USA > Nebraska > York County > York County, Nebraska and its people : together with a condensed history of the state, Vol. II > Part 5
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"Rev. J. W. Embree, superintendent of the Hastings District of the Methodist
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Church. was in York on Monday, and presided at the session of the Fourth Quar- derly Conference of the York church. At this meeting, Judge Spurlock of this place was endorsed as one of the nine delegates from the Nebraska conference to the General Conference, which meets at Des Moines, in May. 1920. These delegates are elected at the session of the Annual Conference, which meets this year at University Place, September 9th. Judge Spurlock has represented the Nebraska conference at the last three sessions of the General Conference, which meets every four years, and is the supreme governing body of this church. At this session of the local quarterly conference the pastor of the York church. Dr. F. M. Sisson, announced his intention to retire from the active ministry at the end of this con- ference year, in September. Doctor Sisson has been in York two years, coming here from Fremont, where he was pastor for nine years. He has been an active minister in the Methodist Church for forty-five years, serving important charges in Illinois, and for many years in Nebraska. While he has not announced where he expects to live after his retirement, it is probable he will go to Fremont. where it is understood he owns a comfortable residence."
"On December 11, 1912, occurred the reopening of the renovated auditorium and the dedication of the new building.
"Congregations which completely filled the church attended both morning and evening. It was a money-raising day and in the morning a call was made for $7,000, which was fully subscribed. At night in ten minutes $420 more was sub- seribed to buy a new piano for the building and some more needed things in con- nection with the plant.
"Loading in the financial appeal was a veteran gentleman whose dignified presence and eloquence had telling effect. Rev. Dr. Thomas C. Iliff, of Denver, known far and wide in American Methodism. Thirty local laymen went to work with a will among their friends, and in a very few minutes the victory was won, and the people sang for joy. The total cost of the new three-story Sunday school build- ing and the heating, frescoing and improving the main building and grounds was $15,000. of which $8,000 was subscribed before beginning work. Preacher Bennett and his people have been hustling now for about eight months, and feel gratified at the successful outcome. G. W. Shreck, chairman of the building committee, and A. M. White, chairman of the trustees, have put forth their best efforts to furnish the equipment for religious work on the large scale planned by the pastor. Before the Sunday closed there were five persons who gave themselves to the Christian life and membership of the church. The sermons of Rev. Dr. Hiff and Rev. Dr. Bil- lingsley were uplifting and profound. The afternoon meeting was addressed by the visiting ministers, and by Messrs. Shreck, Spurlock, Bissell and Wightman, Rev. Dr. B. W. Marsh presiding. At 9:30 in the morning Doctor Marsh, the York district superintendent. conducted the Lord's Supper in the new building. The dedication service was held at the close of the night service, in charge of Doctor Iliff.
"Tonight Doctor Iliff delivers his famous lecture on the 'Sunny Side of Sollier Life.' with Major Pombleton making martial music. All old soliliers are to be special guests of the church.
"Tomorrow night at 6:30 a men's banquet will be held in the new dining room, Dr. J. N. Plumb presiding. Rev. Dr. Marsh is to be the chief speaker. Thursday is given to the Ladies' Aid Society for their annual bazaar. Friday night
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, YORK
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FIRST METHODIST CHURCH, YORK
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENUA TILDEN FOUNDA UVA 50
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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY
the Sunday school workers are to hold a banquet at 6:30. Miss Margaret Brown, state elementary superintendent, will be the speaker.
"Next Sunday another great occasion is planned. Preacher Bennett declares he has engaged another great speaker for both morning and evening in the Rev. Dr. W. A. Brown of Chicago, missionary superintendent of the International Sunday School Association. All the pastors and Sunday school workers of the city and county are invited to meet at 3 o'clock, when Doctor Brown. Miss Brown and others will deliver addresses.
"This new, modern arrangement for Sunday school and social work is a model in convenience and completeness. York may well be proud of this enterprise, so successfully brought to conclusion. It is one of a very small number of churches in the west that has such a building. Preacher Bennett says, York Methodists have done their duty nobly, and it certainly makes a preacher happy.' "
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
The major portion of the following historical account of this institution is taken from anniversary papers prepared by Elders A. C. Montgomery and Dr. Robert MeConanghy. Mr. Montgomery's paper was prepared for the twentieth anniversary and Doctor MeConanghy's for the thirtieth.
A. C. Montgomery's Paper
Twenty years ago there were only four buildings in what is now known as the City of York. Two of these were frame buildings and two were made of sod. Scattered throughout the adjacent country were several other buildings of different kinds, making some twenty houses in all. The occupants of these frontier homes were for the most part religious people. The great majority of us had been born and educated amid the religious influences of the East. Consequently we were never entirely without the ordinary means of grace. for we brought our father's God and our father's Bible and hymn book with us. Armed with these, we fre- quently assembled in some one of our private dwellings and read and prayed and sang, as men and women only can read, pray and sing under similar circumstances. Moved as it were, by a common impulse, a number of us anxious for our families and the public good, came together July 22, 1871, and organized ourselves into a Presbyterian church. There being no building in which we could meet, we assembled under the wide-spreading branches of some stately elms which stood on the south bank of the Beaver, just where the center of the mill dam now is. Rev. George R. Carroll, afterwards of Wyoming, Iowa, was at that time district missionary for the Presbytery of Missouri River, which embraced western Iowa and all of Nebraska. He was present and presided over the deliberations. He also preached an appropriate sermon and led us in prayer to the throne of God. It was on God we waited and, as we believe, it was according to His will, that we then and there entered into the following covenant : Whereas, we believe that the worship of Almighty God is a solemn duty as well as a high and holy privilege, and is calcu- lated to secure the highest good of our race both in time and eternity, and whereas, the church of Christ in its organie capacity is the great instrument through which God is pleased to work in elevating, blessing and saving the world, we so
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earnestly request the organization of a Presbyterian church of which we may become members, and to which we pledge our cordial support. Only eight persons signed their names to the foregoing instrument and became charter members, viz: A. C. Montgomery, Mrs. A. M. Montgomery, Robert Charlton, F. O. Bell. Mrs. Dixon, R. R. Crawford. Mrs. B. A. Crawford, and Mrs. Hattie E. French. A. C. Montgom- ery was elected elder, in which capacity he had previously served the United Presby- terian Church at New Vernon, Pa. Being thus duly organized, the church entered at once on its life-long work of saving souls. Its membership, as we have seen, was small and so was its material wealth. It had no building and no money wherewith to secure one, hence it continued during the summer to worship as best it could in the grove where it was organized. Here was also held in connection with the church a union Sabbath school which proved a great blessing to us all.
In 1872, by the assistance of the Board of Church Erection, we were able to build our first house of worship. It was a very unpretentious structure, being only 24x40 feet. It still stands on the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Eighth Street and was the first church edifice erected in the city. It cost about a thousand dol- lars, which at that time seemed a large amount of money to be invested in a church in a city where tine corner lots like those of Mr. F. O. Bell and Mr. Cheney could be purchased for five dollars. Mr. Robert Charlton was chairman of the building committee and on the 17th of November, 1872, the very day the church was dedi- cated he died. Rev. H. P. Peck, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Lincoln, preached the dedicatory sermon.
In 1880 our congregation had grown beyond the capacity of the first building, so we were under the necessity of enlarging it. This was done at a cost of $4,000, and gave us quite a large audience room in which we worshipped till 1887, when the building once more became too narrow for us and, under the leadership of Rev. T. N. Riale, we began to take subscriptions for the beautiful brick edifice in which we are this day assembled. During the twenty years of its existence the church has been served by eleven elders, six of whom are still on duty ( 1903) :
A. C. Montgomery 1871-1900
D. P. Temple 1876-1886
W. W. Giffen 1879-1887
E. D. Marselus 1889-1900
S. C. Grippen. 1885-1886 Prof. HI. R. Corbett 1891
G. P. French 1885-1888 Edwin W. Bell 1891
William Bell. 1887-1890
Dr. R. MeConanghy 1887-1900
Ira Smith. 1889
Elder Montgomery has served the church during its entire existence. Elder French was drowned in Lincoln Creek August 23, 1888. Elder William Bell "fell asleep" April 19, 1890. In 1889 the church adopted the rotary system of elder- ship.
The church during the first eight months of its existence had no regular preach- ing. Rev. Mr. Smith of Seward occupied the pulpit in March, 1822. Rev. D. B. Fleming preached during the latter part of the same year in York and also in Fairmont. In 1823 Rev. T. K. Hedges took charge of the church. He was fol- lowed by Rev. A. S. Powell, who remained two years. In 1877 Rev. W. T. Gibson was the minister in charge. Rev. B. F. Sharp entered upon his labors with the church April 1, 1828, and continued seven years. Rev. A. T. Ashley followed and
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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY
remained only six months. In 1886 Rev. F. N. Riale commenced his ministry with the church. He was so successful that the siekly child soon became too large for its wardrobe, and it was evident that a larger and better one must be provided. Dr. Riale immediately set to work to see what could be done in the way of raising the neces- sary funds. He met with a generous response and the corner-stone was laid with appropriate ceremonies in the year 1887. Mr. Riale remained fifteen months and left us in the midst of our building difficulties. He was succeeded by the Rev. S. M. Crissman, who remained one year, during which time the new church was dedicated and the sickly youth of fifteen years had grown into a healthy boy of seventeen.
This church building was dedicated September 2. 1888, with an elaborate pro- gram covering both the morning and evening services. There were five ministers present. Rev. S. M. Crissman preached the morning sermon, and Rev. Duke Slavens of the M. E. Church the evening sermon. Doctor Riale unfortunately had most of the subseription list in his head rather than on paper, and being several hundred miles away and having his head with him, the list was not available, so that on the morning of the dedication it was found necessary to provide for the entire indebted- ness, amounting to $13,000. About $8,000 was raised and a loan of $5,000 made for future generations to pay.
Doctor McConaughy's Puper
Once more the church began looking for a new Moses to take the helm and lead her people out of the wilderness, for there seemed yet to be much land to possess and some debt to take care of. A star in the East was seen, and as everything great comes out of the East, it was natural to follow up this luminary and see whether it was of the proper magnitude to gnide the destiny of this chosen people in their new and enlarged sphere. A nearer approach and intimacy satisfied us that all was well. and the Rev. John D. Countermine, D. D., came all the way from the State of New York to accept the pastorate of the First Presbyterian Church of York. Ile was the first pastor the church had ever had. Although eighteen years old and having had nine ministers, not one of them had ever been installed as pastor. Docter Countermine was able, aggressive, and zealous in the good work. the church once more began to move onward and upward in members and influence, the remain- ing church debt, which by this time had increased to $8,000. was paid off and the mortgage publicly cremated.
Once more we were in a wilderness, looking for a Moses or a Joshua, but we were not long in waiting. Again we looked toward the East, and behold, a star was right in our midst. He was shining in another denomination and had come over from lowa to deliver a lecture at the college. He was invited to preach for us, a call was given and accepted. and on July 1, 1893, Rev. B. M. Long was installed the second pastor of the church of York. The mantle of Elijah dropped easily upon the shoulders of this Elisha, and was gracefully worn by him for six years, or until August 1, 1899, when he accepted a call to the Second Church of Lincoln. It can be said of him as of his predecessors, he was zealous, earnest, con- secrated, talented, and the work and influence of the church widened. The legacy of the parsonage debt was growing larger rather than smaller, and other debts were accumulating. The church was perhaps overreaching itself, and the pastor went to work to lift the load. He succeeded, and the $2,000 mortgage was lifted from the
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manse. Having resisted several flattering offers during the years of his sojourn here, having served the church longer than any previous pastor, with one exception, that of Father Sharp, having delivered us from another debt. though leaving us with a smaller one, the presbytery transferred him from one of its churches to another. The line of succession appeared to have been broken. We wandered far- ther and farther. We appeared to be up against the Red Sea. There were many Elishas, but the mantle would not light. Once it dropped on the Rev. James L. Countermine, D. D., but he flung it aside, and it came down on the broad shoulders of the Rev. Andrew Thompson Wolff. He was an eastern star, but came out of the northern heavens by way of South Dakota, and landed in our midst in January, 1900. He was soon after installed as the third pastor of the York church. Doctor Wolff took rank among his predecessors as a man of ability, an eloquent preacher, and a consecrated man, but the church was out of joint, everything was at cross- purpose. We were all out of tune. The work of the Lord was hindered. We were accumulating another assortment of debts, and in one year he asked to be released. The church had lost its old-time prestige. We were like the prodigal, feeding on husks. and, like the prodigal, we soon came to our senses, realized our condition and started on the return trip. While we were on the way, and not a great way off, behold ! "Father" Creighton ran out to meet us, fell on our neck, said he was from Missouri and would "show us" the way out of all our troubles. He has done it, with the aid of "The Elder Brother" Marshall.
The church held its annual congregational meeting December 30, 1902. At this meeting encouraging reports were read from all the societies in the church and officers elected for the ensuing year.
The church officers were as follows:
Elders
Trustees
Ira A. Smith
B. F. Marshall, Jr.
M. Il. Kirkpatrick
W. L. Kirkpatrick
Dr. Robert MeConaughy
E. A. Warner
W. E. Bell
R. M. Rankin
F. H. Runner
James A. Barr
Robert James
Bookkeeper-A. B. Chatterton. Church Treasurer-J. R. Shreck. Organist and Choir Leader-Mrs. Robert McConanghy.
Reverend Creighton remained with this flock until 1909, when Reverend Thomas F. B. Smith became their pastor. After a faithful service of almost ten years he was succeeded by the present pastor. Rev. E. E. Emhoff.
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
The Congregational Church was organized in F. A. Bidwell's B. & M. land office, near where Cobb's store was, on Sunday, May 12, 1872, by Rev. O. W. Merrill, super- intendent of home missions in Nebraska. The six charter members were: Austin Ilarris, Dr. and Mrs. W. A. Anderson, Mr. and Mrs. F. A. Bidwell, and Mr. L. D.
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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY
Stilson, who still resides in York. The first four presented Congregational letters. the last a Baptist letter, while Mrs. Bidwell united on confession. Eight others who had promised to join united afterwards. . Rev. C. S. Harrison, superintendent of the Mayflower Colony, gathered the church and sent for Superintendent Merrill to come and organize it.
The church was incorporated June 24, 1872. The first communion service was on June 23, 1872, Rev. C. S. Harrison preaching and Rev. W. S. Hills condueting the service. During the next two years services were held in the new schoolhouse, built in 1872 on or near the site of the present high school building, and also on alternate Sundays in the Methodist Church, on the corner where the Methodist parsonage now is, and in the Presbyterian Church, corner of Lincoln Avenue and Eighth Street. Then from 1874 or 1875 to 1882 they were held in the Academy Building, which stood on Academy Avenue facing the end of Seventh Street, which then ended at Academy Avenue. Its location is now a part of Seventh Street. The proceeds of the sale of the building went into the new church, while the lumber, when it was torn down, was used in building the two houses just north of Doctor Sedgwick's residence.
During a part of 1882 services were held in the City Hall, which was the see- ond story of the building on the north side of Sixth Street and west corner of the alley, one-half block west of the northwest corner of the square. The church build- ing was dedicated December 31, 1882. With lots and furnishings, its cost or value was a little over ten thousand dollars. The church was improved, and stained glass windows added in 1887.
From June, 1872, to March, 1873, Rev. William S. Hills supplied the church while living on a homestead some eight miles southwest of York. From March, 1873, to October, 1881, Rev. C. S. Harrison, the real founder of the church, was pastor, except one year, 1875-76, when Rev. H. Herrick Johnson acted as pastor. Some twenty or twenty-five times Mr. Harrison came from Illinois to fill his appointments, a round trip of about one thousand miles. Of course he had a pass, on account of the work that he was doing in getting colonists for York and Arbor- ville. It is to Mr. Harrison more probably than to any other person that York owes her countless trees, a forest where was once a prairie, and also her freedom from saloons. During his pastorate there was a liquor war and one day two roughs from North York started out to brutally beat, if not kill, Mr. Rice and Mr. Harrison. They were beating Mr. Rice and crying "Kill him," when Henry Seymour of the Congregational Church knocked them both down. Fearing that he might be expelled from the church for it. Mr. Harrison assured him that instead of expelling him they would eanonize him. Mr. Harrison, after a remarkably useful career in the pioneer work of church and academy building, at the age of seventy, resided in York, supplied churches and carried on a nursery. When he left the church in 1881 it had 100 members.
Rev. C. II. McIntosh was pastor from January, 1882. to June, 1884. He was the only pastor the church ever had, who came first as a candidate.
Rev. Henry S. Harrison was pastor from September, 1884. to July 1, 1886. It was his only pastorate, and it was a successful one. sixty or seventy uniting with the church. He was called to a position on The Advance, of Chicago, of which he afterwards became the proprietor. He was instantly killed on the railroad near Chicago in November, 1894.
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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY
Rev. Robert S. Lindsay was pastor from March 30, 1887, to May. 1889. For nine months preceding his pastorate the church was supplied much of the time by professors in the Methodist College, then located at York. Mr. Lindsay was the first pastor to live m the new parsonage, which was built in 1882. costing. with the Jot. about $2,500. Seventy or eighty united with the church during his pastorate. Since leaving York he has preached in Ohio, at Columbus and Geneva.
Rev. Edward A. Leeper was pastor from June 2. 1889. to October, 1892. Up- wards of one hundred and fifty united while he was pastor, while the losses by removals and otherwise were over one hundred. Since leaving York, Mr. Leeper has preached at Wellsville, N. Y., and Dover, Ohio.
Rev. Roselle T. Cross became pastor february 15, 1893, and remained until 1906, the longest in the history of the church and the longest of any church in York. except the Catholic. Ifis and Mr. Harrison's pastorates cover more than half of the history of the church. More than two hundred and fifty members were received into the fold by him. The losses during his pastorate were less than the gains. On January 1, 1903, the church had a membership of 311.
Reverend Cross was succeeded by Rev. W. H. Medlar, who stayed but a short time, when this church was again favored with a pastor, Rev. R. S. Lindsay, who has now served these people for practically fourteen years.
R. T. Cross. Pastor. Rev. R. T. Cross was born Angust 21, 1844. at Richville, St. Lawrence County, New York, where his father, Rev. Gorgam Cross, was Congre- gational pastor forty years. He studied in a common school, and in the Oberlin Preparatory Department and Oberlin College, from which he graduated in 1867. Ile studied theology one year at Union Seminary, New York City. He worked his way through college, mainly by teaching school in the winter. He taught six months in Austinburg Academy at Austinburg, Ohio, and for five years, from 1869 to 1844, was principal of Oberlin Academy, or Preparatory Department, as it was then called. During part of the time he preached for the First Church at Oberlin, after Mr. Finney resigned. The ministry was his chosen life work and in 1874, after a few months' study at Andover, he took a pastorate at Hamilton, N. Y. In the summer of 1876 he accepted a call to Colorado Springs, Colo .. where he remained until 1887. While at Colorado Springs he built a new church, received about two hundred and forty members, organized the church at Manitou, and, with some of his Sunday school boys, discovered the "Cave of the Winds" at Manitou. In 1881 he organized a new church in Denver, built a building for it, and remained with it over eight years. During nearly two years of that time he also served as superintendent of home missions in Colorado and Wyoming, organizing churches and raising money for church buildings. He was pastor in Minneapolis. Minn., from 1889 to 1893. In February, 1893, he came to York, where he has remained ten years. He is author of "Home Duties," "Clear as Crystal," and of two or three books published later, also of several serials, and of several hundred news- paper and magazine articles. In 1898 he received the degree of D. D. from Oberlin College, and in 1902 the same degree from' York College.
In 1869, at De Soto, Wis., he married Emma A., daughter of Rev. Lewis Bridg- man. Of the five children born to them, two died in infancy. Leora M. graduated at Oberlin in 1898, Judson L. studied theology at New Haven, Conn., and Cleve- land R., also a graduate of the Oberlin College.
Sunday School. This is the oldest Sunday school in York. It was organized
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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY
in the spring of 1872 as the York Union Sunday School, under a tree on Beaver Creek, just below Wright's mill. During the first year it met in the schoolhouse, then in the Presbyterian Church, then in the Methodist Church till 1875, then in the Academy. The Methodists withdrew in 1876, and the Presbyterians in 1877. The average attendance in the ten years, beginning with 1893, has been as follows : 160, 197. 197, 193, 156, 165, 160, 159, 152. 177. In some of these years the number included the home department. The early superintendents were: F. A. Bidwell (6 years). Henry Seymour (2 years), C. C. Cobb (2 years), Geo. B. France, Dr. D. E. Foristall. Frank Knapp (2 years), Charles Daniels, W. K. Williams (2 years), J. B. Maylard, Frank A. Hannis (? years), Miss Abbie Whitney, Rev. E. H. Baker (2 years), John E. Evans (5 years). Merle S. Brown, Miss Whitney and Mr. Hannis served for many years as assistant superintendent.
Christian Endeavor Societies. The Senior Christian Endeavor Society was organized during Rev. II. S. Harrison's pastorate, in March, 1885, with thirty-five members. Charles M. Boynton was president. The other officers were Mabel Chil- cote, Flora Wyckoff and Mr. J. B. Maylard. It was the second society organized in the state. In October, 1888, the third state convention was held in this church. There were 162 delegates and thirty-one visitors. The senior society has had a continuons existence.
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