other points on the Methodist Circuit. Religion was not always first and foremost on his mind for he was known as a bit of a rebel in his younger days before he experienced a religious conversion. As told by his grandson and namesake, Harold Jabez Yeo, the conversion happened as Jabez was walking home from the back forty.

As he was getting over a barb wire fence, he was struck by the Holy Spirit. For a period of time the old fel- low straddled the fence; one foot on one side, one on the other, almost as if there was a struggle for his

Elmer Ramsay, who soul. Finally the good won out and Jabez was attended the Sunday reformed.

School at SLJames,

This conversion probably occurred some time

recalled the prayers between the birth of his oldest son Samuel Henry

ofjabez who was Superintendent of

(Harry) and his second son John Wesley. Wesley was obviously called after the great evangelist and

Sunday School. ‘jabez founder ofJabez’s beloved Methodist faith.

stood straight and tall Jabez’s knowledge of the Bible was illustrated in with his eyes closed. a story told by his great-grandson, H. Mayne Yeo. There was no limit to ‘jabez liked to chew tobacco, as was common in the eloquence of his those days. One of the lVlinisters was against tobacco prayers.” and tried to dissuade Jabez from the habit. Know-

83

, ing the old man’s love for the Bible the minister argued, ‘But tobacco is not mentioned in the Bible!’

‘Oh Yes,’ Jabez responded. ‘Tobacco is mentioned in the Bible.’

‘What’ said the astonished minister.

‘Ahuh’ saidjabez, ‘ Psalm 84, Verse 6 speaks of the Valley of Bacca.”’

Jabez, in his later years, was seen walking almost contin- ually between his home and St. James Methodist Church. He carried his Bible with him, and at short notice, was always prepared to preach a sermon or debate the various versions of scripture passage.

The following is Jabez’s obituary from The Summmide journal published onJune 24 of 1935:

An old and respected resident of Lot 16 passed away

on Friday in the person of Mr. Jabez Yeo, age 83. The

deceased was the last survivor of a family of eleven,

LEADERS OF THE CHURCH