Erb, Tillman M. (1865-1929)
Tillman M. Erb, only son of Jacob B. and Leah Miller Erb, was born 3 November 1865, near Mt. Joy, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania He was descended from a Swiss-German family who had immigrated in the early 18th century. On 18 November 1886 he was married to Lizzie Ann Hess at Ephrata, Pennsylvania. Four sons and seven daughters were born to them, two dying in childhood. Allen, the oldest son, became a minister and bishop in the Mennonite Church and was active in the hospital work of the church. Paul, the second son, also a minister, taught at Hesston and Goshen colleges and became editor of the Gospel Herald in 1944.
Erb’s formal education was interrupted after one year of high school. He and his wife joined the Pennsylvania Mennonite Church (Mennonite Church) near Newton, Kansas, on 31 July 1887. He was ordained minister in 1893 and bishop in 1898. He was at various times moderator of the district conference. He was for many years a member of the Mennonite Board of Education and business manager of Hesston College and Bible School 1908-1929. He helped to establish missions in Kansas City and Wichita. His residences were Mt. Joy, 1865-1885; Newton, 1885-1889, 1894-1895, 1900-1910; Hesston, 1889-1894, 1910-1924; Harper, Kansas, 1895-1900. He was a businessman (creamery) and farmer (dairy) in addition to engaging in church and school work. As a community builder he served on the city councils in Harper and Hesston. His chief contribution was as an organizer of churches and institutions, particularly as the chief promoter of a church school in the West. He was severely burned in 1912, which was the indirect cause of his death on 25 January 1929. He is buried in the Pennsylvania Cemetery, Harvey County, Kansas.
| Author(s) | Paul Erb |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1956 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Erb, Paul. "Erb, Tillman M. (1865-1929)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1956. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Erb,_Tillman_M._(1865-1929)&oldid=112851.
APA style
Erb, Paul. (1956). Erb, Tillman M. (1865-1929). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Erb,_Tillman_M._(1865-1929)&oldid=112851.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, pp. 240-241. All rights reserved.
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