William Hagy Levering ¹

  General Notes:

WILLIAM HAGY: b. April 19, 1826--a twin with John;
m. July 4, 1848, Irene Smith, of Bryn Mawr, Pa. Removed
in December, 1851, to LaFayette, Ind., where she
d. June 18, 1854; b. in Spring Vale Cem. He m. 2d,
Oct. 30, 1855, Anna Taylor, of LaFayette, who d. Oct.
24, 1867. He m. 3d, Anna Latch, of Philad., on
Sept. 8, 1869. Reside at LaFayette.

WILLIAM H. LEVERING.

WILLIAM HAGY LEVERING was born at Ardmore, a suburb of Philadelphia, Pa., April 19, 1826--a twin and perfect duplicate of the author of this history. Business demands in early life gave him opportunity only for a common school education, yet he has been a life long student and has thus become one of the best informed and educated men in the business circles.
In 1851 he removed to LaFayette, Ind., where he still resides. Here, in 1851, he established the first "one-price" store--hats and furs--in the State; the business is still being successfully carried on in the same location by his younger brothers. In 1856 he entered into a real estate, loan, civil engineering and insurance business with his twin brother, and continued many years. In this experience he obtained a thorough knowledge of real estate and insurance law, and calls for his services in the latter--in the adjustment of losses by fire, and in litigated cases, were so urgent that he retired from office work and gave-one-half his time to this profession, and in pursuit of it has settled numerous difficult cases throughout a field extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
It is a notable fact that for more than one-half his life he has had no occasion to ask for favors on business. His motto has been "create a demand for yourself." He gives this motto to young men as the definition of success in life.
Mr. Levering has indexed copies of all his letters written during 38 years--kept in three series; "personal," "professional," "religious," and all letters received during these years are bound in books and indexed. All his writing since 1853 has been done with but two pens--of gold.
He began attendance at Sabbath School in July, 1828 (then aged 27 months, and has in his possession a piece of the dress worn on that occasion) at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church. The Lower Merion Baptist Church (the Church of his parents) having at that time no school. In his eighth year four women of the latter Church opened a Sabbath School in the "Union Schoolhouse." As none of them could lead in song he became choirister, and from that, to the present time--a period of 63 years--has his voice led the young in songs of praise to God.
At the age of 14 years he was baptised into membership with the Lower Merion Baptist Church, and at the age of 19 was elected Superintendent of the Sabbath School of that church. He has held this office in various schools with but little intermission to the present. Since 1869 he has devoted all his energies to fellowship of Christians, to mission and to international Sabbath School work, and during many of these years has conducted two schools at the same time, and is now in his 23d year with one--a school of colored people--holding two sessions each Sabbath--International and Normal.
He has been an active member of the Indiana S. S. Union since its organization, May 30, 1865, and served nine years as President, to wit: 1874 to 1877, and 1881 to 1887, when impaired health compelled him to relinquish. During the first term of official service he visited and organized S. S. unions in each of the 92 counties of Indiana, thus attaining the standard of complete county organization; and in the second term restored organizations that had been suffered to lapse or retrograde, and traveled in all the 92 counties, emphasizing missionary and evangelistic effort with marked success; and in so doing was cordially received to the pulpits of almost every denomination of Christians in the State. During his presidency 150,000 children were added to the Sabbath Schools of the State, and as many as 33,000 children were added to the churches in a single year. In addition, he assisted in the cause in other States--as many as seven in a single year.
In 1875 he organized a S. S. union in Virginia City, and in Gold Hill, Nevada--said to be the first S. S. union organization in the Sierra Nevada range.
He conducts conventions, institutes and normal assemblies, and delivers a variety of Bible lectures, devoting during the last ten years all of his time to this work for Christianity, and has never been willing to accept remuneration in any instance, and has himself defrayed all expenses of every kind.
With half a century's experience, he is eminently fitted for this work, and has given great impetus to Sabbath School and Christian endeavor.
For many years Mr. Levering has written a synopsis or "keynotes" of the current S. S. lessons, after teaching them, for his files, making them uniform in size and style--a fac-simile of one of these, of which he has several hundred, is shown.
He has devoted much time to the uplifting of different classes of men in his own city. Works for temperance and benevolent societies. Was for many years President of the "Home of the Friendless." Has had many positions of trust and honor; in fact, has spent and been spent in the interest of "the weaker brother for whom Christ died."
He has for several years been an associate of the Victoria Institute or Philosophical Society of Great Britain, a relation maintained by correspondence, but has taken little interest in secret or society organizations

William married Irene Smith on 4 Jul 1848 in Pennsylvania, USA.

William next married Anna Taylor on 30 Oct 1855 in Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, USA.

William next married Anna Latch on 8 Sep 1869 in Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, USA.