USA > Indiana > Bartholomew County > History of Bartholomew County, Indiana : From the earliest time to the present, with biographical sketches, notes, etc. : Together with a short history of the Northwest, the Indiana Territory, and the state of Indiana > Part 45
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54
At Brush Creek the church was organized in 1857, under the labors of Samuel Strickland, A. J. Burns, George Myers. They do not at present have any regular preaching and do not number over sixty members. They have a nice brick building and one of the best working Sunday Schools in the county. The church at Newbern was begun in 1838, by Elder Joseph Fassett. Ile was succeeded by such men as John Brazelton and John Campbell, who have been followed in later years by Elders Young, Grigsby, Ting- ley, Gard and Tritt, the last ministering to them at present. They have a good frame house built in 1860 and is still used.
526
BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY.
The church at Jonesville was organized as early as 1835, and embraced among the charter members, " Jack " Smith, John Smith, W. Il. . Crump and Brice Gather. Their first place of meeting was the old school building that stood just cast of the village. For sev- cral years they met in barns, shops and the open woods.
In 18.40, a small church was built southeast of the village, but afterward was removed to its present location. Among the early preachers were Elders Hollis, Edmondson, Fassett and Bramwell. Many of the members have moved away, and its membership does not number over 125. It has no regular preacher. The Shun- ways, Davises, Wrights, Kings and Gilberts, are among its present representatives.
The church at Moore's Vineyard is of recent origin, holding its first meeting in the new house Christmas day, 1887, at which time it was dedicated by Elder Sweeney. The meeting was continued for several weeks by Elder James Small, county evangelist. The church is not yet regularly organized but will be soon. The Mer- ritts, Wagners, Brewsters, Snyders, Swanks and others, compose its membership. It now has about sixty-five members.
The church at Kansas was organized by Elder A. Elmore, Au- gust 5, 1876. It began with about twenty-five members, and was ministered to by Elder J. M. Brown. In 1876, they erected a brick structure, which was dedicated by Elder Z. T. Sweeney. It was blown down, and in its stead was erected a frame structure, at a cost of $3,000. The present membership is forty-five, and it is served by Elder J. P. Findley. The Demings, Wheatbys and Drybreads are all members. It has a Sunday School of some sixty scholars.
The church at Bethany was organized early in the work of the disciples in this country. It now numbers about 100 members. While not rich in this world's goods, it nevertheless is rich in faith and good works. It is now ministered to by Elder Clark, and em- braces the names of the Gates, Smallwood and Stucky families on its roll of membership. It has a good Sunday School, and also a Society of Christian Endeavor among the young folks of the con- gregation.
The churches in the county have a co-operative work, and at
527
RELIGIOUS HISTORY.
present are employing two evangelists. James and Matthew Small, who are meeting with marked success in their work wherever they go. The association has an endowment of between $3,000 and $ 1,000 left by Elder George D. Roland, which it is their intention to try and increase to $10,000, at an early dat. This being done an evangelist will be kept in the field all the time, supported by the interest on the above fund.
The Moravian Church of Hope .- Since this congregation of the Moravian Church, with a small affiliated charge, situated southwest of Hope, is the only congregation of this denomina- tion in the State of ) Sana, and as a consequence, not well known, it is desirable to preface this sketch with a statement as to who and what the Moravians are.
The name of the church first needs explanation. Its original name was "United Brethren," but in 1800 another denomination appropriated the title of "The United Brethren in Christ," which naturally led to confusing the two bodies; hence the adoption of the name of Moravian, because the church was founded and expanded in Bohemia and Moravia. It is a Protestant Episcopal Church. In faith it is purely evangelical and orthodox in the strictest sense of the term, subscribing to the Augsburg Confession. The church had its origin in Bohemia, in 1457, anti-dating the Lutheran Reformation sixty years, and constitutes a fruitage of the preaching and martyrdom of John Huss, of Prague. Noblemen and scholars flocked to its stan- dard, numerous seminaries of theology were founded, and the Bible translated and published into Bohemian, by it. It also spread rap- idly throughout Moravia and Poland. At the time of the great reform ion in Germany, the church already numbered 200,000 members, and over 400 parishes. But a dark day was in store. When Ferdinand of Tyrol, a Roman bigot, ascended the throne, he instituted so relentless a persecution against this people, that in consequence of emigration and slaughter, the year 1627 found but a small number of them left, and these surviving in secrecy.
For ninety-four years the church was thus continued, until in 1722, owing to a revival in its midst, the membership left home and native land, finding a refuge on the estates of Count Zarzen- dorf, a wealthy and pious nobleman of Saxony, where they could
525
BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY.
worship God with none to make afraid. As the result of another great revival, in 1727, so great a zeal for the glory of God mani- fested itself, that fooling; to find a congeni il soil for its growth in its adopted country, owing to the State Church, it flowed out into mis- sionary channels. The church now numbers it's missions along nearly all nations of the globe, and was a pioneer of the latter times, ir this work. It was this condition of affairs that brought it to America, where a century and more ago it carried on a large work among the Indians, a number of the headquarters of that work still remaining as seats of influential congregations. An esteemed member of the Hope congregation, Mr. John Henry Kluge, was born at one of these missions, near Muncie, Ind., the child of the missionaries there, over eighty-two years ago. The Moravian Church is an mibroken unit throughout the world, ex- tending its activities into three directions: 1. The Home Church. 2. Foreign Missions. 3. The Diaspora. The last mentioned is a home mission work among the members of the State Church in Germany, where the church ministers spiritually to 70,000 souls, who, however, are not expected to unite with the Moravian Church. Including these three fields of activity, the church numbers in com- municants, according to the statistics of 1886, at Home, 20,46.1; in Foreign Missions, 83,052, and in the Diaspora, 70,000, making a total of 173,516 members. The enormous drain made upon the church in men and money for the support of this work, readily ex- plains its smallness.
We now proceed to the istory proper of the Moravian Church at Hope, Ind. It is a result of the Sunday School revival in North Carolina, about the year 1824. Among the converts of that work was a handsome, tall and robust young man of about twenty -five years of age, by the name of Martin Hauser. Burning with zeal for the Lord, he sought authority to establish a Moravian Church among the emigrants to this place, quite a number of whom had been his friends and neighbors. Having received permission to carry out his plan, he, with his wife und children, arrived here about the end of the year 1829. He at once made known his in- tentions, and on January 2, 1830, held a meeting as an initiatory step. The persons present at this meeting were: Martin Hauser,
529
RELIGIOUS HISTORY.
Daniel Ziegler, John Essex, Samuel Rominger and Joseph Spaugh, all of whom are now dead. It was agreed that, the Lord willing, they would at once begin efforts to found a church. The next step taken was to secure land for the enterprise. This would provide not only a site for a church edifice, but also a resource for the maintenance of the congregation from a financial point of view. Accordingly, upon their request, the Rev. Lewis de Schweinitz, a member of the Provincial Church Board, residing at Bethl. hem, Pa., advanced them $200 for this purpose. With this sum 160 acres of land were at once purchased. This land now forms the location of Hope. Later, eighty acres more were bought, and after a few years sold again, yielding an amount sufficient to pay all the debts previously incurred.
On April 5th, preparations for the building of a log church were begun, and the first tree was felled in Hope, and for this purpose, by Henry Clayton, near the center of the north side of the public square. On May 5th, the logs were gathered at the site selected . for the building, by Daniel Ziegler, and on June 9th, the new church was raised on the north side of Jackson Street, directly oppo- site the center of the public square. June 17th was appointed as the day on which the first meeting was to be held within its walls. This day was selected as it is memorable in the history of the Moravian Church, as it was on June 17, 1722, that the first tree was felled for the building of Herrnhut, the first home of the Moravian brethren in Saxony. Both churches built later by this congrega- tion, were dedicated to the worship of God on this day.
The building was not yet finished when the day for the meeting dawned, still lacking a roof, but the weather being very fine, boughs were cut from the neighboring trees, and were soon spread in an arbor-like manner over the top, affording protection against the sun. The meeting was presided over by Martin Hauser, and opened at 10 o'clock in the morning, by singing the familiar hymn " Now let us praise the Lord," during the singing of which many wept tears of joy and gratitude. In the afternoon a love-feast, at which cake and coffee were used, was held, and the day spent in social and religious enjoyment.
The names of those present on this memorable occasion are the
I6
530
BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY.
following: Martin and Susanna Hanser, with their four children, Edwin Theodore, Susanna Elizabeth, Marianna Paulina and Sophia "Theresa. Daniel and Mary Ziegler, with their ten children, De- lilah, Matilda, Melvina, Florina, Alexander, Caroline, Melinda, Daniel, Marianna and Solomon. Joseph and Elizabeth Spaugh, with their five children, Timothy, William, Henriette, Alexander and Robert. Henry and Mary Clayton, with their two children, John and Margaret. In addition to these families there were also present, Matthew Chitty, Margaret Chitty, Nathaniel Snyder and John Essex, Jr., in all, thirty-three souls. Of these, exactly one- third are still living, viz .: Marianna Paulina Hauser, now Mrs. Daniel Brunner, of Kansas; Sophia Theresa Hlauser, now Mrs. Lewis Levering, of Olney, Illinois; Edwin Theodore Hauser, of West Salem, Illinois; Delilah Ziegler, now the widow of William II. Chitty, residing at Hope, Indiana; Florina Ziegler, now Mrs. Joseph Reed, of Kansas; Marianna Ziegler, now Mrs. Philip Gambold, of Kansas; Solomon Ziegler, of Hope, Indiana; Robert Spaugh, of Hope, Indiana; Mary Clayton, now Mrs. Howe, of this State; John Clayton, Matthew Chitty. Both the last named reside in this State, but only three of the survivors, in Hope. Before dismissing this part of our subject, two incidents narrated by the historian of that time and connected with the events of this day, are interesting. During the interval between services, at noon, Nathaniel Snyder killed a large deer near the present cemetery. In preparing wood for boiling coffee for the love-feast, the axe of one of the young men accidentally slipped from its handle, and inflicted a severe wound upon the leg of Timothy Spaugh. This for a time cast a distressing cloud upon the festivities, but was removed when the blood was staunched, and the young man found able to ride home.
The congregation was, however, not regularly organized until a year later, although this day, June 17, 1830, is celebrated as its na- tal day. On that day, a year later, the Rev. Lewis de Schweinitz, who had come from Pennsylvania for the purpose, organized a church, and administered the sacraments. Four children were bap- tized, viz .: Melvina Louisa Hauser, Jonathan Solomon Ziegler, Nancy Maria Clayton, and James Edward Copeland. Daniel and Mary Ziegler, John Essex, Jr., and Lewis Reed, were added to the
531
RELIGIOUS HISTORY.
communicant membership of the church by the rite of confirmation. The Lord's Supper was administered at the close of the services to twenty souls.
After the establishment of the congregation the name of Goshen was given to it, and the little village now surrounding the church. The first house is still stan ling. The congregation received spirit- ual supervision from Martin Hauser, its founder, but as he was not ordained to the ministry, he could not administer the sacraments. This had to be done annually by brethren who came from the east for the purpose. This was naturally very unsatisfactory, and made it expedient to ordain Martin Hauser to the regular ministry, which was done at Bethlehem, Pa., in February, 1833.
Meanwhile the growth of the town and vicinity made a con- veniently situated post office a necessity, and Goshen applied for the establishment of one in its midst. But a rival had sprung up in a village called St. Louis, situated one and a half miles northwest of Goshen. However, as Martin Hauser was a personal friend of the Postmaster General at Washington, Goshen was favored, the Rev. Martin Hauser becoming the first postmaster. The first mail arrived on March 10, 1834. This event, however, caused the name of Goshen to be exchanged for that of Hope, as there was already an office in the State bearing that name.
But the ever increasing immigration revealed the fact that the meeting house was growing too small, and a new and more com- modious place of worship must be provided. In a council held January 30, 1836, this was determined upon. A later council de- cided the building was to be of brick, but after it was discovered that the bricks burnt for the purpose were unfit for use, it was fi- nally resolved to build a new church of frame, with a front of thirty- three feet, and a depth of fifty-three feet. It was also to be two stories high. The brethren, Henry Clayton, Joseph Holder and Martin Hauser, were appointed a building committee, and faithfully carried out the prescribed plan. This building is still standing, and is used by the congregation as a chapel. But, although the people had multiplied, money was very scarce. Hence, permission was obtained from the authorities to make a canvass of the various churches for the purpose of securing the needed funds for the en-
532
BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY.
terprise. This was done by the Rev. Martin Hanser, who after three months' labor, returned with $868, all expenses having been deducted. This sum, with the contributions at home, provided sufficient resources to pay entirely for the new church. This edi- fice was dedicated to the worship of the Triune God on June 17, 1839. Bishop Benade came west for the purpose, and the occa- sion was certainly a memorable one. This event also marks the close of the first pastorate, as the Rev. Martin Hauser resigned his office after a very successful career of eight years, thenceforth to apply himself chiefly to Home Mission work. But this step de- manded not only a new pastor, but also a parsonage, as Brother Hlauser had resided on his farm, and consequently a new frame par- sonage was built immediately.
In 1841, the congregation determined upon a new enterprise in connection with its work, viz .: the establishment of a parochial and boarding school. An acre of ground opposite the church was cleared for this purpose, and a school on the plan of Moravian in- stitutions of the kind, provided for in the buildings the congrega- tion owned, but owing to lack of encouragement, failed. But in 1855, this subject was revived, and determined upon in a council held on March 1, IS56. Success crowned this effort so far as build- ings and the establishment of a school were concerned. Two ex- cellent and commodious brick buildings were erected on the ground cleared years before, and Mr. John Henry Kluge, of Lebanon, Pa., appointed principal. Lack of funds and discouragements, how- ever, again proved fatal to ultimate success, and the second time the school enterprise had to be abandoned. Nevertheless, a third attempt in this direction was made. The Province was induced to buy the school property of the congregation, and after the expend- iture of $30,000 for additional buildings, under the principalship of Rev. F. R. Holland, the school was again re-opened in November, 1866. For fifteen years the school prospered with varying success, when it was closed and sold by order of the synod. Since then a Normal school and business college have occupied the buildings.
The congregation having again outgrown the capacity of its house of worship, it was decided in a council held October 2.1: 1868, to erect a new and larger building, and a committee was appointed
533
RELIGIOUS HISTORY.
for the work. But owing to various obstacles, it was not until the spring of 1874 that the building was begun. During this, and the first half of the succeeding year, a massive and commodious brick church, accommodating over 700 people, was erected at a cost of upward of $16,000. This third church was dedicated to the worship of God on June 17th, 1875, the Rev. Martin Hauser, the founder of the church, participating in the services of that occasion. A. year later a beautifully brick parsonage, costing about $3,200, was erected on the site of the former one, and occupied in July, 1877.
In IS33, the church laid out a burial ground on a bluff on the east bank of Haw Creek, west of the town, and made the first in- terment on July 12th, of that year, the deceased being a child by the name of William Reich.
This ground was enlarged from time to time, but in 1879, re- ceived an addition of about 500 burial lots, artistically arranged be- tween macadamized and gravelled walks and drives, which are skirted with hundreds of evergreen and forest trees. The ground is connected with the church lawn by an avenue 50 feet in width, and nearly 300 yards in length, extending between two rows of beautiful Norway spruce. These lots are sold at prices ranging from $15 to $75, and the cemetery has become the popular bury- ing ground of this vicinity. The cemetery is owned by the con- gregation, and bears the name of " Hope Cemetery."
The activities of the church were also directed beyond its im- mediate precincts, the Rev. Martin Hanser conducting a quite ex- tended home mission work. Mr. Charles Phole was also engaged in this work for some time, although but one result of all these labors remains in the affiliated charge of Enon. This is situated nearly five miles southwest of Hope, and was founded by Rev. Martin Hauser and Rev. Herman Titze, the pastor at Hope, on March 29, 18.45. A new church was soon after built, and dedicated to God n April 19, 1846. This building, somewhat remodeled, is still used as the church of the congregation, which numbers thirty- seven communicant members, and is supplied semi-monthly with preaching, by the pastor of the Hope Church.
Of course much remains to be said, but owing to the limited space necessarily assigned such an article, greater elaboration is
v
534
BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY.
impossible. The congregation at Hope, as also its charge at Enon, as is natural in so long a period of time, has experienced both tem- poral and spiritual fluctuation, but is still a prosperous and power- ful influence for good in the community it ushered into being. it numbers 290 communicants, and a total membership of 113 souls.
In conclusion the following list of pastors, and their time of ser- vice, is appended. Of these, one, the Rev. Edwin T. Senseman, died in the midst of a most successful pastorate. During the nearly fifty-eight years since its organization, this congregation has been only three months and twenty days without a regularly ap- pointed pastor or supply -- less on an average, than two days for each year of its existence.
List of Pastors .- Martin Hauser, from June 17, 1830, to No- vember 10, 1838; William Eberman, from November 15, 1838, to September 26, 1841; Herman J. Titze, from October 17, IS.11, to September 19, 1847; Henry C. Bachman, from October 10, 1847, to May 16, 1852; H. G. Clouder, from May 30, 1852, to June 17, 1855; E. P. Greider, from June 24, 1855, to January 13, 1861; H. C. Bachman, second term, from June 9, 1861, to September 25, 1864; Edwin T. Senseman, from October 16, 1864, to February S, 1866; William L. Lennert, from April 29, 1866, to July 24, 1870; L. R. Huebener, from September 11, 1870, to August 10, 1873; Edward J. Regennas, from September 18, 1873, to the present time.
535
SCHOOLS.
CHAPTER VHI.
BY JOHN M. WALLACE.
SCHOOLS NORTHWEST TERRITORY -EARLY SCHOOL LEGISLA- TION -- CHANGES IN THE LAWS-EARLY SCHOOL DAYS- QUALIFICATION OF TEACHERS-EXAMINATIONS --- THE P10- NEER TEACHER - RULES AND CUSTOMS - OTHER CUSTOMS - BRANCHES TAUGHT - CITY OF COLUMBUS - ITS PUB- LIC SCHOOLS - TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS - HARTSVILLE UNIVER- SITY - PROGRESS UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION.
Tthe close of the Revolutionary War, the territory now embraced within the limits of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, and that part of Minnesota which lies east of the Mississippi River, belonged to the State of Virginia. On the first day of March, 1784, the commonwealth of Virginia ceded all her right and title to this vast territory to the Congress of the United States, for the benefit of the people of the States. The deed of cession was made through her delegates in Congress, Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Hardy, Arthur Lee and James Monroe, whom she had authorized to make the transfer. Liberal provision was made by the General Government for popular education in all the Northwestern States. Before any of these States had been laid off, and while the entire territory was an unbroken wilderness inhabited only by savage tribes of Indians, with here and there a trading post occupied by white people, Congress passed an ordi- nance on the 20th of May, 1785, reserving and setting apart one square mile of land in each townshi; of six miles square, in the whole Northwest Territory, for the maintenance of public schools. The third article of the ordinance of 1787, declares, " that religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall be forever encouraged." In the assertion of this great principle and the setting apart of the basis of a permanent fund for the sup-
536
BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY.
port of education, we find the corner stone of our " Free Public Schools." The magnanimity and patriotism which prompted the " Old Dominion " to make this munificent gift for the benefit of the people of the United States, was only equaled by the wisdom shown by the " Old Continental Congress " in its wise and far reaching provisions for the government and education of the future millions of this vast empire.
Territorial Acts .-- The Territory of Indiana was organized by the Governor -Gen. II. rison -January 10, ISor, and from that time on it was governed by the Territorial Council until the meet- ing of the first Legislature, July 29, 1805. In 1807, an act was passed by the Legislature for the incorporation of a University at Vincennes, and a Board of Trustees was named in the act of in- corporation. The objects of the University were stated by the Board, to be for the instruction of the youth in the Latin, Greek, French and English languages, mathematics, natural philosophy, ancient and modern history, moral philosophy, rhetoric, and the laws of nature and nations.
In the preamble to the act the Territorial Legislature declared that the independence, happiness, and energy of every republic depended (under the influence of the destinies of Heaven), upon the wisdom, virtue, talents and energy of its citizens and rulers ; and that science, literature, and the liberal arts contributed in an eminent degree to improve those qualities and acquirements; and that learning has ever been found the ablest advocate of genuine liberty, the best supporter of rational religion, and the source of the only solid and imperishable glory that nations can acquire. It will be observed that the founders of our commonwealth had lib- eral ideas of what an education should be. They reflected the true spirit of the framers of the ordinance of 1787.
An act of the Territorial Legislature, passed October 26, ISOS, made it the duty of the courts of Common Pleas to lease the sec- tions of land which had been reserved in the respective counties for the use of the schools, upon the terms best calculated to pro- mote the improvement of the land, and to apply the proceeds for the benefit of education. By an act passed December 10, ISIO, the Common Pleas Court was authorized to appoint Trustees of the
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.