USA > Indiana > Indiana Methodism : being an account of the introduction, progress, and present position of Methodism in the State; and also a history of the literary institutions under the care of the church, with sketches of the principle Methodist educators in the state . . > Part 3
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In 1810, Indiana District is continued as follows :
INDIANA DISTRICT-SAMUEL PARKER, PRESIDING ELDER.
Illinois-Daniel Fraley. Missouri-Thomas Wright. Merrimack-John M'Farland. Coldwater-George A. Colbert. Cape Girardeau-Jesse Walker.
Why it should have been called Indiana District, as thus constituted, is not apparent at the present day. The charges in Indiana were as follows : St. Vincent's, as it was then written in the Minutes, with Thomas Stilwell as the preacher, and included in the Cumberland District, Learner Blackman as presiding elder; Silver-creek, in- cluded in Green-river District, with Isaac Lindsey for the preacher, and William Burke as presiding elder; White- water, in Miami District, with Moses Crume for the preacher, and Solomon Langdon for presiding elder. The numbers returned for this year were as follows : Silver- creek, 397; Vincennes, 125; Whitewater, 638. In 1811, Lawrenceburg Circuit, on the eastern border of the state, and Patoka, on the south-western part of the state, were added to the organized work in Indiana. Walter Griffith
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traveled the former, and Benjamin Edge the latter. Down to this time, the Church within the bounds of the Western Conference had accumulated but little property in the way of churches, parsonages, or school-houses. In the Winter the log-cabins of the early settlers were the preaching-places, and in the Summer they worshiped in the grand old woods. The early settlements were along the rivers and creeks, as these were the natural highways of the country; and hence the early circuits derived their names from some river or creek upon which they were located, or to which they were contiguous ; and not as is the present custom, from city, town, or post-office, for the very good reason that there were no cities, and very few towns and post-offices, after which they could have named them. The old Western Con- ference included in its ranks a large proportion of strong men-men of intellectual vigor, and mighty in the Scrip- tures. William M'Kendree, the enterprising and efficient presiding elder and prince of preachers, was elected bishop in 1808. He was a true champion and a recog- nized leader in the old Western Conference. Charles Holliday, than whom few men were ever more familiar with the Scriptures. He was, a number of years, Book Agent at Cincinnati. At the close of his Book Agency he was transferred to the Illinois Conference, where he continued to labor until the Fall of 1846, when he took a superannuated relation, and in 1849 was called from labor to reward. The sweet-spirited, saintly, and suc- cessful John Collins, who won thousands as jewels for his Master, Learner Blackman, John Sale, James Quinn, and Solomon Langdon were eminently fitted to lead on the Church from "conquering to conquest." William Burke was a man of decided ability and impress- ive manners, and for many years stood in the front rank
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of Methodist preachers. In an evil hour he withdrew from the Church, but lived long enough to repent the rash deed. He now rests, with the co-laborers of his early manhood, in the better land. James B. Finley, known as the Old Chief, survived most of his early asso- ciates, and, through a long life, declaimed against vice, and proclaimed the Gospel message, with a power and success equaled by few. The thrilling eloquence of John Strange, and the sturdy sense and occasional eccen- tricity of James Axley, are still themes of conversation among those who still remember them. The last session of the old Western Conference was held in Cincinnati, October, 1811. Bishops Asbury and M'Kendree were both present at this Conference. At the General Con- ference of 1812, the Western Conference was divided into two conferences, called Ohio and Tennessee. The Ohio Conference embraced the Ohio, Muskingum, Scioto, Miami, and Kentucky Districts. At the General Con- ference held in the city of Baltimore, in May, 1816, the Missouri Annual Conference was constituted, embracing Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. There were at that time, in Indiana, Lawrenceburg and White-river Circuits, on the eastern border of the state, included in Miami Dis- trict, Ohio Conference ; and Patoka, Vincennes, Harrison, Blue-river, and Silver-creek Circuits, embraced in Illi- nois District, Missouri Conference ; Missouri Conference being bounded on the east by a line running due north from the city of Madison.
Methodism was introduced into Decatur County as follows : John Robins came to Decatur County, March 28, 1822, and settled on Sand Creek, three and a half miles south of where Greensburg now stands. The town was laid out that same Spring. There were but few persons then in the county. The only family then
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in the limits of what is now Greensburg, was Colonel Hendricks, an honored citizen and a liberal-minded Pres- byterian. At this time there was no Church organization in the county. The first Methodist society, which was the first religious organization in the county, began on this wise: The few scattered Methodists, feeling their need of spiritual aid and the fellowship of the Church, resolved to see what could be done. John Rob- ins began to hunt for a preacher that could take them into his circuit, and supply them with preaching. Mean- while he appointed prayer-meeting at his own house. At that first prayer-meeting there were present John Robins, Ruth Robins, John H. Kirkpatrick and wife, and Nathaniel Robins; and shortly after, John Steward joined them.
Late in the Summer of 1822, James Murray, who was then traveling Connersville Circuit, which was included in the Ohio Conference, sent an appointment to Greens- burg, to the cabin of Colonel Hendricks, to preach. He came; and here he was met by John Robins, who so- licited him to make an appointment at his house. Mr. Murray made a conditional promise. He would come if he could. In a short time after this, Mr. Robins received a class-paper, made out in due form by Mr. Murray, and forwarded to him, not by mail-for such a luxury was then unknown by the early settlers-but conveyed by friends from one neighborhood to another. With that paper was the request that he would open the doors of the Church, and receive such as were willing to join in with them to form a class. Mr. Robins pro- posed, if enough joined to justify it, that he would report the society to the next session of the Missouri Conference. When Mr. Robins presented the question of the organization of a class, seven persons gave their
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names, to wit : Abram L. Anderson, Nancy Anderson, Jacob Stewart, Elizabeth Garrison, Nathaniel Robins, John Robins, and Ruth Robins. These formed the first Methodist class and the first religious organization in Decatur County. Mr. Robins reported the organization of the class to Mr. Murray, and the class was reported in due time to the Missouri Conference. In the Fall of 1823, Aaron Wood was appointed to Connersville Circuit, and, as he was surveying his new field of labor, he met with Mr. Robins, and an arrangement was effected for a regular appointment at his house; but Wood had hardly got possession of this new society, when Jesse Haile, of Indianapolis Circuit, Missouri Conference, appeared, with John Robins's house on the plan of his circuit. The east line of the Missouri Conference being a line due north from the city of Madison, Greensburg was found to be in the Missouri Conference, and Mr. Wood had to vacate. From Mr. Wood's first sermon at Mr. Robins's house, it became a regular preaching-place, and, although nearly half a century has passed by, the results are yet visible : "The handful of corn on the top of the mount- ain shakes like Lebanon." A good Church and a flourish- ing Sabbath-school still mark that country appointment, while two flourishing Churches exist in the town of Greensburg. Rev. George Horn was the colleague of Mr. Haile, and they received for their support during the year the sum of $27.
In the year 1822, there moved into Mr. Robins's neighborhood a man by the name of Garrison, an old local preacher in the United Brethren Church; and, being zealous for his own denomination, the contest would at times wax warm between him and his Methodist neigh- bors. Elizabeth Garrison, one of the old man's daugh- ters, joined the Methodists, and was one of the original
3
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seven of whom the first class was composed; and, not long after, a married daughter of the old gentleman joined, and, a short time after that, his wife also joined. That put an end to the old man's opposition to Meth- odism; and, in a short time, he himself united with the society. Soon after his union with the Church, the old man applied for license as a local preacher; but Mr. Haile, who was in charge of the circuit, learning that the old gentleman was not entirely sound on "Doctrine and Discipline," arranged to have an interview with him on his next round; and, accordingly, at his next appoint- ment, after dinner, he entered into conversation with him. Finding him unsound on many points, as he judged, he labored with him until late in the afternoon; but failing in his efforts to convince him of his errors, ยท Mr. Garrison was not licensed. The interview ended, Mr. Haile started for his next appointment, which was twelve miles distant, and his way lay through a dense wood, with only a few marks on the trees to guide him. He missed his way, and paid for his devotion to Meth- odist "Doctrine and Discipline " by spending a night in the dense and chilly forest.
In 1803, Haile and Horn established regular preach- ing in Greensburg, in the house of Colonel Hendricks, which then stood on the south-east corner of the public square, where the "Moss House" now stands. In the Fall of that year, Haile and Horn were followed by Thomas Rice, under whose labors the work greatly prospered.
Mr. Rice was somewhat eccentric, and, like many of the early preachers, had marked individuality of char- acter. While on the Sangamon Circuit, as his custom was, he directed his heaviest artillery against slavery, whisky, tobacco, and worldly fashions. While holding
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a meeting at one of his appointments, a brother got very happy, and began to shout, and, in his evolutions, Mr. Rice spied a plug of tobacco in the happy brother's pocket, and he called out immediately, "Don't shout any more, brother, until you get that tobacco out of your pocket." The rebuke was a damper on the services for that hour. Rice came from the Holston Conference. At the conference in Charleston, in 1825, when Mr. Rice's case was under consideration, John Strange, who was his presiding elder, made some allusion to his eccen- tricities, which Bishop Roberts feared might damage him before the conference, and he arose to make some remarks in Rice's favor. He said : "True, brother Rice " is an eccentric man. While we were passing through Tennessee, in company, when at family worship, brother Rice would pray, 'O Lord ! bless this household; bless the parents and the children, and the poor negroes too. Help this master and mistress to be good and kind to their slaves, not to whip, beat, or starve them. Help them, that they may see the great sin of slavery, and that they may let the oppressed go free.'" At the con- clusion of the bishop's remarks, William Cravens, who had been listening intently, and who hated human slavery as but few men could, cried : "I'll vote for him, my honeys! He prays at them; he prays at them." Of course Rice's case passed the conference all right. Rice was followed by Stephen R. Beggs, and he by James Havens. The work was then divided, and Greens- burg was placed in Rushville Circuit. Havens was fol- lowed by Joseph Tarkington and William Evans. The circuit then embraced thirty-four appointments, which had to be filled every twenty-eight days. Tarkington and Evans received each, for their year's labor, the sum of $63. But the preachers were relatively as well
.
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supported then as now, and it required more effort for the people to raise the pittance then paid than it does the salaries of the present day.
Take the following as an illustration : A brother of small means, now residing in Greensburg, pays annually, for the support of the Gospel, the sum of $20. In an early day, he had a small tract of land near the town, with four acres cleared. His quarterage was one dollar a year. The conference year rolled on, and brother - had no money. A good brother in town proposed to take corn-meal and sell it, and give the preacher the benefit of it. But brother - had no corn to spare, not more than enough to do him until he could raise a crop. But the preacher was in need ; so he resolved to divide. He shelled two bushels of corn, took it to mill, and had it ground, took the meal to Greensburg, turned it over to Silas Stewart for twenty-five cents a bushel, and got credit for half his quarterage. Those were the days of moral heroism and self-denial, both on the part of preachers and people.
Tarkington and Evans were followed by Amos Sparks and John C. Smith.
The first school of any kind held in the territory of Indiana was taught one-and-a-half miles south of Charles- town, the present county-seat of Clark County, in 1803. Rev. George K. Hester, who was a pupil in this school in 1804, says : " Our first books were generally very far from facilitating an education, or affording materials for the mental culture of youth. My first two reading- books were 'Gulliver's Travels,' and a 'Dream Book.' We had to commence the first rudiments of language in 'Dilworth's Spelling-Book.' The rigid discipline ex- ercised, the cruelty practiced on delinquent scholars, as well as the long confinement of children to their
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books, from soon after sunrise to sunset, with only vacation at noon, was detrimental to their advancement in learning."
Rev. George K. Hester, who is undoubtedly the best living authority on the subject, says : "The first intro- duction of Methodist preaching into the Grant-as Clark County was then called-from the most reliable sources, was by Rev. Samuel Parker, and Edward Talbott, in the Spring of 1801. They attended a two-days' meeting, in a village called Springville, which had just been laid out, and was situated about one-and-a-half miles west of the present town of Charlestown. Parker and Tal- bott were then both of them local preachers. Benjamin Lakin and Ralph Lotspeich were the first traveling preachers that were sent into the Grant. They came in 1803. Lakin first visited Gazaway's neighborhood, five miles east of Charlestown, and preached in the woods, as early in the Spring as the weather would permit. He then proposed to take them and Father Robertson's, which was five miles north of Charlestown, into his regular work. To these, at first, he devoted but one day in each round, preaching alternately at each place. These appointments were included in Salt- river Circuit, Kentucky. It is believed that the first society formed in the state was organized at Father Robertson's. It has been supposed that the first society was formed at Gazaway's, but Hezekiah Robertson dis- tinctly recollects that the first society was organized at his father's. And old sister Gazaway has often been heard to say to persons, when excusing themselves for their neglect in attending class-meetings, on account of the distance, that she had uniformly gone to Nathan Robertson's to class-meeting every two weeks, a dis- tance of four miles, which makes it evident that the
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first class was organized there. This must have been in the Spring of 1803. Then came M'Guire and Sul- livan. In 1805, Peter Cartwright preached in the Grant, and, in the Fall of 1805, Asa Shinn and Moses Ash- worth preached there. In 1806, Joseph Oglesby and Frederick Hood also preached in the Grant. And in 1807, the work on this side of the river was organized into Silver-creek Circuit, with Moses Ashworth for their preacher. Moses Ashworth closed his year with a camp-meeting, which was held in the neighborhood of Father Robertson's. Rev. William Burke was the pre- siding elder. This was a novel affair in our new country, and called together a vast multitude of human beings." No special revivals of religion are noted until 1810, when many were converted and brought into the Church, and preaching was established in the town of Charlestown. These infant societies were not free from trouble. Most of the population came from Kentucky. Arianism, as taught by Marshall and Stone, and as held by the New-lights, as they were called, was advocated strenuously. Their chief attacks, so far as Methodism was concerned, were against the Divinity of Christ and the Discipline of the Church. They opposed all articles of faith and rules for Church government. The New- light meetings attracted a good deal of attention, because of the prevalence of a peculiar exercise, which attended many of their meetings, known as " the jerks."
In 1819, a memorable revival of religion prevailed in this part of the country. It began at a camp-meeting held on what was known as Jacob's camp-ground. The good work continued long after the close of the camp- meeting, and extended to every neighborhood within the bounds of the old Silver-creek Circuit.
Bishop M'Kendree and Bishop Roberts both attended
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the session of the Illinois Conference at Charlestown, Indiana, in 1825. Bishop M'Kendree arrived at the seat of the Conference a few days before the opening of the session, and visited a few of the adjoining neigh- borhoods, and preached to the people. He preached twice during the session of the Conference, much to the edification and delight of both preachers and people. Bishop Roberts also preached twice during the session of the Conference. He preached on Saturday, at 11 A. M., and on Sabbath afternoon. Dr. Martin Ruter preached on Sabbath morning. Bishop Roberts's ser- mon on Sabbath afternoon was one of remarkable power, founded on the text, "Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord."
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CHAPTER III.
Allen Wiley and C. W. Ruter admitted on Trial in the Ohio Confer- ence-Friendship of Wiley and Bigelow-Incidents-First Camp- meeting held in Indiana-Incidents of the Meeting-First Camp- meeting held near Madison-Allen Wiley preaches-Results of the Meeting-Camp-meeting near Cochran-Impressive Closing Serv- ices-Remarks on Camp-meetings-Charges in Indiana in 1818- John Schrader's account of his early Labors-Appointed to Silver- creek Circuit-Administers the Sacrament for the first time in New Albany-Appointed to Spring-river Circuit, Arkansas Territory- Preaching under Difficulties-Appointed to Corydon Circuit, Indi- ana-Organization of the Missouri Conference-Appointed to Mis- souri Circuit-First Camp-meeting at Boone's Lick-Heroism of the Early Preachers-Early Jesuit Missionaries-Romanism and Prot- estantism contrasted-Number of Methodists in Indiana in 1810- Number in 1820-Charges in Indiana-Memoir of Samuel Parker- James Havens admitted on Trial-William Cravens received in the Missouri Conference-His hatred of Slavery-An Incident-Re- marks on the Labors of Havens and Cravens-Appointments in Indiana in 1821-Cravens appointed to Indianapolis-Connersville Circuit organized-Extract from the Journal of the Quarterly Con- ference for Connersville Circuit in 1822-Appointments in Indi- ana in 1823-Dr. A. Wood's account of his Journey to his new Circuit-Account of his Year's Work-Division of the Missouri Conference-Appointments in Indiana in 1824-Appointments on Madison Circuit.
A' T the session of the Ohio Conference, in Zanesville, September, 1817, Rev. Allen Wiley and Rev. C. W. Ruter were received on trial in the traveling connection. Ruter was appointed as junior preacher on Steubenville Circuit, under James B. Finley as presiding elder, and Wiley was apointed as junior preacher on Lawrenceburg Circuit, with Samuel West in charge. Wiley and Ruter will hereafter figure largely in the history of Indiana Methodism. Wiley had traveled a part of the preceding
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year on Lawrenceburg Circuit, under the direction of the presiding elder, with Russel Bigelow in charge. He had yielded to the importunity of Bigelow to travel three months; but instead of terminating with three months, it became the business of a long life. Bigelow and Wiley were united in the bonds of friendship as closely as David and Jonathan. There were several incidents con- nected with Wiley's first year on Lawrenceburg Circuit with Mr. Bigelow, that are worth relating. Although their circuit extended from the vicinity of Brookville down to Madison, on the Ohio River, they materially enlarged its bounds during the year, and added a num- ber of new appointments. In several of the societies there were glorious revivals of religion during the year. Wiley's own house was made a preaching-place, and al- though, a few months previous, there was not a dwelling within two miles of his, yet such was the emigration, and such the work of God among the new-comers, that during the year a society of forty members was raised up. One night, when there was an appointment for Bigelow to preach at Wiley's house, a crowd collected, and dur- ing the first prayer the power of God was manifested among the people, and many began to cry for mercy. So great was their distress that preaching was dispensed with, and penitents were at once invited to the mourn- ers'-bench ; and great was the work of the Lord among the people. During this year there was a glorious re- vival of religion at Allensville, a small village in the northern part of Switzerland County. One day Wiley was preaching in Allensville from the words, "The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous." In the exposition of the text, he remarked that when the Scriptures as- cribed eyes and hands and other bodily parts to the Deity, they were not to be understood literally, but as
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expressive of attributes and operations of the Deity. There was present a lady who had been a confirmed Deist for a number of years. She had supposed that Chris- tians believed all such expressions were to be understood as physically descriptive of God, and she always regarded with contempt such a petty and local God as these ex- pressions seemed to intimate the God of the Bible to be. She was led to think more seriously about the Bible and its doctrines than she had formerly done. Not long after hearing this sermon, she was riding alone through the woods, when a limb fell from a tree and came near striking her, and in her fright she exclaimed, "Lord Jesus!" This alarmed her the more, to think that she should invoke a name for which she felt no respect. This incident fastened conviction upon her mind. Not long afterward she went to hear Mr. Bigelow preach. She became powerfully convicted, and was soon after- ward happily converted to God; and her conversion was followed by a powerful revival of religion all over the neighborhood. There had settled in the vicinity of Buchanan Station, a post about midway between Mad- ison and Versailles, a man by the name of John Richey, who had been a local preacher in Kentucky, but who had got out of the Church, and was a miserable back- slider. One day he came to hear Wiley preach, and he was so deeply impressed that he remained after the ser- mon, to converse with the preacher about his condition. He stated that he had not heard a traveling preacher for some years, and that he had not read a chapter in the Bible for three years, that it tortured him beyond endur- ance to read the Bible. Two weeks after, when Bigelow came around, he united with the Church, and in a short time was reclaimed, and was made a class-leader, then an exhorter, and afterward a local preacher. And he be-
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came one of the most useful and popular local preachers in all the land.
A new society was formed during this year, about nine miles south-west from Brookville, and another on the dividing ridge between South Hogan and Laughery, near where Mount Tabor meeting-house now stands. During this year there were two glorious camp-meetings held within the bounds of Lawrenceburg Circuit. One had been held the year previous, about five miles above Har- rison, on Whitewater, near what is known as the Lower Narrows. This meeting was under the superintendence of Hezekiah Shaw. This was the first camp-meeting ever held in Indiana. Mr. Shaw was very anxious to secure good order during the meeting, but was not the most judi- cious in the use of the means he employed. He posted at the different cross-roads, and other public places through- out the neighborhood, written notices, threatening the public with three dollars' fine, to be assessed by a magis- trate in the neighborhood, for Sunday breaches of order. There was, however, no disturbance; but a witty fellow, by the name of Breckenridge, paraphrased Shaw's posters in a kind of doggerel poetry, every stanza ending with "three dollars' fine." This furnished a great deal of sport among the idlers around the encampment. During this meeting an intelligent gentleman, by the name of Merwin, whose education had been in another Church, was struck under deep conviction, while listening to a sermon from William Houston, who was that year trav- eling the Cincinnati Circuit. He went home that evening greatly excited on the subject of religion. His soul's salvation had become the absorbing subject of his med- itations. He retired to bed with a heavy heart, mourn- ing his sins and imploring the Divine mercy. While in this state of mind, all at once light broke into his mind
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