USA > Indiana > Indiana Baptist history, 1798-1908 > Part 13
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 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23
The Rev. Samuel McCormick was born in Penn- sylvania in 1789, came to Fayette county, Indiana, in 1811, and was baptized into the fellowship of the Elk Creek church by Elder Wilson Thompson. In 1820 he moved to where the city of Indianapolis now stands, and was one of the constituent members of the First Baptist church. He was ordained at the re- quest of the Belleville church, Hendricks county, in 1846. He died in June, 1867.
The Rev. J. W. Sherrill, a very efficient minister in the Association, was born in Putnam county in 1829. He was ordained in 1869, and proved himself to be a diligent student of the Bible. He died in Sep- tember, 1883.
In a supplement Mr. Jones gives these additional facts : White Lick Association was so called from the fact that it was organized at Belleville church- then called White Lick. During the fifty years of the Association the whole number of baptisms reported was 4,372, and the number of ordinations fifty-four.
Many other worthy ministers served churches in
194
INDIANA BAPTIST HISTORY.
the Association; some of these have passed away, but most yet live. The Revs. J. F. Crews, of Coatsville; R. N. Harvey, of Pecksburg; O. Bonney, who was at Plainfield; J. E. Sherrill, of Danville, and J. A. Mar- tin, of Amo. Of those who have passed away were F. D. Bland, D. D., whose home was at Stilesville, and L. E. Duncan, pastor for some time at Stilesville, and the ablest preacher in the Association, even when he was a young man.
NORTHERN ASSOCIATION-(COUNTIES OF LAKE, POR- TER, LA PORTE, ST. JOSEPH AND ELKHART).
This Association was organized in 1836. The first annual meeting was held with Bristol church, Elkhart county, in 1837. Elder A. Hastings was elected mod- erator and T. Spaulding, clerk. The total member- ship reported was 142. From a statistical table found in the minutes of 1891, it is learned that the Kings- bury church was constituted in 1834, the Goshen church in 1836, Valparaiso church in 1837 and La Porte church in 1838; and the Rev. T. H. Ball, who has written much and with care, of the northwestern part of Indiana, is authority for the statement that Cedar Lake church, now extinct, was organized in June, 1838, and was the first church formed in Lake county. He relates many interesting incidents in con- nection with the history of this church; it was at the first composed of five families-three from Massa- chusetts and two from New York. On Sunday, May 19th, 1839, in the grove on the west side of the lake, near the residence of Hervey Ball, in front of a large
195
DISTRICT ASSOCIATIONS.
log schoolhouse, which had been erected under the shade of the majestic oaks which were then standing on that long slope, standing together in a circle with clasped hands, they were recognized as a Baptist church by a council. Elder A. French gave the hand of fellowship. In that same year they dismissed Brother and Sister Waggoner "to join the church in Chicago."
In 1840 the church called for the ordination of Brother N. Warriner-the ordaining ministers were Elders A. French, Benjamin Sawin, Charles Harding, William Rees, of the substantial devoted minister of the State, all of whom have long ago closed their earthly labors. In northwestern Indiana at that time it was not always easy to find a place in which to hold public worship. As late as 1841 the Commis- sioners of Porter county passed an order "against preaching, in the court house, by any denomination of christians." But that public sentiment was against this prohibition is evident from the fact that the next year the following order was passed: "Ordered by the Board that the Methodists, Presbyterians, Mor- mons, Universalists, Baptists, Campbellites, Associate Reformers, Infidels and all other denominations be al- lowed to hold meetings in the court house, provided they do not interfere with the business of the courts of the county and political meetings."
Whether Baptists relished their place in the line -- after Mormons and Universalists-we are not told. We may be sure that they objected to having Infidels classed as christians.
196
INDIANA BAPTIST HISTORY.
Quoting from Ball's Northwestern Indiana :
"Among the religious denominations the Baptists made the first start in White county, commencing evangelistic work in 1834; the pioneer preachers were Elders Rees, Corbin and Miner."
The pioneer Baptist ministers in La Porte county were Elders Phineas Colver, who organized Stillwell church; T. Spaulding, Alexander Hastings, Benjamin Sawin, Charles Harding, Augustus Bolles and Sam- uel W. Ford.
Rolling Prairie church was organized in 1836. La Porte church was organized in 1838, and its earlier pastors were Elders Charles Harding, Silas Tucker, E. W. Hamlin, Morgan Edwards, S. C. Chandler and Gibbon Williams. Valparaiso church, organized in 1837, had as its earlier pastors Elders A. French, H. S. Orton, W. T. Bly, A. Nickerson, Harry Smith, G. T. Brayton, Jireh D. Cole, J. M. Maxwell, M. T. Lamb and Otis Saxton. The Rev. T. H. Ball ob- serves that "the Baptists do not seem to have held their ground north of the Kankakee river; nineteen churches have been organized in La Porte county ; only four of these are now living."
In 1845 the Northern Association was divided; the record runs thus-"It was decided that we divide the Association, making the old Michigan road, running north and south, the division line; the west part of which retains the name of Northern and the east part that of Elkhart river." Before a great while the South Bend church came back to the Northern Asso- ciation; and in 1868, when the Fort Wayne Associa-
197
DISTRICT ASSOCIATIONS.
tion was formed, some of the churches of the Elkhart River Association went into that organization, and the rest came back into the Northern, including Elk- hart, Goshen and Mishawaka. The Northern is now one of the strong Associations of the State, having a membership (1905) of 2,617; three churches have over 300 members, and one has over 400. Most of the churches contribute to all denominational benev- olences. The newer churches as Hammond, Indiana Harbor and Michigan City, bid fair to take a front rank in the association for they are in localities which already contain large populations.
The La Porte church has the honor of leading in the establishment of a 'Baptist summer resort-Pine Lake Assembly.
A long list of very efficient ministers belongs to this Association. It will be possible to speak of only some of these, others can be only mentioned for lack of data relating to their lives and labors.
The Rev. J. M. Whitehead was born in Wayne county, Indiana, in 1823 ; he united with the La Porte church in 1839, being baptized by Elder A. Hastings. He was licensed to preach in 1844, and ordained in 1846 -Revs. S. G. Hunt and T. L. Hunt being ordained at the same time. He lived nearly twenty-nine years in La Porte county, and was constantly engaged in pastoral and evangelistic work. He was pastor for several years in Elkhart county and one year in Shelby county. He enlisted as chaplain in the Fifteenth In- diana Infantry in the war of 1861-65. He was dis- tinguished for bravery and efficiency and was awarded
198
INDIANA BAPTIST HISTORY.
(an honor that probably came to no other chaplain in the United States service) a medal of honor by Con- gress. The inscription on the medal is as follows: "The Congress to Chaplain Jno. M. Whitehead, 15th Indiana Regiment, for gallantry at Stone River, Ten- nessee, December 31st, 1862."
The statement accompanying the award is as fol- lows: "At Stone River, Tennessee, December 31st, 1862, this officer, then Chaplain of 15th Indiana vol- unteers, rendered service most conspicuous for brav- ery, by going to the front line of battle when the brigade was engaged in a desperate contest, and un- aided, carrying to the rear several wounded and help- less comrades. (Signed) R. A. Alger, Secretary of War."
The facts are that when his regiment was falling back under heavy fire, the chaplain who was stand- ing by his colonel, seeing several of his men lying wounded and being left by the army on the field, said to his colonel, "Somebody ought to be sent after these men."
The colonel replied :
"I would not ask anyone to go after them under such a fire."
He then said :
"Send me and I will go."
The reply again was:
"No, I would not send anybody." The chaplain again said: "If you will let me, I will go." The reply was :
199
DISTRICT ASSOCIATIONS.
"I will not hinder you." He then mounted and rode into the fire, back and forth, till he had carried eight wounded men off the field, and without any aid.
His own modest statement is:
"Our ambulances would not come to help; our men with stretchers were on duty elsewhere; I only went to rescue Captain Templeton, John Long and Chas. Bond-but later I found others helpless; they were my fellow soldiers; I did only my duty."
Dr. Whitehead was no more distinguished for courage in the army of the Republic, than for effi- ciency in the army of the Lord; in Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska and Kansas he has wrought most vigorously for the good of men and the glory of God, whether as pastor, evangelist or Secretary of Missions; and now at the advanced age of eighty-three he is still hopeful and joyful in the assurance that the kingdom of our God will yet be established in all lands.
The Rev. Silas Tucker, one of "the five Tucker brothers," was born in 1813. He was baptized by his brother Levi, pastor of the Blockley church, Philadel- phia, Pa., in 1833; and studied in Hamilton Literary and Theological Seminary three years. The historical table of the Association shows that he was clerk in 1841 and moderator in 1843. During these three years he was pastor of La Porte church. The min- utes of the Logansport Association show that he was pastor at Logansport for eleven years, beginning in 1860, and that he was Moderator of that body for nine years. He died in Aurora, Illinois, in 1872.
The Rev. J. P. Ash was born in 1834; was pastor
200
INDIANA BAPTIST HISTORY.
of LaPorte church from 1865 to 1875, and proved himself very efficient in raising money for the new church house, the present edifice; and is remembered as having a deeper hold on the esteem of the lowly and sorrowing than had any other minister of the city. He was six times elected Moderator of the As- sociation. He died in 1891.
The Rev. T. H. Ball, of Crown Point, was but a child when his parents brought him to Cedar Lake, in Lake county, in 1837. In his home life he inher- ited a taste for learning, and in 1848 he came to Franklin College, entering the Junior class. In 1850 he was graduated from the classical course. Upon graduation he went to Danville, Indiana, became a member of the Baptist church there and was licensed to preach. Shortly afterwards he went to Alabama, as we infer from a poem written there with the ad- dress "Franklin Springs, Alabama, May, 1851." He came back to Lake county, did missionary work for a time, and in 1860 went to Newton Center, Massachu- setts, and took the three years course in Newton The- ological Seminary. He returned to his home to find that his county was without a Baptist minister. He soon became pastor of the Crown Point Baptist church. In 1865 he organized the Crown Point In- stitute which did solid educational work and had a fairly successful career ; in 1871 it was sold to the city of Crown Point for public school purposes. Mr. Ball has always been an enthusiastic worker for Sunday schools, and did much for their advancement in the northwest counties of the state. But he is best known
201
DISTRICT ASSOCIATIONS.
as a writer. He has published half a dozen volumes, mostly in the interest of local history; some are the fruits of his study of the Bible. He is at this time the oldest living graduate of his Alma Mater, and although in his eightieth year he takes a lively inter- est in all the important affairs of the times. In his volume, "The Lake of the Red Cedars," are brief sketches of many of the earlier Baptist ministers of the Northern Association. Elder A. Hastings is spoken of as a man of great spiritual earnestness and well fitted for the task of planting and training pioneer churches. High praise is also given to such minis- ters as Elders N. Warriner, A. French, W. T. Bly, J. M. Maxwell, G. F. Brayton and Uriah Mckay.
At least two laymen of the Association deserve in- dividual mention. George C. Dorland, of La Porte, was deeply interested in all movements looking to- wards the progress of the Baptists in northern Indi- ana. He was ten times elected clerk of the Associa- tion, and was often appointed on committees whose business it was to look after declining churches and missions. He was active in securing the Baptist Sum- mer Assembly at Pine Lake and was killed on a train as he was going home from a trip to Indianapolis where he had gone on business for the Assembly.
J. L. Kindlig, of Goshen church, became deeply interested in the success and advance of the work of the Indiana Baptist Convention, and gave $20,000 for this purpose. His wife heartily supported him in his . practical benevolence, and she herself gave to Frank- lin College an obligation for $10,000.
1
-
202
INDIANA BAPTIST HISTORY.
The minutes of the Association for 1906 give the number of churches as ten, the number of members 2,513, and the aggregate benevolence for the year, not including home expenses, $2,615.47. South Bend had the largest membership-495; La Porte had increased its Sunday school efficiency by fitting and furnishing some beautiful rooms in the basement.
BETHEL ASSOCIATION-(COUNTIES OF CLARK, FLOYD, WASHINGTON AND ORANGE).
The Association was organized at Salem in 1837 with four churches-Lost River, Mill Creek, New Al- bany and Salem. The Rev. J. D. Crabs was elected moderator and deacon John McCoy, clerk. Benedict says: "I conclude that it is a branch of the old Silver Creek community."
In the minutes for 1869 is to be found this state- ment as to the origin of the Association :
"The origin appears to have grown out of a neces- sity to sustain the cause of the Baptist church from destruction of the two antagonisms-baptismal re- generation and renovation of the Articles of Faith on one hand, and antinomian anti-missionism on the other. The adverse winds blowing the one from to- wards Virginia, and the other from Illinois, between the years 1828 and 1833 swept over the western churches like the simoon or sirocco, splitting, dividing and rending all before them until the ship was about to founder, when a few firm sacrificing missionaries that were in the formation of this body, seized the sinking mast, unfurled it to the breezes of the Holy
203
DISTRICT ASSOCIATIONS.
Spirit, and the vessel began again to glide smoothly over the waters, with a crew numbering only 194- but now 1,133."
However florid this account may seem, it plainly states that the trouble was the opposition from both Arminianism and Two-seedism. The after history of the Association is in keeping with this account of its origin; it was within itself in complete harmony with the missionary spirit and educational progress-not only in theory, but in practice also. At the first an- nual meeting a collection of $21.37 was taken for mis- sionary purposes. At this meeting it was resolved that "we will make all laudable efforts to obtain sub- scribers for the Baptist Banner and Cross and Baptist Journal." By resolution the Association also rec- ommended the American and Foreign Bible Society, the Tract Society and Sunday school societies, educa- tion, temperance, and by special mention, Franklin Manual Labor Institute. It sent delegates to the Gen- eral Association, Indiana Baptist Convention, from the first. At the session in 1840 this resolution was passed : "We have heard with pleasure of the formation of fe- male Societies in some of our congregations in aid of the General Association, and that we earnestly recom- mend that such societies be formed in all our congre- gations."
So we see that woman's work in the churches did not originate in recent times. One of the methods of those times for solving difficulties in churches was for each faction to send a letter to the Association with the hope that it would recognize the faction in the
204
INDIANA BAPTIST HISTORY.
right and use its influence to bring the erring faction back into line. This occurred in 1841: Lost River sent two letters; the Association heard both of them; "the letter from the majority was accepted and ap- proved, and the church was urged to labor with the members who have withdrawn in the spirit of tender solicitude and prayerful assiduity that they may be restored to fellowship in the body and have the love of the brethren confirmed unto them." The plan suc- ceeded. In 1843 the Ephesian church (Negro) ap- plied for membership and was received. At the ses- sion in 1844 Miss Eliza McCoy and Miss Sarah Os- good were set apart as missionaries to the Pottawat- amie and Stockbridge Indians. Two years before this the Association had approved the formation of the American Indian Mission Association. In 1850 Elder Seth Woodruff, the moderator, was made life member of the American Baptist Home Missionary Society.
The question of having a Baptist paper for the state was taken up and Brother C. M. Riely, a printer of Paoli, was consulted as to the practicability: In 1852 the minutes record the death of Elder Seth Woodruff, who had been moderator thirteen years in all. The corresponding letter for 1853 notes that there are fif- teen churches, and a total of 984 members; and that the churches of New Albany, Mill Creek, Jefferson- ville, New Philadelphia, Bank Street in New Albany, have each from one to three scholarships in Franklin College, and that there are five flourishing Sunday schools in the Association. In a compend of the let- ters to the Association in 1854 are contained the fol-
205
DISTRICT ASSOCIATIONS.
lowing facts which give us an insight into the mis- sionary spirit of the body: Lost River gave $3.00 to the General Association, Salem $16.00, Mill Creek $75.00, Charlestown $10.00, New Albany $35.00 for missionary objects, New Philadelphia $12.00 for same, Friendship $7.00 for General Association, and New Albany over $100.00 for missionary objects. This same year the contributions of the Association for Domestic missions was $284.40. The Circular Letter of that year, written by Elder William McCoy, is also an indication that better ideas were prevailing as to the importance of permanent work; the subject was "The necessity of a permanent pastoral relation."
At the session in 1855 the Ladoga Seminary was strongly endorsed; in 1859 the following resolution was passed: "That as the friends of education have in contemplation to establish a Ladies' college at Ve- vay, Indiana, we commend the enterprise to the favor of the churches, and other enterprises of the same character." It appears from the minutes of the next year that a school was put into operation at Utica, Indiana; this is the action: "Resolved that we con- sider Sister P. J. Waldo's school in every way worthy of the respect, confidence and patronage of the denomination, especially this Association."
At the session in 1863 it was resolved that: "We recommend to his Excellency Governor O. P. Mor- ton, E. L. Stalker to the position of chaplain to the 116th Regiment Indiana Volunteers now forming in camp at Indianapolis."
In 1864 the following was passed:
206
INDIANA BAPTIST HISTORY.
"Resolved that with devout gratitude to God we rec- ognize the fact that the Constitution of the United States as it is is adapted to the enfranchised condition of all men; and that when all men in this nation shall be free, the people of that day will have to look else- where than to the Constitution devised by our fathers, in order to learn that the Stars of this Union ever shone on the stripes of a slave."
Two notable entries are made in the minutes of 1866; one is a resolution to the effect that "in lieu of the collections taken at the anniversaries for various objects represented by agents or otherwise, we recom- mend all our churches to take collections at home and forward the same to this body, designating the object to which it shall be applied." This was a distinct' step in advance for the total fund collected was much larger, and it educated all the members in the grace, of giving. The other entry was as to the death of Elder J. D. Crabs, so long the moderator of the Asso- ciation, and probably the strongest minister that had belonged to the body. Since its organization in 1837 the Association had had but two moderators-Elders Woodruff and Crabs. Elder Woodruff was a business man as well as a minister; he was a dealer in glass, and furnished the glass for many a new church; he agreed to furnish the glass for the north college build- ing, now Chandler Hall, and as the orders kept com- ing in for glass he said in his dry, pleasant way- "They seem to be making that building all of glass!". The explanation of his being so well supplied with glass is that a boat loaded with glass had sunk in the
207
DISTRICT ASSOCIATIONS.
Ohio river near New Albany, and Elder Woodruff was the successful bidder for the cargo. His out- spoken opposition to whiskey and tobacco was well known; one of his sayings is remembered: "A man has no more use for tobacco than a toad has for a side pocket."
The Baptist Annual for 1895 credits the Association with ten churches and a membership of 1,160; Taber- nacle church, New Albany, has 314 members, Jeffer- sonville 230, and Salem 187. Many of the ablest Baptist ministers of the state have been connected with this Association ; the list would include such names as Elders C. G. Hatch, Jeffersonville; B. C. Morse, New Albany; J. C. Post, Charlestown; William McCoy, New Philadelphia ; E. P. Bond, New Albany ; C. E. B. Armstrong, New Albany; F. H. Duncan, Millers- burg; M. C. Clerk, Charlestown ; W. M. Pratt, D. D., New Albany; J. K. Howard, Livonia; Wright San- ders, Lost River; and later the Revs. U. S. Clutton, New Albany ; E. T. Poulson, New Albany ; S. T. Mat- thews, Salem; nor should the names of the Rev. Wil- liam Elgin, D. D., and his brother, G. H. Elgin, D. D., be omitted, for while they were not pastors in the Association they came out from it, having been members of Lost River church; and their part in the work of the denomination has been so marked that the Association has a right to be proud of their work and worth. Without question Elder J. D. Crabs was a wise man and a distinct leader in his Association as well as in all southern Indiana.
Through the kindness of the Rev. William Elgin,
208
INDIANA BAPTIST HISTORY.
D. D., now of Akron, New York, we have many facts of interest as to Elder Crabs.
"He had been pastor of Lost River two years when I was born; and, excepting two years of my childhood, continued to be my pastor till I was twenty-seven years old. He it was who baptized me, and he laid his hands on my head as I knelt before him to receive the license of the church to preach, in 1857. To him I owe much of that high ideal of the ministry which has led me on for forty-five years. When he first became pastor of Lost River church, in 1836, he must have been about thirty-five years of age-hence in his prime. He was tall and slender, always erect in form, and had hair and beard of raven blackness. His move- ments were characterized by quiet dignity, his voice was gentle, and in every way he was the embodiment of the best ideals of the true preacher and pastor. At the beginning of his first pastorate the church was in a sadly divided state, having just emerged from a life and death struggle with anti-missionism and so forth; yet by his sound judgment, wise and gentle, yet firm, management, together with his power as a ·preacher and winsomeness as a pastor, he soon won out and put his church on a basis of unity and strength."
His first pastorate was for six years; after an in- terim of two years he became pastor again. As to this second period :
"This period was just opening when this writer was just emerging from childhood into youth, consequently his earliest recollections of church life, of the ministry and of christianity in general, gathered about this no-
209
DISTRICT ASSOCIATIONS.
ble man and the equally noble band of men and women that he had gathered into his church, which then and for many years following, was my ideal of a true church. As a preacher he was clear, logical, intensely biblical and convincing. His speaking was always de- liberate ; never loud nor affected, his voice ringing out like a sweet toned instrument. He was fond of mu- sic, was a good singer, delighting in it to the last hour. This and his naturally sociable and attractive manner made him quite a favorite with the young people. He was truly missionary in spirit; I recall to this day the delight and eloquence with which he used to appeal to his people for their sympathy and means for For- eign missions; the names of Judson and Rice and other heroes fighting that memorable warfare becom- ing familiar to his hearers. As a citizen he was wide awake and interested in everything that pertained to the welfare of the country around him, and the good of the country as a whole. On the fourth of July and on many another fit occasion his eloquence often glowed with a fervor and brightness that came only from the hidden fires of a noble patriotism. And while he was not a strict partisan ordinarily, yet when great principle was at stake, or vital interests in peril, he never hesitated to affirm what he believed to be wise and right. For example, for years before the war for the Union, the anti-slavery cause, and during he war, the cause of the Union, found in him an advocate whose notes were of no uncertain sound. While I was in the army I was often made to feel the touch of his sympathy cheering me on; and I recall a day spent
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.