USA > Indiana > Marion County > Indianapolis > History of the Presbytery of Indianapolis > Part 6
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organization of the Union church, with fourteen mem- bers, and of the Greenwood church, with nine members.
September, 1854, the organization of a church at Ed- inburg, with twenty members, was reported.
September, 1855, the organization of a church at Greenfield, with eighteen members, was reported.
MINISTERIAL CHANGES.
April, 1851, the pastoral relation between Levi Hughes and the church at Bloomington was dissolved, and Mr. Hughes dismissed to the Presbytery of Logansport to ac- cept the call of the First Church of Logansport.
April, 1851, H. I. Coe was dismissed to the Presby- tery of Muncie.
James Gallatin was dismissed at the same time to the Presbytery of Cedar, Iowa.
April, 1851, J. A. McKee was received from the Pres- bytery of Madison. In the following June he was in- stalled pastor at Franklin. April, 1860, this pastoral relation was dissolved, on account of the failing health of the pastor's wife and the necessity of a change of climate. In October, 1860, Mr. McKee was dismissed to the Presbytery of St. Paul.
April, 1851, David Stevenson, a licentiate, was re- ceived from the Presbytery of Elizabethtown. He was ordained June, 1851. July, 1852, he was installed pastor of the Third Church, of Indianapolis. October, 1860, this pastorial relation was dissolved on account of the failing health of the pastor.
June, 1851, J. C. Caldwell, a licentiate, was received from the Presbytery of Crawfordsville, and ordained and installed at Shelbyville. He was released from his pastoral charge September, 1856, and dismissed to the Presbytery of St. Paul, April, 1857.
June, 1851, H. L. Vannuys was licensed, and April,
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1853, dismissed to put himself under the care of the Presbytery of Lake.
June, 1851, R. M. Overstreet was licensed, ordained in September, 1851, and after laboring in the church of Georgetown and elsewhere in the missionary work of the presbytery, was dismissed in October, 1852, to the Presbytery of Palestine.
July, 1852, C. G. McLain, D. D., was received from the Classis of Montgomery, New York. Dr. McLain es- tablished in Indianapolis a large and flourishing school for young ladies, under the name of the McLain Sem- inary. He died in 1860.
July, 1852, Thomas Alexander was received from the Presbytery of Crawfordsville. He was stated supply of the church in Bloomington. September, 1854, he was dismissed to the Presbytery of Brazos, Texas.
July, 1852, Orlando Clark was licensed. September, 1857, he was dismissed to put himself under the care of the Presbytery of Miami.
October, 1852, E. K. Lynn was received from the Presbytery of New Albany. He was installed at Hope- well in the succeeding November. He was released from his pastoral charge in April, 1853, and dismissed September, 1854, to the Presbytery of Palestine.
April, 1853, Alfred Ryors, D. D., was received from the Presbytery of Hocking. Dr. Ryors was president of the State University at Bloomington. IIe was dis- missed to the Presbytery of Madison April, 1854.
September, 1853, J. L. Martin was received from the Presbytery of Louisville. He labored in the churches of Georgetown and Shiloh for a time, and was dismissed to the Presbytery of Vincennes April, 1855.
December, 1853, David Monfort, a licentiate, was re- ceived from the Presbytery of White Water, ordained
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and installed at Knightstown. He was released from this pastoral charge April, 1858, and in September fol- lowing dismissed to the Presbytery of White Water.
April, 1855, F. H. L. Laird was received from the Presbytery of New Albany. He was stated supply at Bloomington for a year, and dismissed to the Presbytery of Potosi October, 1856.
April, 1855, A. C. Allen was received from the Pres- bytery of Crawfordsville, and installed at Hopewell. The pastoral relation was dissolved July, 1859.
September, 1856, Wm. Sickles was received from the Presbytery of Madison.
April, 1857, Lowman Hawes was received from the Presbytery of Milwaukee. He was installed at Bloom- ington in May following. November, 1857, he was re- leased, and dismissed to the Presbytery of Madison, to accept the call of the First Church of Madison.
April, 1857, Blackburn Leffler was received from the Presbytery of Sangamon. He was dismissed to the Presbytery of Vincennes April, 1859.
April, 1858, John Gilchrist was received from the Presbytery of White Water. He was installed over the church of Sugar Creek June, 1858, for one-half his time.
June, 1858, E. C. Sickles was licensed, and dismissed to put himself under the care of the Presbytery of St. Louis. ยท
April, 1859, L. G. Hay was received from the Presby- tery of Allahabad, India.
J. J. Smythe was received at the same time from the Presbytery of Orange. After serving the church at Shelbyville until November, 1860, he was then installed its pastor.
April, 1859, T. M. Hopkins, was received from the
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Presbytery of Miami. He was called to the pastorate of the church at Bloomington. After several failures of committees appointed by presbytery for the installa- tion services, he was finally installed in October, 1860.
April, 1860, J. F. Smith was received from the Pres- bytery of White Water. November, 1860, he was in- stalled pastor of the church of Hopewell.
STATE OF RELIGION.
In September, 1851, mention is made in the records of presbytery of a deplorably low state of religion in most of the churches. Because of this low state of religion, a day of fasting and prayer was appointed. At the following spring meeting, this record is made : "In view of the statements made by brethren, in their conversation on the state of religion in our bounds, of the gracious dealings of the Lord among us, it was moved that we spend a short season in thanksgiving to God for what he had done for our churches, beseech- ing him at the same time for greater blessings." In September, 1855, record is again made of a very low state of religion in the churches of presbytery. April, 1858, mention is made of greatly increased religious in- terest, and of large accessions to some of the churches.
The Third church of Indianapolis had steadily grown from its original membership of eighteen in 1851, until in 1860, it reported a membership of one hundred and eighty-two.
The largest church in the presbytery, was the Hope- well church, which reported two hundred and sixty-six members.
MISSIONARY WORK.
During this decade, the presbytery for several succes- sive years sought for an intinerant missionary to sup-
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ply the vacancies. Not succeeding in this, the mem- bers of presbytery, with great diligence and zeal, labored among their destitute churches and fields.
PRESBYTERIAL AUTHORITY.
Nor was the presbytery lacking in the exercise of its control over the churches, when in its judgment such control was demanded. In April, 1857, Rev. J. A. Mc- Kee applied for a dissolution of the pastoral relation be- tween himself and the church at Franklin. After hear- ing the parties, presbytery took the following action :
Resolved, Ist, That the request be not granted.
Resolved, 2d, That the church at Franklin be recommended to strengthen their session by the accession of two or more elders.
Resolved, 3d, That the session be directed to discipline any mem. ber of said church who shall continue to pursue a course calculated in their judgment to be divisive or destructive to the peace, unity and purity of the church in Franklin.
Resolved, 4th, That a committee of three be appointed with ad- visory power to aid the session in carrying out this action, and that the chairman of said committee be directed to make known this action to the church on next Sabbath.
And not only did presbytery resolve, but at its fall ses- sion, upon report of the committee it had appointed, it proceeded to discipline. The benefits of this mainten- ance of the order and discipline of the church by the presbytery, are manifest from the concluding paragraph of a page of Judge Banta's history of the church of Franklin. He thus speaks of Mr. McKee's labors : " The year following Rev. Mr. McKee's entry upon his labors here, the membership of the church went down to one hundred and fifteen-twenty-nine members hav- ing been dismissed, and seven having died. But in 1852, the gains began to exceed the losses, and with the exception of two years, this has been the case ever since. In that year a refreshing revival came to bless the la-
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bors of the new pastor. The good work seems to have commenced in the last of February, and it continued up to the middle of April, during which interval forty per- sons in all were added on profession of their faith. In the spring of the succeeding year, another shower came, and twenty-five converts were added, which, with the addition of those who joined on certificate, brought the membership up to one hundred and eighty six, the high- est number then ever reached. In 1854, the number was carried up to one hundred and ninety-four, but this in- crease was mostly due to the admissions on certificate. It is evident to one who peruses the records of this date, that a church trouble is again brewing. What the cause was, I am sure I don't know. All I can say is, that in 1854, only five converts were added; in 1855, not one, in 1856, three, and in 1857, not one! Other work seems to have required the attention of the people du- ring these gloomy years. The younger members of the congregation appear to have been seized about this time with a mania for dancing, while the older brethren had more serious business of their own on hand. A temp- est had arisen-a controversy was up-a first class church quarrel was on the carpet, and while the breth- ren were cutting and threshing this way and that way at each other, no recruits ventured to come from the en- emy without. How eloquently do these mute figures plead for peace within the church !"
The paragraph of Judge Banta's history immediately succeeding to these statements, is that which shows the benefits of the watchful care of the presbytery and its maintenance of the order and discipline of the church. "In 1858," continues this historian of the Franklin church, " the smoke of this conflict having disappeared, God smiled again upon the labors of Mr. McKee, and
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in February, March and April of that year, fifty-eight were added on examination."
FIRST CHURCH OF INDIANAPOLIS.
The Rev. John A. McClung, D. D., of Maysville, Ken- tucky, was installed as pastor of this church December 31, 1851. This relation continued until dissolved, Sep- tember, 1855, on account of ill health of the pastor. The Rev. Thomas M. Cunningham, of St. Louis, was called as pastor December 12, 1856, and continued until May, 1860. The membership of the church reported in 1860 was two hundred and thirteen.
SECOND CHURCH OF GREENCASTLE.
This church was ministered to by Rev. J. M. Mc- Chord for about four years after its organization. He was succeeded by Rev. E. W. Fiske, who began his ministry with the church in 1854. It reported, in 1860, one hundred and ten members.
NUMBERS.
In 1860 the presbytery consisted of eleven ministers and sixteen churches, containing fourteen hundred and forty-one members. Fourteen of these churches, and eleven hundred and ninety members were within the boundaries of the present Presbytery of Indianapolis. In connection with the Old School body, there were also several other churches of Muncie and Crawfordsville Presbyteries, besides the First Church of Indianapolis and Second Church of Greencastle, which are now within the boundaries of the present Presbytery of Indi- anapolis. These were New Hope, Carpentersville and Clermont. There was also a German church in Indi- 6
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anapolis, which, after appearing for a series of years in the reports of Muncie Presbytery, disappears. The total of the membership of the Old School churches is one thousand seven hundred and forty.
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CHAPTER IX.
Indianapolis Presbytery, N. S. - New Churches - Second Church of Indianapolis-Fourth Church of Indianapolis -Greenwood-Ministerial Changes-Missionary Work- Danville, White Lick, Greencastle, Putnamville, Bain- bridge, Bloomington, Columbus.
1851-1860.
APRIL, 1851, the organization of the Second Church of Franklin, with a membership of twenty two, was re- ported to presbytery.
In the spring of 1851, because of the blessing of God upon the labors of C. E. Babb, pastor of the Second Church of Indianapolis, the church edifice became too small for the congregation, and it became a question with the church whether to enlarge their building or to colonize and form another church. The pastor advised the latter. In presbytery, which convened September 4, 1851, Mr. Babb reported that there was great need of another church in Indianapolis, and that efforts were being made to organize another church. In conse- quence of this report presbytery passed the following resolution :
That we respectfully recommend to the Second Presbyterian Church of Indianapolis, to take into consideration the propriety and importance of forming another church of our order in that city ; and, that if they should embark in such an enterprise, they shall have our sympathy and co-operation.
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After a full interchange of opinion, September 30, 1851, the session of the Second Church resolved that it was desirable and practicable to form a colony and or- ganize another Presbyterian church. On the 30th of November, 1851, twenty-four persons, dismissed from the Second Church, were organized into the Fourth Presby- terian Church of Indianapolis.
September, 1857, the organization of the church at Zionsville, with six members and one elder, was reported to presbytery.
April, 1860, the Second Presbyterian Church of Madi- son county, with ten members, was reported to presby- tery.
SECOND CHURCH OF INDIANAPOLIS.
On account of failing health, the Rev. C. E. Babb was released from pastoral care of this church January 31, 1853. April, 1854, he was dismissed to the Presbytery of Cincinnati.
The church remained vacant a full year. January 1, 1854, Rev. Thornton A. Mills, to whom a call had been extended by the church the previous October, entered upon the duties of the pastorate. He was received from the Presbytery of Cincinnati, and installed February, 1854. Under the ministry of Dr. Mills the church steadily grew, although there were no seasons of revival. February, 1857, Dr. Mills was released from pastoral charge of the church, to enter upon the duties of Secre- tary of the General Assembly's Committee on Education, to which he had been elected towards the close of the year 1856. August, 1857, the church gave a call to the Rev. George P. Tindall. Having accepted the call, he was received by the presbytery from the Presbytery of Dayton, October, 1857, but was not installed until June, 1859. The year 1858 was a year of revival throughout
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the land. The Second Church, from April, 1858, to April, 1859, received to its membership fifty-three on profession of faith and sixteen by letter. The member- ship reported in 1860 was one hundred and ninety-five.
FOURTH CHURCH OF INDIANAPOLIS.
The Fourth Church in the beginning of 1852, secured for its minister the Rev. George M. Maxwell. He was received from the Presbytery of Franklin, August, 1852. He first served the church as stated supply. He became pastor elect April, 1854, and was installed February, 1856. On account of failing health, he was released from his pastoral charge, December, 1858, and dismissed to the Presbytery of Cincinnati April, 1860.
During the ministry of Mr. Maxwell in the Fourth Church, after nearly six years of struggle, the church dedicated its first house of worship at the corner of Del- aware and Market streets. Its membership, at that time, had increased to one hundred and fifteen. In the spring of 1858 a large accession was reported of thirty- three by profession and twenty by letter.
October, 1859, A. L. Brooks was called to the church. He entered upon his labors immediately, and was re- ceived by the presbytery from the Presbytery of Chicago, April, 1860. The church reported in April, 1860, only eighty-five members.
GREENWOOD. .
The pastor of the Greenwood church, P. S. Cleland, continued steadily on in his labors through this decade in the history of the presbytery, and the second decade of his labors with the Greenwood church. September 17, 1853, the third house of worship erected by the con- gregation, was dedicated to the worship of God. The year 1853 was marked by a season of special religious
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interest. There was also a revival in 1856, resulting in larger additions to the church than at any other time during the ministry of Mr. Cleland. Twenty-eight per- sons were received upon profession of their faith. In 1860, there was reported a membership of one hundred and twenty-six.
MINISTERIAL CHANGES.
To those already mentioned as occurring in this peri- od of the history of the presbytery, the following are to be added :
April, 1851, E. Scofield was received from the Presby- tery of Cincinnati. He was at different times supply of the Highland and Second Franklin churches; also of Pendleton, Anderson and Greenfield. These were all missionary churches, with a membership of three, in the smallest reported, Pendleton, and of twenty-three in the largest, Highland. Mr. Scofield was dismissed to the Presbytery of Hamilton, September, 1853. September, 1858, he was again received from the Presbytery of Hamilton, and ministered to the church at Anderson.
April, 1851, Mr. Nyce was dismissed to Felicity Pres- bytery.
September, 1851, J. Fairchild was received from the Presbytery of Crawfordsville. His labors were first in Hancock county. He afterwards was supply of the Highland and Second Franklin churches. September, 1856, he was dismissed to the Presbytery of Ft. Wayne.
Angust, 1852, John Stewart was received from the Presbytery of Lexington. April, 1853, he was dismissed to the Presbytery of Madison.
April, 1853, W. A. McCampbell was received from the Presbytery of Green River. He became stated sup- ply of New Providence or Southport. He was permit-
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ted to labor in his new field but a few months. He was removed by death, August, 1853.
April, 1853, J. Brownlee was received from the Pres- bytery of Madison. He was installed pastor of the church at Connersville, June, 1853. April, 1855, he was released from the pastoral care of the church. Septem- ber, 1859, he was dismissed to the Presbytery of Kan- sas, having previously labored for some time without the bounds of the presbytery.
September, 1853, B. F. Cole was released from the pastoral care of the churches of Thorntown and Bethel, and dismissed to the Presbytery of Pataskala.
September, 1854, W. R. Stevens was received from the Presbytery of Trumbull. He became supply of Thorn- town and Bethel. September, 1856, he was dismissed to the Association of Minnesota.
April, 1855, W. H. Rogers was dismissed to the Pres- bytery of Salem. His principal field of labor in the presbytery had been Noblesville.
April, 1855, S. E. Wishard was licensed. April, 1857, he was dismissed to put himself under the care of the Presbytery of Schuyler.
September, 1855, A. S. Avery was dismissed to the Presbytery of Alton. He had been for several years without a charge.
September, 1855, W. A. MeCorkle was received from the Presbytery of Crawfordsville. April, 1856, he was dismissed to the Presbytery of Fox River.
April, 1856, Philander Anderson was received from the Presbytery of Fort Wayne. He remained in the presbytery without charge.
September, 1856, E. B. Smith was received from the Presbytery of Harmony. He supplied the church of
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Connersville, and September, 1857, was dismissed to the Presbytery of Clinton.
September, 1856, George H. White, a licentiate of Fourth Hartford Association, was received. He was or- dained an evangelist November, 1856, and went as a missionary to Turkey under appointment from the American Board of Foreign Missions.
October, 1857, Franklin Putnam was received from the Presbytery of Dayton. He became stated supply of Thorntown and Bethel. While engaged in this field, he was removed by death in the summer of 1859, and so ceasing from labor entered into heavenly rest.
September, 1858, J. O. Blythe was received from an Independent church of Philadelphia. September, 1860, he was dismissed to the Third Presbytery of Philadel- phia.
September, 1859, D. A. Bassett was received from the Presbytery of Madison. He became stated supply of the church at Connersville.
September, 1860, W. N. Stimson was dismissed to the Presbytery of Greencastle. He had been for several years without charge, but for several years before supply of New Pisgah and Sugar Creek.
September, 1860, Isaac De La Mater was received from the Presbytery of Crawfordsville. He became stated supply of Thorntown and Bethel.
MISSIONARY WORK.
Presbytery labored faithfully to supply the vacancies and destitutions of their field. Strenuous exertions were made to supply vacant churches with the stated ministry of the word at least a portion of the time. The mis- sionaries of the presbytery generally had in charge sev- eral small churches. The larger part of the funds for the prosecution of the missionary work within the
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bounds of the presbytery, was raised within the presby- tery. The balance was supplied through the American Home Missionary Society.
The salaries paid the missionaries were but meagre, while their hardships were many. One received two hun- dred and seventy-five dollars a year; one hundred from the Home Missionary Society, and one hundred and seventy-five from two churches. Another missionary had a salary promised of three hundred and seventy-five dollars ; one hundred and seventy-five from the Home Missionary Society, two hundred from two churches. Of this two hundred promised, the churches would fall short fifty dollars. Another brother had five hun- dred a year, paid to him quarterly by a member of the Second Church. Had this good brother of the Second Church continued to be responsible for a series of years for that necessary support of a missionary, which the field itself could not be made to yield, doubtless the re- gion occupied instead of continuing a moral and spirit- ual wilderness to so large an extent as it is at the present time, would have been like a garden of the Lord.
But while missionaries were thus laboring on scanty stipends, city ministers received but eight hundred dol- lars a year. This, however, was paid quarterly, not as it happened, and all paid, and not simply a considerable portion of it.
In 1859 the Synod of Indiana transferred the church of Laurel Hill and the county of Franklin from the Presbytery of Madison to the Presbytery of Indianapo- lis. The church of Laurel Hill was a feeble church of ten members, and this transfer of the synod only widened the missionary ground of the synod.
DANVILLE.
In Danville, Hendricks county, Presbytery of Green-
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castle, the Rev. Amos Jones continued his ministry until March, 1853. He was succeeded by Rev. B. F. Cole, who labored in the church for three years. The sum- mer after the departure of Mr. Cole, Rev. S. E. Wishard ministered to the church. Rev. H. L. Dickerson became supply of the church in the fall of 1857. A new church building was dedicated in December, 1858. March 31, 1860, Mr. Dickerson was called to the pastorate of the church. The membership reported in 1860 was one hundred and seven.
WHITE LICK.
The church of White Lick, which was organized from members of the Danville church, first appears on the roll of presbytery in 1854. Its membership increased from twelve in 1854, to thirty-eight in 1860.
GREENCASTLE.
The first church of Greencastle was ministered to by Rev. T. M. Oviatt, from 1851 to 1855. He was succeed- ed by Rev. Henry Rossiter. In 1860, the membership reported was one hundred and six.
PUTNAMVILLE AND BAINBRIDGE.
Putnamville was ministered to by Rev. Ransom Haw- ley one-fourth of his time. It enjoyed a season of revi- val in 1852. Its membership in 1860 was forty.
The Bainbridge church, which was in connection with the Crawfordsville Presbytery, N. S., reported in 1860 a membership of eighty-nine.
BLOOMINGTON.
In June, 1852, a Presbyterian church, New School, was organized, with eleven members, in Bloomington. This church was in connection with the Presbytery of Salem. It was ministered to statedly, by Rev. John M.
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Bishop, a portion of his time. After 1854, Professor Elisha Ballantine, of the State University, supplied it for several years upon the alternate Sabbaths, upon which Mr. Bishop was absent. The membership re- ported in 1860 was seventy-seven.
COLUMBUS.
The church of Columbus, in connection with the Madison Presbytery, N. S., was supplied from 1850 to 1853 by Rev. J. Brownlee. In June, 1853, the Rev. N. S. Dickey became its stated supply. It reported in 1860 a membership of one hundred and twenty-nine.
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