D. T. Macfarlan

McFarlan was Secretary of the New York Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church as of 1862, according to records of the Conference’s 73rd Session. He was still in the Conference as of 1881. The 1891 Methodist Year Book stated he was in Yonkers, New York. His works include:

Winnowed Hymns, with Charles McCabe (New York & Chicago: Biglow & Main/Nelson & Phillips, 1873)

http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/m/a/c/macfarlan_dt.htm

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A complete diary for 1874 kept by Yonkers, New York life insurance agent, Methodist lay preacher, and hymnbook editor, Dennis T. Macfarlan. The daily entries are lengthy and record in detail his work, family, social, and religious activities.

In January and February 1874, Macfarlan is irregularly employed in New York City “directing wrappers” and envelopes for the publishing company of Biglow & Main. This activity refers to the menial work of addressing of circular letters and envelopes. The sting of this work was at least relieved by Macfarlan sending out circulars for a new hymnal he himself had edited, but from which effort he had not yet received any royalties. He had worked as an insurance agent, but was now engaged in suing various insurance companies for compensation owed to him and was short of funds.

Throughout the diary, Macfarlan expresses his devout religious sentiments and describes his almost-daily attendance at prayer meetings or his visits to different Methodist and, sometimes to other Protestant, churches as a lay preacher or exhorter. On Sundays, he often served a guest preacher at various Methodist Episcopal churches. Home Missionary Society meetings, Union Temperance prayer meetings, Sunday School classes, District Conferences of Methodist Episcopal church, and a Local Preachers Convention are all mentioned. One Sunday he attended five services (May 24) and he spent a two-week summer holiday visiting religious camp meetings at Round Lake, Saratoga County, New York and Sea Cliff, Long Island ( July 14–28).

In 1873, Macfarlan co-edited with Rev. C. C. McCabe a successful hymnal, Winnowed Hymns: A Collection of Sacred Songs, Especially Adapted for Revivals, Prayer and Camp Meetings. Published in New York by Biglow & Main. 17,000 copies of the hymnal were sold as of January 31, 1874. On August 18, Macfarlan writes in his diary: “I have received my statement from Biglow & Main with reference to sales of Winnowed Hymns. Upwards of 100,000 copies have been sold up to Augt 1st last and I shall receive in all up to that time $1250. In the early part of the year when I needed the money to pay my interest I drew $250 and it came at the right time. The Lord has done great things for me.”

Macfarlan was even pleased to have entertained “Mr. [Vincent] Colyer the celebrated artist and ex-president of the [Board of ] Indian Commission[ers]” by singing songs from Winnowed Hymns.

Because of Macfarlan’s religious sensibilities, it pained him, among his various lawsuits, to have to sue the Asbury Insurance Company. Asbury was affiliated with the Methodist church, but Macfarlan notes: “The corruption in this company is a disgrace to the Methodist Ch[urch].” ( July 7)

Macfarlan was pressured by his fellow churchmen to drop the lawsuit, but he persisted, desiring to see the company bankrupted. By October, the company was in receivership. It is amusing to note that Macfarlan’s lawyer bore a name seemingly right out of Charles Dickens: Mr. Abel Crook. By mid-April, Macfarlan settled one of his lawsuits. He thereby received a $7,000 settlement from and returned to work as an agent for the Universal Life Insurance Company. One of his lawsuits was heard in the U.S. Circuit Court, but was continued until June 1875. ( June 15) Finally, back to regular work selling life insurance, Macfarlan resumed, for the duration of the year, his sales calls in New York State, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

Daniel T. Macfarlan (1828–1897) was born in Yonkers, New York. In 1850, he married Mary Jane Merritt (1829–?). Macfarlan worked as a clerk for his father, Thomas Macfarlan, who was a financial agent for Peter Gerard Stuyvesant and Hamilton Fish. Daniel left his father’s employ in 1853 to pursue such ventures as maple syrup refining and running a coal business. He lived in New York City until 1860 when he moved with his wife and daughter, Helen, to Yonkers. Later in life, after the period of this diary, he was a real estate broker (1884) and a traveling inspector for the Mutual Fire Insurance of Yonkers (1887).

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