First Batist Pastor's Rites Will Be Today
Bradford Herald
February 18, 1940

Dr. H. R. MacMillan Dies Unexpectedly Here Thursday

The funeral of Dr. Hugh Ross MacMillan, pastor of the First Baptist church, who died unexpectedly at his home, 61 Congress street, Thursday Afternoon at 3 o'clock at the church. Dr. F. Dean Miller, First Presbyterian church pastor, will officiate. The body will lie in state for two hours preceeding the funeral in the church.
A guard of honor will be stationed at the bier from 1 to 3 o'clock by the Bradford Ministerial association. The guard will be changed at half-hour intervals.
The body will be placed on the 4:56 a.m., Baltimore and Ohio railroad rain tomorrow morning and will be taken to Gouverneur, N. Y., for burial in the family lot in the Gouverneur cemetery.
The First Baptist church will omit its 11 a.m. and 7:30 p. m. services today. The Bible school will convene as usual, church officials said.

Death Due to Heart Disease

Coroner Thomas R. Clark certified the death of Dr. MacMillan as due to angina pectoris and cardias thrombosis, heart diseases.
Dr. MacMillan had returned home yesterday after having officiated at a funeral at 10:30 a. m. He ate lunch and went for a walk an returned at about 1:30 o'clock, telling his wife of pain in his chest. Dr. Ben F. White, a neighbor, was called and the clergymen responded to treatment. Later, however, his condition wosened and he died at 3 o'clock.
Born in 1872 at maple Lake Station, Ont., he was the son of the late Angus and Christine Ross MacMillan. At the age of 13 he quit school to go to work in the woods driving logs down Canadian rivers. After a year of strenuous work, he secured his parents' paerission to strike out in the world for himself. For three years he served an apprenticeship at Barry, Ont., learning the miller's trade.

Encouraged to Study

The depression of 1893 forced him to strike out again in search of work and for a time he could find nothing but odd jobs, in Milwaukee. He was encouraged to continue his education by Dr. Homer Vosburg, head of Wayland academy, a Wisconsin Baptist school, and he worked his way throgh the institution. he then went on to Colgate university, from which he was graduated in 1902.
While in college he starred in football and rack, establishing a pole vault record that stood at Colgate for 10 years.
He then entered Hamilton Theological seminary, finishing in 1903. Dr. MacMillan's first pastorate was at Massena, N. Y., where he went in 1903 after his ordination to the Baptist ministry. In massena he coached the high school football team. In 1907 he was transfrred to Portage, Wis., and in 1913 he was appointed by the Baptist convention as joint secretary for mission societies. Two years later he became pastor of the First Baptist church, Norwich, N. Y.

Pastor Here for 12 Years

In 1921 he went to a larger church, in Franklin, Ind., and there he was instrumental in remodeling of the church and consruction of a three-story educational unit. In 1928 he came to the Bradgord First Baptist church as pastor, from teh Indiana city.
Dr. MacMillan's chief ambition in Bradford had been the building of a new church edifice. he died on the brink of realization of that vision. Only on January 31 had hiscongregation voted to proceed with construction of the main unit of the proposed new church this summer, as teh climax to years of planning.
One of the most active clergymen in affairs of the whole commmunity, Dr. MacMillan was one of the best known of the Bradford pastors generally. he was beloved by his congregation and others alike. Noted for his rare wit, he was a prominent speaker as well as a militant preacher.

Was State Delegate