You know those people in your life who seem to never stop moving? They accomplish so much and it’s hard to understand how they find the time to do everything. This is the story of one such person – our ancestor Ernest William Chewning. Like others in our tree, he followed the call to minister to others, but when we look back on his early life, we have to marvel at his level of dedication.
Ernest was born in 1879 in Clark County, Missouri, near the little town of Antioch, as part of a small but productive farming community that included his father, Moses Chewning, his mother Lizzie, and five siblings. He was only nine when his father passed away (at the age of 44), which left him and his 16-year-old brother Theodore to keep the farm running. He spent his teen years laboring on his own farm as well as those of his neighbors, to help support his family, which no doubt taught him the value of a hard day’s work. But despite these hardships, or maybe because of them, when Ernest attended a revival meeting at his local church (at the tender age of eleven), he was so moved by the sermon that he accepted Christ as his Savior, and from that day forward found himself on a new trajectory.
Ernest attended college in nearby La Grange, Missouri, and in the fall of 1899 he had to return home for some time to care for his mother who was ill. She passed away the following spring, leaving him and his older siblings with an obligation to look after their younger siblings (the youngest of whom was only seven). We don’t know how this burden was shared amongst them, but we do know that Ernest continued living in La Grange, attending school, where he met his wife, Idella “Pearl” Stinson, who was also going to school at La Grange. Meanwhile, in June 1902, Ernest was ordained as a Baptist minister by the council of his church, and then in December of that year he and Idella got married. Ten months later, their son Bert was born.
I don’t know about you, dear reader, but this seems like a lot for a young man in his early twenties. To be a college student, newlywed, itinerant preacher, and father to a newborn all at the same time seems like it would overwhelm all but the most steadfast among us. But he continued to live his life this way for several more years. He graduated from college in 1909 with a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, and two young children. But he wasn’t ready to slow down yet – he picked up his burgeoning family and moved them to the other side of Missouri, beginning his studies at the Kansas City Baptist Theological Seminary (today known as Central Seminary in Shawnee, Kansas), while also taking a job as the new pastor of Chelsea Baptist Church, in Kansas City, Kansas. Upon his graduation from the seminary, Ernest was named the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Odessa, Missouri, and here he was able to finally settle into a rhythm. In the next six years, they would welcome three more children into their lives and he would spend the rest of his life doing what he loved: bringing people to God (typing his sermons on the Royal typewriter pictured above). What an inspiration he must have been to his congregation, especially when they were suffering from the stress of everyday life.
Lest you think that Ernest William was all business, he did manage to have fun every once in a while. In 1904, he took his new bride to the St. Louis World’s Fair, from which he brought home a handsome souvenir, stamped with his name and hometown (that is still part of our family collection of memorabilia). While he was in college, he was president of a musical band of some kind, although what instrument he played has been lost to history. And during their time living in Harrisonville, Missouri, the Rev. Chewning was a very active member of Cass Lodge #147, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, serving as Past Master for the organization.
Sadly, like his father before him, Ernest died too young; a coronary clot would take his life at age 57. He and Idella are buried in Harrisonville, Missouri, where he was pastor for over seven years.
