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 6
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The Conference then voted that a convention should be held at Abraham Troxel's in Westmoreland County on November 22. The result was the first General Conference of the Church which was held at Bonnetts Schoolhouse near Mount Pleasant, Pennsyl- vania on June 6, 1815.
The Miami Conference was represented by Abraham Hiestand, Andrew Zeller, Daniel Troyer, and George Benedum. The Conference authorized a new discipline containing the Confession of Faith. The pattern for ordination by the bishop was also approved. It is interesting to note that in the 1817 General Conference the decision
12 A. W. Drury, History of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Dayton: The Otterbein Press, 1924, p. 306.
* This was adopted earlier in the year by the Conference in the East.
13 Miami Conference Minutes, 1814.
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CONFERENCE HISTORY
was made to print three hundred Disciplines in the German language and one hundred in the English.
The 1821 General Conference met at Dewalt Mechlin's in Fairfield County, Ohio.
Interdenominational Relationships
A close working relationship existed between the Miami Conference and the Con- ference of the Methodist Church. Official delegates were elected by each to attend the sessions of the other. In 1814 a letter from the Methodist Conference relating to closer union was read. The Conference replied, expressing a desire for union.
The year prior to this a letter was recevied from the Albright brethren asking for union. This was read but no action was taken. In the 1818 session a complaint was brought against John Zeller that he had counselled members at Hacken to join the classes of the Albright people. Though his defense was that he had only given per- mission an investigating committee was appointed. The action finally taken recom- mended that we shall have no fellowship with the Albright preachers as to occupying houses.
Worship and Evangelism
The basic purpose of the church in these early years was to win people out of the world to a forgiven relationship with Christ. Preaching from the Bible was the primary means of attaining this goal. Hence preaching places was the usual designation of the place of meeting.
In addition to the small group assembly at a preaching place, there was the community-wide assembly called the camp meeting where for several days a number of preachers preached the gospel. The camp meeting is specifically mentioned in the 1820 minutes.
Singing was an important part of all these meetings. A need for a hymn book was recognized almost immediately. In 1813 Thomas Winter and Henry Evinger began to collect a volume of German hymns for use by the United Brethren. In 1815 a committee was appointed to examine the new hymn book.
The 1824 session of the Miami Conference was held at Abraham Buchwalter's in Ross County with Christian Newcomer presiding. It requested a division of its territory. Accordingly the General Conference, with 22 representatives from the three Conferences, meeting on May 7, 1825 in the house of Jacob Shaup in Tuscarawas County, Ohio voted to form the Scioto Conference in eastern Ohio.
CHAPTER 4 THE MIAMI CONFERENCE, 1825 - 1837
The more specifically defined and smaller Miami Conference held its first session following the 1825 General Conference on August 8-11 of that year in the Milton- ville meeting house in Butler County. Bishop Henry Kumler, Sr., who moved to Butler County in 1819 and who was elected to the office of Bishop in 1825, presided in Newcomer's absence.
Christian Newcomer returned to preside from 1826 to 1829. After his death in 1830, Bishop Kumler was the presiding bishop from 1830 through 1836, followed by Samuel Hiestand in 1837.
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CONFERENCE HISTORY
Conference Boundary
The resolution by the General Conference which formed the Scioto Conference stated "that the Miami Conference shall be divided into two Conference districts and that the so-called Black Swamp be the line between them." Following this action the boundary of the Miami Conference followed the eastern line of Wood, Hancock, Har- din, Logan, Champaign, Clark, Greene, Clinton and Clermont Counties.
The following ministers formerly listed in the Miami Conference went with the churches they served into the Scioto Conference: Joseph Hoffman, John Russell, George Benedum, DeWalt Mechlin, Lewis Kramer, James Ross, William Stewart, Philip Kramer, Samuel Hiestand, William Ambrose, John Coons, Jacob Zeller, Jacob Adam Lehman, John Eckhart, Nathaniel Havens, John Bauser, Joshua Montgomery, Joseph DeWitt, and John Schmaltz.
Circuits lost were Washington, Brush Creek, Adelphia, Lancaster and Scioto.
Miami Conference was again divided in 1829. The General Conference action reads "for the setting off from Miami Conference District the territory in Indiana and Kentucky west of the Ohio-Indiana line and of said line extended across Kentucky, the Conference to be known as Indiana Conference."
Miami thus lost more than half its territory and preaching force. The circuits lost were Tanner's Creek, Whitewater, Charleston, Corydon, Orange, Flat Rock and Wabash.
The following Miami Conference ministers became members of the new Indiana Conference: John McNamar, Michael Bottenberg, Henry Bonebrake, George Brown, Benjamin Abbott, Daniel Haynes, John Hetzler, William Stubbs, Josiah Cain, Craven Lynn, Benjamin McCarty, Aaron Farmer, Abraham Garrison, John Morgan, Joseph Williams, John Denham, John Hubier, Francis Whitcum, Bennett Fryer, John Jackson, Silas Davis, C. D. Frey, Frederick Kennbyer, John Lapp, Chandler Dowd, John McGinness, David Penwell, Daniel Thomas, and Daniel Fleming.
Though the Minutes of 1833 do not mention the action. the General Conference probably, in that session, authorized the formation of Sandusky Conference. The organizing session was held on May 12, 1834. The result was a more specific northern boundary for Miami.
During the session of the General Conference which convened at Germantown, Ohio on May 9, 1837 the following action was taken concerning the Miami Confer- ence boundary.
That the line between the Scioto and Miami Districts be as follows: Running from the mouth of White Oak Creek to Bellfountaine; thence to Wapaca- natia (Wapakoneta) ; thence down the Oglaze River to Defiance; thence to the line between Sandusky District and the Miami, shall be by Maumee to Fort Wayne; thence due west.
Though the latter part of this action is not clear, the statement represents an effort to specifically bound the two conferences.
Circuits and Churches
Preaching places and churches were still not listed in the records of the annual sessions up to 1837. Ministers were assigned to circuits. Circuit changes were not un- common. Ministers and conference leaders accepted the challenge of the reduced area and developed numerous new classes in unoccupied parts of the Conference.
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CONFERENCE HISTORY
Only three circuits remained after the formation of the Scioto and Indiana Con- ferences-Cincinnati, Miami, and Twin Creek. Four Mile was added in 1831.
The Conference was slow to start a permanent church in Cincinnati. In 1831 the Conference adopted a resolution instructing brothers Shindledecker and Kemp to in- quire about a meeting house that was for sale in Cincinnati. No further mention is made of this though a Cincinnati station was listed in 1832 in addition to the Cin- cinnat Circuit. Joseph Hoffman served as pastor of this station for some months in 1833. During this time a church building was at least partially completed. However, at the next Conference session, this property was ordered sold to pay the accrued in- debtedness. The Cincinnati Station was not listed from 1834 to 1837.
Expansion of the Conference is indicated by the adding in 1837 of the Clear Creek and Stillwater Circuits and Maumee Station near Brunersburgh.
Church buildings and chapels were becoming more numerous. Dr. A. W. Drury, in a Religious Telescope article, listed the early church buildings: Taylor's Creek west of Cincinnati-1811 or earlier; Bonebrake Church west of Eaton-1815; a church near Corydon, Indiana-1818; Clear Creek Church near Springboro, Ohio-1826; Stonecipher meeting house in Indiana-1831; Lydey's in Perry County-1831 ; Otter- bein meeting house in the Scioto Region-1835. The Germantown Church was built in 1829.
Many of these buildings were log structures and were usually placed on undeeded land. 1
A detailed reference appears in the 1837 Minutes concerning Rev. Rees Lloyd's donation of $500 for building a meeting house on a lot joining the Ebenezer Chapel in Morgan Township, Butler County, Ohio.
For the first time the circuits were grouped into districts in 1826. Two districts were formed and a presiding elder appointed to each.
The Conference session of 1829 was the last listed as meeting in a home.
An interesting insight into the history and practices of the Conference is given in a letter by one who wrote under the pen name of Originaliad. The following is based on that letter published in The Religious Telescope.
Was invited by Royal Hastings to accompany him in travelling the Cincin- nati Circuit. Started on foot from Lancaster, Ohio on October 23, 1837 and was delayed several days by rain.
On November 4 reached Bishop Kumler's, ten miles from Hamilton, to inquire concerning Brother Hastings. The bishop had gone to quarterly meeting on Indian Creek where Brother Hastings was expected to be. After travelling another 14 miles reached the Church which was on the land of Michael Kumler. Lodged with Samuel Kumler, son of the bishop.
Benjamin Abbott preached at night, Brother Antrim exhorted. Both these men were appointed to this, the Four Mile Circuit. Preachers present: Henry Kumler, Sr., bishop, Henry Kumler, Jr., P. E., Daniel Kumler, Jacob An- trim, Royal Hastings, Francis Whitcomb, Benjamin Abbott, Henry Hoffman, John Sellers, Jacob Flickinger.
On Sunday morning Bishop Kumler preached in German, Brothers Whit- comb and Antrim in English.
1 A. W. Drury, "Some Early Churches and Meeting Places," Religious Telescope, 92 (Octobes 2, 1926), 6,
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CONFERENCE HISTORY
The Rev. (Dr.) Antrim is numbered among the boldest of the soldiers of the Cross, who have pioneered the Society of the United Brethren in this country, to its present wide extension. He informed me that he once travelled as a preacher fifteen years without a settled home.
Royal Hastings preached at night. On Monday the exercises closed with Love Feast and Sacrament.
Later that day left Kumler's and travelled ten miles through Millville to Venice to Radcliff's in Baltimore. The United Brethren have a church here.
Travelled ten miles to Brother Simon Geeding's, a United Brethren preacher. Saw Miamitown. The United Brethren have a commodious church here.
Left Brother Geeding's on November 8 for Cleves. Here Brother Hastings preached in the Presbyterian Church. The next night Brother Hastings preached at Baltimore ten miles from Cleves. 2
Many of the common practices of the church come through quite clearly as the above is carefully read. Travelling really meant travelling. The miles covered per day were not many, but many days were spent on the road and away from home. George Bonebrake reported that when he started to serve the circuits in 1823, he had to travel 250 to 300 miles to make one round on his circuit and that there were few, if any, meeting houses.
Ministers
The data concerning the licensing and ordination of ministers is found in the appendix.
At the beginning of this period the previous pattern of ministerial support was continued. Not only did ministers find it necessary to provide their living from other types of work, but some were opposed to being paid by the Church. They considered preaching for money as unworthy of them.
This was changing, however. In the General Conference of 1825 John McNamar, a Miami Conference minister, offered a resolution to require the presiding elder and the preacher on a circuit to appoint a circuit steward and a class steward. These persons were to make quarterly collections in money or goods for the preacher in charge. After some discussion this resolution was adopted.
The Conference continued its effort to control the behavior of its ministers. Much of the time in the annual sessions was given to examining the preachers to deter- mine the minister's faithfulness in ministry as well as to discover questionable moral conduct. The complaints or accusations frequently came from fellow ministers and laymen. A common practice was to appoint a committee to investigate the charge.
The following accusations are found in the minutes of this period.
1825, "because of his doctrine"
1827, "UnChristian conduct and refusal to come to trial."
1828, "because of the woman he married."
"accepting universalist doctrine."
1829, "Sabbath breaking by allowing his family to make sugar, chop wood, fix and start to market."
1830, "guilty of untruth."
1832, "intemperance in the use of spiritous liquors."
2 The Religious Telescope, 76 (November 29, 1887), 95.
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CONFERENCE HISTORY
"Unrighteous conduct in refusing to fulfill his contract concerning rents due to one of the brethren."
1833, "preaching on the Millenium."
1837, "not being industrious in preaching."
The penalties in these cases were warning, reprimanding, suspension, silencing as a preacher, license revoked, exclusion from the Communion.
Beginnings in Dayton
The city of Dayton which was founded in 1796 continued to grow and expand. Greencastle, west of the river, was platted on Germantown Road between Broadway and Summit Street in 1826. The population reached 2,954 in 1830.
During this period, however, the Miami Conference did not organize any con- tinuing church. This was partly related to the fact that most of the Dayton people were not German speaking and did not have contact with the United Brethren in the east. Furthermore, the United Brethren found it difficult to work in cities.
Christian Newcomer visited Dayton on some of his visits to Ohio. He held meet- ings at Lewis Kemp's east of Dayton and at Peter and David Lehman's in the city. He preached in a Methodist Church in Dayton in 1814.
Joseph Hoffman came to Dayton in 1832, having bought a farm of 941/2 acres northwest of the junction of the Miami River and Wolf Creek. Here on Superior Avenue west of Salem in what is now Dayton View; he built a large house in which two rooms could be thrown together for religious meetings. A United Brethren class was formed here sometime before 1836 with about 40 members. This, however, did not continue. Bishop Hoffman moved away in 1838 and the class disappeared before 1840.
Because of the failure of the Conference to establish the church in Cincinnati and Dayton, it continued to be a group of preaching places and churches in the small towns and countryside.
Language Change
German continued to be the principal language of the church through this period. Some of the Conference minutes were written only in German. For other sessions both an English and German secretary were elected. Most of the preaching was still in German.
However, English was being increasingly used. More English speaking preachers were being appointed to circuits. It was not unusual for a conference to close or a quarterly meeting to have sessions in which the Gospel was preached in both German and English.
The Miami Conference sent William Stewart and Nathaniel Havens, the first English speaking delegates, to the General Conference in 1825.
The Conference Grows
It was not the policy during these early years to publish or probably even to report membership statistics. An exception was the year 1836.
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CONFERENCE HISTORY
Membership and Accessions
Circuit
Membership-1835
Accessions
Membership-1836
Four Mile
259
105
364
Twin Creek
266
54
320
Cincinnati
233
29
262
Miami
161
45
206
Totals
919
233
1152
We close the discussion of this period by mentioning the harmonious relationship between the United Brethren and Methodist Churches. Methodist ministers were usually present at the United Brethren Conference sessions and vice versa. Occasionally official representatives attended, as for instance in 1826 when Bishop Kumler was elected a delegate and Brother Bottenberg an alternate to the Methodist Conference.
CHAPTER 5 THE MIAMI CONFERENCE, 1838 - 1853
With the Conference boundary realigned by the 1837 General Conference, Miami entered into a new period of growth and adjustment.
Conference Sessions
For some reason two sessions of the Conference in this period were held during the winter, on January 26, 1847 and January 6, 1848. Whatever the purpose, winter conference sessions were not well received. William R. Rhinehart expressed his objections through a letter published in the Religious Telescope in 1847. He mentioned the problem of distance and the difficulty of housing and feeding horses. 1
The decision was made to go back to a fall Conference. The next session was held on September 20, 1848, the result being two 1848 sessions.
The early sessions seemed less orderly and formal than those coming later. In the 1842 Minutes is the note, "Conference adjourned without singing or prayer and in a great hurry." 2 In 1843 the secretary wrote, "The Conference finally adjourned after prayer by Bishop Kumler, Jr." 3 The emphasis appears to have been on "finally."
In 1844 the Conference voted "that no member be allowed to speak more than twice on the same subject, nor more than fifteen minutes at one time or on any one subject." In the same session the action was taken "that each resolution presented to the Conference must be presented in writing with the name of the mover accompanying it." 4
In 1846 it was voted that each circuit and station preacher lay before the Con- ference secretary a written report relative to his circuit and stations.
Beginning in 1848 a set of rules was adopted at the first session of the Conference. These rules governed all matters of procedure.
The chairman had authority to make some decisions and interpretations. In 1846 the question was raised as to the duty of holding Society meetings when a circuit had
1 William R. Rhinehart, Letter, Religious Telescope, VII, (December 31, 1847), 179.
2 Miami Conference Minutes, 1842, 96.
3 Miami Conference Minutes, 1843, 114.
4 Miami Conference Minutes, 1844, 118.
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CONFERENCE HISTORY
two ministers. The chair decided that the duty rested upon the preacher in charge-but that the junior preacher should act as instructed by his senior. 5
The mode of baptism was a subject for much discussion in sessions and out. The bishop's ruling in 1852 was "every minister has the right to express his opinion freely and conscientiously on the mode of baptism." 6
A practice of the early period which is no longer used pertained to housing the members at the Annual Conference sessions. Homes were secured in the community and one or more ministers were assigned to each home. These lists from the various Conferences were then published in the Religious Telescope some weeks in advance of Conference. In the August 9, 1848 issue of the Telescope nineteen homes were listed for 84 preachers with the note, "If any of our brethren's names have been overlooked, what we say unto one, we say unto all; Come, homes are provided." This was signed by a committee of three preachers. 7
Errors in the published list were not unusual. This could have been due to the Conference secretary. Nevertheless, the Conference passed this resolution in 1850 "that the editor of the Religious Telescope be humbly requested to correct the egotism, at least, found in the sequel of that publication." 8 Two years earlier this concern was expressed in a letter to the editor from Henry Kumler published under the title "Enquiry." He said
Inasmuch as the minutes of the Miami Annual Conference have appeared so very defective for the last two years, I am constrained . . . to enquire into this mangling of minutes. So lame last year that we had two secretaries this year. There were many omissions. Were the secretaries to blame? 9
To this the editor replied that he published the minutes as sent to him except for three or four typographical errors.
The practice of examining preachers in the annual sessions was continued. Some- thing of the importance of this is seen in a resolution adopted by the Conference in 1849. "On motion, it was Resolved that each member be examined critically, as to the morality of his Christian character, ministerial influence and usefulness; and that no member be required to retire during his examination." ºf
Ministers were found guilty as follows:
1843, falsehood and inconsistencies
1845, murmuring about money matters
1847, trading horses
1848, political stump speaking
1849. dereliction of duty as ministers
1851, gross immoralities
1852, offering liguor to his harvest hands
taking liquor when it was offered to him without a reasonable excuse 1853, discouraging the administration of the disciplne.
Following committee consideration of the accusations the accused were acquitted, admonished, reprimanded, suspended, unfrocked or expelled.
5 Miami Conference Minutes, 1846, 173.
6 Miami Conference Minutes, 1852, 314.
7 Religious Telescope, VIII (August 9, 1848), 11.
8 Miami Conference Minutes, 1850, 266.
9 Henry Kumler, "Enquiry," Religious Telescope, VIII (November 1, 1848), 108.
91 Miami Conference Minutes, 1849.
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CONFERENCE HISTORY
Circuits and Churches
Henry Kumler, Jr. reported in the Religious Telescope of July 6, 1842 concern- ing Conferences he visited. He said "The Miami Conference is looking up; they have the matter at heart; the missionary fire is burning; the cause is carried into towns and cities." 10
New churches and circuits appeared in the list of appointments. Others were dropped. These new preaching places and classes were mentioned: Zarring's, Frey's, Father McNiel's, and Runyon's Meeting House. The latter is referred to in the Religious Telescope of November 25, 1840. A letter from Henry Kumler, Jr. in the Religious Telescope of June 24, 1840 stated that Jacob Emerick was stationed at Harveysburg. He also said that the Maumee Mission had 24 appointments in 12 towns and villages with 69 or 70 members. In a letter to the editor dated April 27, 1842 Mr. Kumler mentioned about thirty preaching places and fourteen organized societies containing 213 members and seekers. Among these were seven licensed preachers and two exhorters.
These letters to the editor referred to churches which were not listed separately from circuits in the Conference Minutes. I. V. D. Robertson in the December 26, 1838 issue said that his next quarterly conference would be at Jacksonville in Darke County, Ohio. A letter from Daniel C. Kumler, January 19, 1842 referred to Lewis- burg and Pearmont congregations. In the issue of March 16, 1842 William Collins listed the places for the South Miami district quarterly meetings. Four Mile Circuit at Millville, Cincinnati Circuit at Mt. Pleasant, Clearcreek Circuit at Zarring's, Dayton Circuit at Frey's. He mentioned that he would also be at Harveysburg and at Father McNeil's.
On April 27, 1842 James P. Eckels of the Stillwater Circuit wrote that a glorious work had been going on in Liberty and vicinity.
New preaching places, classes and churches for 1843 and the years following are found in the Appendix. Some of these do not appear the following year or are dropped without mention of the fact. This list, however, is not complete, for the minutes of this period still listed primarily circuits, stations and missions rather than classes and churches.
This was a period of rapid growth. The first recorded report of charges, itinerants and members is that for 1846. Twenty charges were named, the same number of itinerants and 4112 members were reported. The number of members the next year was given as 3760. This loss was due to some reduction in territory. The net increase reported for 1849 was 1488.
At least a partial list of the organized classes and churches is given in the Religious Telescope in 1852. John Dodds, agent for the Dayton Church, gives the names of the churches which contributed to the building fund for that church.
Dayton, Aley's class, Beavertown class, Shuey's class, Germantown, Sunsbury class, Little Twin class, Brown's Run Chapel, Pyrmont, Clear Creek Chapel, Liberty Circuit, Wolf Creek class, Lewisburg, Pleasant Ridge Chapel, Miltonville, Kumler class, Vandalia, Cincinnati, Upshur class, Millville class, Jessup's class, Bevis class, Mt. Pleasant class, Union Chapel, and Pleasant Hill are listed.
The present churches in Miami Conference which were organized during this period are:
1838 - Ithaca, Vandalia
10 op. cit., I, July 6, 1842, 194.
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CONFERENCE HISTORY
1839 - Lewisburg, Verona
1840 - Otterbein Chapel
1841 Johnsville, Wayne Avenue
1842 - Bevis, Mowrystown
1843
Lagonda
1844
Beavertown
1845 - Arlington, Bloom Rose, Mt. Airy
1846
Miami Chapel
1847 - Castine, Dunlap, Pyrmont
1848
Dayton First
1849 - West Elkton
1850 - Lockington
1851 Cherry Grove, Phillipsburg
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