USA > Pennsylvania > Lancaster County > A discourse delivered in the Leacock Presbyterian Church, Lancaster County, Pa., on Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 1854 > Part 2
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After the organization of this church, in 1741, the congrega- tion obtained occasional supplies, until October 9th, 1750, when Pequa and Leacock united in a call for Rev. Robert Smith, who was ordained and installed over these churches, March 25th, 1751; 103 years ago.
Rev. Robert Smith was born in Londonderry, Ireland, 1723, and came with his parents in boyhood to America, and settled at the head of the Brandywine. At the age of fifteen, he was converted, under the preaching of Whitfield, on his first visit to this country. He studied with Rev. Samuel Blair, at Fagg's Manor. He made the following entries in his Bible: "December 27th, 1749, I was licensed to preach the gospel (by the New Side Presbytery of Newcastle). May 22d, 1750, I was married to Miss Betsey Blair (daughter of Rev. S. Blair, his teacher). October 9th, 1750, I accepted a call from Pequa and Leacock. March 25th, 1751, I was ordained and installed in Pequa and Leacock. October 9th, 1759, my labors were confined to Pequa. March 16th, 1751, on Saturday, at 10 o'clock P.M., my son Samuel was born : Asked of God; 1 Sam. 1: 20; baptized
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by the Rev. Samuel Finley. May 10th, 1752, on Sabbath, at 10 o'clock, P.M., my son William was born : Deus ei benedicat; baptized by the Rev. Andrew Sterling (of Octorara). January 18th, 1754, my son Ebenezer was born, on Friday, at 4 o'clock, P.M. : The stone of help; 1 Sam. 7 : 12; baptized by the Rev. John Blair. June 12th, 1756, on Saturday, at 42 o'clock, A.M., my son John was born : Gracious ; may his nature answer to his name : baptized by Mr. John Blair. Monday, July 24th, 1758, my daughter Nancy was born, at 5 A.M .: Agnes, chaste ; may her nature answer to her name: baptized by Mr. John Blair. Departed this life, in triumph, June 24th, 1788. Mon- day, August 10th, 1761, my son Robert was born, at 10 o'clock, P.M. Strong, or famous, in council; baptized by Mr. John Blair. April 13th, 1764, my son Isaac was born, on Friday, at 6 o'clock, P.M. : A son of promise ; baptized by Mr. John Blair. A very promising child, lived like an heir of promise, and was drowned, August 24th, 1770, at 10 o'clock, A.M. On Friday, February 19th, 1777, at 4 o'clock, P.M., my wife Elizabeth de- parted this life in peace, as she had lived. On Monday, December 13th, 1779, I was married to Mrs. Sarah Ramsey (she was the widow of the Rev. Wm. Ramsey, of Fairfield, New Jersey). She was a native of Cohansey, of the name of Sealy ; her sisters were married to Dr. Jonathan Elmer, and Gen. Ebenezer Elmer. October 15th, 1780, Wednesday, at 6 o'clock, A.M., my daughter Elizabeth Sarah was born. Baptized by Dr. George Duffield."
Dr. Smith was not only an eminent divine, but a successful in- structor. For many years he had charge of a classical and theo- logical school, of a very high character. One of his sons, Rev. Samuel Stanhope Smith, was first President of Hampden Sidney College, Va., and afterwards successor of Dr. Witherspoon, as President of Princeton College. Another son, Rev. John Blair Smith, succeeded his brother as President of Hampden Sidney College; and afterwards became the first President of Union College, Schenectady, New York, where he died. Dr. Smith joined the New Side, and on the union of the Old and New Side Presbyteries of Newcastle, he preached the sermon, which was published, with the title of " A Wheel in the Middle of a Wheel, or the Harmony and Connection of the various Acts of Divine
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Providence." In 1758, a reunion was effected between the Synods of New York and Philadelphia, and they were united in one, called " The Synod of New York and Philadelphia." In May, 1759, the Rev. Messrs. Samson Smith, Robert Smith, John Roan, and John Hogge, were added to the Presbytery of Do- negal, and the First and Second Presbyteries of Newcastle were united in one, so that Pequa and Leacock were again attached to Donegal Presbytery.
Dr. Smith was the second moderator of the General Assembly, 1790, and preached the opening sermon the next year, 1791, from Isaiah 62 : 8, "I have set watchmen." His ministry closed only with his life. He died, April 15th, 1793, in the 71st year of his age, and lies in the graveyard connected with Pequa Church, over which he had been pastor for 42 years.
It was whilst Dr. Smith was pastor of this church that the building in which we now worship was erected. It was built on the site of the former log church, and from all that we can gather, it was completed and opened for public service in the year 1754, or 100 years ago. From the year 1759, when Dr. Smith resigned the charge of Leacock, until 1769, the congregation was vacant, with the exception of occasional supplics. In that year a call was made for Mr. John Woodhull, a licentiate of Newcastle Presbytery, which he accepted. August 16th, 1769, he was dis- missed from Newcastle Presbytery to join that of Donegal, the commissioner from Leacock, Henry Slaymaker, promising to make good £90 for two-thirds of his time, and the commissioner from Lancaster, £40 for the remaining one-third. The Presby- tery of Donegal met, July 31, 1770, at Lancaster, to receive Mr. Woodhull, and the next day, August 1st, it met at Leacock, to ordain and install him pastor over this church. Rev. Joseph Montgomery preached the sermon, Rev. Robert Smith presided, and Rev. Alexander M'Dowell, of Nottingham, gave the Charges to the pastor and congregation. The year that Mr. Woodhull took the charge of this congregation, he purchased, of Mr. David Orner, 138 acres of land, on which he built a large, substantial, convenient, and for that day an elegant house, in which he re- sided until his removal from the congregation. He then sold it to Mr. William Porter, who in turn disposed of it to his son,
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James Porter, and he, to his brother-in-law, Capt. John Steele, who resided on it until his death, which took place Oct., 1853. Capt. Steele, in all the improvements and additions that he made to the house showed (as we think) a commendable taste and judg- ment in leaving unaltered the part built by Mr. Woodhull. It remains now as when built and occupied by him, and is still in possession of Mrs. Steele, widow of Capt. Steele.
In 1779, Mr. Woodhull asked to be dismissed from Leacock and Lancaster churches. The reasons assigned by him were, that the numbers were so small, and that there was no pros- pect of building up a congregation, and that he had a call to a congregation in New Jersey, where his means of usefulness would be increased. The congregation replied by their commis- sioner, Henry Slaymaker, that their numbers were increasing, and "offered £300 per annum for two-thirds of his time during the depreciation of the currency, and would rise and fall with the times." Lancaster joined with Leacock in the petition against his removal, and for one-third of his time.
He persisted, however, in his request, and was accordingly dis- missed, and accepted of a call to Freehold (Monmouth Co., N. J.), as successor to the celebrated Rev. William Tennent. During his residence here, he lost an infant son, named John, who died July 10th, 1776, and was buried in the yard of this church. In the year 1770, the year after Mr. Woodhull was ordained over this church, Leacock and Lancaster presented a petition to synod, asking to be set off from the Presbytery of Donegal, and to be put under the care of the Newcastle Presbytery, which was granted, and the Presbytery of Newcastle was ordered to take the care of the congregation for the future, so that Mr. Woodhull was dismissed by Newcastle Presbytery.
As Mr. Woodhull, for many years, occupied a prominent po- sition in the Presbyterian Church, a more full and satisfactory account of him may not be uninteresting to this congregation, over which he presided for ten years. For many interesting facts connected with the history of Mr. Woodhull, I am indebted to the kindness of Rev. Dr. John M'Dowell, of Philadelphia, and to a sermon preached at the funeral of Mr. Woodhull, by Rev. J. V. Brown, of New Jersey. Dr. M'Dowell was a student of Mr. Woodhull's, and resided in his family two years, from 1802
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to '4, and was for many years intimately associated with him in ecclesiastical and other bodies.
John Woodhull was born in Suffolk Co., Long Island, N. Y., January 26th, 1744. " He was descended," writes Dr. M'Dow- ell, "from a long line of illustrious ancestors. I have seen in the family Bible a list of his ancestors from William the Conqueror, in the year 1066. His great ancestor at the head of the list was a nobleman, a baron, created, I think, by William."
He prepared for college in a grammar school, under the care of the Rev. Caleb Smith, at what was then called Newark Moun- tains, now Orange, New Jersey. He graduated at Princeton Col- lege, September, 1766, under the presidency of Dr. Samuel Finley. Whilst Mr. Woodhull was in college, there was a great revival of religion, of which he became a subject, and before he graduated, he made a public profession of religion in the church of Princeton. As soon as he graduated he went to Fagg's Manor, and studied divinity under Rev. John Blair. Whilst thus en- gaged, he was strongly solicited by some pious young men, who had been his classmates in college, and who were from New England, to come over and study with them, under the direction of an eminent divine of that region, alleging that they enjoyed there superior light. They pressed the invitation so urgently that he resolved to leave where he was, and went home to obtain his father's approbation. Having secured this, he made his ar- rangements and set the time for his departure from Long Island.
On the morning that he was to leave, he awoke, he thought, as well as usual, and sprang out of bed ; but in attempting to dress, he found himself unable to stand. He made a second and third effort in vain, and was forced to lie down, when he was seized with an alarming fever, which confined him there many weeks ; his recovery was very slow. This dispensation of Providence he considered of great importance, as materially influencing the whole course of his future life. He returned to Mr. Blair, and finished his probationary studies, and was licensed to preach the gospel by Newcastle Presbytery, August 10th, 1769.
He preached as a licentiate in various places, with much ac- ceptance and success, so much so that he thought his preaching while a licentiate was more remarkably and visibly blessed than
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it had ever been since. On one occasion a great awakening took place in an evening meeting, at the house of Mr. John Love, a pious Scotchman of Fagg's Manor, where Mr. Woodhull preached very unexpectedly. About sixty persons of those present became pious, and most of them were young. Mr. Woodhull had several calls for settlement, and of these he finally accepted the one from Leacock. In 1772, he married Miss Sarah Spafford, of Philadelphia, " An excellent woman," writes Dr. M'Dowell, "whom I knew well, and with whom he lived more than fifty years." In 1779, he removed to Freehold, where he continued until his death. In the year 1798, he re- ceived the degree of D.D. from Yale College, " a distinction that was rarely conferred at that day, and more rarely perhaps by Yale than any other college in our country."
Dr. Woodhull had six children. One named John died in infancy, July 10th, 1776, as we have already mentioned. An- other son, Wm. Henry, trained to mercantile business in New York, pious and very promising, died, 1798, of yellow fever, in his 20th year. His remaining children were " Rev. Geo. S. Wood- hull, a very respectable minister, first settled at Cranberry, New Jersey, and afterward at Princeton; he died, 1834." A daughter Sarah, who married a Major Forman, of Mississippi, and died soon after. Dr. Gilbert T. Woodhull, " a respectable physician," in Freehold, who has been dead some years, and Dr. John T. Woodhull, also a physician, who is still living at Free- hold, " and a very worthy man."
Dr. Woodhull was 80 years old, near 81, when he died, which event took place December 22d, 1824, at Freehold, where he was buried. He died with a very short sickness, and retained his vigor of body and mind to the last.
The spring previous to his death he attended the anniversary of the American Bible Society, and was one of the speakers on that occasion. Dr. M'Dowell, who was present, and heard him, says " that he attracted the marked attention of the audience. He spoke with an elevation of voice and distinctness and earnestness that surprised the audience, and it was the most popular speech made on that occasion." He was a trustee of Princeton College from the year 1780 until his death, 44 years ; and also a director of
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the Theological Seminary of Princeton from its commencement, or soon after, until his death, and most of the time Vice-President of the Board. Previous to the establishment of the Theological Seminary at Princeton, many young men pursued their theo- logical studies under his direction.
As a preacher, he is said to have been very popular, so popu- lar, that some congregations around Freehold continued vacant for years, satisfied with a quarterly or half-yearly visit from him. He was an extempore preacher, and scldom, if ever, wrote his sermons. His matter was plain and instructive, his manner and voice very attractive, and he was remarkable for his punctuality ; always in his place at the time appointed. "He was a man of very fine appearance, about six feet high, erect to the last, very dignified in his appearance, and at the same time of an attrac- tive benignity in his countenance and manners."
As an evidence of his high standing in the estimation of the Church, he was the last Moderator of the Synod of New York and Philadelphia, 1788, and the third Moderator of the General Assembly ; Dr. John Rogers, of New York, being the first, Dr. Robert Smith, of Pequa, the second, and Dr. John Woodhull, of Freehold, the third.
It was probably the same year that Mr. Woodhull was ordained and installed over this church, that the Rev. George Whitfield, in one of his tours through the state, preached at Pequa and Leacock. Mr. Amos Slaymaker, who died in 1837, at the age of eighty- three, often spoke of his riding behind his father, on horseback, to hear Mr. Whitfield preach. He was at the time a lad of proba- bly 15 or 16 years of age; and there can be but little doubt that Mr. Whitfield has reference to this tour, in the following extract from his journal : " Philadelphia, June 14th, 1770. This leaves me, just returned from one hundred and fifty miles circuit, in which, blessed be God, I have been enabled to preach every day. So many new as well as old doors are open, and so many invita- tions sent from various quarters, that I know not which way to turn myself."
In 1780, Leacock formed a union with Middle Octorara. October 30th, of the same year, Leacock, Octorara, and Lancas- ter, united in a call for Mr. Nathaniel Welshard Semple, a licen-
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tiate of the Presbytery of Newcastle. Rev. Robert Smith, of Pequa, moderated the call at Leacock, and Rev. James Latta, D.D., of Chestnut Level, at Middle Octorara. This call Mr. Semple accepted, August, 1781. Presbytery appointed the second Tuesday of December, of the same year, to meet at Lea- cock to ordain and install Mr. Semple, and also appointed Rev. Wm. Smith to preach the sermon, Rev. James Finley to pre- side, and Rev. Robert Smith to give the Charges to the pastor and congregation.
Rev. Mr. Semple was born at Peach Bottom, York County, Pennsylvania, 1752. His grandparents came from Ireland, and settled in the place where he was born. He pursued his acade- mical studies under the direction of Rev. Robert Smith, of Pequa, and graduated at Princeton College, 1776. He studied theology with the Rev. Mr. Foster, of Upper Octorara, and was licensed by Newcastle Presbytery, 1779. Whilst a licentiate, he sup- plied the church at St. George's, Delaware, for six months, and at the expiration of that time he received a call to become the pastor, which he declined. About the same time, he received a call to this church, in connection with Lancaster and Middle Oc- torara, which he accepted. His pastoral relation to these churches was continued through the long period of forty years, and was dissolved by presbytery at a meeting held at Lancaster, Septem- ber 26th, 1821. He died, at Strasburg, August 26th, 1834, aged 83 years, and his sepulchre is with us to this day. Mr. Semple kept no record of the doings of the session, and consequently much valuable material connected with the welfare and history of the church, and that would be of great interest to us now, has perished.
Mr. Semple is said to have been a very interesting and popu- lar preacher, with a strong, full, and melodious voice. Rev. Dr. Samuel Martin, of Chanceford, in a letter to Rev. A. B. Cross, says : " He was a popular preacher ; corpulent ; very few men ap- peared to better advantage in the pulpit. His voice was volumi- nous, and very harmonious, his fancy was quite abundant, and truth flowed from his lips in very winning forms. He was not punctual in family visiting, but was much loved, and was heard by many with pleasure and profit."
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A number of young men pursued their theological studies under his direction, who afterwards became eminent and use- ful ministers. Among the number were Rev. Stuart William- son, settled at Snowhill; Rev. James M'Graw, D.D., settled at Nottingham ; Rev. Dr. Paxton, settled at Marsh Creek, Adams Co. ; Rev. John Patterson, settled in Washington, North- umberland Co. ; Rev. John Coulter, of Tuscarora, Pennsylvania ; Rev. John B. Slemmons, Eastern Shore, Maryland ; Rev. Robert Kennedy, of Welsh Run, Franklin Co. ; Rev. Dr. Francis Her- ron, of Pittsburg; and Rev. Charles Cummins, D.D., settled first at Chestnut Level, and afterwards at Florida, Orange Co., New York, where he preached upwards of forty years. Two years since he left that place, and is now residing at Muscatine, Iowa. He and Dr. Herron are the only survivors of that little band of students, and they too must soon follow their departed associates to their last resting-place. Two years ago, as you will all recollect, Dr. Cummins, then verging on to fourscore, revi- sited this church, on a sacramental Sabbath, and preached to us on that occasion with the energy and strength of former days. Fifty years before, then a young man, and student of theology, he attended this church, and listened to the word of life from the lips of his venerated instructor. What a change since that time did he witness ! That instructor had long since been gathered to his fathers. That little band of young men, after having served their generation, had, by the will of God, with a single exception, fallen asleep. The generation that then worshipped God in this sanctuary had, with a few solitary exceptions, passed away, and another generation, which he knew not, had risen up to take its place.
In 1786, the Presbytery of Donegal was divided into two presby- teries, one called the Presbytery of Baltimore, and the other the Presbytery of Carlisle ; and from this time, the old Presbytery of Donegal ceased to exist. In the year 1787, the congregation of Leacock was incorporated, by act of the General Assembly, at Philadelphia, March 10th, 1787, two years after the incorpora- tion of Pequa. Rev. N. W. Semple, James Mercer, John Craig, John Slaymaker, George M'Ilvaine, Henry Slaymaker, Jr., William Porter, Wm. Crayton, and James Cooper, members of said congregation, were by said act constituted. the first trustees.
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The last meeting of the Synod of New York and Philadelphia was held at Philadelphia, May, 1788, Rev. J. Woodhull, mode- rator ; synod then divided itself into four, viz., New York and New Jersey, Philadelphia, Virginia, and Carolinas. These re- solved to constitute a General Assembly, to be held in the Second Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, the third Thursday of May, 1789. Dr. J. Witherspoon, or, in his absence, Dr. John Rogers, was appointed to open the Assembly with a sermon, and preside until a new moderator be chosen.
After the resignation of Mr. Semple, the connection of this church with Lancaster was dissolved, and Leacock and Middle Octorara united in a call for the pastoral services of Rev. Joseph Barr, at the time residing in Norristown; Rev. Amzi Babbit, of Pequa, moderated the call.
At a meeting of the Presbytery of Newcastle, held at Middle Octorara, April 2d, 1823, this call was put into the hands of Mr. Barr, and by him accepted, and on the 6th of May, fol- lowing, he was installed pastor : sermon, by Rev. James Latta, of Upper Octorara ; charge to the pastor and people, by Rev. Robert Graham, of New London Crossroads. Mr. Barr con- tinued the pastor of this church until April, 1846, when he was dismissed, and removed to Newark, Del., to take charge of the churches of Head of Christiana and Newark.
Rev. Joseph Barr was born, December, 1791, near Newcastle, Del., and at the age of seventeen united with the Presbyterian church in Newcastle, under the pastoral care of Rev. John E. Latta. He graduated at the University of Pennsylvania ; studied theology under the pastoral supervision of his pastor, Mr. Latta, and Rev. Dr. James P. Wilson, of the First Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia. He was licensed to preach the gospel by the Presbytery of Newcastle, October, 1812, and shortly after was sent as an itinerant, for six months, in the neighborhood of Dover, Delaware. In the fall of 1813, he received a unani- mous call to the churches of Norriton and Providence, Mont- gomery County, Pennsylvania, which he accepted, preaching alter- nately on Sabbath morning at each place, and at the Academy at Norristown in the afternoon. Assisted by some families in and around the town, he succeeded in building a brick church in Norris-
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town, which was dedicated in the winter of 1816. In this church he preached statedly until his removal from the place in 1823. In 1817, he removed to Norristown, and took charge of the Academy in that village. But finding his health giving way under the double duty of preaching and teaching, he was induced to make a visit to Lancaster County in the spring of 1823, at which time he received and accepted a call to the vacant churches of Leacock and Middle Octorara.
In 1842, he was attacked by disease, that laid the foundation for much future suffering, and ultimately of his death. In 1844 or 5, he gave up Middle Octorara, and confined his time entirely to Leacock. At a meeting of Donegal Presbytery, held at Marietta, April, 1846, he resigned the charge of Leacock, and was dismissed to the Presbytery of Newcastle. Mr. Thomas S. Woods was the commissioner from Leacock to presbytery. The same spring Mr. Barr removed to Delaware, to take charge of the churches of Head of Christiana and Newark. For the first two years his labors were confined to these churches; afterwards they were confined mainly to Head of Christiana and Whiteclay Creek. He resigned the charge of these churches in the autumn of 1853. His health continued to decline, and May 24th, 1854, he died, at the house of his sisters, in Wilmington, and was buried at Whiteclay Creek.
Mr. Barr was gifted naturally with a strong, clear, vigorous mind, and was an impressive preacher. For more than forty years he was a faithful laborer in the vineyard of the Master, and has left behind him many seals of his ministry. In the troubles and difficulties that resulted in the division of the Pres- byterian Church, his sympathies were with the minority, though none ever questioned the soundness of his theological views, or his attachment to the Presbyterian Church.
During his ministry of twenty-three years in this place, there were added, on examination, 225, and by certificate from other churches 47, making a total of 272, being an average of nearly twelve for each year. Of his success in Middle Octorara I have no knowledge.
One of the number added to this church during his ministry, was Mr. John Leaman, admitted a member September 29th, 1832. He pursued his classical studies at Princeton, but in
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consequence of ill health left without graduating. He after- wards pursued a regular course of medicine, and graduated at the Jefferson Medical College, March 11th, 1837, and for several years practised medicine in the bounds of this congregation. September 21st, 1847, he was licensed, by the Presbytery of Donegal, to preach the gospel. From April to November, 1848, he preached in the Presbyterian Church of Annapolis, Maryland. April 1st, 1849, he commenced his labors in Cedar Grove eon- gregation, and October 31st, 1849, he was ordained and installed pastor of that church, with which he is still connected, and an interesting history of which he has published.
In the year 1842, the Presbytery of Newcastle was divided, by the Synod of Philadelphia, into two presbyteries, the one retaining the name of Newcastle, and the other called Donegal. The territory of Donegal includes the counties of Lancaster and York, with the addition of one congregation from Chester County, and one from Maryland; of course this congregation became a part of Donegal Presbytery.
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