Benjamin Arnett
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Benjamin William Arnett (1838 - 1906)

Benjamin William Arnett
Born in Brownsville, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United Statesmap
Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]
[sibling(s) unknown]
Husband of — married 25 May 1858 in Pennsylvania, United Statesmap
Descendants descendants
Father of , , , , , and
Died at age 68 in Wilberforce, Greene, Ohio, United Statesmap
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Contents

Biography

Notables Project
Benjamin Arnett is Notable.

Benjamin Arnett was an American educator, minister and bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and member of the Ohio House of Representatives. He was the author of the bill that ended Ohio's "Black Laws" when it passed in February 1887.

Benjamin was born in 1838 in Brownsville, Fayette County, Pennsylvania United States of America.[1]

Benjamin married Mary Louise Gordon on 25 May 1858. Benjamin started his career as a teacher, then was a minister in the African Methodist Church, rising to the position of Bishop.[2] Early in his ministry, he served several short charges in various places in Ohio.[3] It is normal for Methodist ministers to receive new assignments every few years. In 1870, he had just received a new assignment in Toledo, Lucas County, Ohio. It appears that he was in living in Toledo, but his family was still living in Fayette County, Pennsylvania.[3][4][5] About 1878, the family came to Greene County, Ohio, and Benjamin lived there, mainly at Wilberforce, for the rest of his life.[3][6][7]

Benjamin and his wife had nine children, seven of whom lived into adulthood:[8][2][9]

  1. Alonzo T. A. Arnett (b. ~1863)
  2. Benjamin William Arnett, Jr. (b. ~1866)
  3. Henry Young Arnett (b. ~1868)
  4. Anna L. (Arnett) Mason (b. ~1871)
  5. Alphonso T. Arnett (b. ~1879)
  6. Florence G. (Arnett) Morrishaw (b. ~1881)
  7. Daniel A Payne Arnett (b. ~1885)

Benjamin died on 7 Oct 1906 in Wiberforce, Greene County, Ohio.[1] He was buried in Wilberforce Cemetery in Wilberforce, Greene County, Ohio.[10]

Career

Benjamin was a teacher in Brownsville, Fayette County, Pennsylvania from 1859-1867.[3][11]
Benjamin first started preaching in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in 1865. He eventually rose to be elected as a bishop in the AME church in 1888.[12] A detailed account of his career can be found in the Centennial Encyclopaedia of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, pages 25-7.[2] It also has brief bios of two of his sons who were also ministers, Benjamin W. Arnett, Jr. and Henry Young Arnett.
Benjamin was a member of the Ohio General Assembly in 1886-1887, being elected as Greene County's representative in Nov 1885.[13] During his term, he was the author of the bill that passed in 1887 which ended Ohio's "Black Laws".[14][2]

Research Notes

  • Benjamin's death record says that his parents were Samuel Arnett and Mary L. Smith.[1] More research is needed to identify them.
    • Helpful information may be found in Poor Ben, a story of real life,[15] a book about Benjamin's life. Although it is unsourced and it's sometimes referred to as a novel, its author, Lucretia Howe (Newman) Coleman, was a secretary and bookkeeper for the AME church at the time that Benjamin was its financial secretary, so they almost certainly knew each other. The early chapters give information about some of Benjamin's uncles and relatives, and it also includes family photographs.

Sources

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ohio, Greene County, Death Records, 1893-1903 Volume 3, page 3, #11, Benj. W. Arnett Sr, 7 Oct 1906; "Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F66G-J65 : accessed 9 Mar 2022), citing film #004016813.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Richard R. Wright, Jr., and John R. Hawkins, Centennial Encyclopaedia of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: African Methodist Episcopal Church, 1916), bio of Benjamin William Arnett, page 25-7 and photograph, page 164; image copy, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/centennialencycl00wrig/page/25 : accessed 9 Mar 2022).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 B.W. Arnett endorsement, Xenia [Ohio] Daily Gazette, 8 Apr 1885, page 2, column 1; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97293772/ : accessed 9 Mar 2022).
  4. ↑ "United States Census, 1870", Toledo Ward 4, Lucas, Ohio, USA; page 71, family 576, dwelling 462, Benjman Arnett in Robert Jenkins household; https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6LS-836
  5. ↑ "United States Census, 1870", Bridgeport, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, USA; page 5, family 43, dwelling 43, BW Arnold household; https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZG5-75Z
  6. ↑ "United States Census, 1880," ED 90, Xenia Township, Greene County, Ohio, USA; page 7, family 58, dwelling 58, B. W. Arnett household; https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8MV-HCB
  7. ↑ "United States Census, 1900", ED 95, Xenia Township, Greene County, Ohio, USA; sheet 4A-4B, family 39, dwelling 39, Benjamin W Arnett household; https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MM83-X3Z
  8. ↑ See census records, 1870, 1880, and 1900.
  9. ↑ Ohio, Greene County, Will Records, 1903-1907 Volume S, page 551-554, Benjamin W. Arnett, will signed 12 Aug 1886, probated 17 Oct 1906; image copy, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9MR-J9CL-C?i=632 : accessed 9 Mar 2022), citing film #005448695, image 633-635.
  10. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10692/benjamin-w-arnett : accessed 9 March 2022), memorial page for Benjamin W. Arnett (6 Mar 1838–7 Oct 1906), Find A Grave: Memorial #10692, citing Wilberforce Cemetery, Wilberforce, Greene County, Ohio, USA; Maintained by Krista Cameron (contributor 47234376).
  11. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", Bridgeport, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, USA; page 26, family 193, dwelling 193, Benjamin Arnot household; https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXPL-SNG
  12. ↑ "Colored M.E. Bishops," The York [Pennsylvania] Gazette, 21 Jun 1888, page 2, column 5; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62642025/ : accessed 9 Mar 2022).
  13. ↑ "The Legislature," The Democratic Northwest [Napoleon, Ohio], 19 Nov 1885, page 6, column 3; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97286640/ : accessed 2022), courtesy of Chronicling America & the Ohio History Connection.
    "Two members of the House are of the colored race Rev. Arnett of Greene and Brown of Cuyahoga, the former a Methodist minister of some note and ability."
  14. ↑ "Free and Now Equal," Springfield [Ohio] Daily Republic, 1 Mar 1887, page 1, columns 4-5; image copy, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97287229/ : accessed 9 Mar 2022), courtesy of Chronicling America & the Ohio History Connection.
  15. ↑ Lucretia H. Newman Coleman, Poor Ben, a story of real life (Nashville, Tennessee: Publishing House of the A.M.E Sunday-School Union, 1890); image copy, HathiTrust Digital Library (https://hdl.handle.net/2027/emu.010002406445 : accessed 9 Mar 2022).

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Elbert-215 Sven Elbert
A small contribution by the Hollenkamp One Name Study project:

A funny episode was mentioned in the Luxemburger Gazette on 3 May 1887 in Dubuque, Iowa, involving Benjamin William Arnett one year before he became the Bishop of the AME church:<ref> 1887 Newspaper: "Newspapers.com"

Luxemburger Gazette (Dubuque, Iowa) 03 May 1887, page 7

Newspapers Clip: 121240928 (accessed 20 March 2023) </ref>

Arnett, dem Vorsitzer des Temperenz- Komites des Hauses der letzten Ohior Gesetzgebung und Verfasser verschiedener Temperenz-Bills, wurde gelegentlich einer Burgerversammlung in Xenia ein goldbeknopfter Stock verehrt. Der bestellte Stock mit der angemessenen Inschrift war aber nicht rechtzeitig eingetroffen, und so pumpte man schnell einen anderen zur Aushülfe. Groß war Hrn. Arnett's Ueberraschung, als er auf dem Knopfe die Inschrift las: "Geschenk von den Angestellten der Hollencamp Brauerei." Tableau und Aufklärung mit Rundgelächter.

English translation Arnett, chairman of the Temperance Committee of the House of the latest Ohio's Legislature and author of several temperance bills, was honoured with a gold-knobbed stick at an occasional burgess meeting in Xenia. However, the stick ordered with the appropriate inscription had not arrived in time, and so another was quickly pumped in to help out. Mr. Arnett's surprise was great when he read the inscription on the button: "Gift from the employees of the Hollencamp Brewery." Tableau and enlightenment with circular laughter.

posted by Sven Elbert
edited by Sven Elbert

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