Reverend Silas Huntington, 1829-1905

A zealous Methodist missionary descended from an early New England family, Huntington was born in Kemptville. With his ordination in 1854, he commenced a long Christian ministry, serving various congregations in eastern Ontario and Quebec until 1882 when he was posted to Mattawa. Using this mission as a base, Huntington travelled extensively, visiting outlying settlements and work camps along the CPR as far west as Schreiber. Reputedly the first Protestant missionary to reach many northern communities, he is credited with establishing several pastoral charges, including this congregation formed in 1882. His unflagging energy and magnetic personality gained him immense popularity and respect throughout the north, and in 1960 Huntington University, now Huntington College in Laurentian University Sudbury, was named in his honour.

Missionaire méthodiste zélé issu d’une famille de Nouvelle Angleterre, Huntington naquit à Kemptville. Ordonné en 1854, il commença une longue carière et fut minister de diverses congregations dans l’est de l’Ontario et au Québec jusqu’à sa nomination à Mattawa, en 1882. Partant de cette mission, il voyagea beaucoup et visita colonies et camps le long de la voie de Canadien Pacifique, jusqu’à Schreiber à l’ouest. Il fut probablement le premier missionarie protestant à atteindre de nombreuses communautés du Nord et on lui attribue la création de plusieurs paroisses, don’t cette congrégation fondée en 1882. Son indefatigable énergie et sa personnalité marquante lui valurent une popularité et un respect immenses dans tout le nord et, en 1960, l’Université Huntington, aujourd’hui le Collège Huntington, de l’Université Laurentienne, reçut son nom.