J. T. Ongley

In the comments there is a question about J. T. Ongley. He's a mystery. Here'sall I have:

I don’t know much about J. T. Ongley. He was an associate of Wendell’s atleast to the degree that he and C. F. Sweet attended the Rochester “TimeConference,” a debate between Whitmore and Barker over the propriety of datesetting, in July 1872. This is noted in Jonas Wendell’s obituary writtenby Stetson and published in the September 10, 1873, issue of World’s Crisis.

In February 1875 he was in Buffalo, New York, preaching at The ChristianAdvent Church.

The 1861 Canadian Census lists a William Ongley as living in Ontario. Hisreligion is listed as Adventist. There may be a relationship.

At this point I believe he was John Thomas Ongley, born in New Yorkin 1840 and died in 1910. There is another John Thomas Ongley born in Englandand a resident of Pennyslvania. While the Pennsylvania residence draws oneto his name, the dates seem wrong. I’ve not been able to pin them down firmly,so this is not decisive.

Got it wrong. But such is the track of new research. Try this:

History of Crawford County, Pennsylvania, Published ByWarner, Beers& Co., Chicago 1885:

In the town of Little Cooley, Pennsylvania "The 'Church of God,' an Adventcongregation, was organized with three members in 1855, by Elder CharlesCrawford. John Root, Alva S. Gehr and Mr. Bush were early members. The societyhas no church edifice, but meets in a schoolhouse in the northwest part ofthe township in winter, and in the grove, " God's first temple," in summer.Elder John T. Ongley, of Bloomfield Township, is the present pastor."

He was born June 6, 1820 in Sussex, England and christened at the WesleyanMethodist, Hastings, Sussex, England. He was married in Cayuga, New York.Still alive in 1910 and living in Crawford County, Pennyslvania.