USA > Indiana > Vermillion County > History of Parke and Vermillion Counties, Indiana : with historical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of many of the old families > Part 8
USA > Indiana > Parke County > History of Parke and Vermillion Counties, Indiana : with historical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of many of the old families > Part 8
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SECOND COMPANY.
Soon after the first company was sent South, another was recruited in Rockville. They, too, went to Indianapolis and were consolidated with part of a company from Madison county. They were sent to Nashville and then down the Nashville & Chattanooga railroad to Tullahoma, where they did similar service as the company that had preceded them. The last named was known as Company D, One Hundred and Thirty-Seventh regiment.
Thus ends the brief (imperfect in many ways) history of the military operations of the men who served from Parke county in defense of the Union, but this is the best that the author, at the mercy of imperfect records in the adjutant-general's office, can here furnish. It covers the chief events connected with the great struggle in which Parke county bore a very patriotic and important part. From first to last, Parke county sent out fourteen full companies, and more than half of five other companies. To these add the original volunteers in the Eleventh Indiana Regiment, the scattered ones in the Eighty-fifth Regiment, those in the Ninety-seventh and One Hundred and Fifteenth, the parts of companies in the One Hundred and Forty-ninth, the individuals in the sharp-shooters, the volunteers of 1864-5 on the gun- boats and other detached squads and it is found that the county contributed not less than two thousand volunteers for the Union cause between 1861 and 1866. . And remember, these were from a county that had a population of less than sixteen thousand souls when the war broke out. The county also raised funds for bounties and relief of $234.970. Aside from the usual number of worthless men who always find their way into armies, in all wars, in all countries, the men from Parke were solid citizens, terribly in earnest in their devotion to the national interests. In the camp-fires, in the tented fields of the Southland, might have been heard discussions of every theme imaginable. The officers were in no degree superior to the privates, as a general rule. The volunteer from this county was a man of standing at home, and saw the necessity of being true to his convictions and bared his breast unflinchingly on many a hard-fought battle field. At this date (1912) but few survive to tell of the terrible battles and long marches. There are some, however, and they are respected by all for what they endured in the days when the country demanded good men. In 1883 there were one hundred and seventy-five of these ex-soldiers in Parke county who were drawing pen- sions from the United States. The number has been diminishing ever since, although the pensions were raised after that date, making the amounts paid
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out here quite as large as a quarter of a century ago. Not alone did the sturdy farmer leave his plow in the field to enlist, but beside him stood the merchant, the lawyer, the doctor, the mechanic and the learned Greek and Latin scholars from institutions of learning. While Indiana had its back- biters at home,-its copper-head element,-the best citizens, both in public and private life, were men who stood by the Union in its hour of peril. Peace finally came, but not without great loss of blood and personal sacrifice on the part of Parke county soldiers.
With the many companies and regiments went forth many brave men who never returned to enjoy peace and long life among their people. By the wayside, on the hills, in the morasses and swamps of the far-off Southland; in the Golgothas around prison pens of Dixie, they sleep unshrouded, un- coffined and unknown, there to rest until the Angel shall proclaim the Resurrection Day, and bid the earth reveal her secrets. No gentle hand scatters flowers over their narrow homes. None go to weep where they rest hidden from sight and knowledge, but perchance the busy husbandmen plows o'er the spot where they lie in silence, and the wind in the tall grass chants its solemn requiem.
"On fame's eternal camping ground Their silent tents are spread ; And glory guards with solemn sound The bivouac of the dead."
There were several of the pioneers here who served in the war with Mexico, in 1846-7, and the last one. A. P. Noel, died in 191I.
At the time of the Spanish-American war, 1898, a company was re- cruited in Rockville for that service, but were never called out, as the state quota was made up by use of the regular National Guard companies. This company, which would have gladly served, was largely from out the men belonging to the old Cadet and Battery companies of Rockville.
THE M'CUNE CADETS.
This was a military company organized as state militia and sworn into service, with forty-eight members, April 30, 1880. It secured quarters over the old woolen factory, which it used as an armory and where the members were drilled. The captain was Clinton Murphy : first lieutenant, Isaac R. Strouse; Frank E. Stevenson, sergeant, at first, but at the completion of the
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organization in April, the following were elected: Clinton Murphy, captain; Frank E. Stevenson, first lieutenant; C. E. Lambert, second lieutenant; William L. Mason, orderly sergeant; Lannie L. Ticknor, second sergeant; William D. Stevenson, third sergeant; Frank H. Nichols, fourth sergeant ; Tilghman Bryant, fifth sergeant; Isaac Strouse, first corporal; William W. Smith, second corporal; Benjamin Grimes, third corporal, and George C. Cole, fourth corporal. The state furnished this company with breech-load- ing Springfield rifles. They were neatly uniformed in navy blue coats and sky-blue trousers and caps. The cost of the uniforms was eleven dollars and seventy-five cents per suit.
After about five years, this company disbanded. At present Rockville is the headquarters for the Indiana Artillery, .Major Stevens, commander; Major Frank E. Strauss, chief engineer of staff.
Another military company here is Company C Battery, whose officers are at present : Dennis Williams, captain ; first lieutenants, James F. Ander- son and R. E. Swope; second lieutenants, Frank J. Strain and William Elliott. This battery has a membership of one hundred men.
CHAPTER VII.
PARKE COUNTY'S RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES.
A majority of the pioneer band that invaded the wilds of what is now known as Parke county, Indiana, had been reared in the atmosphere, at least, of church influences, and many had been members of some one of the relig- ious denominations in the communities from which they emigrated. So, at an early day, they began to look to the formation of religious societies here and to the erection of some place in which to worship the "true and living God." The good seed scattered away back there a century ago has kept on producing good fruitage and may now be seen welling up in the Christian spirit manifested on every hand within the borders of Parke county, the present home of numerous churches and a regular church-going people, grouped into several different denominations of both Protestant and Catholic faith, but all of whom own the Chirst as their common Master.
Almost a third of a century ago it was written by J. H. Beadle, author of a history of this county, that the Catholic people had taken up their work in this country long before the Protestants, and that the standard of Rome had been planted on the banks of the Wabash long before it had in Geneva. "From this vantage ground Catholicism has been pushed by the aggressive energy of Protestant nations; England has triumphed over France and America over Spain and Mexico, till the Catholic power is confined to one small corner of North America, with a majority in no state and only in one territory of this nation. To the Missionary Baptists must be given the credit of the first church in Parke county, and to Rev. Isaac McCoy must be given the credit of having preached the first Protestant sermon in this county."
Long years afterward the Old-School Baptists, led by Matthew Noel. Austin M. Puett and others and ministered to by Elder Newport, founded a flourishing society in Rockville and built a brick church; but by slow de- grees the society went down and the building was finally used for a carpenter shop, and at last torn down.
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THE BAPTIST DENOMINATION.
Aside from the pioneer church above mentioned, the Baptists have had the following churches within Parke county :
What was known as the New Discovery Baptist church was situated five miles from Rockville, on the Greencastle road. This society was formed August 29, 1834, with thirty-seven members. By 1879 it had a membership of seventy communicants. The church was built about 1845.
The Second Baptist church of Rockville was organized July 23, 1870, by Rev. L. Artis. It had a building on lot No. I of the original town plat. It cost one thousand five hundred dollars and was thirty by forty feet in size. This society originally had eleven members, but by 1880 had reached a membership of forty-one.
The Colored Free-Will Baptists organized in Rockville in May, 1880, with eleven members. They used the Second Baptist church each fourth Sabbath. Their first pastor was Rev. Isaac Hill.
The first church built in Union township was what was styled the Providence Baptist church and was called the "meeting house." It was built out of the raw material of the forest, with but little hewing. It stood in the southwest corner of the township and there was a graveyard near by it. In this house Benjamin Lambert, Jerre Baldwin, Samuel Medley and others exhorted. In the church yard nearby, the first to be buried was Moses Bald- win. Later this rude house of worship was abandoned and a better one, known as Mount Moriah, was built across the way in Greene township. The first church in the township of Union was built in 1828-31; and the one in Greene township referred to was erected in about 1840, on section 33, a frame structure thirty by forty feet, its cost being five hundred dollars. In 1874 the society built their third building on the site chosen in 1841, and this building cost them one thousand seven hundred dollars. Jesse McClain served as pastor forty years. In 1880 the membership of the church was sixty.
The history of the Baptist church in Bridgeton, as shown by records pre- pared in the seventies by Dr. J. W. P. Seller, was as follows : About 1850 Elder P. Swaim came from the New Discovery church and held meetings in private houses around Bridgeton. After him came Rev. P. T. Palmer. At this time the members here belonged at New Discovery. About 1853 a com- mittee made arrangements and erected a church at a cost of nine hundred dol- lars, it being thirty by fifty feet in size. On June 3, 1853, there convened at Bridgeton a council which represented the churches of New Discovery,
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Freedom, Goshen and Liberty, and organized a society. Elder P. T. Palmer was moderator and R. Davis the church clerk. A joint letter of forty-two members from New Discovery church was presented, asking to be organized into a church, and were so organized by said council. Their first pastor was Peter M. Swaim. In the early eighties the membership had grown to about sixty-five. Since its organization up to 1879 there had been between three and four hundred persons taken into this society and several ministers had been ordained. As the first Baptist church here had been built by all classes it was used in common by all orthodox denominations. In 1879 a neat build- ing was erected, at a cost of nine hundred dollars, and the membership then amounted to about forty.
A regular Baptist church was organized on section 32, Raccoon town- ship, about 1835, with a membership of nearly thirty. The first preacher was Rev. Isaac W. Denman, who preached there fully forty years. He met his death August 31, 1875, by being run over by the cars. In 1858 a chapel was erected costing five hundred dollars, one-half of which Mr. Denman paid himself. The early members of this church have long since been gathered to their fathers.
In Liberty township a Baptist church was formed at a very early date and a building erected, which was followed in 1869 by another, costing two thousand eight hundred dollars, dedicated by Rev. C. B. Allen.
In Jackson township, about 1832, was built the first meeting house, and it was of the Baptist denomination and styled Rocky Forks church. The society was first formed by seven members. The old log "meeting house" stood more than a half century and until in the eighties.
PRESENT BAPTIST CHURCHES.
At this date (1912) there are the following Baptist churches within Parke county :
At Bridgeton, the church has a membership of twenty-seven, and its property is valued at $1,500.
The Brown Valley church has a membership of one hundred eighteen; valuation of church, $3,500.
Carbon has a church of twenty members, and the church is valued at $1,800.
Friendly Grove, membership, ninety-nine; valuation property, $1,200. Friendship church has a membership of thirty-nine and a church valued at $900.
.
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Goshen church has a membership of fifty-eight and church property valued at $1,500.
Marshall church has a membership of sixty and church property valued at $2,000.
New Discovery church has a membership of one hundred thirty-four and property valued at $2,500.
Rockville church has one hundred thirteen members and property valued at $2,500.
Tennessee church has a membership of one hundred and church prop- erty valued at $1,000.
Union has a church of seventy-six members and property valued at $1,000.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES.
This is among the pioneer church societies in Parke county, and for- tunate it is that one of the pastors of the Rockville church found time, amid his labors, to prepare its early history, from which we draw largely for this article, so far as it relates to Rockville and vicinity. J. S. Rogers, church clerk, placed the item referred to on historic pages for the church. .
"In the autumn of 1822 Rev. Charles C. Beatty, later a doctor of divin- ity at Steubenville, Ohio, then a young missionary, visited Parke county and gathered together a number of Presbyterian families, principally from Mer- cer county, Kentucky. Among that flock we find the names of Buchanan, Gilkeson, McMillen, Balch, Adams, Garrison, White, Anderson, Mann, Ran- kin and others, all living on Little Raccoon creek, between where Waveland now stands and the mouth of that stream. After preaching to them for some weeks, some times in groves and some times in private houses, he or- ganized them into what was known as Shiloh Presbyterian church. In 1824 they erected a hewed-log meeting house for worship, near Little Raccoon creek, about four miles northeast of the town of Rockville. This was the first built in Parke county. The ruling elders were Amos P. Balch, William McMillan, Jonathan Garrison, James Buchanan and Henry Anderson. It is said that this church in 1830 reported some one hundred members to the general assembly. Revs. S. K. Snead, D. C. Proctor, Isaac Reed, Gideon Blackburn, Samuel Taylor, John Young and James Thompson visited the church and preached more or less to it prior to 1828, when Rev. Samuel H. McNutt, a young minister from Virginia, became stated supply to that peo- ple, and so continued until 1832. That year a large section of Shiloh church
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and congregation, together with a number who had removed from other states to Rockville, resolved to start a new enterprise at that place. Accord- ingly, on August II, 1832, after a sermon by the Rev. John Thompson, a church consisting of forty members was organized, with the Rev. S. H. McNutt as pastor. Henry Anderson, James L. Allen and James McCamp- bell were chosen ruling elders; the two latter were then ordained and the three installed as ruling elders of the Rockville Presbyterian church. Early in 1833 they erected the old First church.
In 1835 Rev. McNutt, who had served the church as stated supply, be- came the regular pastor, and officiated as such until 1846, when by mutual consent his pastoral relations to the church was dissolved, and he was fol- lowed by the Rev. William Y. Allen. In. March, 1839, the church reported one hundred and thirty members to the general assembly, only nine of whom remained in the bounds of the congregation in 1877, a large number having died and removed, many emigrating to the far West. In 1880 Dr. Beaty was the only surviving minister of old Shiloh; all the members of the old organization have passed away except John C. Gilkeson and Margaret and Isabella Gilkeson. In 1839 forty-one members withdrew and formed a sep- arate church known as the Second Presbyterian church of Rockville (New School). The First Presbyterian church was now known as Old School. In April, 1842, the First church reported one hundred and sixteen members; in 1843, one hundred and thirty-four ; and in 1845, one hundred and forty-four, which last number was the largest ever reported. In 1859, the membership
was about ninety. * * * In 1862, Rev. W. Y. Allen requested the church to unite with him in asking the presbytery to dissolve the pastoral relation existing between him and the church, both of which requests were granted, and after a pastorate of almost sixteen years Mr. Allen closed his labors in this pulpit. The Rev. S. H. McNutt succeeded as stated supply one year, and was succeeded in June, 1863, by the Rev. Reaubien in the same capacity. The latter resigned in November, 1864, and moved to Philadel- phia. The pulpit was then practically vacant for one year, after which Rev. John Mitchell served a year and resigned. Rev. Dr. Jewett, a Congregational minister from Terre Haute, came next and supplied the church until the reunion in 1869. In 1866 James R. McArthur, from Alabama, was added to the bench of elders, and in 1868 D. H. Maxwell, T. N. Rice and W. L. Mc- Millen were ordained ruling elders. The three last, with J. C. Gilkeson and Levi Sidwell, constituted the bench of elders at the time of the reunion. On April 22, 1839, forty-one members withdrew and organized the Second
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Presbyterian church of Rockville (New School), as before mentioned. James L. Allen and David Todd were chosen ruling elders. Rev. S. G. Lowry, of Crawfordsville, was the stated supply from July 15, 1839, to July 15, 1847. During his pastorate one hundred and twenty-three members wre received into the church. A house of worship was erected, and on November 22, 1840, was dedicated, the sermon being preached by Rev. John S. Thompson, of Crawfordsville. In 1847, Rev. Lowry was succeeded by Rev. W. M. Cheever, who was the next year regularly installed pastor, and continued as such until the latter part of the year 1849, when he gave way to the Rev. W. D. Rositer. The fruits of Mr. Cheever's ministry was the addition of twenty-eight into the church. Rev. George A. Adams preached from 1852 to 1855, and added thirteen to the church. Rev. John A. Tiffany succeeded Mr. Adams in 1856, and remained as stated supply two years, in which time nine united with the church. In the early part of 1859, Rev. John O. Blythe began his labors, remaining eight months and receiving two into the church. The next stated supply was Rev. John Hawks, whose period of service extended from 1859 to 1866. During six years of this time one hundred and four members were added to the congregation. On February 3, 1862, I. G. Coffin, previously elected, was ordained a ruling elder. The spring and summer months of 1867 found the pulpit only occasionally sup- plied, but on October 23d the Rev. John M. Bishop began his ministrations. "On June II. 1869, the elders of this society addressed a communication to the First Presbyterian church of Rockville, proposing a union of the two, and at a congregational meeting of that church, held July 17-22, the proposi- tion was accepted. Accordingly, on December 29th the union was formally consummated at a called meeting of the Greencastle presbytery, convened at Terre Haute, the Crawfordsville presbytery, to which the First church be- longed, having previously set it off for that purpose. Rev. John M. Bishop was continued pastor of the united church until October 23, 1872, when Rev. Henry L. Dickerson was installed stated supply. Early in the summer of 1877 the latter resigned his charge and removed to Danville, Indiana. Rev. William H. Hillis was the next to serve as pastor."
It may he stated that in 1880 this church had a membership of one hun- dred and forty-one. In 1870 a fine large brick edifice was erected and served well its purpose until the present church structure was built in 1891, or rather remodeled, and is known as Memorial church. A pipe organ was added in April, 1910, at a cost of two thousand five hundred dollars. The pres- ent membership of this church is two hundred and sixty. The pastors since the
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last mentioned have been as follows: Revs. W. H. Hillis, from 1879 to 1881; James Omelvena, from 1881 to August, 1887; James Kerns, from January 17, 1887, to 1888; J. H. Sharrard, from May 17, 1888, to March 20, 1895; J. P. Roth, from June 17, 1896, to May 29, 1899; J. C. Christie, from 1899 to 1903; H. L. Nave, from January 10, 1904, to 1908; W. B. Chancelor, from 1908 to the present date.
In conclusion, it may be added that when the Old and New School churches united, the bells of the two societies were taken from their re- spective buildings and recast into one which hangs in the tower in the rear of the new church. This is indeed a beautiful symbol of the perfect union of the two church bodies. The old Second church building, in the west part of town, was converted into a carriage shop for Foster Brothers. The old First church was sold to John Tate and others and for a time used for school purposes. Afterwards the Colored Baptists held services in it and later it became an implement house.
In Liberty township, in 1847, a Presbyterian congregation was organ- ized with twenty members, and the following year a meeting house was built. It was burned and rebuilt in 1877, at a cost of eight hundred dollars. Rev. James Ashmore was the first pastor of which we have any record. Rev. T. A. Williams was pastor in 1880 and then the church had a membership of sixty.
In Reserve township a Presbyterian church was erected in 1853. The first minister was Rev. John Hawks, who organized the congregation and car- ried on the building operations of the first church. He was succeeded by Rev. Thomas Griffith and he by Rev. William Wilmer, who in the later seventies was followed by Rev. Stinson from Kentucky, who had about forty members under his charge.
In Adams township, the New Bethel Presbyterian church was located on the Rockville gravel road, two and a half miles out of Rockville. It was organized in 1859 by twelve members. For a time the congregation wor- shiped in the school house, but later a nine hundred dollar church building was erected. Rev. John Hawke was the first pastor of this church. At one time more than sixty names were on the church roll and forty were added after a single revival period. For many years this society was the means of doing a great deal of good in the community in which it was located.
At Judson, in Washington township, there was a Presbyterian church organized early in the seventies and in 1873 a building was erected by this denomination and the Methodists in union.
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Another Presbyterian church was formed in Liberty township March 10,1876, Rev. J. W. Hanna being the first preacher. This never came to be a large congregation.
PRESENT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES.
In 1912 the Presbyterian churches of this county are located as follows : Rockville, Memorial church, with two hundred and sixty members; Mt. Herman church, at Howard, which was moved in from the country in 1901 and now has a membership of fifty-five; New Bethel, three and a half miles out of Rockville, an old society that has virtually gone down, but the few re- maining members still hold the church property, and have occasional services ; the Guion-Judson church with fifty-five members; Bethany church was a country church until about 1910, when it was removed to the town of Mar- shall and now has a membership of ninety-one; Montezuma has a Presby- terian church of thirty members and owns its own manse.
The Cumberland Presbyterians had a joint building in Liberty township at one time and a small congregation.
UNITED PRESBYTERIANS.
A society of this denomination was organized in Greene township in 1858, by the union of the Associate Reform Presbyterians, Associate Presby- terians and Covenanters. The next year they commenced to erect a place for worship, which was finished in 1860. Its cost was less than eight hundred dollars. William G. Spenser was the first ordained minister of this church. In 1880 the society had a membership of forty-four. The church was located on section 35.
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