Daniel Englehart Yeiser
By Wendell H. RoneA history of the Daviess County (Daviess-McLean) Baptist Association would be incomplete if it did not take into account the more than fifty year ministry of Daniel Englehart Yeiser. This pioner servant of our Lord was born in Todd County, Kentucky, on May 17, 1825. His father, Adam R. Yeiser, was a native of Pennsylvania, and came to Danville, Kentucky, while a small child with his parents. Here Adam R. Yeiser married Susan F. Walker, a native of Virginia and a daughter of Hugh Walker of Adair County, Kentucky.
Brother Yeiser learned the tanner's trade with his father but never followed this profession after he left his father's home. In 1847 he went to farming with an uncle, Richard Walker, his worldly possessions being his clothes, fifty cents and a horse. The next year he worked with another uncle, John Roberts, and the following spring, March 11, 1849, he married Miss Helen K. Newton, a daughter of Kirtley Newton. Her father died while she was an infant and she was reared by her grandparents. The first year after his marriage Brother Yeiser rented land, and the following year bought land in the southeastern section of Daviess County, Kentucky. He lived here three years but unsettled financial conditions forced him to give back the land to its original owner. He then bought 200 acres adjoining it. He later sold this property and bought some more near it. This was all wild land when he moved on it but later all was placed under cultivation. The original homeplace is still the property of a son, Maple D. Yeiser, near Red Hill community in Daviess County. Up to the age of twenty-eight Brother Yeiser had made no pretension of religious enlightenment. His father was an Episcopalian and his mother a Methodist. In the latter part of the year 1853 he was awakened to the reality of his spiritual condition by the sudden death of his second child. Accordingly he gave his heart to Christ and his life in service. Green Brier Church, near where he
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lived the remainder of his earthly life, licensed him to preach in the year 1858. On the 5th day of February, 1860, he was fully set apart to the work of the Gospel ministry. The same day on which he was ordained he baptized five converts. From that time on his labors as a missionary, founder of churches, and as pastor, made history in the Green River Country. He was largely instrumental in the formation of the Walnut Street Baptist Church in Owensboro, Panther Creek, Sugar Grove and Glenville in Daviess County, and Woodward's Valley in Ohio County.From first to last he served the following churches during his long and impressive ministry: Brush Fork 1865-1872, 1884-1895, and 1899-1901; Walnut Street 1876-1879; Sugar Grove 1874-1861- 1886; Yelvington 1866-1868; West Point 1866-1869; Roseville 1897-1898; Bells Run 1892-1893; Panther Creek 1889-1890, 1891-1901; Birk City (Stanley) 1876-1885; Curdsville 1871-1878; Glenville 1865-1866, 1876, 1886-1890; Hopewell 1890-1901; Macedonia 1875; Red Hill 1896, 1901-1902; Mt. Liberty 1889; Mt. Carmel 1869-1872; Woodward's Valley 1893-1;898; and Zion 1863-1867, 1870-1876. Perhaps there were others but we have no information concerning them.
Besides helping to found the churches already mentioned we find that he was instrumental in the founding of the Sugar Grove, Stanley and Red Hill Churches. He became a constituent member of the Sugar Grove and Red Hill Churches at their oganization in 1860 and 1894 respectively. His membership was with the Red Hill Church the time of his death which occurred on December 17, 1920, at the ripe age of 95 years and 7 months. His wife had previously died in the year 1916. Seven children were born to this union with three living at the present time (1941).
Brother Yeiser was an active, laborious, and efficient minister until about ten years before his death. Failing health caused his retirement. He preached occasionally in the neighborhood churches a short time before his death. Even though he had very little educational equipment he waxed strong in the work of the Lord. He is buried in the family cemetery on the old home place near Red Hill
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Church. The untiring missionary example of Daniel E. Yeiser is well worthy of Emulation today. He rests from his labors but the magnitude of his works still follow and speak of his untiring devotion to the cause of the Lord he loved and served.=========================== [From The Kentucky Baptist Heritage Magazine, November, 1992, pp. 6-8; reprint from A History of the Daviess-McLean Baptist Association in Kentucky: 1844-1943. E-Text, Archives, SBTS, Adam Winters, Archivist. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]
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