FPC History: Reverend Edwin I Stearns (1909-1912)

The Reverend Edwin Ira Stearns served as minister of FPC Matawan from late 1909 to early 1912.  A young family man when he began preaching at Matawan, the Reverend and his wife Mary, both Pennsylvania natives, had been married only a year and were expecting their son Edwin when they accepted the call to Matawan. The Reverend was received by the Presbytery of Monmouth on 22 November 1909 from the Presbytery of Philadelphia, North, according to Synod of New Jersey minutes. The 1910 Federal Census for New Jersey showed the 33 year old "clergyman", his 28 year old wife, and their 1 year old son living in Matawan.

Presbyterians Pioneer at Matawan, p. 44, said the Reverend brought 38 new members into the congregation. Minutes showed that he served on the Synod of New Jersey's temperance committee (1911).

Reverend Stearns resigned 15 Feb 1912 and was replaced at Matawan by Charles H Bruce. Stearns became superintendent of the Anti-Saloon League of New Jersey, in which capacity he testified before the Judiciary Committee of Congress in 1912, per Congressional testimony found at Google Books. Note that the Anti-Saloon League, later named the Temperance League, was the leading voice for Prohibition in the US. The New Jersey office was located at 16 Clinton Street, Newark.

The 1920 Federal Census showed Edwin, his wife, and three children were back in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania; Edwin was listed as a minister of the gospel. Reverend Stearns became pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Caldwell, NJ in late 1920. The 23 Feb 1939 edition of The Matawan Journal said that Reverend Sterns was resigning effective 14 Apr 1939 after serving 19 years at FPC Caldwell. He brought over 1,450 new members and paid off the church mortgage during his tenure at Caldwell.

The Matawan Journal of 11 January 1935, p 4, showed Reverend Stearns living in Caldwell, NJ and still involved in temperance matters. Old Fulton NY Postcards has a document showing Reverend Stearns as a national field secretary.

Born in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania in September 1876, Edwin was the son of photographer Leland E and Ida E Stearns, who were living in Wilkes Barre as of the 1880 census. Edwin played football and participated in crew at University of Pennsylvania. He graduated U Penn Law School in 1899 and practiced law in Philadelphia until 1905. He was listed as an attorney at law in the 1900 census, when he was living in Philadelphia. He was a football coach at Lehigh University, Oberlin College, and Pennsylvania Military College during the same 1899-1905 period.

Edwin's interest in religion developed during his last year of college, during a lengthy illness. He graduated Princeton Theological Seminary in 1907 and was ordained at Ambler, Pennsylvania, where he held his first pastorate. He left Ambler in 1909 to become pastor at Matawan.

He married Mary Beatrice Jetter the year he was ordained. It looks like his son, Edwin I Stearns, Jr, of Caldwell, was Class of '32 at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania as of 1929, according to the school's paper, The Lafayette.