REV. DANIEL TRAUGHBER died at the residence of Mr. Green Beasley, three miles north-east of Fredonia, Wilson county, Kansas, on Saturday, December 16, 1877, of affection of the kidneys; aged seventy-seven years and seven months.

The subject of this sketch was born in Logan county, Kentucky, May 18, 1800, and professed religion in July, 1821. He was licensed to preach, as a minister of the gospel in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, in October, 1824; and four years thereafter, 1828, he was ordained and set apart to the whole office of the Christian ministry in the Church until the close of his life. From the time he was licensed to preach until 1836, he officiated in his native State as an efficient minister, when he moved and settled in Macon county, Illinois; where he took charge of Mt. Zion church, over which he presided for twenty-five years, when he was compelled to resign on account of ill health. For several years after resigning as pastor of Mt. Zion church, he was not engaged in the direct and particular work of the ministry, though he preached much, and was very useful in building up the Church in numbers and spiritual strength. In this way he labored until 1872, when he came to Kansas, where he was active and untiring in his ministerial duties until he passed away.

He was married three times. All three of his companions were excellent Christian women, and all preceded him to the glory land.

On the evening of the 13th of December, he and the writer went some five miles from town to hold a temperance meeting in the interest of the Murphy movement. He spoke about an hour with great earnestness. Had a very enthusiastic time; and he was very much elated. He had to go one mile to stay all night, and I suppose took cold, which caused a severe attack of an old disease. The children were sent for about seven o'clock. We called three of the best physicians we could get, but all their efforts were of no avail. After I had been in the room a few minutes he called me to him and said: "Robert, my poor old frame can't stand this long. I want you to call the friends around, and sing and pray, that I may see my way clear; and if God says go, I say go too." This was the last he said about his own case. He lingered in great pain until two o'clock on Sabbath morning, when he became unconscious, and continued so until half-past one in the evening, when his spirit took its flight to that upper and better world. He has gone to join his co-laborers--Lansden, Aston, Knight, Bryan, and many others who have gone before.

He is missed in this country, where he was very useful. He leaves six children, all of whom are professors of religion except one, and many sorrowing friends; but we mourn not as those having no hope.

The old ministers of his age are nearly all gone. O, that God may call and send faithful laborers to take their place, especially to this field that is already white unto the harvest.
[Source: The Cumberland Presbyterian, January 17, 1878, page 2]

The following sketch of Mr. Traughber is from the pen of his son-in-law, Mr. R. K. Lansden, of Fredonia, Kansas:

"The subject of this sketch was born in Logan county, Kentucky, May 18, 1800, and professed religion in July, 1821. He was licensed to preach as a minister of the gospel in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in October, 1824; and four years thereafter (1828) he was ordained and set apart to the whole office of the Christian ministry in the Church until the close of his life. From the time he was licensed to preach until 1836 he officiated in his native State as an efficient minister, when he moved and settled in Macon county, Illinois. Here he took charge of Mt. Zion church, over which he presided for twenty-five years, when he was compelled to resign on account of ill health. For several years after resigning as pastor of Mt. Zion church he was not engaged in the direct and particular work of the ministry, though he preached much, and was very useful in building up the Church in numbers and spiritual strength. In this way he labored until 1872, when he came to Kansas, where he was active and untiring in his ministerial duties until he passed away.

"He was married three times. All three of his companions were excellent Christian women, and all preceded him to the glory land.

"On the evening of the 13th December he and the writer went some five miles from town to hold a temperance meeting in the interest of the Murphy movement. He spoke about an hour with great earnestness. We had a very enthusiastic time and he was very much elated. He had to go one mile to stay all night, and I suppose took cold, which caused a severe attack of an old disease. The children were sent for about seven o'clock. We called three of the best physicians we could get, but all their efforts were of no avail. After I had been in the room a few minutes he called me to him and said: 'Robert, my poor old frame can't stand this long. I want you to call the friends around, and sing and pray, that I may see my way clear; and if God says go, I say go, too.' This was the last he said about his own case. He lingered in great pain until two o'clock on Sabbath morning, when he became unconscious, and continued so until half-past one in the evening, when his spirit took its flight to that upper and better world. He has gone to join his co-laborers--Lansden, Aston, Knight, Bryan, and many others who have gone before. He is missed in this country, where he was very useful. He leaves six children, all of whom are professors of religion except one, and many sorrowing friends; but we mourn not as those having no hope."

The writer will add a few reflections of his own in regard to the deceased. He first became acquainted with Mr. Traughber on the way to the General Assembly, which met in Princeton, Kentucky, in 1853. He and many other delegates were on the same packet which left the warf at St. Louis a few days before the meeting of that body. After arriving at Princeton we were assigned to the same boarding place; and from that on to the end of his life we knew "Uncle Daniel," as he was familiarly called, and knew him well. Few men of our Illinois ministry have done more to build up the Church than Mr. Traughber. He was a genial, warm-hearted, sunny-spirited man. He was a good speaker, always won the respect and attention of his audience, and, like most of his compeers, lived and died with a character untarnished in every particular. He was very successful in getting sinners to act, even when others failed. He was of medium stature, heavily built, and had just enough of the brogue of the foreigner to make his language attractive when speaking. He was a man of unusual energy of character, and while he did a vast amount of preaching he also cultivated and carried on a large farm, in the management of which he seemed always to prosper. He was always prompt and punctual in attendance upon the judicatories of the Church. He was elected Moderator of the first session of Central Illinois Synod, the sessions of which he always attended until he removed beyond her bounds. He died at the residence of Mr. Green Beasley near Fredonia, Kansas, on December 16th, 1877, of affection of the kidneys, at the advanced age of seventy-seven years and seven months. He leaves thousands over all the West to mourn his departure.
[Source: Logan, J. B. History of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Illinois, Containing Sketches of the First Ministers, Churches, Presbyteries and Synods; also a History of Missions, Publication and Education. Alton, Ill.: Perrin & Smith, 1878, pages 191-193]

Mortuary
Ministers

Traughber, Daniel - Presbytery of Kansas
[Source: Minutes of the General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1878, page 79]

"He was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost." Rev. Daniel Traughber was born in Logan County, Kentucky, on the 18th day of May, 1800. Of his childhood and youth I am not prepared to write. He made profession of religion and united with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church early in life. Through the politeness of Rev. M. M. Smith, of Bowling Green, Ky., and J. S. Coke, of McBrayer, Ky., I am able to give the following facts relative to his early ministry:

He was received as a candidate for the ministry by Logan Presbytery, in session at Little Muddy meeting house, Butler County, Kentucky, October 10, 1822. The first text assigned him by presbytery was Hosea xiii.9. His first sermon was read before the presbytery April 2, 1823, at Pilot Knob meeting house, Simpson County, Kentucky. His second text was St. John iii.3. He read his sermon on this text at the session of Logan Presbytery held at Liberty Church, Logan County, Kentucky, April 7, 1824. His third text was Rom. vi. 23. His sermon on this text was read October 13, 1824. He and David R. Harris were licensed by the Logan Presbytery October 14, 1824.

His first circuit was in the State of Indiana and dates back to 1824-5. Indiana was at that time a part of Logan Presbytery.

In the fall of 1825 he was sent to the Hartford District in Kentucky. This district embraced Ohio and adjacent counties. In April, 1826, he was assigned to the Warren District in Warren and adjacent counties. In October he and A. M. Bryan were sent to the Mercer District.

In the fall of 1828, by direction of his presbytery, he traveled and preached in Montgomery and adjacent counties for six months. In his work in this county he had Milton Bird as his traveling companion and co-laborer. At the meeting of Logan Presbytery, which convened in Glasgow, Ky., in October, 1829, in pursuance of an order of his presbytery, he preached his trial sermon from Matt. xvi. 26, and he, together with S. B. F. Caldwell, A. M. Bryan, David R. Harris, and Benjamin Canby were ordained, Rev. Alexander Chapman preaching the ordination sermon and Rev. Wm. Harris delivering the charge. From this meeting of presbytery Daniel Traughber was returned to Montgomery District.

In May, 1830, Kentucky Presbytery was organized and was composed of A. M. Bryan, Laban Jones, Samuel Caldwell, Benjamin Canby and Daniel Traughber. The first meeting of the new presbytery was held at Caldwell Church, Boyle County, Kentucky, the first Thursday in May, 1830. Rev. Daniel Traughber was moderator; he was also moderator of this presbytery in 1833 and 1835. During all three years he was eminently useful in all the relations in which he was called to serve God and his church. In 1836 he removed from Kentucky and settled in Macon County, Illinois, in the vicinity of Mt. Zion Church and for a period of 25 years he served as the faithful and successful pastor of Mt. Zion Church, in what is now Decatur Presbytery. In this church he accomplished a noble work and many live in this community to-day to bless and honor his memory.

Rev. J. B. Logan, in his history of the church in Illinois says (P. 93): "In November, 1836, Rev. Daniel Traughber, of Kentucky Presbytery, settled in this community (Mt. Zion) and supplies the congregation with preaching. . . . This is one of the places where camp meetings were kept up for years, and the results can never be fully known until the revelation of all things at the last day. Thousands will rise up in that day and testify that they were born again at the consecrated altar of old Mt. Zion."

In 1861 he resigned as pastor of Mt. Zion Church on account of feeble health, and for a period of about 10 years he was not directly engaged in the active duties of the ministry though he preached much and was very useful in building up the church numerically and spiritually.

In 1872 he removed from Illinois and located in Fredonia, Wilson County, Kansas, where he was actively engaged in the discharge of his duties as a minister of the gospel until God's "Well done" was spoken and he laid down his cross to take up his crown.

He was married three times and was fortunate in that all of his companions were excellent Christian women. They all preceded him to the better country. On his death bed he requested the friends to sing and pray, saying, "If God say go I say go."

In the closing years of his life his health was not good. In view of this fact one of his children begged him to refrain from preaching, but he replied, "When I die I want to die at my post." He died at the residence of Brother Green Beasley, three miles northeast of Fredonia, Wilson County, Kansas, on Saturday, December 16, 1877, aged 77 years and seven months, and of his useful and successful ministry the fifty-fifth.

The following tribute to his memory is from the Rev. William Spencer, of Fredonia, Kansas:

As one who was intimate with him and his work after his coming to Kansas, after two decades have gone by, I can truly say it was a privilege to have known him, to sit under the fire of his ministry, to witness his dignified and commanding appearance in the pulpit, to listen to his rhetoric and his profound logic, and to observe his tireless energy, his great love for the success of the Master's kingdom, and his devotion to doctrines of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Whatever his congregation paid him for preaching was consecrated to work somewhere else. He was a good presbyter, a good man full of the Holy Ghost and of power. Peace to his ashes, honor to his memory.
   Mount Zion, Illinois
[Source: The Cumberland Presbyterian, March 10, 1898, page 1137]