USA > Missouri > Presbyterianism in the Ozarks : a history of the work of the various branches of the Presbyterian Church in Southwest Missouri, 1834-1907 > Part 27
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special meetings of the session. Ten years later the Springfield Church was organized and he became a charter elder in the new church. He was probably the most influential elder in the first Presbytery of Osage, attended its meetings regularly, though they were frequently held a hundred miles from his home, and his rare judgment was deferred to by ministry and laity. He was probably the Chairman of Home Missions-at least it ap- pears that he had the main voice in apportioning the missionary funds among the missionaries. In the troublous times that led to the disbanding of Osage Presbytery, when the pastor of the Springfield Church endeavored to keep the church from going into the Old School fold. Mr. Appleby stood by Mr. Morrison, the pastor. But when the war came on-a champion of the Union cause-he refused to follow Mr. Morrison farther. Before the Springfield Church had a house. of worship its monthly services were held at Mr. Appleby's house, and here, too, the First Pres -. bytery of Osage held its meeting 1851, and he housed and fed most of the delegates, with their families, and provided provender for their horses. The last meeting of the first Presbytery of Osage was held in Locust Grove school house near his home. That was in the spring of 1861.
WILLIAM AND JANE (ADAMS) ORR.
In the days when men were not afflicted with the complacent belief that one church is as good as another, or lamentable igno- rance of the distinctive tenets of any church, this sturdy Scotch- Irish couple settled in Southwest Missouri. With their two young sons they came from Ireland to America in 1832, and after a five years residence in Ohio settled on a farm at Salem in what is now Lawrence County. Here, as Mr. Orr often remarked, he lived in five counties without changing his residence. The county seat was moved from Salem to Mount Vernon, and the former dropped off the map. On the farm where they first settled Mr. and Mrs. Orr toiled cheerfully, endured all the privations common to pio- neers of that day, reared an exemplary family of three sons and three daughters, and amassed a competency of no mean propor- tions. Few men outside of the ministry were more familiar with the Bible and the Catechism than Mr. Orr. They united with the nearest Presbyterian Church,-the Ebenezer Church at Green- field,-and through the wildness on horseback for twenty-five miles they rode to the services. Later they were charter members of the church organized in Mount Vernon, subsequently trans- ferred to Ozark Prairie. "Uncle Billy" and "Aunt Jennie" were always liberal contributors to that church. Some of the charac-
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acteristics of Mr. Orr are alluded to in the sketeh of that church. Mr. Orr died in 1878 in his seventy-sixth year, leaving a record of strong and unceasing devotion to the church and an example of loyal citizenship and sterling integrity-a priceless heritage to his descendants. The twilight of years for "Aunt Jennie" was lengthened until the 14th of December, 1894. For over three- quarters of a century she had been a consistent member of the Presbyterian Church. Indeed her memory failed to go back to the time when she first loved the Lord. It was my privilege to be her pastor the last years of her life. When past ninety years of age she failed to be in her accustomed pew for a few Sabbaths. When I called she said : "I have not been at church as regularly. as I might have gone. If the Lord spares me I will do better." And during her last sickness she gave this remarkable testimony : "Every one has been good to me : no one has wronged me." Some years before this she was making her will .. One of the sons re- marked: "Mother, you have forgotten your best friend." In astonishment, she inquired: "What do you mean?" He an- swered: "Is not the Lord your best friend?" Thereupon she in- serted a clause making the Southwest Board a beneficiary and $500 were set aside for the mountain school work in Tennessee. She loved the Lord and honored him with her substance and service, and her life as well as that of her husband and sons is a verification of the Scripture, "There is that scattereth and yet increaseth."
JANE STOWELL RENSHAW.
(Written by Mrs. J. B. Easley.)
The subject of this sketch, who may well be called "The Mother of Ozark Presbytery," was born in Rockbridge County. Virginia, June 8, 1786. She came of a long line of ancestry through her father. George Stowell, who was born in Belfast, Ireland, brought up and educated in London, and came to Amer- ica when quite a young man. This was near the close of the Revolutionary War, and family tradition says he was a soldier in that war. Was married to Rebecca Walker. The children born of this union were noted for their clear intellects and deep re- ligious convictions. During the childhood of Jane Stowell the family moved to Knox County, Tennessee, where she grew to wo- manhood and was married to Moses Renshaw about the year 1805. Subsequently they moved to Monroe County, Tennessee, where the husband and father died in the summer of 1826, leaving the widow with several children, one an infant six months old.
Cherishing the memory of her husband's prayers and godly
JANE RENSHAW
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example, she continued faithful in the moral and religious in- struction of her family, ever relying upon God for help. The family altar was not neglected and in this duty she was often helped by an older sister, Elizabeth Stowell, whose presence in the home was said to be a benediction, ard from whose obituary we learn that "She read the Bible much and lived in joyous an- ticipation of the millenium." The Sabbath was carefully pre- pared for and strictly observed as a day of sacred rest and serv- ice. To this atmosphere of religious thought was added intel- lectual training as far as was possible from the educational advan- tages of the period.
In 1837 or 1838 her oldest son, J. A. Renshaw, came to Greene County, Missouri, where he built a home for his mother and the younger members of the family, to which they came the following year. (This location was about fifteen miles northwest of Spring- field and two and one-half miles northeast of Cave Spring.) In the autumn of 1839 Mount Zion Church was organized in this home. It was composed largely of members of her own house- hold and has been officered in part by her relatives and descend- ants from its inception up to the present time. Her second son, Rev. G. A. M. Renshaw, was her pastor for about fourteen years.
It was during these years that she is remembered best by her grandchildren, in whose homes she was a frequent visitor. The memory of Lavinia (Renshaw) Thompson is decidedly clear concerning this pioneer Christian grandmother. "It was grand- mas enstom," she says, "to retire for her evening devotions to some secluded spot. I often accompanied her, where. amidst the shrubbery, she would kneel in prayer, thanking God for his mer- cies and asking for guidance in his work."
It was in her home that the first Sabbath school in the county, if not in the Southwest, was organized and superintended by her son-in-law, Robert S. Reid. This Sabbath school dates as far back as the autumn of 1839. Mrs. Sarah S. Renshaw. widow of J. . A. Renshaw, and the only person now living in the State that was present at the organization of the church, says: "The Sabbath school was organized soon after the church. They met in the dif- ferent homes, using 'Barnes' Notes on the New Testament.' 'Dan- iel' and 'Revelation' to aid them in the study of the Scriptures. This was before the brush arbor was built, which was in the spring of 1840."
In 1856 Mrs. Renshaw. though seventy years of age. removed with the larger part of her family to California, where they came under the pastoral care of Rev. Mr. Pierpont. at Santa Rosz. Two years later she changed her abode to Engene, Oregon, where she resided until her death which occurred November 1. 1863, at the age of seventy-seven years ..
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She left behind her in Missouri two sons and one daughter, whose children, though not numerous, are enrolled on the church books of Cave Springs, Willard and Springfield, even to the fourth generation. Some are in other folds, but it is a remark- able fact that with but a few exceptions, the descendants of this pious, prayerful women are members of the church, there being thirty or more enrolled at Cave Spring. Truly, "she being dead yet speaketh."
MR. AND MRS. HENRY SHEPPARD.
"Henry Sheppard, amoung the early people of Greene County, was the man who made and left the best impression." With this pregnant assertion the history of Greene County (1883) begins the sketch of Mr. Sheppard. He was born in New Jersey, Cumberland County, November 8th, 1821, and at the age of fif- teen began to support himself. His business training was received from an old-fashioned Philadelphia firm that inculcated lessons of frugality, integrity, discretion and industry. These seeds of an upright life flourished in the soil of paternal inheritance, whilst his maternal inheritance equipped him for that deeply religious life moulded by the saintly Dr. Albert Barnes, with whose church the young man united while in Philadelphia. Physically he was equipped with a striking personality-six feet tall, slender, black hair, gray eyes and an abundance of energy. He received the rudiments of an education in a common school, which were sup- plemented, enlarged and rendered serviceable by his eager parti- cipation in a literary society.
In 1843 Mr. Sheppard went to Camden, Ark. There he found a good opening for trade, but the prospects for a home were not so inviting. The following year he came to Springfield and went into business with Clement Jaggard. To this thriving hamlet in 1845 he brought from her New Jersey home his young bride, formerly Miss Rhoda Nixon, a sister of Dr. J. Howard Nixon, sketched elsewhere in this volume.
In temperament, tastes and purposes, as well as affections. this was truly an instance where "God hath joined" and which man was not to put asunder. Whether we contemplate their busi- ness enterprises, or invade the sacred precinets of their home, or admire their religious life, activities and influences. we are thinking all the time of the plaudit' "Well done! Well done!" Mr. Sheppard developed a thriving trade, collected droves of stock and sent them as far distant as California. Established temporarily a branch house in Fort Smith, Ark., and was prepar- ing to take part in the Mexican War when peace was declared.
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In 1850 Mr. Jaggard returned to Pennsylvania and Mr. Sheppard formed a copartnership with John S. Kimbrough, which contin- med until the outbreak of the Civil War. At that time he was in possession of a few domestic servants, but was a strong Union man, entered the army and served in various grades from a pri- vate soldier to brigadier general. "When he reached the latter rank his small stock of strength had all been given to his coun- try and he resigned, never to enjoy health again. On the 8th of January, 1863, with his regiment, he greatly assisted in repelling Marmaduke's attack on Springfield, which saved immense stores of food. clothing and ammunition to the United States. This suc- cess preserved the fruits of the war in Southwest Missouri, which would otherwise have been lost. That day's fight was as heroic as Corse's defense of Allatoona, for it was made with but little shelter of fortifications and with no hope of succor."#
"After the war Col. Sheppard was engaged in active business until 1868, when he retired. Thenceforth he attended to the light duties of a bank director, and he managed his property. His considerbale earthly accumulations have not been disintegrated by posthumous prodigality.
Throughout his career the burdens of a business life were lightened and mellowed by the sweet influence of a happy home. Here sociability, friendship and culture of mind and heart were crowned. Four children entered this home two of whom preceded their father to the grave. Francis, a retired officer of the navy, and Margaret survive. Mr. and Mrs. Sheppard accumulated a valuable library which was far from being simply ornamental. A voracious reader Mr. Sheppard formed an incisive, easy and clear literary style. Shakespeare, Macaulay, Scott, Irwin, Motley, Prescott, Bancroft, Thackeray and the standard poets were his mental companions. After retiring from business Mr. Sheppard was occupied with reading, writing and horticulture. The stately trees on his lawn were his delight, whilst he is said to have taken more pride in his success with fruit than any thing else.
When Mr. and Mrs. Sheppard but newly wed brought their earthly effects to Springfield they refused to unpack their furni- ture until they had evidence that there would be a Presbyterian Church organized. Subsequently the whole Presbytery was now and then entertained in their house. The delegates to Presbytery traveled by horseback and frequently the mistresses of the manse rode behind the dominie; so that if it be asserted that the Presbytery was not large, it must be remembered that entertain- ment was ordinarily provided for the mistress as well as the mas- ter-that provender and shelter were requisite for the means of
*History of Greene County, p. 585.
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locomotion and that the Presbytery lasted over the Sabbath. Mr. Sheppard's exalted ideas as to the eldership of the church kept him out of that position but he was a trustee in the Springfield Church at the time of the organization of Calvary Church. Evidently on account of this trusteeship he refused to get a letter of transfer to the new church until the old Springfield Church was sold to satisfy a debt. Then he quietly furnished the money with which his brother bought the building and after it was deeded to the trustees of Calvary Church he became a member of the same. His benefactions were by no means confined to his church. "He loved the poor, none but himself knew the extent of his charity, but some persons knew it was large." The sketch of his life in the county history-to which I am greatly indebted-is so superior to other biographical sketches found there that I fancy it is the product of the virile pen of Rev. Dr. J. J. Marks, or Rev. Dr. Douglas Putnam. The closing scenes are thus delineated: "In 1874 he was attacked with pneumonia, which assumed a chronic form. The loss of a dear daughter in 1875, so depressed him that he was unable to rally, and thenceforth he gradually declined, yet his illness, though painful, was not dark. He recovered his spirits in a great degree, he traveled, he read, he enjoyed the society of his friends, and his unselfish tenderness to his family grew with the passing years. At last on December 19, 1879, in the city of New Orleans, among his nearest and dearest, with sun- - shine and flowers about him, he fearlessly-almost gaily-went out of the painful prison of his body into the presence of his long loved father."
For more than a quarter of a century the surviving inmates of his home have maintained its reputation for culture, 'piety and unostentatious benevolence. Of Mrs. Sheppard it may be said as it was said of him-(changing tense and gender)-"None but herself know the extent of her charity, but some persons know it is large." As to which was the moving spirit in benevolence and piety during the thirty-four years of their marital happiness I can not say. I have fancied that the boy and the girl in their New Jersey homes quaffed living waters from kindred founts, and their union cemented tastes and purposes that had natural affinity. Calvary church is enriched by the lives and memories of such as these as well as by their benefactions. Missions, schools, and communities devastated by fire or flood or earthquake have shared their benefactions. And now that Mrs. Sheppard sits serenely in the twilight and awaits the "'crossing of the bar" it is a sweet satisfaction to know that her daughter has been one of the prime movers in the establishment of a Y. W. C. A. in Springfield and in the prospective procuring of Bible Women for the work in the Ozarks.
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WILLIAM L. SCROGGS.
Forty-five years in the eldership of one church in Southwest Missouri entitles William 1. Seroggs to this niche in the hall of fame. He was born in Iredell county, North Carolina, April 3, 1816. He entered Davidson college with a view to preparing for the ministry but failing health led him to relinquish his cherished plans. In quest of a suitable climate he moved to Mississippi where he taught school. Subsequently he moved to Arkansas and married a daughter of the manse Jane Erwin (1841). To this union was born one son, John E., now an elder in the Ebenezer Church. His first wife died and in 1846 he married Miss Caroline Mitchell. In 1847 Mr. Seroggs and his family together with the Mitchells moved to Dade county, Missouri. The numerons de- scendants of both families are still represented in the Ebenezer Church of which Mr. Seroggs was a ruling elder for forty-five years. The early annals of the Presbytery reveal the fact that he was not only one of the most frequent commissioners among the eldership but that his brethren in the ministry and eldership recognized his worth by assigning him positions on the most important committees of the Presbytery. For many years he was superintendent of the Sabbath School in which both he and his wife were teachers. During the trying times of the Civil war when perilons reports prevented the people from assembling for public services, this good man would gather his children about him and teach the Sabbath School lesson and hear them recite the catechism. One of these writes: "A favorite way of spend- ing Sabbath evening, as we well remember in our early years, was for the near neighbors to gather in and recite the catechism. each in turn, asking and answering his own question, even down to the least child present, as far as each could go, and it was a great source of pride to all when a new recruit was added to those who could go clear throngh. Some, we remember, Father and Mother Seroggs among them, who could repeat the shorter catechism in this way either forward or backward. Their faith was sorely tried by the war but father always ascrihed to a pro- tecting Providence the fact that, though ruin and death were all about, yet in that immediate neighborhood no special harm befell any family."
Mr. Scroggs died in 1894-his wife's death preceded his by twelve years. His county as well as his church had honored him with several positions of public trust and these he fulfilled with scrupulons fidelity.
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MRS. MARY McFARLAND.
For efficiency and length of service, unflagging zeal for the advancement of her church, and uniqueness of character the Fres- byterian Church in Southwest Missouri might almost say to Mrs. Mary McFarland: Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all." Born near Utica, New York, December 15, 1825, her parents moved to Salem, Mass., when she was three years of age and she was educated in the school founded by Mary Lyon. Good educational advantages and native strength made her a young woman of unusual mental powers. But this was not all. Under her benign preceptness she caught the characteristic Missionary spirit and for a time hesitated as to which was the louder, the call to the Home or to the Foreign field. Without doubt Arkansas was as far from New England then, to all prac- tical effect, as China is now. At the age of twenty or twenty-one she went to Little Rock and subsequently moved to Fort Smith where she became governess in a planter's family. There she met and married a Home Missionary, the Rev. John McFarland. That was in 1850 or 1851. The young bride and groom rode on horseback to Greenfield. Missouri, which she ever afterwards called home. They settled in a log house two miles north of Greenfield where she lived for thirty-seven years. It is said this house is still standing. When her husband retired from the ministry of the Ebenezer Church a little log school house was erected a few steps from his residence and for many years Mrs. MeFarland taught the youth for miles around, drawing scholars from surrounding counties. The school was often referred to as "Brush College" and there is a tradition that it is the only school in Southwest Missouri that survived during the Civil war. At least it was the only school of any kind in a large circuit of country .. When the soldier boys came back from the war many of them dropped sword and gun and took up spelling book and reader. The youngsters who had stayed at home had ontstripped them by far in book learning and it required true soldier grit to remain in school and be "spelled down" by mere striplings. One of these recalls the awe inspired by the blue uniforms and the fact that discretion required some of these soldier students to sit in school with pistols belted around their waists. It would be hard to estimate the influence of this school on the community. Mrs. McFarland enjoyed nothing better than entering into the amusements of her scholars even when her hair was silvered .nd she always took an interest in, their affairs-love affairs not excepted. She was thoroughly acquainted with the .af- fairs of the church and was one of the few advocates
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of a Woman's Presbyterial Missionary organization in the day when the ministers were doubtful as to whether it was not a violation of scripture for a woman to speak in the churches. Convinced that such an organization was needed she entered it with all the ardor of her nature and during her life- time no face was more familiar in the annual gatherings than that of "Aunt Mary McFarland."She was a great reader and a verit- able encyclopedia of Missionary information among the women of our churches. A few years before her death she went to live with her son Ed. at Webb City, Mo .; but she always called Green- field Home. She died at the age of 79 years. The funeral ser- vices were held in the Presbyterian Church at Greenfield and the remains were interred in the Weir cemetery.
PAUL ORR.
Not long ago there was laid to rest one of the most pictur- esque elders in the Presbytery-Paul Orr, for many years the senior elder in the Ozark Prairie Church. The son of William and Jennie Orr he inherited among other traits of character their love for the sanctuary. And as his farm home was hard by the country church house where he was wont to attend whenever its portals were opened-whether it was for a preaching service, the monthly Missionary meeting, the Sunday School or the Young People's Prayer meeting. For many years the "brick church", as it was called, observed the custom of holding a Sunday morn- ing prayer meeting on one of the two Sabbath morning in the month when the pastor preached elsewhere. The other Sabbath was given over to the Missionary Society. This enstom held the congregation together and gave training in public utterance to its members. Mr. Orr was one of those who did much to sustain these services. He also took a deep interest in the young people's work and was known by the young people far and wide as "Uncle Paul." The Bible and the church were the constant themes of his conversation and in my ministry I have known but one other elder-Robert Hall of the Second Church of Springfield-who in- cidentally threw out so many suggestions helpful in the prepar- ation of sermons. A voracions reader, possessed of a retentive memory, and an original mind, Uncle Paul brought to light new conceptions of a text or new illustrations thereon. With added years his eccentricities were accentuated.
A peripatetic evangelist who had married an Indian down in the Territory objected to Mr. Orr's use of tobacco. While a guest in his home the evangelist asked : "Mr. Orr, do you know what the first gate of hell is?" Mr. Orr said : "I do not know that
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I do." "It's smoking an old pipe," said the evangelist. Quick as a flash Mr. Orr asked : "Mr. W. do you know what the second gate to hell is?" Being answered in the negative he replied: "It's go- ing to the Territory and marrying a squaw to get a headright." The fixedness of the Canny Scot has been taken for granted so long that it may seem a piece of rashness to call it in question. Nevertheless it is my observation that Scotchmen and the Scotch Irish do change. They may not be as amenable to "rhyme or rea- son" as others and may be more positive in their convictions. But if you will let them take their time they will change their opinions and policies-if not like others, at least in their own way. Mr. Orr was no exception to this statement. In his church relations he had grace enough to acquiesce in the judgment of the majority of the session and if time demonstrated the wisdom thereof he was not slow to acknowlegde his own error of judgment. As age crept upon him he devoted his attention to by-products of the farm rather than to the cultivation of the staples. When small fruits or flowers claimed his attention he sent to the ends of the earth for rare and curious seeds and samples and read catalogues galore, and the person who could give him information on the particular branch of husbandry on which he was for the time interested was regarded by him as embodying the quint essence of wisdom. At one time he turned his attention to bees. Rev. G. H. Williamson was then pastor of the church, and knowing Unele Paul's hobby the pastor took his encyclopedia and read all he could find on the subject of bee culture. When Mr. Orr began on his favorite theme Mr. W. took the conversation out of his mouth and gave a disquisition so profound that Mr. Orr declared: "Mr. Williamson is the smartest man I ever saw, he knows more about bees than I do." In early manhood Mr. Orr had married Miss Sarah Jane Poage, a woman whose rare judgment and sterling christian character were a stay and comfort to him throughout life.
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