USA > Indiana > Johnson County > History of Johnson County, Indiana > Part 34
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Rev. D. V. Smock was pastor from 1842 to 1849. He was followed by Rev. James Gallatin, as supply. and in 1851 Rev. E. K. Lyon came to serve - the people until 1854. Then came the Rev. A. C. Allen for nearly five years. In November, 1859. Rev. John F. Smith was called, and continued as pastor until his death, in 1864. Rev. S. F. Barr was the next pastor for ten years, succeeded by Rev. E. Black for eight years. In December, 1883. Rev. J. W. Pugh was called to the pastorate and served seven years, resigning June 22, 1890. Rev. E. I. Davies was installed as pastor shortly thereafter, and he re- mained at Hopewell until January 28. 1894. Rev. John H. Bright began his pastorate June 2, 1894, and served six years and nine months. Albert R. Woodson was formerly called January 11, 1902, and was installed May 23d following. He resigned June 12, 1904. About two months later, Dr. J. H.
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Malcolm was extended a call, and continued his ministry at Hopewell until November 17, 1912. About a month later the Rev. John B. Ferguson, the present pastor, began his connection with the church.
A Sunday school was organized at Hopewell as early as 1827, and a parsonage was provided for the pastor during the ministry of Rev. D. V. Smock. Many of Hopewell's sons have entered the gospel ministry. Rev. E. Smith Miller and Rev. James Harvey VanNuys, both now deceased; the Revs. Daniel B. Banta, Samuel W. LaGrange, David S. McCaslin, Robert Shaw, William C. Covert, Victor B. Demaree, J. Thomas Henderson, W. Lowrie VanNuys, Rollin McCaslin, Charles H. McCaslin, Ezra VanNuys, Lowrey Moore and Gilbert Voorhies, all belong to that goodly band of Christian gentlemen who received their training in the schools and church at Hopewell.
BETHANY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
Bethany Presbyterian church (Whiteland) was organized September, 1833, by Rev. David Monfort and William Sickles, pursuant to an order from the Indianapolis presbytery. The following are the names of those who peti tioned for an organization: A. V. and Emma Banta, Jane, Jane Ann, Mary and Francis Dobbins, John Fitzpatrick, Thomas, L. R., Samuel C. Eliz beth, James H., Archibald C. and Polly Graham, Samuel C. and Jane Her lerson. The organization was effected at the residence of Lewis Gra- ham , a short distance from the present site of Whiteland, and at the first meet ing the following persons additional to those enumerated were received into membership: A. Banta, Adaline Dobbins, Allen D. and Elizabeth Gra- ham_ For about four years services were regularly held in a school house three quarters of a mile southeast of Whiteland, and at the end of that time a built ing for the especial use of the church was erected about two miles north- east Of the village. This was a frame edifice, thirty by forty feet in size, and answered well the purposes for which it was intended until 1866. In that year a beautiful brick building, forty by sixty feet in size, was erected in the village of Whiteland at a cost of four thousand dollars. A neat parsonage was built in 1875, and the church property is among the best in the county.
SHILOH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
Shiloh Presbyterian church (Union township) was organized on the 5th clay of October. 1832, at the residence of James Wylie by Rev. David ( 22)
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Monfort, the following persons presenting certificates of admission: Jesse Young and Margaret, his wife, from Strait Creek, Ohio; Rebecca Clark, Rachel Titus and Rachel Young, from West Union, Ohio, and John Young, from Franklin, Indiana. Jesse Young was elected, ordained and installed ruling elder, and it was unanimously resolved to call the new organization the Shiloh Presbyterian church. Before July. 1834, four additional mem- bers were received, all upon examination: Joseph Young, Mary Young, Thomas Titus and Mary Titus. The congregation had occasional preaching until Jluy, 1834, when the first church building was erected. The first meeting in this house was held July 30, 1834, Rev. David Monfort preaching and ordaining and installing an additional ruling elder, Joseph Young. From this period until 1840 the church record shows an addition of forty-one mem- bers. From the same source it is learned that from the organization until 1887 two hundred and forty-three members had been received into the church, of whom only twelve were remaining July, 1887. It was in the decade between 1840 and 1850 that the log meeting house was removed and the present tasteful frame structure erected in its stead.
On December 6. 1888, at a meeting of all the resident members, it was unanimously agreed to remove the records and membership to the Hopewell church. The twelve remaining members were received into the Hopewell church on Sunday. January 6, 1889. The Shiloh church never had but one regular pastor. the Rev. David V. Smock. from 1843 to 1850. all other min- isters engaged being supplies.
EDINBURG PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
The Presbyterian church in Edinburg was organized by the Rev. Henry Little, D. D., September 4, 1864, in connection with the New School branch of the Presbyterian church. The original members were twelve in number, namely : A. S. Rominger. Amanda Rominger, Clarissa Remley, Rachel Stuart, Martha Toner, Catherine Cox. Sarah Deming, Sarah Adams, Mary (Shipp) Givens, Emily Rominger and Adelaide Rominger. A. S. Rominger was elected ruling elder. The first minister was the Rev. William I. Clark. who preached his first sermon in March, 1865. He served the church nearly two years. Rev. G. D. Parker began his labors with the church as stated supply April 21, 1867, and closed the same in April. 1869. Different pastors served the church until April, 1882, after which the church was supplied more or less regularly by seminary students for several years. The church
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began with twelve members, and has had a checkered career, but has done faithful service and has been greatly blessed at times. The highest number enrolled was in Rev. H. L. Nave's pastorate, when there was reported a total of one hundred and thirty-one and an actual membership of one hundred and eight.
NEW PISGAH CHURCH.
New Pisgah (Old School) Presbyterian church, Needham township, was organized August 6, 1842, by the Rev. John M. Dickey, sixteen persons uniting with the organization: James Magill, Maria Magill, James Patter- son, Cretia Patterson, Thomas Patterson, Nancy Ann Patterson, Madison Kelly, Eliza Kelly, Jefferson Kelly, Catherine Kelly, William Kelly, Julia Ann Kelly, Henry Kelly, Francis Stewart, David McAlpin and Diana Pullen. David McAlpin, James Magill and James Patterson were elected elders. The succession of stated supplies was Revs. William M. Stimson, Benjamin .W. Nyce, John B. Saye, James McCoy, John Fairchild, James Brownlee, L. P. Webber, T. A. Steele and William Clark. In the same neighborhood with the New Pisgah church the New Prospect (Old School) church was organized by Rev. B: F. Wood April 10. 1850, the following persons joining the or- ganization : John Henderson, Isabell Henderson, Joseph Henderson, Mitchell Henderson, James Henderson, Sarah Henderson, Jane McAlpin, Sarah Mc- Alpin, John McCord, George Allison, John P. Henderson, Jane Henderson, Thomas Patterson, Nancy Patterson, William H. Patterson, Eliza Jane Pat- terson and Sarah Patterson. Thomas Patterson and John P. Henderson were chosen ruling elders. The Rev. B. F. Wood was the first stated supply, followed by Revs. Blackburn, Leffler. John Gilchrist. John (). McKeehan and James Gilchrist. On September 5. 1870, the New. Pisgah (New School) and the New Prospect (Old School) churches were consolidated. The united church assumed the New School name and occupied the Old School building, the membership being fifty. The Rev. J. G. Williamson was the first stated supply ; the Rev. A. R. Naylor and Rev. Mr. Reeves followed, supplying the church in the order named. In 1875 Rev. James Williamson commenced to supply the church and continued to do so for twelve years, closing his labors October 1, 1887. the membership at that time being about seventy-five.
In 1891.a new brick church house was built by this congregation. Since 1888 the following pastors have served this church: D. R. Love, 1888: F. M. Weatherwax. 1889-1891 : W. J. Alexander. 1891-1893: R. F. Hawley. 1893- 1898: A. Vonderlippe, 1898-1900: C. E. Alexander. 1900-1904: T. Hender-
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son, 1906; P. Birrell, 1907-1910; R. E. Hawley, 1910-1912; and A. V. Crow, the present pastor.
SHILOH CHURCH.
Shiloh (Cumberland Presbyterian) church, Needham township, was or- ganized about the year 1835 in a school house one mile north of the present site of Amity village, Rev. Alexander Downey officiating. Among the charter members, seventeen in number, were John Kerr and wife, David Alexander and wife, John Alexander and wife, John Gribben and wife, James Taylor and wife, John Taylor and wife and John R. Kerr and wife. The first house of worship, which was not erected until several years after the organization, stood about a half mile north of Amity. For some reason not now known this building was never completed. In 1852 a frame house was erected about three and a half miles southeast of Franklin, in Needham township, on land donated by James Taylor. It was a fair building and answered the purposes for which it was intended until 1882. In that year the present temple of worship, a beautiful frame edifice, thirty-two by forty-two feet, was built on the same lot at a cost of sixteen hundred dollars, the membership at that time being about one hundred.
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF FRANKLIN.
Dr. William T. Stott, ex-president of Franklin College, is the historian of the Franklin Baptist church, and his history of the first fifty years of that church, printed in the Franklin Jeffersonian in its issue of August 31, 1882, is the basis of the following article :
The history of the Franklin Baptist church begins with the year 1832, although it was not until December 17, 1841, that the church organization acquired title to a building site. The Franklin Baptist church is an offspring of the Blue River Baptist church, and as early as January 23, 1829, a part of the Blue River congregation laid plans to found a church in Franklin. Elder Chauncey Butler, the father of the founder of Butler University, was the moderator at that meeting and the Rev. Samuel Harding, clerk. At that time the latter was requested to preach once a month for the church. The first organization of the Baptists in Franklin was formed on the third Sabbath in August, 1832, and the following named were charter members : Simon Shafer, Sarah Shafer, John Adams, Jefferson D. Jones, Eleanor Jones, John Foster, Eleanor Foster, Simon Hunt, Stephen Tilson, Mary Frary, Catherine Bennett, Abraham Stark, John Johns. Martha McDaniel, Mary Tracy, Keziah
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Tracy, Andrew Vannoy, Rebecca Vannoy and Elizabeth Cravens. The first pastor of the church, Elder Samuel Harding, lived near Smiley's Mill in Shelby county, Indiana, and came to preach at the Franklin church for the ensuing four years. In June, 1836, Elder Byram Lawrence was called to the Pastorate and at the same time taught school in the town. He was suspected Of being too friendly toward the doctrines of Alexander Campbell to be entirely acceptable to the Baptists of that day and remained with the church only a little more than a year. In October, 1837, the Rev. A. R. Hinkley was called to the church and was the most scholarly of the early preachers of that day in the county. Hinkley was educated at Waterville College, now Colby. and at Newton Theological Seminary, and on coming to Franklin was much interested in the Franklin Manual Labor Institute, then just beginning. During the pastorate of Mr. Hinkley the church first erected a meeting house at a cost of twenty-five hundred dollars. The building was at that time the best church house in the town and had few superiors in the state. This house was dedicated on the 28th day of January, 1841. Among the leaders of that early church were Prof. A. F. Tilton and Deacon J. A. Dunlap. When Mr. Hinkley came to the church its membership numbered forty-one. an cl at the time of his death, in 1841, the church had increased to a member- shiq> of one hundred. This was the day of much controversy between minis- ters of different faiths and quite a spirited controversy was maintained thr Lagh the press between the Rev. David Monfort, pastor of the Presbyterian church, and Rev. Mr. Hinkley on the subject of baptism.
The next pastor of the church was Elder S. G. Miner, who began preach- ing in 1841, remaining just one year, but during this one year one hundred persons joined the church. Pastor Miner was succeeded by the Rev. Dr. George C. Chandler. who came from the pastorate of the First church at In- dia na polis to accept at the same time the presidency of the college. Dr. Chandler was a native of Maine, a graduate of Madison University and of Newton Theological Seminary. It is remembered of him that he was very posit i ve in character and was not inclined to conceal his differences with many of the customs and prejudices of his membership. As an Eastern man, he looked with disapproval upon the habits of thought and life. as well as the customs of worship of his brethren and sisters from the states of Tennessee and Kentucky. As Dr. Stott has said of him, he admired backbone, but made the mistake that many make in supposing that the best backbone consists of only one bone. Dr. Stott mentions one instance. The church had been in the habit of having the hymns lined out. Pastor Chandler expected his
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people to sing from books. To make their meaning clear the church at their regular business meeting on Saturday voted that the preacher line the hymns: On the next morning Pastor Chandler read the resolution and order of the church and added: "If you want the hymns lined you get somebody to do it; I won't." As a result of Pastor Chandler's somewhat obstinate methods division arose in the congregation that later found expression in a separate church organization. Dr. Chandler resigned shortly before his resignation as president of Franklin College, and he was succeeded by B. C. Moore, or possibly John Currier, but no record is left of either of these pastors. Ben- jamin Reece was elected pastor in 1850 and continued until August, 1851, when Elder J. C. Post was called to the pastorate. During his pastorate a new Baptist church was organized in Franklin, its principal members being those connected with Franklin College. Among them were Dr. Bailey, Professor Hougham, Professor Vawter, George W. Grubbs, then a student in the col- lege, Professor Brand and Professor Dame. This new church was at great pains to prepare its articles of faith and its church covenant, and President Bailey of the college became its first pastor. A Sunday school was also begun and all the meetings of the church were held in the college chapel until September 16. 1859, when the members all went back to the First Baptist church. During these six years that the church was divided the interest in this college church to some extent weakened the older organization. Of
the parent church in the meantime the Rev. E. J. Todd became the pastor in 1853, preaching there three-fourths of his time at a salary of three hundred dollars. He was followed in 1855 by the Rev. J. W. B. Tisdale, who re- mained a little more than a year. Rev. E. J. Todd was again called to the pastorate and served about one year and he was fallowed by the Rev. J. G. Kerr. When the church became reunited President Bailey was engaged as pastor at the very liberal salary of five dollars for each Sabbath. Professor Ferguson was the leader of the choir and the superintendent of the Sunday school. In 1860 one of the church members preferred charges against Dr. Bailey for preaching hyper-Calvinism, and the church assembled on June 16th to hear the case. The charges were preferred by a Mrs. Lacy. who acted as her own attorney and showed considerable spirit at the trial. Dr. Bailey was exonerated and the troublesome member was in the September fol- lowing arraigned and tried on a charge of staying away from church, for want of Christian spirit, for reviling and railing, and was expelled from mem- . bership: In July, 1861, Dr. Bailey resigned and the Rev. J. S. Read was elected pastor at a four-hundred-dollar salary. Prof. Jeremiah Brumback was the next
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pastor, serving from July, 1863, for one year. The Rev. M. D. Gage was then called in July, 1864, and remained fifteen months. On August 14, 1867, the Rev. J. H. Smith was called at a salary of five hundred dollars, with an agreement that he be allowed to spend a portion of his time as teacher in the private school then being conducted in the college by Prof. William Hill. In November, 1868, Rev. I. N. Clark became pastor, remaining with the con- gregation until 1871, when the Rev. J. S. Boyden was engaged at a salary of twelve hundred dollars. This was up to this time much the largest salary ever paid by the church. A year later the Rev. L. D. Robinson was elected pastor and given the privilege of preaching once a month at the Hurricane Baptist church. From December, 1876, until February, 1878, the church was without a pastor. Services were held regularly, with occasional sermons by members of the college faculty, but for the most part the Sunday morning service was devoted to a prayer meeting. At the end of that time the Rev. F. M. Huckleberry became pastor, but owing to dissension in the church his work was greatly weakened and he soon resigned. In October, 1881, the Rev. C. S. Scott became church pastor and remained to serve the congregation until 1885. The Rev. Albert M. Ogle, of Seymour, was at once called and from that date begins a steady march forward in the work of the church. The new church structure was begun in the year 1885, the corner stone being laid on August 6th of that year.
Succeeding Pastor Ogle, the Rev. E. S. Gardiner was called January 13, 1889, and served until June, 1897. Rev. J. A. Knowlton was pastor from 1897 to April 16, 1899; Wallace St. John from March 11. 1900, to May 31, 1903 ; F. O. Lamoreux from September 13, 1903, to April 21, 1905; Pleasant L. Powell from September 24, 1905, to August 28, 1910. Dr. Henry P. Klyver, the present pastor, began his duties October 2, 1910.
This church maintains a mission at the "North Baptist Church," and has an active, enthusiastic membership. The Sunday school, under Jesse C. Webb, county superintendent of schools, has an average attendance of two hundred and fifty. The church owns a parsonage and is in a good financial condition.
GREEN WOOD BAPTIST CHURCH.
The Baptist church at Greenwood was constituted on the 17th day of July, 1839, by the Rev. T. W. Haynes, with eighteen members, seven of whom had been baptized by Mr. Haynes, while eleven held letters of recom- mendation from Regular Baptist churches elsewhere. After a sermon by
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Mr. Haynes and the giving of the right hand of fellowship by the brethren present, principles of faith and rules of decorum were adopted, and under the name of "The Regular Baptists of Jesus Christ, at Greenwood," the organization was completed. The names of the constituent members were as follows: Elder Henry Hunter and wife, Mrs. Nancy Ransdale, Elizabeth Smith, Abigail Smith, A. H. Bryan, Mrs. Ann Bryan, Garrett Vandiver and wife, M. D. West, John Whitenack, Sr., Addison Wilson and wife, -Mrs. Abbott, Jesse Weathers, Mrs. Weathers, Miss Ann Vandiver, Mrs. Van Dyke and Miss Urey Van Dyke. The first meetings were held in a grove near Greenwood, and at one of the earliest business sessions a committee . was appointed to circulate a petition for the purpose of raising funds for the erection of a house of worship. The necessary steps were taken, but several years elapsed before the building was completed. It was finished about the year 1844, and stood a short distance west of the village, on ground now included within corporate limits. Rev. Mr. Haynes served as pastor several years, and was succeeded by Rev. Thomas S. Townsend, who was called by the church in 1844. H. H. Hunter preached at intervals for some years, as did also Rev. J. Brumback, both of whom sustained the pastoral relations. About the year 1858 Rev. J. W. B. Tisdale held a series of meetings, the im- mediate result of which was the addition of quite a number to the church, and a great revival of interest among its members. The next preacher was Rev. Mr. Golden, who was followed in a short time by Rev. I. N. Clark, whose pastorate extended over a period of three years. Rev. E. S. Riley preached at intervals for about ten years, and was succeeded by Rev. R. W. Arnold. Following Arnold came Rev. Mr. Keplinger, since whose time the church has been served by different pastors, at one time the Rev. C. H. Hall, of Franklin College, being pastor.
Since Prof. C. H. Hall's pastorate the following have served this church : Revs. L. L. Turney, 1895; T. J. Keith, 1896-1899: J. R. Henry, 1899-1902 ; H. P. Fudge, 1902; D. R. Landis, 1903-1908; E. M. Martinson, 1908-1911 : S. A. Sherman, present pastor. The church now has one hundred and twenty members, worshiping in a handsome edifice erected in 1899 at the corner of Main and Brewer streets.
AMITY BAPTIST CHURCH.
Amity Baptist church was constituted April 10, 1858, Rev. John Vaw- ter officiating. The original members were: Travis Burnett, Milton S. Vaw-
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ter, James S. Vawter, James M. Goldsborough, William Shipp, Harrison Bur- nett, William Brown, Mrs. Caroline Shipp, Rozanna Goldsborough, Martha E. Armstrong and Caroline Shipp, the majority of whom had formerly be- longed to the old Blue River church, in Shelby county, and Mount Pleasant congregation, near Trafalgar. James S. Vawter was the first clerk, and in 1859 he was duly licensed to preach the gospel. The year in which this or- ganization was effected witnessed the erection of a large and commodious brick temple of worship, thirty-five by sixty feet in size, with a seating capacity of about four hundred.
MT. ZION BAPTIST CHURCH.
Mt. Zion Baptist church (Trafalgar) was formally organized on June 8, 1844, at what was known as "School District No. 1," a short distance from the town of Trafalgar, by Elders Reece and Chandler. A council from Franklin, Second Mt. Pleasant and First Mt. Pleasant churches, was con- vened for the purpose of constituting the organization and, after a sermon by Elder Reece, the following persons were formally organized into a Regu- lar Baptist church: Frederick Ragsdale, Sarah Ragsdale, Simpson Sturgeon, Sarah Sturgeon, William M. Clark, Martha Clark, Annie B. Lee, Mary Sturgeon, Absalom Clark, Samuel Sturgeon, Burgess Waggoner and John W. Ragsdale. Elder J. Reece was called to the pastorate in 1844, and the same year a committee was appointed to select a suitable site for a house of wor- ship. The ground chosen was "one acre on the northeast corner of Steth Daniel's land." and in October, 1845, a frame building, thirty by forty feet in size, was decided upon by the committee. The house was not erected until some time later. It was a frame structure and answered the purpose for which it was intended until 1866, at which time a new building in the village of Trafalgar was erected. This house was in size thirty-six by fifty feet and was built at a cost of twenty-five hundred dollars.
FIRST MT. PLEASANT CHURCH.
First Mt. Pleasant (Franklin township), one of the oldest Baptist churches in Johnson county, was constituted July, 1828. The following were among its earliest members: Henry Byers, Elizabeth Byers, Peter Zook, Margaret Zook, Seaton Beadles, John Gashwiler, John Brunk, Aaron Mit- chell, Nolly Kilbourn, Maria Vaughn, James P. Beadles, Lamenta Beadles, Elizabeth Zook, Polly Helms, George Burkhardt. Elizabeth Burkhardt. Sarah
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( Byers) Leach, Benetta Beadles, George P. Bartlett, Thomas Bartlett, Nancy Roberts, Francis Elliott, George Bridges, Polly Harbert and Abraham Brunk. One of the first preachers was Rev. John Reece, who held meetings in a little log school house which stood a short distance from the present church build- ing. About the year 1837, or perhaps a little earlier, dissensions arose in the church between the conservative and progressive or missionary elements, the result of which was a division of the congregation. In May, 1838, the difficulty was partially adjusted by a reorganization under the original name, since which time the society has been known as a Missionary Baptist church. The reorganization was brought about by the efforts of Rev. A. R. Hinkley. The first house of worship was a log structure erected many years ago and used until the building of the present edifice. The present church is brick, well finished and furnished, and stands about five miles southwest of Franklin on the Martinsville turnpike.
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