USA > Ohio > Muskingum County > History of Muskingum County, Ohio ; with illustrations and biographical sketches of prominent men and pioneers, 1794 > Part 38
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Rev. A. Bartholomew became the pastor, and
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HISTORY OF MUSKINGUM COUNTY, OHIO.
served until 1843. His successors have been : Rev. Stephen A. Mealy, Rev. W. C. Houar (Rev. A. Bartholomew, recalled in 1848), Rev. A. Bosserman, who was dismissed for his uni- versalism ; Rev. A. J. Weddell ; from 1856 to 1869, no settled pastor; Rev. M. C. Horine, Rev. W. P. Ruthrauf, and the present incum- bent, who began his service in 1876.
This congregation purchased from St. James' Episcopal Church, a building vacated by them, situate on the northwest corner of Sixth and South streets, for three thousand dollars, which they re-dedicated on the 2d of December, 1841, Rev. A. Bartholomew officiating.
In 1878, the congregation erected their present church edifice, on the southeast corner of Sixth and South streets, and subsequently built an ad- dition for Sunday School and other purposes, the entire cost amounting to $7,500. These build- ings were erected on the same site as that pur- chased from St. James' congregation.
The Sunday School was organized at an early day, but no records of special interest are avail- able. There are seven teachers and fifty pupils ; it has a library of 150 Volumes The Superinten- dent is H. W. Elson, assisted by A. F. Baker. The Treasurer and Secretary is H. Jacob Baker : Librarians, Samuel Elson and Miss Edith Snider.
The Pastor, Rev. F. Richards. Deacons : John Bowman, John H. Brooks, H. J. Baker, Volney Day, J. G. Shalteis, George W: W. Walter. and W. H. Deffenbaugh.
The oldest member of the church is Mrs. John Bowman, nee Border, who is in a good state of preservation, and delights to read her Bible, an old German edition, printed in 1719.
The Lutheran Churches here, and in Ohio, are subject to the English District Synod of Ohio, in connection with the General Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in North America.
The following is the action of the Church Council of the St. John's English Evangelical Lutheran Church on the death of Mr. John Bowman.
WHEREAS, God has taken out of our midst our brother officer, Mr. John Bowman ; there- fore, be it
Resolved, That we bow in humble submis- sion to the Divine will, and acknowledge the hand of Him who doeth all things well, in this our bereavement.
Resolved, That we bear our testimony to the worth of our deceased brother, to his generous benevolence in all our church enterprises, to his consistent Christian life, to his regularity in the Divine worship, to his conscientiousness in the discharge of the duties of the office which he has held from the organization of our congrega- tion to the day of his death.
Resolved, That we, as officers, shall en- deavor to imitate his example in the interest he has felt in the advancement of the cause of Christ and in the faithfulness he has shown in attendance upon the means of grace.
Resolved, That we, as a Church Council, attend his funeral in a body, that the church edi-
fice be draped in mourning for the space of thirty days, and that a special memorial service be held on Sunday, the 30th of October.
Resolved, That we extend our deepest sympa- thies to the aged widowed wife, to his bereaved family and that a copy of these resolutions be submitted to them, and also published in the city papers and that they be entered upon the rec- cords of the church.
H. J. BAKER, Secretary.
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH .- In the fall of 1820, Elder George C. Sedwick left Winchester, Vir- ginia, for the purpose of exploring the West. Taking Zanesville in his route, he tarried a few days, during which time he preached the un- searchable riches of Christ. He then visited Kentucky and Indiana, receiving several invita- tions to settle with strong churches, and the offer of a good salary ; but his mind was fixed upon Zanesville, though there was no Baptist Church there, and only one man known to be a Baptist. So strong were his impressions of duty, that he returned and commenced his labors in the begin- ning of 1821. The court house and private dwellings afforded places for preaching and church meetings.
On the IIth of Febuary, 1821, three persons were baptized, viz: Isaiah Miller, Thomas Sheppard and J. Johnson ; these were the first fruits of his ministry in this new field. Bap- tisms are also mentioned as having occured in April, May and June ; on the 16th of June, the church was constituted. Elder George C. Sedwick was. on the same day, chosen pastor, and Joseph Sheppard and Jeremiah Dale were made Deacons, and Thomas Sheppard, Clerk. They agreed at this meeting to unite with the Muskingum Association, which met August the 22d, following. At this meeting, they reported thirty seven baptized, and four received by letter, total, forty one. In the second report of the Asso- ciation, in August, 1822, they returned thirty- nine baptized, twelve received by letter, six dis- missed, total 83. In their last report to this Asso- ciation, in 1825, they stated a total of 104; and that there had been baptized, at that date, 105. Considering that they had no meeting house for the first two or three years, and that other socie- ties had so much the start, this was considered a good beginning, and an evidence of the leadings of providence in planting the Gospel standard in this place.
Their house of worship, which had been in process of erection for some time, was ready for use in the fall of 1823, and was dedicated to the service of God, November 15th, of that year, and on the 15th of December, following, the first meeting was held in the new church. This was a neat one story brick building, 40x60, quite as good as any other in the town.
In May, 1826, the Ohio Baptist State Conven- tion was organized in the new church, and there held its first three annual meetings. The day after the convention closed its first session, the Meigs Creek Association was constituted, with
ence
Fronte DIEn
The Farm of J. B. ALLEN, Esq., 80 Acres, for sale by Spangler & Finley.
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HISTORY OF MUSKINGUM COUNTY, OHIO.
seven churches and 409 members, at the Brook- field Church, now in Noble county. This church was one of the seven which formed that body. Previous to this, there had been no Association east of the Muskingum river, except a small body called "Still Water," located in the north part of Guernsey and Belmont counties, which, about this time, was extinct, having been carried away by what was called Campbellism.
The church appears to have had peace within her walls for eight or ten years, during which time many were added to her members, and about that time another swarm-thirty-one mem- bers-withdrew, to form a new hive.
Elder Sedwick occupied a very prominent position among the Baptist Ministers of Ohio, and he is held "in grateful remembrance" by those who knew him. His was truly a mission- ary spirit; on this subject he held advanced views, and earnest. As an illustration : Early in the spring of 1832, he proposed to raise $100 jointly between Zanesville and Granville, for Foreign Missions. Rev. Allen Darrow informs us that this was done, and that he was the bearer of that sum to the "Triennial Convention," which met in New York, in May, of that year. [The constitution required $100 from each rep- resentative.] And when the $100 was handed in to the Treasurer, [Deacon II. Lincoln. ] he said : "Here is the first sheaf of the harvest from Ohio." He was foremost also in establish- ing the College in Granville, and among the first Trustees, and continued in that body until death closed his career. He resigned his pastorate in July, 1836, when the church was without an under-shepherd about one year. and then called Elder William Sedwick, who entered upon his labors in July 1837. His connection with the church was gratifying, and a good degree of harmony and prosperity attended their mutual labors.
Just at the close of Elder Wmn. Sedwick's sec- ond year, and after the church had signified its desire for his continuance, he was called to preach the funeral sermon of Elder Wm. Spencer, of Salem township, who died suddenly. The church in Adamsville, where Elder Spencer had labored for twenty-one years, earnestly requested Elder Sedwick to come to their church, and after several weeks' consideration he resigned the care of the church in Zanesville and accepted the call and moved to Adamsville. Elder S. S. Parr was then called to the church in Zanesville, and commenced his labors in December, 1839. He was an eloquent man, and might truly be called a "Boanerges." His stay, however, was short, though prosperous, many being added during the eighteen months of his pastorate. After his resignation and removal, in April 1841, Elder John M. Courtney was called. He served faith- fully during seven years, and enjoyed the con- fidence of the church and of the community. The church was greatly strengthened and en- larged under his ministry. A few years after his removal from Zanesville, he passed "over the river." All loved Brother Courtney, and
deeply lamented his death. David E. Thomas succeeded Brother Courtney, and was publicly installed in December, 1849. The exercises were conducted by Elders George C. Sedwick and Abel Johnson. Brother Thomas was a native of Wales, and spoke his native language as fluently as the English. But few were his equal in de- bate. He served the church up to the close of 1855. Many were added to the church during his ministry, and the present church was erected while he was pastor, although it was not finished for some years after he left. He died at his home, near Piqua, Ohio.
After the resignation of Rev. Thomas, Rev. J. B. Conyers was called. He served about three years, during which time the church ex- perienced serious troubles-which were the out- growth of difficulties engendered before Brother Conyers became pastor-and finally terminated in the withdrawal of sixty-four members, who organized another church, called the Sixth Street Church. This body subsequently united with the Market Street Church of Zanesville.
In December, 1859, Rev. D. F. Carnahan be- came the pastor and served three years. During his ministry the church moved on in harmony. He resigned his office as pastor to become an officer in the Army of the North against the Southern Rebellion. After his resignation. Elder Smith, of Virginia. supplied the church for a short time, and was succeeded by Brother George W. Young, of Pennsylvania. His mis- sion was also of short duration, but he was called away by death, on the 12th of November, 1864. This unexpected loss was deeply lamented by the congregation, as well as his family ; all mourned, even as a household. for a good man had fallen.
After the death of Brother Young, the church called Brother J. B. Sharp, who entered upon his duties as pastor in February, 1865. Quite a large addition of members were received by bap- tism during his ministry. And again, as if the church was destined to be the mother of churches, seventy-seven members, sixty-five of whom were very largely young people, separated from the flock, and were constituted the Berean Church, but subsequently disbanded, some re- turning to their mother church, and some to the Market Street Church.
In August, 1866, Rev. W. G. Pratt became the pastor, and while some had felt as though severely tried, and as if enduring a long. dark and fearful night, the morning at last dawned, and they hailed with delight the promise of peace.
During the year that Brother Pratt was with them, they were chiefly engaged in adjusting the unsettled state of affairs that he found to exist. A large number being excluded, the church was pruned that it might bring forth more fruit.
Rev. S. Washington, of Pittsburg. was the successor of Brother Pratt, and took the over- sight of the church in April. 1868. He wielded a salutary influence in favor of the church, and through him she was lifted up to a higher posi-
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HISTORY OF MUSKINGUM COUNTY, OHIO.
tion of usefulness. A number of useful persons were added to her numbers.
The meeting house was repaired and beauti- fied during this time, at great expense, most of which was subscribed and paid, and the church was well nigh through the wilderness ; her pulse beat more healthily than for years before. But it was with "fear and trembling," for Brother Washington felt it his duty to resign and accept a call from the church af Jacksonville, Illinois. He closed his labors with the church in October, 1869, after a useful pastorate of eighteen months, and they were without an under-shepherd sev- eral months. January Ist, 1870, a few of the faithful met and resolved to observe the ensuing week in prayer to Almighty God. At this time, also, there was an unusual spirit of prayer in nearly all of the churches in the city, and revi- vals, also, in some of them. Night after night, a little band met in the basement of the First Baptist Church and prayed, clinging to the right arm of Jehovah, and believing His word. Light shone suddenly upon them, and God gave heed to their prayers in a way unexpected. The third Sabbath morning in January, the Holy Spirit came, with much power, into the Sunday School, and prevailed among the scholars. The Super- intendent noticed a spirit of religious inquiry in the school, and he requested all who wished to be prayed for to arise, and forty stood up for prayer. This unlooked for event caused them to send for Brother E. W. Daniels, of Rockville, to come and help them a few days. He attended to the Macedonian cry, and the church came up nobly to the work with him ; the few days were lengthened into weeks, and there were daily added to the church rejoicing converts ; most of the families in the church were rejoicing over the salvation of some of their members ; whole house- holds were brought into the church, and the only ones of other families, who were out, were brought into the church, and there was great joy in the church and in the city ; near fifty persons pro- fessed conversion, and a large number of young men and women were received into the church, many of whom became very efficient members.
The church extended a call to Brother Daniels to become her pastor, and he began his pastoral labors with them the first Sabbath in April, 1870. All her meetings were well attended. The church now looked forward to a promising future. She had seen days of darkness, and seemed almost destroyed. Thus the "vine brought out of Egypt," planted in Zanesville, in 1821, has taken deep root, and spread its branches eastward and westward, till its songs of praise are sung in China, and echoed back from hills and moun- tains to the farthest known west, amid the valleys and mountains of the Pacific slope.
Rev. E. W. Daniels resigned his pastorate in the fall of 1872. The church was supplied by Rev. R. S. James during the winter of 1872-73, when Rev. Thomas Powell, of Geneva, Ohio, received and accepted the unanimous call to be- come the pastor, and entered upon his labors April 1st, 1873, and continued as their pastor un-
til July Ist, 1877. From that date until October following, the church was without a shepherd, although it had numerous supplies. In that month, the church called Rev. Dr. T. R. Palmer, of Columbus, Indiana, and he entered immedi- ately upon his labors. January 1st, 1880, Dr. Palmer offered his resignation, to take effect April Ist, following. In April, of that year, the church extended a call to Rev. J. B. Ewell, of Warsaw, Western New York, and he began his labors in May, 1880, and is the present pastor. The church is in good spiritual condition. The following ministers have gone out from the church : Samuel Williams, George F. Adams, John Maginnis, Thomas M. Erwin, Jeremiah Dale, Benoni Allen, Seth Wickham, Joseph Sheppard, Thomas Sheppard, Ely Fry, Joseph and William S. Sedwick, Robert Cairnes. Thomas Sheppard, Jr., and William Ashmore.
The following churches have been organized from her : Market Street Third Church (colored). Sixth Street and Berean. Large numbers. have removed to the West; on one occasion forty were dismissed to go West.
In 1832, seventy-six were baptized ; in 1833, sixty-three ; in 1840, seventy-one ; and in 1848, sixty-five. Very few churches in the State have exerted a wider and more beneficial influence upon the community in which they were located.
The Sunday-School was organized soon after the church became a fact : its record, according to tradition, has been very satisfactory. The Su- perintendent is H. M. Sedgwick, assisted by J. D. Warner ; the Secretary is F. C. Deitz, assisted by E. H. Bauer : the Librarian and Treasurer is , assisted by George Mitchell ; the Chor- ister is Lambert Parker; the Organist is Miss Oneida Mitchell. There are nineteen classes. with an enrollment of two hundred and twenty- five, and an average attendance of one hundred and sixty-five. The attendance is forty per cent. greater than it was one year ago, and the officers and teachers are noted for their punctuality.
ST. THOMAS' CHURCH [CATHOLIC. ]-This church was organized in 1820, by Rev. Nicholas D. Young, O.P. The first members were John S. Dugan and family, and William Colerick and family. The first pastor was Rev. Stephen H. Montgomery, and the services were held in a small brick ware-house, which stood on the north- east corner of Fifth street and Locust alley.
The first church was a one story building, thirty-five feet high, seventy feet deep, and forty feet front, built at a cost of about two thousand dollars, and stood on the back part of the lot oc- cupied by the present church. The corner stone was laid in the spring of 1825, and the building was dedicated to the service of Almighty God in the fall of 1827. The ceremony was performed by the Rt. Rev. Edward Tennick, Bishop of Cincinnati.
The present church, located on the northeast corner of Locust alley and Fifth street, is a mag- nificent stone structure of one hundred and twen- ty by sixty feet, and furnished in the most sub-
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HISTORY OF MUSKINGUM COUNTY, OHIO.
stantial and beautiful manner ; the entire cost was about $40,000. The corner-stone was laid March 17, 1842. by Bishop Miles, of Tennessee.
The late pastor, Rev, P. C. Coll, was assisted by Rev. C. H. Metzger and Rev. J. H. Lynch. Father Coll was ordered to Washington, D. C., and was succeeded by Rev. J. A. Bokel, who came November 8, 1880 ; the assistants remain- ing.
The membership of the church, which includes children. is about 3,000.
The Sunday School was organized by Rev. B. A. Brady, assisted by Miss Mary Wright, Elizabeth Crowly, Julia Sullivan, and Thomas R. Phelps ; the latter was made Superintendent, and Miss Crowly, assistant. John Taggart, Sec- tary, and J. C. Sullivan, Treasurer. The Li- brary was well selected, and is ample. Miss Mary Wright, Librarian. This school was sub- sequently substituted by the Parish school.
CATHOLIC SOCIETIES.
The Altar Society-was organized in 1830.
The Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary-was organized in 1848.
The Rosary-an account of which follows these societies, organized in 1848.
The Purgatorial Society-organized in 1877. The Sacred Heart Society-organized in 1877.
The Holy name of Jesus Society-organized in 1880, having the following officers: Presi- dent, E. P. Bloomer ; Secretary, J. C. Sullivan ; Treasurer, Patrick Dugan.
These Societies are strictly devotional in their exercises.
Saint Patrick's Benevolent Society-organized March 17, 1859. The first officers were : Pres- ident, George D. McMahon ; Secretary, Thomas R. Phelps : Treasurer, H. J. Dennis. The pres- ent officers are : President, E. P. Bloomer ; Sec- retary, Daniel Sattersal ; Treasurer, John Ryan.
Shortly after the breaking out of the war of the rebellion, and the call for troops was heard in the city of Zanesville, this society, with true Irish generosity and patriotism, gave all it had in its treasury, five hundred dollars, to equip men for- the fray. This sum, the accumulation from hard day labor, saved for the purpose of taking care of their sick, burying the dead, and keeping the wolf from the door of the widow and orphan, had been husbanded with great care by the Hon. John O'Neil, then their President. But when Sumter was fired upon, and the cry, "to arms !" was heard throughout the North, they said with one voice :
Take this sacred fund, though it be, And many stalwart Irishmen beside ; Oh, our country, we would save thee, Or go down in the crimson tide.
The city highly appreciated the generous of- fer, yet on account of the purpose for which the money had been raised, and the fact that means were not lacking to accomplish the purpose for which this money was offered, and considering
it far more than their portion, returned the money to the society with sincere thanks.
St. Thomas' Benevolent and Literary Society -organized May 2, 1871. The first officers were : Henry J. Dennis, President ; J. C. Sul- livan, Secretary ; L. H. Dennis, Treasurer. The membership, at this time, was about twenty. The present officers are: Thomas S. McCormack, President ; Thomas Lacey, Secretary ; J. C. Sul- livan, Treasurer.
The present membership is about seventy- eight. The society has a library of about six hundred and fifty volumes, embracing standard works on history, poetry, biography, religion, fic- tion and encyclopædias.
Ancient Order of Hibernians, Division No. 1. -This is a branch of a time honored association for benevolence, and the care of the widow and the orphan within its folds. The order in Zanes- ville was organized in Zanesville, August 26, 1876, with the following officers : . County Dele- gate-P. J. Kelly ; President, Michael Hayden ; Vice President, Terrence Farmer ; Financial Secretary, James T. Bradley ; Recording Secre- tary, Michael Liston : Treasurer, P. J. Kelly. The present officers are: County Delegate. Terrence Farmer ; President, P. J. Kelly; Vice President, Thomas Farrell ; Financial Secretary. Howard Carroll ; Recording Secretary, C. F. McCue ; Treasurer, Thomas Cosgrove. The membership numbers about seventy-five. The time and place of meeting-the first and third Sunday evening of every month, at St. Thomas' Hall, North Fifth street.
The Rosary was founded by St. Dominic. and instituted, as a solemn form of devotion, in the year 1213. The same idea which prompted St. Dominic to establish his order, prompted him to establish the Rosary-one was to be the aux- iliary of the other. When passing through France, shortly before the period above mentioned, St. . Dominic was shocked and grieved at beholding the ravages which the Albigensian heresy, then in its full growth and vigor, was committing in that portion of the Lord's vineyard. This heresy was one of the most formidable and destructive that ever afflicted the church of God, and it was for its suppression, and to remedy the evils it had caused, that Dominic conceived the thought of founding his order, to be composed of men who should make teaching and preaching the truths of the gospel, to every class of society, the grand object of their lives. The heretics whom St. Dom- inic and his confreres thus pitted themselves against, are known in history as the Albigenses : they had their origin, as a sect, about A. D. 1160. at Albigeois, in Languedoc, and at Toulouse ; they opposed the disciples of the church, as we have said. Their errors were not only destructive of true religion and morality, but calculated to sap the foundation of society itself. Like the Man- ichians of old, they believed in the existence of two great principles of good and evil, continually contending against each other. Like them, also. they taught that marriages were unlawful, and should not be tolerated, while the most scanda-
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HISTORY OF MUSKINGUM COUNTY, OHIO.
lous practices were allowed their followers. The doctrine of the Incarnation was peculiarly dis- tasteful to the Albigenses, and they strained ev- ery point to bring it into odium amongst the peo- ple : and, owing to the ignorance and irreligion of a portion of France, at the time, they were very successful. It was to remedy this evil, es- pecially, that St. Dominic established the Ro- sary. The idea was a happy one, and wisely conceived. Knowing very well that it would be labor in vain to attempt removing the errors that had crept in, by explaining the great mysteries of Christianity, in a scientific or theological man- ner. therefore, he thought of establishing a form of prayer which would contain in itself an epitome of Christianity, and which, while it enabled those who practiced it to commune with God, and draw down the blessings of Heaven upon them, would afford, also, an opportunity of be- ing instructed in the principles, mysteries and dogmas, of the faith, by making them the subject of their contemplation, while reciting a certain form of prayer. How well it was calculated to insure the end intended, the success in its pro- mulgation and practice fully shows. Reciting the Rosary very soon became a universal custom among the people, and by meditating on the mysteries which it represents, they became deep- ly imbued with the principles of their faith, and error received its death blow, and disappeared from amongst them. Especially was the mystery of the Incarnation resuscitated and strengthened. A society of the Rosary was formed, which still exists, a branch of which was instituted in St. Thomas' Church, in 1848, and which now num- bers five hundred members. To this society the church has granted the most extraordinary fa- vors and indulgences ; it is in universal practice in the church, and is considered one of the most potent and excellent devotions, not only in its simplicity, but grandeur, being suitable for every rank or class ; for the ignorant as well as the in- structed, the most limited capacity, or the most learned philosopher. It is a combination of the most beautiful petitions, or prayers, that can be offered to propitiate Heaven. It commences with the Lord's prayer, is followed by that beautiful angelic salutation addressed to the blessed Vir- gin Mary, " Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee," (and the inspired words of St. Elizabeth,) "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus," (and the addition made by the church ), " Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us now and at the hour of our death, amen." repeated one hundred and fifty times, in imitation of the psalter of David. These one hundred and fifty petitions are divided into fifteen parts, or decades, terminating with a special acknowledgement of praise and glory to the Blessed Trinity. While each decade is be- ing recited, it is necessary also to contemplate the great mystery of the Incarnation, the stupen- dous miracle of God becoming man, and sub- jecting himself to all the miseries of our nature, for the redemption of man ; and so, also, the oth- er great mysteries-the passion, death, resurrec-
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