Rev. George C. Alborn

Rev. George C. Alborn, 1904, from Ish Kerioth

Rev. Alborn's service notes from 1905-1906 as pastor of the Greenbush church

Rev. Alborn, a graduate of Hillside College, a Free Baptist institution and the first college in Michigan to organize under the general college law in 1853, was a prolific and scholarly writer, publishing a novel (Ish Kerioth, 1904), a history (History of the First Baptist Church if Bricelin, Minnesota, 1933) and a collection of poetry (Rhythms of Life, 1941),

He served as pastor of the Burnett church (Dodge County) from 1899 to 1901, the Fairwater (Fond du Lac County) and Grand Prairie (Green Lake County) churches from 1902 to 1905, the Greenbush church (Sheboygan County) from 1906 to 1907, the Allenville church (Winnebago County) from 1908 to 1909, and the Oak Center and Oakfield churches (Fond du Lac County) in 1911. Following the dissolution of the Wisconsin Freewill Baptist church, he also served other congregations including the Underwood Memorial church in Wauwatosa (see Milwaukee Sentinel, Oct. 11, 1920).

Rev. Alborn also served as secretarty of the Home Mission Board of the Wisconsin Freewill church and was instrumental in promoting the merger of the Freewill church with the general Baptist church, as reported in the May, 2007, newsletter of the historical society:

The topic of reunion remained relatively quiet until 1904, when it was raised again during Yearly Meetings in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Maine in the belief that the Baptist church had grown closer to the theological positions of the Freewill church. Among other initiatives, Rev. George C. Alborn, pastor of the Fairwater congregation, advanced a resolution at the Wisconsin Yearly Meeting calling for a merger of the two denominations. In response, the national General Conference created a committee to study the issue.

Rev. Alborn was secretary of the 1913 Wisconsin Yearly Meeting of Freewill Baptists at which the church met for the last time before dissolving:

Madison, Wis., Sept. 30.—In accordance with an act passed by the 1913 legislature authorizing the change, the trustees of the Wisconsin Yearly Meeting of Freewill Baptists, in session at Fairwater, Wis., September 23, voted to dissolve the corporation. The resolution filed with the secretary of state provides that all property coming to the corporation shall inure to the benefit of the Wisconsin Baptist state convention, and that the affairs of the corporation shall be wound up. Rev. P. Kisner is president and Rev. George C. Alborn secretary of the convention. (September 30, 1913, Janesville Daily Gazette)

According to a descendant, Renee Alborn, the following family biography was written by one of Charles Alborn's children, year unknown. Rev. Charles Alborn was a brother to Rev. George Alborn.

Charles Henry Alborn was born July 14, 1870 near Blue Earth, MN. He accepted the Lord Jesus Christ in a little Methodist church in 1887. Taught his first school 1890-1891 in the Stormy Creek School, Eagle Bend, Minnesota. He also preached his first sermon at that school. He taught at Spruce Hill school 1891-1892 also near Eagle Bend, Minnesota. Charles Married Clara Kyes at Eagle Bend, Minnesota November 26, 1892. Charles, with a man named Joe Carter built a United Brethren Church in Eagle Bend, Minnesota and he was licensed to preach after the church was organized. Charles and Clara lived in a little log house he built in Eagle Bend. They lived in that house until they moved to Wood Lake, Minnesota in the summer of 1893. Then they moved back to Eagle Bend in the same fall for school again. Here is where their first child was born (Everett Robert) on September 2, 1893. For the next school year he taught the Kohlhouse School near Bertha, Minnesota in Todd County 1893-1894. He taught summer school in the Carter district 1894 then taught in the same school 1895-1896. Lizzie Rebecca was born November 7, 1895 in Eagle Bend. He taught in the Coon school house 1896-97. Their 3rd child Jay Dewey (who was my husband's grandfather) was born on March 12, 1898. Their fourth child, Gladys Ellen was orn October 7, 1899 and she died October 14, 1900. They moved to Gray Eagle, Minnesota where he also taught school there in 1901 and 1902. Evan William was born here July 7, 1901. From here they moved to Hewitt, Minnesota and he taught school there and also pastored a United Brethren church in Wrightstown a few miles out of Hewitt 1902-03. Philip William was born in Hewitt, MN on June 13, 1903. Floyd Wayne was also born in Hewitt March 26, 1905. In June 1905, they moved to Glenville, MN and he pastored a United Bretheren Church June 1905 and this is where on Spetember 4, 1906 Lila Ruth was born. In October 1906 they moved to Myrtle, MN to pastor a United Brethren Church until the autumn of 1908 when they moved to London, MN where he built and pastored the United Brethren Church until the autumn of 1909. They then moved back to Glenville, MN where Nettie May was born September 29, 1909. They moved in June of 1910 to Winneconnie, WI and until the spring of 1911 he pastored the Free Will Baptist Church there. They moved to Wyocena, WI where Edith Adell was born June 4, 1911. He pastored the Baptist Church of Wyocena until 1913 when he started to pastor the Hillsdale, WI church. Around this time he served a church out in West Dallas, driving a team out from Wyocena for a little time. Having moved to Barron, WI, Dad built a beautiful block home and I (Edith) at age five used a little fire shovel to help Dad fill the cement forms. That house still stood there in 2000 when we visited there. We moved to Greenwood WI where Dad pastored the church for a couple of years. In February 1918 Mom and Dad left my brothers and my sister Lila with friends, took me and traveled through about 14 states by way of California by traint to visit my Grandfather, Mom's dad in Sandpoint, ID where Dad served as interim Pastor for a few months. Dad, Mom and I went to live at Kettle Falls, WA where Dad was called to serve as Pastor of the Baptist Church. From here he had two outstation churches, one at Marcus, WA and the other up near Rice, WA called the Pleasant Valley Church. From the fall of 1921 until the fall of 1922 Charles pastored the Colville, WA Baptist church. They we moved back to Kettle Falls and lived on a farm. Dad was quite ill during this time and not really able to pastor a church. About June 1926, we went over to South Tacoma, where Dad di some carpenter work when he felt up to it. In September that year, we moved to the Fern Hill District of Tacoma where Dad pastored the Fern Hill CHurch until I graduated from the 8th grade and then in the Fall of 1927 we moved to Astoria, OR so that Dad could work with my brother, Evan, with the sale of Maytag washing machines. In 1928 the Baptist church needed a pastor so Dad was called to pastor that church. We were in Astoria until I graduated from High School in June 1932. In that Fall we moved to Sumner, WA to pastor the Sumner Baptist church until his death. Mom and Dad were just waiting for Prayer meeting to start when Dad had a heart attack and went to be with the Lord. He was buried in the Sumner Cemetery.