USA > Indiana > Huntington County > History of Huntington County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests, Volume I > Part 33
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
There have been epidemics of milder diseases, such as measles, diph- theria, scarlatina, etc., that have closed some of the public schools for a few days at a time, but the cholera visitations of 1849 and 1854 and the smallpox epidemic of 1872 stand out in the history of the county as the great scourges of pestilence and plague that the people have been compelled to face. On each of these occasions the Huntington County doctors proved themselves equal to the occasion, though at least one of them-Dr. C. D. Thayer-sacrificed his life while trying to save the lives of others.
The first organization of this character, of which there is any authen- tic record, was formed in 1849, during the first cholera epidemic. The common council of the town appointed Drs. A. M. Lewis, F. W. Sawyer and C. D. Thayer, John Roche and M. Crum. These men were given all the authority the council could bestow upon them to adopt any measures they might deem necessary to counteract the ravages of the disease. That they did their work well is evidenced by the fact that within six weeks the epidemic had been checked and two members of the board, Doctor Thayer and Mr. Crum, fell victims to the dread malady. After the disappearance of the cholera the board lapsed into a state of inactivity and was never again called upon to perform its functions.
Immediately after the Civil war there was an era of great prosperity, especially in the towns and cities of the state. The increase in population was not accompanied by prudent sanitary regulations and many of the thinking people of the state began to demand the adoption of preventive measures. In response to this popular demand, the Legislature of 1867 passed an act providing for the establishment of county boards of health. Similar power was conferred by the act on certain towns and cities, Section 48 authorizing the common council of the Town of Hunt- ington to appoint three men to constitute a board of health. The county boards established under this act never accomplished much, as the law did not confer on them sufficient power to enforce such regulations as
309
HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY
they might adopt for safeguarding the health of the people. In the majority of the towns and cities better results were obtained, probably because a larger percentage of the people saw the necessity for better sanitary conditions.
In Huntington there was not much demand for the board to exer- cise any great amount of authority until the smallpox made its appear- ance in March, 1872. At that time the board of health was composed of Drs. F. S. C. Grayston, W. B. Lyons and Daniel Yingling. To coop- erate with this board the council appointed an advisory committee of five members, consisting of John Roche, William Ewing, O. A. Lewis, Fred Bippus and William McGrew. Henry B. Sayler was employed as the board's attorney and counseled daily with the members and the advisory committee as to the best means of combating the epidemic. Their orders were well observed by the people and for the first time the reason for and efficacy of a board of health came to be understood.
In 1877 the board was composed of Dr. Daniel Yingling, E. G. Thomas and William H. Trammel. After investigating the sanitary conditions of the city, the board sent notices to the people living along Flint Creek to clean the channel of the stream and remove all offensive matter, both from the creek and their private premises. A few rebelled against the board, but most of them gave heed to the order and the work was accomplished in a satisfactory manner at a cost to the city of less than forty dollars.
About a year later, upon the advice of the board, the city coun- cil passed an ordinance requiring physicians to fill out and file with the city authorities a certificate of every death within the city limits, giving the cause of death and the conditions surrounding the house where it occurred. Although this ordinance has never been repealed, the same requirements have since been made by the state through an act. of the Legislature, and the ordinance is practically a dead letter.
After various changes in the health law of 1867, the responsibility in each county has been vested in one man, known as county health commissioner. That office in Huntington County was held at the begin- ning of the year 1914 by Dr. George M. O'Leary. Towns and cities still maintain their local boards of health, which co-operate with the state board of health and act under its orders in cases of epidemic.
The first Huntington County Medical Society was organized in July, 1852, with about a dozen members and the following officers: Dr. F. W. Sawyer, president; Dr. Abel M. Lewis, vice president; Dr. L. C. Pome- roy, secretary ; Drs. A. M. Lewis, L. A. Castor and F. W. Sawyer, censors. A tentative constitution, in the form of a series of resolutions, was adopted favoring monthly meetings, and all physicians and others
310
HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY
interested in advancing the work of the medical profession were invited to become members. It seems the invitation was not accepted by a large number, for after a few more meetings the society was abandoned.
In the spring of 1853 an effort was made to resuscitate the society, but it was unsuccessful. Thus matters stood until some time in the following year, when a new society was organized with Dr. A. Laramore as president; Dr. N. S. Wickersham, vice president; Dr. F. S. C. Grayston, secretary, and Doctors Hammond, Wickersham and W. B. Lyons, censors. A constitution, a code of by-laws and the American Association code of ethics were adopted and all physicians in the county were invited to become members. This time the invitation was more generally accepted and within a few months quite a number had joined the society. When the Civil war broke out in 1861 the question of saving the Union of states overshadowed everything else, and during the war the meetings of the society were not well attended, though the organization was still maintained. At the close of the war the work of the society was placed upon a higher plane by renewed interest and the addition of several members. It was not long, however, until dissen- sions arose, which in time put an end to the society's usefulness and it was disbanded.
The present Huntington County Medical Society was organized in 1880. Since its organization the members have generally worked in perfect harmony and through scientific contests and comparison of experi- ences the profession lias been elevated and mutual good feeling among the physicians of the county established. The officers of the society for 1914 were: Dr. Robert Q. Taviner, of Huntington, president; Dr. George H. Brodbeck, now of Roann, Wabash County, vice president ; Dr. Frank B. Morgan, of Huntington, secretary and treasurer ; Drs. J. S. Sprowl, of Warren, C. L. Wright and M. H. Krebs, of Huntington, censors. At the beginning of the year the society numbered thirty- six active members. Regular meetings are held on the first Wednesday evening of each month.
Numerous laws have been enacted to regulate the practice of medi- cine in the State of Indiana. The present medical registration law was approved by Gov. James A. Mount on March 8, 1897. Since then some amendments have been made to the original act, chiefly relat- ing to matters of minor detail for the purpose of making the law easier of application. Under the provisions of this law the governor is author- ized to appoint five members of a state board of medical examination and registration. The act further provides that the four schools or systems of medicine having the largest numerical representation in the state shall have at least one member each upon the board, and that
311
HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY
no school or system of medicine shall at any time have a majority of the members.
This act, with amendments passed by subsequent legislatures, makes it the duty of the state board "to determine, by examination or other- wise, the qualifications and fitness of every person practicing medicine in the State of Indiana and issue a certificate to such person, which, when presented to the county clerk of the proper county shall entitle the holder to a license to practice medicine."
Under the provisions of the law, the county clerk of each county in the state is required to submit annually "on the 1st day of January of each year, to the State Board of Medical Registration and Examination, upon blanks furnished by said board, a duplicate list of all certificates received and licenses issued by him during the preceding year," with certain other information of a statistical nature.
The board is likewise required to report annually to the governor, using the information submitted by the several county clerks and such other facts as may be deemed proper and of general interest to the members of the profession and the general public. Through the opera- tions of this law a closer relationship has been established among the physicians of the state and the irregular practice of medicine has been practically eliminated.
The following list of regularly licensed and registered physicians in Huntington County is taken from the "American Medical Directory" for the year 1914:
Andrews-Edwin W. Poinier, Edwin J. Siegmund and Orlando B. Williams.
Bippus-Ira E. Perry.
Huntington-William R. Beck, William C. Chafee, Mitchell C. Clokey, Emil T. Dippell, Rufus F. Frost, Charles W. Fry, Russell S. Galbreath, Charles H. Good, Boston H. B. Grayston, Charles E. Gray- ston, F. W. Grayston, Wallace S. Grayston, James M. Hicks, Maurice II. Krebs, George H. McLin, F. B. Morgan, George M. O'Leary, Noble W. Scott, Abner C. Shaffer, William F. Smith, Robert Q. Taviner, Charles L. Wright, Ervin Wright and Daniel Yingling.
Markle-Marvin F. Fisher, Robert G. Johnston, William J. Kilander and Arthur H. Northrup.
Mount Etna-George G. Wimmer.
Roanoke-Baltzer L. Gordon, Joseph W. Kemp, Sylvanis Koontz and Lucien E. Murray.
Warren-Claude S. Black, William D. Bonifield, Thomas Crandel, Benjamin F. Edgington, Henry E. Laymon and John S. Sprowl.
CHAPTER XVI
CHURCH HISTORY
FIRST MISSIONARIES-VISIT OF MARQUETTE AND JOLIET-THE CATHOLIC CHURCH-JOHN ROCHE'S GENEROSITY-THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH-WESLEYAN METHODISTS-UNITED BRETHREN-CHRISTIAN CHURCH-THE BAPTISTS-GERMAN BAPTISTS OR DUNKARDS-THE PRESBYTERIANS-FIRST PIPE ORGAN IN THE COUNTY-FRIENDS OR QUAKERS-THE LUTHERANS-GERMAN REFORMED CHURCH-EVAN- GELICAL SOCIETIES-MISCELLANEOUS ORGANIZATIONS.
Long before any permanent settlements were made in the Wabash Valley by white men, Jesuit missionaries visited the Indians in that region with a view to converting them to the Christian faith. Some authorities state that the missionaries, Marquette and Joliet, stopped with the Indians while crossing the portage between the Maumee and Wabash rivers some time in the year 1673, feasted and prayed with them and taught them some of the simple precepts of the church. The story of this visit of the "Good Men" became an Indian tradition, and among the Miamis children were told of the missionaries and how they spoke with reverence of the "Great Spirit." Later other Jesuit priests worked among the Indians and converted many of them to the Catholic faith.
Most of the early French traders were Catholics and these early mis- sionaries often said mass at the trading posts for the few white people who might be living in the vicinity. It was therefore natural that the Catholics should be the first to establish a church organization in Hunt- ington County. About the time the county was organized, Rev. Stephen T. Badin, of Bardstown, Kentucky, was appointed missionary-at-large for all this section of country, and in June, 1834, visited the little town of Huntington, which was yet in its swaddling clothes. At that time there were but five resident Catholic families in the neighborhood, viz: Patrick and Daniel Johnson, Michael Kennedy, Martin Roche and Mich- ael Doyle. The Wabash & Erie canal was then under construction and many Catholics were engaged at work on the canal, some of whom pur- chased land and remained in the county.
312
313
HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY
Father Badin induced the proprietors of the town to donate out-lot No. 1, a triangular piece of ground containing about three-fourths of an acre, as a site for a Catholic Church. There was then no resident priest in Indiana nearer than Vincennes and Father Lalumier, of that place, visited the Catholic families of Huntington in 1835. A little later Fathers Ruffe and Miller came from Fort Wayne. On the occasions of these visits meetings were held in the homes of the Catholic residents or at the schoolhouse until 1838, when a hewed log church, about 25 by 40 feet in dimensions, was built upon the lot procured by Father Badin three years before.
Rev. Julian Benoit was established at Fort Wayne as a resident pricst' in the fall of 1839. For some time after this either he or one of his assistants, Fathers Rodolph and Faller, attended the church at Hunting- ton at regular intervals. In 1844 the log church was plastered inside and weather-boarded outside, which gave it the appearance of a frame build- ing. Five years later a frame addition was made to the church and used as a school room until the erection of Ss. Peter and Paul's Church in 1866, at a cost of $30,000.
From 1846 to 1857 the parish was attended by Fathers Patrick McDermott, Michael O'Flannigan and John Ryan, resident priests at large. Father Shippert was installed as the first resident pastor in 1857. He was succeeded by Father Fuchs, who remained but a short time, when Father Mayer took charge of the parish, and it was under his management that the present church edifice was crected, with the exception of the steeple. Father Steiner succeeded Mayer and in 1871 the steeple was added to the building. The clock in this steeple was donated by the business men of Huntington. Elaborate decorations distinguish the interior, including oil paintings of the stations from Munich artists, handsomely framed, and the organ is one of the most powerful and mclo- dious in Northeastern Indiana.
St. Mary's Catholic Church at Huntington is the gift of John Roche to the English speaking Catholics of the city. A majority of the priests at Ss. Peter and Paul's Church were Germans and the services there were conducted in that language. Before his death in 1894, Mr. Roche fre- quently announced his intention to erect at his own expense a church for the English-speaking Catholics, but he died before he was permitted to carry out his object. His sister, Miss Bridget Roche, who was the principal heir to his estate, determined to execute the plan her brother had so long cherished. She purchased the lot adjoining the Roche resi- dence on North Jefferson Street, which is not far from, if not the exact spot, where the first Catholic mass was said in Huntington by Father Badin, in 1834. The corner-stone of the church was laid on October 3,
314
HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY
1896, and the building was pushed forward to completion under the supervision of Rev. J. R. Quinlan, assistant priest in the cathedral at Fort Wayne, who made frequent trips to Huntington while the edifice was under construction. The church was dedicated on October 10, 1897, and Father Quinlan became the first priest of the new parish, which at that time numbered about one hundred and thirty families. The cost of the church and grounds was about $80,000, donated by the Roche estate. Since then the priest's residence, schoolhouse, home for the Sisters of Providence, and some other improvements have been built by donations from the members of the congregation, which now num- bers nearly two hundred families.
St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church of Roanoke was organized in 1860, by Father Fuchs, of Huntington, with a membership of about a dozen families, some of whom lived in the town and others in the coun- try. For a time the congregation met in the house formerly used by the Disciples, but in 1874 the Presbyterian Church was purchased and fitted up as a permanent home. This house is a substantial brick struc- ture, located in the northern part of town, nearly opposite the high school building. The parish now numbers about forty families, but has no resident priest, Rev. Peter Smith, of South Whitley, visiting Roan- oke and holding services at regular intervals.
A Catholic Church was established at Andrews about the time the Wabash shops were located at that place, for the convenience of a number of Catholics employed by the railroad company about the shops and yards. On January 21, 1890, a fair was held by the members of the church and a number of Huntington people went down by special train, among them being the Knights of St. John and Catholic Benevo- lent Legion. A sumptuous supper was served in the rink, after which there were music and dancing. In the course of the evening a town lot ivas raffled off to the holder of the lucky number. After the removal of the shops, the church went down and the building is now occupied by the Holiness denomination.
THE METHODISTS
This denomination stands next to the Catholics in point of priority, and was the first Protestant denomination to organize a society in the county. Services were held at the house of Anderson Leverton, in Wayne Township, by a Methodist Episcopal minister, as early as 1836. In the spring of 1838 the Peru circuit was formed, including all the territory along the Wabash River as far east as Roanoke. About a year later Rev. George Beswick, then presiding elder, sent Revs. S. Reed and
315
HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY
Enoch Holdstock to the Little River Valley as missionaries and the first services in Huntington were held late in May, 1839, in the old log school- house. At that time there were no members of the faith in the Town of Huntington, and it is said that the missionaries went to the house of a Methodist in Clear Creek Township to spend the night.
During the following year several Methodist families settled in Huntington and in the fall of 1840 a class was formed. In 1846, Lewis W. Byron, John S. Hendrix, Samuel Moore, Cyrus Adams and John R. Snyder were appointed a board of trustees to assume the duty of build- ing a house of worship. Lot No. 17 in the original plat of Huntington was purchased and a frame building erected thereon, which was occu- pied by the congregation until 1867. In 1866 a building committee was appointed to select a suitable site and superintend the erection of a new church. On October 3, 1866, a lot fronting the north side of the public square was purchased and a new building was completed and dedicated in 1869. In the course of fifteen years the congregation outgrew that building and began looking around for a new location. The lot at the northwest corner of Market and Guilford streets was bought and plans adopted for a modern brick edifice, which was dedicated in August, 1889.
The growth of the church continued after removing into the new house of worship, which at the time of its completion was the finest and most commodious Protestant Church in the city, and in the spring of 1914 the work of erecting a larger and more modern church and parsonage was commenced, the intention being to expend about sixty-five thousand dollars. With this improvement, the Methodist Episcopal Church will be one of the largest and finest in the upper Wabash Valley.
Among the early pastors of this congregation were Dennis B. Clary, Samuel C. Swazey, E. Maynard, P. F. Miller, A. S. Kilnman, E. S. Preston, R. J. Smith and S. L. Sanford, who served in the order named from the time the Huntington circuit was formed in 1850 to the begin- ning of the Civil war. Other prominent and popular pastors included Reverend Greenman, Rev. C. C. Alberts, G. H. Hill and J. A. Beatty. The present pastor is Rev. W. F. Smith.
Probably the next oldest Methodist Episcopal Church in the county is the one at Mount Etna, which was organized at an early date and numbered among its members quite a number of the pioneers of Lan- caster Township. For some time services were held at the homes of the members or in the schoolhouse, but finally a small house of worship was erected. This was used until about 1886 or 1887, when a brick structure took its place. Although the membership is not large, the
316
HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY
church maintains regular services. In 1914 the conference placed Rev. A. D. Burket in charge as pastor.
About the time the classes at Huntington and Mount Etna were formed, one was also organized in Salamonie Township. In September, 1838, Rev. Elza Lank, of Wayne County, held services in James Morri- son's barn. At the close of the meeting he announced that the confer- ence would soon assemble and that if any citizen in that neighborhood would agree to open his dwelling, or provide some suitable place for holding meetings, he would ask conference to send a missionary to that part of the county. Mrs. Simeon Swaim authorized him to say that her husband would undertake to provide a meeting place and soon after the adjournment of the conference Rev. G. W. Bowers came as a mis- sionary. The following year a class of seven members was organized. They were Nancy and Elizabeth Swaim, John Dillon, Hester Jones, Jane and Hannah Ewart and Elizabeth Irwin. The early meetings were held at the house of Mrs. Simeon Swaim.
A few years later another class was organized at Warren and to this village the first organization removed its membership, thus form- ing the Warren Methodist Episcopal Church. After meeting in various schoolhouses and vacant storerooms for several years, the congregation, in 1856, bought two lots and built a frame church, at a cost of about one thousand two hundred dollars. This building was used as a place of worship until 1896, when the present handsome brick structure was dedicated. The old house was subsequently sold to a hardware dealer, who used it as a warehouse for agricultural implements, etc., for some time, after which it was sold to the United Brethren and is now used by that denomination.
From the time the church was first organized until the completion of the present church edifice more than forty pastors occupied the pulpit. Rev. Elza Lank was the first pastor. Revs. Henry Howe, Ansel Beach, David J. Starr, who won quite a reputation as the boy preacher, Wil- liam H. Metcalf, Charles W. Timmons, John W. Miller, Joseph Morrow and other well known Methodist clergymen during that period served the congregation at Warren. The present pastor is Rev. Grenville B. Work.
As early as 1839 a few Methodist pioneers gathered at the house of George Zellers, in the northern part of Warren Township, and listened to a sermon by a Methodist minister, whose name has been forgotten. This might be considered as the beginning of the Bippus Methodist Episcopal Church. Although no regular organization was effected until several years later, meetings were held at irregular intervals, as min- isters could be procured to conduct services. Finally a society was
317
HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY
organized and in 1888 a neat frame house of worship was erected in the village. Rev. C. C. Farmer is the present pastor.
Clear Creek Methodist Episcopal Church had its beginning in the summer of 1839, when Rev. S. Reed, one of the first missionaries sent to Huntington County, conducted services for a few of the faithful at the home of John R. Emley. In the fall of that year a log house was built near the center of the township for school and church purposes and soon afterward a class was organized, under the name of the Clear Creek Methodist Church, by which it is still known. In 1864 the old log house was torn down and a neat framc building erected on the site. This has since been remodeled and enlarged and the society is in a flourishing condition.
Early in the '40s a Methodist class was organized in the northern part of Jackson Township. Among the early members were the fam- ilies of Peter Erick, David Voorhis and Thomas Hackett. The first meetings were held in the homes of the members, or in a schoolhouse in the neighborhood, but about 1850 a hewed log house was built and given the name of "Wesley Chapel." It was on the farm of Peter Erick, about two miles north of Roanoke, and was used as a temple of worship for about ten years, when it was replaced by a frame build- ing. After some years, deaths and removals weakened the congrega- tion, but the organization was maintained and in the last few years has regained much of its former prosperity. It is one of the charges of the Roanoke circuit.
In Polk Township the Methodists were the pioneers in the religious movement. Services were held, soon after the settlement of the town- ship, at the home of Nathan Fisher, where a small class was organized and held meetings for a time, but so far as can be learned no effort was ever made to build a church. In 1840 the Mount Hope Methodist Church was organized. Meetings were held in the homes of the members and at the schoolhouse until about 1860, when a house of worship was erected near the west line of the county. This congregation kept up its identity every since, sometimes prosperous and sometimes suffering from lethargy, but regular meetings are still held.
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.