The Catholic University of America

Eli Washington John Lindesmith, 1827-1922


 

E.W.J. Lindesmith

In 1891, Rev. Eli Washington John Lindesmith wrote the Rector of The Catholic University of America, Rev. John J. Keane, to inquire about donating his possessions to the University's museum. Rev. Lindesmith, over the next thirty-one years, shipped his numerous papers, artifacts, and memoriabilia collected from his days as a missionary priest in Ohio, as a military chaplain in Montana, and as chaplain at St. Ann's Orphan Asylum in Cleveland, Ohio, to the University. Lindesmith collected and maintained these items because he was confident that future people would be curious.

Lindesmith was born in Center Township, Columbianna County, Ohio, on September 27, 1827. He became a priest in 1855 and spent the first part of his priesthood assigned to travelling from parish to parish in the northeastern part of Ohio. His duties took him from the towns around Youngstown to the Akron-Canton area south of Cleveland. In 1880, Rev. Lindesmith became a military chaplain assigned to Fort Keogh, Montana. He remained at this post until 1891, when he returned to mission work in Northern Ohio. His last position was chaplain of St. Ann's Orphan Asylum. He died on February 6, 1922.

Back to Top of Page

Lindesmith in Ohio

 

Rev. Lindesmith travelled throughout Northeastern Ohio after becoming a priest. He serviced parishes in the 1850s, 1860s, and 1870s in towns like Doylestown, Rootstown, Leetonia, Alliance, and Atwater, Ohio. Lindesmith kept his sermons and used them more than once. In a 1860 sermon, Lindesmith preached on 'Christian patience.' This sermon exemplifies many of the sermons Lindesmith gave throughout his career as a priest. Along with the fundamentals of Catholicism, he emphasized the aspects of a moral Christian life. His sermon, 'Good Intensions,' first given in 1872, also emphasizes proper and moral behavior. However, Lindesmith distinguished between good and bad intentions and the nearness of sin and evil in daily life. Patiences, kindness, thrift, hard work, and the avoidance of sin were only a few attributes Rev. Lindesmith admired and sought to instill in his congregations.

Back to Top of Page

Christian Patience

Canton, 1860.
Rootstown, Jan. 17, Sept 22, 1901.
Christian Patience
With patience, supporting one another in charity.
2nd Epistel
1. Patience is suffering afflictions, pain, toil, calamity, provications, or other evil with a calm unrufflled temper, endurance without manuvering or pettiness. The worldly wise practice this patience for worldly gains.
The good and wise Christian, practices this patience just for spiritual gains and secondly for temporal gains.
Romans 5.3 "And not only so; but we glory also in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience."
2. Patience means the act or quality of waiting long for justice, or expected good without discontent.		 Sermon 1860

 

Back to Top of Page

Good Intensions

 

Sermon 1872
Pentecost 4
A Good Intension
1. A good intension is whatever you do or omit to do as St. Peter did "For God's sake."
2. An Intension that is neither good or bad before God.
3. A bad intension, when something is done or avoided for the sake of evil.
A. Evil Intensions. & Evil Intensions to Evil acts.
B. Evil Intension that exil be done. & Evil Intension in doing good.
4. A good Intension should be made every morning and it is good to renew it. If a Sin is commited it must be renewed.
5. A good Intension in doing Evil.
6. A good intension in Suffering.

Back to Top of Page

Rev. Lindesmith shared many similar views of his contemporaries about the role and duties of women. Possibly in a response to the Womans Rights Movement, he articulated in a 1861 sermon, 'Women's Rights,' that women had the right to love and support their families and guide their children and husbands through a moral life.

Women's Rights

Women's Rights, Sermon 1860
Womens rights
1. The right to labour, Love & Pray.
2. The right to Weep, with those who weep.
3. The right to Work, when others sleep.
4. The right to dry the falling tears.
5. The right to Quell the rising fear.
6. The right to Smooth the brow of cair.
7. And whisper comfort, in dispair.
8. The right to Watch the parting breathe.
Ex. of Proditent woman of Palestine. 9. To soother & cheer the bed of death.
10. The right when earthly hopes all fail, to point to that within the veil.
11. The right of women to reclaim.
Ex. A Priest---- women bring them to the priesthood.
12. And win the Last from paths of shame.
Ex. Sisters of the Good Shepherd.		 13. The right to comfort and to bless the widows and the fatherless.
 14. The right the little ones to guide. in simple faith to him who died.
15. With earnest love and gentle praise; to bless and cheer their youthful days.
Proverbs 31 ch
A. 10 verse. Valient not bold, young girls & bashful: must be brought out. Must appear wherever wanted. Even more where not expected:
Ex Joan of Arc. Florence Nightingale. Veronica. Mary Magdalin and others at cross and sepulcher. Judith, beheading -------.
16. Ex. Drunken doctors------
17. Ex. Stovepipe. "St. Bridget was right."
23 The Church, defender of womens rights. Ex. St. Cecilia. Patron of women.		  


This view of women was common to both Protestants and Catholics as the cult of domesticity or the elevation of the woman as the center of the home and family life developed throughout the nineteenth century. By the mid to late nineteenth century, women's guardianship of their families expanded to include reform of society. This foray into public life manifested itself in various causes such as temperance reform, benevolent associations, and charitable activities. Middle and upper class Protestant women engaged in reform activities throughout the nineteenth century. Catholic women also sought to guide and reform their families and neighbors, but they did so as women religious. Far fewer single and married Catholic women joined their Protestant contemporaries.

 

Back to Top of Page

Temperance

Efforts to control the sale and consumption of alcohol in the United States developed as early as the eighteenth century. By 1825, the first organized temperance society, The American Temperance Society, was established. In the nineteenth century, temperance movements such as the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), established in Cleveland, Ohio, November 18, 1874, strove to wipe out intemperance and reform society of the ills associated with drinking, such as immoral behavior, spousal abuse, and poverty. The WCTU, while not specific to one denomination, was dominated by Protestants and often directed its efforts against Catholic immigrants.
The Catholic counterpart to the WCTU was the Catholic Total Abstenance Union of America. As a priest, Lindesmith took his role as moral guide seriously. In Ohio and later as a military chaplain in Montana, he urged many to take 'the Pledge' and avoid drinking.		 Catholic Total Abstenance Pledge

 

Back to Top of Page

Lindesmith in Montana: Military Chaplain



Diary 1883
Forsyth.


Wenisday[sic]. April 11th A.D.
1883, Feast of St. Leo, the Great, Pope of Rome, and died in 461.
This was my first visit to Forsyth: it was for the purpose of Solemnising the marriage between Peter Jackson and Mary Price. At this time, every thing I heard and saw made a favorable impression on me; as they say, "i fell in love with the People and place." Rev. John J Benneman, S.J. visted this town July 5th 1882 and twice more within two months. He said Mass at Camp Ft. Keogh. First time, JH McCormick, last time at John M. Cressly Nov. 10. This was the first visit ever made by a Priest to this place.

Back to Top of Page

Rev. Lindesmith became a military chaplain in 1880. Stationed in Montana, Lindesmith carried with him from Ohio the same drive to serve the Catholic population under his care. He continued to urge moral living. He stressed the importance of temperance among the soldiers and civilian population. In his record books and diaries, Lindesmith documented the numerous sacraments he performed and sermons he gave in his eleven year stay in the west.

The following list from Lindesmith's diary, 'Second Book, Miles City,' shows typical sermons he gave while in Montana. The list not only shows the subjects he covered, but it also illustrates the importance Lindesmith placed on preserving a written history of his experiences.

Second Book, Miles City
Second Book, Miles City
1886 1887
165. Sept. 22. The man of one Idea.
166. Oct. 7. I Did this, I think.
 167. Oct. 14. The lenghth of the love of God.
 168. Oct. 21. What Religion is.
 169. Oct. 28. How to assist at Holy Mass.
 170. Oct. 29. Tell everyone to perpair to die.
 171. Nov. 1. Of what is prepaired for the good.
 172. Nov. 4. Not all will be changed.
 173. Nov. 11. The mustard seed in Montana.
 174. Nov. 18. Laid up.
 175. Nov. 25, Intelect, Heart, and Body.		 188. March 2, Mistaken about virtue.
 189. March 9. You know it.
 190. March 16 Good works are more than you thought.
 March 17. Irish Patriotism.
 191. March 23. Mistaken Suspicions.
 192. March 25. Holy
 193. March 30. Sister. Phoebe, St. Paul's mail carrier.
 194. April 4. We would never think so.
 195. April 6. Fits and Starts.
 196. April 11. The bib log. (g----)
 197. April 27. The upright woman.

Back to Top of Page

Lindesmith, when recording services he conducted, such as the funeral of Anne Keyte in 1883, also remarked on the individual's life and family. Here again, Lindesmith was conscious of history.

Funerals 1883

Second Book, Miles City

5. Anne Keyte. Born in Fredericktown, Maryland. Age 58 years. Died June 24th, 1883. burried June 29th, 1883.
Remarks. She was a colored woman. Bound until she was 21 years old. Her husband was a slave. She worked and saved so that she paid 1200 dollars for the freedom of her husband. One time she had 4 hundred dollars ready to make a payment when every cent was stolen. So that she had to earn it over again, which made then instead of 1200 dollars, 1600 dollars. she had a boy who was a Union Soldier, who lost his life by drowning on his return home after the war. Her daughter Susan Lord with whom she lived, lives at Miles City, the wife of Jackson Lord, a well to do Barber. She was a widow 12 years. She lives in St. Louis 35 years. She was sick 8 months; a murmur was never heard from her lips. she has wonderful faith and piety. The blessed candle, Cruicifix, and blessed Palm had to be so placed that she could see them from her bed. Cause of death, suffering of the brain.
E.W.J. Lindesmith, Chaplain, U.S. Army.

Back to Top of Page




Items from Lindesmith to CUA regarding military duty:

With the many items Rev. Lindesmith sent to the museum, he also sent his explanations and commentary on the different items and how they related to his experiences. Lindesmith's descriptions show not only what happened in Montana, but also his perceptions of the people he encountered.

case, buckskin AN1996-198 This buckskin cover over the pouch containing the Holy Oils, Ritual, stole and Pyx, I received in this way. namely July 10, 1881, on a month's mission at Ford Buford, North Dakota Territory, on the junction of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers. In the log cabin of the parents I baptised William, born March 3, 1880. Father of the child James Frederick Mulligan of Dublin, Ireland; a Union soldier of the Civil War, lately an honourably discharged soldier of the regular army, at present a US mail carrier; and of his lawful wife, mother of the child, Gawe-chepek-esque-mat, in English : the one that the Spirit spoke to. Sponsors: John Walsh, Irish private soldier, Co. A.,7 Inf. USA, and Elizabeth Scott, native of Indian Territory of Scotch parents. The father gave me ten dollars. The mother, seeing the poor cover I had over the pouch, handed me this buckskin cover, saying: This will cover the Holy things better than the old cover. I believed her and used it ever since. The judgement of the Indian squaw is true, buckskin is better than cloth. The moral of it: A good name, a good character, a good faith, the true Christain religion, the love of God, the love of one's neighbor, the love of our country is a better cover for a man's soul than the old bad character, the old bad name, the old bad morals, the old bad opinion, the imperfect religion, the old coldness for God, the old hatred of one's neighbor and bad citizenship. To the Reader: What do I think about it? Is my judgment as good as that of the Indian squaw?
Crucifix, mission AN1996-213, 1996-213.2I bought it of Henry Kramer for 25 cents. I made a movable pedestal for it, because at some places it had to stand on the Altar, at other places it was neccessary to hang it up, if so I removed the pedestal. In my travels in the Rocky Mountains it got broken, but I repaired it by glueing and nailing it to gether again and made it stronger than ever. That is the way to do in all our temporal affairs. When something gets broken, injured or out of repair, be sure to repair and mend it at once. Try to make it stronger and better than ever before. That is also the way to do when our soul, our conscience, our morals get injured, broken and out of Christian repair. Be sure at once to repair and mend by sorrow, repentence, prayers, strong resolution of amendment, fasting, alms deeds, a good confession and Holy Communion. If you do so, you will be as good and even better than ever before.What do I think about mending? Jan 1912 I gave it with the sacristy to the museum.

Back to Top of Page

 

"Some of my teeth. I want to show the dentists some of their good work and some of their bad work." E.W.J. Lindesmith, The Catholic University of America Anthropology Collection 996-153.1-.2

EWJ Lindesmith Teeth

Saddle

"Fort Keogh, Mont. July 17, 1882. This is what is called among the Cheyenne Indians an excellent saddle. I bought of Brave Wolf, who is a very interprizing (sic) Indian. He has been a government scout. He is a very successful farmer. He wears white man's clothing, but still holds on to his long hair. The saddle tree is partly made of elkhorn. I saw many made of the same. Brave Wolf likes to trade and sell. He buys of the indians and sells to white men, and then he sells to indians what he buys of white men. If he had been raised among white men, he would have made a first rate business man. It is only five years since he gave up the savage life. He is forty years old. I paid him 7 dollars for the saddle."E.W.J. Lindesmith, The Catholic University of America Anthropology Collection 1996-181.

Back to Top of Page

 


Search for articles in Academic Search Premier | Other databases
Search by title for electronic journals
Search the University Libraries' website