Notable relative - Rev Enoch Gratton - Methodist minister
Reverend Enoch Gratton
Enoch Gratton was a minister in the Methodist New Connexion Church in England and in 1883 was sent to Adelaide, South Australia with his family to take charge of the Franklin Street Bible Christian Church.
Enoch was born in 1838, in a rural village called Sneyd Green, which lay about midway between Burslem and Hanley, in Staffordshire, England. The inhabitants of the village were mostly very poor, and the struggle for existence was bitter.
As far as learning in school was concerned, this ceased when Enoch was seven years old. At this early age he went to work in a pottery factory for twopence a day. Out of his weekly shilling he got one half-penny a week as pocket money.
Many of the men for whom they worked were coarse, brutal, and intemperate. The language they used was often vile. The poor lads were kicked and cursed and pelted with lumps of clay. These men would drink and loaf during the first part of the week, then drive the lads hard for the rest of the week.
Reading was one of the delights of his early life. On Sunday evenings he used to read to his father many of the captivating stories of the Old Testament. He had to walk about a mile and a half to work and usually carried a book or two in his breast pocket to read on his way or at meal times.
The Methodist Ministry
In 1861, Enoch began work as a minister of the Gospel in the Methodist New Connexion Church, Hood Street, Newcastle-on-Tyne. He moved to various circuits around England.
In 1883 he was sent by the English Methodist New Connexion Conference to take charge of Maughan Church, Franklin Street, Adelaide. For nearly seven years he continued his work there, which, though it was not without special difficulties as he was the only minister of that denomination in this State, brought with it also a good deal of pleasure and success.
During the years Enoch lived in South Australia he preached at many services and spent a short time at Moonta, where his wife Hannah passed away.
Although he loved his own church, and the church of his ancestors with warm and grateful affection, he was gradually convinced that there were too many Methodist churches in South Australia, as also in other parts of the world. In 1888, with the full sanction of the English conference, the people joined the Bible Christian Church, but Enoch continued his pastorate of the Franklin Street Church for two years. The larger union of all the Methodists in South Australia was not consummated until 1900. He was a member of the committee charged with the duty of arranging the terms of that union.
Since his superannuation in 1907 he rendered fairly continuous service as supply or minister's assistant at the following places:- Morphett Street, Norwood Baptist, Grange, Sydenham Road Circuit, Blackwood, Wright St. Deaf and Dumb Church, and various other places.
Enoch Gratton died in Adelaide in 1931.
Enoch Gratton was a minister in the Methodist New Connexion Church in England and in 1883 was sent to Adelaide, South Australia with his family to take charge of the Franklin Street Bible Christian Church.
Enoch was born in 1838, in a rural village called Sneyd Green, which lay about midway between Burslem and Hanley, in Staffordshire, England. The inhabitants of the village were mostly very poor, and the struggle for existence was bitter.
As far as learning in school was concerned, this ceased when Enoch was seven years old. At this early age he went to work in a pottery factory for twopence a day. Out of his weekly shilling he got one half-penny a week as pocket money.
Many of the men for whom they worked were coarse, brutal, and intemperate. The language they used was often vile. The poor lads were kicked and cursed and pelted with lumps of clay. These men would drink and loaf during the first part of the week, then drive the lads hard for the rest of the week.
Reading was one of the delights of his early life. On Sunday evenings he used to read to his father many of the captivating stories of the Old Testament. He had to walk about a mile and a half to work and usually carried a book or two in his breast pocket to read on his way or at meal times.
The Methodist Ministry
In 1861, Enoch began work as a minister of the Gospel in the Methodist New Connexion Church, Hood Street, Newcastle-on-Tyne. He moved to various circuits around England.
In 1883 he was sent by the English Methodist New Connexion Conference to take charge of Maughan Church, Franklin Street, Adelaide. For nearly seven years he continued his work there, which, though it was not without special difficulties as he was the only minister of that denomination in this State, brought with it also a good deal of pleasure and success.
During the years Enoch lived in South Australia he preached at many services and spent a short time at Moonta, where his wife Hannah passed away.
Although he loved his own church, and the church of his ancestors with warm and grateful affection, he was gradually convinced that there were too many Methodist churches in South Australia, as also in other parts of the world. In 1888, with the full sanction of the English conference, the people joined the Bible Christian Church, but Enoch continued his pastorate of the Franklin Street Church for two years. The larger union of all the Methodists in South Australia was not consummated until 1900. He was a member of the committee charged with the duty of arranging the terms of that union.
Since his superannuation in 1907 he rendered fairly continuous service as supply or minister's assistant at the following places:- Morphett Street, Norwood Baptist, Grange, Sydenham Road Circuit, Blackwood, Wright St. Deaf and Dumb Church, and various other places.
Enoch Gratton died in Adelaide in 1931.
