USA > Indiana > Indiana Baptist history, 1798-1908 > Part 11
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The largest aggregate membership of the Associa- tion was reached in 1844, when it was 2,179; but the withdrawal of nine churches to form the Sand Creek Association reduced the number. In 1905 the number of churches was fifteen and the total membership 1,932 ; in 1906 there were sixteen churches and 1,975 mem- bers. Madison Association was rich in the large num- ber of representative laymen and ministers it contained ; studying sketches of these we can see why the Asso- ciation held a foremost place among the Associations of the State, in all good words and works.
The first to be mentioned is that prince of laymen- the Hon. Milton Stapp. He was born in Kentucky in 1 1793 ; as a young man he enlisted in the regiment com- manded by Colonel Richard M. Johnson; he was in many skirmishes with the Indians, and took part in the battle of Thames in 1813 and was wounded by a ball. He always regarded the scar from this wound with a kind of pride. He came to Indiana in 1816 and
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settled at Madison, which remained his home for many years; he was inclined towards the profession of law and entered the office of James F. D. Lanier, as a student, and before many months was admitted to the bar. He soon found his way into politics and in 1822 was elected to the State legislature from Jefferson county. The next year he was elected joint-senator from Jefferson and Jennings counties, and was chosen president of the body. Twice he was elected lieutenant governor of the State (1825 and 1828). Probably his most important service to the State was rendered as a member of the Fund commission, whose duty it was to extricate the State from the large and alarming indebtedness which was incurred in the Internal Im- provement venture. While the work of the commis- sion was not completely successful, its members were most faithful, and above suspicion as to their integrity. Mr. Stapp was not more deeply interested in matters of state, however, than he was in the maintenance and progress of christianity as represented by his denom- ination. He was an active and valued member of the Madison Baptist church, which he joined in 1844; and his worth was recognized in the Baptist deliberations which took place here and there in the State. He was elected president of the Indiana Baptist Convention for nine different years, and was a member of the board of trustees of Franklin College from 1835 to 1854. In 1860 he moved to Texas, but did not remain long, as he saw that the civil war was coming on, and his sympathies were with the north; but when the war was over he went to Galveston, Texas, and was ap-
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pointed collector of Internal Revenue. He died in 1869 and his Madison friends had his body brought back and buried in the old home cemetery. His memory will ever remain green, for his life was devoted to the service of God in helping his fellow men.
Another of the very worthy laymen of the Associa- tion was Deacon A. Daniells, who was born in New York in 1818. His father was a Methodist minister of the radical kind; the son engaged, in turn, in teach- ing, farming and merchandise. He came west while yet a young man and spent several years in teaching in Kentucky and Indiana. He came to Madison during the civil war and was made deputy county treasurer first, and afterwards deputy auditor. The auditor died in office and Mr. Daniells filled the unexpired term ; he was subsequently elected county treasurer. At the ex- piration of his term he engaged in merchandizing, but was not successful; his last work was that of book- keeping. He was a highly esteemed member of the Masonic and Odd Fellows Lodges, but his main work was done as a member of the Madison church. His daily christian walk was of the most beautiful kind; he served as deacon for more than twenty-eight years, was Sunday school superintendent many years, and was clerk of his Association twenty-eight years. When financial reverses came to him he was heard to say: "Well, I'm glad that what I gave to Franklin College is saved, anyhow." More than once he responded to the wants of the college. He died in August, 1897, mourned by relatives, his brethren of the church, and a host of friends. Mrs. Philo R. Hoy of Chicago is
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his only child. When the Madison church had such wise, progressive leaders as A. Daniells, C. A. Stanton, U. B. Stribling, William Stapp, J. E. C. F. Harper and William Trow, it could not but prosper; it did more- it became a model church in the management of both discipline and finances. If pastors had a "paradise" anywhere in Indiana, it was at Madison.
Among the leading ministers of the Association the first place clearly belongs to Elder Jesse Vawter, a partial sketch of whose life has aready been given; in 1782 he and his wife first moved to Kentucky. In 1806 they came to Indiana and located on a hill over- looking Madison from the north; they named the home Mount Glad-glad that at last they were settled where there was no dispute about the title to their land. He began to preach in 1800 and was ordained in 1805. He assisted in organizing the first Baptist church in Jef- ferson county; it was first located on a little stream called Crooked Creek, down in the bottom; afterwards the meeting-house was moved up on the hill, and the name was changed to Mount Pleasant; still later it was moved down into the city and was given the name Madison. Elder Vawter was the pastor till his death in 1838. "He was preeminently useful in the ministry and did much to advance the Messiah's kingdom, espe- cially among the Baptist churches, from their first organization, but more especially in the bounds of the Silver Creek, Coffee Creek, Laughery, Flat Rock and Madison Associations. He was, without doubt, one of the most pious men of his day, and as a doctrinal, prac- tical and experimental preacher his qualifications were
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far above mediocrity, and as a peace-maker he was, perhaps, without an equal in the congregation of which he was a member."
His sons, John and William, were ministers also, and will be referred to in connection with their own Associations. Elder Vawter's dust reposes in the cemetery at Wirt, a few miles north of Madison.
Elder William T. Stott was one of the best known and best loved ministers in the Association, and in southern Indiana. He was born in Kentucky in 1789 and at the age of thirteen was received into the Salt River Baptist church. He was a soldier in the war of 1812 under General Hull (who, he says, was a cow- ard). In 1815 he came to Indiana and settled near Vernon ; but not being able to meet the payments on his land he was obliged to give it up; he next bought some land on the south branch of Muscatatuck creek, four miles east of Vernon. His brethren of the Con- cord church assisted him in paying for this land. He was away from home most of the time on preaching tours, and the care of the home rested on his wife, a most excellent and courageous woman. The churches paid him but a mere pittance, but he was unceasing in his efforts to establish and build up the Baptist cause. He was often in the employ of the Indiana Baptist Convention, doing missionary work in Jefferson, Jen- nings, Scott and Ripley counties, and for nearly fifty years-with the exception of a few interims-he was pastor of the Vernon church. He always took a live interest in matters of state, deeming it his duty to help in the nomination and election of civil officers. The
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last twenty-five years of his life he spent at the home of his son John, and continued to preach as long as he was able to travel; he was permitted to baptize nearly or quite one thousand persons who had been led to Christ through his ministry. One who has often heard him preach, has said that he often rose to great heights of genuine eloquence-being very familiar with the word of God and peculiarly apt in illustration; in addition he had a fine commanding presence and a musical voice. He was moderator of the Madison Association for twenty years and was asked to preach the introductory sermon at eight different sessions of the body. He died in 1877 after a few weeks' illness ; he had a lucid hour in the midst of several days of un- consciousness, and in that hour he rehearsed his first Christian experience, and his work in the ministry ; and spoke of his hope of going home to be with Christ. After speaking personal words to those of the family who stood about him he again lapsed into unconscious- ness-to awaken in the land of light and love. The funeral exercises were held in the church of which he was pastor so long, and his body was buried beside that of his wife in the Read cemetery, a few miles east of Vernon.
The Rev. William Y. Monroe was moderator of the Association for a longer period than any other minister, having served in that office twenty-four or twenty- five times ; he was pastor of the North Madison church for thirty years, and would have continued, but for ill health. He came to Scott county, Indiana, in 1834, and joined a Methodist church in 1842; but being dis-
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satisfied with some of the doctrines of that denomina- tion, he began a thorough search of the Bible, and as a consequence he became a Baptist. He was ordained in 1850 and proved to be a strong minister of the word. No one could make the way of salvation plainer, and in such esteem was he held, that men were compelled to listen to his preaching. He was in the civil war as captain in the Eighty-second Indiana Infantry, and on his return from the war his fellow citizens honored him with public offices of trust. He was twice elected treasurer of Jefferson county, and was twice elected to the legislature of the state. Being a man of good business ability he was frequently called on to assist in settling the estates of families of his acquaintance. In the eighties he moved to Franklin for the sake of giving his boys a course in Franklin College. Most of the time from his coming to Franklin he was an invalid, much of the time being confined to his bed. But he was never in despair nor discouraged ; when the new College chapel was dedicated he expressed a de- sire to be present to ejoy the exercises ; accordingly the young men carried him on his couch, and no one was more deeply interested than he. As another ex- ample of his cheerfulness of spirit: a prayer-meeting was appointed to be held in his room, and his ema- ciated form had the effect to deeply stir the emotions of those present ; in fact it was a time of copious tears. He said afterwards in a playful way that he did not want any more "funeral services" till he was ready. If he were alive today he would rejoice with his wife that their older son is an able teacher in Columbia
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University, and also an author of note; and the younger a successful physician and surgeon in the city of Mexico. He died in October, 1889, and his body was taken to his old home at North Madison for burial.
The Rev. Matthew B. Phares came to Franklin College from Little Blue River church in Shelby county ; a church which also furnished the following ministers to the Baptist denomination: the Revs. J. M. Smith, D. J. Huston, William Golding and J. C. Rhodes-he was graduated in 1849, and besides hold- ing several important pastorates, conducted academies at Vernon, Dupont and Greensburg. He was an ac- curate scholar and a very attractive speaker. He died in 1862 in the prime of life while pastor of the Greens- burg church.
Many other ministers doubtless deserve as full and favorable mention as these, but definite data are lack- ing. The Rev. E. D. Owen will long be remembered as the man who originated and for a while published the Christian Messenger-finally merged into the Journal and Messenger of Cincinnati, Ohio. The Rev. Caleb Moncrief, the plain Scotchman, who had , the courage to ask a brother noted for his long prayers to "please lead us in some new short prayer ;" the Rev. William Wallace, who believed in progress ; the Rev. Andrew Baker, who used his knowledge of astronomy to good effect in his preaching; the Rev. Alexander Connelly, who had mastered a large sec- tion of general history, and knew how to use it; the Rev. Robert Stevenson, who knew his Bible, and who was the doughty champion of Calvinism, and whom
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nobody cared to meet in debate; the Rev. J. B. Swin- cher, who was in demand far and near to assist in evangelistic meetings; the Rev. Thomas George, the fervent preacher of the old gospel; the Rev. John G. Craven, the teacher, and friend of the negro; the Rev. T. A. Childs, the unselfish and always busy servant of Christ; and not least the Rev. C. E. W. Dobbs, D. D., who was pastor of the Madison church from 1882 to 1884. He was by far the ablest exegetical scholar and preacher among the Baptists of the State, and was interested as well in the local history of the denomination. In 1883 he read a history of Madison Association at its annual meeting at Hebron church. The future historian of the Indiana Baptists will be sure to rely much on the facts gathered and organized in this pamphlet.
TIPPECANOE ASSOCIATION-(COUNTIES OF TIPPECA- NOE, CARROLL AND MONTGOMERY.)
The Association was constituted at Delphi in 1833. Deacon Lewis Johnson was elected moderator and Elder L. Fairman, clerk. That this Association was to stand for progressive ideas may be readily inferred from the fact that the churches forming it had de- cided to join Sugar Creek Association, but finding that a strong anti-mission spirit pervaded that body, declined, and proceeded to form an Association of churches believing in the promulgation of the gospel to the ends of the earth. The churches which united to form the Association were Dayton, Delphi, Grand Prairie and Logansport; at the third session the fol-
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lowing churches were received: Bethel, Frankfort, Hopewell and Rossville. At the fourth session Elder William Rees was chosen moderator and was one of the ablest ministers in the body. At the fifth session the Association declined to continue correspondence with White Water, for that Association sent two let- ters-one representing the "old school" faction, and the other the new; and there was no disposition to take any part in that controversy. At the sixth ses- sion LaFayette, Fort Wayne and Crawfordsville churches were received, and the membership of the Association was 310. At the seventh session the Rev. William M. Pratt, one of the ablest ministers of pio- neer times, became a member of the Association; at the eighth session the following ministers belonged to the body: William Rees, William Corbin,
Webb, S. G. Miner, J. Hill, W. M. Pratt, James Dun- lap and - - Cox. In 1851 Fort Wayne, Logansport and Monticello churches are dismissed to join other Associations. From this date on the number of churches varies little, the total membership being 2,036 in 1904 and 1,985 in 1906.
Prominent among the laymen of the Association was Deacon Albert Henderson, of LaFayette; he was a man of high ideals and broad sympathies. He was born in Indiana in 1815 and was of sturdy stock. The members of the Society of Friends had settled in large numbers in southeastern Indiana in the White Water valley. They were people of simple life, char- acterized by industry and economy, and were earnest advocates of civil liberty and education. Among these
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people came John Henderson, leaving his native State because of his dislike of slavery. A few years after he and his wife had come west, his son John was married to Jane Orr; the Orrs were descended from Colonel Robert Orr, a Scotch-Irish protestant, who with his seven sons served in the Carolina line dur- ing the war for Independence. To this union of John Henderson and Jane Orr was born Albert Henderson -the father a Friend, and the mother a Baptist. The father was prostrated by that almost universal con- tagion of the time-malaria-and died in his prime. The mother did not long survive him, dying from the same disease two years afterwards.
The care of the family now devolved upon Albert, the older brother; he took all the children to his own home in Covington, Indiana, and saw as best he could to their comfort and education. In all this care and labor he was nobly seconded by his wife-a sister of Judge Ristine ; but she soon sickened and died. « In 1844 Mr. Henderson was again married, his second wife being a sister of the Rev. J. L. Richmond, M. D., of Indianapolis. Thenceforth the two were closely associated in all social and religious activities. They were akin in faith, hope, ideals and ambitions, and wrought together many years in serving others, and especially in building up the church to which they belonged-the Baptist.
Mr. Henderson was a man of affairs; he was a trained master-builder and many residences and pub- iic structures along the Wabash valley-still standing -are a testimony to his skill and integrity.
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He drew his own plans, had his own lime-kilns, brick-kilns and saw mills, and personally superintend- ed the work on every edifice. Besides, he always loved the farm, and was successful in the cultivation of the grains, fruits and flowers. The home, close by the much travelled government road, was always the hospitable home for ministers, missionaries and laborers for God -"the latch-string was out." During the civil war Mr. Henderson was an ardent patriot, in a politically di- vided part of the state. He labored constantly to up- hold the hands of our great war governor-O. P. Morton, and to persuade the treasonable element, many of whom were his old friends and neighbors, to abandon their futile and damaging plans against the Union. He wrote and he spoke for loyalty to the cause. With his good wife he helped in every move- ment in the town for forwarding supplies, raising funds for provisions and delicacies for the Sanitary Commission. His interest in education had its roots in that same social impulse which fired the soul of Abraham Lincoln whom he resembled in many im- portant characteristics. As he grew to manhood his taste for books increased.
His acquaintance with Dr. Richmond, who lived with him many years, quickened and directed his lines of reading. He became deeply interested in physics and chemistry and became so familiar with the main principles and facts that when Darwin's doctrine ap- peared it did not disturb him in the least. The Bible was his one book; but in addition he was attracted to such authors as Milton, Burns, Scott, Pope, Cowper
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and Addison. In later years, when his children read to him Mac Masters' or McCarthys' histories, it merely called back to memory events with which he had long been familiar. The books on natural his- tory and religion combined by one Dick, now for- gotten, were his companions for many years. He was also familiar with Plutarch's Lives, Josephus, Hume, Ruskin and Irving. When Caleb Mills car- ried on his great campaign for taxation to support popular education, Mr. Henderson helped to the limit of his influence to carry the State into the region of enlightenment. As an evidence of his interest in higher education is the fact that in 1841 he carried his brother and four other young men in his wagon to Franklin to secure the rudiments of an education- that was before the day of railroads. He desired education more than wealth for his children, and he assisted them in every possible way in their efforts for learning. In 1864 he moved his family and busi- ness to LaFayette, where he identified himself with every worthy cause and helped men by his cheerful courage, consistent religious life, earnest citizenship and steadfast industry. He was faithful at the pri- maries, fearless in stating his own position, tolerant of others, but always devoted to that party which was identified with the salvation of the Union. On May 15th, 1892, he passed to the other shore, and on April 21st, 1893, his wife, the gentle, brave, tender, religious, wise woman joined the same celestial com- pany. He was constant and faithful in the support of his church; he took pains to go to church early
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Sunday morning so that he might have a time for quiet meditation before the public exercises began. It is said that each Sunday morning he read through that famous hymn of Faber, in which occur the words, which summed up his creed :
There's a wideness in God's mercy Like the wideness of the sea; There's a kindness in his justice, Which is more than liberty.
Mr. Henderson is worthily represented by his chil- dren, who have taken places of honor and influence in society ; his son, the Rev. Charles R. Henderson, D. D., professor in the University of Chicago, is al- ready known in this country and Europe as an author- ity on Public Charities; and Mr. J. L. Griffiths, his son-in-law, represents this government at the court of St. James as ably as any one who was ever chosen to the high office.
Among the ministers of the Association we would think first of the Rev. Charles J. Bowles, Sr., who was born in Ohio in 1818. At the age of nineteen he became a sailor, but after three years of sea life he returned to his home, and in 1841 he and Miss Nancy Knapper were married. He was a large, stout man, and his mind was as imperial as his physical frame. His main pastoral work was done in Wayne- town church, but his labors extended into all the sur- rounding country. His advocacy of distinctive Bap- tist doctrines was so clear and strong that many paedo-Baptists who heard him, became dissatisfied with their former denominational beliefs and joined
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Baptist churches. This power did not consist alone of intellectual grasp and forceful diction, but more than all of a cheerful fraternal spirit coupled with an intense earnestness to know and declare the truth as it is set forth in God's word. It is told of him that in his earlier ministry he was invited to hold meetings in a Presbyterian house of worship, as there was no Baptist house near; the result was that a large part of the membership of the church became Baptists, and yet no one accused him of taking any undue advantage of the opportunity. At the annual session of the Tippecanoe Association in 1883 he sub- mitted the report on Foreign missions, a report that shows broad Christian views and sympathies, and a clear conviction of the causes that hinder the spread of the gospel in heathen lands. He died in Newtown in October, 1889; and his brethren said: "A great man in Israel has fallen." He left a son in the Bap- tist ministry-the Rev. C. J. Bowles, Jr.
Elder Williams Rees (from a sketch by Rev. T. R. Cressey, 1850), was born in Pennsylvania in 1797; and at ten years came with his parents to the vicinity of Columbus, Ohio. At the age of nine- teen he united with the Union church, and in 1820 he and Miss Mary White, of Muskingum county, were married. He was ordained in 1820 and had charge of several churches in that part of Ohio, and was much loved for his work and was successful in winning many to the service of Christ. In October, 1832, he moved to Delphi, Indiana, and before a great while had organized a Baptist church. After a hard
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struggle a meeting house was built, and from that time to this public worship has been maintained. He was the leading spirit in the organization of the La- Fayette, now the Tippecanoe, Association ; at the time of the organization he was the only Baptist minister in that portion of the State. He assisted in the or- ganization of several churches in that region-such as Camden, Grand Prairie, Dayton and Rossville.
In 1839 he was elected financial agent of the In- diana Baptist Convention, and for the next ten years labored for the Convention and the College, giving most of his time to the latter. He was a very suc- cessful collector of money; he did not obtain large gifts, for they were not to be had at that stage of the State's material development. But whoever will take the pains to look through his little account books will be astonished at the large number of small gifts ; he was as grateful for the dollar as for the ten dollars. His wife died in 1840, and in 1841 he and Mrs. Mary Martin, of Delphi, were married. His three sons, Cyrus W., Eli and Jonathan were Baptist ministers-one in California, one in Texas and one in Oregon. In 1849, upon returning from a tour in southern Indiana, where his labors had been some- what severe, he was attacked with a slight fever, ac- companied by inflammatory rheumatism. During sev- · eral weeks he was quite ill, but he determined to at- tend the annual meeting of the Convention, which was held at Indianapolis. He was too feeble to at- tend the public exercises, but from his sick room at his old friend Henry Brady's he was able to give a
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