USA > Indiana > Johnson County > Franklin > History of the half century celebration of the organization of the First Presbyterian church of Franklin, Indiana > Part 10
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14
He was highly endowed by nature, and, in the line of his profession, by culture. He was a good scholar in Latin, Greek and Hebrew, and was well read in didactic and historical theology. He was a constant student of the Scriptures in the original tongues. For the first twenty-five years of his ministry he had con- stantly under his tuition students preparing for the ministry. His discourses always gave evidence of
164
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
thorough preparation and of logical ability, while they were clothed in the excellencies of rhetorical statement, and delivered with the force of the skillful orator. He was thoroughly versed in our ecclesias- tical jurisprudence. He always took an active part in our church judicatories, and his opinions as to principles and precedents had almost the force of law, especially with ruling elders and young ministers.
He was thrice married. His first wife was Phebe Spining, daughter of Judge Isaac Spining, of Dayton, Ohio. She died at Terre Haute in 1829. She was a woman of ardent piety, meek, loving and faithful. The surviving children of this marriage are Elizabeth, wife of Rev. John C. King, Isaac Pierson Monfort, and Lawrence Monfort-all known to most persons present.
His second wife was Rhoda Halsey, of Lebanon, Ohio, who died immediately after his removal to this place. She was a noble Christian woman.
His third wife, Ann Ray, of Indianapolis, still sur- vives him and lives with her daughter Mary, wife of Rev. R. M. Roberts, at Pana, Illinois. Three other children of this marriage survive, John, Andrew and Phebe, while another, Rev. Cornelius V. Monfort, died not long ago. This wife was the chief blessing of his life. She was a true and beloved mother of his children, a companion worthy of him, a wise and prudent adviser, full of sympathy and self-sacrifice, and, withal, a Christian of symmetrical character and devoted piety.
HISTORY OF THE SABBATH SCHOOL
OF THE
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
OF
FRANKLIN, INDIANA.
BY THE PASTOR,
S. E. WISHARD.
-
HISTORY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN SABBATH- SCHOOL OF FRANKLIN.
IN the autumn of 1826, about two years after the or- ganization of the Presbyterian Church in Franklin, a union Sabbath-school was organized by Rev. Samuel Gregg. Mr. Samuel Herriott, one of the pioneer set- tlers, and first clerk of the county, was unanimously chosen superintendent. But as Mr, Herriott was not a professor of religion, he declined to act, stating that "he was not a praying man," and suggesting to the friends of the new enterprise that a superintendent should be able to open the school with prayer. It was urged that he could secure the services of some one else for this important part of the work. Mr. Herriott, however, was not a man to undertake a work in which he must lean upon some one else. Hence he could not be prevailed upon to yield his judgment in the case, and accept the office tendered him.
Mr. D. Wassen McCaslin, one of the original five members that entered into the organization of the Presbyterian Church, and one of the first two elders of the church, was then chosen as superintendent, and Mr. Wm. Robinson, a Methodist, was also chosen as co-superintendent.
This organization took place in the woods less than
(167)
168
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
a hundred yards northeast of where the Presbyterian Church now stands.
Three of the teachers in that school are yet living, and one of them is still a member of this church, enjoying with us the delightful services of this semi- centennial commemoration. She goes and returns to the house of God with us on the Sabbath, and was with us in the Sabbath-school yesterday-Mrs. Lydia Herriott. She is president of the Woman's Mission- ary Society, at Edinburg ; goes and returns to their regular monthly meetings.
The other two persons are Jefferson D. Jones, an official member of the Christian Church of this city, and Joseph Young, now of Vinton, Iowa, and a mem- ber of the Presbyterian Church of that young city. Mrs. Herriott says, " Mr. McCaslin was a good citizen, a Christian man, and one who would build and uphold the church and sustain his minister." He had proved himself an earnest Christian, and continued a faithful worker while his life was spared to the church. Dur- ing his superintendence the school was held in the old log court-house. The house was two stories high, of hewed logs, with a stairway at the back end of the house. The upper part of the house was occupied for legal and religious purposes; hence the church and Sunday-school in the wilderness began their im- portant work, as did the Apostolic Church, in an upper room.
To give a better conception of the material of which that first school was composed, it will be in place to say a word or two of these individuals.
Mrs. Herriott was then in the vigor of life. With
169
OF FRANKLIN, INDIANA.
her husband she came to the banks of Sugar Creek, in 1821, before the county was organized. After two or three years they removed to the south side of a large fallen tree, lying on Mr. Thos. Jeffery's present premises. Their meat-house in one end of a sack, and buttery in the other end, were balanced in the crotch of a tree, until a log cabin was extemporized. Mrs. Herriott then, to further her husband's financial matters, took the journey on horseback-and alone- to Mansfield, Ohio, passing through Connersville, Dayton and Springfield. After a seven days' ride she reached her destination, accomplished her purpose, and returned again, carrying with her two or three hundred dollars in silver. Her sister accompanied her on her return trip. The money was safely turned over to its destination, and she was ready for the do- mestic duties of her cabin.
Mr. Jones had come by a long tedious journey through the woods from Mercer County, Kentucky. Though the State road had been opened, the logs were not taken out of the highway, and immigrants were often obliged to take to the woods, only keeping in sight of the road so as not to lose the way. He made a profession of religion soon after coming to the county (which was not then a county), and with all the zeal of his first love entered into the Sunday-school work.
Mr. Young was a man in keeping with the times- young, active, ardent, conscientious, willing to make sacrifices. Though of a very genial temper, and capable of enjoying the humors of the day, his life was consistent with his profession, and made him a valuable acquisition to the new settlement. Es-
170
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
pecially was his coming helpful to the moral tone of society.
While Mr. McCaslin had the management of the school, the first Sunday-school celebration occurred. It was on the 4th of July, 1828 or 1829. Col. Covert and John Foster acted as marshals. Lewis Hen- dricks had charge of the music for the occasion, Mrs. Lydia Herriott assisting. After marching eastward on Jefferson Street some distance, the procession re- turned to the court-house, and sang the hymn, " Our souls by love together knit," etc. It was then ascer- tained that Rev. James Havens, a pioneer Methodist preacher, was at the hotel, where Wood's drug store now stands. Col. Covert was deputized as a commit- tee to wait upon Mr. Havens, and request him to come over and address the school. To this request Mr. Havens sternly answered "No," adding that "the Presbyterians, he feared, would be greatly in his way in this region." The negotiations ceased, the report was made to the waiting audience, whereupon the people were dismissed, having accomplished every- thing in the way of a celebration except the speech.
At the death of Mr. Wassen McCaslin, which oc- curred June 17, 1830, the Sabbath-school almost died out. It is to be remembered that the Sabbath-school work was then just taking hold upon the people. It was as yet scarcely more than an experiment in the large cities of the East, and in this wilderness was but an infant of the smallest proportions ; hence the risk to the cause by the loss of but one worker.
This decline of the Sunday-school work, however, was of short duration. Rev. Samuel Hardin, agent of
171
OF FRANKLIN, INDIANA.
the American Sunday-school Union, which had been founded in 1824, only six years before, reorganized the school with fifty scholars, and Jefferson D. Jones as superintendent. This organization began its work in what was then called the new court-house. It was successfully carried forward in its legitimate work, until it numbered as many as seventy-five scholars.
Among the teachers of that time were Joseph Young, Samuel Ritchey, Wassen King, Lydia Her- riott, Andrew Vanoy, an earnest Baptist layman, who is still living (or was recently), near Bloomington, Indiana.
The school was still carried forward as a union school, until near the close of the year 1832, after Dr. Monfort began his labors with the church (sum- mer of 1830).
It finally occurred that one of the Presbyterian citi- zens (Ephraim Herriott) desired to introduce the Shorter Catechism into the Sabbath-school. It is commonly reported that Mr. Jones, the superintend- ent, replied, that " nothing but the Bible could be taught in that school." Dr. Monfort gave notice on the next Sabbath that a Presbyterian Sabbath-school would be organized on that afternoon. It was thought by many that the movement was unfortunate. How- ever, Dr. Monfort generally kept his appointments, and the Presbyterian Sabbath-school was organized. Hence, as a distinct Presbyterian Sabbath-school, our existence dates from 1832, near the close of the year.
Cornelius Hutton, who became a ruling elder in the church, was chosen first superintendent of the Presbyterian Sabbath-school, and served probably two
172
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
years. He was in sympathy with the movement, and gave his influence to make it successful. It was thought necessary in those days to have enough or- ganization in connection with the school to give it character. Hence a board of managers was chosen from the officers or substantial members of the church. The province of this board was not clearly defined, but it is within the memory of a few present to-day that, as managers, they managed to stay away from the Sabbath-school, and, as the manner of some is to this day, to let it severely alone.
The Sabbath-school was not kept up during the winter. This had been true from the first school which Elder McCaslin superintended. A Bible-class, however, was sustained during the winter, which the older people and young men and women attended. In the spring again the children were gathered, and the school took on its usual summer growth.
Mr. William Shellady was chosen to succeed Mr. Hutton as superintendent. Mr. Shellady was a school- teacher by profession, an earnest Christian man, in- telligent for the times. He labored for the school as his feeble health and limited strength would permit. Mr. Abdella Thompson succeeded him as superin- tendent, and he again was followed by Mr. Alexander Wilson, now a resident of this county, in Clark Town- ship.
In the spring of 1838 John C. King, who was then studying for the ministry, was chosen to the office of superintendent. At this time the school assumed a new interest. Mr. King was young, energetic, ear- nest, and gathered about him the workers of the
173
OF FRANKLIN, INDIANA.
school. They introduced the novel experiment (?) of electing the board of managers from the number of those who were interested workers in the school. It was an innovation, and was attended with one risk, viz : that of making the school successful. However, the risk was taken, and the thing realized. The managers were chosen from the teachers. The young men who gathered about their superintendent, and helped sustain a teacher's or young people's prayer- meeting were Harry and Watson Shellady, John H. and Cornelius Vannuys, Allen and Harvey McCas- lin, Anderson D. Wallace, Abram Bergen and I. Pear- son Monfort. Mr. King continued his work until 1841, when Mr. Hutton was again chosen to fill the place. It is thought tha' he continued to serve until 1844. But, on account of certain difficulties which had arisen in the church, he resigned his position, and Abram Bergen was appointed to fill his place until the year expired.
Mr. Bergen was inexperienced as superintendent ; felt himself entirely incompetent to lead or direct a Sabbath-school. He experienced great embarrass- ment because of his limited education, but with several young men of the church he had set his face in the direction of work. And now that the call came he did not venture to refuse. He accepted the responsibility and gave his best services, feeling, as he says, that "something could be accomplished be- cause the teachers knew so much more than he."
At the expiration of the year, Mr. Harvey Sloan of beloved memory, was chosen to the work of super- intending the school. He had not only been a faith-
18
174
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
ful laborer as a teacher from the first day of coming to Franklin, in 1835, but there was a desire on the part of his associates to give him a special indorse- ment in view of some question which had arisen in the church.
Mr. Sloan, though older than many of his co-labor- ers in the Sabbath-school work, was yet a man of very marked humility; a man who made himself a companion of children, and especially of the younger men who were trying to serve the Master. He emi- nently fulfilled the requirement of the Savior, who said, "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." As a little child, though a man in years and in Christian experience, he went about his work and completed the time for which he was chosen.
Mr. John H. Vannuys, who, with his father and family, had come to Franklin on October 1, 1836, and who had been connected with the church and school as teacher and worker since his arrival, was elected superintendent. It is thought he succeeded Mr. Sloan in 1845 or 1846. The teachers associated with Mr. Vannuys were Mrs. Elizabeth King, wife of John King and daughter of Dr. Monfort, Cornelius Vannuys, Allen McCaslin, Geo. Bergen, and others. Geo. Bergen at that time taught a class of little boys.
It would be exceedingly interesting to call the roll of the Sabbath-school of those days. But the loss of all the records of that time renders it impossible. It is not so much as known who the secretary of the school was. It is thought, however, by those who
175
OF FRANKLIN, INDIANA.
were engaged in the work then, that the school num- bered a hundred scholars or more.
Mr. Vannuys removed to Hopewell. Who his successor was history does not inform us. I have been unable to trace the line of superintendents for several years after Mr. Vannuys.
In 1854, Gabriel Overstreet, Sen., united with the church, and during the next year was chosen super- intendent. He probably served two years. Though he pronounces himself a failure as a superintendent, the Sabbath-school was at that time larger, number- ing, it is thought, almost two hundred.
Mr. Wm. McCaslin and Mr. Hampton Terrell both served as superintendents, but the order of their ser- vice does not appear from any known data at present. Mr. McCaslin, who had resided in the country, re- moved to town in 1851, and had a share in the work of the school until 1862. During this time he aided in the music of the Sabbath-school and superintended two years or more. There were associated with him as teachers Mr. and Mrs. McKee, the pastor and his wife, M. Hilman Waters, Mr. Ephraim Jeffery and Mrs. Jeffery, and others.
Mr. Terrell came to this county in the fall of 1849, and united with the church on the 30th of December of that year. Two years later he was elected deacon, and served as such until he was elected elder in 1856.
From his first connection with the church he was active and useful, an earnest, growing man. Though residing out of Franklin, he accepted the work to which he was chosen as superintendent, and gave himself assiduously to the duties of his position. No
176
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
written records of the school at that time are to be found.
Mr. John McKeehan succeeded Mr. Terrell, or at least became superintendent after Mr. McCaslin and Mr. Terrell.
When Mr. Morey became pastor of the church Mr. McKeehan was officer-in-chief of the school. This position he held for a year or two, when Mr. Morey was chosen to fill his place, and continued as superintendent until the close of his ministry in April, 1871.
Very considerable changes had marked the meth- ods of Sabbath-school work throughout the country, between 1830 and the time at which Mr. Morey took the school. The old Sabbath-school Union Hymn Book, of cold and cheerless memory, had performed its doleful work and retired. The idea of adapting hymns to children, and music to hymns, began to make itself felt, not always to edification, indeed, yet still in the line of progress. Lucius Heart, of New York City, was beginning to pioneer this new and important enterprise. The little penny singing books, with their two dozen hymns and tunes, were multiplying. Children were beginning to sing-not always the best of hymns, or music either, but the Sabbath-school song had at last commenced. It brought consternation to some ministers and elders, who had dwelt for a long time on long meters and orthodox hymns, full of profound and compound the- ology. Still the melody of this new Sabbath-school thought could not be suppressed. It rose and filled all the air. It was called " twaddle," and some of the
177
OF FRANKLIN, INDIANA.
hymns were nothing more. Grave men were uneasy. They had forgotten all the processes of a true growth, or had not discoursed Darwin's law of " The Survival of the Fittest."
Some things were discovered also concerning the Sabbath-school library. It came to be known that it was not treason to Christ or the Church to pick up a good book wherever it was found, even if it was born outside of the Presbyterian Publishing House. It was discovered also that it was not profaning our work to hang up an outline map in the Sabbath- school room. Blackboards grew apace, chalk began to be useful, publishers began to understand that there was money in the best Sabbath-school music, the best books, and all Sabbath-school appliances, so " The earth helped the woman."
Some of us who were in other fields of labor at that time remember that good men stoutly protested against "the earth helping the woman." But it did not matter. The Sabbath school was coming up from the old mud roads to the iron rails. Of course there would be some accidents-a broken rail, a misplaced switch, an inexperienced engineer, would furnish the world a catastrophe occasionally, and furnish an ec- clesiastical body an opportunity to publish warnings, and pass equivocal resolutions. Still there was not much disposition on the part of the most cautious to go back to the old mud wagons. The most careful men would buy a ticket, board the train, and, holding fast to their baggage, make the experiment.
Such was the state of Sabbath-school progress when Mr. Morey became superintendent of the Sabbath-
178
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
school. Assisted from time to time by A. Bergen, W. A. Davis, R. V. Ditmars, and teachers, some of whom are yet on the ground, he prosecuted his work. It was during his work as superintendent that the in- fant class became an institution. The school was held in the afternoon, but an infant class, taught by Miss Nancy McCollough (now Mrs. Mears), was con- vened in the morning.
In the summer of 1861 Mrs. Morey took charge of the infant class, holding it in the afternoon in con- nection with the Sabbath-school. It first numbered only six scholars, but grew until about eighty were in attendance.
The accessions to the church were frequent from the Sabbath-school, and it is mentioned that several came from the infant class.
Revivals of religion began almost always in the Sabbath-school, with perhaps the exception of the large ingathering, which began among the adults of the congregation. The result is that there is scarcely a church that has so large a proportion of the young people and children in connection with it. The at- tendance of the Sabbath-school grew during the nine or ten years that Mr. Morey superintended. At the close of his pastorate Mr. R. V. Ditmars, who was . assistant, took charge of the school until the close of the year 1871, when he was elected superintendent for the year 1872, with Mr. George Voris assistant. For the year 1873 Mr. George Voris was chosen superintendent. He was succeeded by Prof. E. W. Thompson, who served until his removal to Indian- apolis, Junius Bice assisting. Prof. Thompson's re-
179
OF FRANKLIN, INDIANA.
moval resulted in the recall of Mr. Voris to the po- sition of superintendent, where he remains to-day.
After Mrs. Morey's removal to Cincinnati, Miss Maggie J. Donnell, now Mrs. Burt, took charge of the infant class, and continued her work until her re- moval to Indianapolis, when, on motion of Father Sloan, the teachers requested the present pastor of the church to undertake this work, who is still the teacher.
Some of the present teachers have been long con- nected with the Sabbath-school, viz: S. C. Dunn, Abram Bergen, R. V. Ditmars, our present super- intendent, George W. Voris. The records of the past two or three years show the names, as officers or workers, of Ditmars, Voris, McCollough, Young, Allison, Sloan, Mrs. Mary Voris, William P. Todd, John P. Henderson, Harvey Voris, Samuel C. Dunn, Mrs. Josie Taylor, Mrs. Maria Smiley, Dr. J. O. Mar- tin, Abram Bergen, Mrs. George F. Herriott, Miss Nannie Herriott, B. R. Perkins, Mrs. Maggie McCas- lin, Mrs. M. J. Halstead, Miss Tillie Brewer, Miss Susie Barker, Prof. E. W. Thompson and Mrs. Thomp- son, Mrs. Ditmars, Miss Maggie Donnell and S. E. Wishard.
This very brief history-which indeed is scarcely more than a thread connecting the past with the pres- ent-has some very instructive lessons.
I. The men and women who have continued in the Sabbath-school are the growing souls of the church. Their Sabbath-school labor has better quali- fied them for labor in other departments of church work. They are the men and women who sustain
180
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
the prayer-meetings of the church, who first "hear the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry- trees," when the Lord goes forth to battle for his people.
2. The economy of church resources is here seen in bringing the little ones to Christ, and putting them forever on the side of God and all moral good.
3. That all excuses for not engaging in the Sab- bath-school work, except absolute physical inability, are groundless. For a ripe old age has retained in this, our Sabbath-school, all the freshness of soul, which belongs to the morning of life. Those who have supposed themselves incompetent have largely contributed to the education of others as well as themselves.
We have every grade of mind and capacity in our Sabbath-school work, a place for every soul that has loved Christ, and a growth for every one who will accept the conditions of growth, toil and prayer.
The history of the Sabbath-school shows that while our church-membership has greatly enlarged, number- ing now almost four hundred, the number of our Sabbath-school scholars has not proportionally in- creased. This results from two causes: First, our church-membership has embraced a large portion of our Sabbath-school, and, while increasing, the mem- bership of the church has not multiplied our number in the Sabbath-school.
Secondly, many older members of the church have all their lives refused to become members of the Sabbath-school. Hence, our church-membership is about double our number in the Sabbath-school.
181
OF FRANKLIN, INDIANA.
Thus closes the history of the Sunday-school work of this church for a half century. To-day we enter the unknown but hopeful future of the next half century, and, with the prayer that God will give us, as his children, adequate conceptions of the possibili- ties which lie before the church in the next fifty years, we joyfully accept the toil and privileges of the future.
19
REMINISCENCE MEETING
ON THE AFTERNOON OF
Monday, November 30, 1874.
.
REMINISCENCE MEETING.
-
At 2:30 P. M. the congregation came together for the reunion or reminiscence meeting. The anthem, "PRAISE YE THE LORD," was sung and prayer was offered.
Isaac Pierson Monfort was called forward and pre- sented some
RECOLLECTIONS OF HIS FATHER'S LIFE IN THE MINISTRY.
With so short notice, and the peculiarly solemn circumstances under which I find myself placed on this fiftieth anniversary day, and with overflowing feelings in the recollections of bygone days crowd- ing thick and fast upon me, I fear the task assigned me to-day will be but poorly performed.
Not to make the story of my father's life too long, I am at a loss just where to commence. Many recollections of deepest interest to me, to you may be uninteresting. Please bear with me, then, as I give utterance to the memories of the past as they may present themselves to my mind. I well remember the deep impression made upon my mind when seven years of age, by father's farewell sermon on leaving Bethel Church, near Millville, Ohio. His text was
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.