Now! Then! Joseph Pickles of Wilsden, a Methodist convert, dies, having partially recovered his sight, and helped produce 410 descendants

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Having [in 1763] united himself to the people of God, he shortly after received the remission of his sins, and lived to declare to succeeding generations the great things which God had done for him. About twenty-three years before his death he became blind, and continued so for thirteen years, but was providentially directed to a remedy. “When I received,” said he, “I prayed earnestly over it, that God would bless it, and make it the means of restoring my sight.” By the blessing of God, the sight of one eye was restored, and continued to the time of his death. Having been so long deprived of this precious gift, he was much surprised to see the alterations which had been made in the town and neighbourhood, and especially in the dress of the people. He retained the peace of God to the end of his life; and on being questioned by one of his sons a little before his death, whether he felt any obstruction of his intercourse with God, he replied, “No! no!” He fell asleep in Jesus, having been a member of the Methodist Society nearly sixty-five years. The remains of this venerable man were followed to the grave by about one hundred of his posterity. He left a surviving progeny of seven children, seventy-three grandchildren, one hundred and seventy-nine great-grandchildren, and fifty great-great-grandchildren; in all, three hundred and nine descendants; exclusive of one hundred and one descendants, who died before him. The sum total of his descendants is four hundred and ten. Some of these are treading in the footsteps of their father.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

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Of course, his children were probably all born before his conversion.

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Original

Having [in 1763] united himself to the people of God, he shortly after received the remission of his sins, and lived to declare to succeeding generations the great things which God had done for him. About twenty-three years before his death he became blind, and continued so for thirteen years, but was providentially directed to a remedy. “When I received,” said he, “I prayed earnestly over it, that God would bless it, and make it the means of restoring my sight.” By the blessing of God, the sight of one eye was restored, and continued to the time of his death. Having been so long deprived of this precious gift, he was much surprised to see the alterations which had been made in the town and neighbourhood, and especially in the dress of the people. He retained the peace of God to the end of his life; and on being questioned by one of his sons a little before his death, whether he felt any obstruction of his intercourse with God, he replied, “No! no!” He fell asleep in Jesus, having been a member of the Methodist Society nearly sixty-five years. The remains of this venerable man were followed to the grave by about one hundred of his posterity. He left a surviving progeny of seven children, seventy-three grandchildren, one hundred and seventy-nine great-grandchildren, and fifty great-great-grandchildren; in all, three hundred and nine descendants; exclusive of one hundred and one descendants, who died before him. The sum total of his descendants is four hundred and ten. Some of these are treading in the footsteps of their father.

268 words.