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 7
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1853 - Abbotsville; Otterbein, Dayton
In addition to these twenty-five churches, thirty-three others were organized and later closed.
Church Buildings
During this period an increasing number of new church buildings were con- structed. These were mentioned from time to time in reports to the Religious Telescope. In some cases the congregation incurred indebtedness which it was unable to pay. During the two Conference sessions in 1848 the preachers of the Conference made an effort to secure money to liquidate the debts on the German Meeting House in Cincin- nati and the building in Vandalia. Jacob Emrick reported in 1851 that the Vandalia meeting house was paid for at last with the help of eleven other churches.
A union church building in which Aley participated was erected in 1838.
Reference to church buildings is made here only to illustrate the difficulty classes had in financing buildings. Though the cost was not high, personal and family income was very low. In a few cases churches joined with others in a common building project.
Further Efforts in Dayton
The population of Dayton continued to increase. It is given as 6067 in 1840 and 10,976 in 1850.
In 1845 the town of "Mexico" was platted on Third Street extending east from Williams a little more than a square. "West Dayton" as a distinct community was also developed in 1845 between the river and other plats. After 1854 all this territory became known as Miami City and was incorporated in Dayton in 1868. 11
Sarah Ann Sexton came to Dayton from a rural community west of town to teach school. Being a member of a United Brethren class near her home and being quite zealous for her church and not finding a United Brethren organization in Dayton. she decided to promote one. She secured the use of a small Disciples building on North Main Street, paying a rental of two dollars a day. She arranged for Francis Whitcom, presiding elder, to do the preaching. A series of religious meetings were held. The
11 Drury, History of Dayton and Montgomery County, Chicago-Dayton, The S. J. Clarke Pub- lishing Co., 1909, 236, 237.
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HISTORY
effort resultd in the organization of a United Brethren class of thirteen members in 1840. 12 The organization meeting was held in the home of Daniel Kiefer. 13
After a few years, however, this class was also discontinued. A statement in the Religious Telescope of November 11, 1840 is certainly a reference to this class. "We have been informed by a brother from Dayton that there is a small class of United Brethren in that place who meet regularly once a week for religious worship, and that they are entirely destitute of preaching from the ministers of our church." 14
A. W. Drury lists the original members of this church in a Religious Telescope article, April 19, 1911. These were Daniel Kiefer and wife, John Dodds, Miss Nancy Somer, Daniel Bower and wife, the widow Slider and two others. 15
A letter in the Religious Telescope of January 26, 1843, written by someone from Germantown says, "I will inform the friends of Zion that God has not forsaken us on the Dayton Circuit. The greatest prospect of doing good, on my Circuit, is in the city of Dayton, and here we labor under serious difficulties, not having a meeting house to preach in, only at the time of our quarterly meetings our Baptist brethren gave us the use of their house. We now have a class of 20 respectable members in Dayton and expect more. We have taken about 20 members into society this year."
Though the church had difficulty getting started in the city, some growing churches had been established in the hinterland. A Dayton Circuit existed from 1841 to 1843 having in the latter year twelve appointments and 270 members. 16 Dayton was made a station in 1844 with Carrollton and the stone meeting house attached. Two years later the name of Dayton disappears from the Conference minutes. The Circuit name was changed from Dayton to Burlington.
Dr. A. W. Drury, for many years a professor in Bonebrake Theological Seminary and Church Historian, writes of the reasons for these failures.
The greatest difficulty was that the church leaders and the members in general did not know how to build up and conserve. In other churches there was a membership traditionally attached to an historic church. With the United Brethren, the membership and the preachers had little training or tradition that held them to the church or that enabled them to build safely and surely. From choice, or from a feeling of disqualification, the preachers and people avoided the towns, or made feeble or unwise efforts at city work. It required half a century for the United Brethren Church to acquire the wisdom and discipline necessary for successful and sustained work, whether in the city or in the country. 17
Some continuing efforts were made, however, in the area around Dayton. As early as 1799 a log meeting house, known as the Beulah Church was located on ground now occupied by the Beavertown cemetery. This church was discontinued and the "Old Stone Church," which seemed to have been used by several denominations was built on East Drive in 1823. In 1844, as was mentioned above, the stone meeting house was placed on a circuit with Dayton and Carrollton, indicating that a United Brethren class had been organized. William Davis was the circuit preacher.
12 Drury, History of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Dayton, 1924, 708.
13 Drury, op. cit., 335.
14 Religious Telescope, VI (November 11, 1840), 90.
15 A. W. Drury, Religious Telescope, 77 (April 19, 1911), 8.
16 Drury, op. cit., 708.
17 Drury, Ibid., 705.
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Following a sweeping revival in the community a building was constructed in 1853 on the present site of the Beavertown Church. This site was on an important road in the center of a community called Dean, Ohio, later changed to Beavertown.
The Greencastle class of seven members was formed in 1846 and was made a part of the Stillwater Circuit. The group worshipped for some time in the Goliday school building near Bolander Avenue, southwest of Dayton. 18 This was a rural church located outside the city which served the vegetable gardeners and operators of small farms.
Some time later Joseph Fleming gave three-fourths of an acre of land, and there, on what is now Miami Chapel Road, the Miami Chapel Congregation erected its first building in 1848. It was enlarged in 1852. This site was at that time a mile southwest of Dayton, Germantown and Summit Streets marking the southwest corner of the city. 10
On June 25, 1847 the trustees of the United Brethren Circuit, John Dodds, John Aley, and Elias McGowan, bought a lot on Wayne Avenue near Oak Street on which a parsonage was located. According to Drury this was the first piece of real estate owned by the United Brethren in Dayton. 20
The Springfield Circuit continued its interest in Dayton. An effort on the part of Robert Norris and W. J. Shuey, preachers on that Circuit, marked the beginning of the first United Brethren Church, within the city proper, with a continuous history.
In the autumn of 1848 a small class of six members was formed in the Oregon engine house on the southwest corner of Sixth and Tecumseh Streets east of the canal. 21 John Dodds and his wife of the Miami Chapel Class were two of the original six members.
Dr. Drury in the same article quoted above reports that an extract from H. Kumler's journal says, "I lay sick in Dayton, Montgomery County, November 23 (1848) ; could not fill my appointment (in Dayton) last night. There is now in Dayton a little class just formed." 22 This was apparently Dayton First Church.
This class was attached to the Springfield Circuit from 1849 to 1852. Dayton First, Miami Chapel and Beavertown formed a circuit from 1852 to 1854. 23 First Church erected a two story brick building in 1852 at the corner of Sixth and Logan Streets. This placed a heavy burden on the membership resulting in the church having extreme difficulty financing itself from 1852 to 1860.
The Otterbein Church was organized in Dayton on October 20, 1853 to meet the needs and desires of the German people in southwest Dayton. For a time its services were held on the lower floor of the Sixth Street First Church building. It was known as the First German United Brethren Church or sometimes as the Second United Brethren Church.
Though it was not a United Brethren Church at that time, the Wayne Avenue Church, which later came into the Miami Conference, was organized in 1841. The first building was erected in 1843 at Fifth and Walnut Streets. It was called the Bethel Church of the Evangelical Association.
18 Drury, History of Dayton and Montgomery County, Chicago-Dayton, The S. J. Clarke Pub- lishing Co., 1909, 339.
19 Ibid.
20 Drury, History of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Dayton, 1924, .708.
21 op. cit., 336.
22 Letter from H. Kumler, Jr. quoted by Drury, Religious Telescope, 77 (April 19, 1911) 8.
23 Drury, History of Dayton and Montgomery County, Chicago-Dayton, The S. J. Clarke Pub- lishing Co., 1909, 340.
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Conference Boundary
Some changes in Conference boundaries were made during this period. In most cases it was a reduction of territory for Miami. However, at the General Conference session of 1841 this action was taken: "On motion of F. Whitcom, that one range of counties north from Wayne County, Indiana to the Michigan line be transferred from the Indiana Conference to the Miami Conference." 24
In 1845 the Miami Conference voted "that we instruct our delegates in General Conference to divide the Miami Conference District so as to make two Conferences." The General Conference, meeting the same year, set the Miami Conference boundary as
Commencing at the northeast corner of Allen County, Indiana; thence down the Maumee River to Fort Defiance; thence southeast to Fort McArthur; thence south along the Scioto Conference line to Ripley; thence down the Ohio River to the Indiana line; now embraced in this Conference to the place of beginning. 25
The Round Head mission was in the northeast corner of this area. B. F. Hendrix reported in 1849 that this area of work at the head water of Mad River, five miles east of Bellefontaine, had eight classes, ten regular preaching places and were building three meeting houses.
It appeared that Miami Conference preachers had established or were serving some classes in Wayne County, Indiana. The Indiana Conference took this action in February 1846.
Whereas, this Conference has been informed that the classes at the appoint- ments that the Miami Conference has in Wayne County, Ind. desired to be taken into Dublin Circuit of our Conference,
Resolved therefore that this Conference hereby solicit the Miami Conference to transfer said appointments from their New Garden Circuit to our Dublin Circuit.
In the Minutes of the Miami Conference of 1846, this memorial from the White River Conference was read.
Whereas this Conference has been informed that the classes at the appoint- ments the Miami Conference has in Wayne Co., Ind. desire to be taken into the Dublin Circuit,
Resolved therefore that this Conference solicit the Miami Conference to transfer said appointments from the New Garden Circuit of Miami Con- ference to Dublin Circuit of the White River Conference, and
That a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Miami Conference by the Bishop-upon the reception of the above memorial and resolution the Miami Conference,
Resolved that this Conference does not feel willing to comply with the above request as it would destroy entirely our New Garden Circuit. 26
A letter to the editor of the Religious Telescope June 10, 1846, from Daniel Stover says,
At the last session of the Indiana Conference we asked in a friendly and brotherly manner, the Miami Conference to let us have these appointments
24 General Conference Minutes, 1841, 86.
25 Ibid., 1845, 100.
26 Miami Conference Minutes, 1846, 186.
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in Wayne County, they being in our territory, but they treated us with indifference .
Therefore we hereby notify the Miami Conference that at the next session of the White River Conference, we intend to claim our right to all of our territory, and we intend to petition the next General Conference to give us back the range of counties north of Wayne which were taken from us without our consent, and against our will. 27
The editor of the Religious Telescope appended a note saying, "Brethren, beware of little disgraceful contentions about territory. The field is the world."
The White River Annual Conference in the 1847 session acted as follows.
"Resolved that this Conference claim all the appointments on the New Garden Circuit, given us by the General Conference line, and furthermore we express a willingness to the other appointments on the Circuit." 28
A week later the Miami Conference acted,
"By vote of the Conference, the New Garden Circuit, except the Pleasant Hill appointment, was ceded to White River Conference." 29
The next boundary change came in 1853. The Miami Conference in session in 1852 voted to request a division of its territory. The General Conference of the fol- lowing year acceeded to the request and formed the Maumee, later the Auglaize, Con- ference to the north. The action of the General Conference set this boundary line.
The Miami to be divided by a line as straight as practicable from the Scioto line by direct way of Urbana, (Piqua to belong to the south) Greenville and Winchester to the former line, the boundaries to remain as at present. The south part of said Conference to retain the former name, and the north to be called Maumee. 30
This action removed from Miami most of its northern district and the ministers serving those churches. The numerical loss was about 1500 members. The following ministers went with the Maumee Conference.
A. Shindledecker, John Hill, George Davis, David Davis, James Spray, William Miller, H. Snell, Ira Thompson, T. S. Farber, C. B. Whitley, William Siberry, James Wilkinson, William Milligan, J. Eby, J. Burtch, T. Reed, J. M. Lay, A. F. Miller, P. B. Holden, F. B. Hendrix, H. R. Tobey, and D. Bobs.
The Publishing House
At the end of this period the "Telescope Office" was moved from Circleville to Dayton. For some time there was agitation for moving the office to a larger city. A case was made for Cincinnati as well as Dayton. As an illustration a rather long letter from William R. Rhinehart appeared in the Religious Telescope of March 16, 1853. In this he listed the advantages of Dayton, including some references to the developing churches of the denomination. Dayton had a population of 10,976 in 1850, while Circleville had 3,411.
The decision was made in the 1853 General Conference session at Miltonville.
The problem of moving equipment at that time is indicated by this description.
27 Religious Telescope, V (June 10, 1846), 367.
28 Indiana Conference Minutes, 1847.
29 Miami Conference Minutes, 1847, 210.
30 General Conference Minutes, 1853, 184.
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"The equipment was taken from Circleville to Columbus on the canal, from Columbus to Xenia by rail, and by wagon from Xenia to Dayton."
Property was purchased in Dayton at the northeast corner of Main and Fourth Streets for $11,000. The lot had a 591/2 foot frontage on Main Street and a depth of 152 feet on Fourth. Some of the ground was later sold. Henry Kumler, Jr. of Miami Conference was elected as one of the trustees.
Church Practices
From whence have we come and whither are we going is a question often raised. Those who live in the last half of the twentieth century may compare, at many points, the ways of the church in the middle of the nineteenth century. For this purpose we site a few illustrations. The first is a contract between a church and its janitor dated January 6, 1845.
Article of Agreement made and entered into between George Sharts, Ezra Kemp and Jacob Eckart, trustees of the United Brethren Church at German- town, Ohio, of the one part, and Matthew Frank, of the other, to wit: The above named trustees agree to pay or cause to be paid unto the said M. Frank, fifteen dollars for his services in the said church-namely, ringing the bell, cleaning the house, lighting the candles, and tending to them during worship, cutting the wood, and tending to other necessary duties in the meeting house during worship and at other times for one year, commencing on the first day of January, 1845, and ending on the first of January, 1846. The said Frank is, however, not required to ring the bell, etc., for any other churches except the United Brethren and New Lites except on the following conditions-when an application is made for the house he shall be permitted to charge forty cents for a meeting when there is wood and candles needed, thirty cents when there is wood wanted and no candles, or candles and no wood, or twenty cents when there is neither wood nor candles wanted, and in all cases said Frank is to have half of the above charges, and the trustees the other half. The said Frank agrees to comply with all the above conditions for one year, as stated. In witness whereof, we annex our hands and seals the day and year above named.
The said Frank is not permitted to allow the following denominations to have the house, viz., the Universalists, Millerites, Mormonites, Hell Re- demptionists, Calvinists, and Catholics.
The spirit of the church as described by one of the most ready and descriptive writers among all the preachers is written in a series of letters from Henry Kumler, Jr. He wrote in February 1838.
The face of affairs in the Miami District bears a better appearance than heretofore. The great difficulties that have heretofore impeded the cause are about to disappear . . . At a quarterly meeting on the Cincinnati Circuit at Simon Geeding's our exercises were seasoned with grace; sharp gales of the Spirit were visible. From this meeting Bro. Royal Hastings and myself went to Cincinnati. Here we tarried two days to preach and to set the church in order. God was with us. The prospect of doing good in this city deserves our close attention. It is a pity that we do not yet own a meeting house. From here we went to Mt. Healthy. Here a good work is started. The sisters are up to their posts . . . Yesterday our quarterly meeting on Nineveh Circuit
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ended. We had a good draught of fishes, yet not so as to endanger the net. 31 A few months later he wrote,
I fear seriously that some of our ministers are almost blinded by the God of this world, and what is still worse, they won't believe it, though a man declare it to them; yet I am made to rejoice that there is yet sufficient salt in the Miami Conference to save the body from putrefaction. 32
Some actions were taken concerning the behaviour of members at Conference.
1851, "that no member be suffered to leave conference before final adjourn- ment unless satisfactory reasons be given."
1853, "that the use of tobacco be dispensed with during the present session of the conference."
W. J. Shuey in a Pioneer Sermon in 1892 said that in 1853 the Conference session was divided on the depravity question-partial depravists and total depravists. Each group had its candidate for presiding elder, John Coons for the total depravists and Robert Norris for the partialists. It required eighteen ballots to elect Coons. He was elected by a bare majority.
1847, "that it is improper to deliver lectures and have singing schools in any meeting house at any time on the Sabbath day."
Fairly early the Conference was faced with the decision concerning the licensing of women. An 1850 action says,
Whereas in the absence of disciplinary rule in the case of female laborers in our ministry as members of Annual Conference.
Therefore, Resolved that this Conference recommend that Sisters Phoebe Benton and Hannah Yingling be received as helpmates in the Gospel under the care of a Quarterly Conference until action is had by General Conference. 33
Circuit riding and circuit preaching were difficult and discouraging. Being away from home for many days and travelling on foot, by stage, carriage or horseback was tiring and time consuming. It is little wonder that out of sixty preachers that may be present at an annual session of the Conference, fifteen or twenty would consent to travel. One can get the feel of this best by reading the statements made by these circuit riders. These reports were made in the 1840's when conditions were probably better than in the earlier years.
F. B. Hendrix in a letter written in 1840 exprsesed his discouragement when assigned to Clear Creek Circuit in Warren County. 34
I. V. D. Robertson wrote the following month concerning the Greenville Circuit, "I have now closed the seventh round on my circuit for the present year. I was dis- couraged and inclined to quit travelling." 35
Henry Kumler, Jr. writes in 1843. He mentioned that he had visited in Sandusky Conference away from his family. "My family must not be uneasy; I am in safe hands; -Christena, you said to me as I left home I should remember that I had little children that needed my care, and not to venture my life,-this I have done." 36
31 Henry Kumler, Jr., "Letter," Religious Telescope, III (February 7, 1838), 10.
32 Henry Kumler, Jr., "Letter," Religious Telescope, II (May 30, 1838), 42.
33 Miami Conference Minutes, 1850, 260.
84 F. B. Hendrix, "Letter," Religious Telescope, VI (November 25, 1840), 93.
35 I. V. D. Robertson, "Letter," Religious Telescope, VI (December 23, 1840), 98.
36 Henry Kumler, Jr., "Letter," Religious Telescope, II (May 24, 1943), 175.
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Some time earlier Daniel C. Kumler, who had been appointed to Lewisburg Sta- tion, expressed his feelings about the appointment in this way, "It gave me sleepless nights and melancholy hours." After laboring for some months, he wrote again, "My prospects are pretty good. I think the brethren and sisters around Lewisburg will take a fresh start. We have some promising young men who are studious and pious." 37
Something a bit different appeared in a communication from three laymen in 1847. They said,
We wish to notify Brother Bonebrake, P. E. that Sydna (sic) Circuit, Miami Conference is without a preacher. The brother appointed by Confer- ence has not made his appearance, and the interests of the Circuit demand that one be immediately appointed.
The Brother who may be appointed to fill the vacancy may expect a re- muneration. 38
In the 1846 Conference Minutes is this notation,
"The names of those who would travel being called for- it was ascertained that Asa Coho was destitute of a horse. A collection of $50.50 was taken to buy him a horse." 39
Travel was indeed difficult. Two references appeared in the Religious Telescope prior to the 1849 General Conference which illustrates this. An eastern delegate to this Conference which was to be held in Germantown requested travelling instructions. The reply, as it appeared in the Religious Telescope, was,
The best route by public conveyance is by the Ohio River to Cincinnati which is only about 30 or 40 miles from Germantown, which may then be reached by stage, or if preferred by canal within 4 miles. The best stage route from the east is to keep the National Road to Dayton. There is not much finished pike between here and Germantown. 40
A request came from the Iowa Conference for financial aid from Miami and Scioto Conferences to pay the expenses of the Iowa delegates to General Conference. “
Missionary Work
The Conference began quite early to establish or support missions of one kind or another. One phase of this program was the constant establishing of new preaching places on the various circuits. Many of these developed into classes. New circuits were formed and additional preachers assigned.
A more formal missionary effort was the establishment of a Home Missionary Society. This minute is recorded in the record of the 1840 session. "The Conference then formed a Home Missionary Society of the Miami Annual Conference of the United Brethren in Christ and appointed a committee of five who are its prime officers." This Society developed its own constitution and reported regularly to each annual conference session.
37 Daniel C. Kumler, "Letter," Religious Telescope, I (January 18, 1842), 98.
88 "Without a Preacher," Religious Telescope, V (April 7, 1846), 293.
80 Miami Conference Minutes, 1846, 182.
40 Religious Telescope, VII (March 4, 1849), 260.
11 Religious Telescope, VIII (April 18, 1849), 299.
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In 1844 the Society was "investigated as to the basis on which it now stands." In that year also a resolution was adopted that every preacher receiving an appointment from the Conference should use his influence to revive the Society and obtain donations. It became a rule of the Conference that preachers preach one or two missionary sermons a year and on these Sundays take offerings for the Society. Those who refused or failed to do this were directed to be admonished by the bishop.
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