~ Samuel N. McCann and Elizabeth A. Gibbel ~

Submitted by Dorothy McCann Phillips

 
 

SAMUEL NATHAN McCANN & ELIZABETH GIBBEL-McCANN

 
Samuel N.McCann was the grandson of Nathan Gould and Samantha Phillips-Gould Son of Squire Bosworth McCann and Roxanne Gould.

Seated - Samuel N. McCann with freind in Baltimore

 I have come into the possesion of many letters of the times between late 1800's and beyond.
These from Bridgewater College, the Alexander Mack Special Collections, at Bridgewater, Virginia. As an Elder of the Brethern Church in Upshur County, W. Va.,  he was sent to India as a missionary during the times of the Famine and Plagues.  While there he met and married.
Elizabeth Gibbel, who was also in India as one of the Missionaries of the Brethren Church. They had two children, Henry and Mary, Henry was born in India, his daughter Mary married, but died soon after her marriage to John Wright.

The following note from the Librarian at Bridgewater College. Many thanks to Ruth Greenawalt for her help in putting this book together in honor of Samuel and Elizabeth, and other Missionaries of the Brethern Church.

Dorothy McCann-Phillips

Dear Dorothy

We're pleased to have someone take an interest in S.N. McCann's papers.  There is so much interesting information there.  As you probably noticed on our web page, we have his diaries, notes on the India missions, photographs, and boxes of financial and educational matters for the whole family, as well as the correspondence, sermons, and books he wrote.  In our museum, we have their hand-painted dishes, Elizabeth's wedding gown and items they brought back from India.  After Elizabeth died, I understand that the college tried to contact their son Henry to ask him to come and pick up all these things, but he never returned their letters.  Mary, his daughter, was already dead.

In my opinion, S.N. McCann was truly a great man.  After organizing his papers and reading much of the correspondence, I felt as if I had known him personally.  I cried when I came to the letters he wrote home just prior to his death.  He was so weak at the end  that someone else had to write for him, but he never gave up hope that he would recover.

Ruth

Following is one of the letters:

Samuel to Elizabeth

Ankelsvar, India
November 6, 1903

Dearest Lizzie and Henry:

Another week has gone with about the same round of duty performed. This week I spent two days in Raja' P. expected to spend eight or ten days but Dan had fever and I hurried back, his fever comes every day, runs to 105. I broke it yesterday by sitting him in the bath room and turning cold water over him.  The locusts or grasshoppers keep  extending their work. They are not taking the  whole country but where they stop they take away everything green. leave the ground without a green plant. They go in swarms, generally travel at night. You can see them by looking towards the moon. They have done much damage in broach, Taluha, they were passing over here last night about 9 o'clock, they have been passing before. They are settling some about Pyrusman(sp.) and Brihodra and on that side. Our farm is gone so I hear, we had gone to quite good deal of expense to get it ready and planted. It came up nicely and prospects were good for us to clear 150 or 200 rupees for the orphanage, but I understand every thing is swept by the grasshoppers. I am going out today to see if possible. Jhagada and most places along the river are suffering. Some of the people go into their fields, grain in sight almost, and fight all day with their Dhoties (sp) and saries  but to no avail If the hoppers continue to increase in number

This I did not see but I have information from good authority.

Where they come in small numbers some may save their fields. If present indications continue we have darker days before us than we have yet seen. The lord may interfere and stop the pest, but the rapidity if increase and their spreading looks rather dangerous. many small grains have already been gathered, such as Bajin, Godra, etc. The main crops Jawarie(sp) wheat etc are not ripe.  The monsoon Jawarie and other monsoon crops are nearly ready to gather, but the winter crops are only a few inches high. The  worst may be next year, we can hope that the pest may be stayed. It is now only in spots but these spots are constantly growing larger and increasing in numbers.

It is hardly time to give much  warning, yet things begin to look very grave. I hate to write even indications, there has been so much famine cry from India.  The grasshoppers that are doing is a redish one in color, very large and strong winged. He raises and flies for miles. he is four to five inches long and gets heavy.

I had a letter from W. B. after sending him one of mine, that Prama is very mean in the way he writes to me.

I did not get a Guardian off last mail, it was lost and I could not find it. Heridus had it I think, for afterwards it turned up on the office table.  Forney’s have engaged passage in February. They were to arrive at Jalalapur yesterday. We will have our quarterly meeting next week at Bulsar. At least we are so arranging.

The question of making two orphanages and of having the girls and boys together will likely come up. I dread these questions because they are likely to leave bad feelings. I think from Bro. Miller's letter that he would leave the girls and boys together, he is in favor of two orphanages and wrote it might soon be we could have one and that means the boys and girls together.

It is breakfast or chatting time, the bell has rung, so goodbye till later.   Prayers over, wood weighed, rooms inspected, sick children, or rather sore children attended to, and I went to the farm and back. I did not see a grass hopper on that  side and no indications that any have been there. They were passing over last night. I saw them, they were going in that direction, but they passed on, where they light, it means destruction, but I don't know how far they went.  They have been doing much damage in places but you cannot believe all you hear, as I learned this morning, when I went out to our place. You know I never knew that before in this country.

I dreamed, or seemed to see you the other night. It seemed you had fallen down the steps and hurt yourself. Hope you are well and hearty and happy too. I will be so glad to get your next letter, hardly hope for it this week, but a week later I expect it sure.

My best love to all.

Kisses for you and our Darling. It does me good to look at your pictures.

Yours,
S. N. McCann

Elizabeth A. Gibbel

ELIZABETH GIBBEL-McCANN EULOGY

(From Bridgewater College, Virginia)

     Elizabeth Gibbel-McCann passed away suddenly June 18, 1944, at the home of her son, Henry G. McCann, Yonkers, New York, aged 76 years, 3 months, and 4 days.

Elizabeth was the only daughter of the late John B. and Elizabeth (Royer) Gibbel, four brothers having preceding her in death. Her early life was spent
on the farm. She had the privileges of of a good country school. The spiritual atmosphere of her home prompted Elizabeth to give her heart to the Lord much earlier than most young people of that day usually accepted Christ. On March 5, 1885 when not quite seventeen years of age, she was admitted into the Church by Baptism, administered by her father.

     She was graduated from Juaniata College, in the Normal English Course in 1891, and was a successful public school teacher for six years, when she accepted an appointment as Missionary to India.

     In the fall of 1897 in company of Elder and Sister D.L. Forney, and Elder Samuel  N. McCann, Elizabeth sailed for the Mission Field in India. In Bulpar,
India, on June 29, 1898, Elizabeth was united in marriage to Elder S. N. McCann.

     After acquiring the language, Bro. and Sister McCann lived at Anklesvar, India. They conducted Bible Classes, and visited among the "Bhila", especially in Raj Pipla State, with unusual success. Sister McCann's outstanding contribution in the early days was setting the example of a Christian home before the natives. In 1900 their son Henry G. was born. The McCann's lived in Anklesvar at a most strategic time, for famine stalked the land, and Bro. and Sister McCann gave generously of their strength, even to the point of endangering their health.

     While Bro. McCann was carrying on extensive relief work, over great stretches of territory, where people were dying of famine, Sister McCann was
busy with the general duties which come to every Missionary Mother. She felt she must do all she could to teach the women and continued her daily Bible classes. Her heart, burdened almost beyond the enduring point at seeing the ravages of famine, quoting her own words, "Yearned for the time when the conditions of the people shall be better and when the Gospel story shall be known in every city,  village and hamlet in India."

     Owing to health conditions, Sister McCann, with her little son, returned home in the fall of 1903. She was in the home land with her Mother for a year.
On March 1, 1904, their daughter Mary Roxanna was born. In June of that year Sister McCann attended the Annual Conference at Carthage, Mo. She spoke in a number of churches while on furlough, and her sincerity, simplicity, and earnestness appealed to everyone she spoke to.

     It was the time of the "Bubonic Plague" in India, and Bro. McCann remained at his post to care for the sick and dying, knowing the danger of the
pertilence about him, each letter, written home, contained a farewell message. Those were the days of intense anxiety for Sister McCann, but she had a
triumphant Faith that carried her through.

     In November 1904, Sister McCann bade her mother farewell for the last time, and with her two little children, returned to India. Again she was the
helpful home keeper and Missionary Mother.

     After Bro. McCann had given ten long years of faithful service he and his family returned to America. He needed a furlough, for he was not well. They
set sail in the month of April, leaving Bombay and coming by way of China, visiting some of our Mission Stations there and arrived in California in time
to attend the Annual Conference in Los Angeles in 1907.

     Sister McCann and the children lived in Lititz a few years while Mr McCann traveled in the interest of the General Missions Board and later for
Bridgewater College.  They had hoped to return to India, but circumstances were that they remained in America.  As in India, so in America they gave
their best to the Church. Bro. McCann became a Teacher of the Bible at Bridgewater College.

     Here again, Sister McCann's hospitable home was a center of influence, long to be remembered. Bro. McCann contracted a disease which caused him much suffering the rest of his life. In 1917 he attended the Annual Conference at Wichita,  Kansas and then went to North Dakota to visit among his own kin.

     After her husband's death, Sister McCann was Dean of Women at Bridgewater College for several years, one year at Blue Ridge College, and later as Ass't Dean at Elizabethan College for eleven years.

     After her retirement, she went to live with her daughter Mary, then Mrs. John W. Wright, at Knoxville, Tenn. Another great sorrow came into her life,
when in 1940 Mary passed away, following an operation of appendicitis.

     Sister McCann went to live with her son and family in Yonkers, New York. She found much joy having these latter years with these loved ones, and
especially appreciated her grandchildren, Donald and Catherine McCann.

     Her body was taken to Bridgewater, to the home of her very dear friends, Dr and Mrs N.D. Cool, and the funeral took place from the home June 21, just as her daughter Mary's did a few years ago.

Rev. C.G. Hease conducted the service at the hBetween many floral tributes, borne by friends of Mary's and Sister McCann's, her body was carried into the Church. Her life-long friend Dr John S. Flory, preached the funeral sermon. Dr. Cool assisted in the service. A quartet of young people sang "Beneath The Cross of Jesus", and her favorite hymn, "Jesus Loves Me, This I know". The latter most appropriate for one who taught little Indian children to sing it
and love it. She was laid to rest beside her husband and Mary in the beautiful Bridgewater Cemetery.

     The Anklesvar Church was built in 1929-1930 as a memorial to the McCanns. It was a great joy when she was told of the Church which was to be erected in memory of their outstanding work done among the people about Anklesvar, and in Raj Pipla State.

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