Sidney Hodgden was received into the Church of the Brethren in the Delaware Congregation, Ohio, July 5,1856. He was called to the ministry 1870, near Springfield, Missouri. In 1872, he moved to Neosho County, Kansas. The county was new at that time an many calls came from scattered groups. His first sermon and the first sermon ever preached in Neosho County by a Brethren minister was preached in September, 1870, in a school house one mile east of the present Neosho church (Galesburg). The Church was organized in May, 1871, at the home of Charles Hodgden, consisting of ten families. Among them were Sidney Hodgden and wife, Kate, Charles Hodgden and wife, Lena, as well as the younger members of the Hodgden family.
In caring for the many scattered members in Southeast Kansas, he was continually busy serving five churches. He had great concern in the welfare of these churches. In 1873, when the District Meeting of Douglas County, Kansas was held, Sidney Hodgden walked the entire distance of 160 miles due to the shortage of money and the horses were too tired from the continual field work.
In his latter years, approximately 60 years of age, he was sent to the Pacific Coast (Northwest) with his wife "Aunt Katie" to do mission work for the Mission Board of the Church. It was during this time he organized the Moscow Church, Moscow, Idaho. The Des Moines Conference fails to give him the credit for this effort, but clipping in the old family Bible gives this information. He arrived at Moscow, Idaho, 1890, and was to visit all the Brethren at least once a month. They did not realize what they wee placing on a man of this age, but Bro. Hodgden tried. Once he wrote: "Our work is laborious at times. To fill my last appointment, I went thirty miles by train, then had to walk up a steep canyon. It was so hot and dusty it seemed that I could never make it."
Elder Hodgden died near Galesburg, Kansas. The funeral discourse was preached by Elder E. M. Wolfe to a large audience, in the Church which Elder Hodgden had reared with his own hands.
Source: Academic Term Paper written by Ralph Hodgden, 1956
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