John Petit Brooks
1826-1915
John Petit Brooks was born July 24, 1826, at Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Samuel S. Brooks, who then owned and published the Crisis, a Democratic newspaper published in support of Van Buren. His middle name is that of John H. Petit, with whom his father was associated in the newspaper business.
On June 18, 1846, Brooks enlisted as a Corporal and saw service in the Mexican War. He was mustered out at Casas Grandes, Mexico, on June 17, 1847.
In 1848 he resided in Canton, Illinois, where he owned and published his newspaper, the Canton Register. A year later, in 1849, he was converted to Christianity while walking the streets of Quincy, Illinois. M. L. Haney, who was the preacher-in-charge of the M. E. Church in that city, baptized him and received him into the church in full membership. At that time he was given a local preacher's license. The following year, 1850, he was licensed in the Rock River Conference to preach.
In 1852, while residing in Monmouth, Illinois, he was married to Mary Ann Bray, of Lakena, Illinois. To this union were born four sons and a daughter.
For the next several years, Brooks was pastor of various M. E. churches in Illinois, including, Galesburg, Monmouth, Peoria, and Rock Island. It was while he was at the Peoria first church that he was sanctified wholly under the ministry of M. L. Haney. The year was 1869.
In 1862, while residing in Springfield, Illinois, Brooks had supernumerary status in the M. E. church. From January 12, 1863 to January 10, 1865, he was Superintendent of Public Instruction for the State of Illinois. He was the only Democrat elected to state-wide office.
From 1872 to 1884, he resided in Bloomington, Illinois, where, in 1873, he edited the Banner of Holiness. This was, as F. M. Sumter wrote in his memorial tribute to Brooks (The Church Herald, August 6, 1915), "the first paper in the world devoted to holiness that was published oftener than once a month."
On November 26, 1877, Brooks read an essay at the Holiness Conference at Cincinnati, Ohio. The Conference, one of two that year, was under the auspices of the National Association for the Promotion of Holiness. The Proceedings reads:
"The order of the day was taken up, and Brother John P. Brooks, editor of the Banner of Holiness read an essay on the subject: