History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with Illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 39

Author: Craft, David, 1832-1908; L.H. Everts & Co
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Philadelphia : L. H. Everts
Number of Pages: 812

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The new circuit which was formed in 1814 was called the Wyalusing circuit, and embraced the following-described territory : from Owego south to Skinner's Eddy, up the cast side of the Susquehanna and including Athens, thence to the place of beginning; an area about forty miles by twenty. The circuit continues to be a part of the Sus- quehanna district, of which Mr. Harmon is the presiding elder, and the preacher is Renaldo M. Everts. There were but two stewards for all this great territory, viz., Joseph Ross and Joseph Utter. Timothy Coggins, a colored man, and Edmund Fairchilds are exhorters; Ezekiel Brown, Andrew Canfield, and Uriah Gaskill are class-leaders ; of these Mr. Brown was the only resident of the county, at whose house Mr. Colbert preached in his first missionary tour in 1793. The first quarterly meeting on the new cir- cuit was held at Joseph Ross', in Middletown, Susquehanna county, Sept. 24, 1814, twenty-one years after Mr. Colbert had first broken ground in the county. The collections reported at this quarterly meeting amounted to $20.41, from which deducting some items left $14.62 for Mr. Everts' quarterage.

It will be convenient henceforth to treat these two circuits

separately, although, for a number of years, they were united in the same district and the same conference. A quarterly meeting on the circuit held at Windham, Sept. 30, 1815 ; the name of Marmaduke Pearce appears as presiding elder, and Elisha Bibbins is the preacher .* The number of classes on the circuit had increased to eleven, and the preaching- places had also multiplied. The next year John Griffing's name appears as the circuit preacher, and in 1818 he is succeeded by Elijah King, who did not remain long on the field; his place was supplied by E. Bibbins.

For the early part of the conference year 1819-20, the circuit was supplied by its two local preachers, E. Buttles and Jephthai Brainerd. At the fourth quarterly meeting, June 24, 1820, George Lane, the new presiding elder, was present, with Ebenezer Doolittle and H. G. Warner as cir- cuit preachers. Mr. Warner was licensed as an exhorter in 1815, and was a local preacher in 1816. In 1820, Sophro- nius Stocking and Waitsdell Searle are exhorters. At the October quarterly meeting, Asa Cummins and John Sayre are the circuit preachers. In 1821, Gaylord Judd has taken the place of Mr. Sayre, and in 1822, John Griffing and James Hodge are the preachers. On the minutes of the quarterly conference held in September of this year, the name of Joseph Towner appears as exhorter. He had been class-leader since 1819. He was one of nature's noblest sons. With few opportunities for education, he could hardly read a hymn when he was first converted, but by persevering effort he obtained a tolerably correct knowledge of the English language, and became one of the most pop- ular and useful men of his time. His knowledge of human nature was wonderful, and his exhortations were powerful. In 1823, Nathaniel Chubbuck, who first introduced Metho- dist preaching in Orwell, was licensed as an exhorter. For nearly forty years he continued to use his gifts as opportu- nity afforded.

In 1814, Spencer and Wyalusing circuits were connected, and John Griffing, Caleb Kendall, and Philo Barbary were the preachers. This was a strong charge, and was well manned. A camp-meeting for this charge was held at Nichols, N. Y., in the month of August, with great success, at which it was claimed more than fifty were converted. Fitch Reed had followed George Lane as presiding elder in 1823, but was superseded in 1824 by George Peck, who continued to have charge of the district for three years. In 1825 the preachers were Horace Agard and J. Pearsoll. Horace Agard was a man of mark, and did much to ad- vance the cause of piety and Methodism on the charge, and, indeed, throughout northern Pennsylvania and southern New York. The following anecdote is told of him. At a certain quarterly meeting the presiding elder did not preach a very able sermon, but called on Brother Agard to exhort at the close, as the custom was. His exhortation was almost overwhelming. A few days after, Capt. Josiah Grant, of Orwell, while traveling fell in company with him, and wishing to compliment without appearing to flatter him, proceeded as follows : " I was at a quarterly meeting the other day; the presiding elder did not make out much, but

# Mr. Bibbins died suddenly at Scranton, July 6, 1859, of heart- disease, aged sixty-nine years, and was buried at Orwell.

HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

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he called on a long-faced, dark-skinned, humble-looking man, and of all the exhortations I ever heard that excelled."

In 1826, John Griffing and David A. Shepard were the preachers. During this year Horace Agard comes on the field as presiding elder. In those days to "ride the cir- cuit" involved a vast amount of physical as well as mental labor, and ministers were usually required to preach three times on Sabbath and nearly every day in the week. A day without preaching was called a "rest day." Brother Griffing told Mr. Chubbuck how he spent one of these rest days. He said he commenced at Standing Stone, and had called upon, and prayed with, about twenty families by the time he had got to Mr. Chubbuck's house, which would take, in those days, nearly every family on the route. Mr. Shepard was an excellent preacher. In those days it was very common for mothers to take their small children to meeting, in faet seemed to be necessary, or else stay at home altogether. The early preachers often complain of " squall- ing babies." On a certain occasion a mother was present at Mr. Shepard's meeting with her little one, which began crying so loudly as to disturb the whole congregation. He bore it a while, when he determined to put a stop to it. He paused in the midst of his discourse and turned to ask her to take the child out, but as his eyes were turned toward her he saw the tears running down her cheeks, her eyes fastened on him, her face lit up with joy, and she, uncon- scious of the child's crying, was feasting upon the Word. "I turned my eyes from her," said he, " without saying a word to her, concluding if she could be undisturbed under the circumstances, I ought to be." Many souls were converted during the two years he and his colleague labored on this field. They did not engage in protracted meetings as at a later period, but sometimes the quarterly meeting would commence on Friday, and be kept up almost continuously, night and day, until Monday, and many would be converted. These meetings were occasions of great interest, and people would go ten or fifteen miles to attend them, and the hos- pitality of the people in their neighborhoods be often taxed to the utmost to accommodate the crowds which would attend; all, however, would be provided for. And then those old- fashioned " love-feasts" were seasons of wonderful interest and power. They commenced at nine o'clock A.M., when "the doors would be shut," and the belated comer must stay out until the precious season was past.

In 1828, Charles Nash and John Sayre are the preachers, and most of the year passed pleasantly. During this year the old Genesee conference is divided, and a large part of its territory set off to the Oneida conference, but this district and circuit remain the same.

It is to be regretted that the statistics of membership for all of this period of thirty-five years are not accessible to the author. Dr. Peck gives the figures for the Susque- hanna district. In 1810 there were seven circuits, of which two were partly in this county, with 3960 members. In 1820 the district had been shorn of a large part of its territory, but has thirteen circuits and a membership of 3043. In 1828 the territory has not been altered very much, but the membership has increased to 4434.

The appointments for 1829 were Charles Nash and Ebe- nezer Coleson. The next year Mr. Agard is succeeded by

Elias Bowen as presiding elder, and had for his colleague Moses Adams. The church made much advancement under their labors. In 1831, S. Stocking and Moses Cushman are the preachers, and Charles W. Adams and Joseph Towner in 1832.

About this time (1832) the circuit was divided, and the eastern part of it became what was known for many years as " Pike circuit." Although the charge was divided, yet the work so multiplied and the appointments so inereased that in 1833 there were three preachers appointed to it, viz., J. McC. Hill, S. B. Yarrington, and A. J. Crandall, all powerful preachers. One of the greatest revivals ever known in all this region occurred in the winter and spring of this year. It commenced in Herrick, at what was known as the " State road school-house." Many heads of families were the subjects of this work, and many who liad led very wicked lives were converted. Among these was a young man, who was a blasphemer, named Epenetus Owen. Im- mediately after his conversion he began to exhort sinners to repent. He soon became a minister, and still lives, after many years of usefulness. The meetings at the State road were followed by similar meetings on Ford street, in Pike, where there were like results. Not far from this time there was quite a revival on Orwell hill. A number who after- wards became ministers of the gospel were subjects of it. In September of this year (1833) a camp-meeting was held at Loomis Wells', in Pike, at which many were converted. These awakenings of religious interest produced a marked effect upon society, and wrought a genuine moral revolution in the community. The next year M. Sherman, E. Bib- bins, and C. W. Giddings were the preachers, and George Lane was again the presiding elder. In 1835, E. B. Ten- ney and King Elwell were the preachers. Another camp- meeting was held in Pike, with good results. June, 1836, a camp-meeting was held on Orwell hill, near Jacob Chub- buck's, and, notwithstanding the unfavorable weather, there were good results. This year there was a change in pre- siding elders and preachers, John M. Snyder being the for- mer, Benjamin Ellis and Thomas Davy the latter ; and in 1837, George Evans and Thomas Wilcox are the preachers. The next year Evans had associated with him Epenetus Owen, the " converted blasphemer." The camp-meeting was held on " Pond hill," Wysox township. Dayton F. Reed (who, on account of his eccentricities, was called " crazy Reed") was instrumental in getting it up. Not only was the meeting productive of good directly, but revivals followed it in numerous places.

In 1839, Erastus Smith and H. Pillbeam are the preach- ers, and George Peck, D.D., the presiding elder, and the name of the circuit is changed from Wyalusing to Orwell. Dr. Peck was transferred at the next meeting of conference, May, 1840, to the editorship of the " Methodist Quarterly Review," and David Holmes, Jr., took his place. The suc- sessors of Mr. Hohes were William Reddy and David A. Shepard, which brings us to a date of important changes in the field we are now considering.

In 1852 the old Susquehanna district, after an existence of forty-nine years, ceased in name, being parcelled out among the four districts of which the Wyoming annual conference, which was organized this year, was composed.

152

HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

Under the new arrangement, that part of the old Wyalnsing circuit which was in Bradford County was included in the Wyoming district, of which Mr. Shepard was the presid- ing elder. In 1854 the Wyalusing district was formed, with George Landon its presiding elder. It embraced fourteen charges and a membership of 3123 persons. Of these the following, with the preachers in charge, were in this county, viz. : Le Raysville, Ira D. Warren ; Wyalusing, Luther Peck ; Rome, J. V. Newell; Orwell, C. Perkins ; Litchfield, William Kinney ; Windham, supply.

Le Raysville was the old Pike eharge, which had been separated from Wyalusing in 1832, the name having been changed in 1850. The first parsonage in all this territory was built within the bounds of this charge in 1815 or 1816, about half a mile above Stevensville. It stood near the large watering trough; but it has long since passed away. From this humble home the old preachers used to start on their four weeks' tour to preach the gospel to the inhabi- tants of this then wilderness county. It has societies in Le Raysville, Prattville, and South Warren, and at each of these places a honse of worship. There is also an appoint- ment on Ford street. There are 144 members. The church property, including parsonage, is valued at $7500. J. R. Angel is the pastor.

Wyalusing was only a very small remnant of the old cir- cuit. The old elass at Gideon Baldwin's had passed away, and for a number of years the place seems to have been aban- doned by the Methodists. In 1840 it was included in the Skinner's Eddy charge. In 1843, H. Brownscombe reor- ganized the class and entered it upon the records as " Wya- lusing and Browntown" classes. It consisted of 29 mem- bers, 11 of whom resided at Wyalusing, and 4 of the 11 were soon transferred to Asylum. In 1854 the class con- sisted of 8 members ; in 1870, of 56.

In 1870 the charge included fonr preaching-places, viz., Wyalusing, Spring Hill, Camptown, and Herrick. Lime Hill formerly was also attached to this charge. In 1870 the charge was divided, and Herrick was made a separate field. Wyalusing and Spring Hill, with their dependencies, -Indian Hill and Browntown,-constitute the charge. At each place there is a society, and at Spring Hill a church. In 1854 a modest-appearing brick edifice fifty feet by thirty- fonr was erected for the use of the congregation, at a cost of $1800. It has very recently been handsomely repaired. In 1874 a parsonage was secured for the use of the minis- ter, who, at present, is E. F. Roberts. The membership numbers 258; value of church property, $5500.

Rome charge was set off in 1853. They have a fine church building, which was erected in 1850. There are societies at Rome, Towner Hill, Myersburg, and Pond Hill. At Myersburg there is a good church building. The charge has a membership of 160, and the church and parsonage property are valued at $6200. G. R. Williams is the pres- ent pastor.

Orwell, as has before been stated, is the successor of Wya- lusing, the name having been changed in 1839. The house of worship was dedicated March 22, 1839, and was the first built by the Methodists in the territory, and was regarded as a very important enterprise. As indicating the manners of the times, it is said many refused to assist in raising the

building because, according to custom, the trustees refused to furnish whisky, and declared that none should be used. The old church, which is still standing, though several times repaired and once moved, has been a rallying-point for the denomination for forty years, and many times, espe- cially on quarterly-meeting occasions, has been crowded to its utmost capacity. The church reports a total member- ship of 163, and is under the pastoral care of J. B. Davis. It has societies at Orwell, North Orwell, and South Hill. There is a church building at North Orwell, and the total value of the church property is estimated at $4700.

Litchfield was made a distinct charge in 1851. The minutes report 120 members, 2 churches and a parsonage, which are valued at $3000, and is under the pastoral eare of E. N. Sabin. It is connected with the Owego district.

Windham was set off in 1856, and formed a part of the Owego district, but was attached to Wyalusing district in 1869. In 1872 it was transferred to the Owego district again, where it has since remained. It reports 280 mem- bers, one ehnrch building, and one parsonage, valued at $4200. A. W. Loomis is the pastor. A considerable part of this charge lies in the State of New York.

Hornbrook was made a separate field in 1869, and was attached to Owego district until 1872, when it was trans- ferred to Wyalusing. They have a pleasant house of wor- ship at Hornbrook, and another at Ghent, both of which are estimated at $6000. There are soeieties at both these places, and also at Gillett's. The pastor is Silas Barner.

Herrick, as has before been said, was erected into a dis- tinct field of labor in 1870, and P. R. Tower was appointed its first pastor. It has societies at Herrick, East Herrick, Camptown, Lime Hill, and Standing Stone. At the latter place is the only church building on the charge, valued at $750. There is a parsonage at Camptown worth $1200. William Keatly is the pastor. It reports a membership of 185.

In 1855 a new charge was set off, called Apalachian, but connected with the Owego district. It was partly in this county and partly in the State of New York. In 1856 it was added to the Wyalusing district, and the name after- ward changed to Little Meadows.

In 1866 the Rush mission was established, with an ap- pointment at Stevensville, in this county. A part of the Skinner's Eddy charge is also in Bradford County.

In 1859, George Harmon Blakeslee was appointed to be presiding elder of the district, in the place of George Lan- don. Mr. Blakeslee was followed by Henry Brownscombe in 1863. D. C. Olmstead was next presiding elder, who was succeeded by Luther Peck in 1871, and he by I. T. Walker in 1874, the present incumbent.

In 1876 the district purchased a fine grove containing twenty-three acres, located on the Montrose railroad, near Dimock, which has been very pleasantly fitted up for camp- meeting purposes.

There are now 10 Methodist preachers employed in eastern Bradford; there are also 19 church buildings and 8 parsonages, and a membership of about 1800 persons. Sabbath-schools were early introduced, and every charge has one or more under its care. They number 26, and have an average attendance of 1810 pupils. Besides

153

HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

the regular preachers there are 11 local preachers. The 19 church edifices are valued at $43,250, and the 8 parson- ages at $8100.

We will now return to that part of old Tioga circuit on the west side of the river. During the existence of the Susquehanna district there were the same presiding elders as on the Wyalusing circuit.

In 1818, Marmaduke Pearce is the presiding elder, John Griffing and Andrew Peck the preachers, on the Tioga circuit, which still extended into New York State. That part lying in Pennsylvania is described as about " one-half the circuit, which embraced twenty-six regular, besides occasional appointments, and some three hundred miles' travel to meet them. In all this extent of country we had two so-called meeting-houses. The walls of one, situated on Sugar creek, consisted of hewed logs, with a door, floor, and pulpit to match." The other was the Light meeting- house in New York. " Our weekly and semi-monthly worship was held chiefly in school and private houses, being often of the rudest character as to material and construction. The quarterly and extra meetings were usually held in barns.

After Marmaduke Pearce, the presiding elders were George Lane, in 1818, Fitch Reed, in 1823, and George Peck, D.D., in 1824. In 1826, at his own request, Dr. Peck was released from the care of the district, and Horace Agard appointed in his place. The district embraced the following charges : Ithaca, Spencer, and Wyalusing; Owego, Bridgewater, and Broome; Tioga, Bainbridge, Canaan, Wy- oming, and Caroline; and at the close of 1825 foots up 3974 members. In 1824 and in 1825 George Evans was the preacher on Tioga circuit. During all these years Father Cole was the chief preacher in all the Tioga charge and in regions beyond. At one place, it is said, "Father Cole preached a characteristic discourse from ' the cloud coming up from the sea the bigness of a man's hand.' In treat- ing his subject he said he should first philosophize it; second, analogize it; and third, theologize it. It was a singular sermon, but quite ingenious and not without prac- tical effect." In 1827 the membership of the district had increased to 9307. In 1828 the old Genesee conference was divided, and the Susquehanna district, or what was left of it, was included in the Oneida conference formed that year; but Tioga circuit is found connected with the Steuben district, of which John Copeland is the presiding elder. Asa Orcott was the preacher this year on the circuit. Our territory is now divided between two conferences; that part west of the river continues in the Genesee, that east of the river is in the Oneida conference. Mr. Copeland says, " But little occurred during the year of special interest except our advance in the erection of church edifices. At the commencement of the year there were but three on all the districts, namely : at Bath, on Sugar Creek, Pennsylva- nia (Burlington, built in 1822), and Oak Hill." In 1830, Robert Burch was placed in charge of the Steuben district in the place of John Copeland, who was appointed agent for the Genesee Wesleyan seminary. In 1831 the district reported 3720 members.

The name of the district was changed to Seneca Lake in 1832, and Manly Tooker was appointed its presiding elder. In 1835 we find the Sugar Creek circuit has taken the

place of Tioga in this county, with John W. Vaughan the preacher in charge, where he had a good revival, in 1836. At the conference of this year, Rev. B. Shipman was put in charge of Seneca Lake district, and in 1837 he was super- seded by Jonas Dodge, who in turn the next year was fol- lowed by John H. Wallace. There seem for some reasons to be frequent changes in the presiding eldership of this district. J. Pearsall, with Ira Smith for his colleagne, were the preachers on the Sugar Creek circuit this year (1838), and report that forty were brought to Christ, and at the time twenty-one were received. At Towanda, Philo E. Brown, the preacher in charge, reported twenty converted, and the work still progressing. This year Towanda was separated from the Sugar Creek charge, and made a distinct field. The next year there is a new station, called Alden station, which recommended Sevellon W. Alden to the con- ferenee of 1839, to be taken on trial for deacon's orders. This year numerons revivals were reported. In the To- wanda, Canton, and Burlington (formerly Sugar Creek) charges the work was extensive. In 1840, J. K. Tinkham was the preacher on Burlington circuit, and R. T. Hancock on the Troy circuit, both of whom reported revivals this year. In 1841, Jonas Dodge was appointed presiding elder of the Seneca Lake district, in place of J. H. Wallace. Israel H. Kellogg was stationed at Towanda in 1842-43, and in the evening of the same day he arrived some found the pearl of great price, this happy beginning being succeeded by scores of conversions and many additions to the church. In 1845, Jonas Dodge having completed his quadrennial, John W. Nevins was appointed to succeed him in the charge of Seneca Lake district.

In 1848 the Genesee conference was divided, and that part to which the churches in western Bradford were attached was called the " East Genesee conference." At the first meeting of the new conference a new district was formed called the Troy district, which included the churches of the old Tioga cireuit lying west of the Susquehanna. There were seven of them, viz., Burlington, Towanda, Monroe- ton, Canton, Troy, Smithfield, and Athens, -the latter church was subsequently set off to the Oneida conference. Mr. Nevins was succeeded by Thomas Carlton, in 1849 Sevellon W. Alden, in 1853, Enoch H. Cranmer, in 1857. Both these brethren were from the same neighborhood and the same charge. In 1861, Rev. T. B. Hudson was ap- pointed to the charge of the district, followed by Revs. Wesley Cochran, in 1865, D. W. C. Huntington, in 1869, E. J. Hermans, in 1873, and John W. Wentworth, D.D., in 1877, who is now at the head of the district.

There are now fifteen charges in that part of this district lying in Bradford County, of each of which the following items may be of interest.

BURLINGTON,

as we have seen, was instituted in 1796, and is most likely the oldest society in the county. The class-leaders have been, in 1796, Andrew Mckean; 1804, James Mckean ; 1812, John Ballard; 1816, James McKean, who was leader in 1804, but was away in the army. On his return he resumed his old place ; 1822, John Ballard ; 1834, William McKean ; 1851 to 1862, Jehiel Mckean.

154

HISTORY OF BRADFORD COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

It will be seen the MeKcan family have held the leadership of this class for more than fifty years. This church has been and still is a strong society. Some of the most able and successful preachers in the church have been converted here, and others equally able have labored here. The good seed sown in 1796 is producing fruit in the highly-cultivated moral and religious character of the people. Its present pastor is J. Everett, and reports 200 members, one church building, and a parsonage, which together are valued at $3000.

SMITHFIELD.

The Methodist Episcopal church was organized in this town Sept. 15, 1815. The society was composed of sixteen members, only one of whom, Mrs. Abigail Pease, is now living. David Forest was the first class-leader. Rev. Palmer Roberts was the preacher in charge. There had been regular appointments for two years before. For many years the Methodists of Smithfield worshiped in private dwellings and school-houses. In 1832 an effort was made to build a church on the turnpike. This church enterprise originated under the pastorate of Rev. Reeder Smith. There is an incident worthy of mention connected with it. The place of building was chosen, and the corner-stone was laid with appropriate services, and a sermon was preached by Judge Mckean, from the text, Matt. xvi. 18, " Upon this rock I will build my church ; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The following night the gates of hell, in the form of some vicious young men, succeeded in tearing up the foundation and bearing away and conceal- ing the corner-stone, which has never been found. The enterprise stopped at that place; the frame was transferred to Smithfield Centre, and became a part of the first Metho- dist Episcopal church in the town. It now stands a few rods south of the village, and is used for a barn. In 1848 a neat edifice was built on the turnpike, about two and a half miles southwest of the Centre. This church was built. by stockholders for the use of the society. In 1860 a good parsonage was secured by the same company, but finally sold, and the proceeds invested in a parsonage at the Centre, which was built in 1877. In 1863 the church was erected at Smithfield Centre, around which point all the society is concentrated. It is under the pastoral care of W. Statham, has a membership. of 117, two church cdifices, and a par- sonage, whose entire value they estimate at $5000.

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History of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, with Illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 39

Author: Craft, David, 1832-1908; L.H. Everts & Co Publication date: 1878 Publisher: Philadelphia : L. H. Everts Number of Pages: 812

Author: Craft, David, 1832-1908; L.H. Everts & Co
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Philadelphia : L. H. Everts
Number of Pages: 812