USA > Ohio > Greene County > History of Greene County, Ohio: its people, industries and institutions, Volume I > Part 51
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at the meeting of presbytery held at Millersburg, Kentucky, on April 24 of this latter year was delegated to moderate the meeting called for the purpose of organizing a congregation at Xenia, as above noted. Upon the later filing of incorporation papers, under the laws of Ohio, it was noted that the congregation "decided to be known by the name and style of the Associate Reformed church of Xenia, Greene county, Ohio." Before passing from this mention of formal organization, however, it is but proper to say that the Rev. Doctor Steele had made a much earlier trip up here, notes from a diary kept by him at the time setting out that he had made a missionary journey up from Kentucky into what then was the almost pathless wilderness of the Miami valley as early as the spring of 1798, he having set out from a point near Maysville on April 17 of that year, reaching the old Indian chillicothe (now Oldtown, in this county) on the 20th and preaching at that point. On May 13 he crossed the river down into what is now Warren county and there preached at the house of Jere- miah Morrow, afterward governor of Ohio. There also is notice of his having preached at the Mcknight home near Bellbrook and of tarrying at the house of James Galloway, in the vicinity of old Indian chillicothe.
In the year 1811, following the formal organization of the Associate Reformed church at Xenia, the Rev. Adam Rankin and the Rev. William Baldridge were appointed to preach at Xenia. Among the two or three ministers who were sent as occasional supplies to Xenia in the year 1812 was the Rev. James McCord, who had begun his professional career as a student of law in the office of Henry Clay, but had afterward devoted his talent to the gospel ministry. In 1813 the Xenia congregation made out a call for Mr. McCord, who, however, in the meantime had transferred his connection to the Presbyterian church, and the call was returned. Thus disappointed in their first choice of a pastor, the Xenia con- gregation continued to receive ministration by occasional supplies during the years 1813, 1814, 1815, and 1816, among the ministers thus serving being noted the names of Rankin, Craig, Risque, McFarland and Steele. In 1817 the congregation made out a call for the Rev. John Steele. This call was accepted and in that same year Mr. Steele moved to Xenia and entered upon a pastoral relation that continued until 1836, a period of nineteen years. Upon his resignation he moved to Oxford, this state, and there died on January 1I, 1837.
Following the resignation and departure of their first pastor the con- gregation remained without a pastor for almost two years, or until in June, 1838, when a call was extended to the Rev. James R. Bonner, who accepted and who continued as pastor of this people until April 10, 1845. Mr. Bonner was succeeded by the Rev. Robert D. Harper, who was installed
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as pastor in 1846 and remained until his retirement from the Associate Reform church in 1868 and transfer to the Presbyterian church. In the meantime, however, there had been effected the historic union of the Associate and Associate Reformed churches in 1858 and thereafter the First Associate Reformed church of Xenia was known as the First United Pres- byterian church of Xenia. It is a matter of special note in the congregation that the first general assembly of the United Presbyterian church, in May, 1859, was held in this church. Doctor Harper was followed by the Rev. W. G. Moorehead, D. D., who accepted the congregation's call in 1871, he having just returned in that year from eight years of service as mis- sionary in Italy. Doctor Moorehead continued as pastor of the First church until 1875, when he resigned to accept a call to the Fourth United Presby- terian church of Allegheny, Pennsylvania. He was succeeded by the Rev. Thomas H. Hanna, who continued as pastor until 1880, when he resigned to accept the pastorate of the First United Presbyterian church at Monmouth, Illinois. In 1881 the Rev. Joseph H. Wright became pastor of the First church and continued serving in that capacity until his death on March 20, 1889. In August, 1891, the Rev. W. B. Barr accepted a call to the First church, but he remained but little more than a year, resigning in Decem- ber, 1892, to enter the evangelistic field. He was succeeded by the Rev. R. G. Ramsey, who was installed as pastor in September, 1893, and who continued serving the church until his resignation in February, 1901, to enter the Presbyterian church. The Rev. S. E. Martin preached his first sermon as pastor of the First church on April 6, 1902, and he continued as pastor until in May, 1913, being succeeded by the Rev. D. D. Dodds, the present pastor, who was installed in July, 1914.
The people of the First church have had four successive houses of worship, having successively outgrown three before erecting their present handsome stone church edifice on East Market street. The first "meeting house" was erected in 1811 at the corner of Detroit and Union streets and is still standing, for many years having been used as a residence, a little brick building with two front doors. It was not long until the growing congregation outgrew this little house of worship and in 1817 erected on East Church street a brick building which, after it also had been outgrown, became utilized as a store house by a local pork packer. That church build- ing stood on a lot directly across the street from the present high-school building. In 1848 the congregation erected their third church edifice on East Market street, a building that stood outwardly unchanged for sixty- one years, except for new windows that were added when the interior was remodeled. In 1907 the congregation decided to rebuild on the site they had so long occupied and on August 16, 1908, the last sermon was preached
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in the old church. The new church was completed and ready for dedi- cation on April 10, 1910, the total cost of the furnished building being thirty-two thousand dollars, not including the cost of the pipe organ, which was the gift of generous friends of the church. The ladies of the con- gregation also contributed fifteen hundred dollars toward the furnishings of the church and pledged one thousand dollars towards the debt.
At the time of the celebration of the church's semi-centennial in 1860 the membership of the First church was two hundred and seventy. When the church celebrated its centennial in 1910 the membership was three hun- dred and five. Fourteen names appear on both rolls. In 1918 the books of the session record the names of three hundred and forty-one communi- cants. The Sabbath school has an enrollment of one hundred and ninety- five. Well organized auxiliaries of the church are a Woman's Missionary Society, a Young Ladies' Missionary Society, a Junior Missionary Society and a Young Peoples Society. The members of the session are: Dr. J. P. Dice, Alexander Bailey, Edwin Galloway, W. J. Cherry, C. H. Ervin, Dr. J. S. McCampbell and J. R. Nash. Mr. Nash is the oldest living mem- ber of the session and has been a member for more than fifty years.
SECOND UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF XENIA.
The history of beneficent influence exerted by what, since the "union" of 1858, has been known as the Second United Presbyterian church of Xenia covers a period of nearly eleven decades, the date of the formal organization of the congregation comprising that body having been October 21, 18II. As noted above, the immigration into this section of the Miami valley of Associate Presbyterians, especially from Kentucky, which began near the close of the eighteenth century, increased rapidly, and two congre- gations were soon organized, called, in the minutes of the presbytery of Kentucky, sometimes the Greene county congregations and sometimes the congregations of Massies Creek and Sugar Creek. Soon thereafter, accord- ing to Dill's chronicles, a log building was erected as a house of worship by the Massies Creek congregation on the plot of ground now marked by the old Massies Creek burying ground. About the same time a log building for the same purpose was erected by the Sugar Creek congregation about two miles north of Bellbrook, the members of the Associate church in and about the Xenia settlement being affiliated with one or the other of these pioneer organizations, chiefly the former, the congregations being under the joint supervision of one session, the Rev. Robert Armstrong, who had been the pastor of the majority of these settlers while in Kentucky, ministering to both congregations. In 1811 this joint session included the following. ruling elders: Joseph Kyle, Thomas Simpson, John Gregg, Hugh Ham-
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mill, George Galloway and James Morrow, residing in the Massies Creek settlement, and James Bain, John Torrence and William Turnbull, of the Sugar Creek settlement.
An entry in the minutes of the presbytery of Kentucky, under date of October 21, 1811, records that "Two petitions were presented, one from Massies Creek and Sugar Creek congregations, praying for the moderation of a call, which was unanimously granted." By this act of presbytery the Xenia congregation secured a separate organization, members of the Asso- ciate communion living in and in the immediate vicinity of the village by that time having attained sufficient numbers to warrant such a procedure. Sugar Creek, however, remained as a part of the charge set off as Xenia, as is shown by an extract from the minutes of the Associate synod of May, 1813, which sets out that "the petition of the associate congregations of Xenia and Sugar Creek to be disjoined from the presbytery of Kentucky and annexed to the presbytery of Chartiers" was granted. Earlier official minutes indicate a formal organization of the Associate communion at Xenia in April, 1812, and in October of that same year, reports from that con- gregation having been made to presbytery at both the spring and fall meet- ings in that year. The ruling elders residing within the limits of the two congregations, and constituted by act of presbytery, October 21, 1811, at the first session, were William Turnbull, John Torrence, James Bain and Hugh Hammill. During the first two or three years of its organization this congregation had been holding its meetings in the court house, but in 1814 a movement was carried out for the erection of a house of worship and it then became necessary to elect a board of trustees, William McClel- lan, James Galloway, Jr., and James Winter being elected to look after the temporal affairs of the congregation.
It is noted in the older chronicle above referred to that when the con- gregation at Xenia was organized the principle of elective affinity as regu- lating congregational connection was not regarded with favor. It was a time of congregational boundary lines. Accordingly, the first thing in order in the effecting of an organization was the establishment of a dividing line between the Massies Creek congregation on the one hand, and Xenia and Sugar Creek on the other. This line ran nearly north and south, and about one and one-half or two miles east of Xenia at its nearest point. There was no clearly defined line between Xenia and Sugar Creek congregations until January 14, 1822. Though the session was a joint session, having the supervision of both congregations, and all the members of the two con- gregations took part in the election of elders, still it was the understanding that each should have about equal representation both in the session and in the diaconate. Moreover, it was the understanding that each congregation
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was responsible for its proportion of the pastor's salary, these mutual under- standings presupposing a tacit understanding of a dividing line. Yet, to guard more certainly against difficulty, it was decided to have this line definitely fixed and this was done on the date last set out, the line running nearly north and south past the Thomas Ginn place. In 1827 the Massies Creek congregation moved its place of worship from the old site to a location on the Collins farm. In consequence of this removal a number of families of that congregation were found to be nearer to Xenia than to the new Mas- sies Creek church and they therefore petitioned presbytery to be disjoined from Massies Creek and annexed to Xenia. Upon the granting of this peti- tion some fourteen families were annexed to Xenia congregation and the dividing line was moved from one and one-half to two miles farther east. When, in 1833, the Sugar Creek congregation moved its place of worship from the old log church north of Bellbrook to a site on the Holmes farm, those families residing between the Little Miami and the western boundary of Xenia congregation were found so far removed from their wonted place of worship that, by act of presbytery, they ultimately were transferred to the Xenia congregation, this act virtually establishing the river as a new boundary line between the two congregations.
As noted above, the first house of worship erected by what is now the Second United Presbyterian church of Xenia was built in the year 1814 on the lot immediately west of the site occupied by the present handsome church edifice at the corner of Market and West streets. That early struc- ture was a stone building about fifty by thirty-five feet in dimensions and in that edifice the congregation worshipped for twenty-six years, or until 1840, in which year the old church was replaced by an edifice of more ample proportions, a substantial structure seventy-five by fifty-seven feet in dimen- sions. In 1857 this structure was remodeled by being given an addition of six feet in height and was adorned by the raising of two towers, one at each corner fronting Market street. In 1877 further space was needed by the growing congregation and the church was again remodeled, a lecture room, forty by sixty feet in dimensions, being added, and this edifice served the needs of the congregation until in 1905, when the present attractive and commodious stone edifice was erected at a cost of twenty-seven thousand dollars. The first parsonage owned by the church was the present residence of T. Dales Kyle, on West Church street, which was purchased sometime in the '6os. Doctor Wilson refused to live in the house and lived in a home of his own while in charge of the church, his dwelling standing at the edge of the town. Shortly before Doctor Carson came to the church in 1869 the congregation had sold the parsonage, the building above mentioned, for three thousand dollars. This money was loaned to Doctor Carson when
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he came here in 1869 and he applied it to the purchase of the house in which he still lives. This building, the one in which Doctor Carson lived all the time he was in charge of the church from 1869 to 1902, was always spoken of as the parsonage although it was owned by Doctor Carson and not by the church. After he resigned his pastorate in 1902 he repaid the money he had borrowed from the church, and the trustees at once pur- chased the present parsonage on West Market street, next to the Mckinley school building. The West End chapel, owned and directed by the church, is valued at an additional seven thousand dollars.
It is apparent that for the first two or three years after the organization of this congregation its members were served by supply, though there is evidence that the congregation immediately or soon after it had been form- ally constructed had extended a call to the Rev. William Hume, brother-in- law of the Rev. Robert Armstrong, at that time pastor of the Associate congregation at Nashville, Tennessee, the call on him having apparently been moderated in 1811 or early in 1812, for a minute of presbytery under . date of October 13, 1812, sets out that (Mr. Hume having referred the disposal of this call to presbytery) that body, after much deliberation and with great hesitancy, decided against transferring. The first pastor of the church was the Rev. Francis Pringle, the call to him having been moderated by appointment of the presbytery of Chartiers probably late in 1813, for it is noted that the call was sustained by that presbytery on April 13, 1814, and was accepted on July 19, 1814, Mr. Pringle probably having been serving as supply in the meantime. The Rev. Francis Pringle was ordained by the presbytery of Chartiers, at Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania, November 29, 1814, and in pursuance of the appointment of that presbytery was installed as pastor at Xenia by the Rev. Robert Armstrong on the second Wednesday of January, 1815, his pastoral service continuing until his death on March 15, 1818. The congregation then again was served by supply while seeking a new pastor and on May 5, 1819, extended a call to the Rev. Robert Douglass, which call was declined, and later a call was extended to the Rev. Thomas Beveridge, of excellent memory, which call was accepted. The story of Doctor Beveridge's coming to Xenia is best written in his own words, written years afterward, as follows: "Having been licensed by the Associate presbytery of Chartiers in August, 1819, my appointment led me, among other places, to Xenia and Sugar Creek, which congregations I reached the Ist of November, 1819. I preached alternately in the two congregations during that month and the last two Sabbaths of the suc- ceeding January. The two congregations united in a call to me, February 28, 1820. The salary promised was $500, considered at that time very liberal. The presbytery of Kentucky, as it was then called (afterward Miami),
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consisted of only three ministerial members-Messrs. Armstrong, Hume and Kennedy-and these at great distances from each other. In conse- quence of this, the call was sent to the presbytery of Cambridge, New York, to be presented. It was accepted August 2, 1820. That presbytery also received and sustained my trials for ordination. I arrived at Xenia Octo- ber 4th, but was not ordained till the 9th of the next January. Mr. Hume came all the way from Nashville to assist Mr. Armstrong in that service. At this time there was great trouble in Massies Creek congregation, in con- sequence of which Mr. Armstrong resigned his charge."
Doctor Beveridge's pastorate continued for four years, at the end of which time he resigned on account of his health, February, 1824, and on October 22, 1824, the congregation extended a call to the Rev. David Goodwillie, which was declined. Xenia and Sugar Creek meantime con- tinued to be served by supply and on February 20, 1827, extended a call to the Rev. Joseph Clokey, which also was declined. By action of the presbytery of Miami the connection between Xenia and Sugar Creek was dissolved on November 10, 1828, and on January 26, 1829, Xenia extended a call to the Rev. Abraham Anderson, which was declined. On May 3, 1830, a call was extended to the Rev. Samuel Wilson, who accepted the same on September 20, following and on April 27, 1831, was formally installed as pastor at Xenia, the pastorate meanwhile having been vacant for a period of six years and five months, during which time the Rev. James Adams, who had been installed as pastor at Massies Creek, succeeded the Rev. Rob- ert Armstrong, a short time before the resignation of Doctor Beveridge, had rendered the essential ministerial services. For twenty-five years and six months, the Rev. Samuel Wilson served as pastor at Xenia, his resignation, which was accepted by the presbytery of Miami on March 18, 1856, having been based upon synod's indication that he give his undivided attention to the duties of his position as professor of theology and Hebrew in the Xenia Theological Seminary, to which chair he had been elected in May of the preceding year. On the Ist of December, following, the congregation extended a call to the Rev. S. B. Reed, which was declined. On September 21, 1858, presbytery sustained the call extended to the Rev. R. B. Ewing and on January 20, 1859, Mr. Ewing was formally installed as pastor, Doctor Beveridge delivering the charge to the people on that occasion. Mr. Ewing was thus first pastor after the "union," the old Associate church thencefor- ward being known as the Second United Presbyterian church of Xenia, the Associate Reformed church, by right of priority of organization, taking the name of the First United Presbyterian church after the union. At his own request Mr. Ewing was released from his charge on January 14, 1868, and the pulpit remained vacant, the congregation meanwhile being served
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by supply, until in May, 1869, when a call was extended to the Rev. James G. Carson, at that time pastor of the congregation at Canonsburg, Penn- sylvania, in the presbytery of Chartiers. This call was accepted in the fol- lowing October and in the following December began Doctor Carson's long pastorate, which continued for more than thirty years, or until the pastor's voluntary retirement on September 1, 1902. About the time of the beginning of Doctor Carson's pastorate at Xenia a considerable number of the congregation-between forty and fifty members, including two of the elders-had separated themselves from the Second church and had united with about an equal number from the Reformed Presbyterian congregation to effect the organization of the Third United Presbyterian church in Xenia, thus reducing the membership of Second church to about one hundred and eighty-five; which, however, in the first fifteen months of Doctor Carson's pastorate was restored to its previous number of two hundred and thirty. During the first year of that pastorate, also, notwithstanding its dimin- ished strength, the congregation undertook and accomplished the entire refit- ting and furnishing of the interior of the church, at an expense of more than three thousand dollars, the whole of which amount was subscribed and paid by the time the work was completed.
Following the resignation of Doctor Carson in 1902 there was a radical change in the history of the Second and Third United Presbyterian churches of Xenia, a change which finally resulted in the merging of the two con- gregations, the new congregation taking the name of the Second and the pastor of the Third. Dr. W. S. McClure had been pastor of the Third church since 1897, and became the first pastor of the new congregation upon the consolidation. Doctor McClure remained with the new church until 1912, when he resigned. The church was without a regular pastor until Rev. Huber Ferguson came in 1913, his service extending until 1917. In the fall of the latter year the present pastor, Rev. Charles P. Proudfit, was installed. The present membership is three hundred and fifty-five, and all the departments of the church are in a flourishing condition. The Sab- bath school has an enrollment of three hundred and sixty-five and is under the superintendency of Wier Cooper. The Woman's Missionary Society, with Mrs. B. R. McClellan as president, has a membership of fifty; the Young People's Society has a membership of sixty-five. The West End branch of the church has a membership of fifty-five, with a Sabbath school, Heber Douthett, superintendent, of one hundred.
THIRD UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF XENIA.
The career of the Third United Presbyterian church of Xenia began on December 9, 1869, and formally closed on March 25, 1903, at which latter date the congregations of the Second and Third United Presbyterian
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churches voted to merge their congregations. The history of the Third church was carefully compiled in 1892 by J. C. McMillan, then the only living member of the original organization of 1848, and here is appended a verbatim copy of his manuscript, which now forms a part of the records of the church :
The Third Presbyterian church of Xenia was the successor of the Reformed Presby- terian church of Xenia, which was organized on February 12, 1848, under the following circumstances :
Ten families, members of the Reformed Presbyterian congregation of Massies Creek, under the care of Rev. Hugh McMillan, pastor, living in and of the vicinity of Xenia, Ohio, who for fifteen years had regularly attended there, believing that an organization was desirable in Xenia which would save traveling some twelve and fourteen miles on Sabbath, held a meeting on February 12, 1848, at which it was agreed to petition the Ohio presbytery for an organization. The petition was signed by Daniel McMillan, James C. McMillan, Alexander Wier, John Little, John B. Wright, James Bratton, Robert Cooper, William H. Stewart, William McQuiston and James Chalmers. These men, with' their families, made a total proposed membership of the new church of thirty-six members.
This petition was granted and Rev. Andrew Heron, D. D., was appointed to organize the congregation, this being done on June 17th, 1848. Daniel McMillan, Alexander Wier and John Little were made elders. The Methodist Protestant church on Church street not being regularly occupied was secured for public worship, and here regular services were held until some time in 1849. In that year the congregation decided to build a church and a committee was appointed to look for a lot. Daniel McMillan, being the owner of the lots on the corner of Columbus and Market streets, valued at $1,000, pro- posed to donate them to the church and also subscribe $500 to the building fund. This was accepted. D. Crandall was employed to prepare a plan not to exceed $4,000, for a building 42 by 62 feet. A committee was then appointed to raise the funds, and the building was erected that year, although it was not ready for regular services until April, 1850.
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