USA > Indiana > Allen County > Fort Wayne > Valley of the upper Maumee River, with historical account of Allen County and the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Volume II > Part 36
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the remainder of his life, nearly thirty years. Mr. Ames was married in Adams county, September 6, 1843; to Mary A., daughter of Ezekiel and Cornelia (Swazey) Hooper, who was born in Fairchild county, Ohio, April 13, 1824. They have had nine children: Ezekiel H., Ru- fus, Aaron S., Francis M., Samuel B., Benson C., George F., Ida H. and Lemuel M., of whom Aaron, Francis and Lemuel are deceased. The two eldest sons served in the war of the rebellion. Mr. and Mrs. Ames are members of the Methodist Episcopal church; in politics he is a republican.
Dr. George P. Barnum, the well known veterinary surgeon and liveryman, was born in Keeseville, N. Y., July 18, 1831, the son of Platt and Hannah (Hull) Barnum, both natives of Vermont. When he was but six months old, his parents removed to West Chateaugay, Frank- lin county, N. Y., where his boyhood was spent on a farm. At the early age of thirteen he started out for himself and made his way to Burlington, Vt. where he secured a position in the veterinary hospital of William I. Richardson, a prominent surgeon of that vicinity, and a gradu- ate of a college in London. He remained there until he was nearly twenty-one years of age, having had full charge of the establishment after he reached the age of sixteen. He removed to Milwaukee, Wis., arriving there November 1, 1852, and soon afterward to Madison, where he was for one year employed by the month in his profession. Going to St. Paul, he practiced his profession one year, and then moving to Grant county, Wis., farmed and practiced until 1861. In April of that year, he engaged in the livery business at Marion, Iowa, and remained there until October, 1865. He continued to practice his pro- fession, and in 1868, went to Omaha, Neb., and conducted a stable and practiced until April, 1870, when he came to Fort Wayne. Until I87I he gave his time here to the profession, but in that year began the man- agement of a large livery barn, to which he has given much attention in connection with the breeding and training and campaigning of fast horses. Mr. Barnum was married March 15, 1852, to Eliza Curtis, of Burlington, Vt .; she died in October, 1856, and March 1, 1857, he mar- ried Mary White, of Jones county, Iowa. She died in October, 1866, and on Christmas eve, 1871, he was married to his present wife, Salina Mercer, of Owasso, Mich. He had one child by his first wife and two by his second, but all are dead. He has adopted three children, since deceased. He is in politics a republican. While in Wisconsin he served five years as deputy sheriff. Mr. Barnum is a second cousin of the veteran showman, P. T. Barnum.
At the early age of twelve years, James O. Jenson, now a prosperous citizen of this city, started from his native town of Lockport, N. Y., and turned westward to seek his fortune. He found a position at Nashville, Barry county, Mich., where he spent his youth clerking in a general store, being ten years in the employment of William A. Aylesworth. Removing to Big Rapids, Mich., he spent three years in lumbering, and prospered, but at the end of the period named his large saw, planing,
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shingle and lath mill was destroyed by fire, at a loss of $26,000. Since then Mr. Jenson has devoted his attention to horses, dealing in them extensively. In the fall of 1885 he came to Fort Wayne, and in Decem- ber, 1888, became a partner in a livery barn, which he aids in manag- ing in connection with his business. He is prospering, has accumulated considerable property, and the energy which inspired him to start out in life single handed in a strange land, has enabled him to overcome the effects of his severe losses. Mr. Jenson is a member of the Odd Fel- lows, and is in politics a democrat. He was born May 22, 1859, the son of John and Abby Jane (Dunning) Jenson, who were natives of New York.
Ashley C. Perrin, prominent among those engaged in the livery bus- iness in Fort Wayne, traces his ancestry to John Perryn, who was born in England in 1614, and sailed to America in the ship "Safety," land- ing at Braintree, Mass., in 1635. He died September 13, 1674. His son John had a son John, born October 12, 1668, who also had a son John, born March 8, 1692, and the latter a son, Jesse, born January 24, 1726. Jesse married Rachel Ide, and their son Asa was born July 18, 1775. The latter married Rebecca Thatcher, and their son Austin, born July 18, 1801, and his wife Mary, daughter of Nathan Johnson, were the parents of Ashley C. Perrin. He was born in New York, March 21, 1828, in the eighth generation of the Perrin family in this country. In 1829 his parents became pioneers in Wayne county, Mich., where he grew to manhood. In IS52 he started for California, and en route was shipwrecked and delayed on the southern coast of Mexico about two months. In California he mined one year, and was then engaged seven years in transporting freight. Soon after his return home he engaged in hotel-keeping at Plymouth, Mich. In 1864 he was for a year and a half occupied in the livery business at Ypsilanti, and then conducted a furniture store at Plymouth, finally returning to the livery business. In May, 1873, he came to Fort Wayne, and has ever since conducted a large livery barn at No. 62 East Wayne street. Mr. Perrin was married January 1, 1861, to Mary Ann Dodge, who died in January, 1865, leaving two children, May and Eloise. February 27, 1867, he married Ellen Dodge, sister of his first wife, and they have one son, Robert Ashley, born December 3, 1881. Mr. Perrin is a Royal Arch Mason, and a member of the council in that order. In politics he is a democrat.
Among the prosperous liverymen of Fort Wayne should be named Charles W. Fulton, who embarked in his business at Burgettstown, Penn., September 12, 1877. He came to Fort Wayne in the fall of 1888, and is now the proprietor of a barn at No. 13 Pearl street. Mr. Fulton was born in Washington county, Penn., September 20, 1852, son of John J. and Margaret (Canon) Fulton, both natives of that county. He spent his boyhood on a farm, and then learned telegraphy, and for about one year had charge of an office at Oakdale, Penn., on the Pan Handle railroad. Then for three years he was engaged in hotel keeping at
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Burgettstown. Mr. Fulton was married March 28, 1878, to Laura Bell McFarland, a native of his home county. She was born March 2, 1856, the daughter of Andrew McFarland. In politics, Mr. Fulton is a dem- ocrat.
John C. Brinsley was born at Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, Eng- land, October 7, 1828. He is the son of Charles and Mary Jackson Brinsley, the latter being the sister of the Rev. Thomas Jackson. She died when her son was but four years old. In his early youth he served an apprenticeship of three years at the moulder's trade, and at sixteen was employed in a pottery, where he worked about four years. In 1849, the father, son and one sister, immigrated and settled at Wash- ington, Middlesex county, N. Y. Subsequently, John C. was employed at boating between New Brunswick, N. J., and New York city, and afterward found employment as a potter, at South Amboy, N. J., one year; at Pottsville, Penn., nearly two years; at Patterson, Penn., 1852 to 1854; at Covington, Ky., until the fall of .1855. He then removed to Crestline, Ohio, where he was engaged first as a clerk in the office of the Adams express company. In 1856 he entered the employment of the Ohio & Indiana railroad company, as brakesman, and at the end of one year he was promoted conductor, which position he held seven years, five of which he was conductor of passenger trains, his run ex- tending from Kent, Ohio, to Dayton, Ohio. For seven months he served as passenger conductor on the Indianapolis Junction railroad, from Hamilton to Indianapolis, and then accepted the same position on the Fort Wayne, Muncie & Cincinnati, and in two months was promoted master of transportation, which important position he held for eight years. Meanwhile, in 1871, he had removed his family to Fort Wayne, and this city has since been his home. Since 1881 he has conducted a feed and sale stable, having an extensive and lucrative custom. He erected his large building on Pearl street, known as the Red Lion stable, in 1887. He is prominent as a citizen, in Masonry has attained the degree of Knight Templar, and membership in the lodge of Per- fection, is a past president of the St. George society, and in politics is a republican. He was married at Middleport, Penn., October 27, 1852, to Harriet Gibson, who was born at Old Mines, near Wilkesbarre, Penn., March 11, 1831, daughter of Thomas and Maria Gibson. They have had five children: Alfred (deceased), Alvina L., Charles M., John C., and Herbert. Mr. and Mrs. Brinsley are members of the Episcopal church.
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CHURCHES OF FORT WAYNE.
Beginning with the earliest settlement, as will be seen in the suc- ceeding pages, and elsewhere in this work, where the Catholic and Evangelical Lutheran churches are treated of, missionary labor and the preaching of the gospel had their inception at Fort Wayne. These early labors in the cause of religion bore good fruit, and to-day the vigorous and earnest church organizations, and the stately temples and educa - tional institutions they have built up, form no small part of those evi- dences of intelligence and progress which the citizen of Fort Wayne is disposed, with just pride, to present to the world. As has been inti- - mated the history of two powerful denominations are elsewhere pre- sented, and the following pages will be devoted to an account of other organizations of importance.
First Presbyterian Church .*- The history of the First Presbyterian church of Fort Wayne embraces the whole period of the growth of the city from a small collection of frontier settlers to the present time. The roots of the church are intertwined with those of the city, and many leading citizens have been embraced in its communion. This brief sketch is chiefly compiled from a history of the church up to October, 1882, prepared the late Jesse L. Williams, who was one of its ruling elders from January, 1834, until his death, October, 1886. The first Protestant minister known to have visited Fort Wayne was the Rev. Matthew G. Wallace, a Presbyterian, who accompanied the army as chaplain when Gen. Harrison marched to the relief of the garrison in 1812. But the first Presbyterian minister to preach to the settlers by ecclesiastical appointment was the Rev. John Ross, one of the heroic pioneer missionaries of Indiana, familiarly known as "Father Ross," who had been appointed by the Presbyterian general assembly mission- ary for this frontier region. His earliest visit was made in December, 1822. Coming with a companion from Warren county, Ohio, through the wilderness, the wolves howled around their camp at night, and meet- ing a snow storm and intense cold they were obliged to leave their con- veyance frozen fast in the mud, and leading their horses, it being too cold to ride, walked the last part of the way to Fort Wayne, where arriv- ing late at night the missionary found a warm and hospitable welcome from Samuel Hanna, who afterward became a ruling elder in the church. The settlement then comprised about 150 souls, including French and half-breed families, mainly engaged in the Indian trade. The field of " Father Ross's " missionary labors was too widely extended for him to remain long at one place, but he visited the settlement here five times from 1822 till 1826.
In 1829 the Home missionary society, in response to an appeal made by Allen Hamilton the previous year, appointed the Rev. Charles E.
* By Rev. David W. Moffat.
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Furman as missionary to Fort Wayne. Mr. Furman arrived November . 13, and remained till the following summer. Writing to the mission rooms in New York, February 20, 1830, he said: " From this place, one hundred miles in every direction, it is a wilderness. *
* This county contains only seven or eight hundred inhabitants." Of Fort Wayne, he said: "The people are hospitable and have more intelli- gence and liberality of feeling than any similar town I have found in the country." He also suggested the organization of a Presbyterian church. In June, 1831, the Rev. James Chute visited Fort Wayne, and at the request of the Presbyterians residing here, on July 1, 1831, organized the First Presbyterian church with eleven members, and continued min- istering to the young church till his death, December 28, 1835. There was no house of worship. The services connected with the organiza- tion of the church were held in the open air under a rude shelter of boards near what is now the junction of Columbia with Harrison streets; and for six years following, the congregation met for public worship wherever it could find a place, successively occupying a carpenter shop, a school-house, the Masonic hall and the court-house, till in 1837 they found rest in a frame church forty feet square which they erected on the south side of Berry street, between Barr and Lafayette streets. After the death of Mr. Chute, the Rev. Daniel Jones, and following him for a few months in 1837 the Rev. Jesse Hoover, a Lutheran, min- istered to the congregation.
In October, 1837, the congregation having occupied their church building, the Rev. Alexander T. Rankin began his ministry which con- tinued till September, 1843. All these ministers, already mentioned, had been either missionaries or stated supplies, but now, well estab- lished, vigorous and growing, the church desired to have a pastor, and in May, 1844, called the Rev. W. C. Anderson, D. D., to that office. The same month six members were dismissed, who, with others, were organized into the Second Presbyterian church of Fort Wayne. Dr. Anderson declined the call tendered him, but occupied the pulpit for six months, when by reason of failing health, he was obliged to retire. By his advice a call was extended to the Rev. H. S. Dixon, who accepted, and in September entered upon his work as the first pastor of the church. The building erected in 1837 was becoming too small to accom- modate the increasing congregation, and in 1845 a larger edifice of brick was begun, the site being at the southeast corner of Clinton and Berry streets. The basement was occupied for public worship in 1847. In the fall of that year, Mr. Dixon resigning, the pulpit was supplied for six months by the Rev. Hawes, and in August, 1848, the Rev. J. G. Riheldaffer accepted a call to the pastorate, in which he continued till 1851, when he resigned.
In November, 1851, the Rev. Jonathan Edwards, D. D., having been called, became pastor, and in the next November the church at the cor- ner of Clinton and Berry streets was completed, dedicated and wholly occupied for worship. The pastorate of Dr. Edwards continued till
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July, 1855, when he resigned to accept the presidency of Hanover col- lege. He was succeeded by the Rev. John M. Lowrie, D. D., who was installed in November, 1855, and remained pastor of the church till his death, September 26, 1867. During Dr. Lowrie's pastorate, the church edifice was enlarged, a mission in the south part of the city was estab- lished, and all the arrangements were made in pursuance of which, December 2, 1867, thirty-four members were dismissed to be organized into the Third Presbyterian church of Fort Wayne. The site chosen was at the northeast corner of Calhoun and Holman streets. It was contributed by a lady of the church, and upon it, the members of the congregation placed a commodious brick church, fully equipped at a cost of $15,000. Dr. Lowrie was succeeded in the pastorate March, 1868, by the Rev. Thomas H. Skinner, D. D., who resigned September' 18, 1871, to accept a call from the Second Presbyterian church of Cincin- nati. February 5, 1872, a call was given to the Rev. David W. Moffat, D. D., then pastor of the Georgetown Presbyterian church, Washington, D. C., and, having accepted it, May I, he entered upon his pastorate which still continues.
Saturday evening, December 16, 1882, the church edifice was des- troyed by fire. One year's delay in rebuilding was occasioned by the determination of the congregation to select another location. During the next summer the old site was sold to the United States government, and is now occupied by the postoffice building. A new site was pur- chased two squares south, at the northeast corner of Clinton and Wash- ington streets, and in the spring of 1884, the new edifice was begun. The congregation continued to meet for Sabbath worship, in the circuit court-room until May 1, 1883, and after that in the Jewish synagogue for two years and five months. The first Sabbath of October, 1885, they began to meet in the lecture room of the new church, and May I, 1886, the auditorium was open for public worship. The church is a majestic and beautiful stone structure, the style of architecture being a modification of the gothic, and the total width east and west 100 feet; and the total length north and south 134 feet. The interior, which is complete in all its appointments, is handsomely finished in California red- wood. The pews, pulpit, pulpit furniture and wood-work of the organ are of cherry. The north end, divided from the auditorium by a parti- tion, has two floors. On a level with the auditorium are the lecture room and Sabbath school rooms, and on the floor above are the church parlors. The cost of the site was $12,000, and of the building proper, with the spire yet unfinished $65,879. The total cost of the building including organ, pews, furniture, etc., and excluding the site has been $81,855. The number of members in the full communion of the church is 450, the congregation aggregating about double that number.
The Rev. David W. Moffat, D. D., pastor of the First Presbyterian church, Fort Wayne, was born of Scottish parents, January 9, 1.835, in Morris county, N. J. His father, David Douglas Moffat, was a farmer. The next year the family emigrated to Madison, Ind., and, on a farm on
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one of those beautiful hills which overlook the city and the Ohio river, the boyhood of David was spent. He attended school in Madison, and afterward entered Hanover college, six miles distant, from which he was graduated in 1858, his parents meanwhile having removed to the vicin- ity of Vernon. With a little aid from his father he paid his own way at college, earning the money principally by teaching part of each year. It was a time of intense political agitation and he took a deep interest and active part in the great anti-slavery debate and movement to pre- vent the extension of slavery into the new territories. Having chosen the profession of law while in college, he began, after his graduation, to prepare himself by private study at Vernon, for entering a law school, and it ivas while thus engaged that the course of his life was changed. Though religiously trained by Christian parents, he had become indif- ferent to the personal claims of religion upon him, and in his opinions vibrated between extreme liberal views of Christianity and skepticism. Judging that every professional man ought to have a settled and intel- ligent knowledge of the teachings of the Bible, he entered upon a sys- tematic study of it. Becoming, as he progressed, more and more interested in his biblical studies, they encroached on, and at length wholly absorbed the time he had allotted to Blackstone and Kent. He reviewed the Christian evidences, and though they seemed satisfactory, he found the most powerfut evidence of Christianity to be Christianity itself as unfolded in the biblical revelation. The result was a firm persuasion of the divine origin of that revelation, faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Saviour of men, and a decision to live a Christian life. He united with the Presbyterian church in July, 1859, his own convictions of the teachings of the Bible leading him into the church of his fathers. The desire to preach sprang up at once and soon overcame his love for law and for political life. In January, 1860, he entered the theological seminary at Princeton, N. J., in which the Rev. James C. Moffat, D. D., his oldest and only living brother, has been professor of church history since 1861. He graduated from the seminary in May, 1862, was licensed to preach in June of that year by the Presbytery of Madsion, in session at Hanover, and in April, 1863, was ordained to the ministry. After preaching a year in Clinton county, and two years at Vernon, in Jennings county, in 1866, he accepted a call to the First Presbyterian church of Madison. In 1870 he was unex- pectedly called to the Presbyterian church in Georgetown, D. C., and although bound to Madison by the strongest ties he decided it was his duty to go. He began his work at Georgetown in February, and two years afterward returned to Indiana in response to a call from the First Presbyterian church of Fort Wayne. May 1, 1872, he entered upon this pastorate in which he has remained until the present time. January 20, 1870, he was married to May J., eldest daughter of Samuel Coch- ran, of Madison. She died at Fort Wayne, October 29, 1882, leaving one son and two daughters, since which he has remained a widower.
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Sccond Presbyterian Church .- This, one of the strong and flourish- ing religious organizations of the-city, was organized May 5, 1844, with twelve members. Henry Ward Beecher, then a young preacher of the new school faith at Indianapolis, was called here by those who inclined to that doctrine, and he made the trip to Fort Wayne, arriving here on horse-back for the purpose, as he jocularly remarked to Mrs. J. L. Williams upon his arrival, of " splitting the church." The new church was founded successfully but now is at one with the older organization, and under the same general church government. On June 4, 1844,
Rev. Charles Beecher was invited to become the stated supply for one year, and he remained in that capacity until April 28, 1850, when he was installed as pastor. In the same summer he removed to the east, and while there resigned his charge. This first pastor was a zealous worker and thorough student, and preached with such effect that his congregation was increased to over 100. By his exertions was erected during the early years of his ministry the church building which was in use for many years. After Mr. Beecher's resignation, the church did not remarkably flourish for some time, and during this period the sup- plies were Revs. Isaac W. Taylor, David C. Bloose, Mr. Ray, and Amzi W. Freeman. In November, 1854, Rev. E. Curtis was called by the church, and the membership was considerably increased during his pas- torate. He was succeeded by W. R. Palmer in 1861, and Rev. George O. Little in May, 1866. The latter served until August IS, 1870. W. J. Erdman, who did important and valuable work for the church, was stated supply until June, 1874, and during his service Glenwood chapel was erected and dedicated for use as a Sunday-school mission. Rev. Joseph Hughes succeeded in July, 1874, and was followed by Rev. W. H. McFarland, who served from June, 1876, to June, 1886, when he resigned and went abroad for his health. From April, 1887, to October, 1888, Rev. J. M. Fulton acted as pastor, but ill health com- pelled him to resign. During his service, the movement was inaugu- rated for the abandonment of the venerable temple and the erection of a new one on the same site. This edifice .was soon begun, and has pro- gressed rapidly, through the great energy of those in charge, systematic organization, and the liberal contributions of the congregation and many friends throughout the city. This new building, one of the finest in the state, it is expected will be occupied by the close of 1889. It has a beautiful stone front, the side and rear walls being of brick with stone finish. The spacious plans afford an auditorium capable of seating 600 persons, ample Sunday-school rooms and social parlors. The ceiling and sides of the interior are ornamented with quartered oak and fresco, and the seats are of quartered oak antique, and cherry finish. The total cost is about $30,000. Memorial windows have been placed in the new building as follows: by Hon. Hugh McCulloch, Mrs. Susan McCulloch, the heirs of D. S. Beaver, Fred W. Antrup, Col. C. B. Oakley and Mrs. O. J. Wilson, the latter two to the memory of Benjamin W. Oakley and Harriet Oakley. The church has included in its membership a consid-
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erable number of those prominent in the history of Fort Wayne and the country. The only survivor of the first members is Mrs. Susan McCulloch, wife of Hon. Hugh McCulloch. Hon. W. H. H. Miller, now attorney general of the United States, was a trustee of the church in 1869. At present the membership of the church is about 300. The pastor is Rev. James L. Leeper, of Reading, Penn., who accepted an unanimous call in November, 1888, and has been an earnest worker for the good of the organization and its building enterprise. The trustees at the present time are Solomon Bash, F. W. Antrup, Joseph Hughes, H. V. Root and C. B. Beaver.
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