USA > Michigan > St Clair County > St. Clair County, Michigan, its history and its people; a narrative account of its historical progress and its principal interests, Vol. I > Part 39
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In November, 1850, Mr. Grout's health having failed, Rev. Nelson Eastwood came and the society set about building a church, which was of wood and stood until it was burned in March, 1870.
Mr. Eastwood was followed in 1856 by Rev. Silas Finn, who ad- ministered the affairs of the church very successfully and satisfactorily for about nine years, when he resigned. Rev. Mr. Hickey followed for a short time, and in the spring of 1866, Rev. D. C. Maybin was called. Although an able preacher, there soon arose dissatisfaction and in March, 1868, he withdrew, to be followed in January, 1869, by Rev. William A. Kingsbury, who married during his pastorate, Mary, a daughter of John M. Oakes, one of the original trustees. After the burning of the church there was mueh discouragement, but with the assistance of the Baptist Home Missionary Society, and with their own courage and pluek, they started to rebuild, under the charge of Rev. Deland, Mr. Kingsbury having resigned. When the church was com- pleted in 1873-a plain comfortable brick structure-Mr. Deland with- drew and the following year Rev. Peter Carey was called.
Since that date there have been no long pastorates, there having been twenty-three ministers during the sixty-three years of the church's existence, and the maintenance of the church has been a struggle, con- seientiously and faithfully carried on, and at the present time, under the pastorate of Rev. W. G. Coltman, the prospects are bright.
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EPISCOPAL CHURCH
For some time before there was any church organization of this denomination, occasional services were held at St. Clair by Rev. G. S. Salter, of Sarnia, and Rev. Charles Reighley, United States chaplain at Fort Gratiot, but in May, 1845, Rev. P. D. Spalding was appointed by the bishop to conduct a mission ehureh at Port Huron and St. Clair, or Palmer, as it was then called, and he remained in charge until the last of August, 1846.
In December, 1849, Rev. Milton Ward was appointed rector of Trinity church, as the society was called, and the next year they bought three lots on the east side of Sixth street, between Cass and Trumbull streets, with a view of building there, but changed their minds and, in 1854, bought the property upon which the church and parsonage now stand.
Rev. Mr. Ward resigned in June, 1854, and beginning with Septem- ber, 1855, Rev. George B. Engle, of Port Huron, conducted one service each Sunday for several months. At this time the society was building their first church, which stood about on the site of the present one.
In April, 1860, Rev. G. B. Hayden came. remaining one year, and then for another year Osgoode E. Fuller, who was the principal of the Union sehool, officiated as lay reader for a few months. In December, 1862, Rev. Joseph B. Pritchard took charge of the church, in connection with Newport and Algonac, and remained about five years.
After an interregnum of about three years Rev. Thomas B. Dooley was appointed reetor in October, 1870, and remained until April, 1874. Under his administration there were severe factional troubles and on September 22. 1873, the church was burned. After Mr. Dooley's resig- nation there were no services for more than two years, when Rev. A. B. Flower came from Marine City.
In 1885 the present church building was erected and the name of the old society abandoned and St. Paul's mission adopted in its stead, and since that date it has had a succession of rectors, the present one being Rev. F. S. Devona, formerly of North Port Huron.
ST. CLAIR METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH
Prior to 1841, there does not seem to have been any Methodist or- ganization located at St. Clair. although for twenty years before that, Methodist meetings had been held at the village. There had been, from 1826, a St. Clair mission belonging to the Detroit distriet, and extend- ing all along the St. Clair river. In 1838 the territory of this mission was divided, the upper part being called the Port Huron mission, and the lower part the Palmer mission, but this division lasted only one year, when Palmer misssion was extended and Port Huron mission dropped. Rev. Alanson Fleming was appointed, 1838, to supply the Palmer mis- sion, and was followed the next year by Rev. Salmon Steele, who held charge for two years, the Port Huron mission being given up.
January 27, 1841, the Methodist Episcopal church of St. Clair was organized by Rev. S. Steele, who appointed Moore R. Barron, James
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Ogden, George Clark, Andrew H. Westbrook and Arch P. Phillips trus- tees. The same month Thomas Palmer donated and conveyed to the society lot 69, on the southwest corner of Second and Cass streets. In the deed Solomon Gardner, of Newport, was named as a trustee. instead of Phillips. A plain building was put up and partly finished, but it was some years however, before the church building was entirely com- pleted, which was not long after St. Clair had become an independent charge, it having passed from the mission stage in 1850. The first build- ing was of frame and raised high enough above the ground so that eows and horses at first were often found under it during the summer season, later this space was boarded up. Before the new church was built serv- ices were held in the court room, which was the meeting place for all denominations which did not have homes of their own.
In 1851, Rev. J. M. Arnold was sent to St. Clair, remaining two years, and he was the first pastor under the new arrangement. He was followed by Rev. J. S. Sutton, who after his retirement from the minis- try, made his home in St. Clair. This first church was oeeupied until 1869, when they moved into the fine new building just completed upon bloek 63, which they had bought in 1864, and which they have since oeeupied.
The church has always had a good membership and been served with capable and earnest pastors. Owing to the discipline of the church the changes have been numerous, and it would be invidious to seleet eertain ones, but of the older pastors, Rev. J. S. Smart and Rev. John Kelly are most prominent. Rev. Samuel Jennings is the present pastor.
UNIVERSALIST CHURCH
One of the earliest church organizations in the eounty was the First Universalist Society, which was organized September 12, 1838, and eom- prised all the adherents to that faith within the county. Nine trustees were elected, Samuel Carleton, of China; William B. Barron, of St. Clair, and Hiram Whiteomb, of Port Huron, for one year: Edmond Carleton, of China, John Thorn, of Port Huron, and Jeremiah Carle- ton. of Yankee street, for two years; Stephen V. Thornton and Reuben Hamilton, of Port Huron, and Israel Carleton, of Yankee street, for three years.
No building was ever erected and the society gradually disintegrated. In 1841, Mr. Thornton was appointed one of the trustees of the Metho- dist church at Port Huron.
Its only successor in the county was the First Universalist ehureh in Port Huron, organized in 1886. This society. after some years of waiting, ereeted in 1892 a brick church on the south side of Pine street. near Military, but after three years occupation the society was not able to longer maintain it. Rev. H. N. Couden, who had been the acceptable pastor for several years, was appointed chaplain of the national house of representatives, and the church building was leased for some years for publie library and then sold.
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY
MARINE CITY CHURCHES
The first organized church at Marine City was the Congregational society at Newport. This was organized April 5, 1842, and the trustees were Zael Ward, Selden A. Jones and David Donihoo. Zael Ward came to the village of Newport in 1837 and lived there until 1864, when he returned to New York, where he died soon after. He was a brother of Samuel Ward, and was a man of good standing in the community and was state senator in 1855. Of his family, three were well known in the county, Eber Ward, who later became a merchant in Detroit; Submit, who married Captain George Cottrell, and Mary J., who married Cap- tain David H. Westcott.
Mr. Jones came to Newport in 1837, and engaged in business furnish- ing wood for fuel to steamers. He was postmaster from October, 1841, to June, 1846, when he moved to Port Huron, where he resided until his death.
In 1851, the First Methodist Episcopal church of Newport was or- ganized, with Tubal C. Owen as one of the trustees. Mr. Owen was a prominent citizen of the county for a number of years.
In 1848 he was elected justice of the peace of Cottrellville township and later moved into China township, where he was elected justice of the peace and supervisor. He was county clerk from 1857 to 1863 and. having moved to St. Clair, the county seat, during this office, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in November, 1858. He remained in St. Clair in the practice of his profession until 1873, when he removed to Detroit to look after the interests of Eber B. Ward. of whose estate he was later made an executor.
The Methodist church bought from E. B. Ward in June, 1856, lots 2 and 3 in block 35. and soon after erected a building.
Rev. E. K. Grout, whom we have seen active in organizing the Bap- tists church at St. Clair, lived for some years at Marine City and or- ganized a church at that place and in December, 1853, Samuel Ward conveyed to the church lot 82 in block 7.
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE COUNTY*
The early history of the Catholic church in St. Clair county is more or less obscure, for while there is evidence of the visit of Catholic mis- sionaries to this section as early even as the seventeenth century, we have few, if any, records of the work done previous to the first part of the nineteenth. The earliest account of Catholicity in this county dates from 1670, when two Sulpitian fathers-Dollier and Gallinee-visited the Indian villages along the St. Clair river and instructed the natives in the truths of Christian Doctrine. From this time until 1786, there is no account of any missionary work done in the district, although we are justified in believing that the religious wants of the people were not en- tirely neglected. A Catholic mission was established at Sault Ste. Marie- in 1671, and there were a number of Catholic priests with Cadillac's
*Note. This portion of the chapter was prepared by Father Ryan, assistant pastor of St. Stephens Church, Port Huron.
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party in Detroit in 1701, so it is not at all improbable that the shore line connecting the two settlements was occasionally the scene of mis- sionary labor.
In 1786, a traveler en route from the Red river country to Montreal reported on reaching that city that he had seen a Catholic priest with the Indians along the shores of Black river. This bit of information forms, however, the only positive statement of the work of more than a century.
After the elose of the War of 1812. the visits of missionary fathers to this section became more regular and positive measures were taken to provide for the religious needs of the people. The first Catholic church in the county was built about 1826, the exact date, however, has not been recorded. It was a log structure built by the Franciscan fathers and was dedicated to God under the patronage of St. Agatha. The church was situated on the banks of St. Clair river, about two miles below Marine City, and the building together with the ground on which it stood, was washed away by the waters of the St. Clair about 1834 or 1835.
St. Agatha's church can claim the distinction of having formed the nucleus of the first parish in the county. It was in the interest of the people of this section that Father Gaberiel Richard, in 1818, bought from the United States government a parcel of land in this county to be used for Catholic church purposes. The receipt for payment was given in 1825, the parties to the sale being John Quincy Adams and Gaberiel Richard. This transaction of Father Richard may be regarded as the beginning of the Holy Cross parish of Marine City.
St. Stephen's parish, in Port Huron, while not formally established until 1851, can trace its inception back practically as far as the parish of Holy Cross. In 1817, about a dozen Catholic families moved north- ward from Swan creek (Anchorville), and settled along the shores of the Black river. These settlers, who formed the real foundation of the future St. Stephen's parish, received religious instruction from the first, and together with the other missions in the county, Algonac, Anchor- ville, Marine City and St. Clair, were visited frequently if not regularly by various Catholic missionaries.
Between the years 1817 and 1850 we have evidence of work done in this county by at least a dozen different priests; some paid only passing visits, remaining a day or two in each settlement to celebrate the holy sacrifice of the mass and to administer the sacraments of the church. while others made this county the scene of their missionary work for a year or two years at a time.
In 1817. Rev. S. T. Badin, a pioneer priest of the Ohio and Kentucky region, paid a visit to the St. Clair missions.
In 1821, Rev. Father Besrinquet crossed over from Walpole Island, where he had previously established an Indian mission, and visited the settlements along the St. Clair river. Father Besrinquet later left for the Lake Superior region, where he devoted his life to the conversion of the Indians.
In 1823. Father Richard, pastor of St. Ann's church in Detroit. visited the missions in this county, and two years later Father Sagelle
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came. From this time until 1833, these two men came regularly to the Catholic settlements and they seem to have taken charge of the work for we have no record of other missionaries calling here during these eight or ten years.
In 1833 the diocese of Detroit was created and Rt. Rev. Frederick Rese, was appointed its first bishop. This meant much for the Catho- lics of the state. Parishes were immediately organized throughout the diocese with resident priests stationed there to care for the needs of the Catholic people. In November, 1833, Rev. Andrew Vizioski was appointed by Bishop Rese, to take charge of the missions of St. Clair county, and dating from that time we have preserved in the parish registers the records of the different priests who labored in this county. Rev. Frederick Baraga, who afterwards became the first bishop of Sault Ste. Marie, was here for a few months after Father Vizioski left in 1835, and he in turn was succeeded in 1836 by Rev. S. A. Bernier, who took charge of the missions until November, 1837. Fr. Bernier refers to the St. Clair mission as the parish of St. Felicitas, and he signs himself "missionary priest of this and other parishes." During Father Bernier's charge the settlements were visited by Rev. Father Bauwens, who administered baptism in some of the missions.
From 1837 to 1842 we have no records of missionary work, but in July of that year Rev. S. T. Badin, who had been appointed vicar general of Detroit diocese by Bishop Rese, visited the missions for the second time, celebrated the holy sacrifice of the mass and administered the sacraments. Rev. Charles Skolla (Scalamon) labored here for a short time during the year 1843. when Father Vizioski returned and again took charge of the work, this time for about a year or a year and a half.
In 1844 Rev. Michael Gannon visited the settlements. During the years 1845 and 1846 Rev. P. Kindekens, V. G. of Detroit diocese, made a number of trips through the county and administered the sacraments of the church. Rev. H. Van Renterghan attended the missions from 1847 to 1850.
In 1850, Rev. Lawrence Kilroy was appointed by Rt. Rev. Bishop Le Fevre to take charge of the St. Clair missions and with his name is associated much of the real work of parish organization. Father Kil- roy had visited the missions in 1843, so when he was appointed seven years later, to take complete charge, he not only came full of zeal for his work-but he brought with him an equally valuable asset, a knowl- edge of the conditions he must face. His life, at least during his first years here, was that of a real missionary, for although he was sent to the St. Clair missions his work was by no means confined to the limits of St. Clair county. It extended from Algonac in the south to Point au Barque on the north, and he had to rest satisfied, therefore, with a visit about once a month to each of the various missions.
When Father Kilroy came to St. Clair county in 1850 he found already erected one Catholic church-the Holy Cross church at Marine City, which had been built in 1847, he immediately set to work to pro- vide churches for the different congregations. He first built a church in Burtchville (Jeddo) in 1851, while the Catholics in Port Huron saw
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY
their first church the following year. This was not a new building erected by Father Kilroy, but one which had previously served as a Methodist house of worship. Father Kilroy bought it from the Metho- dists and removed it to a lot previously acquired. In 1853 he built a church at St. Clair upon a lot at the corner of Fifth and Pine streets which Charles Reno deeded to Bishop Le Fevre July 21, 1851. The present brick church was built during the ministrations of Father Van der Bom in 1864.
The remarkable growth of the Catholic population of this district between the years 1850 and 1860, due in a great measure to the immi- gration from France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Switzerland, made it necessary that more priests should be stationed here to care for the spiritual needs of the people. Accordingly Rev. Charles Cham- bille was appointed by Bishop Le Fevre in 1853 first resident priest at Anchorville, and in 1855 Rev. M. P. Wehrle was made pastor at Ma- rine City. Two years later, 1857, Father Kilroy moved his residence from St. Clair to Port Huron, and shortly afterwards Rev. Father Van der Bom was appointed pastor of the parish at St. Clair.
Following the appointment of these first resident priests we have an uninterrupted series of resident pastors in each of the parishes of the county. That they did their work well and were loyal to their trusts is best attested by the sterling quality of the faith which characterizes today the Catholics of the St. Clair missions.
Father Chambille was succeeded in the pastorate of Anchorville by Rev. Theopholis Buyse, one of the picturesque characters among the priests of this county. During his ten years at Anchorville and later on during his twenty-six years as pastor in Jackson, he was always re- ferred to as "Good Father Buyse." Father Buyse was succeeded at Anchorville by Rev. John Elsen and four years later Rev. H. H. Menf- fels took charge. In 1892 the present pastor, Rev. Henry De Gryse, was appointed.
In 1867 Father Kilroy was transferred from Port Huron and given charge of the parishes at Kenockee and Columbus. He had erected churches at these places some years prior to this time and attended them as missions. This formed Father Kilroy's last charge. He re- signed from active duty some eight or nine years later and lived in retirement in Columbus until his death in July, 1891. Father Kil- roy's death closed the earthly career of one of the noblest characters in the history of St. Clair county. A man of unbounded zeal, un- limited charity and untiring energy, he proved himself in every way fitted for the heroie work which Divine Providence marked out for him.
The Very Rev. Edward E. Van Lauwe was placed in charge of the church in Port Huron after Father Kilroy left. He immediately pushed to completion the new church, which had been begun by Father Kilroy in 1865. A few years later (1879) he established St. Stephen's Paro- chial school, the second Catholic school in this county-Father Lam- bert having established the first in Marine City about 1867. It was during Father Van Lauwe's pastorate that St. Joseph's German Catho- lic parish was organized. Rev. C. T. D. Krebs was made the first pas- tor of St. Joseph's and built the present church and school (combina-
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tion) and rectory. He was succeeded in 1892 by Rev. Cassimir Ro- howski. The parish at present is administered by Rev. Joseph Spaeth who has been in charge since 1895. Father Van Lauwe died in August. . 1891, when the Very Rev. J. P. McManus, the present pastor, took charge.
Father Kilroy was succeeded in the parish at Kenockee by Rev. Father Tierney, and at his death, in 1878. came Rev. John Lynch. Father Lynch died in 1893 at which time Rev. Peter Loughran, the present incumbent, was given charge of the parish. Shortly after Father Loughran's coming the old church at Kenockee was destroyed by fire and the new church was erected at a point about two miles from the former site. It is now known as the parish of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel at Emmett. During the pastorate of Rev. Father Lynch a mission church was built at Brockway. This mission consolidated with the Speaker mission in Sanilac county and forms what is now known as the Sacred Heart parish of Yale, the latest parish to be organized in St. Clair county. A church was built there in 1904 and is still in charge of its first pastor, Rev. P. J. Cullinane.
In 1899 Rev. Frank McQueen was sent to take charge of the mission at Columbus and also to establish a new mission at Smith's creek. Father McQueen remains the present pastor.
Although the Catholicity of Algonac dates from an early. period the history of the parish is closely identified with that of the adjoin- ing parishes of Anchorville and Marine City. Rev. Father A. Kemper was appointed first pastor of St. Catherine's parish and remained in charge until 1896, when the Rev. B. Gery, the present pastor, was ap- pointed.
There are today then in St. Clair county eleven Catholic churches and as many priests stationed there to care for the needs of the Catho- lic people. While two of the churches are mission churches, without resident pastors-Columbus being cared for from Smith's Creek and Jeddo by the priest from Croswell-two of the parishes, St. Stephen's in Port Huron and Holy Cross in Marine City have grown to such an extent as to require the assistance of a second priest. Most of the old frame buildings of the carlier days have given place to more lasting and pretentious structures, while the Holy Cross church at Marine City and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel church at Emmett are numbered among the finest church buildings in the diocese of Detroit.
There are at the present time five parochial schools in St. Clair county. The school at Anchorville is in charge of the Sisters of St. Joseph from Nazareth, Mich., St. Stephen's school, Port Huron, and St. Joseph's school in Marine City are in charge of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart from Monroe, Mich., and St. Joseph's, Port Huron, and St. Mary's in St. Clair are conducted by the Sisters of St. Dominic from Adrian.
The total Catholic population of St. Clair county is approximately twelve thousand (12,000), with an attendance enrolled at the parochial schools of between twelve and thirteen hundred.
The succession of resident pastors at the parish of Holy Cross in Marine City was as follows: Rev. M. P. Wehrle, 1855 to 1859; Rev.
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Francis Van Kampenhaudt, 1859; Rev. A. J. Lambert, 1859-75; Rev. L. J. Van Stralen, 1875-78; Rev. Geo. Laugel, 1878-81; Rev. Joseph Meeder, 1881-87; Rev. N. L. Maschino, 1887-93; Rev. C. M. B. Schen- kelberg, 1893-95 ; Rev. P. Ternes, 1895-
The succession of the pastors at St. Clair: Rev. Father Van der Bom, 1859-66; Rev. Father Reichenbach, 1866-83; Rev. C. M. B. Schen- kelberg, 1883-93; Rev. N. L. Maschino, 1893-
CHAPTER XXI
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION
MICHIGAN MEDICAL SOCIETY-MEDICAL SOCIETY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY- NORTHEASTERN DISTRICT MEDICAL SOCIETY-ST. CLAIR, SANILAC AND LAPEER MEDICAL SOCIETY-MICHIGAN STATE MEDICAL SOCIETY -PORT HURON ACADEMY OF MEDICINE-ST. CLAIR COUNTY. MEDICAL SOCIETY-MEDICAL MEN OF THE EARLY DAYS (1820-1860)-DRS. HARMON CHAMBERLAIN, AMASA HEMENGER, JOHN S. HEATH, NOR- MAN NASH, JOHN B. CHAMBERLAIN, ALONZO E. NOBLE, ALFRED E. FECHET, LEONARD B. PARKER, JOHN T. TRAVERS, CHARLES M. ZEH, CYRUS M. STOCKWELL, DANIEL H. COLE, GEORGE L. CORNELL, GEORGE B. WILLSON, FREDERICK FINSTER AND OTHERS.
By Charles B. Stockwell, M. D.
Members of the medical profession in St. Clair county have been identified with the following medical organizations :
1. Medical Society of the State of Michigan; later, the State Medi- cal Society (1819-1860).
2. Medical Society of St. Clair county (1847-1860).
3. Northeastern District Medical and Scientific Association; name changed in 1865 to Northeastern District Medical Society (1854-1903). 4. Medical Society of St. Clair and Sanilac Counties; name changed in 1871 to St. Clair. Sanilac and Lapeer Medical Society (1866-1886).
5. Michigan State Medical Society (1866-1912).
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