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William Elkanah "Cain" Lackey (1869–1933) was a Church of the Brethren minister who was born in the village of Elamsville, Virginia. He became known throughout eastern region of Patrick County for his zeal in spreading the message of the Bible, his fervent support for temperance, and for his personal story of salvation. After becoming a minister, his influence was felt through the Church of the Brethren congregations throughout Patrick, Floyd, and Montgomery counties.

Early life

Anderson was born in Patrick County, Virginia, to William Crawford "Croft" Lackey and Martha Jane Snead. Croft was not a Christian and would never desire to be. Croft was a Deputy Sheriff of Patrick County, and also was a licensed liquor distiller, which was common for many living in the mountains. Growing up, Cain was exposed to the typical indifference toward violence and alcohol that permeated the community. Croft also ran a farm, and had Cain working in it at a very young age. Cain recalled that as early as the age of 10 that he would work all into the night, fall asleep in the field, and wake up the next morning covered in dew. Patrick County was regarded as being a place of "ignorance", where the population was very uneducated, and where brawls, drunkenness, and even senseless murder were quite common. Growing up in this area usually meant you had to be tough and thick-skinned, or at least being able to give the appearance of being so. Cain married his first wife Betty Elizabeth Foley on July 6th, 1886. They had two daughters together: Malissa and Carrie.

Conversion

The Primitive Baptists had long made a strong foot-hold in the mountains of Patrick County. Their influence permeated much of society, and they were also well noted for the blind eye they would turn toward the typical ruffianism and rampant alcoholism that dotted the landscape. Cain's grandfather John Turner was a prominent Primitive Baptist minister, and the Lackey's were considered to be adherent to that denomination. Cain's father Croft professed loyalty to hardshell doctrine, however, Cain's parents did not actively practice any religious adherence in the household. Thus, Cain had no Biblical teaching or concern for its practice. In 1892, a prominent Church of the Brethren minister named John A. Dove was seeking to expand congregations within and around Patrick County.

Ministry

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A Miracle of Grace

The story of Cain and his life first gained national notice when a young minister named Joel B. Naff served alongside him in a summer ministry at the Smith River Church. Naff was so impressed with Cain and his conversion, that he authored a short biography detailing events of Cain's life and conversion, publishing them in three parts over a series of issues in the Gospel Messenger magazine. After the articles were published, the interest in his tale of this ignorant farmer who turned into a fiery evangelist, Naff soon compiled these articles into a booklet he published in 1933 as Elder W. E. Lackey, a Miracle of Grace.

Death

Diabetes took its hold on Cain later in life. It left him feeling tired, but he continued to preach until the end. He died on July 3rd, 1933.

External links

[1] The Meanest Man In Patrick County, and Other Unlikely Brethren Heroes by Ramirez
[2] The Brethren in Virginia: The History of the Church of the Brethren in Virginia by Sappington

References

Category:1869 births Category:1933 deaths Category:American Protestant ministers and clergy Category:American members of the Church of the Brethren Category:Church of the Brethren clergy Category:American evangelists Category:19th-century Anabaptist ministers Category:19th-century American clergy