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 35
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In November, 1841, Elder Lewis resigned as pastor and the church was without a minister until in July, 1842, when Rev. George Sleeper was engaged and served for four years. A memorandum, in the hand- writing of Mr. Sleeper, has been preserved by Mr. Kenower, and shows that the pastor's salary from August 1, 1842, to August 1, 1843, was $178.88. Among the contributions listed are a straw hat, shot, pills, candles, an ax, two five-franc pieces, a pair of boots, a broom and some butter.
The first church building was planned by a committee consisting of John Kenower, H. J. Betts and Charles Taylor. It was built of brick, was 34 by 45 feet in dimensions, and stood on West Market Street, nearly opposite the old American Hotel. It was occupied first about 1847 and was used for twenty years. In the spring of 1867 it was sold and the building on Market Street, between Jefferson and Warren streets, was completed later, the dedication taking place on August 9, 1868. It is still standing and the congregation which worships here is one of the oldest Protestant societies of the city.
The next Baptist Church in the county, of which there is any reliable account, is the West Union Church, located near the northwest corner of Salamonie Township. One of the early settlers in that locality was John Laymon, who built his cabin on the Salamonie River, about two miles below where Warren now stands. In 1838 his father, Rev. Jacob Laymon, a Baptist minister of Clinton County, Ohio, came to pay him a visit, and while in the neighborhood preached five sermons at the homes of some of the settlers. No organization was then effected, but the seed fell in good ground, and when Rev. Mr. Neal came to the settlement in August, 1841, the work was advanced. He was followed by Revs. Robert Tisdale and J. B. Allen, and the church was organized as a "Regular Baptist church"
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on May 3, 1845. John Morgan donated a site for a church in Section 6 and the first house of worship was completed in 1855, at a cost of $600.
The organization of the Baptist Church in the Town of Warren some years later, drew some of the members from West Union and meetings have not been held regularly for several years, though the organization is still maintained. At Warren the Baptists have a strong congregation and a handsome brick house of worship.
About 1850, probably a year or two earlier, a Baptist society was formed in the southern part of Wayne Township and within eighteen months had a strong membership. The schoolhouse was outgrown and in 1852 an unpretentious but comfortable frame house of worship was built in the northwest corner of Section 34, about a mile from the Grant
FIRST CHURCH BUILDING OF THE BAPTIST CHURCH, ERECTED 1847
County line. Deaths and removals have weakened the congregation to some extent, but meetings are still held.
Among the pioneers in the vicinity of Markle were a number of Baptists and meetings were held at the homes of some of these people many years before any attempt was made to organize a regular church. In 1860 Albert Draper agreed to donate a considerable sum of money for the founding of a Baptist church and in that year or early in 1861, the society was organized under the ministry of Rev. Abel Johnson. At the time of the organization there were but four members enrolled, and although these four worked faithfully to build up a church their efforts were futile and after several years they became discouraged to such an extent that the society was disbanded. The house was then used by the
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Disciples, German Baptists and other denominations for some time before it was disposed of by the original builders.
GERMAN BAPTISTS OR DUNKARDS
There are several branches of the German Baptist denomination, but in this chapter no especial effort has been made to differentiate very closely in classifying them, further than to state that the three principal divisions are the German Baptists, the Church of the Brethren and the Progressive Brethren. The name "Dunkard" has never been officially accepted by the church. It is, in fact, only a nick-name and is said to allude to an abundance of water, it being a corruption of the German word "dunker," for dipper, and alludes to the method of baptism by immersion.
From the best authority at hand, it is believed that the first meeting of the German Baptists in Huntington County was held in the barn of Jacob Fullhart, in Polk Township, in June, 1840, a minister named Moss conducting the services. No organization of a church was made at that time, but a few years later a small society was established, which met at the homes of the members or in the schoolhouse until about 1857, when the members united with others of the same faith and founded the German Baptist Church of Andrews. Among the early members were the Calverts, Leedys, Herdmans, Bowmans and other leading families of Polk and Dallas townships. The first house of worship was erected soon after the removal to Andrews. It was practically rebuilt a few years ago and the congregation holds regular meetings under the pastoral charge of Rev. J. C. Murray.
Sometime in the early '40s Rev. Joseph Hardman and Rev. Michael Minnich, two German Baptist ministers began holding meetings in Lan- caster Township. When the weather was favorable these meetings were held in groves and at other times in the homes of the members. After a while a regular organization was effected and a small house of worship was erected. About 1868 a new church was built in the village of Lan- caster, which at the time is said to have been the largest in the county, with the exception of two in Huntington, having a seating capacity of over six hundred. It is still in use and regular services are held.
Among the early settlers in the eastern part of Clear Creek Township were several German Baptist families. Elders Leedy and Calvert visited this neighborhood along in the '50s and organized a church. A large brick building-the largest in the township at that time-was erected in the southwest quarter of Section 24, about the close of the Civil war, and for many years this was the leading religious organization in the
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1
township. It still has a strong membership and holds meetings regu- larly. Some six or eight years after this building was erected, the German Baptists living in the western part of the township organized a society and in 1874 erected a large brick church on the road run- ning north and south between Sections 19 and 20, just one mile east of the Warren Township line. This society is still in existence and is fairly prosperous.
The Church of the Brethren at Markle began by holding meetings in the old Baptist Church building, where they worshipped for several years before purchasing and remodeling the house for a home of their own. Rev. David B. Garber is the present pastor.
A few German Baptists settled in Warren 'l'ownship at an early date, but no effort was made to organize a congregation until late in the '70s. Meetings were held, prior to that time, in the schoolhouses or private dwellings. In 1881 the society united with the Lutherans in the erection of a house of worship about a mile and a half north of Bippus. It is a substantial brick structure, which cost about forty-five hundred dollars, and is known as the "Union Church."
Near the northern boundary of Huntington Township is the German Baptist Church known as the Huntington Rural Congregation. It was established many years ago. In 1891 Simon S. Bonebrake, of this con- gregation ; Dorsey Hodgden, of the Clear Creek Church; John Holler, of Markle; and Daniel Shideler, of Lancaster, were appointed a commit- tee to make arrangements for the founding of a church in the City of Huntington. Among the early active members were Mrs. Nancy Kitch, who is remembered as the "mother of the congregation." Elder Noah Fisher was engaged as pastor in the fall of 1893, and meetings were held for a few months in the old courthouse. In the spring of 1894 Abraham Mishler and David Hoover were apopinted a building committee, a lot at the northeast corner of Washington and Guilford streets was secured, and in the fall of the same year the church building, a brick edifice, was dedicated. The original cost of the building was about eight thousand dollars, but extensive improvements were made in 1914, under the direc- tion of the pastor, Rev. C. C. Kindy.
In Roanoke there is a society of the Progressive Brethren which has a comfortable house of worship built of cement blocks, and which was com- pleted in 1908. It is now under the pastoral charge of Rev. A. E. Whit- ted. There is also a Church of the Brethren in the City of Huntington, which holds meetings in a hall at No. 20 South Jefferson Street, and in the western part of the county there are a number of Brethren, who are members of the Oden Creek Church, in Wabash County.
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HISTORY OF HUNTINGTON COUNTY
THE PRESBYTERIANS
On November 11, 1843, the First Presbyterian Church of Huntington was organized in the old courthouse by Revs. Samuel Steele and Thomas Anderson, with the following members : William and Nancy L. Steele and James C. and Jane Best, Phoebe and Belinda Anderson, Catherine and Evaline McClelland, and Philander Anderson. Services were held in the courthouse for awhile and later in the Methodist Church. Then a hall on the second floor of a building on Jefferson Street was occupied for about two years, after which the congregation removed to the Christian Church.
In 1844 Judge Hanna, of Fort Wayne, presented the society with a lot in Huntington as a site for a church, but it was sold in 1851, and ten years later the present site at the northwest corner of Warren and Tipton streets was purchased. In July, 1864, a brick church, erected at a cost of about four thousand dollars, was dedicated. It is related of Jacob Kenower, who became identified with the congregation soon after it was organized and who had carried hymn books, etc., from one place to an- . other, that when the new church was completed he exclaimed with a sigh of relief : "Thank God, I am done carrying books; we are at home now and I have lived to see it." Mr. Kenower served as the second ruling elder, sexton, choir leader and general supernumerary for many years, and the Presbyterian Church was frequently spoken of as "Father Kenower and his flock." He died in August, 1866.
The first pipe organ in Huntington was installed in the gallery of the new church soon after its completion. It was a quaint-looking affair, with 153 pipes, and was brought to Indiana in 1843. A recent newspaper article says of this organ : "Its tones, so mellow and powerful, enchanted the cultivated ear and were a great attraction to the untutored Indian, who seemed to take extra pride in decorating himself with paint and feathers for the occasion, as they were sure to visit the pastor's home when this instrument was to be played, however frequently. While listening they would bow their heads reverently, as to the noise of the Great Spirit, and when about to leave, with outstretched hands would often place a piece of money on the key-board, indicating that they sup- posed everything done by the white man was for money, and when their money was refused they were dissatisfied."
The old organ was finally replaced by a new one-finer in appearance, but not any finer in tone-and many of the older members regretted the change.
The church erected in 1864 served as a home for the congregation for more than a quarter of a century. About 1890 a movement was started for the erection of a new building, which was completed in due
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time and was dedicated on Easter Sunday, 1893. Rev. Thomas B. Ter- hune is the present pastor of the church.
A Presbyterian Church was organized at Toledo, or Brown's Corners, in Rock Creek Township, at an early day, but is passed out of existence several years since.
In 1848 a society of this denomination was organized in the Town of Warren by two Presbyterian ministers named Wright and Barnett. Among the charter members were the Coolman, McKee and Giphart families, who were some of the first settlers in that locality. Samuel Jones donated a lot for a church in 1850 and a house of worship was erected, at a cost of $600. This church, like the one at Brown's Corners, has ceased to exist.
The Roanoke Presbyterian Church was organized, as near as can be learned, about the close of the Civil war and a brick house of worship was erected in the northern part of the town. For a few years the society flourished, then a decline set in, and in 1874 the building was sold to the St. Joseph's Catholic congregation. The failure of these churches leaves the one at Huntington the only Presbyterian Church in the county.
THE FRIENDS OR QUAKERS
Sometime in the early '40s John Moore, who came from Wayne County, Indiana, in 1838, and settled in Dallas Township, founded the "Friends' Meeting" and a house of worship was erected on land donated by him for the purpose. This was the first Quaker meetinghouse in the county.
In 1870 a Friends' Church was erected at the Village of Pleasant Plain, in the western part of Jefferson Township, at a cost of about one thousand dollars. Among the early preachers here were Susan Ratliff and a Mrs. Bogur, this denomination being one of the first to admit women to the ministry.
THE LUTHERANS
One of the first, if not the very first, societies of this denomination in the county was organized in Warren Township and a church was erected about a mile west of Bippus. In the same township, north of Bippus, is the Evangelical Lutheran Church, which meets in the same house as the German Baptists, as above mentioned.
The first Evangelical Lutheran Church in Huntington was organized on March 2, 1849, under the name of St. Peter's, with Jacob Weber, George Ricker and Gotlieb Pohler as the first board of trustees. The
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first pastor was Rev. August D. Stegher. For a few months meetings were held in the courthouse, after which the congregation moved into its first house of worship-a frame building on Lafontaine Street, erected at. a cost of $300. In 1873 the present edifice was erected on the same site, at a cost of about $13,000. The congregation also supports a good parochial school conducted in a substantial brick building.
St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church of Huntington was organ- ized in May, 1876, by Rev. O. S. Oglesby, who was the first pastor. In 1883 the society purchased a lot in Foust's addition, on the corner of Second and Washington streets, and built thereupon a frame church and parsonage, at a cost of about three thousand five hundred dollars. This congregation has experienced a steady growth and is in a healthful condition.
St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Warren was organized in April, 1880, and purchased the building formerly occupied by the Universalists. Lutheran churches were also established at Andrews and Markle some years ago, but, with the church at Warren, they are no longer in exist- ence and none of the details of their history can be learned.
GERMAN REFORMED CHURCH
St. Peter's German Reformed Church of Huntington was organized in January, 1857, with Henry Drover, Sr., Frederick Blum and William G. Faust, elders; George Fahl, Jacob Shearer and Herman Borchers, deacons; Conrad Peipenbrink and Daniel Shearer, trustees. Meetings were at first held on Sunday afternoons in the hall occupied in the morn- ings by the Central Christian Church. In May, 1859, Henry Drover, Sr., presented the congregation with a lot at the corner of Etna Avenue and Henry Street, and before the close of the year a house of worship was completed and dedicated. The cost of this first church was $4,700. In 1869 the sum of $3,000 was expended in the erection of a schoolhouse and parsonage. The present handsome edifice was erected at a cost of about twenty-five thousand dollars, and was dedicated on June 19, 1904. Rev. Frederick H. Diehm is the present pastor.
EVANGELICAL CHURCH
Probably the first Evangelical congregation in Huntington County was the one formed in Union Township about the time of the Civil war. It was also called the Albright Church. Late in the '60s the society erected Mount Zion Church, in Section 1, near the northeast corner of the township, where services were maintained for many years.
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Bethel Evangelical Church of Huntington was organized on June 10, 1882, with thirteen members and Rev. D. J. Pontius as the first pastor. The society has a comfortable house of worship at the corner of Front and Allen streets and is steadily growing. Rev. C. H. Bergener is the present pastor.
An Evangelical or Albright Church was organized in Clear Creek Township some time before the one in Huntington and a building erected in Section 25, near the southeast corner of the township. Little can be learned of its history.
The Village of Bippus has two Evangelical churches. St. John's Church was organized about 1884 and has a good brick house of worship, and the German Evangelical Church was established some years later. It has a substantial brick church edifice, erected in 1897 and recently enlarged and remodeled. Rev. E. D. Haley is pastor of the St. John's Church and Rev. J. Frank of the German congregation. There is also a society of this denomination at Markle, known as the Salem Evangelical Church, of which Rev. Edward E. Miller is pastor.
MISCELLANEOUS
Many years ago there was a society of the Winebrennarians, or Church of God, in Union Township, which held services in the Union Church previously mentioned. A Protestant Episcopal Church was organized at Andrews about the time the Wabash shops were located there, but it has passed out of existence. There is a small society of this denomination in the City of Huntington, which holds services at intervals in the courthouse. The Apostolic Holiness Church of Huntington meets at the hall, No. 46 South Jefferson Street, and a Christian Science Society has its home in the old residence at 204 East Tipton Street, where regular services are held every Sunday.
It is a matter of regret that church records are not preserved with greater care. In the foregoing account of the various organizations in Huntington County, every effort has been made to ascertain the facts, but it is possible that some of the early congregations have been omitted, because their records have been destroyed and no one can be found who can tell their story. It is known that the Congregationalists and Univer- salists, and perhaps some other denominations, once maintained churches in the county for a brief period of time, but their history is now little more than a faint tradition.
CHAPTER XVII
CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS
EARLY SYSTEM OF CARING FOR THE POOR-FARMING OUT PAUPERS NOT PRACTICED IN HUNTINGTON COUNTY-FIRST COUNTY POORHOUSE- PRESENT COUNTY ASYLUM FOR THE POOR-ORPHANS' HOME-HUNT- INGTON COUNTY HOSPITAL-METHODIST MEMORIAL HOME AT WARREN -SKETCH OF ITS FOUNDER-BURIAL PLACES-LIST OF CEMETERIES BY TOWNSHIPS.
The care of the poor during the early years of Indiana's history was not a serious problem. Most of the men who came to the state as pioneers were strong and vigorous, able and willing to work to support themselves and their families, and for a number of years a pauper was unknown. As the country was settled up, a few persons, through indo- lence or misfortunes, became public charges. Then the custom was adopted of having the townships take care of the poor and the office of overseer of the poor was created. It was customary for these overseers to "farm out" the adult paupers who were able to work and to "bind out" or apprentice the children. The person who was the highest bidder for the services of some unfortunate man or woman, for a given period of time, was generally more interested in "getting his money's worth" than in the welfare of his bond servant, and under this system the treat- ment of the paupers was not always of the most humane character.
To the credit of Huntington County it can be said that the custom of "farming out" paupers did not last long, if it ever was inaugurated at all. A search through the records fails to reveal the names of any who were ever elected overseers of the poor in any of the townships, and it is quite probable that this medieval method of caring for the unfortunate poor never gained a foothold in the county.
On March 9, 1853, the commissioners purchased from Freeman W. Sawyer and wife the southwest quarter of Section 2, Township 28, Range 9, in the northeastern part of Huntington Township, and soon afterward caused to be erected thereon an asylum for the county's poor. The pur- chase price of this 160-acre tract was $2,750. On December 8, 1859, the county sold this property to John Sellers for $4,500, and a little later
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a tract of land lying along the north side of the Wabash River in Sec- tion 26, Township 28, Range 9, was purchased as a new site for the county infirmary. The building erected thereon was destroyed by fire on January 16, 1864, and the commissioners employed various persons to take charge of the inmates until a new poorhouse could be built. A special session of the board was called soon after the fire and J. S. Gos- horn was engaged to make plans for a building 18 by 40 feet. As soon as the plans were ready and bids received, according to law, the con- tract for the erection of a new infirmary was awarded to John Ziegler for $480. This was only a temporary arrangement. At the March term the commissioners ordered a loan of $8,000 for a new and permanent poorhouse.
Just twelve years later, at the March term in 1876, the commissioners entered into a contract with William H. Myers for the construction of a new county asylum for the poor for $17,000, the architect's estimate being more than one thousand dollars above that figure. The building was com- pleted in due time by Mr. Myers and turned over to the county. Since that time several additional buildings, barns, outhouses, etc., have been built upon the poor farm, and in 1913 the main building was repaired and remodeled at a cost of $7,456.45. With the recent improvements Hunting- ton County has an infirmary, or poorhouse, that will be sufficient for years to come.
ORPHANS' HOME
In 1885 the county commissioners purchased a piece of property on North Jefferson Street, then just outside the city limits, for $1,100 and established an orphans' home. The institution was opened on August 5, 1885, with Mrs. Sarah Sickafoose as matron. Eleven boys and four girls were admitted to the home at the time of the opening, and a visiting com- mittee was appointed, the members of which were Samuel F. Day, then mayor of Huntington ; Mrs. A. H. Shaffer and Mrs. James H. Ewing.
The expense of maintaining the institution for the first year was nearly $3,000, which caused some adverse comments. Of course, the first year's expense included the fitting up of the home, and it was pointed out that subsequent years would make a better showing. This prediction was veri- fied to some extent, but after several years the board of commissioners, composed of Abraham C. Huffman, Richard W. Redding and Enos A. Chenowith decided that it would be more economical to discontinue the home and let the county pay for caring for the homeless orphans in other institutions. Accordingly, on April 12, 1904, the property was sold to Joseph Stults and arrangements were made to place the inmates in
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asylums elsewhere. Since the sale of the home, a majority of the orphan children coming under the care of the county have been sent to the orphans' home at Mexico, Miami County. The amount appropriated by the county commissioners in 1913 "for the care of the orphan poor in other institutions" was $1,610.
HUNTINGTON COUNTY HOSPITAL
This institution was founded by Dr. Charles L. Wright as a sani- tarium for the treatment of patients who came to him in the course of his private practice, but who needed some place where they could be prop- erly cared for, with trained nurses, etc. The hospital was first opened on October 10, 1902, in the building now occupied by the Modern Hotel on East Market Street, a short distance west of the Erie Railway tracks, which building was owned by Doctor Wright.
After conducting the hospital for a time, Doctor Wright leased it to Mrs. Dr. H. K. McIlvaine, who in 1910 removed it to the Frederick Dick residence on Frederick Street, south of the Little River, which property Doctor McIlvaine purchased, and remodeled it so that it would be suitable for hospital purposes. She remained in charge of the institution until her death in 1913, when an association was formed, funds raised and the hospital purchased. It then took the name of the Huntington County Hospital. The estimated value of the building is seven thousand dollars, and the equipment is worth from $2,000 to $2,500. A school for nurses is maintained in connection with the hospital.
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