The Christian Telescope

Early UB Women Preachers

This week as I was indexing some obituaries from the Religious Telescope I ran across a very interesting entry. The obituary was for a woman named Hanna Yingling who resided near Dayton, Ohio. What is interesting about the entry is that this is the first recorded evidence I have seen of a woman receiving a preaching license in the United Brethren church. As it is commonly known the United Brethren did not start ordaining women until 1889. There were attempts before that time by Annual Conferences to license women but conferences were hesitant to give them full ordination without the approval of General Conference. Sister Yingling appears to have received her quarterly conference license sometime in the 1850s. Since it does not say what quarterly conference gave her a license it is difficult to track down an actual date. According to the obituary Sister Yingling was an exemplary individual filled with a zeal for preaching. Here is her obituary:

"Sister Hannah Yingling died, at the residence of brother-in-law, Jac. Flickinger, near Seven-Mile, Butler county, Ohio, Nov. 16th, 1857.
Sister Yingling embraced religion some sixteen years since, in the land of her birth, which was the State of Maryland, Frederick county, and soon after united with the church of the U. Brethren in Christ, in which she lived a very faithful and devoted member up to the day of her death. Some time after her conversion, she felt impressed that it was her duty to preach the gospel, and having but little encouragement in that direction, she concluded to emigrate to Ohio, which she did some nine years since and settled near Dayton, where she commenced her labors as a minister under quarterly conference license.
The subject of this imperfect note was unassuming in her manners, possessing a temper sanctified by grace, and had great reverence for God and his cause. The writer having been acquainted with Sister Yingling for some years, can say that she was one of those angel-like spirits that are of such great value to the church.
In her preaching she was practical and convincing. However skeptical persona might be as to female preaching, it was universally admitted that she acquitted herself with ability in the Sacred Desk; and having been impressed that it was her duty to labor as a missionary in a foreign field, she set about the work of getting an education at a prerequisite to that work, having been one year at the Hartsville school, when wasting consumption admonished her to cease her studies. She returned to Seven-Mile, where friends gladly furnished her with all the attention necessary; but all in vain. The writer visited her frequently during her sickness, and was present at her death. Not one word of murmuring was heard; but frequently she would say, that "so soon as my cup of suffering is full, thin I shall be released." She retained her mind to the last, and after giving directions as to her funeral, she folded her hands and commenced saying, All is well, all is well, until she could articulate no more, and then waved her hand in token of victory. Aged 38 years 8 months and 27 days. The occasion was improved in German by a sermon from Rev. J. Sand from 2 Tim. 1, 12; in English, by the writer, from Psalms 17, and last verse, being selected by the deceased.

G. C. Warvel.

Seven-Mile, Butler co, O. Nov. 26, '57."

Although Sister Yingling only received a quarterly conference license it was still a start on breaking down barriers for women in the church.