USA > Indiana > Johnson County > Franklin > History of the half century celebration of the organization of the First Presbyterian church of Franklin, Indiana > Part 9
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may be learned. The common experience of man- kind, I think, agrees in the observation, that next to a family quarrel, a church difficulty excels all others in bitterness and virulence. 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, and while I would not utter a single word reflecting upon the motives or questioning the Christian integrity of a single member of this church living, much less of any one dead, yet it is due to history, it is due to you, that the fact be stated, that pending this personal war- fare between the professed followers of Christ, the cause of Christ was seemingly altogether neglected.
I know nothing of the merits of this controversy ; I know not who was right and who 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 ser- mons of former years; no doubt his appeals were as persuasive and his exhortations as eloquent; no doubt sinners felt the arrows of conviction, but the war with- in the camp went furiously on, and inquirers sought other folds or turned their backs upon the church for ever. All the actors in that whirl of strife are now dead save one. Their bodies have returned to the dust and their sad difficulties have disappeared 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
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cause of Christianity. Brethren, let us take the lesson to our homes. Forever let us sink out of sight and memory, every element of controversy, every vestige of discord !
We now approach the time when Dr. Monfort's labors are to come to a close in this church. It is the year 1850, and he has been in the field nineteen years, eighteen of which have been devoted to pas- toral services. And these years have been busy stirring years with him, for he has not only preached with great regularity here, but he has preached in the country wherever there seemed to be any prospect whatever of establishing a church, He assisted in the organization of Hopewell, of Shiloh, and of Provi- dence. But his age and other physical infirmities warn him that he must have a rest, and the relation between him and this people is accordingly sundered. During the years of his preaching here, the record shows that two hundred and ninety seven in all unit- ed with the church, of whom one hundred and twenty: eight were males and one hundred and sixty-nine were females. Of the total number which was added to the church, one hundred and forty-nine were on profession of their faith and one hundred and forty- eight on certificate. Of these received on profession, sixty-seven were males and eighty-two were females; and of those received on certificate, sixty-one were males and eighty-seven were females.
A biographical sketch of Dr. Monfort having been prepared by another, I allude to no facts in his his- tory not related in some manner to this church. But in bidding him farewell, it may not be inappropriate
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to dwell briefly on some of the more salient features of his character. He was a man of wide and varied learning; so much so, that in a day when Doctorates were more stintingly granted than in this, Hanover College conferred upon him the merited title of "Doc- tor of Divinity." He must have been about forty-five years of age when he came here, and was trimly built though undersized in person, had dark hair and eyes, a narrow high forehead as I remember him, and was ex- ceedingly neat in his dress. His manners were en- gaging. Whilst always serious, yet he was never gloomy and forbidding. He held in scrupulous regard all the proprieties and conventionalities of life. "He was," says one authority, "a mild, modest, prudent man, had a pleasant way in his daily intercourse with the people, and wielded a great influence in the town." I do not remember to have ever heard any anecdote told of him indicating that he had any wit or humor, or that even on occasion he exhibited any powers of sarcasm. He went through the fight which led to the separation of the Church into Old School and New School, a recognized leader of the Old School party in this Presbytery, and yet I find no memory of wounding words ever having been spoken by him, lingering in the minds of those who were then arrayed against him. He came here at a time when his mind was fully developed, and in addition to his extensive learning, both literary and theological, he was possessed of a sound and discriminating judg- ment. He knew how to gain the good will of men and how to hold their esteem. His views of religious truth were clear and decided; and he believed, with
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his whole heart and his whole soul, the doctrines and tenets of the Presbyterian faith as laid down in her Standards; and what he believed, he preached with all the might that was in him. He was, in a word, a thoroughly conscientious man, speaking boldly for the truth and vehemently combating what he deemed to be error, on all proper occasions. As a speaker, his most marked characteristic was his great clear- ness. He not only possessed that incisiveness of mind which enabled him to grasp an idea firmly, but he had that further and rarer accomplishment, which ena- bled him to so present that idea to his hearers strip- ped of every superfluous shred of thought, as enabled them also to see it and grasp it in its full significance. By virtue of this gift he was a teacher of men; and he excelled as a doctrinal preacher. But on occasions he preached with great feeling. One says, his man- ner of preaching was “deliberate, calm, solemn and earnest-sometimes deeply impassioned;" another, and a co-laborer in the ministry with him, says he was a "solid emphatic speaker, and when aroused quite eloquent."
The close of Dr. Monfort's ministry here may, in some respects, be said to mark the line between the past and the present in the history of this church. It is about that time the people began developing the material wealth of the county. Franklin had lately been linked with iron to the Ohio River, and a ready market had at once been opened for all articles pro- duced by the labor of the people. A spirit of enter- prise followed; a plank road was constructed leading from this place to White River ; a proposition to build
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a railroad connecting Martinsville with this town was agitated and finally consummated, and a general live- liness in traffic and trade was exhibited never before known. The population of the county was 12,10I, and the town of Franklin contained 1,057 souls. The church numbered one hundred and forty-three communicants, a less number than at any period since 1839, but the old fires of discord had burned out, and with the advent of a new and younger man as pastor, it was hoped that the misfortunes of the past would be retrieved. Accordingly, a call was made for the Rev. Jas. A. McKee, then stationed at Vernon, in this State, who accepted and entered upon the discharge of his duties at a salary of seven hundred dollars per year. Mr. McKee was a Pennsylvanian by birth, but had been educated in the collegiate department of South Hanover, in this State, and also in the theo- logical school which was then located in that place.
I do not think that the time has yet come when it would be profitable or interesting to dwell upon the events connected with the pastorate of Mr. McKee or of any of his successors. All the ministers, and a large majority of the members, are yet living who participated in the various scenes enacted in this church since 1850, and it would be as a "twice told tale," were I to recount these over now. Moreover, I have nearly consumed my hour in an endeavor to: bring to your minds a view of the early history. of this church, and the time warns me that I can not much longer claim your patience.
The year following Rev. Mr. McKee's entry upon. his labors here, the membership of this church went:
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down to one hundred and fifteen-twenty-nine mem- bers having 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 labors 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 persons 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 ad- ditions of those who joined on certificate, brought the membership up to one hundred and eighty-six, the highest number then ever reached. In 1854 the number was carried up to one hundred and ninety- four ; but this increase was mostly due to 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 during 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 tempest had arisen-a controversy was up-a first-class church quarrel was on the carpet, and while the brethren were cutting and thrusting this way and that way at each other,
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no recruits ventured to come from the enemy with- out. How eloquently do these mute figures plead for peace within the church !
In 1858, the smoke of this conflict having disap- peared, God smiled again upon the labors of Mr. McKee, and in February, March and April of that year, fifty-eight were added on examination.
In 1860, after ten years' service, he resigned his charge and was succeeded by the Rev. A. B. Morey. The record shows that during these ten years two hundred and thirty-eight were admitted to the church, of whom one hundred and twelve were males and one hundred and sixteen were females. Of the whole number one hundred and forty-four were added on examination and ninety-four on certificate.
The Rev. A. B. Morey, a native of New York, came fresh from Princeton, within a short time after Mr. McKee left, and entered at once upon ministerial labors. At this time the communicants numbered one hundred and seventy-two, and when he left, eleven years afterward, the number had run up to three hundred and seventy-five; an increase of over ten per cent. per annum. The most marked feature of his pastorate is the great revival which came to this church in 1870. On the 16th of January the record shows the admission of five on examination, and it goes on showing daily admissions throughout January, February and up into March, until one hundred names have been entered. During this pas- torate three hundred and seventy-four were added to the church, of which two hundred and twenty-one were on examination and one hundred and fifty-three
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on certificate. Of those, on examination, ninety-five were males and one hundred and twenty-six were females; while of those, on certificate, sixty-one were males and ninety-two were females.
On Mr. Morey's resignation, the Rev. S. E. Wish- ard, our present pastor, was called and came. He is a native of this county. His father came into White- river Township the year after this church was organ- ized, and a few months before the son's birth. At the age of twenty-two he began a course of study at the Wabash College, where he graduated. His theological education was received at Lane Semin-
aay, after which he went into the State of Michigan, where he preached until called to this church in 1871. He has now been with us nearly three years, during which time the membership has increased by the addition of one hundred and twenty-five, of which fifty have been on examination and seventy- four on certificate.
I have now passed hastily over the fifty years which have come and gone since the foundations of his church were laid, and I am fully conscious that many matters immediately connected with my sub- ject have been entirely omitted or passed over with the barest mention. The complete history of this church during these years would require a volume, and its presentation, in an address of reasonable length, is therefore out of the question. I have already, I fear, trespassed on your patience, but I beg your indulgence while we briefly consider some of the results of the work which has been done.
A list of the membership has been prepared, em-
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bracing the names of all found scattered through the church books. This list is not absolutely perfect, for the books themselves have been somewhat care- lessly kept, and an absolutely perfect list is therefore out of the question. But it is believed that it ap- proximates very nearly to correctness, and it is from this that I have made up the statistical reports as to the work done during each pastorate. Now, looking at the work as a whole, we find that eleven hundred in all have been added to this church during its first half century. Five hundred and ninety seven, a lit- tle over half, has been on examination and five hun- dred and one on certificate. Of the entire member- ship, four hundred and sixty-seven are males and six hundred and thirty-three females. Of the number added on examination, the names of two hundred and seventy-one are males and three hundred and twenty-eight are females ; of those on certificate, one hundred and ninety-six are males and three hundred and five are females.
Of the oldest and most numerous families identi- fied with the church, the name of Wilson is found upon the list, ten times ; the Coverts and Allisons, each twelve times ; Shellady, a name now extinct, so far as the records show, thirteen times; Alexander, fourteen ; Herriott, fifteen ; Voorheis and Thompson, each sixteen times, and the Thompson family has likewise disappeared ; Banta, eighteen ; Bergen, twen- ty-two; Adams, twenty-four; and the McCaslin, which leads them all, sixty times.
Six ministers have gone out from this church, five of whom began their religious life here. The first is
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John C. King, son of George King, one of the found- ers of the church, and who united with this congre- gation on the 28th of March, 1834, and is now preaching in Chase City, Virginia. Then comes the name of Anderson Wallace, who joined on the 3d of September, 1837, and who is, or was, when I last knew of him, performing ministerial duty in Illinois. After him we have the name of Samuel E. Barr, whose profession took place on the 14th of January, 1842, and who so lately went from the neighboring church of Hopewell to the city of Elkhart, in North- ern Indiana; and his name is followed by that of James H. L. Vannuys, who entered the church on the 6th of February of the same year, and who is now pastor of the church at Goshen, in this State. All these were the fruits of Dr. Monfort's ministry.
Robert M. Overstreet, now preaching at Emporia, in the State of Kansas, joined by letter from. the church at Bloomington, October 10, 1848, and Syl- vester Bergen, who is now preaching at Mckinney, in the State of Texas, united, on profession of his faith, on the fourth day of January, 1863.
These are some of the numerical results, but who can calculate the moral? The Presbyterian faith de- mands an unqualified belief in the divine authenticity of the Holy Scriptures, in the sovereignty of God, and the absolute subordination of man to his author- ity. This faith, as interpreted by our fathers, held them to a strict accountability, morally speaking, for the manner in which they trained their children ; and they not only taught their children obedience to parental authority, in accordance with the divine
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command, but tutored them carefully in all the funda- mental doctrines of their own faith. Trained then, to fear God and to keep his commandments, and trained to habits of obedience to human government from infancy up, the young man when he left the roof- tree, went forth prepared to yield that willing obedi- ence to the laws of the land, which is the distin- guishing characteristic of every good citizen. He may not have been the most noisy citizen ; he may not have been the most forward with advice on public occasions; he may not even have aspired to public place ; but he was nevertheless a law-abiding citizen, and the State was seldom, if ever, called upon to vin- dicate her laws in his punishment. The same records which bear testimony to that spirit of lawless vin- dictiveness which prevailed so extensively in this county from its organization up to about 1840, and which has been elsewhere alluded to, bear ample tes- timony to his good character for peace and submis- siveness to the laws of the land. I do not wish to be understood as magnifying one faith at the expense of another, or of making invidious comparisons between the Presbyterian Church and others; I trust we are all too thoroughly imbued with the charity which thinketh no evil for that, but I will say, and that with- out fear of successful contradiction, that Presbyte- rianism, in Johnson County, has proven in the past, pre-eminently successful as a school for the training of the highest order of citizenship.
Just how much has been achieved by this particular church in that school, the human intellect is inade- quate to the task of measuring ; Omniscience alone
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can do that; but if we can not apply the measure, the results are yet so certain that the Christian and the patriot, of whatever faith or belief, may on this the fiftieth anniversary of the foundation of the Church of Franklin, join in the prayer : Let it be perpetuated !
ADDRESS
BY
Rev. J. G. Monfort, D. D.
MY part in the services of this day will be first to give a statement of the ecclesiastical relations of this church, and then a memorial of its first pastor, Rev. David Monfort, D. D.
The church of Franklin, which was organized in 1824, first belonged to the Presbytery of Salem and to the Synod of Kentucky. The Salem Presbytery was constituted in October, 1823, one year before the organization of the Franklin Church.
In 1825 the Synod of Kentucky organized the Presbyteries of Madison and Wabash, and Franklin Church was then connected with Wabash Presbytery, and these three Presbyteries were erected into the Synod of Indiana, in May, 1826. In 1829 Crawfords- ville was formed, and Franklin was connected with it. In 1830 the name Wabash was changed to Vin- cennes, and the Presbytery of Crawfordsville was di- vided; the Presbytery of Indianapolis was formed,
(159)
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and Franklin was put in it, and has been ever since connected with it.
David Monfort was the son of Lawrence Monfort and Elizabeth Cassat. He was born in York County, now Adams County, Pennsylvania, March 7, 1790. His ancestors were Huguenots, who fled from France to Holland, upon the revocation of the Edict of Nan- tes. They came to this country in 1629, and settled first in Beaver Street, New York City; then in Long Island, and then in New Jersey, and again in Penn- sylvania; and about the beginning of this century in Mercer and Henry Counties, Kentucky, and some in the Miami Country, in Ohio. The early members of the Presbyterian Church in Johnson County, Indiana, were most of them the same Hollandish Protestant Presbyterians. In tracing the genealogy of the family for nearly two hundred and fifty years, in the records of the Dutch Churches in this country, I find in marriage and baptismal records that such names as Monfort, Aten, Bergen, Seburn, Demaree, Van- nuys, Conover, Brewer, Vanausdol, Bonte, Pieterson, Brinkerhoff, Voris, Van Dyne, Van Dyke, and sev- eral others, seem to have been of one blood by in- termarriages; and to a remarkable extent, until after the beginning of this century, they were farmers. Even fifty years ago very few of the names men- tioned were to be found among ministers or other professional men.
David Monfort lived with his parents on a farm in Warren County, Ohio, until he passed his minority. When seventeen years of age he was converted, and made a public profession of religion in connection
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with the great New Light Revival. He soon joined the Presbyterian Church, and turned his attention to the ministry. He first studied privately under Rev. Richard McNemar, near his home, and with John Thomson, at Springfield, now Springdale, near Cin- cinnati. He completed his literary course in Trans- sylvania University, Lexington, Kentucky, and his course in theology at Princeton, New Jersey, graduat- ing in 1817. He was licensed by the Presbytery of Miami, at Lebanon, April 4, 1817. A part of the record of Presbytery, in his case, reads: "Mr. David Monfort, candidate, was directed to deliver his pop- ular discourse this evening in the court-house by candle light."
He supplied, after his licensure, Bethel Church, west and south of Hamilton and Oxford, on Indian Creek, for a few months, received a call as pastor, and was ordained and installed October 20, the same year-1817. The members present were Matthew G. Wallace, Dyer Burgess, Daniel Haydon and Wil- liam Gray.
This pastoral relation lasted ten years and was most happy and useful. The pastor was physically sound, very active, a man of very fine appearance, a good student, an attractive writer and speaker, fluent and impressive, and withal a great attraction as a singer. In ten years his church from being very small grew to number one hundred and eighty-seven communicants, and it was the largest in the State of Ohio, except the First Church, Cincinnati, which had two hundred and seventeen members, and Beech Spring, near Steubenville, two hundred and thirty-
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three. He, moreover, preached regularly at many destitute points and laid the foundation of many churches, since prosperous, of which may be named Lawrenceburg, Harrison, Elizabethtown, Brookville, Berea, Mt. Carmel, Dunlapville, Bath and Conners- ville.
He asked to be relieved of this charge, against the wishes of the whole church, except a family or two that were disaffected on account of a case of disci- pline.
In 1828 he went to Terre Haute and remained less than two years. These were years of suffering, sor- row and death. He lost his wife and a daughter, and was himself visited with severe and protracted sick- ness, followed by chronic weakness and suffering, which made him lame and an invalid for life.
He returned to Ohio in 1829, and after one year of missionary work in Wilmington and vicinity, he came to Indiana and began his work in Johnson County. He was in feeble health and poorly fitted for the hardships of pioneer missionary life, and yet he did the labor of a man of vigorous health, and his work was followed by the divine blessing.
In coming to Franklin severe trials and sufferings awaited him. Eleven days after his arrival, his wife, whom he married but a few months before, was en- gaged adjusting a box of clothing and was suddenly seized with smothering and weakness. She was laid on a bed, and, recovering a little, said to her hus- band, " Is this death?" He said, "Oh, no! you will soon get over it." She said, " Have I been a good wife to you ?" He said, " You have, indeed." She
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continued, " Have I been a good mother to your children ?" He replied, "You have been a good mother to the children." She said, " Then I am con- tent." And at once she ceased to breathe.
His work in Franklin began in bodily feebleness and with this sudden baptism of bereavement and sorrow, and when it closed he could look back and say: "I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling." He never had an hour of good health and freedom from pain to the end of his life, and yet he continued to do full work. He could not get on his horse without help, and for some years there were no roads in some directions for carriages.
The statistics of his labors I leave for others who have had access to the church records. All who knew him and his work will respond to the declara- tion : "He was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord."
He left Franklin in 1850, after nineteen years' min- sterial labor, and though he often preached, he had no regular charge. He lived for a time at Kingston, Indiana ; Decatur, Illinois, and at last at McComb, Illinois, where he died in 1860.
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