Alvah and Martha Frisbie

Last updated
Alvah Lillie Frisbie
Rev frisbie crop.jpg
BornOctober 20, 1830 (1830-10-20)
DiedDecember 17, 1917 (1917-12-18) (aged 87)
Burial place Woodland Cemetery, Des Moines, Iowa
OccupationPastor
Years active42
Notable workThe Siege of Calais, Sermons in Verse
Martha Crosby Frisbie
Mrs. Martha Frisbie.jpg
Born
Martha C. Crosby

May 17, 1840 (1840-05-17)
Danbury, Fairfield, Connecticut, U.S.
DiedMarch 27, 1931 (1931-03-28) (aged 90)
Des Moines, Iowa
OccupationTeacher

A. L. Frisbie was a pioneer minister at Plymouth Church, Des Moines, Iowa, from 1871 to 1899. After he retired he served as Pastor Emeritus for a total of 42 years of service. Martha Frisbie was a teacher and leader in the Iowa Congregational Church. Frisbie Park in Des Moines and the former Frisbie Public School were named for them. The Frisbies were active abolitionists and suffrage advocates in Des Moines. [1] He shepherded Plymouth Congregational Church during years of growth and building. She was a teacher and a leader in women’s organizations. Her former students formed the Frisbie Club, a study club which still exists today. [2]

Contents

Life

Alva L. Frisbie was born October 22, 1830, in Tompkins County, New York. His father Daniel Grand Frisbie died when Alva was four years old. In August 1857 he graduated from Amherst College. On August 23, 1859, he married Jerusalem Slocomb. Their first child, Lillian Hope was born in November 1860. In June 1863 a second daughter was born. In September 1863 he joined the 20th Regular Connecticut Volunteer Infantry as chaplain. After serving as a chaplain during the American Civil War he moved to Des Moines, Iowa, in October 1871 to be Pastor of Plymouth Congregational Church. On May 15, 1872, Jersha Frisbie died after giving birth to daughter Ruth who died in October of the same year. On July 29, 1873, Frisbie married Martha Crosby in Danbury Conn.

During his time at Plymouth he started three new congregations and built a new church building. After retiring from Plymouth Church in 1889, he continued to be active in public and religious life. In an article about his 75th birthday sermon, the Minneapolis Journal said, “He has married more Iowa couples and officiated at more Iowa funerals than any man living. Tho the active work of the pastorate is in other hands, he still performs almost all marriages..” [3] He published a detailed history of the early church in 1904. [4]

Frisbie was a well known writer of verse including Sermons in Verse, and The Siege of Calais, [5] which was reviewed in the Des Moines Register in 1897. [6] (obit Pioneer is Dead Des Moines Tribune (Des Moines, Iowa) · 18 Dec 1917, Tue · Page 2 ) He was a trustee of Iowa College now known as Grinnell College from 1885 through 1908. A scholarship was established in his name in 1908. [7] He died December 17, 1917. [8]

Martha Crosby Frisbie was born on May 17, 1840, in Danbury, Connecticut. She studied at Mt. Holyoke Seminary and then taught for four years at Temple Grove Seminary, a boarding school for women in Saratoga Springs, New York. [9] The school closed during the Civil War and eventually became Skidmore College She married Alva L. Frisbie in 1873 and moved to Des Moines, Iowa after his first wife died. Frisbie had three young children when he remarried. She and Alva Frisbie had two children. After moving to Des Moines she taught at Callanan College in Des Moines for seven years and instructed women in her home with private classes. [10] “She dexterously arranged her household and teaching responsibilities to accompany Dr. Frisbie when making calls on his parishioners.” [11] She taught Bible classes for young women at Plymouth Church for 35 years. [11]

Martha Frisbie was a member of Des Moines Women’s Club and presented many speeches on literature and religion. [12] She was very active in the Board of Missions of the Congregational Church spending 17 years as president of the Grinnell association and eleven years as president of the Iowa association. [13] She died at age 90 on March 27, 1931, and is buried with her husband in Woodland Cemetery, Des Moines. [14]

Frisbie Park

Frisbie Park, named after the Frisbies is located at 6101 Muskogee Avenue, in Des Moines [15] and the park also gives its name to Frisbie Park Neighborhood. [16]

Frisbie School

Frisbie School was also named after the Frisbies. It opened in 1914 and served a small population of Des Moines and West Des Moines students in a sparsely populated area on the west side of Des Moines located at 60th and Muskogee. “Until a levee was built to hold back the Raccoon River, the school was bothered with floods. One year water came to the first floor of the building. In the Spring of 1965 water completely surrounded the building for a few days. Cars were parked several blocks away and pupils and teachers waded about six inches of water. School was held each day.” [17] With the opening of a new addition to Hanawalt School in 1972, Frisbie School was closed and later demolished. [18] Mrs. Frisbie visited the school in 1921 and gave the school its Motto: “Fight for your best” [19]

Adeline and Frisbie Clubs

Both the Adeline and the Frisbie club were formed by former Sunday School classes at Plymouth Church. The Adeline Club was formed in 1900 and named for their late teacher Adeline McFarland. The Frisbie Club was formed in 1903 and named in honor of Rev. and Mrs. Frisbie. Both groups met fortnightly and later combined. [2] The Frisbie Club still meets today in Des Moines.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Salter (minister)</span> American congregational minister, public orator, social activist and historian

William Salter was an American congregational minister, public orator, social activist and historian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoyt Sherman</span> American businessman and politician (1827–1904)

Hoyt Sherman, a member of the prominent Sherman family, was an American banker. He served as a member of the Iowa House of Representatives in 1866.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt McCoy (politician)</span> American politician

Matthew W. "Matt" McCoy is a member of the Board of Supervisors of Polk County, Iowa, representing the fifth district. A member of the Iowa Democratic Party, McCoy served in the Iowa Senate from 1997 to 2019 and the Iowa House of Representatives from 1993 to 1997. McCoy was the first openly gay member of the Iowa General Assembly.

Reuben Gaylord was the recognized leader of the missionary pioneers in the Nebraska Territory, and has been called the "father of Congregationalism in Nebraska." Writing in memory of Gaylord in the early 1900s, fellow Omaha pioneer George L. Miller said, "It was Reuben Gaylord, the brave Christian soldier who brought Sunday into Omaha and the Trans-Missouri country.

Frisbie may refer to:

Fred Hoskins was an American clergyman who served as first co-president of United Church of Christ with James Wagner from 1957 to 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Biskup</span> American prelate

George Biskup was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis in Indiana from 1970 to 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Luke's Hospital (Davenport, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

St. Luke's Hospital was a hospital building on a bluff overlooking downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It is listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties and the National Register of Historic Places. It has subsequently been torn down.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Augustin Catholic Church (Des Moines, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

St. Augustin Catholic Church is a Catholic parish in the Diocese of Des Moines located on the west side of Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It was included as a contributing property in the Greenwood Park Plats Historic District and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophronia Wilson Wagoner</span>

Sophronia Zulema Wilson Wagoner was a pioneer worker in the missionary field and leader in social work for more than 60 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Michael Joensen</span> American prelate of the Catholic Church (born 1960)

William Michael Joensen is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as the bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines in Iowa since 2019.

Willis Garner "Sec" Taylor was a sports reporter in Des Moines, Iowa from 1914 until 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Des Moines Women's Club</span> Historic Womens Association in Des Moines, Iowa

The Des Moines Women's Club, founded in 1885 as the women's club movement swept through the United States, today serves the Des Moines community by providing scholarships, support for the local arts community, and other civic projects.

Jean Adeline Morgan Wanatee was a Meskwaki activist for Native American and women's rights. Wanatee was an artist and tribal leader dedicated to preserving and sharing the traditional culture and language of the Meskwaki. She was the first woman elected to the Meskwaki Tribal Council and the first Native American to be inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ida L. Cummins</span> 19th and 20th-century American womens and childrens rights activist

Ida L. Cummins was a women's rights and children's rights activist living in Des Moines, Iowa and Washington, D.C. She was the wife of Albert B. Cummins, three term governor of the state of Iowa and U.S. Senator for Iowa for 18 years. She was active in the Des Moines Women's Club and served as the 10th president from 1895 to 1896. She and her husband were also active speakers and proponents of Women's Suffrage in Iowa hosting suffrage events in their home. She was president of the National Society Children of the American Revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plymouth Church, Des Moines, Iowa</span> Gothic Revival church in Des Moines, Iowa

Plymouth Church is an historic congregation located in Des Moines, Iowa and is a member of the United Church of Christ. Plymouth is known for its long history of social justice work including anti-racism and suffrage advocacy, ClimateCare, and aid to unhoused and refugee populations. Plymouth Church is an Open and Affirming church, a Stephen Ministries church, and a Just Peace Church. The church building, located at 42nd and Ingersoll Avenue, is included as a contributing property in the Greenwood Park Plats Historic District and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. The official name of the church is Plymouth Congregational Church of the United Church of Christ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Johnston</span> American physician

Helen F. Johnston was an American physician and clubwoman, based in Iowa. She was president of the American Medical Women's Association from 1946 to 1947, and president of Altrusa International in 1928 and 1929.

Orchard Place is an agency based in Des Moines, Iowa, United States, which provides inpatient and outpatient mental and behavioral health services for youth. It is one of the oldest social service agencies in Des Moines which began as the Home for Friendless Children, an agency dedicated to finding foster or adopted homes for destitute or abandoned children. Today, Orchard Place is headquartered in the South Side of Des Moines and provides services at the Orchard Place Campus, the Child Guidance Center and the PACE center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antoinette Arnold Hawley</span> American temperance activist, leader (1842–1919)

Antoinette Arnold Hawley was an American educator and temperance activist. She served as President of the Colorado Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) (1899–1904). Nominated for Mayor of Denver, Colorado on the Prohibition ticket in 1900, Hawley was the first woman to run for Mayor in that city.

References

  1. "Frisbie suffrage talk". No. page 8. Des Moines Leader. February 7, 1902.
  2. 1 2 "Will Give "In His Steps"". No. 27. Des Moines Register. March 16, 1913.
  3. "Thirty-four Years an Iowa Pastor". Minneapolis Journal. October 22, 1905.
  4. Frisbie, A. L. (October 20, 1904). "Church Work in Pioneer Days". Des Moines Register.
  5. The Siege of Calais. Mills and Co. 2012. ISBN   978-1290428514.
  6. "Late Literature". Des Moines Register. December 16, 1879.
  7. "Would Honor Dr. Frisbie". Evening Times Republican (Marshalltown). December 22, 1908.
  8. "Pioneer is Dead". Des Moines Tribune. December 18, 1917.
  9. "Preservation Matters: How Skidmore College shaped Saratoga". September 2012.
  10. "Iowa Women Whom All Iowa Delights to Honor". Des Moines Register. January 2, 1910.
  11. 1 2 "Mrs. A. L. Frisbie to Celebrate Her Eightieth Birthday". Des Moines Register. May 16, 1920.
  12. Frisbie, Martha. "Judaism and Civilization read January 14, 1891". iowaheritage.org. Des Moines Women's Club. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  13. "Mrs. Frisbie Retires After Many Years". Des Moines Register. October 14, 1904.
  14. "Pastor's Widow Dies Here, 91". Des Moines Tribune. March 27, 1931.
  15. "Frisbie Park". dsm.city. City of Des Moines. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  16. "Frisbie Park Neighborhood". Niche.com. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  17. Denny, Robert (1966). History of Des Moines Public Schools 1846-1966. Des Moines Public Schools. p. 19.
  18. Denny, Robert. "History of the Des Moines Public Schools 1846-1976" (PDF). dmschools.org. Des Moines Public Schools. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  19. "Mrs. Frisbie Visits School". No. 13. Des Moines Tribune. April 1, 1921.