Rev. John L. Ray, 1846 - 1920

John L. Ray

Popular Norwich Pastor Announces His Retirement

Utica Saturday Globe, June 1911

 

Rev. John Lafayette Ray

1846 - 1920

Norwich [Chenango Co., NY]:  At a recent business meeting of the membership of the First Baptist Church the resignation of the pastor, Rev. John L. Ray, was regretfully received and a committee submitted suitable resolutions deploring the determination of their pastor to withdraw not only from the pastorage of the Norwich church but to retire from the ministry after 43 years of service.  While only 22 years of age, six years before his graduation, Dr. Ray was ordained.  From that day he has been a pastor without a day's interval between pastorates, having during the period served three churches for 10 years each.  He came to the Norwich church a little over 10 years ago from his second pastorate of the Third Chruch of Germantown, Pa., that he might be near his relatives and his boyhood home.  It was his purpose to do his utmost to build up the local church during the afternoon of his life and then retire.  Ten years have quickly passed and his church has prospered spiritually and financially and has a better outlook today in every way than when he came.  Dr. Ray's pastorate of the Norwich church has been the longest in its history.  Other prominent churches he has served successfully besides the Germantown church to which he was twice called are the Mt. Auburn Chruch of Cincinnati, Ohio and the Williamsburg Church of Brooklyn.  [Glen Buell Collection, Guernsey Memorial Library, Norwich, NY]

 

Obituary

Binghamton Press, March 1, 1920

 

The Rev. John L. Ray, brother of Judge George W Ray of Norwich and for 43 years a minister of the Baptist church, died at 5:15 o'clock this morning at the home of a niece, Mrs. Mary Forward, 67 mill street, after an illness of about six years.  His last pastorate was at the First Baptist church in Norwich, where he was pastor of large churches in several important cities, including Brooklyn and Cincinnati.  He would have been 74 years old on May 30 next.  The Rev. Mr. Ray was compelled by ill health to relinquish his Norwich pastorate in 1911 on account of hardening of the arteries caused by his advanced age.  He underwent treatment in Steuben sanitarium, Hornell, and at Saratoga Springs and for a few months was cared for at the home of his nephew J. Johnson Ray, in Norwich.  Five years ago he came to this city and had since been cared for at the home of Mrs. Forward.  Mr. Ray was a graduate of Colgate university, Hamilton.  In addition to the church in Norwich, his pastorates included the Marcy Avenue Baptist church in Brooklyn, the Mount Auburn church in Cincinnati, and churches in New Berlin, Rensselaer and Germantown, Philadelphia.  In the last named place he worked for 10 years, and his pastorate in New Berlin lasted for five years. Aside from Judge Ray he is survived by no relatives closer than nephews and nieces.  These are:  J. Johnson Ray of Norwich, Mrs. Mary Farmer and Mrs. John Eisenhardt of this city, Lieutenant Colonel Hal S. Ray of Des Moines, Iowa; Charles Van Patten of Denver, Colo.; Miss Minnie Calkins of Lebanon, Charles Tallet of Beaver Meadows, Mrs. Letirand Harris and Arthur Blackman of Homesville.  The condition of Judge Ray's health will not permit him to come to this city, but his son, J. Johnson Ray, is expected to arrive this afternoon, when arrangements for the funeral will be made. Services will be held at the home of  Mrs. Forward and later in Norwich, probably in the First Baptist church. Burial will be in Mount Hope cemetery, Norwich.