Page 163 - United Brethren Preachers
P. 163
Volume 9 Preachers of U.B. and EUB Virginia Conferences December 26, 2024
1951, he attended Chaplain’s School at Newport, Rhode Island, and entered the U.S. Navy as a Chaplain,
Oct. 29, 1951. The list of the duty stations which he has served are as follows: 1952—National Naval Med.
Center, Bethesda, Md. 1952-1953—National Naval Mobile Construction Battalions, N.Y., N.Y. 1954-1956—
Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, N.C. 1956-1957—U. S. S. Cadmus, N.Y., N.Y. 1957-1958—Harvard
Divinity School, Cambridge, Mass. 1958-1960—Naval Station, Newfoundland. 1960-1962—Marine Corp Air
Station, Cherry Point, N.C. 1962 to Present—U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, San Francisco, Calif. In 1987 he was
stationed in San Diego, Calif. In 2002 he was a retired Navy Chaplain, living with his wife Margaret in Poway,
Calif. Their children are Deborah, Steven, Susan, and Warren D., Jr. In 2012 Warren was listed as a retired
elder of the Virginia Annual Conference, living in Thornton, Colorado. [Glovier 1965, p. 325, which provided
the picture at the center; see also pp. 92, 167, 258-259, 285] and [VAC 2012 p. 96]
UMSTOT: Zimri Umstot was a native Hampshire County, Va., now Mineral County, W.Va. He was
converted when about 20 years old, received Quarterly Conference License June 6, 1863, joined Va. Conf. in
1874, and was ordained in 1878. He attended his last Annual Conference in 1881. He was a good man, a
man of fine judgment and firm in his opinions. He was a fine preacher.. He was kind and persuasive, a good
man and fine preacher. He was of fine judgment and firm in his opinions. Mr. Umstot died Aug. 26, 1883, at
the age of 43 years, and was buried at Mt. Zion Church, Antioch, W.Va. His memoir is provided in
Section II.A (below). Note: A Zimri Umstot (b. Sep. 23, 1883; d. Nov. 5, 1906) was the son of Mary Belle
(1864-1935) and Newton M. Umstot (1870-1937)—all buried at Mount Zion Cemetery, Mineral Co., W.Va.
Apparently Rev. Zimri Umstot was born about 1840 in W.Va., married Susan Ann Rinehart (b. about 1839 in
Md.) sometime before 1864 [Peter Fish & Judy]. One son of this marriage, Isaac T. Umstot (1877-1945), a
retired farmer, died of a heart attack Jan. 31, 1945, while driving a truck—his wife was Edith M. Dawson
(1877-1962) and children were Raymond (1902-1978), Marshall (1908-1979), and Mrs. Leslie Stewart. His
brothers were Dr. Samuel Wilson Umstot, MD (1865-1945), and Edward Milton Umstot (1875-1963); and his
sister was Mrs. Ellen Urice. [Funkhouser 1921, p. 145, 187; see also pp. 127, 187, 274, 276-278, 280-281,
283-284] and [Glovier 1965, pp. 89, 93, 101]
UNDERWOOD: I. M. Underwood was born in Tyler County, W.Va., in 1851, was converted
in 1867, and in the same year licensed to preach. He entered the Parkersburg Conference in
1870, and in 1874 was received into Va. Conf. and appointed to Singers Glen Circuit, 1874-
75. He then served Lacey Springs Circuit, 1875-76; Westernport Mission Station, 1876-77;
South Branch Circuit, 1877-78; Bath (Berkeley Springs) Circuit, 1878-81; Martinsburg
Station, 1881-82; Hagerstown Circuit, 1882-84; Myersville Circuit, 1884-87; Edinburg Circuit,
1887-89; Dayton, 1889-91; and North River, 1891-93. Westernport U.B. Church was built by
I. M. Underwood about 1879-80. At the Annual Conference held at Churchville, Va., Mar. 4-9,
1891, he was elected Presiding Elder of Shenandoah District, and again in 1892. He was
granted an open transfer (initially, to Kansas Conference), and his resignation of membership
on boards of the Conference was accepted by the Annual Conference of 1893. In Feb. 1897
he performed the Johnson-Wiesel marriage in Dixon, Ill. On May 4, 1924, Rev. Underwood was retired and
wrote to Samuel Berry of Hinton, Rockingham County, Va., in which he refers to his ministry of 19 years in
Va. Conf., and his former friends there—his address then was 144 Burlington Avenue, Missoula, Montana and
he was 73 years old. Underwood was such a firm prohibitionist that the Prohibition party nominated him as a
congressional candidate in 1890. In 1921 he was living in Adeline, Ill. He died about 1927, at the age of 76
years. His son, Joseph Harding Underwood, studied at Western College and Columbia University and was a
licentiate minister in the Iowa U.B. Conference [The Religious Telescope, Vol. 70, May 4, 1904, p. 556]. His
wife was Mrs. Lizzie Harding Underwood, born in Fort Madison, Iowa, Apr. 1, 1845, to whom he was married
in 1873. She published more than 100 poems, some in music books, others in The Religious Telescope and
other periodicals. She resided in Payton, Va., with her family.100 [Funkhouser 1921, pp. 130, 145, 187-188,
202, 311; see also pp. 127, 187, 271-278, 280-292]; [Glovier 1965, p. 119; see also pp. 70, 89, 187, 245];
and [MacAllister 1976, p. 87, which provided the picture]
VANGILDER: Charles Hayes VanGilder was born July 15, 1902, at Alexander, Upshur
County, W.Va., the son of G. L. and Lucina E. VanGilder. He was converted in 1915 at the
Pine Grove Methodist Church, Czar, W.Va. He married Hazel V. Smith on Feb. 27, 1924. His
first charge was the Newton Methodist Charge. He received his transfer from the Methodist
Church in 1954, and joined the Virginia EUB Conference in 1961. He received is Probationer’s
License in 1956 and completed the Conference Course of Study in 1961, in which year he was
ordained. He has served the following charges in the Conference: West Frederick, 1954-56;
Antioch, 1956-61; Berkeley Springs, 1961-67; and Blairton-Greensburg, 1967-72. Rev.
Charles Hayes VanGilder retired in 1972 to his retirement home in Valley Bend, West Virginia, where he lived
100 [Herringshaw 1892, p. 1007]. A picture of Mrs. Underwood is provided.
Biographical Sketches 151
1951, he attended Chaplain’s School at Newport, Rhode Island, and entered the U.S. Navy as a Chaplain,
Oct. 29, 1951. The list of the duty stations which he has served are as follows: 1952—National Naval Med.
Center, Bethesda, Md. 1952-1953—National Naval Mobile Construction Battalions, N.Y., N.Y. 1954-1956—
Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, N.C. 1956-1957—U. S. S. Cadmus, N.Y., N.Y. 1957-1958—Harvard
Divinity School, Cambridge, Mass. 1958-1960—Naval Station, Newfoundland. 1960-1962—Marine Corp Air
Station, Cherry Point, N.C. 1962 to Present—U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, San Francisco, Calif. In 1987 he was
stationed in San Diego, Calif. In 2002 he was a retired Navy Chaplain, living with his wife Margaret in Poway,
Calif. Their children are Deborah, Steven, Susan, and Warren D., Jr. In 2012 Warren was listed as a retired
elder of the Virginia Annual Conference, living in Thornton, Colorado. [Glovier 1965, p. 325, which provided
the picture at the center; see also pp. 92, 167, 258-259, 285] and [VAC 2012 p. 96]
UMSTOT: Zimri Umstot was a native Hampshire County, Va., now Mineral County, W.Va. He was
converted when about 20 years old, received Quarterly Conference License June 6, 1863, joined Va. Conf. in
1874, and was ordained in 1878. He attended his last Annual Conference in 1881. He was a good man, a
man of fine judgment and firm in his opinions. He was a fine preacher.. He was kind and persuasive, a good
man and fine preacher. He was of fine judgment and firm in his opinions. Mr. Umstot died Aug. 26, 1883, at
the age of 43 years, and was buried at Mt. Zion Church, Antioch, W.Va. His memoir is provided in
Section II.A (below). Note: A Zimri Umstot (b. Sep. 23, 1883; d. Nov. 5, 1906) was the son of Mary Belle
(1864-1935) and Newton M. Umstot (1870-1937)—all buried at Mount Zion Cemetery, Mineral Co., W.Va.
Apparently Rev. Zimri Umstot was born about 1840 in W.Va., married Susan Ann Rinehart (b. about 1839 in
Md.) sometime before 1864 [Peter Fish & Judy]. One son of this marriage, Isaac T. Umstot (1877-1945), a
retired farmer, died of a heart attack Jan. 31, 1945, while driving a truck—his wife was Edith M. Dawson
(1877-1962) and children were Raymond (1902-1978), Marshall (1908-1979), and Mrs. Leslie Stewart. His
brothers were Dr. Samuel Wilson Umstot, MD (1865-1945), and Edward Milton Umstot (1875-1963); and his
sister was Mrs. Ellen Urice. [Funkhouser 1921, p. 145, 187; see also pp. 127, 187, 274, 276-278, 280-281,
283-284] and [Glovier 1965, pp. 89, 93, 101]
UNDERWOOD: I. M. Underwood was born in Tyler County, W.Va., in 1851, was converted
in 1867, and in the same year licensed to preach. He entered the Parkersburg Conference in
1870, and in 1874 was received into Va. Conf. and appointed to Singers Glen Circuit, 1874-
75. He then served Lacey Springs Circuit, 1875-76; Westernport Mission Station, 1876-77;
South Branch Circuit, 1877-78; Bath (Berkeley Springs) Circuit, 1878-81; Martinsburg
Station, 1881-82; Hagerstown Circuit, 1882-84; Myersville Circuit, 1884-87; Edinburg Circuit,
1887-89; Dayton, 1889-91; and North River, 1891-93. Westernport U.B. Church was built by
I. M. Underwood about 1879-80. At the Annual Conference held at Churchville, Va., Mar. 4-9,
1891, he was elected Presiding Elder of Shenandoah District, and again in 1892. He was
granted an open transfer (initially, to Kansas Conference), and his resignation of membership
on boards of the Conference was accepted by the Annual Conference of 1893. In Feb. 1897
he performed the Johnson-Wiesel marriage in Dixon, Ill. On May 4, 1924, Rev. Underwood was retired and
wrote to Samuel Berry of Hinton, Rockingham County, Va., in which he refers to his ministry of 19 years in
Va. Conf., and his former friends there—his address then was 144 Burlington Avenue, Missoula, Montana and
he was 73 years old. Underwood was such a firm prohibitionist that the Prohibition party nominated him as a
congressional candidate in 1890. In 1921 he was living in Adeline, Ill. He died about 1927, at the age of 76
years. His son, Joseph Harding Underwood, studied at Western College and Columbia University and was a
licentiate minister in the Iowa U.B. Conference [The Religious Telescope, Vol. 70, May 4, 1904, p. 556]. His
wife was Mrs. Lizzie Harding Underwood, born in Fort Madison, Iowa, Apr. 1, 1845, to whom he was married
in 1873. She published more than 100 poems, some in music books, others in The Religious Telescope and
other periodicals. She resided in Payton, Va., with her family.100 [Funkhouser 1921, pp. 130, 145, 187-188,
202, 311; see also pp. 127, 187, 271-278, 280-292]; [Glovier 1965, p. 119; see also pp. 70, 89, 187, 245];
and [MacAllister 1976, p. 87, which provided the picture]
VANGILDER: Charles Hayes VanGilder was born July 15, 1902, at Alexander, Upshur
County, W.Va., the son of G. L. and Lucina E. VanGilder. He was converted in 1915 at the
Pine Grove Methodist Church, Czar, W.Va. He married Hazel V. Smith on Feb. 27, 1924. His
first charge was the Newton Methodist Charge. He received his transfer from the Methodist
Church in 1954, and joined the Virginia EUB Conference in 1961. He received is Probationer’s
License in 1956 and completed the Conference Course of Study in 1961, in which year he was
ordained. He has served the following charges in the Conference: West Frederick, 1954-56;
Antioch, 1956-61; Berkeley Springs, 1961-67; and Blairton-Greensburg, 1967-72. Rev.
Charles Hayes VanGilder retired in 1972 to his retirement home in Valley Bend, West Virginia, where he lived
100 [Herringshaw 1892, p. 1007]. A picture of Mrs. Underwood is provided.
Biographical Sketches 151
