory that something is better than nothing, here is what I know as of today. 

Isaac Hetrick was born in Baltimore County, Maryland on June 15, 1810.   He was the son of Abraham Hedrick who was from York County, Pa, and Sarah Lemmon, who was from Maryland.  In 1814, as the War of 1812 was winding down, the family moved to Morrow County, Ohio, and is reported as being one of the first two families of "easterners" there.  The Hetrick family were farmers, and were apparently well respected in the community as both Abraham and Isaac served as justices of the peace. 

Isaac first married Sarah Zeigler, and they apparently had three sons. Michael, Jacob, and Simeon are listed in the 1850 census, aged 19, 17, and 15, respectively.  Michael died in the Danville, Va Confederate prisoner of war camp in the Civil War.  Sarah died sometime prior to March 12, 1840, when Isaac married Elizabeth Black, daughter of Peter Black and Martha Amos.  The marriage took place in Richland County, Ohio, where the Blacks lived. 

Isaac and Elizabeth had at least eight children: Davis, Sarah E, Owen, Mary Alice, Oliver P, Naomi Ellen, Martha Ann, and Frank.  There is a large age gap between Davis and Sarah, (6 years) so the possibility of additional children who died young can't be ruled out.  Elizabeth died December 1, 1862 in Mansfield, Ohio, and Isaac married Elizabeth Rowland August 3, 1863 (may be date of application),  He is listed as being a merchant of dry goods in the 1860 census.

Isaac Hetrick was a two term representative for Morrow County in the Ohio state legislature, and served at the same time as James Garfield, later President of the United States.  The Hetrick family had helped found a Baptist church in the area, and about 1866 Isaac became convicted that God was calling him to go to Kansas and establish Baptist churches there. 

He and Elizabeth and the children moved to Kansas in 1867 (Isaac would have been 57 by then) and lived primarily in Franklin County.  He organized and established six churches, and built four houses of worship.  One of those churches was the Appanoose Baptist Church, which was one of the four churches that Isaac actually helped build.  Quoting from the Franklin County Historical Society's "Headlight" of April 2003, "Although he was a weary, hardworking, baldheaded man by the week, he became on the Sabbath a handsome, bewigged gentleman filled with God's message of courage and faithfulness".  There is a picture of Isaac Hetrick from about this time period, on the Franklin County Historical Society website.  Go to www.franklincokshistory.org, and type Isaac Hetrick in the search box. You'll pull up a history of the Appanoose Baptist church, including pictures of the slightly modified original building, and a pictures of our hardworking, baldheaded ancestor. 

Isaac died August 15, 1891 in Ottawa, Franklin County, Kansas, and is buried in Greenwood cemetery there. He was apparently preaching until very near the end of his life.  He left a will which I have not yet seen.  We can truly admire and honor this man's legacy to his family and his community, of service, faith, and obedience to God's call.