USA > Ohio > Franklin County > Columbus > Minutes of the session of the Ohio Miami Conference, successor to Miami Conference, of the United Methodist Church, 1970 > Part 5
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It was, doubtless, this building to which Christian Newcomer referred in his journal as the place he preached on June 24, 1817. 14
Mr. Hentz, speaking further about Andrew Zeller and the followers of Otterbein, says
After this his home became their headquarters, and the center from which their doctrines were propagated. He is held by them in great esteem, and looked upon as the chief founder of their church in Ohio. Born August 15, 1755; died May 21, 1839. 15
Later Mr. Hentz writes
United Brethren preachers visited the Twin Valley at an early period.
5 Ibid., pp. 48, 54.
" Ibid., p. 59.
8 Ibid., p. 60.
9 Ibid., p. 101.
10 A. W. Drury, History of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Dayton: The Otterbein Press, 1924, p. 306.
11 Ibid.
* This was later the Perry Coffman farm.
12 Ibid.
13 Ibid.
14 S. S. Hough, ed., Christian Newcomer, His Life, Journal and Achievements, Dayton: Board of Administration, Church of the United Brethren in Christ, 1941, p. 195.
15 Hentz, op. cit., p. 101.
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CONFERENCE HISTORY
Andrew Zellers (sic) settled here in 1805, and as he was a zealous disciple of Otterbein, there is no doubt that he began preaching soon after he located here. His house became the headquarters for his denomination in this section of the country, and remained so for many years. But he and his colaborators did not make very speedy progress. . . For twenty-five years they were without Church, or place of regular meeting, worshipping in private houses, in barns, and schoolhouses, and all this time having to fight their way with other denominations. 16
The Germantown class continued to meet at Zeller's from 1806 to 1829 when it moved into a small brick building on Warren Street in Germantown.
Services were certainly held in other homes, barns, and schoolhouses in the Ger- mantown area. A little nearer Germantown than the Zeller farm, Jacob Garst, the father of Dr. Henry Garst, bought a farm in 1808. Some time prior to 1829 he added a large frame room to his log house for the purpose of holding religious meetings. The Miami Conference session was held in this room in 1829. 17
2. Zion, Cincinnati. The present Zion Church located west of Cincinnati began as the Taylor Creek Church. Dr. Drury says, "Whether Zeller and Troyer as preachers were instrumental in the organization of the class near Cincinnati earlier than the class was formed in Zeller's house, cannot be decided." 18
Some additional research has been done on this, however. The most thorough was that by the Rev. Allen L. Unger who served as pastor of the Zion Church from 1951 to 1962. He wrote a history of this church as his graduating thesis at Bonebrake Theological Seminary in 1954.
The beginnings of the Taylor's Creek Church are closely related to the George Matthews Fagaly family. This family came from Baltimore, Maryland to the Cincin- nati area. Mr. Unger writes
followed the Harrison Pike to what is now Wesselman Road, or where Taylor's Creek meets the hill that turns it west toward the Miami River. They ascended the creek about a half mile to a place where the three town- ships of Green, Colerain and Miami meet in one corner. There they estab- lished their home. 1
The following quotations from Mr. Unger's paper and from Mr. Royal S. Hayes, an elderly member of the church of the United Brethren in Christ in Cincin- nati, tell the story of the organization of the Taylor's Creek class. "The Zion United Brethren Church had its birth in the home of George M. Fagaly who lived on Taylor's Creek." 20 "The church was organized by one of the circuit riders, probably Andrew Zeller or Daniel Troyer, from the Germantown settlement in 1807 or 1808." 21
It is impossible to determine the exact date of the organization of the Zion Class. It could not have been as early as 1806 but probably 1807 or 1808. Since we know that the Fagaly's son, John, was their first American born child and was born in Baltimore, Maryland, September 25, 1806, there is
16 Ibid., p. 167.
17 A. W. Drury, "Some Early Churches and Meeting Places," Religious Telescope, LXII (October 2, 1926), 4.
18 Drury, op. cit., p. 307.
19 Allen L. Unger, "Zion Church and Its Change from Rural to Rural Urban," (Unpublished B.D. Thesis, Bonebrake Theological Seminary, 1954), p. 8.
20 Ibid., p. 12.
21 Royal S. Hayes, Unpublished paper.
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CONFERENCE HISTORY
a time element involved. It took some time to make the trip to Ohio. They first settled at Fairmount, and must have stayed there for a time because Mr. Fagaly asked to be buried in that community. 22
Other families also came from Maryland and settled near Fagaly's Taylor Creek home. Some of these were United Brethren and formed the nucleus for the new class. Mrs. Fagaly was active in giving instruction and providing leadership for this new group. A log church was built by the year 1811. Royal Hayes believes that this could have been the first church building north of the Ohio River to be used by a United Brethren class.
3. New Hope, Preble County. The third of these early churches was New Hope in the Preble County village by that name.
Dewalt Bonebrake came with his family to this country from Germany. In that country he had been educated for the Lutheran ministry, though he taught school to pay for his passage. He spent his first years here in Pennsylvania where he became affiliated with the United Brethren, coming to Ohio in 1800 where he lived for six years in Athens County. Then the family moved to Cincinnati and Mill Creek by way of the Ohio River. In the spring he sent two of his boys to seek a likely place for them to secure land. As a result the Bonebrake family settled on Preble County land in the spring of 1807. This land, was recently known as the Mcclellan farm, and is located about a mile east of New Hope, Ohio. 24
A. W. Drury reports further developments.
Not long afterward he heard of preachers not far away, whom he took to be United Brethren preachers. . . . He sent two of his sons to bring the preachers to his place, and in 1808 a United Brethren Class was formed at a meeting in his barn. Services were held in his barn and house until a log church was erected in 1815, on land owned by one of his sons one-half mile east of New Hope. 23
This church was originally called the Bonebrake Church. A brick building was later built in New Hope and the name changed.
Early Circuit Riders
Continued migration from the east resulted in a substantial increase in the United Brethren people in Montgomery County. Drury refers to this
A special addition to the German constituency of Montgomery County was made when, in 1805, ninety-six Marylanders including women and children, settled a few miles east of Dayton. Included in the company were Kemp, Lehman and other families from United Brethren communities in Maryland. These people gave a warm welcome to Newcomer as a preacher and visitor. 26
More preachers also came to bring the gospel to these settlers. "Thomas Winters, who had been recognized as a preacher since 1799, became in 1809 an accession to the force of preachers in the Miami Valley." 27 He located in Greene County where he did some preaching but served no regular charge. He later moved to Montgomery County
22 Unger, op. cit., pp. 12, 13. Material gathered from an unpublished manuscript by Royal S. Hayes.
23 Hayes, op. cit.
24 Letter from Grant Bonebrake, a great-grandson to Rev. R. V. Pelton, published in The Register Herald, an Eaton, Ohio, newspaper on November 29, 1833.
25 Drury, History, op. cit., p. 307. 26 Ibid.
27 Ibid.
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CONFERENCE HISTORY
and lived for a time in the city of Dayton. He continued to minister as a circuit preacher until 1814 when he decided to return to the Reformed Church. 28
Henry Evinger of Taylor's Creek and Daniel Troyer were also a part of the early Miami Valley preaching team.
Many German people, moving from the east, settled in Fairfield, Pickaway, and Ross Counties, a part of the Miami Conference in early years. Some of these were affiliated with the United Brethren. When Christian Newcomer came to Ohio in 1810 he called upon two United Brethren preachers, Abraham Hiestand and George Benedum who lived on opposite sides of Lancaster in Fairfield County. Abraham Hiestand came with several brothers in 1804. Other ministers who may have been influenced by these men were Lewis Kramer, DeWalt Mechlin, John Smaltz and Samuel Hiestand. 29
Another recruit to the Miami Conference forces was the Rev. John G. Pfrimmer who did some preaching in Harrison County, Indiana, from 1808 to 1814. A native of France he began preaching shortly after his conversion in 1790. In 1814 he attended the session of the Miami Conference at Andrew Zeller's in Montgomery County, Ohio. There he announced that he would from henceforth be a member of Miami Conference. He served as secretary of the Conference for a number of years. The epitaph on his tombstone states that the deceased established the first United Brethren societies in In- diana. One of these was Corydon. 30
These were circuit-riding preachers who travelled around the country setting up preaching places. Though not all followed as rugged a schedule as Christian Newcomer, a series of entries in his journal somewhat illustrate their pattern of ministry. This begins with July 10, 1810, and concludes with August 12, the day before the forma- tion of the Miami Conference and is presented here in an abridged form.
We rode to A. Hiestand's (in Fairfield Co.), one of our preachers and stayed for the night. We came to old Mr. Creider's in Ross County. We rode through Chillicothe. This forenoon we preached at Lewis Kemp's where we tarried for the night. Today we rode through Dayton and came to Andrew Zeller's, where we were joyfully received. We reached Cincinnati; on my way I paid a visit to Thomas King, who had moved here from Baltimore. Crossed the Ohio river into Kentucky, came to Newport, where we were kindly entertained by Jacob Bergman, a brother-in-law of Br. Geeting. We returned into the State of Ohio, and lodged with Christian Eversol. This day we preached in Cincinnati, in the Methodist meeting house; lodged with Mr. Hall. We rode today to Lebanon, and tarried for the night. We preached about six miles from Lebanon, lodged for the night with Matthias Young. This forenoon we preached here; in the afternoon we rode to Andrew Zeller's. I preached here from Luke 17, v. 14, 15; rode to Frederick Wolfe's, and tarried for the night. This evening we lodged with Daniel Dryer. We had a two-day's meeting at Lewis Kemp's near Dayton. We rode to a camp meeting near Chillicothe. We had to leave the camp-ground to attend a Sacramental meeting at old Mr. Creider's. This evening I preached at Mussel- man's. This morning we had our Love-Feast; I then preached from John 1, v. 11, 12, 13. We then administered the sacrament. . . Lodged with Michael Creider, and rested well. 31
28 Ibid., pp. 178-179.
20 Ibid., pp. 308-309.
80 Ibid., p. 809.
31 Hough, op. cit., pp. 129-131.
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CONFERENCE HISTORY
CHAPTER 3
THE MIAMI CONFERENCE, 1810 - 1824
At this point we pick up the story of the organized beginnings of the Miami Conference. Christian laymen and preachers from the east seemed to have little interest in befriending and bringing the gospel to the Indians. Andrew Eby from McCuchen- ville, Ohio, in a letter to the Religious Telescope makes reference to this, "About forty-eight years ago we left Pa., and emigrated to Ohio. Savage tribes were numerous, and (in part) our neighbors. Moral darkness covered a large portion of our (then new) state; even the whites were poorly supplied with preaching, and the Aborigines had none at all." 1
Some preaching was done, however. Mr. Eby further said, "In the Providence of God, Elder Seitz (Baptist), Rev. Bright, E.M., and Rev. A. Heistand, U.B. were permitted occasionally to preach in our neighborhood. These were the first I heard preach in Ohio, this was in the year 1803-04." 2
By 1810 many preaching places had been established in Ohio, Indiana, and Ken- tucky. The real center of the activity, however, was the Miami Valley in southwestern Ohio. It was natural, therefore, that when the first Conference west of the Allegheny Mountains was organized in this area, it should be called the Miami Conference. 3
The First Conference Session
The story of the organization of the Conference is rather unimpressive. The be- ginning is closely related to the life and labors of Christian Newcomer, who with the exception of 1811 made a visit to Ohio each year from 1810 to 1829. The 1825 session was not attended by Newcomer, who, though he had been in Ohio that year, felt it unwise to remain the necessary extra month. 4
Leaving his home in Pennsylvania on June 22, 1810, Christian Newcomer, travelling with Christian Crum, a preacher of long experience, came into Ohio where he preached in Fairfield and Ross Counties. His journey brought him through Chillicothe and then to Lewis Kemp's four miles east of Dayton. The July 23, 1810 entry in his journal reads, "Today we rode through Dayton and came to Andrew Zeller's, where we were joyfully received." " Newcomer continued his journey through southwestern Ohio and into Kentucky, returning to Andrew Zeller's where he preached on August 2nd. On his way east he held a two-day's meeting at Lewis Kemp's near Dayton. Travelling on and preaching almost daily he arrived at Michael Kreider's in Ross County. The August 13th entry in his journal reads
Today I held a little conference with the brethren; 15 preachers (how I write ?- preachers! Indeed !- we are not worthy the appellation) were present: bless the Lord for the brotherly love and unanimity of mind which pervades throughout. 6
1 Andrew Eby, "Various Subjects," The Religious Telescope XVII, (March 12, 1851), 110. 2 Ibid.
3 D. Berger, History of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, The American Church History Series, Vol. XII, New York: The Christian Literature Co., 1894, p. 353.
4 Drury, op. cit., p. 382.
5 S. S. Hough, op. cit., p. 130.
" Ibid., p. 131.
-
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CONFERENCE HISTORY
Dr. Drury makes a brief reference to this Conference in these words.
A sacramental meeting and other meetings were held and then, without anything to herald it, the great or little Miami Conference was organized and had its first session. The session, occupying a single day was held on August 13, 1810, and the place was at Michael Kreider's in Ross County. " The following minutes were recorded for this first session :
The first Conference, held August 13, in the year of the gracious birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ 1810, at Michael Kreider's in Ross County, Ohio. The following preachers were present: Christian Newcomer, Christian Crum, George Benedum, Abraham Heistand, John Froshauer, Michael Kreider, Daniel Troyer, Thomas Winter, and Andrew Zeller as full ministers (or elders) ; Jacob Zeller, Lewis Kramer, Henry Evinger, and Henry Hiestand, preachers; Frederick Klinger and John Pontius, exhorters.
At the opening of the Conference the third chapter of the First Epistle of John was read, and then singing, and prayer to God for his blessing to the furthering of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
2. The preachers made their confession of their experience of the love of God and their desire for the furthering of his Kingdom.
3. We have agreed in outward observances to bear with one another, as far as is agreeable with the word of God.
4. That we seek our salvation alone in Jesus our only Redeemer, and that alone through his meritorious blood we must become just before God.
5. When anyone trangresses, he shall be dealt with according to Matthew 18: 15-17.8
Of the ministers present, Newcomer and Crum had come from the east. Andrew Zeller, Troyer, Winters and Evinger, as mentioned earlier, were from the Miami Valley.
Conference Sessions, 1812 - 1824
Newcomer did not come to Ohio in 1811 so no session of the Miami Conference was held. ยบ
The records are a bit unclear at this point so we quote further from the evidence as presented by Dr. Drury in The Religious Telescope of August 2, 1911. It seems certain that Newcomer did not come to Ohio in 1811.
The minutes of the Conference up to 1817 were kept on loose sheets of paper. In that year the secretary, John G. Pfrimmer, copied the earlier minutes in a book and changed the date from 1812 to 1811, though he later indicated 1811 or 1812.
Two conference sessions were held in 1812, the more important one at Andrew Zeller's on August 6. Since many Scioto Valley preachers did not attend, Newcomer decided to hold a second meeting with them on August 24 and 25 in Fairfield County. Newcomer's brief reference to this is, "On 24th and 25th we held a Conference at Herman's."
In addition to those listed as present at the 1810 Conference, the following at-
" Drury, op. cit., pp. 298, 299.
& A. W. Drury, Minutes of the Annual and General Conference of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ 1800-1818, Dayton: United Brethren Publishing House, 1897, p. 71.
Drury. History, op. cit., p. 300.
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CONFERENCE HISTORY
tended one or both of the 1812 sessions. William Ambrose, William P. Smith, Samuel Mau, Christian Sherrer, John McNamar, Jacob Kemp, Peter Weil, John Bauser, De- Walt Mechlin, John Eckart, and Jacob Lehman.
Christian Crum, Michael Kreider, Henry Heistand, who attended the 1810 Con- ference, were not present in 1812.
The following significant actions were taken at the Conference at Andrew Zeller's.
1. That a circuit be formed. Thomas Winter, Henry Evinger and Samuel Mau agreed to travel the circuit.
2. The preachers were examined, and they confessed love to God and union among themselves.
3. Thomas Winter and Daniel Troyer were elected as delegates to the Conference of the Methodist brethren at Chillicothe.
4. Andrew Zeller was elected presiding elder for two years.
5. The form of baptism is to be left to those who are to be baptized.
6. Jacob Zeller, Frederick Klinger, Henry Evinger, and Samuel Mau were ap- pointed to the full performance of the office of an evangelical preacher. Chris- tian Scherrer, William Smith and John Evinger were accepted as preachers. Peter Weil was advanced to the standing of a full minister.
7. Voted that the next Annual Conference shall be held the last Thursday in August near New Lancaster. 10
Actions taken at the second 1812 session which was held in Fairfield County included the following:
1. Lewis Kramer and Jacob Zeller were received as full ministers. Jacob Pontius, John Bauser, DeWalt Mechlin and Jacob Lehman were authorized to preach on a text, and John Eckart was authorized to exhort.
2. That a circuit in this part of the country be formed.
3. Samuel Mau and Jacob Lehman agreed to travel the circuit and were approved by the Conference.
4. George Benedum was chosen presiding elder.
5. That spiritual societies or classes be formed.
6. That the next Annual Conference be held near New Lancaster the last Thurs- day in August, 1813.
It is interesting to note that "the Conference was closed with a child-like exhorta- tion by Brother Newcomer to all of the preachers to be faithful with stricter fidelity and uprightness to the Lord Jesus." 11
Because of their significance in indicating the spirit of the Miami Conference in its first years, we included the minutes in detail of the first three sessions. Space does not permit us to continue this. The basic data concerning all the sessions is found in a Table in the Appendix. Here we discuss only the important actions and decisions as these relate to the Conference and churches.
From 1813 to 1824 the Conference met in annual session, alternating between the eastern and western parts of the Conference area. Three of the western sessions were held at Andrew Zeller's.
10 Ibid., pp. 300-301.
11 Ibid., p. 302.
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CONFERENCE HISTORY
In each session one or more persons were elected to the office of presiding elder. A list of these is also in a Table in the Appendix.
Ministers
Prior to the organization of the Conference in 1810 the preachers were either self-appointed or had some credentials from the Eastern Conference. Most of them preached as a sideline to their regular work, usually farming. If their family and finan- cial situation were such as to release them for a part or all of a year, they offered or agreed to travel.
Royal Hayes in an unpublished paper and in conversation with the writer said that all lay preachers owned farms and preached only when their crops yielded them the time. In 1818 John McNamar promised to travel after harvest until the next Con- ference session.
The itinerant plan, which was accepted in the beginning, was again unanimously approved in 1814. This was also approved by the first General Conference in 1815. It was agreed that ministers should be classified as local or travelling preachers. Preachers who were willing to travel were appointed to circuits. This became even more specific beginning with the 1819 session. Royal Hayes also reported that in those early years from one to three preachers were assigned to a circuit: a "full-time" preacher, a first or second year "exhorter" and a "lay" preacher. Few of these appointees remained on the same circuit for more than one or two years.
After a discussion of licensing and ordination, it was agreed in the 1813 session to ask Father Otterbein to ordain, by the laying on of hands, one or more preachers, who afterwards may perform the same for others. Ordination was taken up again in 1815. A strong feeling was expressed that some of the older brethren should be or- dained with the laying on of hands by the bishop so that "in case of death this biblical ordination might remain with us." A committee decided that Christian Krumm should first be ordained by the bishop and that he then assist the bishop in ordaining Abraham Hiestand, Henry Miller, Daniel Troyer, Andrew Zeller, George Benedum, William P. Smith, and John George Pfrimmer. The ordination took place in that session.
The Conference set some standards for its preachers. Their conduct and ministry were examined in each annual session. In the 1813 session Henry Hiestand was exam- ined concerning some unfavorable reports respecting his life as a preacher. It was agreed that he was not seriously guilty and he was given the right hand as a sign of love. Members or officials of the Conference were free to accuse other members. The examination was not always made in the presence of the accused.
To illustrate the procedure further, we record the following actions relative to certain preachers whose names are not given here, though they are named in the minutes.
1817, "Admonishing him that unless he is more industrious the next Con- ference will dispossess him of his office."
1818, "That he be excluded as a preacher from this Conference until an examination and improvement of life, on account of unevangelistic conduct."
1820, "Concerned with various other interests and allowed his son to preach for him."
1822, "Defending the doctrine of Ariens."
1823, "Expelled for immoral conduct."
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CONFERENCE HISTORY
1824, "Quit the circuit, neglected a Sunday appointment and on that same Sunday conducted unnecessary worldly business."
The Conference and churches were operating during this period with a minimum of organization and efficiency. In the 1817 session the Conference voted that a list shall be made of all preaching places where travelling preachers preach in order to ascertain what can be collected for the support of needy preachers. A. W. Drury makes this interesting comment about the preachers.
The Conference truly was in the period of beginnings, and yet there were some portents of larger and better things. Plans were being devised for securing a better support for preachers giving their full time and an in- creasing number of preachers capable of preaching in the English. 12
The fact that all or most of the early preachers preached only in German served as a barrier to expansion and growth. John McNamar is listed as the first United Brethren preacher to use the English in Ohio. Following him were Nathaniel Havens, S. S. Spicer, A. Shindledecker, William Stewart, and Jacob Antrim.
Boundary
The Miami Conference during these early days had no real boundaries. Preaching places were located in southern Ohio, southern Indiana and northern Kentucky. But it was soon apparent that this area needed to be more specifically bounded and be reduced in size. The first action toward forming another Conference in Ohio was taken by the 1817 General Conference. "Resolved that an annual conference shall be held in the Muskingum District beginning June 1, 1818." This new Conference embraced several Counties in western Pennsylvania and the eastern part of Ohio and was named Mus- kingum. It actually did not take in any territory occupied by Miami Conference but it served to fix the eastern boundary.
General Conference
A need for some overall church organization developed quite early in both the Eastern and Miami Conferences. The Eastern Conference had asked the Miami to take some steps for setting up a general church meeting. When the Miami Conference met in its 1814 session it was ready for such action. The minutes contain the statement, "The present order (or discipline) * of the church was taken under consideration and protested against." 13
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