USA > Kansas > A history of Methodism in northwest Kansas > Part 17
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In 1877 it was left to be supplied, and R. H. Sey- mour was placed in charge, and Allen Enyart and Ruben Bisbee were appointed junior preachers. Sey-
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mour and Enyart served the east end of the circuit, and Bisbee the west. There being no public building in Logan, the services were held for a time in Frenche's blacksmith shop, corner of Main and Third Streets. Later in Candys Hall, on Main Street, west of Wash- ington.
In 1878 E. H. Fleisher was appointed to the Phil- lipsburg Circuit, which included the entire western half of Phillips County. In July of that year he organ- ized the Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church at Logan, with eleven members. By the end of the Conference year the class numbered thirty-five.
At the fourth quarterly Conference, Henry Fer- rett. John Blakely, J. W. Allen, Daniel W. Working, William C. Bishop, William Davis and J. D. Smith were approved as trustees, and Henry Ferrett, John Blakely and John W. Allen were elected stewards.
There was a Union Sunday School, of which John Blakely was the superintendent. At the session of the Conference in 1879 Logan was made the head of the circuit in the Kirwin District, and M. A. Castle was appointed pastor. He was from Maryland and soon became dissatisfied with frontier life and returned to his home. Rev. Brundridge served the charge the remainder of the year.
A charter was secured by the Board of Trustees this year, which is dated June 25, 1879. Two pieces of'real estate were deeded to the church during Brund- ridge's pastorate. One acre of land, designed as a site for a parsonage, given by John and Jane Blakely, was at the north end of Douglas Street. Lots one to six, in block seven of Ferrett's addition, were given by Henry and Jane Ferrett.
E. G. Cary was appointed to the Logan charge in 1880. A two-room parsonage was built on the Blakely site. It was partly of logs and part of sod, and was
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occupied by the pastor during the year. Henry Dalton was the next pastor and served three years.
The first year a three-room frame house supplanted the sod parsonage, and the next year a subscription was started for a new church, which before the year closed amounted to $1,600, but it was not thought to be expedient to attempt the erection of a church until more funds were in sight. So there was a lull in the building enterprise till the spring of 1884. C. P. Stay- ton, who was admitted into the Conference on trial that year, was sent to Logan. He was a skilled me- chanic, and being elated with the idea of a new church for his charge, entered enthusiastically upon the un- dertaking. Subscriptions were increased and stone masons and laborers were set to work, so that on Octo- ber 5, 1884, the corner stone was laid by Rev. J. H. Lockwood. The church was finished at a cost of $6,000 and was dedicated by Bishop Walden, April 4, 1886. Stayton was appointed to Logan for the third year, but removed to another charge the middle of the year, and the work was supplied by Truman Carter. Al- though the term of his pastorate was brief, only six months, yet the charge enjoyed a gracious revival. Twenty were received by certificate and fifty-three joined on probation. Of the fifty-three probationers, twenty-eight came into full membership at Logan, and five were transferred by letter to other charges.
J. T. Shackelford followed Carter, and stayed two years. He added a room to the parsonage and reduced the church debt $265. From 1889, Shackelford's last year, to 1903 the charge had a peculiar experience in having its pastor leave the work at some time during the year, G. W. Hood being the only one whose term of service began and ended with an annual Conference.
Those who served parts of years during this time were W. C. Littell, A. F. Cumbow, J. H. Hoff, R. H.
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McDade and Reuben Bisbee. G. W. Hood remained at Logan two years, and was followed by C. A. Davis in 1898, who remained till June, 1899, when he was suc- ceeded by U. S. Brown, who, during the remaining months of that Conference year, completed the pay- ment of the church debt, amounting to $260, and re- painted the church, and made other improvements at a cost of $200. He continued with the charge till the Conference of 1903.
C. M. Snyder came to Logan in 1903, and served three years, and was succeeded by J. F. Clark, who served two years. In the spring of 1908 F. L. Templin was appointed pastor. On May 17 he preached the baccalaureate sermon for the High School graduating class, and on the evening of May 27 the League gave a reception at the parsonage.
May 11, 1910, Templin reported that a furnace had been put in the church, and also new pews, and electric lights had been installed in both church and parsonage. The ladies are spending $40 in beautifying the par- sonage. A Mission Study Class of ten has been organ- ized and the League is supporting a boy in school in India. The pastor is to speak on temperance before the lodges, is to preach the baccalaureate sermon for the High School class, and the memorial sermon be- fore the G. A. R., and is also to give the address on Decoration day.
In the fall of 1910 Templin transferred to Okla- homa, and J. V. Watson supplied the remainder of the year. G. M. Ryder became pastor in 1911, and served the charge three years. He was also superintendent of the schools for two years, and was very active in prosecuting the violators of the prohibition law. He is a strong preacher and brought in other good speak- ers, and held some very profitable meetings, and re- ceived numbers into the church, but failed to keep the
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records, so that those who followed him could not cer- tainly determine who or how many were members of the church.
G. Johnson was appointed to the pastorate in 1914, and served one year. He was succeeded by B. D. Brooks, the present pastor. He reports his first year to have been a pleasant one. They had a gracious re- vival in the fall, but there are influences in the town which make it difficult to shepherd the flock.
The minutes of 1917 give the statistics of the charge as follows: Property, church $3,000, parson- age $1,500; full members, 142; preparatory, 5; ex- penses, $224; salaries pastor, $1,150; D. S., $80; Bishops, $20; C. C.'s, $40; F. M.'s, $131; H. M.'s, $61. Grand total, $909. Sunday School: Officers and teachers, 21; enrollment, 171; average, 80; expenses $88. W. F. M. S., $43; W. H. M. S., $8.
LONG ISLAND.
The class at Long Island was organized in 1878 and was known as Class No. 2 on the Norton Circuit. W. A. Saville was the pastor and gives the following list of members of the Long Island class: D. P. and S. P. Curl, Cynthia and Ellenor Caruahan, James and El- lenor Horner, William and Mary McLane, Samuel and Mary Mattison, Charles and Elizabeth Persinger, Elizabeth Lyman, Helen and Mary Pickle, John and Mattie Pool, Joseph and Mary Dean. John Pool was the leader.
In 1879 Long Island was made the head of a cir- cuit of which J. S. Horner was the pastor. The name has been in the list of appointments ever since, though one year Norton and Sappa were connected with it as one charge. The pastors who have served the charge were: Horner, one year; Bisbee, three; Arrington, two; Burt, two; Willis, one; Scott, one; Tennant, two; Nulton, one; Morrison, one; Mann, two; Allen, one;
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Miller, four; Reese, two; Cowman, one; Rogers, two; Morton, one; Johnson, two; Ward, two; Kipple, three; Cox, two; Hunter, two. G. L. Tennant, who served the charge in 1889-90, reported March 12, '90, that his fourth quarterly meeting held three weeks, W. K. Loofbourrow assisting. There were seventeen acces- sions. The church and parsonage had been repaired at a cost of $100. One hundred dollars had been paid on debt. December 24 of the same year A. F. Cumbow had assisted in a three weeks' meeting. A number were converted, twenty-five who joined last year and had all proved faithful. H. P. Mann reported Novem- ber 8, 1893, that a debt of $470 had been paid. A revival had been held and fifty were converted. March 24, 1897, the pastor, J. M. Miller, reported as follows : Twenty-one received into full membership, twelve by letter, twenty-five on probation. Three Leagues had been organized. A surprise on the pastor brought $30 and other presents to the parsonage. September 13, 1909, W. J. Ward reported a two weeks' meeting, con- ducted by C. B. Allen and A. J. Fitt. It was a great benefit to the Pleasant Hill Church.
The Pleasant Hill class was organized by G. L. Tennant in February, 1891, with John Winter leader. The members were John Winter and wife, Tilla Poyser, C. W. Clara and Matilda Mousley, George and Sarah Reece. C. W. Mousley was made steward and licensed to preach.
Times were hard and we were not able to pay much on the pastor's salary. During the year 1892 he preached for us but three times. The appoint- ment was dropped for a time, but services were con- tinued by their own local preacher. In 1897 they were attached to the Woodruff Circuit. Several good re- vivals have been held in the place. In 1910 it was again attached to the Long Island Circuit. There are
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fifteen working members. Statistics for the year 1917: Number of members, Long Island 62, Pleasant Hill 42; Sunday Schools, Long Island 80, Pleasant Hill 50; the stewards of the charge, William Conrad, Mary Conrad, Paul Kipple, Lloyd Richardson, J. W. Stump, J. P. Cox, Mrs. Cox, W. N. Poyser and C. W. Mousley. The class leaders are Mrs. Yantis and J. P. Cox.
F. D. Kemble, now 90 years old, though not an official now, is deserving of mention. He is the oldest man on the charge and is the wealthiest, and has done more for the church than any other one, has been a liberal contributor to the benevolences. Report of charge for 1917: Two churches, $3,000; two parson- ages, $1,800; full members, 102; two Sunday Schools, total enrollment 100, average 50, officers and teachers 15, scholars except Home Department 85, ministerial support, pastor $760, D. S. $54, Bishop $3, F. M. S. $16, H. M. S. $15, Conference Claimants $25, W. H. M. S. $2.
MORLAND.
Like most other classes in this section of the state, the date of the organization at Morland is not known. It first appears in the list of appointments in 1893. It was left to be supplied, and J. A. Stone was sent as the supply. At the next Conference he reported sixty- five full members and forty-eight probationers. A. T. Mitchell was the next pastor.
In 1896 Morland was connected with Hoxie. They continued so connected till the year 1899, and during those years the charge was served by W. E. Cox. Since that time Morland has been served as follows: In '99, F. G. Griffith; 1900, J. B. Lewis; '01-'02, L. H. Smith; '03-'04, W. M. Garner; '05, B. D. Brooks ; '06-'08, W. S. Harper; '09-'10, J. A. Templin; '11-'12, M. R. Star- buck; '13-'14, C. A. Davis; '15-'17, I. L. McKean.
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The first property reported was a parsonage valued at $450 in 1901. In 1904 there was a church worth $2,000, and $2,015 was paid that year for building and improving church property. In 1906 $1,000 was added to the value of the church, and in 1907 $400 had been added to the value of the parsonage, bringing it to a valuation of $1,000. In 1916 a second church had been built on the charge, bringing the value of the churches to $5,400.
The largest enrollment in both church and Sunday School was in 1909, under the pastorate of W. S. Har- per. There were 198 full members and 29 probation- ers. Four Sunday Schools were reported, having 40 officers and teachers and 300 scholars. The most con- tributed for missions was reported by M. R. Starbuck in 1911, $130 for Foreign, and $51 for Home Missions.
Pastor's salary, $1,100; Morland pays $800, Sequin $200, Penoka $100.
Statistics for 1917: Two churches, $6,000; par- sonages, $1,000; full members, 154; preparatory, 200; expenses, $200; support pastor, $1,250; D. S., $88; Bishop, $22; C. C.'s, $44; F. M. S., $75; H. M. S. $65. Grand total, $964. Two Sunday Schools: Of- ficers and teachers, 37; enrollment, 267; average, 160; expenses, $120. Epworth League: Senior, 30; Junior, 18.
NATOMA.
Natoma Circuit when first organized was known as the Medicine Circuit and consisted of the following points : Pleasant Ridge, Stockton, East Medicine, Rooks Center, Pleasant Plain and Floraville. The first M. E. Quarterly Conference in Rooks County was held in a grove near where Woodston is now located on June 1, 1878.
E. G. McHenry was the pastor, and R. A. Caruthers was the Presiding Elder. The first church building
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was a sod structure at Pleasant Ridge, now Woodston. It was 14x32 feet, with dirt floor and a sod roof. There were twenty-six members. Thomas Hoar was the class leader.
The church was dedicated February 16, 1879. A collection was taken amounting to $1.95.
In July, 1878, a church was organized at East Medi- cine, now Aurora, of twenty-one members. Wilson McFadden was the class leader. In December of that year a church was organized at Eagle Creek, which is the present site of Natoma. Moran Gregory was the class leader. On January 5, 1879, a class of nine- teen members was organized at Pleasant Plain.
Stockton organized with four members, Aaron Wil- son class leader, and Rooks Center with five members, E. W. Brooner class leader. Is no class now.
Floraville, now Codel, organized with seven mem- bers.
The original Natoma Circuit was composed of six preaching places, which, together, now have a mem- bership of 625, and church property valued at $58,000.
The present circuit consists of Natoma, Aurora and Pleasant Plains. Natoma, the head of the circuit, has a neat little church almost too small now. A comfort- able two-story five-room parsonage, with bathroom and closets, and a good barn.
Aurora has a neat, comfortable church, newly painted and well seated with new pews. The district superintendent says it is the most spiritual class on the district. L. C. Worden, a soldier of the Cival war, and his faithful wife were charter members of the Pleasant Plains class and are now its senior members. He has been class leader since the organization of the charge and has a record of every pastor who has served it. He has for a number of years kept a memo- randum of texts used. "His Bible is marked from lid
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to lid, tracing the footsteps of God's messengers. These faithful souls have together noted the developments that the years have brought, and to them the historian is indebted for the facts here set down."
John L. Emerick, another veteran, is also a charter member, and as a steward has stood faithfully by the work and the several pastors through all the years. He is now ripening for eternity. Mrs. Jennie Erway was also a charter member at Pleasant Plains, who still lives to repeat history to her children and grand children.
The historian, T. J. Nixon, writes: "Time would the Halls, and many others, who wrought righteous- fail me, and so would space, to tell of the Griffins, the young Wordens, the Doris brothers, the McFaddens, ness, fought drouths, battled with disease and still live to bear the cross with joy."
The years of greatest success in revival work came under the ministry of Morrison, Breed, Dugger, James, Dews, Wilks, Bridwell and Mckean. The records show that each of these had baptisms ranging in number from twelve to fifty-two.
All members of the Conference who have served the charge have been moved by Conference action, ex- cept T. H. James and J. T. Wilks.
James was translated to his heavenly inheritance in 1903, and was succeeded on the charge by W. W. Hurlbut. Wilks was removed by death in 1910 from a people to whom he had endeared himself by faithful service. These useful men, called thus early from their earthly ministry, have their works to follow them.
Rev. I. L. McKean and wife suffered the loss of their oldest son while they were on the charge. Thus, this charge, like others in the Conference, has passed through sad experiences. Extreme views of some of the members have at different times caused agitation.
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IN NORTHWEST KANSAS
The Comeouters at one time occasioned some commo- tion and drew a few from the church, but in due time the error was made plain and the better class returned to the fold.
At present the Pentecostal Church, or Tonguer movement, is the form of hypocrisy practiced here. The Methodist doctrine of perfect love, as taught by John Wesley, was not radical enough to suit them. They claimed the gift of tongues as the zenith of their attainment. Some good, conscientious persons have been led to build a little church having zeal, but not according to knowledge. At this time some who were turned aside by the extreme emotionalists have seen their folly and are coming back to their inheritance in the church. Quite a number of the members are faith- fully tithing their income. The pastor says: "I re- gard this as a mark of established grace, wherever it is followed in a Biblical manner." He adds: "There is another feature of the work on this charge that I desire to be noted in the historian's review of the Con- ference. That is, that the class and prayer meetings are recognized on this charge as necessary to spiritual growth. During this Conference year, 1916, up to August 1st, a prayer meeting has been held at each of the three appointments on the charge, with an at- tendance ranging from ten to forty. Even during har- vest the attendance at the country churches were twenty-four to thirty. I should be glad if the recital of this bit of history of this charge might kindle a desire for the best things and the greatest success of the work in every charge in the Conference.
The one thing that will bring that result is prayer. If the church were holding the ground God designed it to occupy, many side doors which people are induced to enter would never be opened."
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The following are the official members. To avoid rewriting the names of the classes they are indicated by number. Natoma is No. 1, Pleasant Plain 2, and Aurora 3:
Churches $2,500
$1,500
No. members
97
48
$1,500 26
Pay to Pastor $500
$250
$250
F. & H. Missions
500
60
54
Exp. of S. S. 100
50
50
Officials-Trustees: (1) J. W. Boughner, M. C. Brown, H. E. Hall, Andrew and Alonzo McFadden, (2) D. Worden, C. and J. Griffin, S. Thornbery, J. E. Buel, (3) H. G. Dorr, W. Adams, G. Brown, H. W. Day. Stewards: (1) A. M. McFadden, J. Emerick, (2) C. Griffin, D. Worden, (3) H. G. Dorr, G. Brown. Class Leaders: (1) A. T. and A. McFadden, (2) L. C. Worden, J. Griffin, (3) H. G. Dorr, W. Adams. Sun- day School Superintendents: (1) W. H. Beeson, (2) J. E. Buel, (3) G. Brown. President H. M. S., Mrs. Pearl Seitz. President Aid, Mrs. Jennie Erway. Pres- ident Epworth League, Clarence Griffin. Improve- ments: (1) Electric lights installed, church painted inside and out, cost $150; (2) new seats and other improvements, $450; electric lights in parsonage, $75.
NORCATUR.
The Norcatur Methodist Episcopal Church was or- ganized in September, 1885, at the home of Joseph Reager, one and one-half miles east of the present town, with a membership of thirteen, with Reuben Bis- bee as pastor. The first Quarterly Conference was held in the upper room of the store building belonging to Clinton Worrol in the autumn of the same year. The Sunday School was organized in the same room' in the following spring. Later in the year, 1886, the meetings were held in the new school building. The first church was built in 1898, and dedicated in Sep-
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tember of that year, under the pastorate of J. O. Osman.
The Lyle class of the Norcatur charge was organ- ized by Reuben Bisbee in 1877 in a dugout belonging to Samuel Andrew, with eight or ten charter members, including the Andrews, the Wickhams, George Fossler, Sarah Shipton and Lizzie Sorrick. Later in the year a log church was dedicated by the Presiding Elder, W. J. Mitchell. In 1885 a Sunday School was organized. Some of its early records read: "No Sunday School today, owing to swarms of grasshoppers." And fur- ther on, "No Sunday School today, owing to the Indian raid."
In 1879 the pastor was E. G. Carey. He lived at Oberlin, which at that time was the head of the cir- cuit. The first parsonage was a dugout, though later a small house was built for a parsonage. Following Carey as pastor of the charge came J. L. Langley, and he in turn by W. J. Meredith in 1881, who was a young man and came direct from Baker University. Under his pastorate a new sod church was built at Lyle, which was described as "a gem for that day." During the year Merideth received from the charge $75 in money and a wife. In 1882 Lyle was without a regular pastor, but in 1884 it again became a part of the circuit under the pastorate of George Nulton of the Oberlin charge. In 1887 Lyle was united with Norcatur.
The Reager Church stands near the B. & M. Rail- road, six miles east of Norcatur. In the year 1884 Reuben Bisbee heard that a Methodist family was liv- ing in the community and went in search of them. He found Joseph Reager, and nearby a brother, Wil- liam Reager. William Reager was a bachelor and rather objected to the plan of having his house used for religious services, but Bisbee insisted and meetings
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were begun. Later a Sunday School was organized. Henry M. Mayo was the first pastor regularly appoint- ed for Reager, serving the charge from Norton. The Norton, then to Norcatur, then to the Divises charge, then back to Nortacur again.
In the spring of 1887 S. B. Lucas was appointed to Norcatur with Lyle and Reager. He was a young man, unmarried, and did good service for two years. He was succeeded by George Nulton, who had so nobly served the Oberlin charge, including Lyle, some years before. After two years he was succeeded, in the spring of 1891, by H. P. Mann for one year. M. W. Whelan was appointed to the charge April 1, 1892. During his time the sod church at Lyle was aban- doned, and a store building bought and dedicated to the service of God. Brother Whelan was followed in the spring of 1894 by J. A. Clinger, who stayed only a part of the year, and was followed by E. E. Damon, who finished the work of that year and the next; then W. O. Allen served the charge one year. Rev. J. O. Osman was appointed in March, 1897. In 1898 a good church building was erected at Norcature, under the leadership of Brother Osmon. He did three years of excellent work on the charge, and was succeeded in March, 1900, by A. B. Conwell. He in turn was suc- ceeded in the spring of 1902 by W. W. Hurlbut, who served the charge one and one-half years, then trans- ferred, September, 1903, to Wisconsin. He came back, however, to Northwest Kansas Conference and is now a supernumerary member, residing at Norcatur, and is very helpful to the pastor and to all the work of the church. When Brother Hurlbut went away, the charge was supplied at once by R. S. Rutledge, who filled out that year and the next. During his pastorate the old parsonage, which was not very conveniently located, was sold, and two lots, with a small house on them,
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was bought in the same block with the church. The next man to take up the work was N. S. Ragle. Brother Ragle was quite a church builder. In 1906 he super- vised the remodeling of the church at Norcatur. Two good rooms and a pastor's study were added to it, making it a large and commodious house of worship. During the next year Brother Ragle supervised the building of a new two-room church at Lyle, doing much work with his own hands. The store building that they had used for several years was sold and moved away, and the new church built on the ground where it stood.
In 1907 a splendid little church was built at Reager. It was a part of the Divises Circuit at that time, and Brother J. R. Thompson, a supply, was pastor. This was the year before the "seven years of famine." The Reager class was small, and when the hard years came they were not able to pay their subscriptions ; several families moved away, and there is yet a small debt of $240 on the building. We hope to lift that this year. The Reager class is small now, but it is in a healthy and growing condition. We have large hopes for its future.
In the spring of 1908 the charge was divided. Nor- catur became a station, and Lyle was made the head of a circuit which included Reager. The old parson- age at Divises was sold and the money put into a new five-room house at Lyle. J. H. Brown was the pastor appointed to the Lyle charge, and E. V. Allen took up the work at Norcatur. In the spring of 1909 Brother Allen was returned to Norcatur, and John E. Mum- ford was appointed to the Lyle charge. He only stayed six months, when he joined the Baptists and went where there was more water.
There had been two crop failures, and it was very hard for the people to support the church, so it was
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