WILKINS-B.M. - Fountain County INGenWeb Project

B.M. WILKINS, minister of the gospel, Veedersburg, a pioneer minister of the Christian church, came to Fountain county in 1830. Remaining some time, he returned to Ross county Ohio his native state and came a second time in 1832. He is the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Wilkins, and was born in 1811 near Chillicothe. Both his parents were natives of New Jersey, his father a pastor in the Friends church. B.M. was married December 4 1833 to Zipporah Thompson, native of Fayette county Ohio, daughter of Job and Zipporah Thompson, both of whom were natives of Ohio. By this marriage the had twelve children, nine of whom are living. Mr. Wilkins had been engaged in the ministry forty-five years. He first began preaching in 1835, in his native state, then in Indiana, then in Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, and Kansas. He has traveled eighteen years as home missionary, to which he affirms, he is indebted for his, principles of church union. During his ministerial life he has traveled on foot, on horseback, by carriage, and railroad, 86,000 miles, and delivered over 10,000 public addresses. Says he, “If I had my life to live over again I should prepare for the ministry.” He had two sons in the late war, B.S. and Thomas J., and two sons-in-law, George W. Vincen, and Wesley D. Ray. As relies highly prized he exhibited his sons’, swords, which bore the inscription “B.S. Wilkin”. In 1871 Mr. Wilkin located permanently on a small farm one mile north of Chambersburg, where he expects to end his pilgrimage in the service of his God.