REV. J. L. HUDGINS, one of the widest known ministers in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, passed to his eternal reward from his home in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, July 11, at 9 o'clock p.m., aged 82 years. His funeral was conducted at the Marshall Funeral Home, Nashville, Thursday morning, July 13, by Rev. C. M. Zwingle, assisted by Revs. W. H. McLeskey and Geo. W. Sparks. Cumberland Presbyterian ministers from Nashville and other places were the honorary pallbearers. His body was carried to Union City, Tenn., for interment, where a service was held at the grave by Revs. W. B. Cunningham and B. J. Reagin. Accompanying the remains from Nashville were Revs. George W. Sparks, J. W. Stiles, S. O. McAdoo, and Elder C. C. Brock.

Rev. J. L. Hudgins was born near Eldorado, Ill., where he taught school previous to giving his entire time to the gospel ministry of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. His first pastorate was at Mt. Oval, in Ewing-McLin Presbytery, near Norris City, Ill. At one time he was the pastor of the Cumberland Church where Senator Borah at that time held his membership; and was also the pastor of the church where William Jennings Bryan was converted and with which church he united. Brother Hudgins was the pastor at Washington, Ind., Eldorado, Ill., Union City, Tenn., and other places. I remember hearing him tell about conducting a revival for a preacher in another denomination, when the pastor of the church was converted.

In 1910 Brother Hudgins was elected editor of The Cumberland Presbyterian, resigning the pastorate of the Union City Church to wield a powerful editorial pen. He held the editorship for sixteen years, and a part of that time he was also general manager of the publishing house. When the Cumberland Presbyterian Church lost its large publishing building and printing plant in the exodus from the church, Brother Hudgins printed a few issues of the church paper on a mimeograph. Through that medium he appealed to loyal Cumberlands for funds to purchase type and presses to continue the publication of the church paper, and his appeal netted $15,000.00. From that modest start, he added an up-to-date printing plant, and purchased the office building and erected the building we now use as a printing plant. The Cumberland Presbyterian Publishing House is a monument to his loyalty, genius, sacrifice, and faith in the Cumberland Church. Various offers were made to induce him to go with those who went into another denomination, but he declared that as long as J. L. Hudgins lived there would be one Cumberland Presbyterian.

When he retired as editor he was employed by the Woman's Board in raising the Ashburn-Graf Endowment Fund. After that, the General Assembly appointed him manager of the ministerial Endowment Fund, which position he held to the day of his death. He was known as "the best money raiser in the church," adding, through his solicitation, something like $500,000.00 to the various enterprises of the church.

Brother Hudgins was one of the most forceful ministers of the church, a great orator and pleasing speaker who attracted crowds and held the interest of hearers.

When Brother Hudgins retired as editor, his interest in the work of publication did not cease, and he remained an active counsellor and personal friend of those in charge of the publishing house. When the present editor was elected, Brother Hudgins was the first person to write his congratulations, and to say, "If there is anything I can do to assist you in any part of the work, command my services." As long as he was able, he visited regularly the office, and was always gratified over any success that had come to the publication interests.

Besides his wife, he is survived by two sons and one daughter: Paul Hudgins, Eldorado, Ill.; W. E. Hudgins, Union City, Tenn., Mrs. J. W. Riggins, Nashville, Tenn.

Well done, thou good and faithful servant, while thou art dead, yet dost thou speak, and will continue to speak and be loved in the memory of thousands of Cumberland Presbyterians.

"Sleep on, beloved, sleep, and take thy rest;
Lay down thy head upon the Savior's breast.
We love thee well, but Jesus loves thee best."

[Source: The Cumberland Presbyterian, July 20, 1939, page 1]

I am not writing these few words as an obituary, but Brother Hudgins and I have been such warm friends since our first personal acquaintance, I cannot let the opportunity pass and not say a word concerning this great man.

I first met Brother Hudgins at the General Assembly, in Decatur, Ill., 1906. He preached on Sunday to the reorganized Assembly. He preached a great sermon. He won my admiration of him as being a great preacher, a man of great vigor, of deep conviction, and of sterling worth. I was not deceived in Brother Hudgins. In our long acquaintance of thirty-three years, he proved to be even more than I first estimated him to be.

With no lack of courtesy and respect to other great characters of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and we have many just as good as the human family has ever produced, possibly it is not saying too much to say, Brother Hudgins has been at least one of the most active and most useful ministers our Church, or any other Church ever had.

When Brother Hudgins was called from one of the best pastorates in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church to the editorship of The Cumberland Presbyterian as an untrained editor, anyone who was at all capable of judging the ability of an editor could see the improvement in his editorials right along step by step, week after week. He made a splendid editor. All those sixteen years of his editorship of The Cumberland Presbyterian, Brother Hudgins and this scribe were the best of friends.

God bless the memory of Brother Hudgins. God bless his bereaved companion and sons and daughter. A good and great man has gone to his reward.--J. P. McDonald.

[Source: The Cumberland Presbyterian, August 3, 1939]

Rev. Joe Lane Hudgins was born near Eldorado, Ill., August 22, 1857, and passed to his eternal reward from his home in Nashville, Tenn., July 11, 1939, aged 82 years. He had been an ordained minister in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church for more than fifty years. He was one of the best known and loved men in the Church. He had rendered conspicuous service as a pastor, evangelist, editor and manager of the publishing interests of the Church, and as a financier he had few, if any equals. He had dedicated more new churches than perhaps any other minister in the Church. He had by his own efforts brought more thousands of dollars into the various treasuries of the Church than any other minister in the Church. He was one of the strongest preachers of his day, and had a wonderful influence over his audiences. He was uncompromising in his stand for, and defense of, the fundamental truths of God's Word. He was just as staunch in his stand for the doctrines of his Church. He allowed no experience that came to him to affect him in his interest in the success of his denomination. He particularly loved the work of the ministry, and could scarcely decline an opportunity to preach even after his health would not permit his doing so.

Great pressure was brought to bear upon him to go into the Presbyterian Church, U. S. A., but he was adamant in his loyalty to his Church. He will be greatly missed in the counsels of his Church. He is with the General Assembly of the first born in heaven.

He is survived by his wife, two sons, Paul Hudgins, Eldorado, Ill., and W. E. Hudgins, Union City, Tenn.; and one daughter, Mrs. J. W. Riggins, Nashville, Tenn. To these loved ones we extend our deepest heartfelt sympathy, and pray that God will richly bless and sustain them through the remainder of life.

W. H. McLeskey,
C. M. Zwingle.

[Source: The Cumberland Presbyterian, September 14, 1939]

A tiny, wide-eyed boy clung tightly to his uncle's hand while his short legs carried him unsteadily through the expectant crowd. When his elder reached a vantage place beside the flag-draped stand, the child settled himself wearily on his uncle's knees.

He even yawned as he bask in the noon-day sun, secure in his childish innocence of the importance of the colorful spectacle.

But, when a surging cheer heralded the arrival of Illinois' favorite son and the tall man with a remarkable mobility of features arose and spoke with characteristic slowness and emphasis, the child watched in round-eyed wonder.

The Rev. J. L. Hudgins, well known Cumberland Presbyterian minister, sat at his home at 1300 Edgewood Avenue on the 126th anniversary of Lincoln's birth and pictured for a BANNER reporter the story of his meeting with the rail splitting President as told him by his uncle a number of years before. He has no personal recollection of the event, being only 4 years old at the time, and consequently was forced to rely on his relative's version.

On the occasion of the meeting, he recalled, Lincoln delivered a speech in Vandalia, Ill., during his candidacy for the presidency. When his uncle, who was a great admirer of Lincoln, heard that he was scheduled to appear in Illinois, he, accompanied by his young nephew, began the two day journey in a stage coach from Eldorado, Ill., where Mr. Hudgins was born in 1857, just a year before the memorable Lincoln-Douglas debates.

When the gathering started to disperse, Mr. Hudgins' uncle, who at the time was sheriff of Galletin County, led his small charge forward and sought to speak to Mr. Lincoln whom he had met before. After greetings had been exchanged by the two men, Lincoln, according to the elder Hudgins, turned to the small boy and placed his hand on his head for a moment.

Mr. Hudgins, who served for sixteen years as editor of his church's paper, and twice as moderator of its general assembly, related the incident with pardonable pride. He, too, is a great admirer of the martyr President and several times has spoken at local Lincoln Day dinners.

"Lincoln," he declared, "was our greatest President with the exception of Washington and I believe that he rivaled him in certain qualifications. I am a native of Illinois, and were I asked to name the three greatest men who claim that state as their home, I would say that they were in order named: Lincoln, William Jennings Bryan, and Senator William Borah."

Mr. Hudgins is Borah's former school mate, both having attended Southern Illinois College. He was intimately acquainted with Bryan, he said, having met him while teaching school in Illinois and being subsequently entertained in his home.

Mr. Hudgins has made a comprehensive study of Lincoln's life and the relation of his political convictions to the unity of the country. His search for facts, however, has not been confined alone to histories. Through actual contact with localities identified with Lincoln's life, he has been able to assimilate personal information.

He conducted a series of revivals in New Salem where Lincoln served as postmaster when he was twenty-four years of age. He has also inspected Lincoln's birthplace in Kentucky and visited his home in Springfield, Ill.

[Source: The Cumberland Presbyterian, May 3, 1960, pages 11 & 13]