Autobiography of Z. S. Hastings

In Short

This memoir traces the life of an itinerant preacher and educator as he grows from a frontier boyhood in southern Indiana to a long, settled adulthood in rural Kansas. Through accounts of river floods, community revivals, family losses, and school construction, the narrative records the steady rhythm of nineteenth-century American expansion. It endures because of its unpretentious candor, capturing the everyday spiritual and practical convictions of a self-made frontier minister who seeks unity among believers, cherishes his family life, and faces hardship with unyielding Christian optimism.

The Story

The narrative opens with the author recalling his upbringing along the White River in southern Indiana. Born to parents who merge their Quaker and Dunkard roots into a simple commitment to be called Christians, he absorbs a deep reverence for scripture and hard physical labor. His early memories record both the natural perils of frontier life—such as the massive, destructive flood of 1844 that wipes out his family's livestock—and the quiet rhythms of tapping maple sugar. The death of his father on Christmas Day in 1854 leaves a lasting impression, forcing him to take on greater responsibilities as a teenager.

At nineteen, driven by a desire to see the wider world, he leaves Indiana for northern Missouri. Travelling by newly built railways and river steamboats, he finds himself exposed to the chaotic energy of river towns like St. Louis. In Missouri, he solidifies his spiritual calling. Stepping away from denominational labels, he is baptized in Medicine Creek and formally ordained as an evangelist in 1861. He begins his dual career as a rural schoolteacher and an itinerant preacher, holding revivals in schoolhouses and groves, officiating his first weddings and funerals, and baptizing converts in local creeks.

Following the Civil War, during which he continues to teach and preach while pursuing further education in Indianapolis and Hiram, Ohio, he follows his extended family west to Kansas in 1867. Settling eventually in Atchison County, he establishes a long-term home near Farmington. He marries his wife, Rosetta, in 1870, and together they build a farm, raise children, and root themselves in the local community. Over twenty-five years at Farmington, he balances running a school, leading district teacher associations, and pastoring countryside congregations such as Pleasant Grove.

The later chapters move from public building projects, such as rebuilding the county high school after a devastating fire, to the painful isolation of old age. Death repeatedly tests the family, claiming several of his grown children, including daughters whose loss weighs heavily on his remaining years. Eventually selling the farm as their children marry and move away, he and his wife relocate to Effingham. Looking back over half a century of labor, he completes his manuscript as a heritage for his sons, waiting in calm faith for his life to close.

How It Unfolds

The frontier childhood Growing up in the bottomlands of Lawrence County, Indiana, the author experiences the rustic routines of farm labor and severe river floods. The sudden loss of his father during his youth alters his household responsibilities and sharpens his religious awareness.

Journey to the West Leaving home on his nineteenth birthday, he travels via train and steamboat through St. Louis to northern Missouri. This initial voyage opens his eyes to broader urban sights while leading him toward his primary life choices.

Ordination and early ministry In Missouri, he commits to a simple, non-denominational faith and is ordained as an evangelist. He begins balancing classroom teaching with field preaching, baptizing early converts in rural streams.

Homesteading in Kansas Moving west to rejoin his family in 1867, he settles in Atchison County and marries Rosetta Butler. The couple establishes a farm near Farmington, where they spend twenty-five years raising their family and serving local schools.

Years of service and loss He manages multiple country pulpits, attends state educational conventions, and helps reconstruct the local high school after a fire. The tragic deaths of his grown daughters bring profound sorrow into his domestic life.

Rest in Effingham With their farm work finished and their children gone, the elderly couple retires to a small home in town. He concludes his written reflection, leaving the final entry of his death for his sons to complete.

The People

• Z. S. Hastings wants to live a practical Christian life, serve rural communities through teaching and preaching, and maintain a close-knit family home. Facing natural disasters, economic uncertainty, and personal bereavement, he remains a grounded, optimistic minister who rejects denominational divisions.
• Rosetta Butler Hastings wants to build a stable home and support her husband’s extensive public duties. As the anchor of their farm in Farmington, she endures the physical demands of frontier domestic life and the tragic loss of several children, remaining a devoted companion into their retirement.
• The Author's Father wants to provide for his family on the Indiana bottomlands while living a quiet, unified faith. His early illness and death force his children into premature independence.
• Dr. Sam Elmore wants to practice rural medicine and assist his neighbors. He guides the author during his father's final illness and later accompanies him on his first journey out of Indiana into Missouri.

In Its Own Voice

"Now, when mother said 'christen' she did not mean what is usually meant by christening a babe, for if she had they would have had to take me to a river..."

The author explains how his parents' convictions regarding adult immersion shaped both his name and his early understanding of religious practice.

"There were, on all sides, mules, negroes, drays, drummers, porters, beggars, fakers, yelling, moving, jostling, huddling, crowding. Why, I felt that to be in such a place was dangerous to be safe."

Upon stepping off the ferry in St. Louis, the nineteen-year-old traveler encounters the overwhelming chaos of a major midwestern port city.

"No paths were ever trodden more frequently than the paths to the well, the barn and the post-office, and the church."

Reflecting on his twenty-five years at the farm in Farmington, he summarizes the daily routines that defined his middle age.

What It's Really About

The memoir explores the search for Christian unity in an era dominated by sectarian boundaries. By dropping denominational labels in favor of a straightforward, biblical practice, the author argues for a faith based on shared moral duty rather than theological disputes.

It also captures the tension between pioneer mobility and the desire for permanent home life. The narrative contrasts the constant movement of teaching terms, church calls, and westward migration with the deep emotional investment required to plant orchards and build farmsteads. Ultimately, it examines how individual families process grief, framing personal loss not as a defeat, but as a temporary separation borne through religious hope.

Why Read It Today

This account offers readers a direct, unvarnished look at everyday life in the nineteenth-century Midwest. Free from theatrical romanticism, it delivers a straightforward record of how ordinary families navigated the practical realities of frontier farming, river transit, rural schooling, and regional ministry. Its strength lies in its unpretentious voice, which captures both the modest humor of everyday encounters and the stark reality of early American life.

Modern readers may find the structure slightly rambling, as the narrative frequently pauses for moral reflections, lists of local acquaintances, or detailed accounts of regional church meetings. The prose reflects the period's straightforward religious phrasing and straightforward cultural assumptions, which reflect its era without embellishment.

It will appeal to readers interested in regional American history, pioneer memoirs, and the history of early western church movements. The lasting impression is one of quiet resilience—a modest window into a life spent building schools, pastoring small congregations, and maintaining faith through personal tragedy.