USA > Mississippi > Lowndes County > Columbus > A history of Columbus, Mississippi, during the 19th century > Part 9
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The Rev. Sam Jones, Sam Small, John Culpepper, George Stewart, and George Inge, distinguished Methodist evange- lists have each held protracted services in the present church building.
PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
The earliest members of the Episcopal church who settled in Lowndes county and in Columbus were Mrs. Sarah Frazier Neilson, wife of Capt. Wm. Neilson, who settled Belmont in 1822, Mrs. Bland Beverly Randolph, wife of Capt. E. B. Ran- dolph, who settled Goshen in 1824, Mr. Jack Billington, who came to Columbus in 1828 and Mr. Abram Maer in 1832.
After 1832, quite a number of citizens from the best families of Virginia, North Carolina and other states emi- grated to Columbus, among whom were the Stantons, Acee, Boykin, Lightfoot, Meade, Ross, Whitmed, Evans, Vaughan, Walsh, Brownrigg, Long, Ramsay, Chandler, Smith, and others, and by 1838 they were able to organize into a strong influential and wealthy church. In 1839 they finished a large substantial frame church, situated on the northwest corner of the lot now occupied by Gen. S. D. Lee. The build- ing was 40 by 60 ft. in dimension, painted white with orna- mental frieze, open front hall which contained the entrance doors into the main auditorium and the stairway to the the galleries above. It was well seated with high straight- back maple colored pews, with a seating capacity for 350 to 400 persons. It had galleries on three sides for further ac- comodation, and in the west gallery was erected a pipe organ, the first ever brought to Columbus; accompanying musicand such as chants, anthems, glorias and oratorios were first intro- duced into church worship. This church was consecrated by Bishop Kemper, of Missouri, in 1839. The first pastor was the Rev. Mathis L. Forbes, a young Scotchman, well educated, social and friendly in his manner and well adapted to the new and mixed population pouring into Columbus. He was very popular and had good audiences to hear him
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preach. General Richard T. Brownrigg, a devout and wealthy vestryman, was its first senior warden, and continued in that office until his death.
St. Paul's Episcopal church has been served by the fol- lowing pastors, (Ext. church record); Revs. M. L. Forbes, George W. Freeman, (afterward bishop of Texas); Wm. F. Halsey, Benj. M. Miller, (1849) in temporary charge; Edward /
Fontaine (1848), N. P. Knapp, J. H. Ingraham and A. D. Corbin; T. S. W. Mott, Robert F. Clute (in temporary charge) J. D. Gibson in 1858, John Coleman, J. T. Pickett, J. L. Tucker, Jr., Blair Linn, William Munford, W. W. DeHart, (temporary charge); J. L. Lancaster, R. Grattan Noland, Wm. H. Barn- well, and Walter R. Dye.
In 1854 the old church was sold, and the city hall rented for service, which was shortly afterwards destroyed by fire.
In 1856, a new church edifice was projected and after some delay in its erection, was completed in 1860. This building was of brick and in design is a model of symmetry and architectual proportion, which, if enlarged in its dimen- sions and finish would well resemble a Gothic Cathedral of Medieval Europe.
Its erection and completion was largely due to the liber- ality and enterprise of two devoted laymen and vestrymen, J. J. Sherman and Gray A. Chandler, men who had already made their mark in the financial and commercial development of Columbus from a very early date in its history. Mr. J. J. Sherman was for a score of years its senior warden. This building was consecrated Dec. 15th, 1860, by Bishop William M. Green, of Mississippi.
The church is handsomely seated and well furnished, with a pipe organ, which was obtained very largely through the active agency of Miss Jeannie Vaughan, daughter of Dr. B. A. Vaughn, whose fine taste and deft fingers have con- tributed much to the ornamentation of the church.
In 1899 the church erected a fine modern building for Sunday school and social purposes, which adds much to the comfort and pleasure of the congregation. The pastor, Rev. W. R. Dye, resides in a comfortable, well appointed rectory situated on the same lot with the church.
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Col. W. C. Richard is its present senior warden and a flourishing "Altar Guild" is active in its attention to the wants of the church.
The Right Rev. Hugh S. Miller Thompson is the bishop of the diocese of Mississippi in which St. Paul's church is located.
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FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
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CHAPTER XII .- CONTINUED. RELIGIOUS; CHURCHES AND BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
In 1818, the Presbyterian church, through the agency of its American board of foreign missions, established a mission to the Choctaw Indians, located in what is now Oktibbeha county, and on the road leading from Starkville to Columbus, about three miles west of Tibbee station on the M. and O. railroad, and two or three miles south of Tibbee creek, the dividing line between the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations.
They called the mission "Mayhew" after the prairie by that name in the border of which it was located and after one of the early Choctaw chiefs.
According to Claiborne's History of Mississippi, the fol- lowing persons and their families were engaged in the establish- ment and service of the Mayhew missions, viz: Rev. Messrs. Cyrus Kingsbury, Cyrus Byington, Gleason, Hooper Towse, Cushman, also Dr. Pride and Misses Burnham, Foster, and Thacker. In other records the following names appear: David Wright, Martin Sims, (Interpreter,) Alfred Wright, Loving S. Williams, and Ebenezer Hotchkins. The three last named, in 1831 and 1832, removed with the Indians to their reservation in the Indian Territory west of the Missis- sippi River, and in 1836 were followed by Drs. Kingsbury and Byington, who remained in that service until the time of their deaths.
During the continuance of the Mayhew mission, Columbus was its post office and base of supplies, and was indebted to its ministers for much of its earliest religious advantages.
The Synod of Mississippi and south Alabama, in whose jurisdiction the Columbus church was situated, held its first meeting on the second Wednesday of November, 1829, and the present Mississippi Synod was separated therefrom in 1842. The Tombeckbee Presbytery, in which Columbus was also situated, was established by order of the Synod of South Carolina and Georgia at its session in Charleston in December,
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1828, ordered to hold its first session at Mayhew in June. 1829, the meeting to be opened with a sermon by the Rev. Alfred Wr ght. After several changes the Tombeckbee Presbytery was placed in the jurisdiction of the Synod of Mississippi.
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN COLUMBUS.
On the first Sabbath in May, 1829, the Presbyterian church of this city was duly organized by Revs. Cyrus Kings- bury, Thos. Archibald, Hilary Patrick and David Wright, ordained missionaries from Mayhew mission by the transfer of the following members from Mayhew church to Columbus, viz: Henry W. Hunt, Wm. H. Craven, Daniel Oliver, John J. Humphries. Eliza W. Craven, Eliza Wright, Mrs. Daniel Oliver and Mary H. Hand.
The following members were ordained and installed as elders: Maj. Wm. H. Craven and Henry W. Hunt. This church having no house of worship, was served irregularly in the old Franklin Academy by missionaries from Mayhew until 1834, they established themselves in the old Masonic hall with the Rev. David Wright as first pastor. The church had increased to thirty members, among whom were Maj. Benj. Toomer, Robert C. Warner, Mary Eleanor Craven, Eliza Ball, Eliza Ervin, Jane Abert, Elizabeth Timberlake and Drennon Love and wife. At this time Wm. H. Craven and Maj. Toomer were ruling elders.
The Rev. David Wright continued to serve this church until 1837, at which time he was succeeded by the Rev. Isaac Reid.
In 1836 the first steps were taken by a few ladies towards the building of a house of worship, which resulted in the erec- tion of the walls and roof of a church edifice in 1837 and 38, during the ministry of Rev. Isaac Reid.
Pertinent to the history of the church at this particular time, the following extract from a letter of the Rev. David Wright, dated Columbus, Miss., Oct., 26, 1837, is here inserted : "We have all been very busy for the last few weeks in attending upon the meetings of Presbytery and Synod, which have just closed. We had many ministers here from all parts of south Alabama and north Mississippi."
CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
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"I have been very much engaged in building our meeting house of late; we have the basement story up. It is of brick 66 by 45 feet, 2 stories high; the basement devoted to a Sab- beth School and lecture room; the second story entirely to the solemn duties of the sanctuary. We hope to have it up so that we can worship in the basement story after January." "Uncle Reid has gone to the Bible class."
The basement was partially completed so as to be used by the congregation during the last year of Mr. Reid's pas- torate. This building was located on a lot donated to the church by Maj. Wm. H. Craven, which fronted on Caledonia Street and in the rear of the main audience room of the present church.
Judge John Perkins, a wealthy Presbyterian of Louisiana, who spent his summers at the "Oaks," eight miles above Columbus, was the largest subscriber to its erection.
The financial crash of 1837 destroyed the ability of many of its members to pay their subscriptions and left the church heavily involved in debt, and unable to complete its erection.
Mr. Reid resigned his pastorate in April, 1839, and was succeeded by the Rev. Thos. Morrow, of Alabama, who sup- plied the church twice a month during a part of the years 1839 and 1840.
In 1840, in addition to the incumbrance of a heavy debt, the church suffered with a difference in its members as to the doctrines of the New and Old School Presbyterian churches, which resulted in the withdrawal of some of its members, prominent among whom was Mr. Levi Donnell, who connected himself with the Cumberland Presbyterian church. Mr. Levi Donnell, was favorably known by many of the present citizens of Columbus as one of its oldest and most substantial citizens and as Mayor of the city for a score of years.
At this juncture the church was visited by the Rev. Mr. Scott, afterwards the celebrated Dr. Scott, then pastor of the Presbyterian church in Tuscaloosa, Ala., who, seeing the condition of affairs and necessities of the case, insisted on the employment of a regular pastor, and recommended the Rev. J. A. Lyon, of Rogersville, Tenn., a graduate of Washing- ton College, Tenn., and Princeton Theological Seminary.
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The Rev. J. A. Lyon was called in May, 1841, and assumed charge of the church in October, 1841.
Maj. Richard Barry and Maj. Wm. Craven assumed the debt of the church and Dr. Lyon's first effort was to complete the basement, his next to procure a bell and build cupola, and last to complete the audience room. Finally the whole was completed and on the first Sabbath of Sept., 1844, the audience chamber was in due form, solemnly dedicated to the worship of Almighty God.
In 1841, Dr. Lyon finding no Sunday school in existence, insisted upon an immediate effort to organize one. This work was promptly undertaken by Mrs. Richard Barry and Miss Lizzie Blair, now the oldest, and an invalid, member of the church in her eighty-second year, and in October in 1841 they succeeded in gathering together twenty scholars and organized a Sunday school, with Thos. Christian as Super- intendent, and N. E. Goodwin as secretary and librarian.
In 1845 there was an extensive revival of religion in the church and many additions were made to its membership. In 1847, Dr. Lyon's health having failed, he resigned and was suc- ceeded by the Rev. S. R. Frierson, a graduate of the Theologi- cal Seminary of South Carolina. Mr. Frierson's health failing, he resigned and the Rev. Dr. Lyon (then of St. Louis, Mo.) was recalled, and in October, 1854, commenced his second pastorate which position he held until 1870, when he was called to oc- cupy the chair of Moral Philosophy in the State University at Oxford. During his ministry the church enjoyed several important revivals of religion and quite a number were added to the communion. When he took charge in 1841 the com- municants numbered about fifty. When he left it under his second pastorate there were about one hundred fifty on the roll.
The pulpit from this time remained vacant for seventeen months, when the Rev. H. B. Boude, of Gallatin, Tenn., was called to the pastorate in the month of February, 1872, and closed in the early part of 1875. In April, 1876, he was suc- ceeded by the Rev. J. D. McClintock, of Kentucky, who was called as a stated supply, and after twelve months accepted the pastorate of the church. He continued its faithful and accep- table pastor until his death, which sad event took place Dec.
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12th, 1881, and was buried in Friendship Cemetery. He was succeeded by the Rev. R. B. McAlpine, who was installed as pastor Jan. 14, 1883. During the pastorate of the Rev. Mr. McAlpine, the old church, which had been in use for forty years, was deemed unsuitable for the wants and tastes of the church and congregation, and the new church edifice was projected after the most modern style of architecture and containing all the modern improvements.
The corner stone was laid in October, 1884, with appro- priate ceremonies conducted by its pastor and the other pas- tors of the city and it was formerly dedicated in 1894.
The Presbyterians of Columbus have reason to be proud of this elegant, commodious and well arranged building, containing a main audience room, Sunday school room, and pastors study, equal in finish and furniture with the best churches of our Southern towns: Mr. McAlpine resigned his pastorate in 1887, and was succeeded by Rev. J. W. Rose- borough, who served the church from 1888 to February, 1894, In May, 1894, Rev. W. S. Jacobs was elected and installed as pastor and continued until October, 1899, when he resigned to accept the pastorate of the Woodland Street Presbyterian church in Nashville, Tenn.
In April, 1900, the present incumbernt, the Rev. Dunbar H. Ogden, a highly educated and devotedly pious young graduate of the Southern Presbyterian University was called and installed as pastor in June, 1900.
The church at this time has 345 members and is served by the following officers:
Elders-J. L. S. Albright, Geo. W. Abert, W. A. Campbell, J. D. Hutchinson, Wm. Kilpatrick, A. A. Kincannon, W. H. Lee, Jno. A. Neilson, J. A. Orr.
Deacons-W. D. Humphries, Chairman; C. C. Buder, A. E. Love, J. P. Mayo, J. M. McQuown, Hampden Osborne, S. B. Street, J. A. Stinson, J. T. Wood, and C. H. Ayres.
CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
In 1836 or 1837, Columbus was visited by the Rev. Isaac Shook, an evangelist of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, who held a series of meetings which resulted in an extensive revival of religion and the establishment of the present church.
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Among the members of this church who lived in Columbus at that time were Mrs. E. Love and family, William Worrell and family, Jefferson Garvin and family, E. B. Gaston and family, M. Howard and family, Wm. Stephenson and family, Mrs. Kirsey and family, and J. K. Pierce and family. These were followed at a later date by Levi Donnell, John S. Topp, Jonathan Dechard, T. J. Ridley, and others.
Rev. Isaac Shook was elected first pastor and steps were immediately taken to erect a church building, the basement of which was ready for use in 1840, and the main audience room was completed some years after. This church occupied the site of the present building. During the pastorate of the Rev. Isaac Shook, the church was prosperous and received many additions to its membership.
In 1841 occurred the famous debate between the learned infidel, Prof. C. G. Olmsted and Rev. James Smith, a minister of the C. P. Church, mentioned in a previous chapter.
Rev. Isaac Shook was succeeded by Rev. J. N. Roach, a scholarly and popular preacher who was followed in 1849 by Rev. J. C. Bowden. Its next pastor was Rev. T. J. Fox, who was followed by Rev. G. T. Stainback, who resigned his pastorate in 1868. He was recalled in 1879 and resigned again in 1882. He was pastor of this church for about twenty years, and during his pastorate the church reached its highest prosperity. He was beloved by all denominations and by the people of Columbus generally. He filled several of the best Southern pulpits, Memphis included, and was the Moder- ator of the General Assembly. He is pastor at this time of a church in Dyersburg, Tenn.
The next pastor was the Rev. J. M. Keaton (1883), who was followed by the Rev. G. T. Stainback, Rev. P. T. Charlton, (1884) and J. D. Boydston (1886). In 1886, the old building having been struck twice by lightning, was deemed unsafe and plans for a new church were projected. After several years delay the present neat and commodious structure was begun in 1889, after a design by W. S. Smith, architect, and completed in 1891. From 1888 to the present time the church
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has been served by the following pastors, J. D. Black, R. H. Sanders (1891), J. T. Hood (1894), W. C. Baber (1895), H. S. Johnson (1897), and J. C. Arnette (1900). The present ruling Elders are Mrs. Rosa Richards, Messrs J. H. Shull, E. F. Hear- on, P. N. Ellis.
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CHAPTER XII .- CONTINUED.
CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
In 1840, in the center of the square on the south side of Main Street opposite the Gilmer hotel, there stood a long frame building, erected for a store house, but converted into what was called in Columbus at that time "The Theatre." The theatre had in it all the appointments and arrangements usual in a theatre of that date such as stage, scenery, drop curtain, foot lights, orchestra, pit, dress circle, etc., and in it traveling theatre companies entertained the people with dramatic performances. But this theatre was more specially and oftener used as a place for school exhibitions and per- formances of local Thespian societies and dramatic clubs. It was also a place where lyceums and debating societies held their stated meetings.
At this date there were no public halls in Columbus and the court house was small and not seated. In consequence preachers and lecturers from abroad were obliged to use the theatre in their addresses to the people. Among the preachers who visited Columbus was the Rev. Tolbert Fanning, a mem- ber of the Christian church, well educated, of extraordinary preaching ability, strong character, and indefatigable in work. He was the first minister of this church who had visited Columbus and his doctrines were new and in a large degree different from the established denominations of the town. He attracted large audiences and interested the people in the bold discussions of his subjects. He gathered around him all the citizens who had been connected with this church in their former homes and many persons who were converted through the instrumentality of his ministry, and thus in this building was the origin and began the organization of the Christian church in Columbus.
One of the immediate results of Mr. Fanning's series of meetings was a debate between himself and the Rev. James Lyon on the subject of "baptism," a discussion regarded by the citizens of Columbus as ably maintained on both sides and exceedingly interesting and instructive to those who
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heard it. The debate took place in the C. P. church in 184 -. Among the members who were organized into the first Christ- ian church, are the names of the following persons, which have been collected from such data as was obtainable, viz:
H. S. Bennett and family, Isaac and Ephraim Darter, Mrs. Hardy Stevens, Mrs. L. M. Hatch, O. H. Millican, Wil- liam Baker, J. H. Lambert, I. M. Boswell, Green Hill, W. H. D. Carrington, Mrs. Patterson, Dr. M. Estes, Misses Bell, Mrs. Frances Benoit, Alex Moore, Jacob Isaacs, Mrs. Coving- ton, Mrs. Sarah Fernandis, Wm. Duncan, Mrs. Nat Mitchell, Misses McEwen, James and William Taylor, Daniel Williams, Mrs. H. P. Goodrich, Mrs. Jane Allen, George Saunders, Sam- uel Kline, Mrs. George Stillman, Mrs. Harrison Johnston, and Maj. John Gilmer.
In addition to these, they received a number of members from other churches. Green Hill was the first bishop and Alex Moore one of the first deacons. For a time they held their services in the old theatre and were supplied with preach- ing by transient brethren and pastors from other places. The Rev. W. H. Muse, from Huntsville, Ala., was employed for a time about the year 1845, and among the transient brethren who held religious services were Alex Graham, Dr. B. F. Hall, J. R. McCall, James Deans and others.
This church was itself the parent of three young preachers of piety, gifts and preaching ability, W. H. D. Carrington, Robert Ussery, and Dr. M. Estes, who faithfully served the church every Sabbath when there was no ordained preacher to officiate. In fact the church looks back with pride and satisfaction to the fact that during its early life, without stated house of worship and a regular pastorate, they kept up religious services and "broke the loaf" every Lord's day.
About 1849, the church received from Mr. Eli Abbott the ground upon which its present church building now stands. Steps were immediately taken to erect a permanent place of worship, and in a year or more the present commodious and remarkably well built and comfortable edifice was com- pleted.
The Rev. J. H. Curtis was called to be its pastor in 1871. The church has been served since that time by the following pastors: J. J. Haley (1873), with Ira Boswell and W. T. John-
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son as bishops, and James A. Stevens and H. C. Goodrich as deacons; Rev. Knowles Shaw (1877-78), the singing evange- list and distinguished preacher who drew great crowds to attend on his ministry, to hear him sing and listened to his unsurpassed temperance addresses; J. J. Jolly, B. F. Manier, Miller, W. G. Harbin, T. L. Young, J. M. Pickens, Dr. W. H. Brown, John Friend, John H. McQuery and G. A. Reynolds, W. E. Hall, S. B. Benbrook, and H. G. Flemming. This church has been highly favored by the visitation of some of their most distinguished preachers, among whom were the great Alexander Campbell, who preached for them several weeks in 185-, and several days his second visit in 186-, Rev. Tolbert Fanning, president of Fanning College, Tenn .; the Rev. Dr. Moffett, missionary secretary of the Christian church, Jacob Creath, James Edmonds, Moses E. Lard, J. B. Briney, P. B. Lawson, Homer Wilson, Robert Graham, Wm. Ussery, John A. Stevens and James Sharp, Dr. B. B. Tyler, Wm. Sewell, Dr. A. C. Henry and Junius Wilkins.
At present the church has no pastor and its officers are as follows: Joseph H. Stevens, bishop; J. M. Easton, J. W. Bealle, and F. S. Kemp, deacons .*
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.
The earliest Catholics who came to Columbus were Miss Mary Martin, afterwards Mrs. Peter Yost, and Miss Boyle, afterwards first wife of W. N. Monroe. Then followed the Hurys, Mahons, Kreckers, Doughertys, Galvins, and Connollys. Prior to 1863 these Catholic families were served by Father Bolheme, of Paulding, Miss., who afterwards served as chap- lain in the Confederate army. He died before the termination of hostilities and was buried in Richmond. Religious ser- vices were held in the homes of Messrs. Galvin and Connolly and Mrs. Monroe.
In 1863 Father Mouton was sent to Columbus and he proceeded at once to the erection of the present church after a design of his own. Father Mouton belonged to the order of architects in the Catholic church. He was not able, for
*During the war, when the State government " refugeed " from Jackson, the lower house convened in the court house and the Senate in the Christian Church .- EDITOR.
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.
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lack of funds, to complete the building according to the original design and it still remains in an unfinished state. Some idea of its design and beauty may be seen in its highly finished and architecturally proportioned interior.
Father Mouton was one of the most popular and highly appreciated pastors in Columbus. He was affable and courte- ous and much beloved by all religious denominations and the public generally.
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He was succeeded by Rev. Jno. McManus. Both of these priests died with yellow fever; Father Mouton in Yazoo City and Father McManus in Vicksburg.
The first baptism that occurred in this church was a child in the Hury family.
The Rev. Father Blanc, now of Bay St. Louis, came after Father McManus and then Rev. P. C. Hayden, now pastor of the Cathedral of Natchez, who remained here for twelve years, and is still happily remembered by our citizens.
The others who served since his time were Fathers Hahn, July, O. Love, McConkey, Hippell, and Father Bernard O'Reilly (1901), who is the present incumbent .*
The Hurys, Galvins, Connollys, Kreckers, and Mahons are still among its prominent and honored membership.
This church was visited at one time by Right Rev. Bishop Elder, now Archbishop of Cincinnati, who preached to large congregations and is well remembered by the people of Colum- bus for his scholarly and religious sermons.
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