USA > Indiana > Northwestern Indiana from 1800 to 1900; or, A view of our region through the nineteenth century > Part 14
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seats, Knox, Winamac, Kentland, Monticello, Crown Point, have no Baptist preaching.
In the Northern Indiana Association, the churches north of the Kankakee, with 1,150 members, con- tributed in 1898, for their twelve different objects, $6,886, or less than six dollars for each member. In the Monticello Association, number of members 1,400, there was contributed in 1899, $10,456, or seven dol- lars for each member.
The Baptists do not seem to have held their ground well north of the Kankakee River. Nineteen churches have been organized in La Porte County ; at Kings- bury, at Rolling Prairie, three in La Porte, three in Michigan City, at Door Village, Westville, Mill Creek, Wanatah, Pleasant Hill, Clinton Township, Macedonia, Salem, Galena Township, Byron, and Hudson. Of these four only are now living.
In Porter County have been organized the Neal Baptist Church in 1835 or 1836, the "First Baptist Church" in Valparaiso, the Twenty Mile Prairie Church, the "Second Baptist Church of Porter County," 1850, the Union Center and Willow Creek churches. And of these six there is one now living.
In Lake County churches have been organized at the Red Cedar Lake, West Creek, Lowell, Eagle Creek, Plum Grove, Hobart, Griffith, Ross, two at Crown Point, and two at Hammond. And of these the two at Hammond are the living churches now.
It thus appears that of thirty-seven Baptist churches organized in these three counties since 1834 but seven maintain an existence as this Nineteenth Cen- tury is about to close. It is easy to say that some of the thirty should never have been organized; and easy to say that some of them should not have been
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disbanded; but who knows? Only the Omniscient One. In the seventy years of white occupancy many things have changed. Social centers and church cen- ters grew up and changed ; Baptist pioneers gave place to other settlers ; pioneer centers ceased altogether to be central; and the German and Swede and Bohemian and many other immigrants now are on the localities where once the Baptist pioneers and the Methodist pioneers, and the Wesleyans and United Brethren met for worship. History teaches lessons. The Baptist history of Indiana never has been written. Its earlier history, in much detail, never will be written. But if, in many localities, in our good State of Indiana, Bap- tists have not flourished as have some other denomi- nations, it has been in part their own fault.
Of seventy-five towns in the State, having each a population from five hundred to twenty-five hun- dred, and containing no Baptist Church, sixteen are in North-Western Indiana. Of nine counties with no Baptist Church Pulaski and Starke were two. And of twenty-eight county seats without a Baptist Church we have of these only five.
There may be such a thing as denominational pride, there may sometimes be even church rivalry; but the historic facts above recorded seem to teach that there is no need in every town, or in every county, for churches of each large denomination to exist. It is not so essential by what denomination the Gospel is preached. If in any community, and ín every com- munity, there is one Evangelical Church, then there the Gospel can go forth on its mission to the hearts of the people; and there may be found those who are among the choice number called "the light of the world" and "the salt of the earth."
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Connected with most of the Baptist churches are Young People's Societies or Unions, the letters rep- resenting which are, B. Y. P. U.
North of the Kankakee River these are (1899) the figures including active and associate members: At Kingsbury 35, at Michigan City 37, at Valparaiso 40, at Hammond 62, at La Porte 75 ; total 249. South of the Kankakec, some reports for 1899, some for 1898, Seniors and Juniors, at Burnettsville 90, at Beaver City 35, at Goodland 124, at Milroy 71, at Monon 108, at Rensselaer 40, at Mount Ayr 28, at Sitka 67, at Wol- cott 61 ; total 563. Grand total 812.
8. The Lutherans.
In La Porte County of this large and wealthy body of Protestant Christians there are two varieties, the churches being connected with two different synods.
At Michigan City are two churches belonging to the Ohio Synod. The buildings are nearly opposite each other, both large, massive looking brick struc- tures, and each having a church school attached.
I. St. Paul's Church, families 500.
2. St. John's Church, families 475.
The other Lutheran churches in La Porte County are the following, the figures attached denoting the entire membership of all the families connected with each church, called the number of souls, the families averaging about six members each :
La Porte, George Link, pastor, 2,070; Wanatah, F. Heickhoff, pastor, 500; Tracy, 197; Hanna, 153; A. Neuendorf, pastor of both; Otis, M. C. Brade, 361. Also in La Porte a Swedish Lutheran.
In Porter County. Valparaiso, A. Rehwaldt,
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640; Kouts, A. Baumann, 325; Chesterton, 135. A Swedish Lutheran at Baillytown.
In Starke County: North Judson, W. Roesener, 405 ; San Pierre, probably 200; Winona, 185.
In Pulaski County: Winamac, 65; Denham, 290; Medaryville, A. Baumann, 60.
In White County: Reynolds, J. Lindhorst, 393.
In Jasper County: Fair Oaks. G. Bauer, pastor, 125; Kniman, same pastor, 83; Wheatfield, perhaps 60.
In Newton County: Goodland, G. Bauer, 155; at Morocco, a congregation, 36.
There are also preaching places, with small con- gregations, number of members not ascertained, at MeCool in Porter County; at Westville in La Porte, and at Hamlet in Starke County.
In Lake County are the following, with date of building attached :
I. Trinity Church at Crown Point, first building, frame, 1869; second, large brick building, 1886. Pas- tor from 1871 to 1890, Rev. G. Heintz. Since 1890, Rev. August Schuelke. Members, 594.
2. St. Paul's at Deer Creek, 1886. Pastor, Rev. G. Heintz, 80.
3, Trinity Church at Hobart, 1874, German Luth- eran. Pastor, Rev. E. R. Schuelke. Members, 649. 4. Swedish Lutheran at Hobart, 1873.
5. St. John's Church at Tolleston, 1869. Pastor, Rev. A. Rump, 484.
6. Swedish Lutheran at Miller's Station, 189.
7. Church at Hammond, South Side, 1883; second building, brick, 1889. Rev. W. Dau, 1,257.
8. Church at Hammond, North Side, 1889. Rev. W. Brauer, 496.
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9. Church at Whiting, Rev. P. Wille, 235. Or- chard Grove congregation, 56.
9. "Reformed."
The churches of this variety of German Protestants are sometimes called "Evangelical," but are more commonly, by their American neighbors, considered as Lutherans. Holding to a great extent the doctrines taught by Luther, on some points of doctrine they fol- low the teachings of Calvin and Zwinglius. There are four churches of this variety in Lake County. Three are German and one is Hollander.
I. Zion's Church, in Hanover Township, north of Brunswick, established by Rev. Peter Lehman in 1857, with twenty-six members. A church building was soon erected and a church school commenced. Present membership -
2. Reformed Church near the southeast corner of Center Township, building erected in 1883. Members
3. Reformed or Evangelical in Hammond.
4. Hollander Church in North Township near Lansing on the Highland road. Hollander settle- ment commenced on the Calumet bottom lands and along the Highland sand ridge in 1855. Church building erected about 1876. Entire membership about 300. There is also a Hollander Reformed Church at De Motte, in Jasper.
IO. "Christians."
Some years ago Dr. T. J. Conant, one of the Bible Union revisers, mentioned a "large and wealthy com- munity calling themselves 'Disciples of Christ,' the followers of Alexander Campbell."
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The Journal and Messenger, of Cincinnati, Octo- ber 5, 1899, mentions the Independents of Eng- land, the Congregationalists and the Baptists of America, and adds to these three varieties of Chris- tians "Disciples," numbering, says the editor, hardly less than a million in all.
Why did that editor put quotation marks around Disciples ?
In a table of seventeen denominations, includ- ing Jews and Mormons, published in January, 1900, by the "Independent," Christians are placed at 112,- 414, and Disciples at 1,118,396. Those called Dis- ciples must be the body calling themselves Christians in Indiana, and in order to discriminate between Christians and Disciples as given by the "Inde- pendent," and between Christians as denoting those believing in Christ and Christians as denoting one variety of believers in Christ, quotation marks are, in this book, placed around "Christians."
In giving the history of Pleasant Township, which General Packard says was one of the most attractive parts of La Porte County, adding : "Its rich and flower clad prairies, its groves of noble forest trees, its numerous small lakes and flowing streams, combined to form a spot of unsurpassed beauty ;" he makes this statement: "The earliest preachers in the township were Elder St. Claire, Campbellite; Elder Spalding, Baptist; and Rev. Geo. M. Boyd, Methodist." This sentence shows the titles in early times applied to min- isters and the names given to three varieties of Chris- tians. All readers will thus understand that by "Chris- tians" Disciples, so called, are meant. This is a large and growing body of Christians.
So far as ascertained, they have three churches in
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Lake County, at Lowell, in West Creek Township, and at Hammond. The Lowell church was organized south of Lowell in 1841, constituent members Simeon Beadle and his wife Sarah Beadle, William Wells and his wife Sarah Wells, Thomas Childers and his wife Sarah Childers, and J. L. Worley. In 1869 the mem- bers built a brick church in Lowell costing about four thousand dollars, of which sum one of the members, Henry Dickinson, gave twelve hundred dollars.
The church at Hammond was organized in Decem- ber, 1888, by Rev. E. B. Cross. A comfortable build- ing was soon secured, and a pastor resides in the city. The West Creek Church, a country church, was or- ganized some years ago, and a good building erected, through the efforts of the Worley and Pinkerton fam- ilies and some others who were members at Lowell. The location is a pleasant one.
In Porter County there are of these congregations four. In Valparaiso a church was organized with eight members, in 1847, by Rev. Peter T. Russell. In 1874 a large brick church edifice was erected and the congregation numbers more than a thousand members.
In Hebron a church was organized in January, 1870, with twenty-six members. A house was built in 1878 costing eleven hundred dollars. The first pas- tor was Lemuel Shortridge. Present membership has not been ascertained.
It is somewhat remarkable that the mother of Elder Shortridge, Mrs. Esther C. Shortridge, born in Octo- ber, 1804, is still living, having quite good use of her senses and faculties, now almost ninety-six years of age. She has been a resident for a number of years with her daughter in the city of Hammond, and is a
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noble illustration of what an aged Christian woman may be. Few are permitted to reach her age.
A third and a flourishing church is at Boone Grove, and the fourth is at Kouts.
In La Porte County there are churches at La Porte, organized in 1837 "by means of the efforts of Judge William Andrew and Dr. Jacob P. Andrew. Their labors were earnest, unremitting, and success- ful." This church has had both deacons and deacon- esses. The latter at one time were Mrs. W. H. Cal- kins, Mrs. Angeline C. Wagner, and Mrs. T. J. Fos- ter. The elders at that time were S. K. Pottinger and Isaac N. Whitehead. To have in a church elders and deacons and deaconesses seems like a return to Apos- tolic times.
In 1848 a church was organized at Westville by John Martindale.
About 1850 one was formed in Galena Township, "re-organized in 1872 by Elder Joseph Wickard."
In 1854 a church was established at Rolling Prairie which has been very flourishing, numbering in 1894 one hundred and sixty members.
About 1874 a church was organized at Wanatah, making five for La Porte County. Membership in the county in 1876, about five hundred. Other churches have been added to these, making seven for La Porte County, the church at Michigan City and one at Union Mills.
In Starke County, at Knox, a church was organ- ized some years ago and a good building erected.
In Pulaski County are churches at Winamac, at Star City, and at Francesville.
In White County there are churches at Monti- cello, Reynolds, Wolcott, and Headlee.
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In Jasper County are churches at Rensselaer, Wheatfield, Fair Oaks, and at Goodhope.
In Newton County, churches are at Kentland, Remington, Morocco, and Brook.
Note. For some reason or, perhaps, for no rea- son, it has been quite impracticable to obtain infor- mation, beyond my personal knowledge, in regard to the churches of this denomination. The pastor at Hammond, Rev. H. E. Luck, gave some valuable aid. T. H. B.
CHAPTER XV.
RELIGIOUS HISTORY.
II. Protestant Episcopal.
I. In 1836 was organized the Trinity Church at Michigan City, the Rev. D. V. M. Johnson first pas- tor. For the first 40 years, up to 1876, the succeeding rectors and pastors were, with perhaps some others, G. B. Engle, Henry Safford, C. A. Bruce, W. H. Stay, E. P. Wright, R. L. Ganter, T. L. Bellam, J. F. Wink- ley, Dr. Reeves, R. Brass, and S. S. French .* Mem- bership in 1876 sixty. Present membership
2. St. Paul's Church in La Porte was organized July 25, 1839. For thirty-seven years, commencing in 1840, the rectors of this church were, Solon W. Man- ney, H. W. Roberts, F. R. Half, W. E. Franklin, A. Gregory, A. E. Bishop, J. H. Lee, F. M. Gregg, G. J. Magill and C. T. Coer. The rectorship of the Rev. W. E. Franklin was terminated by his death. It is said of him that in life he was beloved by his parish- ioners and his death was deeply lamented. Member- ship in 1876 about one hundred and fifty.
3. The Episcopal Church at Hammond is much younger than the two in La Porte County. Meetings had been held in Crown Point and for a time there was an organization kept up, a few church members then residing in the town who were visited occasionally by
* General Packard.
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the bishop. This was about twenty-five years ago. Meetings were held, first in Miss Knight's school house, and after 1881 in the Baptist Church on Main street. The few members removed, and as Ham- mond grew, in 1890, an interest having started there, a church building was erected and Rev. R. C. Wall became the resident pastor. The church is neat and nice; the congregation is not large, but composed of good citizens ; the Sunday school is interesting. The following notice of a memorable occasion is from the report to the Old Settlers' Association in 1896: "On Sunday evening, November 3, 1895, was held in the Episcopal Church at Hammond the first Armenian service ever held in a church building in this county, conducted by Armenians, about fifty in number, and in the Armenian language. The service was in com- memoration of the cruelties, the suffering and death of so many Armenian Christians, inflicted by the brutal Turks. There were prayers, responsive read- ings of Scripture, the singing of psalms and hymns, and the recitation of the Nicere creed, and an address. While the tunes, so thoroughly Oriental had a strange sound in western ears, the whole service is said to have been 'singularly interesting.'"
12. Roman Catholics.
In La Porte County there are: In La Porte two churches, St. Joseph's, which is German, and St. Peter's, which is Irish. The latter was organized soon after the city was first settled, and its congregation is large. St. Joseph's Church was organized in 1858 and a large brick building for the congregation was in a year or two erected, one of the substantial buildings of the city, the steeple being one hundred and thirty- five feet in height, and two chime bells, weighing one
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thousand pounds each, soon were swinging in the church tower. In the centennial year of the country this church numbered one hundred and twenty-five German with some Polish families.
In Michigan City are also two, one of which is called St. Mary's, and one is Polish Catholic. Pres- ent number of families about six hundred. As the families are large, there are estimated to be "3500 people."
At Otis is a Polander Roman Catholic Church ; this building erected in 1872. Membership, -.
At Wanatah is one, and one some two miles from La Crosse. In all seven. Membership about 900 fam- ilies.
In Starke County are two churches, one at North Judson and one at San Pierre.
In Pulaski are churches at Winamac, Francesville, Medaryville, Monterey.
In White are churches at Reynolds, and probably other towns.
In Jasper churches are at Rensselaer, Wheatfield, and Remington.
In Newton County there is a church at Kentland and one at Goodland.
In Porter County, the early Roman Catholic his- tory, as given by the Rev. Robert Beer in "Porter and Lake," is not flattering to the members nor to some of the pastors, especially not to one who was, he says, "a man of great learning, but totally unfit to be a pastor." After him came a young man, Rev. M. O'Reilly, with whose advent, "the organized con- gregation of Saint Paul's properly begins." "He found the affairs of the Catholic Church in the worst state possible, the church, poor as it was, closed under an
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injunction ; law suits pending on every hand; debts unlimited to be paid; a bitter division of sentiment amongst the members of the congregation; no pas- toral residence ; no school for the youth." (Page 145 of Porter and Lake.) It was now January, 1863. The new, young, resolute, talented pastor began work. He secured possession of the church building, rep ired it, bought land, started the St. Paul's School, secured as teachers "the Sisters of Providence," erected build- ings, the Gothic Church building "153 feet long" and "with a steeple 198 feet high," and school buildings, obtained "a large parish bell, and a very fine pipe organ," secured harmony in his congregation, and in the first twenty years of his ministry "baptized about 1700 persons in his congregation." Says Rev. R. Beer: "The congregation is composed of several na-
tionalities-Irish, Americans, German, French, Eng- lish, and Polanders. All live in harmony, and their children are educated together in St. Paul's schools."
The other churches of Porter County are at Kouts and at Chesterton. The entire number of families in Porter County has not been obtained.
In Lake County are the following churches :
I. Church of St. John the Evangelist, at St. Johns. Brick building, 1856. First Chapel, 1843.
2. Church of St. Joseph at Dyer. Large building, 1867.
3. Church of St. Michael at Schererville, 1874.
4. Church of St. Anthony at Klaasville, 1861.
5. Church of St. Martin at Hanover Center, 1869.
6. Church of St. Edward at Lowell. First build- ing, 1877. Second, October, 1897.
7. Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. First building, 1867. Second, large brick building, spire
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one hundred and forty-one feet in height, 1890 and 1891, at Crown Point.
8. Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul at Turkey Creek. First building, logs, in 1852. Sec- ond, of Joliet stone, large, 1864.
9. Church of St. Bridget at Hobart, -.
IO. Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, at Lake Sta- tion, 1861.
II. Church of St. Joseph at Hammond. First building, 1879. Second, large, two-story brick build- ing, for church and school, 1889.
12. Church of St. Mary at East Chicago, conse- crated October 26, 1890.
13. St. Michael's Polish Catholic at East Chicago.
14. Church of the Sacred Heart at Whiting.
15. All Saints' Church at Hammond, January 19, 1896.
16. Polander Catholic Church at Hammond.
Whole number of Roman Catholic families in Lake County, about one thousand.
13. Unitarians.
There is of this body of people one church or con- gregation at Hobart, in Lake County, and one in the city of La Porte. The one at Hobart was organized, with forty-eight members, August 23, 1874. For a time meetings were held in a hall, but they soon pro- ceeded to erect a church building which was dedi- cated January 27, 1876, "Rev. Robert Collier officiat- ing." This church keeps up its social and church life, has a Sunday school of about a hundred members, and a free circulating library of between seven and eight hundred volumes. The school library contains three hundred or more volumes, making in all a thousand volumes. Present membership, -.
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The Unitarian congregation at La Porte was in part organized June 22, 1875, when Rev. Dr. Robert Collyer of Chicago visited La Porte and preached "with a view to the formation of a" Unitarian church. March 7, 1876, the Rev. Enoch Powell became pastor. For a time regular services were held "at the Court House," and a Sabbath school was organized.
Afterward a church building was secured, where the services were held. The congregation is not large.
14. Second Adventists.
This term by no means denotes simply those who believe in the return again to this world of Jesus of Nazareth, who at his first advent came as the Babe of Bethlehem; for all evangelical Christians believe that at some time and for some great purposes he will return. Nor yet does the term denote those who be- lieve that the return of the Saviour to this world will be before what is called by many the Millennial Era, "the Times of Restitution of all things." But it in- cludes, rather, those who, believing in such a return, believe also in the ceasing of conscious existence at death, or in the non-immortality of the human soul ; and are therefore called sometimes "Soul-Sleepers." Some of these observe Saturday as their Sabbath, and so are called "Seventh-Day Adventists." Of this va- riety of Christians have been found five congrega- tions in these counties.
In La Porte County, at Union Mills, there is one congregation with a good church building; in Jasper County, at Rensselaer, there is also one, called The Church of God, having a large church building and congregation and Sabbath school; there is at Star City, in Pulaski County, one congregation; and in White County one in the country not far from the town of Reynolds.
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There is also a congregation with no church build- ing at Knox in Starke County.
15. Quakers, or Friends.
Of those Christians bearing the above name, among whom, generations ago, William Penn was so noted, and who took such a large and noble part in the set- tlement of Pennslyvania, few have retained homes in any of these counties. Some came from New Jersey and from the Wabash in early years. One church building and one church organization of their form of faith and practice is found existing here now. That one is in the city of La Porte. The house is a plain looking brick building, erected a number of years ago. Membership not large.
16. "New Church."
Of those called Swedenborgians or members of the New Jerusalem Church, also called New Church, there is one organization, and that also is in the city of La Porte. This church or Society was organized June 14, 1859, although there had been the preaching of this faith in La Porte since 1850 by the Rev. Henry Weller. He became the first pastor and continued, until his death in June, 1868, to be pastor of this church. The second was Rev. W. M. Fernald, and the third Rev. Cyrus Scammon. Some of the wealthy, of the most cultivated, and of the most noted citizens of La Porte have had membership in this church. But it is evidently not here a growing faith. In the entire country are now about five thousand members. A few have resided in Lake County, but no organization has been formed.
17. Free Methodists.
In Starke County there are two churches of this denomination, one at Knox and one at Toto, each
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having good church buildings. Each of these churches also has a good Sunday school and some excellent members. Membership, seventy.
In Jasper County, at Dunville and at De Motte are Free Methodist congregations.
In La Porte County at Springville is a church building and a prosperous congregation and Sunday school; also one at a country locality called Bunker Hill. Members in the county sixty.
The Free Methodist Church at Crown Point owes its existence to a religous movement which forms a singular chapter in the religous history of Lake and Porter counties. A brief notice of that movement seems desirable.
In the summer of 1876 there came to Ross a num- ber of evangelists, English by birth and training, re- sembling in their teachings English non-Episcopal Methodists, but claiming no denominational connec- tion. They came to the village of Ross from Chicago, where one of them was understood to carry on the business of a butcher. One of them, it was said, had been brought up a Baptist. They were in number six, Messrs. Hanmer, Andrews, Martin, Flues, Cooke, and among them was one woman, Mrs. Cooke, but not the wife of this evangelist Cooke. Others united with them. These held a series of meetings at Ross, and some singular conversions took place. They came to Merrillville and held meetings for many even- ings in the old Wiggins and Indian village grove. Many there professed conversion. In the early winter of 1876 they reached Crown Point. A large ware- house was fitted up and called a tabernacle, and there daily meetings were held. But the room could not be made comfortable for the large numbers that at-
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