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OUR CHURCH
AND OUR VILLAGE
CLAYSVILLE, PA.
Gc 974.802 C57b 1195049
CLARA
EHYDE
DEWEY
HOGG
DAT
ORIA
VIRES
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02223 8080
...
REV. THOMAS HOGE.
Our Church and Our Village
1. HISTORY OF THE CLAYSVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
II. BIOGRAPHICAL
SKETCH
OF
REV. THOMAS HOGE
III. REMINISCENCES OF CLAYS- VILLE, PA.
BY
GEORGE W. F. BIRCH, D.D., LL.D.
NEW YORK WARD & DRUMMOND 1899
Press of J. J. Little & Co. Astor Place, New York
1195049
To the Memory of THE PRESBYTERIAN PIONEERS OF THE SCOTCH-IRISH RACE OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
AND THEIR DESCENDANTS
THIS BOOK IS MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY ITS AUTHOR.
Preface
This book is a response to the request of the descendants of Reev. Thomas Hogo, and ho tto call of those whood chile hood, and you the werd spent no the trade and vicecity of Celayavillo
2 hereby acknowledge my obligation to the numerous friends who have been my helpers in the preparation up This record of the days of you. It may satisfy the critic to know that the advice of one of Não most intelli- Agent educators in vitro land constrained me to wit tho addresses as They were delivered George W.F. Bilo
Introduction
Introduction
During the summer of 1895 the Presbyterian con- gregation of Claysville, Washington County, Pennsyl- vania, decided to celebrate the seventy-fifth anniver- sary of the organization of the church, which occurred on September 20, 1820. Accordingly the necessary arrangements were made for an appropriate observ- ance of the event on September 20, 1895. The fol- lowing description of the celebration is compiled from the Wheeling (W. Va.) Intelligencer, the Washington (Penn.) Democrat, and the Washington (Penn.) Obser- ver, under date of September 21, 1895.
Friday was a memorable day in the history of the Claysville Presbyterian Church. The occasion was the celebration of the seventy-fifth, or diamond, anniver- sary of the organization of the church. An admirable programme had been prepared, and was carried out almost to the letter. Only two of the speakers sched- uled for addresses failed to put in an appearance. The leading idea of the celebration, as the invitations read, was to commemorate the organization of the church, revive old and pleasant memories and the early strug- gles of a church which has been so richly blessed of God.
Seventy-five years, relatively speaking, does not seem a very broad span in the affairs of the world, but when measured in connection with events coinci-
I
Introduction
dent with that period, and which long since have passed into the pages of history, one almost wanders in the valleys of tradition and the fast-darkening chambers of memory. Since the Claysville congre- gation was organized its story has become rich in the history of the Presbyterian Church in this region and opulent in reminiscences of the early struggles and triumphs of its first fathers and the succeeding genera- tions that kept its altar fires burning. It was therefore with the object of renewing the memories of those days that the celebration of yesterday was held; a re- consecration of the fealty of the living to the honored dead.
The church was tastefully decorated with ever- greens, and immediately back of the pulpit were the figures, in evergreen, " 1820-1895." A water-color picture of the church building was hung just below the dates. The windows in the building were all re- moved, which made the auditorium very comfortable during the entire afternoon. The building was at all times crowded to its utmost capacity, and seats were arranged along the outside to accommodate those who were unable to gain admittance to the building. The addresses could be heard almost as easily on the out- side as in the church.
In the morning, just before the dinner hour, the congregation gave a reception to the pastor, Rev. Frank Fish, and Mrs. Fish, who had just returned from their wedding tour. Following the reception a splendid dinner was served to the visitors and speakers in the church yard.
The celebration exercises proper began at one
2
--
REV. JOHN M. MEALY, D.D.
Introduction
o'clock, and were opened by a voluntary by the choir. This was followed by the invocation by Rev. James I. Brownson, D.D., the oldest minister in the presby- tery. Rev. T. R. Alexander, of Washington, read the Scripture lesson, and Rev. T. W. Young, of Pros- perity, led the congregation in prayer. The following address of welcome was delivered by W. A. Irwin, of Claysville, a member of the church session:
Mr. Chairman and Christian Friends: It is my pleasant duty, as the representative of the Presbyterian Church of Claysville, to extend to you to-day a warm and hearty welcome to our church on this our seventy- fifth or diamond anniversary-this church from which for many years, one by one, you or your parents have gone out to find new homes, form new relations, and, we hope, to bless and gladden the places and people among whom God in His providence has placed you, whether as the humble laborer, mechanic, merchant, farmer, professional man, or minister of the Gospel; and we welcome you here to-day back to the fountain- head of your spiritual life, where many of you have sat in the Sabbath-school and under the Gospel, and have here given yourselves up to Christ and His ser- vice. We hope you may to-day be able to again recount God's blessings, to renew old acquaintances and friendships, to gladly join with us in commemorat- ing the time when the altar of God was set up here, and where, thanks to "Him who doeth all things well," its fires are still brightly burning.
While we are all proud of our church and its in- fluence for good, and the moulding of public sentiment
3
Introduction
in this place and community, yet it cannot be confined here, for how many that have gone out from this church who have been and are officers, teachers, workers in the C. E. or Y. M. C. A., or simply humble workers in many other churches where they are lend- ing their lives and energies for the extension of the Master's kingdom. While ten ministers are preach- ing the glorious Gospel of Christ to multitudes of people, nor is the spirit dying out, two have just graduated and three more are still in the Theological Seminary. But these things belong more properly to our honored historian. Nor must we forget to wel- come our sister churches, who have come up to re- joice with us to-day, because our interests are mutual and we are all laboring for the same blessed cause. So we welcome all to our meeting here to-day-sister churches, strangers, and children of the old church. So again, in behalf of this congregation, I extend to you a sincere, cordial, and hearty welcome.
Rev. Francis M. Hall, of Conneautville, who was to have delivered the response, was not present. The chief speaker of the afternoon was the Rev. G. W. F. Birch, D.D., of New York, who read the history of the church. The chairman, in introducing Dr. Birch, said that he was the oldest minister of the sons of the church that had entered that profession.
Dr. Birch was followed by the Rev. J. M. Mealy, D.D., of New Wilmington, a son of the church, who delivered an address on the "Pew of the Church." This was followed by addresses on reminiscences of pastors and presbytery. Rev. W. H. Lester, D.D.,
4
Introduction
of West Alexander, spoke at length on the life of Dr. McCarrell; Rev. Wm. Speer, D.D., of Washington, on Rev. Mr. Hoge; Rev. Henry Woods, D.D., on remi- niscences of presbytery, and Dr. McCarrell and Rev. James I. Brownson, D.D., of Washington, on remi- niscences of pastors and presbytery.
The evening session was not less interesting than the afternoon one, and was attended by fully as many people. After the opening and devotional exercises, the Rev. J. D. Moffat, D.D., President of Wash- ington and Jefferson College, spoke on " The Church and College." Since 1848, fifty-four persons from the Claysville Church have been graduated from the col- lege. Among them are Dr. George W. Miller, the first member to graduate; Hon. John H. Craig, Rev. G. W. F. Birch, D.D .; Francis A. Birch, deceased; Hon. John M. Birch, Rev. John M. Mealy, D.D .; Rev. W. A. McCarrell, Rev. J. J. McCarrell, Rev. T. C. McCarrell, Hon. S. J. M. McCarrell, John E. Craig, J. Addison Craig, William Craig, Sr .; William Craig, Jr .; T. F. Birch, J. T. Noble, T. C. Noble, T. F. Irwin, Rev. E. O. Sawhill, Rev. Francis M. Hall, T. S. Ander- son, E. H. Graham, Robert S. Calder, Robert Inglis, Harry King, John Inglis, and many others. Rev. A. A. Mealy, a son of the church, who was to have de- livered an address on " The Boy at Church," was ab- sent. He was followed by Rev. E. O. Sawhill, of Alle- gheny, a son of the Claysville congregation, who spoke on " The Social Church." The programme was con- cluded by voluntary remarks by members and visitors.
One of the unique features of the celebration was the "Songs by Ye Old Folks." These were rendered
5
Introduction
by a choir of aged people who in their earlier life had led the singing in the Claysville and other churches of that region. This choir was led by the venerable Robert Sutherland, who is upwards of eighty years old. The other members of the choir were Mrs. J. C. Mc- Conaughey, Mrs. Sarah F. Craig, Mrs. Jane Giles, Mrs. Wm. Stewart, Mrs. John A. Dickey, Mrs. Mari- etta Miller, Mrs. M. P. Fish, Mrs. Thos. McKee, Mrs. Lewis Cooper, Mr. H. C. Noble, Mr. John S. Miller, Mr. John A. Dickey, Mr. Albert Sprowls, Mr. Geo. Y. Holmes, Sr., and Mr. Thomas Steele. Prof. Robert Calder presided at the organ during the ren- dition of these old tunes. In response to a request, Mr. Sutherland rendered the solo, " David's Lamen- tation." In his day Mr. Sutherland was a famous singer in the West Alexander region.
The oldest member of the church at the present time is the Hon. John Birch, father of the Rev. Dr. G. W. F. Birch, of New York. He settled in this vicinity in 1830, and is now eighty-five years of age. Mr. A. A. Mealy, father of the Rev. Dr. John M. Mealy and Rev A. A. Mealy, came here in 1829, and is the oldest citi- zen of the town. Another old member of the church is Miss Mary McLain. Another aged member is Mr. John Finley, now eighty-five years of age. Mrs. John Sawhill, mother of Rev. E. O. Sawhill, is well advanced in years in membership. Mrs. Mary J. Irwin has be- longed to the church forty-four years, and was present at the installation of Dr. McCarrell, which event she vividly remembers.
The church has raised up and sent out sixteen min- isters of the Gospel, including such men as Rev. Dr.
6
HON. JOHN BIRCH
Born, August 5, IS10. Settled in Claysville, 1832. Justice of the Peace, 1845-50, 1866-74. County Commissioner, IS48-51. Member of the Pennsylvania Legislature, 1875-76.
With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation. -PSALM XC1 : 16.
Introduction
Birch, of New York; Rev. Dr. Mealy, of New Wil- mington ;* Rev. Dr. J. J. McCarrell, of Mckeesport; Rev. Wm. A. McCarrell, of Shippensburg; Rev. Thomas C. McCarrell, of Waynesboro; Rev. A. A. Mealy, of Bridgeville; Rev. E. O. Sawhill, of Alle- gheny; Rev. F. M. Hall, of Conneautville, and Rev. R. S. Inglis, of Jackson, Mich. Four of the daughters of the Claysville Church married ministers. Miss Martha McLain, daughter of Elder Wm. McLain, was wedded to Rev. Dr. Alexander McCarrell; Miss Eliza- beth Birch, daughter of Hon. John Birch, and sister of Rev. Dr. G. W. F. Birch, was married to Rev. Dr. J. J. McCarrell; Miss Ella V. King, daughter of W. C. King, banker, was married to Rev. O. T. Langfitt, and Miss Sarah M. Anderson, daughter of W. C. Ander- son, Esq., to Rev. William H. Lester, now a missionary to Chili, South America.t Another daughter of the Claysville Church, Miss Kate G. Patterson, went out in 1889 as a teacher among the Indians. Claysville Church has been served by several especially dis- tinguished elders. One of the best known in recent years was Alexander K. Craig, recently deceased, who was an elder for more than thirty-three years, superin- tendent of the Sabbath-school for fifteen years, and leader of the church choir for forty years. } His father, before him, was a distinguished elder of the same church, and also very prominent in the service of the State in several important offices.
* Now of Waynesburgh, Penn.
+ Mr. Lester is now a pastor at Greeneville, Tenn.
At the time of his death, July 29, 1892, he was a mem- ber of the Fifty-second Congress, from the Twenty-fourth District of Pennsylvania. 7
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3 1833 02223 8080
Historical Address
Historical Address
DELIVERED BY GEORGE W. F. BIRCH, D.D., LL.D., OF BETHANY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, NEW YORK CITY, AT THE CELEBRATION OF THE SEVENTY- FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CLAYSVILLE PRES- BYTERIAN CHURCH
The Claysville Presbyterian Church is the vital factor of historic Claysville. If the National Pike was the occasion of the existence of Claysville, I feel that this discourse would not commence aright if it were not to praise God that there were those among the first settlers of this village who were filled with the spirit of Noah, Abraham, and David. Noah took the first step in humanity's fresh start as the lord of creation when he came forth from the ark to build an altar unto the Lord. Wherever Abraham pitched his tent in Canaan, there he had an altar. The son of Jesse felt that Jerusalem, the city of David, would not be the city of God until the Ark of the Covenant was transferred from the house of Obed-Edom to the hill of Zion.
So the little company which formed the nucleus of the Claysville Presbyterian Church was a Noachian band, as it felt that the town could not start right with- out a church; was an Abrahamic band, as it felt that a cluster of homes without a church was a contradiction;
II
History of the
was a Davidic band, as it felt that the social and politi- cal welfare of the community hinged upon the pres- ence of the Church of the Living God.
Hence, when Joseph Henderson and Barnet Bonar, during the summer of 1820, invited the Rev. Thomas Hoge to preach the Gospel in the village of Claysville, they put themselves abreast of Noah, Abraham, and David, and inaugurated in this community that object lesson of the Sermon on the Mount which our Lord presented when He said, " Ye are the salt of the earth." " Ye are the light of the world." "A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid." If Claysville is better than it would otherwise have been; if it has been preserved from moral decay; if it has advanced in material pros- perity; if it has been a centre of religious instruction and secular knowledge; if from its homes there have gone forth the torch-bearers of the everlasting gospel; if it has been to fathers and mothers, sons and daugh- ters, friends and neighbors, this earth's revelation of that path of the just which is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day, it has been just because the Claysville Presbyterian Church has been the salt of the earth and the light of the world. The God of Providence stamps the march of events during these seventy-five years of church life as salt which is pungent, as light which is lustrous, as a city set on a hill which is conspicuous. Therefore the Claysville Presbyterian Church is a factor of historic Claysville so vital that without it the history of this town and vicinity would be another story.
If the foregoing line of thought presents a correct view of the relation of this church to the town, we can-
12
1
REV. FRANCIS M. HALL
Claysville Presbyterian Church
not be too familiar with its history, as it reveals what God has done through His confessors of Christ in this part of His heritage. So that the design of this his- torical address is to stir your minds by way of remem- brance, by recalling the generations who have made the past of this church " a book to be read, a figure to be looked at, a caution from which to learn wisdom." Indeed, the historical philosophy of which such an address is the exhibition has been set forth by both the great Edmund Burke and the versatile Lord Macau- lay. Says Burke, " People will not look forward to posterity, who never look backward to their ancestors." Says Macaulay, " A people who takes no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will never achieve anything worthy to be remembered by remote descendants."
The Scripture warrant for the history which is the subject of interest on the present occasion, is the fact ' that the historic books of the Bible give tone to the whole of the Sacred Record. The very name (Deu- teronomy) of the fifth book of the Pentateuch shows that nearly the whole of it is a historical address to the persons (along with their children) who had passed through the Red Sea and had heard the law from Sinai. It was from the platform of the history of their fathers that the venerated Joshua poured into the ears of his countrymen his thrilling appeal, " Choose you this day whom ye will serve." The magnanimous Samuel lays down his authority by the delivery of a his- torical address. The poet-prophet opens the historical epic of the Seventy-eighth Psalm with a declaration of its reason why.
I3
History of the
"Give ear, O my people, to my law : incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
"I will open my mouth in a parable : I will utter dark say- ings of old :
" Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
" We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.
"For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children :
"That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born ; who should arise and declare them to their children :
"That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments." *
The history of their nation constitutes the thread with which the prophets weave their predictions and their precepts. Isaiah appeals to the seekers of the Lord to look unto the rock whence they are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence they are digged, by look- ing unto Abraham, their father. (Isaiah li. I-2.) He canonizes and confirms the ancient books as he sounds the battle-cry:
"Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord ; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon ? Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep ; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over ? " +
* Psalm lxxviii. 1-7.
+ Isaiah li. 9-10.
I4
Claysville Presbyterian Church
A " Thus saith the Lord " prefaces Jeremiah's coun- sel, " Stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the old paths, where is the good way and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." (Jeremiah vi. 16.) Our Lord confounded the Jews with the challenge, " Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." (John v. 39.) That speech which gave the martyr Stephen the face of an angel is a master specimen of historical philosophy. Guthrie calls the eleventh chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews " a grand tableau in which the several heroes of faith stand forth and act in as lifelike forms as ever appeared in historical picture or sculptured frieze."
Thus this historical address is an attempt to enforce a truth which the Bible emphasizes, and which I apply to the sleeping generations of this church by the use of the observation that, " When a man of God dies, it by no means follows that his work dies. There is nothing more for him to do in the line of his earthly work, but there may be a great deal more for others to do in the line of his earthly teachings. Whatever of God's truth a man of God declares during his lifetime, is just as truly God's truth after the death of that man of God as before. It is, indeed, just as important that we should do the things which the Lord commanded through Moses 'to a thousand generations,' as it was that the soldiers of Joshua should do them in their day. And a large part of our present duty is simply in the doing what the Lord commanded to our fathers. There are new messages of God to us, beyond all that our fathers knew of; but we shall be worth little in the heeding of
15
History of the
God's new messages to us if we fail of being true to God's teachings to our fathers." *
This day, seventy-five years ago, September 20, 1820, gave birth to the event known as the organiza- tion of the Claysville Presbyterian Church. At the time it took its place in the world's history that epoch of the history of our National Union known as the era of good feeling was running its course under the direction of James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States. The First Gentleman of Europe, George the Fourth, sat upon the throne of England. The great Napoleon was languishing in St. Helena. The British nation was aflame with the trial of Queen Caroline. The present Queen Victoria was the babe, little more than a year old, who was known as the heir apparent of the British throne. The literary world was guessing at the author of Waverley as the home circles of the day turned the fresh pages of the " Bride of Lammermoor " and "Ivanhoe." As to poetry, the mention of Scott's " Lay of the Last Min- strel," of Byron's " Childe Harold," of Keat's " Endy- mion " ; as to biography, the mention of Boswell's "Johnson " ; as to criticism, the mention of Francis Jeffrey; as to theology, the mention of Thomas Chal- mers, will suffice to show that literature, seventy-five years ago, spread a rich feast before our fathers and mothers. In connection with the institution of the Na- tional Road, it is interesting to know that Macadam's theory of road-making had been published only the year before. Thomas Patterson represented this dis-
* H. Clay Trumbull : Sunday School Times, August 24, 1895.
16
REV. ELDON O. SAWHILL
Claysville Presbyterian Church
trict in the National House of Representatives. Isaac Weaver was State senator, and Joseph Lawrence, Thomas McCall, Dickerson Roberts, and John Reed were members of the General Assembly of the Com- monwealth of Pennsylvania. The Claysville of 1820 was composed of men who still linger in the memory of the present generation, and are called up as I speak of George Wilson, whose business energy and public spirit were a large factor in the growth and prosperity of this portion of Washington County; as I mention Alexander Chapman, who appeared to me as a child the model of preciseness; as I recall Joseph Bryant, then the first blacksmith of the village, but afterward the man of leisure who, while respected by our fathers, was the terror of every frolicsome boy; as I can see this very moment that family physician in general, Dr. James Kerr, whirling his cane and fighting the tobacco tempter through the incessant mastication of a pine splinter; as I recollect James Noble, cabinet-maker and undertaker, who, for the period of fifty-four years, was known as the funeral conductor of this commu- nity; as I read over the names which appear in the list of subscribers to a fund for the establishment of a school and the erection of a schoolhouse. In the light of the succeeding years the Claysville citizenship of 1820 filled their limited stage of action with the spirit of those who, two hundred years before, made Plymouth Rock the germ of the free men, the free speech, and the free soil of this American Republic.
But the setting of our picture would not be complete without a glance at the men who constituted the Pres- bytery of Washington when it organized the Claysville
17
History of the
Presbyterian Church. John Chrysostom, " the man of the golden mouth," of the ancient church, was link- ing himself with Western Pennsylvania Christianity in the silver-tongued Marques, of Cross Creek. Paul's workman "that needeth not to be ashamed " was showing himself in George M. Scott, of Mill Creek, the grandfather of Mrs. Benjamin Harrison, who, as a President's wife, dignified her station as the first lady of the land. Scotland, in the person of Thomas Chalmers, on account of a little book on " Faith," had raised to the rank of a master in theology, both in thought and expression, John Anderson, of Upper Buffalo. When succeeding generations cease to reap the fruits of the wonderful, the genuine revivals which cradled Western Pennsylvania Presbyterianism, then the recording angel will strike from Church History the name of that flaming evangelist, Elisha Macurdy, of Cross Roads and Three Springs. The first and only time that I saw Joseph Stevenson, of West Alexander, was at the turning point of my history which made me a college graduate. I remember distinctly the vener- able man who responded when Dr. Scott, the president of Washington College, announced that Father Stev- enson, of Bellefontaine, Ohio, would lead in prayer. Indeed this church was, in a measure, a colony from the flock of Father Stevenson, who, being dead, yet speaketh in this part of the Lord's heritage. Cephas Dodd, the good physician who made everybody think of the Great Physician, was doing his faithful work at Lower Ten Mile. As a little boy, I have heard my elders speak of the grand, great sermons of Andrew Wylie. No name appears more frequently on the rolls
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