USA > Nebraska > A history of Nebraska Methodism, first half-century, 1854-1904 > Part 26
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35
"Resolved, That while God calls our beloved brother who has so long served Him in earnest activity, now to a service of patient suffering, he is affectionately assured that our hearts will follow wherever he may be called to go."
As noted elsewhere, Dr. Lemon was permitted to take an influential part in the great work of organizing our present educational system, being a member of the Con- mission, and as financial agent of Nebraska Wesleyan University during the first years of its existence rendered good service in rallying the forces to its support. But increasing infirmity was bringing his long and useful life to a close. The end came February 19, 1896, at the home of his daughter, Mrs. C. F. Maynard. His brethren of the North Nebraska Conference, to which he had been transferred, place on record the following brief résumé of his life work, and appreciation of his worth, written by his comrade, J. B. Maxfield :
After referring to matters already mentioned in other pages of this book, Dr. Maxfield continues: "In 1888 the North Nebraska Conference requested the bishop to transfer Dr. Lemon to that body, which was done. He was a member of the General Church Extension and Mis- sionary Committees for several terms. He was a mem-
391
HISTORY OF NEBRASKA METHODISM.
ber of the General Conference in 1872 and 1880. These, and all other positions of responsibility and honor en- trusted to him by the Church, he filled with credit to himself and fidelity to the cause whose interests he served. The first meeting of Dr. Lemon with myself was at Ne- braska City in 1861. Here began a friendship which con- tinually increased until the time of his death-nearly one- third of a century later. Before time had bowed his commanding presence and shorn him of his strength, Dr. Lemon was a fine specimen of symmetrical manhood ; the expression of his countenance was very attractive and he possessed a voice of great flexibility and wonderful com- pass. His speech was chaste and fluent, and his words chosen with rare good taste. In his prime, his sermons were rare specimens of pulpit oratory, of which any preacher of the Church need not be ashamed. He was a sound reasoner, a correct thinker, who brought rare native endowments with gifts of rich culture to the sery- ice of the Master whom he loved and served. He came to his grave like a shock in its season, in the midst of nearly his entire family, composed of his companion in. the kingdom of patience of Jesus and his fellow-pilgrim to the skies, his four children-two daughters and two sons-and their children; three generations about the bedside of the mighty man of God, departing from their midst to the home in the skies to await their coming. Surely the 'chamber where the good man meets his fate is privileged above the common walks of life.' Dr. Lemon's life was grand and useful, his death tranquil and sweet as the falling to sleep of a babe on its mother's breast, without pain, in the full possession of his facul- ties. 'He was not, for God took him.'"
CHAPTER XXI.
FOURTH PERIOD. (1880-1904.)
BUT we are not yet done with that form of expansion expressed in the organization of new Conferences. De- velopments in the West continue, especially in the northi- west portion. It began as early as 1882 under the ad- ministration of T. B. Lemon, when the Mission Con- ference included all of Holt County. Two appointments, Middle Branch and Inman, appear in the Minutes for 1881, and these and two others, Keya Paha and Long Pine, in 1882. These are circuits, and embrace more than the places named. Inman includes Atkinson ; Long Pine includes Johnstown. Of the general situation in that part of the State, the prospects, and the difficulties en- countered, are thus set forth in Dr. Lemon's report for 1882: "These roads are opening up the country and bringing large settlements along the different lines, and the valleys and divides bordering on them. Towns are . being built at the different stations and divisions; and new charges are needed to be formed and men secured to fill them and do the great work Providence is opening up before us along the frontier. The different branches of the Church are putting men and large means, from their Missionary treasury, all along these lines of road and pushing out into the rural districts and organizing Churches with an earnest zeal and liberality of means, which shows their faith in the future of this country."
392
393
HISTORY OF NEBRASKA METHODISM.
Dr. Lemon is still in charge of the whole field, with thirty-three charges scattered over nearly the entire west- ern two-thirds of the State. To visit his farthest appoint- ment, Long Pine, requires 300 miles of travel. Yet Dr. Lemon visited that portion of his district in person, and years after, when the writer was presiding elder, and had the eastern portion of Holt County in his district, there were still many with distinct and pleasant memory of those visits.
But in 1883 the whole number of appointments had increased to forty-five, and twenty-three of the eastern and northeastern appointments are set off and the Grand Island District is formed, with P. C. Johnson as presid- ing elder. The number of circuits up along the Elkhorn Railroad have increased to ten.
Prior to the meeting of the Mission in 1884, a ses- sion of the General Conference had intervened and had done two things of great interest to the Mission. It had so changed the boundary lines of the older Conferences as to run on the west line of Webster, Adams, Hall, and through the center of Holt County on to the north. By this change the Mission gained five appointments from the Hastings District and lost thirteen from the central and northern portion, these going to the North Nebraska Conference. The other action of interest was the pas - sage by the General Conference of an enabling act, au- thorizing the Mission to resolve itself into an Annual Conference.
Notwithstanding the loss of thirteen charges, as stated in Dr. Lemon's report, there were still enough left to form three districts, the Republican Valley, with P. C. Johnson presiding elder; Platte Valley, in charge of T.
394
HISTORY OF NEBRASKA METHODISM.
B. Lemon; and the Niobrara Valley, with George W. Martin presiding elder.
By 1886 Dr. Martin has enough charges up along the Elkhorn to constitute the Long Pine District, which now embraced settlements as far west as Chadron, there being fourteen charges in the district. The Elkhorn Valley Railroad is now completed as far west as Chadron and towns are springing up all along the line.
George W. Martin, who, since 1884, has as presiding elder led the hosts during this rapid development along the northwest portion of the State, came to the Mission in 1882 and was employed by Dr. Lemon to fill out the unexpired term of A. H. Summers, at Kearney, the lat- ter having gone to California. Of Dr. Martin's pastorate at Kearney, Dr. Lemon speaks these words of commenda- tion : "We were fortunate in obtaining the services of Rev. George W. Martin, of the Central Illinois Confer- ence, who brought a most valuable ministerial experience to Kearney and to our Mission, and his labors at Kear- ney prove him to have been the right man in the right place. Brother Martin has collected and paid off an old debt of $545, clearing the charge of all indebtedness, and they have contracted for the building of a parsonage at a cost of $1,500."
Dr. Martin was returned to Kearney in 1883, and in 1884 Bishop Mallalieu appointed him to the Niobrara Valley District.
He found in the north part of the State one church building and a few towns scattered along the line of the railroad, beginning with Atkinson, with that holy man of God, D. T. Olcott, as pastor, building up the Church, and extending as far as Gordon, where the old veteran from
395
HISTORY OF NEBRASKA METHODISM.
Indiana, J. A. Scamahorn had already lifted up the stand- ard. There is an indefinite circuit called White River, which was doubtless intended to include the settlements in the region where Chadron now is. That was left to be supplied, and Joseph Gray, a recruit from Pennsyl- vania, is sent to that farthest outpost.
This may be said to be the Northwest Nebraska Con- ference in embryo. But it is to be fortunate, like so many other portions of our frontier work, in having some of our strongest, wisest men to superintend the laying of the foundations, and it will rapidly advance in its march towards the goal of a full-fledged Annual Conference, which it will reach in a few years.
But perhaps no period of its growth was more rapid than during the incumbency of George W. Martin, and at no time was more careful oversight required than dur- ing these years when the completion of the Elkhorn Val- lay Railroad to the Black Hills attracted an immense im- migration to the country contiguous to the line. Classes must be formed, circuits organized, churches and parson- ages built, and men must be found willing and capable of bringing these things to pass. This required no little executive ability and alertness on the part of the presid- ing elder, but George W. Martin seemed equal to the oc- casion, and our work made fine progress under his admin- istration. He starts out with nine appointments on the north part of his district, and turns over to his successor fifteen organized charges. Instead of one there are nine churches and one parsonage.
After leaving the district Dr. Martin is appointed to the important station, North Platte, and afterward was for some years chaplain of the Reform School at Kear-
396
HISTORY OF NEBRASKA METHODISM.
ney. He was on the Commission that located Nebraska Wesleyan at Lincoln, and has since been transferred to the Nebraska Conference, where, besides several pas- torates, he has served as chaplain of the penitentiary. He now resides in Lincoln, and is prominently connected with the Prison Reform Association
Indiana Methodism is to furnish the two men, T. C. Webster and A. R. Julian, who are to wisely and vig- orously carry forward the work in the northwest part of the State, so well begun and efficiently executed by T. B. Lemon, P. C. Johnson, and George W. Martin, and the faithful Blains, Gortners, Olcotts, Owens, and others equally true, who wrought under the leadership of these men.
We pause to note the large part that Indiana Meth- odism has played in the history of Nebraska Methodism. While nearly every Northern, and some Southern States have made their contribution of noble ministers and men and women in the laity, it can not but have been noticed that Indiana has done in some ways what no other State has done. It was Indiana Methodism, which had cont- manded the services of a Simpson and Bowman, in her educational work and then gave them, along with her stalwart Ames to the Episcopacy, that also gave their equal in many respects, W. H. Goode, in 1854, to lay the foundation stones of Nebraska Methodism. And a few years later, in 1858, gave us H. T. Davis to continue the work on the foundation and give forty-four years effect- ive.labor on the superstructure. Who may compute the value of the labors of these two men alone? But these are not all. It was in Indiana that J. B. Maxfield united with the Methodist Church, and received his commission
397
HISTORY OF NEBRASKA METHODISM.
from on high to preach the Gospel, though it was not till after he came to Nebraska that the Divine call was formally recognized by the Church which licensed him to preach and admitted him into the traveling connection in 1861, and for over forty years furnished him suitable fields for the employment of his great powers. Then later we have Leonard and Beebe and Vessels pushing the battle in West Nebraska. Others might be men- tioned, but these few choice spirits, along with Webster and Julian, will be sufficient to bear us out in the statement that the con- tribution of Indiana to Nebraska Methodism has been unique in the character of the workers and the value and extent of the influence ex- erted.
T. C. Webster came to us from the Northwest Indiana Conference, being transferred to the West Ne- T. C. WEBSTER. braska Conference in 1885, and after filling some important pastorates he, in 1887, succeeded Dr. Martin on the Northwest District, which had changed its name every year up to that time, and is now called the Chadron District. This has become an immense dis- trict, extending from the west line of the North Ne- braska Conference, which runs through the center of Holt County, to the west line of the State, and is about 300 miles long, and of varying width, from 100 miles on the eastern portion to the towns along the railroad in the western portion. Everything is still new, and there is much work to be done in organizing new charges and building churches and parsonages. Of these the churches
26
398
HISTORY OF NEBRASKA METHODISM.
increase in number front nine to twenty, and parsonages from one to ten during Webster's administration; the number of appointments from fifteen to twenty. In the western portion the district has broadened so as to take in Alliance, Box Butte, and Hemingsford, and Marsland along the B. & M. Black Hills and Billings Line. The membership, including probationers, has about doubled, increasing from 888 to 1,618 in the same time.
During the Conference year of 1890-91, T. C. Web- ster finds the work on the district too hard for his frail body, and that he is breaking down, and must relinquish the district work. The magnificent results show that he has not spared himself, but has successfully led the hosts of workers during his incumbency, and turns the district over to his successor well organized and well manned.
He then joins the ranks in the North Nebraska Con- ference and successfully serves Walnut Hill and South Tenth Street, in Omaha, and Lyons, Trinity Church, Grand Island, Central City, and Schuyler, where he is now in his second year. He is the secretary of the Semi- Centennial Celebration and Conference Claimants' Fund for the North Nebraska Conference.
A. R. Julian, who has been pastor at Deadwood, in the Black Hills, succeeds T. C. Webster on the Chad- ron District, and so successfully carries on the work that by 1892 the number of appointments have increased to twenty-seven1.
Territorially, the district is isolated to such an extent that it has become a great hardship for nearly all the preachers to reach the seat of Conference, involving as it does 150 to 300 miles travel by private conveyance, and there being no line of railroad running north and south,
399
HISTORY OF NEBRASKA METHODISM.
except at Crawford on the west, and Norfolk on the east, the distance for most of them is even greater by railroad, being from 200 to 450 miles to any point along the Union Pacific Railroad. Of men whose average receipts are about $350, and none much above $600, this sacrifice should not be required any longer than necessary. And the growth under these successful leaders, and the effi- cient work of the pastors had gone on, until all the con- ditions seemed to imperatively demand that the privilege accorded by the enabling act of the General Conference be accepted. This was done at Kearney, Nebraska, in 1892, when the following resolution, introduced by C. H. Burleigh, was adopted by a vote of fifty-nine to two:
"Whereas, An enabling act was granted by the last General Conference to the West Nebraska Conference to divide itself into two Annual Conferences, the presiding bishop concurring in this action, and
"Whereas, We believe the most favorable time for such action has come, in order to facilitate the work of the Church within this large territory, therefore,
"Resolved, That we divide our territory and organize a new Conference, the boundary line of division to be as follows: Commencing on the east line of the Conference where the said line crosses the south line of Holt County, and thence west along the south line of Holt, Rock, Brown, Cherry, Sheridan, Box Butte, and Sioux Coun- ties to the west line of the State of Nebraska. That por- tion of this Conference lying north of this line to be known as the 'Northwest Nebraska Conference.' The interest of the new Conference, as to missionary appro- priations and otherwise, to be preserved. Signed,
"CHARLES H. BURLEIGII, "JAMES LISLE."
400
HISTORY OF NEBRASKA METHODISM.
Thus the fourth and last of the Annual Conferences came to its birth, as the result of ten years of develop- ment, brought about by the wise leadership of Lemon, Johnson, Martin, Webster, and Julian, and the faithful work of many efficient men who wrought on this hard field, some of them throughout the entire period. These names are worthy to be put on record, and are as follows, as they appear in the Minutes at the first session of the new Conference at Alliance, in September, 1893 :
Austin, H. H. Elkins, T. J. Moore, O. T.
Balch, T. C.
Foutch, M. S. Ramsey, O. L.
Baker, O. S.
Gammon, R. H.
Rorick, E. E. E.
Beck, S. A. Gettys, J. R. Scamahorn, J. A.
Burleigh, C. H. Glassner, W. O. Smith, C. F.
Davenport, R. J. Julian, A. R.
Snedaker, G. P.
PROBATIONERS-FIRST YEAR.
McCullough, John W.
Connell, Charles E.
Kendall, John W. Clark, Darwin J.
Pucket, William T.
Many of these are worthy of fuller treatment than the mere mention of their names, but the writer's efforts to secure the requisite data have failed, and only a few can receive any further notice than this record of names, and that very briefly.
A. R. Julian, who is the son of a Methodist preacher, has been the recognized leader of this band since 1891, and has served six years as presiding elder. Without doubt, his district, 300 miles long and extending eighty miles southeast from Crawford along the B. & M. R. R., involved as much travel in the course of the year as any
1
2
3
4
.
5
FIRST MEMBERS OF THE NORTHWEST NEBRASKA CONFERENCE.
I. C. E. CONNELL. 2. A. B. CHAPIN. 3. C. F. SMITH. 4. W. O. GLASS- NER. 5. O. L. RAMSEY. 6. T. C. BALCH.
40I
402
HISTORY OF NEBRASKA METHODISM.
district we have ever had in Nebraska, and probably more. To make the work still harder, the single passen- ger train that ran each way on the Elkhorn Road ran in the night in that portion of the route, so that much of the travel must be done at night, except the few trips that might be made on freight trains in the daytime.
About the time the Northwest Nebraska Conference was born, and A. R. Julian began his hard six years of work, the conditions began to change for the worse, mak- ing progress more difficult, if not impossible, in many parts of that territory. The preceding "seven years of plenty" were to be followed by "seven years of lean- ness." A succession of dry seasons brought partial and sometimes complete failure of crops. Notwithstand- ing these adverse conditions the report made at the end of his term by the presiding elder shows during this six years "we had 2,800 conversions and additions. During this period our population has de- creased at least one-third. With decreasing population we have doubled our membership, and we have sent out of the district more than a thousand members to other societies. We have built fifteen churches and eleven par- sonages. We have raised and expended on old debts and for building and improving churches and parsonages $32,- 700." At the close of his term it was deemed best to make two districts, the Long Pine and Chadron, manned by those two old veterans, both in their country's service, and in the Lord's army, P. H. Eighmy and J. A. Scama- horn, both of whom have just closed their full term. Brother Eighmy was elected a delegate to the General Conference at the last session of their Conference.
After retiring from the district in 1887, Brother Julian served a term as superintendent of public instruc-
403
-
HISTORY OF NEBRASKA METHODISM.
tion of Dawes County, and after serving two pastorates he has again been summoned to district work, succeed- ing .P. H. Eighmy on the Long Pine District. D. J. Clark succeeds Brother Scamahorn on the Chadron District.
Brother Julian has twice been elected delegate to the General Conference, the second time while he was a super- numerary, something that so rarely occurs that it shows in special manner the high esteem in which he is held by his brethren. He has been for many years an influen- tial member of the Board of Trustees of the Nebraska Wesleyan University. He is still in the prime of life and gives promise of many years of usefulness.
Charles H. Burleigh was transferred from the South- west Kansas Conference to the West Nebraska Confer- ence in 1888. He has given five years to the West Ne- braska Conference before the division, and is a charter member of the Northwest Nebraska Conference, in which he has been in the pastorate from its beginning. He has served some of the most important charges, built churches and parsonages wherever needed and it was possible, been blessed with many very gracious revivals, and by his thorough business-like method, has contributed as much to the success of the work in that part of the State as any other pastor. He seems to be a born secretary. He had not been long in the West Nebraska Conference till he was elected secretary and continued at that post till the organization of the Northwest Conference, and that Conference has had but one man for secretary, and that man is Charles H. Burleigh.
Stephen A. Beck, after a few years of successful work on pastoral charges, was sent as a missionary to Korea,
404
HISTORY OF NEBRASKA METHODISM.
and is in charge of our publishing establishment at Seoul, the capital of the kingdom.
D. J. Clark began his ministerial career the same year the Conference was organized, and has grown with its growth, filling the pulpit at Chadron and other important felds, and is now presiding elder of the Chadron District.
W. O. Glassner was born in 1833, and entered the ministry in 1858, and after many years in the active serv- ice in the western part of the State, is now a superan- nuated member of the Northwest Conference, greatly be- loved and honored by his brethren.
The conditions referred to in connection with A. R. Julian's six years on the district have continued in full force nearly ever since, precluding any material progress. For the last five or six years they have held their own. the membership being slightly in excess of what it was when Julian closed his first term on the district. For the last year, however, there has been many indications that better conditions are in store for both State and Church in that part of the country. The people are com- ing to understand the soil and the climate better, and there are plenty of opportunities for successful farming and stock raising, which combined, becomes quite profita- ble. `People are again settling in that part of the State, and Methodism in the Northwest Conference is on the field, organized and enthusiastic, and ready for the new era of progress.
This completion of the organization of the four Con- ferences marks the limits of expansion in that direction, as there will probably never be more needed in the State.
CHAPTER XXII.
FOURTH PERIOD. (1880-1904.)
THUS we have traced the expansion of the Church until it has covered the entire area of the State. We have found that organization lias kept pace with the ex- pansion. The little class in the Morris settlement in Cass County was the first to be organized. But others quickly followed, necessitating the forming of circuits, stations, and districts ; and, finally, as the population extended, and the area occupied became greater, the evolution of the four Conferences has been the natural result of the growth of a live evangelistic Church.
These Conferences will henceforth have charge of the territory assigned them, and supervise the further devel- opment and organization of the Church within their bounds. Their work will have much in common and their progress will be under the same general laws of spir- itual growth, requiring the Divine power of the Holy Spirit to guide and make effective the consecrated human agencies.
But while much will be in common, each Conference will, in subordinate ways, have its own problems to solve, its own peculiar conditions, which will favor or retard the progress of the work, and though the workers in each may be characterized by the same zeal, consecration, and capacity, the progress in some will perhaps be greater than in others, as conditions may be more or less favor- able. So, if in the farther tracing of the history in the
405
406
HISTORY OF NEBRASKA METHODISM.
different sections of this State we find that some of these Conferences have made greater progress than others, it will be attributed to these varying conditions, and not be deemed to indicate any less fidelity in the workers in any one of the Conferences. Our Lord Himself found the conditions such at Nazareth that "He could there do no mighty work."
As a matter of fact it will be found from now on that the natural conditions in the eastern portion of the State, occupied by the older Conferences, will be much more favorable than in the western portion. The expe- rience of the years has made it plain that while much of the western portion is rich in soil, it belongs to the senii- arid belt, where the rain fall from year to year is not suffi- cient for reliable farming, and the material growth of that section has not kept pace with the eastern. However, during this last period, the West Nebraska Conference has made commendable progress and even the Northwest Conference, where the conditions have been least favor- able, has made some progress.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.