USA > Kansas > A history of Methodism in northwest Kansas > Part 22
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Five years later there were two churches valued at $4,800 and a parsonage worth $700 and the pastor re- ceived $600 and a house. The charge gradually en- larged in membership and in every respect. In 1911 there were 104 members and 17 probationers. Another Sunday school had been organized which brought the enrolment to 200, while the parsonage had been im- proved by the expenditure of $1,300.
The pastors who have served the charge are: 1900- 01, J. T. Wilks; '02, M. L. Kerr; '03, J. C. Dana; '04- '05, J. T. Wilks ; '06, W. C. Henslee; '07, C. E. Tinker; '08-'09, O. A. Darnell; '10, J. A. Templin ; '11-'12, G. L.
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Rarick; '13, B. D. Brooks; '14-'15, J. B. Ripple; '16-'17, H. C. Atkins.
The report for 1917 gives the following: 2 churches, $5,300; parsonage, $2,050; members, 137; preparatory, 15; expenses, $120; pastor's salary, $1,- 150; district superintendent, $80; bishop, $20; confer- ence claimants, $50; Sunday school enrollment, 285; officers and teachers, 30; Epworth League, senior, 42; junior, 36.
Luray.
The first Methodist service held within the bounds of what is now the Luray circuit was conducted at the Woodbridge place, May, 1875. The service was con- ducted by W. T. Brown, a local preacher, who had moved into Kansas from Page County, Iowa, and set- tled three miles northeast of Delhi. There were twenty persons present at this first service, some of them hav- ing come seven miles. Shortly after this a protracted meeting was held lasting three weeks in the same place. It resulted in quite a religious awakening and the organization of a class of eighteen members followed. This is the present East Wolfe class.
The next March, W. J. Mitchell, presiding elder of the Beloit district, appointed W. T. Brown pastor of the charge to be organized which was called the Delhi circuit and consisted of Delhi, East Wolfe, Potters- burg, Cedron, Shockley and Pittsburg. Delhi charge is named in the list of appointments in 1877, but it was left to be supplied and there was no statistical report made to the next conference. The name does not ap- pear in the minutes of 1878, but J. H. Lord was ap- pointed to the Pottersburg circuit and he was also the preacher at Delhi. In 1879 S. Barton was appointed to Delhi. He labored as long as he was able and in the month of August was called to his reward.
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Meanwhile, J. H. Lord was still at Pottersburg and Brown was appointed that year to Pittsburg. After Barton's death, Lord looked after the east end of Delhi circuit while Brown traveled the west end. In Febru- ary, Brown organized a class on the south side of his circuit of eleven members and another on Coon creek of eight members. In September a protracted meeting was held on Coon creek and the membership was in- creased to 24.
In the winter of '79 and '80, Lord and his wife held a meeting at East Wolfe resulting in a number of con- versions. C. W. Casely was assigned to this work in 1880. He supplied the several classes with class books and arranged a record of the membership and added Luray to the circuit. At this time there were 56 full members and 10 probationers. In June, he organized the Pleasant Valley class of 9 members and commenced preaching at Cheyenne, West Wolfe, Grand Centre and Fairview.
The two seasons following are remembered for the almost total failure of crops. A protracted meeting was held at Coon Creek in which a number were added to the church, but the drought of the next year caused them to scatter very widely. The South side class was moved to Cheyenne and the Wolfe Creek met at Harris' house. The Delhi class was dropped because of failure to give support. During these years there was much distress and destitution, both of preachers and people, but when the year closed the class was nearly as strong as at the beginning.
In 1887 the Prospect class was organized and a new charge was projected with but the one appointment. During the year the Brighton class was organized and the year closed with two appointments and the Pros- pect charge. The Delhi circuit now consisted of Delhi, Coon Creek, Pleasant Run (now Waldo), and East View (now Lucas).
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There have been frequent changes in the arrange- ment of the appointment on the circuits in this part of the conference. At one time Lucas, Luray and Pros- pect formed a circuit. Waldo, Coon Creek (Vincent) Paradise and Pleasant Hill were at one time the Waldo circuit. The Luray circuit was formed in 1889 and included Luray, Delhi, Brighton, Prospect and Cheyenne.
In March, 1890, the pastor, J. E. Brown, reported a four weeks' meeting at Prospect, resulting in doubling the membership. In 1906 the pastor, W. C. Brayman, received twenty into the church. Again during this same pastorate in 1908 a great revival stirred the whole community resulting in forty addi- tions to the church.
At the present time three appointments make up the circuit, Luray, Vincent and Prospect. Again in 1915 there were fifty conversions and fifty accessions to the church and in 1916 again a revival resulting in 43 conversions.
Marquette.
Between the years 1867 and 1875 a little band of sturdy pioneers pushed their way westward, with the ever swelling tide of immigration, in search of a home, and settled in the rich valley of the Smoky river. The settlement extended southwestward from Salina along the Smoky valley, to within fifteen miles, northwest of the present site of Marquette. Most of these early set- tlers were of Swedish descent and were colonized by a Chicago colonization society. A few English speaking settlers gradually found their way into the valley and its fertile soil appealed to them as an ideal place to build a home.
The Swedish settlers formed a Lutheran church of their fatherland. The English speaking families scat- tered along the valley, formed a society out of which
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grew the Methodist Episcopal Church of Marquette. It did not spring up like a mushroom, but its organiza- tion was the result of earnest Christian effort on the part of these widely separated pioneers and home- builders. The society met with many discouragements but the efforts of these early pioneers with the love of God in their hearts kept the church alive until it was well able to stand alone with God's help.
The first preaching services were held in a private home. A log house on the Underwood ranch probably bears the distinction of being the first place where preaching services were held. It is four miles north- west of Marquette. The first public meeting place was a log school house, one mile south of Marquette. Here a union Sunday school was organized and regular services held. A stone school house was afterwards built in Marquette where preaching services were then held. Here the first organization was effected. It was supplied from the Salina charge. The meeting places where services had been previously held were aband- oned.
On the 22nd of May, 1880, an application for a charter was made to the Secretary of State and in four days it was granted. The names of the incorporators are Stephen R. Green, J. Y. Parker, James Waller, Cornelius Kramer and H. S. Bacon. Of these J. Y. Parker alone is still a member of the church and a trustee which he has been since its organization. Lindsberg was at first included in the charge but in 1892 a church was built at Langley and Lindsberg was then taken off.
In 1886, during the pastorate of I. W. Miller, a new church building was erected at Marquette. The trustees at this time were J. Y. Parker, W. A. Hoff- hines, D. A. Ansell, J. C. Norton and B. McMurphy. The cost of the building was $2,100.
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On the night of May 8, 1905, a terrible cyclone swept over the city in which thirty people were killed and a number injured. The church and parsonage were razed to the ground, being completely destroyed. The minister, Rev. A. N. Smith and family, were miraculously saved from death. The church sent out appeals all over Kansas for help and the pastor toured the state to secure funds for a new church and parson- age. As a result a splendid new church was dedicated on the last Sunday in December, 1905. A nice eight room parsonage was erected about the same time. Marquette has now one of the best church and parson- age properties in the district.
Marquette charge was formally in the Southwest Kansas Conference, Newton District. Its first presid- ing elder was W. H. Cline. N. S. Buckner, T. C. Miller and H. Wait were presiding elders during the time the charge remained in the Southwest Kansas Conference. It was transferred to the Northwest Kansas Confer- ence in 1889 and placed in the Salina District under J. H. Lockwood as presiding elder. Following J. H. Lockwood as presiding elder came W. H. Sweet, then M. M. Stolz. B. F. Stauber, U. S. Brown in order and at present the superintendent is C. W. Stevens.
The first pastor who served the charge was prob- ably Rev. Mitchell who preached at irregular intervals from 1876 to 1877. He was followed by Rev. Mathes who served from 1877 to 1879 or 1880. These pastors were sent from the Salina and Brookville charges. The first pastor of whom any definite record can be found was J. M. Archer who served the charge from 1882 to 1884. Following are the names and length of service of pastors since 1884 :
B. F. Wonder, 1884-1885; N. A. Porter, 1885-1886; I. W. Miller, 1886-1887; C. V. Penn, 1887-1890; J. P. Allen, 1890-1891; S. L. Seamans, 1891-1896: W. A. Saville, 1896-1897 ; F. N. Willis, 1898 to January, 1902;
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J. F. Ekey, January, 1902 to April, 1902; G. L. Rarick, 1902 to December, 1902; Rev. Dana. December, 1902, to April, 1903; A. N. Smith, 1903-1906; W. H. Sweet, 1906-1909; B. D. Brooks, 1909-1911 ; J. H. Kuhn, 1911- 1912; J. C. Dussair, 1912-1915; C. W. Ivie, 1916 -.
At the Annual Conference in 1915, Langley was taken off the charge and Marquette was made a station. The present trustees are J. Y. Parker, T. J. Collier, J. K. Stinson, Oscar Hoffines and Emanuel Gustafson. J. Y. Parker is chairman of the board. An Epworth League has been organized for a number of years but I have been unable to obtain a complete record of its activities. Mrs. C. W. Ivie was elected president in May, 1915 and was re-elected the following year. In 1915 and 1916 the League made a considerable growth, the membership increasing from only a few to almost a hundred. A Junior League had been organized and maintained a part of the time but had gone down. It was soon reorganized with over thirty members and is flourishing. Miss Mabel Ford is superintendent.
Marshall Roney is now superintendent of the Sun- day school and the school is doing excellent work. Oscar Hoffines has been recording steward for some time. Mrs. Hattie Peterson is president of the Ladies' Aid. Mrs. C. W. Ivie is president of the Woman's Home Missionary Society. The charge is making sub- stantial progress along all lines of work. A good re- vival in the winter of 1916 and 1917 resulted in several accessions to the church.
Prominent in all the good work done at Marquette have been J. Y. Parker and his good wife. He was a member of the first board of trustees and has been on the board through all the years. His wife was gen- erally president of the Ladies Aid Society which dur- ing the years has been the main financial stay of the church. The Society always paid liberally on the pas- tor's salary and helped on the moving expenses, insur-
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ance, repairs, coal bills, etc. In the past eight years it raised $2,982.63. Without the support of this society it is very doubtful whether the Marquette charge could have survived the trying ordeals through which it has passed ; and two or three women have the credit for a large share of the maintaining of the society. God bless the faithful women who through storm and trial and discouragement stand faithful to His cause.
Two clippings from the Central Christian Advo- cate will be of interest to the readers of this history. March 2, 1894, S. L. Semans reported that a three weeks' meeting held at a school house resulted in thirty conversions. On December 5th of the same year he reported that a church had been built at Langley and dedicated by the Presiding Elder, W. H. Sweet, assisted by William Nash, A. L. Hazlett and H. R. Gouldin. The church is 26 by 40 feet and cost $1,400.
The Central for March 25, 1896 reported that Se- mans was closing his fifth year as pastor at Marquette; that he was greatly beloved by the church and the com- munity. In evidence of this a surprise supper was made in his honor, a musical and literary program was rendered and a donation of $54 was presented to him by R. A. Thompson, pastor of the Lutheran church and $40, the proceeds of the supper, was added to the donation.
The statistics of the Marquette church for 1917 were: Valuation of church, $9,000; parsonage, $2,500; expenses, $135; full members, 88; Sunday school officers and teachers, 16; enrollment, 195; average at- tendance, 112; expenses, $100; pastor's salary, $1,200; district superintendent, $80; bishops, $20; conference claimants, $40. Benevolences : Foreign missions, $30; home missions, $30; total benevolences, $487. Ep- worth League, senior members, 51; junior, 85.
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McCracken.
The McCracken class was organized in 1887, prob- ably by Rev. Granley, who was evidently a local preacher, as his name does not appear in the Confer- ence Minutes. McCracken is found in the minutes of 1889 and at that time LaCross and McCracken was supplied by G. W. Wheat. In 1890 the name is omitted though the church was doubtless served by the LaCross pastor, for the next year it was of sufficient importance to be made the head of a charge, and has retained that dignity ever since.
D. W. Dutton, E. S. Chenoweth, John Edwards and S. E. Hall with their wives were among those who helped plant Methodism on this prairie. In 1891 the charge is supplied by J. M. Bell who remained three years. At the close of Bell's second year he reported 75 full members and 20 probationers. There is no record as to how many preaching places he had but he reported two Sunday schools and 90 scholars.
The pastors who have since served the charge are: I. S. Hall, '93-'94; S. Hazlet, '95-'97; W. W. Hurlbut, '98; W. E. Cox, '99-'02; A. J. Morton, '03; R. Bisbee, '04-05; supplied by Matthew Bunker, '07-'08; W. T. Cummins, 09; C. Baker, '10; C. R. Wade, '11; J. D. Harris, '12-'13; L. Brannon, '14; J. A. Webb, '15; W. T. Cummins, '16-17 ; J. P. White.
At first the services were held in the school house alternating with other denominations. In 1891 a church building enterprise was set on foot, but the church was not reported until the conference of '93. Its value was placed at $3,500 with a debt of $800. A parsonage was reported in 1898 valued at $300 which was improved in 1902, raising its value to $600. The final cancelling of the church debt was accomplished in 1904.
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McCracken now has a beautiful brick church with full basement, two furnaces, kitchen, dining room, social rooms, Sunday school rooms and a fine audi- torium and the plant is valued at $12,000. Revivals have been reported from time to time. In February, '94 the pastor wrote the Central: "In April, 1893, there were but 42 members at McCracken with 14 at a point in the country. Up to this time 156 have united with the church and the meeting is still in progress." In 1907, the pastor, W. T. Cummins, recently trans- ferred from the Idaho conference had haptized thirteen persons and received 24 into the church. A seven room parsonage was under construction worth $1,500. In 1909 the pastor, Clark Baker, received 13 into the church and $250 was paid toward the parsonage debt.
The statistics for 1917 are as follows: Church, $14,000; parsonage, $2,500; members, 178; pastor's salary, $1,350; district superintendent, $96; bishop, $24; total benevolences, $573; Sunday school enroll- ment, 200; officers and teachers, 25; Epworth League, 25.
Monument.
The first reference to Monument as a meeting place was made by T. J. Taggart who was the pastor at Oak- ley 1886-'87. He says: "I went to Monument, later known as Old Monument on May 23, 1886 and held my first service. Soon after this we moved the preaching to Ennis Siding, now Monument. The first Methodist class was composed of Phil Caywood and family, Mark Lyons and family and Samuel Richey and family." During Taggart's second year at Oakley he preached on alternate Sunday mornings at Monument and at one time held a revival service for three weeks, result- ing in 56 conversions.
Although Monument began its career as a class in 1886 yet it does not appear in the minutes until twenty
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years later, in 1906. The report that year shows two churches valued at $3,000 and 79 full members and 15 probationers. The next year there was a parsonage valued at $850 and two Sunday schools with 20 officers and teachers and 115 scholars, while the charge paid a pastor's salary of $610.
The pastors who have served at Monument were F. C. Griffith, 1906-7; C. M. Reed, '08-09; A. D. Rice, '10-'11; F. B. Cunningham, '12-'13; J. W. Vanderlip, '14-'15; E. M. Bisbee, 16-'17. There are four preach- ing places on the circuit: Monument, Bell Prairie, Pleasant Hill and High Point.
The statistics for 1917 are: 3 churches, $7,400; parsonage, $800; members, 88; pastor's salary, $650; district superintendent, $49; bishop, $12; total benevol- ences, $503; Sunday school enrollment, 165; Epworth League, Sr., 50; Jr., 27.
Oakley.
T. J. H. Taggart for twenty-three years a member of the Northwest Kansas Conference was the first pas- tor at Oakley. He says: "I came from Ohio to Ells- worth in April, 1886. and stopped at the parsonage into which the Rev. G. W. Grabe had moved at the time of conference. After spending Easter Sunday there in company with Brother Grabe, I went to Wil- son, W. H. Williams, pastor, and met the Rev. M. M. Stolz, the presiding elder. I presented my church cer- tificate to Brother Williams and was received into the church. Then I presented a recommendation from the quarterly conference of Jerusalem, Ohio, and upon that recommendation. license was issued by the Wilson Quarterly Conference and Brother Stolz appointed me to Oakley
I reached Oakley. April 27th and found lodging at the home of George Kaler, senior, who was operating a, boarding house in a two roomed affair on the east
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side of town. The town being about six months old and many people coming in to settle upon lands, there were many transients and it was not uncommon for the little car roof to cover as many as twenty people. I think Mrs. Kaler said that twenty-six was the largest number they had sheltered at any one time. But Mrs. Kaler never turned any away. When any one came and asked for meals or lodging she always replied, "We are pretty full, but we'll do the best we can."
James Stalons, then living upon a claim two miles south of town, was the first Methodist I found and James Higgins was the next one. John T. Bates lived twelve miles north, at what afterwards became known as Sunny Side. I think it was on the Saturday follow- ing my arrival, that I met him. He introduced me to John Cruff and Simon McBride, all of whom became charter members of the class we organized in the sod house on the Bates' claim and the first society of the Oakley charge. This society was organized May 16, 1886 with seventeen members. The society in Oakley was organized a week before with nine members. The first quarterly meeting was held in the school house at Oakley on Monday night, Tuesday and Tuesday night, May 10 and 11, 1886.
At the Quarterly Conference Tuesday morning a subscription was started to buy lots upon which to build a church. A committee was appointed to select the site and make purchase of the lots. Work was begun by the committee, May 14th.
I went to Monument, later known as Old Monu- ment and held my first service there May 23d. Soon after this we moved the preaching service to Ennis siding, now Monument. Phil Caywood and family, Samuel Richey and family, and Mark Lyons and family were the first Methodists to meet at Monument.
Early in the summer I was sent for to go to Winona, then called Gopher. Here I met John Negley
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and his family. The first service was held in the hay- mow over a livery barn. Another time we held service in the lumber yard. At another time we held the meet- ing in the front of a hardware store. Once we held meeting in a newly finished drug store.
The church charter for Oakley was taken out May 27, 1886. The building was completed and dedicated the second Sunday in November of that year. It might be of interest to state that Pollard Wisdom and I dug the holes for the foundation posts of the church. I helped to upt the rafters upon the building. After Mr. Wisdom had helped to make the scaffolding, I put on all the lath. The contractors' settlement showed that there were 430 yards of lathing for which he al- lowed the church $18. I attended Jeff. H. Clark who built the chimney for the church. Brother G. W. Grabe, then pastor at Ellsworth, came with Brother Stolz. The pews were not put in until later in the winter.
My family did not come out from Ohio until in September. By that time I had secured a lot and built a house 14 x 22 which cost me $115 besides the lot. This was divided into two rooms and we had dug out the basement. The following spring I secured some native lime and sand and plastered the entire basement which we used for a kitchen all the year. After we moved away I sold the house to Dave Ringwalt for $40 and I think he moved it out to a claim.
During the two years of my pastorate about 150 members were taken into the churchs on the circuit and enough were left afterwards to leave the net mem- bership of the charge 122.
During the second year, Winona and Russell Springs had been taken as the start for a new circuit. For some reason the pastor then living on a claim near Wallace gave up the work and I was sent down to Rus- sell Springs to organize the society. During the earlier
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part of the spring Logansport had been started as a county seat aspirant. This town was a few miles east of Russell Springs and its rival for the county seat.
I took this place as a regular appointment and made effort to organize a society, but with only partial suc- cess. When the county seat election went against Logansport, it soon began to decline and I ceased to make it a regular preaching place. During the second year, I took up a school house on the way between Russell Springs and Monument and preached there in the afternoon on my way to Russell Springs for the evening service. But I did not organize a class there.
I had been engaged a few days before to go Christ- mas to marry a couple on a claim seventeen miles southwest of Oakley. The evening before a heavy snow storm and blizzard set in. The storm raged all day and I feared to start upon so long a trip without a. trail broken. About four o'clock it cleared and I set out, though the wedding was set for high noon. As soon as the snow storm ceased the people started out to look for another preacher who lived on a claim some distance east. Following a long ridge east they saw a buggy cross the divide and thinking that I might be the occupant of the buggy they returned home to await developments. I reached the homestead at supper time. So after supper the ceremony was said and a very pleasant wedding occasion was enjoyed by a goodly company who had been there almost all day. I reached home at noon the next day and by that time the heavy snow fall had almost all disappeared.
G. W. Glick followed Taggart at Oakley in 1888. He was a transfer from the Kansas Conference. He says: "I followed T. J. H. Taggart. I had my books and a bed in his house and my wife and children were on our homestead in Wallace county." Oakley was a three point circuit-Oakley, Sunny Side and Monu- ment. J. T. Bates, a local preacher, lived on a home-
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stead near Sunny Side and his leadership made the Sunny Side class a wide awake and spiritual organ- ization. Monument was a village on the Union Pacific. Its leader was Phil Caywood, a veteran of the Civil War, who on account of a missing limb was unable to attend service regularly.
Glick served the charge three years through drought and hot winds. One day he drove fifty miles to a funeral closing the service at sunset and drove home that night to avoid the excessive heat, for the temperature had registered 117 in the middle of the day. The last year he served the charge he received but $120. He was a harness maker by trade and got work in a shop and thus was able to support his family.
Burials were sometimes held at night on account of the heat. Glick says: "As I review the work I recall the names of some choice souls-L. A. Fisher, J. H. Clark, Dr. Winslow, A. Blossom and J. Higginas at Oakley; Bates, McBride and Cruff at Sunny Side; Holder and wife at Holder school house."
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