USA > Indiana > Rush County > Centennial history of Rush County, Indiana, Volume I > Part 34
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The Little Flat Rock Christian Church in Noble township had its beginning, as set out in the introduction of this chapter, in 1830, when Elder Thompson led his Baptist flock there into the Christian fold. In the little log meeting house erected by the congregation shortly after its organization, and which has been described, services were held until the summer of 1846, when the con- gregation erected a better and larger meeting house, on the site of the present church building, and this edifice served until 1869, when a new church was erected, which served until the present modern and substantial building
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was erected in 1920. To mention the ministers who have served this congregation would but repeat the names of those already mentioned, whose names have been made familiar in the Christian communion throughout this part of the state. The congregation is numerically strong and spiritually active, and is carrying on in this generation the work so long ago undertaken there by the fathers of that community, and which has never lagged during all the years. A vigorous Sunday school and an earnest Chris- tian Endeavor Society aid in the work of the church. and the Woman's Missionary Society and other aids to the pastor are equally vigorous and enthusiastic.
The Big Flat Rock Christian Church in Orange township was one of the congregations organized by El- der Gabriel MeDuffie, whose missionary activities here- about in pioneer days did so much to add to the strength of his cause in that day. This church was organized in April, 1851, and has been maintained ever since, a strong influence for good in the community it serves. The con- gregation has a substantial house of worship and the sev- eral departments of the work of the church are alive to the needs of the day.
The Christian Church at Homer was organized on December 6, 1886, and the early pastors of the church included such names as W. Campbell, J. Z. Taylor, J. L. Parsons. E. B. Schofield, JJacob Blount, Walter Smith and others whose names already have been made familiar to the readers of this chronicle. The Homer congregation have an excellent meeting house and from the very begin- ning of the organization have been active in maintaining the cause to which they are devoted, all departments of the work of the church being reported in flourishing con- dition. There also is a well-organized Christian church at Moscow.
THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS
Carthage Meeting of Friends-In the history of Rip- ley township presented in a previous chapter reference is
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made to the early settlement in that township of a colony of Friends, who had come into this section of the then new state of Indiana, seeking an escape from the incubus of slavery, which had settled upon their own state of North Carolina. It was in 1821 that Joseph Henley, of North Carolina, in company with Robert Hill, of Rich- mond, Ind., on a prospecting tour, purchased land on the east side of Blue river in this county, perhaps the first in the limits of Carthage Meeting. In the years until 1829 or 1830, the land was rapidly taken up by families of Friends, among these being the following: Jesse Hill, John Clark, Thomas Henley, Luke Newsom, Jonathan Pierson, Henry Newby, Abraham Small, Elias Henley, Tristram Coggshall, Henry Henley, John Newby, Heze- kiah Henley, William Binford, Jonathan Jessup, John . Winslow and others. In 1827, a Preparation Meeting was established at Walnut Ridge, on the west side of Blue river, and all these Friends made that their "religious home" until 1839, when a request was sent in to Walnut Ridge, which had now become a Monthly Meeting, from these Friends on the east side, asking for the establish- ment of a Preparatory Meeting to be known as Carthage, also for the appointment of a committee to assist in the selection of a suitable location for the meeting house. This committee reported in favor of granting the request and suggested the northwest corner of Joseph Henley's and the northeast corner of John Clark's farms as a suit- able place for grounds to be used for school and meeting purposes, and in 1840 deeds from these landowners stated that "for love and the better maintenance of society we transfer this ground to the trustees in succession of said body." Soon afterward a good frame house with two rooms, connected by sliding shutters, was erected. This served the congregation until 1866, when its capacity was doubled by building on the west. This building then served until 1881, when the present substantial brick structure was erected, the Endeavor room on the north
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being added some years later. These facts with relation to Carthage Meeting have been furnished by Owen S. Henley, who also has made a record of the following "charter" members of the Meeting: Herman Allen and family, William Binford and family. Tristram Cogg- shall and family, John Clark and family, Mary and Anna Draper, Jesse Hill, Joseph Henley and family, Thomas Henley and family. Henry Henley and family, Elias Henley and family. Hezekiah Henley and family, Thomas Jessup and family. Jonathan Jessup and fam- ily. William Johnson. Richard Johnson and family. John Morris and family, Henry Macy. Francis B. Macy and wife, John Newby and family, Henry Newby and family. Luke Newsom and family, Nathan Overman and family, Jonathan Pearson and family, Abraham Small and fam- ilv. Eli Stratton and family, Jonathan Stratton and fam- ily, C. Barnabas Springer, Sarah Small and family. Sarah Thornburg and family. Simeon Wiltsie and fam- ily. Levi Stratton and family and John Winslow and fam- ily. Education claimed the very early attention of these Friends and the action taken by the Carthage Meeting with respect to a local school is set out in the chapter re- lating to schools elsewhere in this work. That the influ- ence of this school was strong and effectual is attested by the statement made by Mr. Henley that no fewer than ninety teachers "have gone out from Carthage Meeting and taught longer or shorter periods of time. Eternity can only reveal what this influence has been." Farther on in his review of the history of Carthage Meeting Mr. Henley observes that "in the migration of Friends from the South a number of colored families came with or soon followed them. .. . The Friends gave them the privileges of their schools and many of their children acquired a good education. These families also were links in the chain of activities that Friends and others assumed on the 'underground railroad,' and many a poor fugitive found liberty and safety by way of the Carthage route to
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Canada. The sentiment against slavery was so strong that in 1857 Henry Henley opened a 'free-labor' store in the town, but the scarcity and difficulty in securing goods was so great that the enterprise was abandoned in a year or two. The Meeting was so well united on the slavery question that no difficulty whatever arose. Temperance of the members seemed to be a 'loaded' question, and dif- ferences as to procedure arose, but no serious friction occurred and all are united in rejoicing at the great vic- tory achieved. Carthage Meeting has always arisen to meet the public needs. Two Friends, John Clark and Henry Henley, laid out the town of Carthage in 1834. Henry Henley was the first postmaster and other Friends to hold the office were Francis B. Macy, John A. Hunni- cutt, Lizzie Connaway and Enos Coffin. Friends hold- ing the office of township trustee were Henry Henley, David Marshall, Owen S. Henley, Jesse M. Stone, Joseph Publow, Cyrus B. Cox, Aaron O. Hill and Jesse Henley. Jesse M. Stone has been county auditor; Benjamin Hill joint representative and director of the state prison (south) ; Rowland H. Hill joint senator ; William J. Hen- ley, appellate judge. The public schools have nearly al- ways had one or more Friends on the board of trustees, such as William Bundy, Owen S. Hill, Joseph L. Hub- bard, Walter P. Henley and others. The Meeting has conducted tent meetings at different points during past years, Sabbath schools in school houses, etc., and had a part in all church union activities. The first minister recorded was William Binford-possibly recorded in Walnut Ridge Monthly Meeting-David Marshall, Jared P. Binford, Henry C. Aydelott, Mary N. Henley, Rhoda M. Hill and Herschel Folger. Robert Knight and Will- iam J. Thornburg came with sojourning minutes at dif- ferent periods. Ministers coming in with removal cer- tificates were Sarah J. Hill, Mary A. Huestis and Ketu- rah Miles. Elwood Scott was the first pastor under the system introduced about 1881, succeeded by Mary Nich-
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ols, Thomas W. Woodward and others for short terms; Alpheus Trueblood, Charles O. Whitely, J. Edgar Will- iams, Harry Hole, Fred Lebert and Albert J. Fursten- berger. Charles S. Winslow is a resident minister. Bible school work was organized from 1845 to 1850. There seems to have been opposition to holding it in the meeting house, and the school house was used, two classes only organized. Teachers for adults were William John- son. David Marshall and Joseph W. Young; primary class, Amanda Thornburg, Ann Henley, Jemima Henley and others. About the year 1860 the school was removed to the church, rapidly grew in numbers, and was well or- ganized along standard lines. Christian Endeavor has claimed the attention of the Meeting with varying suc- cess as the generations come and go. Missionaries sent out were as follows: Lizzie Hare, to Mexico in 1894; Rupert and Helen Stanley, to China in 1914." This re- port of Mr. Henley's reviews also the work of Carthage Meeting during the time of America's participation in the World war, pointing out that fifteen of "our boys" were in service, about half of this number seeing overseas serv- ice. The Meeting also was active in Friends relief serv- ice and in Red Cross work. During the Civil war several members were in the army. "The Meeting, after consid- erable discussion, decided to take no action against those who were in the army and continued them as members," says the Henley review.
The Walnut Ridge Friends Meeting dates back to about the year 1826, when a church was organized and a log house erected near the site of the present meeting house, a frame building being erected a few years later. The original members of this meeting have been set out in the story relating to Carthage Meeting, this latter meeting having been created out of Walut Ridge about 1839. In 1864 the meeting house at Walmt Ridge was destroyed by fire, valuable records of the meeting being consumed in the flames, and in 1866 a large brick build-
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ing was erected on the site at a cost of more than $10,000, with 800 sittings. In the following year a notable revival in Walnut Ridge Meeting attracted so much attention among the Friends over the state and throughout the country as to lead to a general movement in that com- munion toward something more of a revival spirit in its services than formerly had been the rule. Among the early ministers at Walnut Ridge are mentioned Samuel Edgerton, Anna Thornburg, Jared Patterson, Elizabeth Patterson, William Binford, Mary Hodson, Melissa Hill. Luther Gordon, Eliza Butler, Mahlon Hocket, Jane Jones, William Thornburg, Robert Knight, Anna Davis and Rufus King. Walnut Ridge Meeting is flourishing: all departments of work well organized and it continues to maintain the fine wholesome influence on the commu- nity thereabout that it has steadily maintained for nearly a hundred years.
The Little Blue River Meeting of Friends (called Quakers), in the southwestern corner of Posey township has had an organization since the year 1833, when a com- pany of Friends in that vicinity erected a little log meet- ing house on the line between Rush and Shelby counties, three miles north of the present village of Manilla, and associated themselves together for worship and praise. This pioneer meeting house was erected by Thomas Macy, Moses Coffin, Asa Barnard, Thomas Swain, Zaccheus Stanton and William Worth, who with their respective wives, Rebecca Macy, Phoebe Coffin, Hulda Barnard, Lydia Swain, Elizabeth Stanton and Phoebe Worth, con- stituted the first congregation. The first sermon in this meeting house was preached by John Kinley, whose text was "Behold, the Lord is in this place and I knew it not." The little log meeting house sufficed the needs of the Meeting for ten years or more, or until about 1845, when, a frame meeting house was erected nearby the log house, the growth of membership demanding larger quarters. This frame house was built with two rooms, shutters sep-
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arating the rooms, the men holding their business meet- ings on one side the shutters and the women assembling on the other side, a messenger being selected in each Meeting to report business that concerned both Meetings. this arrangement continuing until about the year 1885, when the Meetings united and men and women thereafter assembled together. Up to the year 1884 Carthage Meet- ing and Little Blue River Meeting held their Monthly Meetings alternately, then a regular Monthly Meeting was established at Little Blue River, Franklin Barnard being appointed clerk of the same. In the year 1886 a frame meeting house was erected just across the road from the old meeting house, the new house thus being in Rush county. In 1918 an addition was built on to this house to provide four additional Sunday school rooms, and a furnace was put in the basement. The church property consists of two acres of ground besides a half- acre devoted to cemetery purposes. The house is in ad- mirable repair, and the grounds and cemetery are well kept. From the time of the organization of this Meeting meetings for worship were held twice a week, besides business meetings as the needs required, and this program was maintained until about the year 1900, when the mid- week meetings were "laid down." In the first week in the first month, 1835, an Indulged Meeting was estab- lished by authority of Duck Creek Monthly Meeting, the following committee being sent for that purpose: Ga- briel Ratliff, Thomas Hill, John Winslow, Thomas Hen- ley, Micajah Binford, Pearson Lacy, Samuel Stafford, Anna Thornburg, Nancy Clark, Tamar Hill, Rachel Stafford and Sarah King. The Sabbath school was not organized until the year 1880, the average attendance in the first year of the school being twenty-eight. The aver- age attendance in 1920 was seventy-six. The Meeting now has 160 members, with sixty-four associate members. From the time of the organization of Little Blue River Meeting until 1888 different ministers would visit the
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Meeting; after that date the Meeting had regular pas- tors, as follows: Simpson Hinshaw, James Mills, Rhoda Hare, John M. Binford, Henry Mckinley, William M. Smith, Esther Cook, Fleming Marten, Thomas Inman, Alvah O. Hinshaw, Frank Roads, Joseph Young, Ella Pegg, Luther E. Addington, Elwood Hinshaw; resident ministers-Martha Barber, Anna M. Moor, John Ralston and Alvah H. Swain.
THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCHES
St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church at Rushville really dates its organization back almost to the days of the beginning of a social order in the then new county seat town, for it was not long after the settlement was organ- ized until the Methodists, of whom there were quite a number among the first arrivals on the site of the county seat, began to hold organized services, and from that day to this the standards of the Methodist Episcopal com- munion have been held aloft there. The labors of the pioneer Methodist missioners, such men as James Ha- vens, James Linville, Aaron Wood and others, have been mentioned in this narrative. They were among the early laborers in the field at Rushville. In an old review of the introduction of Methodism in Rushville it is stated that "the year that Methodism was introduced into Rushville, Indiana belonged to what then was known as the Missouri Conference and all the fields of labor that had been formed within the bounds of the state belonged to the Madison district. In 1824 Rev. John Strange was ap- pointed to the Madison district, and Rev. James Havens was appointed to the Connersville circuit. Some time during the year James Havens visited Rushville, formed the first Methodist society and received it into the Con- nersville circuit as a regular preaching place. The first class was composed of nine members and John Alley, Sr., was the leader. At the close of this year Rushville, with a large portion of the surrounding country, was set off in 28
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a separate field of labor, with a membership numbering 324." James Havens was the installed pastor of the Rushville church in 1827-28, and again in the '40s and his home was established in Rushville, his body being laid in East Hill cemetery when his long labors ceased. In 1843 Rushville was made a separate "station" with 248 members. The first meeting house erected by the Rush- ville Methodists was a log structure, which stood at the southeast corner of Third and Julian streets. The second edifice, erected in the '50s, was the old brick building now standing at the southwest corner of Third and Mor- gan streets, the walls of which are still intact, and which long ago was remodeled to serve as an office building. The cornerstone of the present handsome edifice at the southeast corner of Morgan and Fifth streets was laid on August 4, 1886, and the building was dedicated on June 27, 1887, in the presence of a counted congregation, num- bering 1.440. This edifice cost $18,000, not including the organ and furnishings, which with the substantial par- sonage, bought in 1906, represents a property value of around $40,000. During the nearly one hundred years in which the Methodists of Rushville have maintained serv- ices they have been ministered to by seventy or more min- isters, and to give a roster of these would be but calling the roll of the best known names in the Conference dur- ing this period. Under the ministration of the present pastor, the Rev. Clyde S. Black. all departments of the work of the church are flourishing and its membership is individually as active and earnest as at any time in the long history of the church. The present membership of the church is 800; Sunday school enrollment, 500; Ep- worth League. 120: Junior League. 58: Ladies' Aid So- ciety. 156; Woman's Home Missionary Society, 120; Woman's Foreign Missionary Society, 60.
The Methodist Episcopal Church at Carthage was formed in 1857 by dividing the old Burlington (Arling- ton ) circuit, the places then set off being Carthage, Balls
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Chapel, Cowgers and Sharon, of which Carthage alone now continues active. The Rev. G. W. Winchester then was in charge of the circuit, and the Carthage society con- sisted of eight meinbers, John Walker, Cynthia Walker, Abraham Weaver and wife, George Weaver and wife, Euclid Stockley and Huldah Tullis, with Cyrus Ball, of Balls Chapel, as class leader. As a result of the first year's work ninety-four members were added to the Carthage society, and ever since the congregation has flourished. This congregation has a substantial modern meeting house, and all departments of the work of the church are reported flourishing under the present min- istration of the Rev. Arthur Jean.
The Methodist Episcopal Church at Glenwood was organized in the '40s, and for some time thereafter serv- ices were held in the homes of members, these including Charles and Mary Griffin, James and Rebecca Mitchell, John Pike and wife, Doctor Mapes and wife, Samuel Durbin and wife and Matthew Mitchell and wife. In 1861 there was a great revival and seventy were added to the church. The first church building, a frame structure, was supplanted by a larger building, erected in 1862, which served until the present handsome brick church was dedicated in the fall of 1920. Since that time this congregation has maintained a steady organization and has been a continuing force for good in the community. It has a well-organized Sunday school, an active Epworth League, and other effective agencies for the assistance of the pastor.
The Falmouth Methodist Episcopal Church holds the place of the old Wesley Chapel, which formerly stood one-half mile west of Fairview. This class was organ- ized as early as 1822, the first service being held in the home of Elder Robert Graves, a local preacher there, some of the other members of that pioneer congregation having been Mr. Isles and wife, John Smith and wife, William Amber and wife, Mr. Dunavan and wife, Mar-
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garet Powers and daughters and James Gillam, the latter of whom was the class leader. In 1844, a meeting house was erected, and this continued to serve as Wesley Chapel until in 1882 it began to be regarded as unsafe, and it was decided to abandon the old chapel and transfer the class to Falmouth, where a new church was erected under the pastorate of the Rev. J. W. Dashiell on a lot donated for that purpose by J. H. Oglesby. Since then the church has maintained a steady growth and is doing well in its field of action.
The Methodist Episcopal Church at Milroy is one of the strong churches of this communion in the county. From the days of the beginning of a settlement in that neighborhood Methodists have been represented, the homes of many of the first settlers thereabout having been opened to services in the early days, among these houses having been those of John Harcourt, the Ben- netts, the Lees, Blades, Thomases, Morrows, Smizers, Ferees, Bakers, Jacobs, Zimmerlys and Manns. Samuel McGinnis was the first class leader of the Milroy society, and the first church was a well-built frame, which in time was supplanted by a brick church, which served its pur- pose until replaced by the present substantial brick ed- ifice, erected about ten years ago.
The Methodist Episcopal Church at Richland was one of the early congregations of that communion in the county, evidence pointing to the probability of an organ- ization there as early as 1825, when Elder John Strange was the presiding elder of the Madison district of the Methodist Episcopal church, then having jurisdiction in this field. It was not until about the year 1837, how- ever, that a meeting house was erected, just east of Rich- land, and this continued as the house of worship until 1852, when the present house was built.
Balls Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church in Posey township (now defunet), above mentioned, was organ- ized in the summer of 1831 by John K. Dawson, a local
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preacher, the Balls, the Elswicks, the Kelsoes, the Car- ters, the Wells, the Burtons, Beards, Bagleys, Nobles. Souders and Glendennings being among the leading fam- ilies in the congregation, with H. W. Glendenning as class leader. With the development of larger churches in the vicinity and the dwindling of population the congrega- tion became so depleted that in the late '90s the church was abandoned. The church was on the east side of Little Blue river near the east line of the southeast quarter of section 9, township 14, range 9.
The Bethesda Methodist Episcopal Church, once a flourishing congregation but now abandoned, was organ- ized at a service held at the home of Steven Sharp, on what afterward became the Duncan farm, about the year 1823, and a hewed log meeting house was erected pres- ently, which pioneer edifice served as a place of worship for about forty years, or until 1844, when, under the pas- torate of the Rev. Williamson Terrell, a substantial frame building was erected. Among the original members of Bethesda church were the Stevenses, the Sharps, the Isaacs, the Lyonses, the Davises, the Morrows, the Rud- dles and the Cains, early settlers in that neighborhood.
Mt. Olivet Methodist Episcopal Church was organ- ized early in the '20s at the Julian home, a mile or so south of where the meeting house later was erected. In 1848 a frame meeting house was erected on ground donated from the Camerer farm, in the southwest corner of the north- west quarter of section 10. township 12, range 9, the site being marked by a beautiful beech grove in which camp meetings used to be held in the days of the great popular- ity of that form of assemblage.
The Methodist Episcopal Church at Raleigh was or- ganized in August, 1859, the class being instituted by G. W. Winchester and R. Roberts, then in charge of the Carthage circuit. The charter members of this congre- gation were William and Sarah Beard, William Beard, Jr., Lucinda McCann, Israel McCann, Lawrence Nixon,
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Elizabeth Schafer, Catherine Legg, Dr. Will Bartlett and Elizabeth Bartlett. In that same year a revival meeting was held in the village hall, and the accessions gained during that meeting gave an impetus to the work of the congregation which resulted in a definite organization, but a meeting house was not erected until 1870.
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