Spicer, Tobias

Spicer, Tobias a distinguished minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, was born at Kinderhook, N.Y., Nov. 7, 1788. His conversion took place in October 1803, and soon after he united with the Church. He was admitted into the New York Conference at Pittsfield, Mass., May 20, 1810. He received the ordination of deacon in 1814, and that of elder in 1816. Upon the division of the conference he became a member of the Troy Conference. He was supernumerary in 1837, effective in 1839; again supernumerary in 1843, effective in 1844, and supernumerary in 1845. In 1846 he was the delegate from the Troy Conference to the Evangelical Alliance, London. From that time he held either a supernumerary or a superannuated relation. But he was often engaged in regular work, either as pastor or presiding elder. He died Nov. 13, 1862. Mr. Spicer was a deep thinker and a hard student. He was very industrious, having preached during his ministry 8550 sermons; and during his seventy-second year he preached 211 times. See Minutes of Annual Conferences, 1863, p. 96.