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1838-1850.
PRESBYTERY OF INDIANAPOLIS, OLD SCHOOL.
We turn now to the Presbytery of Indianapolis, Old School.
In the fall of 1838, the pastoral relation between the church of Hopewell and Rev. D. Monfort was dissolved, that Mr. Monfort might give his undivided labors to the church at Franklin. Application was made through the presbytery to the Board of Missions for aid to the amount of two hundred dollars. The salary was five hundred. The presbytery returned the application to the church with directions that they make a vigorous effort to increase the amount subscribed for their pastor's sup- port. This vigorous effort resulted in cutting down the application to the Board of Missions to one hundred and fifty dollars.
CHURCHES ORGANIZED.
May 18th, 1838, Rev. David V. Smock organized a church at Greenfield, styled Hancock church. Wm. T. Templeton, an elder from said church, was admitted to a
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seat in presbytery. Supplies were appointed for several successive years for this church. A new church was organized in connection with the New School Presbytery in the spring of 1847.
September, 1839, the organization of a church at An- dersontown was reported to presbytery. Rev. Robert Irwin was appointed to supply it one Sabbath. In June, 1846, the name of this church was dropped from the roll. In 1846, the organization of a church at Andersontown was reported to the New School Presbytery.
The Presbytery of Oxford having organized the churches of Muncietown and Stony Creek, supposing said churches to be within their territory, and having reported these facts to the Presbytery of Indianapolis, these churches were taken under the care and placed upon the roll of presbytery in 1839.
The organization of the following churches is reported in successive years :
New Burlington, April, 1841.
Middletown, April, 1842.
Union, Decatur county, April, 1843.
Amity, Hamilton county, April, 1844. Windsor, Randolph county, April, 1844.
Newcastle, April, 1844.
Yorktown, September, 1845.
Concord, Rush county, September, 1845.
Georgetown, Brown county, December, 1845. Napoleon, September, 1846.
Harmony, Bartholomew county, April, 1848.
New Prospect, Johnson county, September, 1850.
MINISTERIAL CHANGES.
Mr. Joseph G. Monfort was received October 1838, as a licentiate from the Presbytery of Oxford. He became supply of the Greensburg and Sand Creek churches for
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six months, giving to each church one half his time. April, 1839, he was ordained and installed pastor of these congregations. October, 1842, he was released from the pastoral care of these churches to prosecute an agency for the endowment of the Theological Seminary at New Albany. May, 1845, he was again installed pastor of the church at Greensburg.
W. G. Holliday was dismissed to Crawfordsville Pres- bytery, October, 1838.
April, 1839, Rev. Robert Irwin and Rev. Michael Car- penter were received from the Presbytery of Oxford.
Rev. Robert Irwin was supply of the church at Mun- cietown. He received a call to the church in 1843, for one half of his time, and was installed pastor. The name of the church was changed in 1846, to Muncie.
April, 1839, the pastoral relation between J. W. Mc- Kennan and first church at Indianapolis was dissolved. By request of the church, Mr. MeKennan was appointed supply of the church until next meeting of presbytery.
September, 1839, a call having been given to Rev. James W. McKennan by the congregation of Cross Roads, Washington Presbytery, and he having stated his acceptance of the call, it was ordered "that he be furnished with the proper testimonials and be required to repair to the Presbytery of Washington, that the proper steps may be taken for his regular settlement."
September, 1839, Wm. Sickles became supply of Shi- loh for one half of his time. April, 1843, he was dis- missed to the Presbytery of Oxford, again received from Oxford September, 1844, and in June, 1846, dismissed to the Presbytery of Madison.
April, 1839, J. S. Weaver was dismissed to the Pres- bytery of Oxford.
April, 1840, Rev. Sayrs Gazely was received from the Presbytery of Cincinnati, a call having been presented
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to him by the church of Hopewell. Having accepted it, he was installed the third Saturday of May, by W. Sickles and D. Monfort, a committee of presbytery. In April, 1842, this pastoral relation was dissolved.
November, 1840, Mr. Colvin Mckinney, a licentiate of Oxford Presbytery, was received, and it being deemed necessary that he should be invested with full ministerial power in the churches of Shelbyville and St. Omar in which he was laboring, he was ordained as an evangel- ist. Of his examination we find these records : "Mr. Mckinney delivered his sermon, which was not deemed satisfactory, it being partly extemporaneous. Resolved, that Presbytery require of Mr. Mckinney a written dis- course on the subject assigned as a part of trial with- out regarding the unwritten sermon preached before us yesterday as any part of trial. Mr. Mckinney presented a written sermon on the subject assigned, after which he was further examined on Theology, which sermon and examination were sustained." June, 1843, Mr. Mc- Kinney was dismissed to Oxford Presbytery.
In December, 1840, Mr. Phineas D. Gurley, a licenti- ate of the Presbytery of North River, was received, or- dained and installed pastor of the First church at In- dianapolis. In June, 1842, the church determined to build a new house of worship. It was occupied in May, 1843, and completed in 1846, at a cost of between eight and nine thousand dollars. In the second year of Mr. Gurley's ministry, forty-two members were received upon profession of their faith. For four successive years the church was increased with goodly numbers on profession of their faith. In November, 1849, the pas- toral relation of Mr. Gurley to the church was dissolved. There was received into it during his ministry, two hun- dred and seventeen persons, one hundred and fifty-eight
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of these upon profession of their faith, and fifty-nine by letter. The total membership reported to the General Assembly in 1850, was two hundred and six.
In February, 1843, the pastoral relation between D. V. Smock and the church at Knightstown was dissolved. June, 1843, calls from the churches of Hopewell and Shi- loh were put by presbytery into his hands. He accept- ing, was installed by committee of presbytery. This pastoral relation was dissolved in July, 1850.
September, 1845, John Dale, a licentiate of Salem Presbytery, was received, ordained and installed as pas- tor of the church at Knightstown, for two-thirds of his time. This pastoral relation was dissolved in March, 1850, and in April following, Mr. Dale was dismissed to the Presbytery of Logansport.
August, 1843, George S. Rea, who had previously been received as a licentiate from the Presbytery of Ox- ford, was ordained and installed as pastor of the church of Ebenezer. This pastoral relation was dissolved April, 1844. Mr. Rea was dismissed September, 1846, to the Presbytery of Iowa.
The Rev. T. A. Hendricks, who had been licensed by the presbytery April, 1841, was ordained and installed pastor of the churches of St. Omar and Shelbyville. This pastoral relation was dissolved April, 1845, on ac- count of ill health of the pastor, disabling him for his work. Mr. Hendricks was dismissed April, 1847, to the Presbytery of Vincennes.
In October, 1846, the Rev. Francis Monfort was re- ceived from the Presbytery of Oxford and installed over the churches of St. Omar and Concord.
September, 1847, J. M. Wampler, a licentiate of Ox- ford Presbytery was received. He ministered to the church of Shelbyville, and was ordained June, 1848.
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He was dismissed April, 1849, to the Presbytery of Logansport.
In September, 1844, B. F. Woods, a licentiate of Sa- lem Presbytery, was received. In May, 1845, he was ordained and installed pastor of the Bethany and New Providence churches. This pastoral relation was dis- solved April, 1848.
J. C. King, a candidate under the care of the presby- tery, was licensed April, 1844. September, 1845, he was ordained and installed pastor of the church of Sand Creek for one-half his time.
D. A. Wallace, a candidate under care of presbytery, was licensed April, 1844. In June, 1847, he was or- dained and installed as pastor of the church of George- town for one-half his time. This pastoral relation was not of long continuance. Mr. Wallace was dismissed to the Presbytery of White Water July, 1849.
In April, 1844, W. A. Holliday was received from the Presbytery of Oxford. September, 1847, Mr. Holli- day's name was dropped from the roll, he having united with the Associate Reformed Church. April, 1849, he was again received from that body.
April, 1848, John Ross was received from Presbytery of Oxford.
September, 1848, D. D. McKee was received from the Presbytery of Alleghany.
July, 1849, Henry I. Coe, a licentiate of the Presby- tery of New Brunswick, was received. He was ordained March, 1850.
At the same time, Hugh Marshall was received on probation as a foreign minister from the Presbytery of Armagh, Scotland. A few months afterwards he was dismissed to the Presbytery of Green Brier.
March, 1850, Isaac L. Lyon, a candidate under the care of Albany Presbytery, was received and ordained.
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PRESBYTERY OF INDIANAPOLIS.
September, 1850, he was dismissed to the Presbytery of Iowa.
July, 1850, James Gallatin was received from the Presbytery of Iowa.
September, 1850, the pastoral relation between Dr. David Monfort and the church of Franklin was dis- solved. Dr. Monfort was also granted a letter of dismis- sion to the Presbytery of White Water. Presbytery passed the following resolutions :
Resolved, 1st, That in dismissing Dr. Monfort, for twenty years & father in the presbytery, we can not do justice to our feelings with- out expressing gratitude to the Head of the church, who has so long spared to us his valuable life, labors and counsels. We shall part with him with sincere regret, and our best wishes and prayers shall follow him to any new sphere to which he may be called.
2d, That a copy of this minute be sent with the dismission, prop- erly certified.
3d, That the presbytery sympathize with Dr. Monfort's late charge in their destitution, and hope they may be soon supplied by a regular pastor, and be eminently prospered by the King of Zion.
FRANKLIN.
Judge Banta, in his history of the Franklin church, gives succinct statements of the blessed results of this long pastorate. He also gives illustrations in his narra- tive of facts of the baleful and blighting results of bitter- ness, alienations and strifes upon the interests of the church, the salvation of souls, and the glory of Christ. Such teachings from the history of any of our churches ough not to be forgotten.
In the history of the church of Franklin, alluded to, these statements are made: "During the years of Dr. Monfort's preaching here, the record shows that two hundred and seventy-nine in all united with the church, one hundred and forty-nine on profession, and one hun- dred and forty-eight on certificate. In 1839, from July 5
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21st to 28th, eighteen converts were admitted. From this on to 1842, yearly additions both on certificate and examination were made, but no special manifestation of God's grace appears until January of that year, when from the 5th of that month to the 19th of the month fol- lowing, thirty-seven were taken into the church on pro- fession. This ingathering brought the membership, at the date of the presbyterial report, made in April of the following year, up to one hundred and eighty-seven. But from thence on to 1851, a period of nine years, there was a slow but sure decline." " Right here," says Judge Banta, "one of the most impressive lessons which the history of this church presents may be learned. During the years which mark the decline of this church under Dr. Monfort's pastorate, a bitter and unrelenting personal warfare was waged between certain of the members. I know nothing of the merits of this contro- versy ; I know not who was right and who was wrong. But for an examination of the records, I would not have known of any difficulty at all, and I therefore censure no man, no party ; I only note the fact of the dissension. No doubt during these gloomy years the pastor preached with all the clearness that marked his sermons of former years ; no doubt his appeals were as persuasive and his exhortations as eloquent; no doubt sinners felt the ar- rows of conviction, but the war within the camp went furiously on, and inquirers sought other folds or turned their backs on the church forever. All the actors in that whirl of strife are dead save one. Their bodies have returned to the dust, and their sad difficulties have dis- appeared with them. The merits of their controversy no one now knows or cares to know. How insignificant it must have been, and yet how baleful in its influence upon the cause of Christianity. Brethren, let us take
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the lesson to our hearts. Forever let us sink out of sight and memory every element of controversy, every vestige of discord."
SUPPORT OF THE MINISTRY.
From the begining, presbytery was clear and decided in its teachings, and in the use of its authority as to the support of the ministry. In September, 1838, the fol- lowing overture was presented : Should not every church have one or more deacons regularly elected and ordained, to take care of the poor and manage the pe- cuniary matters of the church ? This was answered in the affirmative, and the churches which had not deacons were directed to have that office filled so soon as prac- ticable.
In April, 1839, the following resolutions are passed :
Resolved, Ist, That presbytery earnestly recommend to the early attention of their churches the minute adopted at the last session of presbytery as to the election and ordination of deacons.
Resolved, 2d, That the special and faithful attention of the dea- cons be requested to the prompt collection of the pastor's support regularly ; and that the members of the churches be earnestly so- licited both to subscribe sufficient amounts for the comfortable support of their pastor or supply, and also to make that subscrip- tion available for such purpose by its being regularly paid.
At this same meeting of presbytery, the churches were called upon to report settlement with their pastors and supplies. All reported full settlement, except the churches of Franklin and Rushville. These were di- rected to settle their arrearages, and present the evidence of a settlement with their pastors at the next stated meeting.
The following resolution was also passed :
Resolved, That it be enjoined upon the deacons of our churches to report to presbytery, at its regular meetings, the state of the ac- counts between congregations and their pastors, the nature and
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extent of their pecuniary engagements with each other, shewing the exact amounts unsettled, together with the general character of their respective congregations in meeting all congregational en- gagements. The foregoing is charged as an official duty, which deacons may not neglect.
MISSIONARY LABORS OF PRESBYTERY.
An earnest application was sent to the Board of Mis- sions by the commissioner to the General Assembly, in 1840, that at least one missionary should be sent that year to labor within the bounds of the presbytery.
At the spring meeting of the presbytery in 1841, the presbytery was divided into four districts for missionary labor. Two ministers were assigned to each district, and the duty laid upon them of performing at least two weeks missionary labor in their several districts before the next stated meeting of presbytery.
This scheme of labor was afterwards modified, but in various ways much missionary labor was done by the members of presbytery.
MEETINGS OF PRESBYTERY.
The meetings of presbytery were made meetings for preaching and holding religious services, and reaching the people through them, as well as for the transaction of ecclesiastical business. Special topics were assigned before hand, and several special discourses were fre- quently preached during a meeting of presbytery. Pres- byteries met generally on Thursday, and continued in session until after the Sabbath. At the second meeting of presbytery at Muncie, in August, 1842, which begun on Thursday night and continued until after Sabbath, it was resolved to hold an intermediate meeting before the regular spring meeting. The time fixed for this meet- ing was October. It was held with the Lewisville church in Rush county, a church whose name was short-
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ly afterward changed to Ebenezer. The following were the appointments for preaching at this intermediate meeting :
W. Sickles, on "Faith."
D. Monfort, on " Baptism."
P. D. Gurley, on " Prayer."
R. Irwin, on " Repentance."
J. G. Monfort, on " The Judgment."
These intermediate meetings, with preaching upon special topics, were held for several years. They doubt- less were designed for accomplishing missionary work.
WHITE WATER PRESBYTERY.
In 1848, the General Assembly, upon overture from the Synod of Indiana, made the line between the States of Indiana and Ohio the line between the Synods of Indiana and Cincinnati. The Synod of Indiana in session at Hanover, October 1848, ordered the formation of the Presbytery of White Water, embracing the counties of Ohio, Dearborn, Ripley, Decatur, Franklin, Rush, Fay- ette, Union and so much of the counties of Henry and Wayne as lies south of the National road, or in the Pres- bytery of Indianapolis, except the church at Knights- town.
PRESBYTERY OF MUNCIE.
October, 1848, the Synod of Indiana also ordered the organization of the Presbytery of Muncie. In 1849, the General Assembly made the National Road the dividing line between the Synods of Indiana and northern Indi- ana. By this action, the First church of Indianapolis and Rev. P. D. Gurley and Rev. W. A. Holliday, were transferred to the Presbytery of Muncie, and the Pres- bytery of Indianapolis, Old School, was without a church in Indianapolis.
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BLOOMINGTON.
By order of Synod in October, 1848, Monroe county, with the church of Bloomington, then in the Presbytery of New Albany, was added to the Presbytery of Indian- apolis. Levi Hughes, pastor elect of the church of Bloomington, a licentiate of Presbytery of New Albany, was also received. He was ordained and installed pas- tor November 3d, 1848.
OWEN AND PUTNAM COUNTIES.
The Synod in 1849, further enlarged the presbytery by adding to it Owen county, and the part of Putnam county south of the National Road with the church of Vandalia, and Rev. Thomas Whallon.
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CHAPTER VII.
View of the Field from Reports of Indiana Gazetteer- Number of Old and New School Churches and their increase in Membership-Progress and Prosperity of the country.
LOOKING at the field occupied by the present Presby- tery of Indianapolis, we find from the imperfect sketches of the Indiana Gazetteer, published in 1849, the follow- ing statements respecting the occupation of this field by other denominations. These statements, combined with the United States census reports of 1850, will give us a more thorough knowledge of the field and its re- ligious condition than we can perhaps otherwise obtain. There is no statement made of the churches and ministers in Bartholomew county. Its population in 1850 was 12,486. In Brown county, "there are six churches, one for each of the denominations of Presbyterians, Metho- dists, United Brethren, Christian, (or Campbellite) Old Christian, (or New Light,) and Baptists." The popula- tion was 4,846. In Hancock county there are "twelve churches, mostly belonging to the Methodists and Bap- tists." There are "five lawyers, fourteen physicians, thirteen preachers." The population was 9,686. In Hendricks county, " the prevailing religious denomina- tions are Methodists, Baptists, Christians, Friends, Pres- byterians and Lutherans." There are thirty-six churches
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and twenty ministers of the Gospel. The lawyers num- ber six, and physicians twenty. The population is 14,083.
In Johnson county there are " twenty-two churches, mostly belonging to the Baptists, Methodists and Pres- byterians." There are " five lawyers, twenty-one physi- cians, twenty-nine preachers." The population was 12,100. Marion county is described as having " forty lawyers, fifty physicians, forty preachers and thirty-six churches, of which the Methodists are most numerous, then follow Baptists, Christians, Presbyterians, Luther- ans, Friends, Episcopalians, Catholics, Seceders, Univer- salists, etc." The population of Marion county in 1850, was 24,103. Of Morgan county it is said " the religious denominations which have erected churches are as fol- lows : Cumberland Presbyterians one, Lutherans one, Baptists five, Reformers or Christians ten, Friends three, Methodists fourteen." There are " seven lawyers, twen- ty physicians, thirty preachers." The population was 14,576. Of Monroe county the chronicler facetiously re- marks, there are "nine lawyers, ten physicians, and preachers too tedious to mention." No mention is made of the churches in the county. There were some eight Baptists, nine Christian and twelve Metho- dist churches. One Presbyterian, two Cumberland Pres- byterian, one Associate, one Associate Reformed, one Old Side Covenanter, one New Side Covenanter. The population was 11,286. In Putnam county there were " twenty-nine Methodist, fifteen Baptist, twelve Chris- tian and five Presbyterian churches." The population was 18,615. As to the number of ministers reported in the Gazetteer, the author in his Introduction says: "It may be said that from the number of preachers of the gospel represented to be found in the various counties, it will be supposed there is much more religious instruc-
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tion given than is actually the case. The quality is per- haps the only thing in dispute. A part of it is not in- ferior to any other, but a part too, was correctly de- scribed by one who, when receiving furs and skins for his salary, was asked 'whether it was not poor pay ?' ' Yes,' he said, ' but he gave poor preaching in return.'"
In this field there were, in 1850, twenty-four Presby- terian churches; thirteen New School, eleven Old School. In these churches there were eighteen hun- dred and fifty-nine members ; nine hundred and twenty- five New School, and nine hundred and thirty-four Old School. In 1838, the membership was one thousand and forty-two. In 1850, the increase had become eighty per cent. The population had increased from eighty- four thousand in 1840, to something more than one hundred and twenty thousand in 1850, an increase of something less than fifty per cent for that time.
But the mere increase of population does not mark the real progress and prosperity of this region of coun- try. The construction of railroads and telegraphs opens a new era of activity and enterprise. In 1838, when the great division of the Presbyterian Church occurred, Indi- anapolis, although the capital of the State, was but a good country town with a population of twenty-five hundred. In October, 1847, the Madison and Indianap- olis railroad was completed and the locomotive first en- tered the city. City, Indianapolis had become by vote in March, 1847, and in the actual establishment of city government in May, 1847. Six months after the rail- road reached Indianapolis the telegraph came, and des- patches by the wire were first sent as far east as Rich- mond May 12, 1848. The population of the city at this time was about six thousand. In 1850 it was a little more than eight thousand.
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CHAPTER VIII.
Indianapolis Presbytery, O. S .- Changes in Churches-Min- isterial Changes-State of Religion-Missionary Work- Presbyterial Authority-First Church of Indianapolis- Second Church of Greencastle-Numbers.
1850-1860.
FOLLOWING on the history for the next twenty-five years, of the churches and presbyteries within the boundaries of the present presbytery, our limits will for- bid anything more than a suggestive outline with a statement of results. Within the Presbytery of Indian- apolis, O. S., we find the following
CHANGES IN CHURCHES.
April, 1852, the organization of the church of Boggs_ town was reported to presbytery, with a membership of thirty-six.
The Third Church of Indianapolis, having been trans- ferred by the General Assembly of 1852, from the Pres- bytery of Muncie to the Presbytery of Indianapolis, was, in July, 1852, enrolled among the churches of the pres- bytery. This church had been organized September, 23, 1851, by a committee of Muncie Presbytery. Eighteen members from the First Church of Indianapo- lis united in its organization.
, April, 1854, the organization of the church of Donald- son, with twenty-nine members, was reported; also, the
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