USA > Ohio > Greene County > History of Greene County, Ohio: its people, industries and institutions, Volume I > Part 56
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Though there is a bit of confusion regarding the actual date of a formal organization of a congregation of the Reformed church in Beavercreek town-
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ship, there is no question that the assemblage of persons of that faith in that township has rendered more than a century of continuous service thereabout. As early as the year 1800 Jacob Coy, a son of Jacob and Susanna Coy, who had come to this country from Germany and had located in Maryland, came to the Northwest Territory and settled on a farm in what later came to be organized as Beavercreek township, this county, his place being about two miles west of the present hamlet of Alpha. On that farm was erected what is believed to have been the first school house built in Beavercreek township. Jacob Coy had been reared in the faith of the German Reformed church and when other settlers holding that same faith began to find their way into that part of Greene county he became one of the leaders in the work of promoting a formal organization of a branch of the church here, the school house on his farm being used as a place of denominational worship as early as the year 1809. Just when the first formal church organization was effected is not definitely known. An earlier chronicle places the organization of the Reformed church as early as August, 1809, but Samuel Ankeny, one of the early settlers of that part of the county and for years an active member of the Reformed church, assigns the organization of Beaver Reformed congre- gation to the year 1817 or 1818. However, it is evident that the early settlers in coming into their new environment soon made for themselves a church home. Even though the first gatherings for public worship seem to have been attended by people of all creeds and were therefore undenominational, the denominational spirit was never lost and accordingly as early as 1809 settlers of the German Reformed faith gathered themselves together and held denominational services in the Coy school house. In 1817 or 1818 at a meeting held in Jacob Coy's barn under the direction of the Rev. Thomas Winters this band of worshipers was organized into the Beaver Reformed congregation. In 1820 or 1821 this congregation had assumed such numer- ical proportions that it was found inconvenient to continue holding meetings in barns and school houses and after considerable debate a site for a meeting house was selected on the northwest corner of the George Long farm, the place now occupied by the Beavercreek cemetery, and arrangments were made for the erection of a log meeting house to be used as a "union" church by both the Reformed and the Lutheran pioneers, articles of agreement being adopted by both congregations for the temporal interests of the church. In 1823 the Rev. Thomas Winters, who had "laid for the church these broad and deep foundations," was released and his son, David Winters, was called to the field. The latter was at that time still a theological student, but in 1824 he was ordained and was installed as the pastor of the Beaver Reformed congrega- tion, a form of service he continued to render for twenty years, during which time the congregation increased in numbers from fifty to nearly two hundred and fifty, and during which time several other congregations of the Reformed
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church were organized within the geographic bounds of the Beaver congrega- tion, which is thus regarded as the mother church of the Reformed communion in Greene county. In 1833 a portion of the members of the Beaver congre- gation formed a separate church in Xenia and in 1837 others of the mother congregation found it convenient to organize the Union church in the vicinity of Byron. In 1840 another offshoot formed themselves into a separate con- gregation known as Aley's church and in 1845 developed the movement that led to the organization of the Mt. Zion church, about sixty of the members then connected with the Beaver congregation associating themselves together and erecting a church edifice at the point ever since known as Mt. Zion. The constitution of the Mt. Zion Reformed church was effected on August 28, 1845, the Rev. H. Willard, pastor of the Xenia charge, officiating ; Jacob Coy and Jacob Rike being installed as elders and Solomon Glotfelter and Rignell B. Marley, deacons. Sometime prior to this date Michael Swigart, Henry Coy and Jacob Rike had been appointed trustees to superintend the erection of a house of worship in the northwest quarter of section 35, Beavercreek township, and on October 5 of that same year that house was completed and dedicated, articles of agreement being entered into at the same time whereby the house should be held and used as the joint property of the Evangelical Lutheran and Reformed congregations. The first minister of the Lutheran congregation was the Rev. Henry Heinicker, who was followed, in turn, by Roszen Miller, Solomon Ritz, John Geiger, John Ryder, - Ott and J. F. Schaefer.
The first minister of the Mt. Zion Reformed congregation was the Rev. David Winters, who for twenty years had been serving as the pastor of the Beaver charge and who for years had been riding over the fields and primitive roadways of Greene county carrying the gospel message to almost every corner of the county. A year prior to the organization of the Mt. Zion con- gregation the Beaver congregation was united with the Xenia and Caesars- creek congregations, forming a new charge, which called the Rev. Henry Willard as pastor, and Mr. Winters was thus released of his labors, but he still continued his charges at Dayton, David's (now of the Valley charge) and at Aley's, in addition to his labors at Mt. Zion. In 1850 further changes were made in the "circuit," Mr. Winters, however, continuing in charge at Mt. Zion, the congregation of which at that time pledged themselves for his support to the extent of one hundred and ninety dollars. In 1851 the Reformed church known as "Hawker's," on the Dayton and Xenia pike, was built, adding one more to the charges on Mr. Winters' circuit. Some time later Aley's ceased to be a "union" church and was left entirely to the United Brethren, who continue to occupy it. This church was built in 1838 on the farm of Jacob Aley, who donated the land for a meeting house, which was
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built under the united efforts of the Reformed, the Lutheran and the United Brethren people. In the capacity of a "circuit' 'or traveling preacher David Winters served the above-named congregation until about 1885. A year or two prior to that date the Miami classis had proposed a reconstruction of charges, making the Xenia congregation a charge by itself and Mt. Zion, Beaver and Hawker's a separate charge, thus taking Beaver back into the group where she once stood. Beaver congregation objected to this and it was not until in November, 1885, that the reconstruction became effective under the decision of classis, Mt. Zion, Beaver and Hawker's thus becoming a sepa- rate circuit under the name of the Alpha charge, which name shortly after- ward was changed to the Beavercreek charge, which it still bears.
During this reconstruction period Mt. Zion seems to have been without a regular pastor, but in February, 1886, the newly constructed charge extended a call to the Rev. J. B. Shoemaker, who declined the same, and in the May following the charge invited the Rev. J. H. Steele, then of the Mohican charge, to accept the pastorate of the Beavercreek charge. This call was accepted and in the following October Mr. Steele began his pastoral duties there. In the following March he carried on a series of evangelistic services which resulted in a gain of more than one hundred in the member- ship of the church. Mr. Steele remained pastor of the charge until December 25, 1892, when he accepted a call to go to the Grace Reformed church at Tiffin. During his pastorate numerous important improvements were made in Mt. Zion church and the Lutherans discontinued their services there. Mr. Steele's successor at Mt. Zion was the Rev. A. E. Baichley, who was installed as pastor of the Beavercreek charge on July 23, 1893, and who remained until his departure in April, 1895, to take charge of a church at Canal Fulton. During Mr. Baichley's pastorate there were eighty-five accessions to the church. The Rev. F. W. Hoffman, a young man just out of the seminary, was the next pastor of the Beavercreek charge, his pastorate extending from June 1, 1895, to July 1, 1900, during which period the general activities of the charge were strengthened and the membership increased. Mr. Hoffman's departure was based upon a call to the First Reformed church at Tiffin and he was succeeded by the Rev. J. J. Leberman, D. D., of Louisville, Ohio, who began his pastorate on September 30, 1900. A few weeks after Doctor Leberman's arrival at Mt. Zion his youngest daughter was the victim of a savage assault at the hands of a negro and this incident so turned the Doctor against the community that he declined to consider a definite installation as pastor and within less than a year left for Lancaster. About this time Beaver and Mt. Zion were made a separate charge in order that the respective con- gregations might have preaching every Sunday instead of every two weeks, and on December 22, 1901, the Rev. H. N. Smith, then of Culver, Indiana, became pastor of the charge, continuing that relation for two years, at the
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end of which time he went to Pennsylvania. For some time thereafter Beavercreek charge was served by supplies, the chief of whom was Edward F. Evemeyer, then a senior in the seminary, and who upon completing his theological course accepted a call to Beavercreek and was installed as pastor on May 7, 1905. The Rev. Edward F. Evemeyer remained pastor until in November, 1905, when he left to take up the pastorate of the Fourth Reformed church at Dayton. During his pastorate extensive improvements were made in the church and parsonage and the general work of the charge was strengthened.
Following the resignation of Mr. Evemeyer the Beavercreek charge extended a call to the Rev. J. F. Tapy, then pastor of Trinity charge at Maple- wood, this state. This call was presently accepted and on March 21, 1909, Mr. Tapy was installed as pastor of the charge, the installation ceremonies taking place at Mt. Zion. Even before Mr. Tapy had entered upon his pas- torate it had been recognized that there was a great need of a new church at Mt. Zion and he began systematically to organize the movement which pres- ently resulted in a decision to rebuild. At a congregational meeting held on December 6, 1909, it was unanimously voted that a fund should be started for a new church, building to be begun when this fund should reach the sum of seven thousand dollars. In due time this sum was in sight and on Sunday, June 1I, 1911, the congregation worshiped for the last time in the old church that had served the congregation for sixty-six years. The corner stone of the new church was laid on September 3, following, and the first services in the new edifice were held on May 5, 1912. The new church was completed at a cost of about thirteen thousand five hundred dollars and was formally dedicated on July 28, 1912. The present membership of Mt. Zion church is one hundred and seventy-five. The Sunday school, Elmer Wetzel, superin- tendent, has an enrollment of two hundred and ten; the Woman's Missionary Society, Mrs. J. F. Tapy, president, a membership of twenty-five, and the Young People's Society, Jesse Johnson, president, forty. The parsonage property maintained by the Beavercreek charge was provided in 1886 at a cost then of something like three thousand dollars.
PISGAH REFORMED CHURCH.
In 1872 those of the residents of Beavercreek township living north of Zimmerman's who held to the faith of the Reformed church erected a meeting house about thirty by thirty-six feet in dimensions at the point where the road from Zimmerman's crosses the Dayton road, in the central part of section 34, and gave to the same the name of the Pisgah Reformed church. Prior to that time they had been holding services in the school house in that district under the ministrations of Father Lefevre, mention of whose name is made
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in connection with the history of Mt. Zion church. Among the original members of this congregation were George Koogler, Eli Trubee and S. C. Bates. In the latter 'zos and early 'Sos Adam Hawker was the pastor. This church has been discontinued many years, and the building is now used as a school house.
REFORMED CHURCH AT FAIRFIELD.
This church was organized in March, 1843, by the Rev. Thomas H. Winters, mentioned above, the first communicants of the congregation in Fairfield previously having been affiliated with the congregation of the Union church, four miles southeast of the village. Two years later Mr. Winters was succeeded as pastor by the Rev. J. S. Weise, who remained, however, but six months, at the end of which brief pastorate Mr. Winters again assumed charge of the flock. On March 1, 1845, Hiram Shaull was called to the pastorate. In the meantime the congregation had been pushing the erection of a house of worship in the village and in due time the same was completed and dedicated. During a revival held by Mr. Shaull in February, 1846, there were more than seventy accessions to the church. In the following July Mr. Shaull severed his relations with the congregation and was succeeded by the Rev. Jesse Steiner, who in 1852 was succeeded by the Rev. A. Z. Dale, whose successor was the Rev. H. K. Banes, who resigned in 1859 and was followed in October of that year by the Rev. J. Schlosser, who remained until 1867 and was succeeded by the Rev. J. M. Lefevre, whose pastorate terminated in 1880. Mr. Lefevre was followed by the Rev. J. T. Hale.
MAPLE CORNERS REFORMED CHURCHI.
The Reformed church at Maple Corners in Caesarscreek township was organized about the year 1837, an offshoot of the old Beavercreek church, and the new congregation soon after its organization erected a substantial brick house of worship. The Rev. Thomas Winters was the first pastor and he was followed by his son, David Winters. In 1878 the Maple Corners congregation supplanted its old meeting house by a new and much more com- modious brick church and services have ever since been maintained there. Maple Corners many years ago became a charge associated with the Xenia congregation and was thus served by the Rev. Henry Willard for some time after the pastorate of David Winters.
CHRISTIAN CHURCH AT JAMESTOWN.
Not long after Alexander Campbell had inaugurated the movement which led to the organization of the Disciples or Christian church, Walter Scott, one of Campbell's most effective followers, visited this community and by his preaching created an interest in the new society that was crystallized
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in the organization of a church of that denomination at Jamestown, one of the prime movers in the organization being Oliver Hixon, and under the ministration of the Rev. Matthew Winans a Campbellite society was organized at Jamestown about the year 1828, the initial membership of the same being about forty. The congregation built a brick house of worship, thirty by forty feet in dimensions, and under the ministrations of Doctor Winans the new society grew and flourished. Doctor Winans died in 1859, other influ- ential members of the society, one by one, began to be called about the same time and, as an older chronicle puts it, "slowly but surely were the pillars of the church weakened." About 1865 a canvass of the situation revealed so great a decrease in membership that it was thought expedient to dissolve, which was done.
Those of the members of the organization living east of the village continued to hold meetings occasionally, however, in the school house about a mile east of town and maintained an organization which in 1873 had attained sufficient strength to warrant the erection of a meeting house and a building thirty by forty feet in dimensions was put up near by the school house, the Rev. John Irvin at that time being pastor of the flock, which numbered about fifty.
In the meantime, in 1835, there had been organized at Jamestown a "Newlight" branch of the Christian, or Disciples, church, under the ministra- tion of the Rev. Matthew Gardner. This society held services in the old Campbellite church until the latter was declared unsafe and was torn down in 1861, after which the church organization seems to have been practically suspended until 1871, in which year the Rev. Asa Coan, of Yellow Springs, reorganized the same and revived the society, which at that time had a mem- bership of fifteen. A room was secured in the school house and under the pastorate of the Rev. Peter Mccullough the membership was so rapidly increased that a year later there were one hundred and sixty-five communi- cants on the roll. Not long afterward this congregation erected what then was the handsomest audience room in town. In 1876 the Rev. B. F. Clayton was called to minister to the spiritual wants of the congregation and he served faithfully in that capacity until August 1, 1880, when he accepted a call to Rhode Island.
CHRISTIAN CHURCH AT BOWERSVILLE.
Many years ago there was organized at a meeting held in the house of Thomas Haughey a society of the "Newlight" branch of the Campbellite or Christian church, the congregation afterward holding services in the school house which then stood near the old mill-pond. The greater part of the members of this early society presently became affiliated with the Christian
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church at Jamestown and did not carry out their originally expressed intention to erect a meeting house in the Bowersville settlement.
In the meantime, at a meeting held in the meeting house of the Methodist Protestants at Bowersville on November 23, 1851, under the direction of the Campbellite preachers, 'William Irvin, William Hayes and R. B. Henry, a society of that faith was organized with an initial membership of about forty. For a while thereafter this new society continued to use the meeting house of the Methodist Protestant and then they built a church of their own, a frame structure thirty by forty feet in dimensions. The congregation steadily grew in numbers and in 1874 the church was remodeled and enlarged. Soon after the congregation had effected a definite organization a Sunday school was established.
CHRISTIAN CHURCH AT GRAPE GROVE.
The Christian church people of Ross township have had an organization at Grape Grove for many years. Upon the organization of the society there services were held on alternate Sundays in the meeting house that had been built on the Daniel Little farm by the Wesleyan Methodists in 1850. During the period of the Civil War the Wesleyan Methodists ceased to exist as a separate congregation and the meeting house passed into the hands of the Disciples or members of the Christian church congregation, who continued to hold services there until they erected a new church building at Grape Grove in 1870. This was a neat frame building erected at a cost of something more than one thousand dollars. The congregation at that time numbered about eighty souls.
SUGARCREEK CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
The Sugarcreek Christian church in Sugarcreek township was organized in 1835 by Elder George Owens as the "Union Baptist Church of Jesus Christ," a name which the society continued to bear until 1846, when the present name was substituted therefor. Upon the organization of the society a frame meeting-house was erected in the central part of section 12, south- east of Bellbrook and that meeting-house was used until 1867, when a sub- stantial brick edifice was erected in its place. Among the early ministers of this church besides its organizer, George Owens, were Joseph Weeks, Peter Mccullough, Thomas Brandon, A. L. Mckinney, C. C. Phillips, Peter Banta, R. Brandon, C. T. Emmons, H. Y. Rush, B. F. Vaughn and J. F. Ullery.
THE SILVERCREEK SOCIETY OF FRIENDS.
According to an older chronicle it is apparent that the Society of Friends, or Quakers, in the community east of Jamestown in Silvercreek township, had an organization there as early as 1812, it being narrated that
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Thomas P. Moorman was the first clerk of the meeting, the meetings for some time being held in the house of the Moormans, addresses being made there by such traveling ministers of the Quaker faith as came through this way. After a while a log meeting-house was erected about a mile southwest of Moorman's, there being then about fifty members of the society. There the Friends continued to worship until about 1838, when the log meeting- house was torn down and a more commodious structure of frame was erected in its place. This meeting-house in time also was outgrown and in 1873 the society erected a new meeting-house, a substantial edifice of brick, one mile east of Jamestown, on the Washington pike, there being at that time an active membership of about one hundred. Among the early ministers who served this meeting were Joseph Doan and Thomas Arnett. In 1866 the Rev. M. F. Moorman became the pastor and he continued to serve until in the '80s.
NEW HOPE QUAKER CHURCH.
It was not long after the beginning of a social order in that part of Greene county now comprised within the bounds of Caesarscreek township that the Quakers, who had put in their lot with the settlers of that community, effected a formal organization for worship and began to hold Sabbath Day meetings in the homes of such of the Friends thereabout whose humble abodes would properly lend themselves to the purposes of small public assemblages. Meetings continued thus to be held until about 1830, when the Society of Friends in that neighborhood erected a meeting-house about a mile west of the present village of Paintersville, where they were able to meet amid conditions less likely to create confusion. Among the early ministers of the New Hope church were those ardent Quakers, Jesse Faulk- ner, Thomas Arnett and Joel Thornburg, whose influence for good through- out that community was so firmly fixed on the social life of the. settlement that it has been a continuing force to this day. During the latter '70s and early '8os Eber Haines was the minister at the New Hope meeting-house, but after his day the congregation gradually decreased in membership until it was no longer able to support a minister. It has not held regular services for some years.
SPRING VALLEY SOCIETY OF FRIENDS.
The Spring Valley preparative meeting of the Society of Friends is one of the oldest church organizations in Greene county, the date of the first formal organization of the Quakers in that community going back to the year 1808, when Edward Walton, William Mendenhall, John Mendenhall and William Stanfield and their respective families effected an organization for worship and put up a little log meeting-house about three miles east of where later became established the village of Spring Valley. There the Quakers of that community continued to worship until 1844, when they built
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a frame meeting-house near the village and there held their services until 1877, when they purchased the Baptist church in the village of Spring Valley and at the same time reorganized their society, changing its name from that of "Richland" to the "Spring Valley Preparative Meeting of the Society of Friends," the membership at that time numbering about one hundred. Rev. Lloyd is the present pastor.
THE LUTHERAN CHURCH AT XENIA.
The Lutherans of Xenia date their formal organization as a church body to the year 1843, when the Rev. J. Lehman preached to such adherents of that faith as then were living in Xenia, these first preaching services being held in the German Reformed church at the corner of Monroe and Church streets that later was bought by the African Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Lehman continued as pastor of this little flock until 1847, when he resigned and was succeeded by the Rev. Solomon Ritz, under whose direction in the following year a house of worship was erected by the congregation on West Main street. Mr. Ritz resigned in 1852 and was followed by the Rev. A. Bartholomew, whose service was terminated at the end of a couple of years, after which the congregation was served by the Rev. G. Peters and the Rev. J. Borns, as supplies, until the Rev. J. Geiger took charge in 1856. The latter resigned in 1859, after which the congregation was with- out a settled pastor until the Rev. J. F. Shaffer was installed as pastor on August 25, 1861. Mr. Shaffer continued as pastor for more than twenty years.
THE ALEY UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH.
Aley's church, which was noted as a center of religious activities in the northwestern part of Beavercreek township for many years, is located on the farm formerly owned by Jacob Aley on what is known as the "Fifth Street road" near the central part of section 10 of the township just named. Jacob Aley donated the land on which the church was built and hence it has ever borne his name. The first edifice erected there in 1838 was built as a result of a joint effort on the part of the United Brethren, the Lutherans and the adherents of the German Reformed faith then living in that community, the United Brethren occupying the church on alternate Sabbaths. Among the original members of the United Brethren congregation were the three Aleys, Jacob, John and Abram, David Costler and Jacob Fox.
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