History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 74

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts & Co.
Number of Pages: 1314

USA > Pennsylvania > Fayette County > History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 74

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323

UNIONTOWN BOROUGH.

The lot on which the school-house stood (joining the graveyard lots on the west) was transferred to the trustees of the church in 1794; from this fact, and also that the school was established in 1792, it is con- cluded that the school-room was added to the church

ably in 1791.1 Rev. C. Conway remained on the dis- trict until 1796, and probably continued as manager of the school to that date, but in 1795 Conference appointed John K. Reynolds, a traveling preacher, classical teacher. Rev. Wm. Wilson taught the Eng- lish branches. The sessions of Conference of 1794 and 1796 were held in Uniontown. In 1808 the meeting-house was weatherboarded and otherwise improved. In 1809, Thomas Daughaday was preacher in charge of the circuit. He died at his residence on Morgantown Street, where the third church now stands, on the 12th of October, 1810. He was but thirty-three years of age. His wife was a daughter of Peter Hook, one of the original trustees. She died in Westmoreland County.

Mrs. Ann Murphy died Sept. 10, 1814, in the log house on South Street where Mr. N. Greenland now lives. Her descendants in Fayette County are quite numerous, but few of them remain in the Methodist Church. Peter Hook, one of the original trustees, died March 12, 1818, aged sixty-five years. He was the grandfather of Mr. P. H. Hellen. In 1820 the society at Uniontown was separated from the circuit, and with Brownsville formed a station under the pas- torate of Dennis H. Battie. The school established by Conference in 1792 must have closed its history somewhere about 1800. It was followed by select schools down to 1819, Patrick Talbot being the last

1 On the 6th of August, 1791, Jacob Breson sold to David Jennings, Jacob Murphy, Samuel Stephens, Jonathan Rowland, and Peter Hook, trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church, lots Nos. 27 and 28, in con- sideration of five shillings. These lots were located in Jacob's Addi- tion, on the north side of Peter Street. The Methodist Church was built upon them, and the old bial-ground was in use from an earlier day. as is shown by the fact that one stone in it bears the date of 1790.

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HISTORY OF FAYETTE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

teacher. In 1820 the partitions between the meeting-

Kentucky State College, and died in 1850 a bishop house and the school-room were taken out and the of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. In 1827, Dr. Charles Elliott followed Bascom as preacher in charge, and also taught the languages in Madison College. He remained two years, and was followed in 1829 by Thornton Fleming, who remained one vear.

whole thrown into one room, and the gallery extended around the west end. After this the old hall entrance was used exclusively by the females, who were still further separated from the male portion of the con- gregation by a balustrade something higher than the backs of the seats, running from the south side for- In 1830 Conference held its session in Uniontown, and Charles Cooke was appointed to the station. Jonathan Rowland, one of the original trustees, died ward to the aisle in front of the altar. The pulpit was in the centre of the north side, and had over it a sounding-board about five feet in diameter. The | Sept. 22, 1830, in the seventy-seventh year of his age. choir, usually very large, occupied the south gallery, In 1832, under the pastorate of Charles Cooke, the Second Methodist Episcopal Church was commenced, and finished in 1833, under the pastorate of George S. Holmes. It was built of brick on a triangular lot adjoining the graveyard on the west. Daniel B. Mc- Carty, George W. Rutter, and Benjamin Hellen com- posed the building committee. Under the direction of this committee Edward Hyde, bricklayer, Edward Jones, stone-mason, and Gabriel Getzindiner, carpen- ter, built the church. The church was dedicated by Charles Cooke (former pastor), and cost about $3500. the colored people the east, and the whites the west gallery. Uniontown continued with Brownsville as a half-station until 1824, when the appointment was made a station, and James G. Sansom appointed the first station preacher. From 1784 to 1824, when Uniontown was made a station, fifty-eight preachers were appointed to this charge. Never less than two, and sometimes three preachers were on the circuit at one time. James G. Sansom remained but one year, and was followed in 1825 by David Sharp, who in turn was followed by Henry B. Bascom in 1826. Bascom was a preacher of national reputation. Many

In 1837, March 28th, Daniel Limerick, preacher in charge, died, and was buried in the graveyard. From pulpit was filled by John White, preacher in charge of Redstone Circuit, under the direction of the pre- siding elder. From this date to the present time the records of the church are well preserved, and as full and complete as could be expected under the circum- stances.

. congregations have had their place in the Methodist Church in Uniontown, but nothing transpired de- serving special mention in a sketch like this except- ing the revival of 1847-48, under the pastorate of S. E. Babcock, when one hundred and eighty-seven persons joined the church, and the building of the Third Methodist Episcopal Church on Morgantown Street. The contract for building the Third Church was signed by Messrs. Fuller, Laughead, Bailey & Co., July 24, 1877, and the church was dedicated by Bishop Simpson June 2, 1878. The lots on which the church stands cost $2500. The building and furnishing com- plete cost $12,800. The last payment on the debt was paid Feb. 7, 1880.

of the older citizens remember his eloquent and stir- : February, 1837, until Conference met in July the ring sermons. He was a man of fine personal appear- ance, with a brilliant mind of poetical rather than logi- cal cast. Bascom remained but one year, and in 1827 was appointed president of Madison College. The his- tory of Madison College while under the patronage of the Methodist Episcopal Church is rather obscure. Af- ter the formation of the Pittsburgh Conference, and at The usual fluctuations incident to the history of all its first session, a resolution was presented by Asa Shinn and seconded by Thornton Fleming and adopted, viz. : "That the Conference establish a seminary of learning within its bounds, and a missionary be ap- pointed to ascertain the probable amount of money needed." Henry B. Bascom reported at the session of 1826, and the Conference accepted the report, and "Resolved, 1st, That the institution be located at Uniontown, Pa .; 2d, That a superintending commit- tee of nine be appointed, five of whom shall be travel- ing preachers, to determine where to erect buildings and to employ teachers if practicable." The com- mittee was appointed as follows : Revs. H. B. Bascom, John Waterman, Asa Shinn, Charles Cooke, and Thornton Fleming, and Messrs. Charles Avery, of Ninety-two preachers have served the Methodist Episcopal Church in Uniontown since 1784, the date of the organization of the church, down to the present year (1881). Thirty-four of these were stationed preachers since 1824, when the appointment first be- came a station. The names of the stationed preach- ers and dates of service are as follows : Pittsburgh, John M. Austin, Thomas Erwin, and Henry Ebbert, of Uniontown. There had been an academy in Uniontown, established in 1808, the trus- tees of which gave the buildings for college purposes, and the college was opened under the presidency of H. B. Bascom in 1827. J. H. Fielding was Professor of Mathematics, and Charles Elliott Professor of James G. Sansom, 1824. H. J. Clark, 1831. Geo. S. Holmes, 1833-34. David Sharp, 1825. Languages. Bascom resigned in 1829, and J. H. Field- ing was appointed president, and H. J. Clark pro- H. B. Bascom, 1826. T. M. Hudson, 1835. Charles Elliott, 1827-28. Daniel Limerick, 1836. Thornton Fleming, 1829. fessor. In 1832 Madison College closed on account of the Conference accepting Allegheny College, at Mead- I. N. McAbee, 1837. ville, Pa. Bascom in after-years became president of Charles Cooke, 1830-32. W. Smith, 1838-39.

325

UNIONTOWN BOROUGH.

B. F. Sawhill, 1840.

C. D. Battell, 1841-42. A. Young, 1843.

William Cox, 1844-45. E. Birkett, 1846.

S. E. Babcock, 1847-48. Frank Moore, 1849-50. Jos. Montgomery, 1851. I. C. Pershing, 1852-53. A. G. Williams, 1854. John Grant, 1855-56. John Williams, 1857-58.

E. B. Griffin, 1859-60.

A. L. Petty, 1861. H. Sinsebaugh, 1862.

H. L. Chapman, 1863-65. J. Mancell, 1866.

C. W. Smith, 1867-69. A. B. Castle, 1870-72. John J. Moffitt, 1873-75.

S. W. Davis, 1876 (two Conference years in this year) to 1877.

R. T. Miller, 1878-80.

A long list of excellent men have served the church as local preachers, trustees, stewards, leaders, and Sun- day-school superintendents. Among them may be mentioned (as space precludes mention of all) John Phillips, John Hibben, William McClelland, Morris Covert, John M. Austin, George Griffith, Henry Eb- bert, Robert Kincaid, Noble McCormick, Rice G. Hopwood, James Ebbert, Gabriel Getzendiner, A. L. Little, R. L. Barry, Robert Boyle, Richard Miller, P. H. Hellen, Z. Ludington, Daniel Sturgeon, D. Hess, John F. Beazel, E. G. Roddy, James T. Redburn, John W. Barr, W. A. Donaldson, Henry Wilson, G. W. Rutter, etc. The present official board is composed of the following: Alfred Newlon, local elder and trustee ; T. F. Farmer, local deacon ; William Wilson, G. Crossland, John Sembower, William Craig, and Henry McClay, trustees and stewards; Thomas Ja- quett, Lewis Dawson, and William B. McCormick, trustees ; A. S. Craig, William Sembower, and J. E. Moffitt, stewards, the last named being recording steward. As far back as the records of the church are preserved there are accounts of the Sunday-school, but nothing is known of the date of original organiza- tion. The whole number enrolled in the Sunday- school is about two hundred, the average attend- ance one hundred and forty-seven. There are twenty teachers, including those of the boys' and the girls' in- fant classes. J. E. Moffitt is superintendent ; H. Mc- Clay, assistant superintendent ; H. F. Detwiler, secre- tary ; and Juliet Wilson, treasurer. There is another organization connected with the church that deserves special mention : the Ladies' and Pastor's Christian Union, organized by the pastor, Rev. S. W. Davis, in 1877. The society is designed to aid the pastor in his work, and to assist the trustees in providing for the ordinary and extra expenses of the church and its furniture. The society paid over fifteen hundred dollars on the cost of building and furnishing the new church, and is still actively engaged in providing for the incidental expenses. The pastor is president ; Miss Juliet Wilson, vice-president ; Mrs. Neil Clag- gett, treasurer; and Miss Lou Reynolds, secretary. Regular weekly meetings are held on Tuesday evenings.

The Methodist Episcopal Church in Uniontown has furnished quite a number of ministers for the active work of the church. Among others may be mentioned

David Hess (deceased), L. R. Beacom, and G. T. Rey- nolds, of the Pittsburgh Conference, Henry Wilson, of the Illinois Conference, and C. M. Coburn, of the Erie Conference. The number of members now con- nected with the church is two hundred and twenty- six, which is about the average number for the past fifty years.

Perhaps there is no other point west of the moun- tains where the associations and memories of Meth- odism concentrate as at Uniontown. The early plant- ing of Methodism, its well-sustained efforts in behalf of liberal education, the prominent position held by the denomination in its earlier days, and the great and good men who have been connected with the appoint- ment have conspired to make Uniontown an histori- cal centre in Western Methodism. Viewed from the era of the sturdy and heroic itinerant, who, clad in homespun and equipped with saddle-bags, battled for the gospel of peace, or contemplated in the mellow light radiating from the memories of the mothers in Methodism, the promise of the present and the future of Methodism in Uniontown is not so bright as that of the past.

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF UNIONTOWN.1

It is quite certain that Uniontown was occupied by Presbyterian ministers as a place for preaching the gospel a century ago. This is inferred because there were Presbyterian churches in this county with the regular ministrations of the Word as early as 1774. We have authority for the statement that in 1776 Uniontown was included in the bounds of the Dunlap's Creek Church. When ministers were so near they would not neglect this point. But we have no re- corded nor verbal information in regard to the for- mative period of our history until near the beginning of the present century. The first statement to be found anywhere is in the minutes of the Redstone Presbytery. The following extract gives the first reference in these minutes to this church :

" At the meeting of the Presbytery at Georges Creek, Oct. 11, 1799, application for supplies was made by the vacant congregation of Uniontown. Rev. James Powers was appointed for one Sabbath, and Rev. Samuel Porter for another," both eminent ministers.

During the following twelve years, application was made at irregular intervals for supplies, which were appointed. About 1812, Dr. James Dunlap, a man of considerable ability, ex president of Jefferson College, came here and remained about two years. He lived in a small log house on the lot immediately to the east of the court-house. He was principal of an academy which was conducted in the Madison College build- ing. The only person now (1876) living who was a pupil of Dr. Dunlap at that time is Mr. Jacob B. Miller, a citizen of this town. During his residence

1 Chiefly obtained from a history of the church prepared by the Rev.

S. S. Gilson in 1876, and published by request of the congregation.

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HISTORY OF FAYETTE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

here Dr. Dunlap preached occasionally in the old court-house. In 1816 he went to reside with his son, Rev. William Dunlap, in Abingdon, near Philadel- phia, where he remained until his death, which oc- curred Nov. 22, 1818. in the seventy-fifth year of his age. Up to 1817 the preaching was very irregular.

The Rev. William T. Wylie, a native of Washing- ton County, came here in 1817, from the churches of Rehoboth and Round Hill, and began preaching to this church, to its great satisfaction. He is properly regarded as the first pastor. He came upon the special invitation of John Lyon, an eminent lawyer, John Kennedy, afterwards judge, and John Miller, a citizen of influence. Mr. Wylie labored here as stated supply two years, and was then formally called by the congregation.

From the records of the meeting of the Presbytery held at Long Run, April 21, 1819, this extract is made: " A call was presented from the congregation of Uniontown for the ministerial labors of the Rev. Wil- liam Wylie, in which they promise him the sum of $1000 in regular quarterly payments during the con- tinuance of his pastoral relation with them. This call was put into his hands and he declared his accept- ance, and the Rev. Messrs. Francis Herron, Robert Johnson, James Guthrie, and William Johnson were appointed to meet in Uniontown on the first Tuesday of May, 1819, at two o'clock P.M., to install the Rev. William Wylie in the said congregation." The un- usually large salary is worthy of note. It is believed to have been one of the largest paid to a minister of the gospel anywhere in the United States at that time, and it is explained by the fact that then many men of wealth resided here, who identified themselves with this congregation. The explicit instruction of the Presbytery was carried out, for at the meeting at Mount Pleasant "The committee appointed to install Rev. William Wylie in the congregation of Union- town reported they had done their duty."

Mr. Wylie continued his ministerial labors in this church until October, 1823, with varied experience. At Long Run, where the call had been presented, in 1822, " Mr. Wylie presented a request from the trus- tees of the Uniontown congregation, stating that in consequence of the peculiar embarrassments of the times, and the removal and contemplated removal of a number of their most efficient subscribers, the congre- gation were unable to engage to Mr. Wylie more than 8300 a year for one-half of his ministerial services, and that they were reluctantly constrained to desire the Presbytery to release them from their former engage- ments to Mr. Wylie, and the Rev. William Wylie agreeing with the request, it was granted." From this time until his resignation he also preached occa- sionally at Wheeling. Mr. Wylie resigned his charge here in October, 1823, and was dismissed to the Pres- bytery of Washington.

Mr. Wylie's pastoral services here seem to have been quite efficient. The growth of the church was steady

until near the close of his pastorate. His physical appearance was imposing. He was a tall and slender man, over six feet high. He was pleasant in conver- sation. He entered the pulpit with great solemnity, and was regarded in his day as a very popular and powerful preacher. He was searching and faithful in his style, bold and pointed in the denunciation of sin. He spoke without notes. He preached in the old court-house.

In 1827 a call was again made out for his pastoral services, a very unusual thing in the history of any congregation, and the only case of the kind in the history of this, but Mr. Wylie declined.

In 1820-21 he erected the house now occupied by Dr. Daniel Sturgeon, at the northeast corner of Main Street and Mill Alley. The following information in regard to the subsequent history of Mr. Wylie is fur- nished by James Veech, Esq.

From Uniontown Mr. Wylie went to Wheeling, thence in 1832 to Newark, Ohio, in 1854 to Port Gib- son, Miss., where he married his second wife. He returned to Wheeling in 1855, and died there May 9, 1858, nearly eighty-two years of age. His first wife was a daughter of Rev. David Smith, his predecessor at Rehoboth and Round Hill. She was a sister of Rev. Joseph Smith, author of "Old Redstone," and was the child born under the circumstances related on page 57 of that book. She was a good woman, and deserves to be remembered as the mother of the Sabbath-school of this church. The only person now living who united with the church under Mr. Wylie is Mrs. Sarah Dawson, of Brownsville, then Mrs. Sarah Bryson, née Miss Sarah Huston.

For a period of five years after the departure of Mr. Wylie this church was supplied by the Presby- tery. It was during this interval that Dr. A. G. Fair- child seems to have preached here very frequently.

In 1827 the Rev. Jobn Holmes Agnew was called to take charge of this church, and was installed Jan. 26, 1828, by the Presbytery, which met here for that purpose. His salary was 8400 per annum. Mr. Ag- new was the son of a prominent physician in Harris- burg, a graduate of Dickinson College, and a licen- tiate of the Presbytery of Carlisle. He was a small man with a weak voice, a fine scholar and writer, and read his discourses. He was a good pastor, ac- cording to the testimony of those now living who remember him, and as the sessional records indicate. Towards the close of his labors here he hardly came up to the standard of orthodoxy of that day, espe- cially because he was thought to make salvation depend too largely on the human will. At the time of the disruption, in 1838, Mr. Agnew united with the New School branch of the church.

Mr. Agnew resigned here in 1831, chiefly on account of ill health, and at once accepted the chair of Lan- guages in Washington College, and was dismissed to the Presbytery of Washington. Subsequently he was

327

UNIONTOWN BOROUGH.

a professor for a short time in Michigan University ; conducted a Ladies' Seminary at Pittsfield, Mass .; became editor of the Eclectic Magazine in New York ; also taught in a female seminary near Cincinnati, and died several years since at his home on the Hud- son River. During his residence in Uniontown he married Miss Taylor, of Brooklyn. She was an estimable lady, earnestly desiring to aid her husband in his work.

In 1831 began the longest pastorate of this history, that of Rev. Joel Stoneroad. Another peculiarity of his pastorate is that it followed immediately upon that of Mr. Agnew, without the intermission of a single Sabbath. Mr. Stoneroad was ordained and installed here Dec. 14, 1831, by the Presbytery, on a salary of $500, in regard to which sum he says, " Al- though it now appears small, it is to be remembered all other things were in proportion."

Mr. Stoneroad was horn Jan. 2, 1806, in Mifflin County ; graduated at Jefferson College in 1827, and at Princeton Seminary in 1830. He labored as a domestic missionary for some months at Morgan- town, and without his own solicitation or expectation was invited to preach as a candidate here. Unwilling to violate his engagements with the board, the propo- sition was made and accepted to preach here every alternate Sabbath. After being substantially on trial for six months, a unanimous call was made out for his entire time here.

Mr. Stoneroad's labors within these bounds were singularly blessed, and his pastorate of ten and a half years was marked by an average admission, on exam- ination, of twelve persons a year. He resigned this charge April 14, 1842, because of the impression that he could be more useful elsewhere. He went from here to the Cross-Roads Church in Washington County, and after a sojourn of eight years there was called to the churches of Laurel Hill and Tyrone. In 1861 this charge was divided, and Mr. Stoneroad took the church of Laurel Hill alone, where he still labors with a zeal and energy heyond his strength. While in Uniontown he was regarded as an orthodox preacher, and was a diligent pastor, and he deserves, as we believe he has, the esteem of this church "for his work's sake." Revs. Wylie, Agnew, and Stone- road all went from here to Washington Presbytery.

The Rev. Andrew Ferrier, D.D., the only doctor of divinity who has ever labored in this church, came here as supply by the appointment of Presbytery in 1842. He was a minister of the United Secession Church, Scotland, a member of the Presbytery of Glasgow, but came here more directly from the Pres- bytery of New York. On the 29th of November, 1842, Dr. Ferrier was installed as pastor here on a salary of $500.

He was a man of decided ability, and preached fine old orthodox sermons ; but his Scotch brogue made it

difficult for many of the people to understand him. He read his sermons from phonographic notes. Dr. Ferrier resigned his charge here Aug. 6, 1844, and crossed to the Scotch Church in Canada, and of his subsequent history we have no information.

In 1845, on the 26th of June, tbe Rev. Griffith Owen was installed here on a salary of $500. He was a zealous, whole-souled, off-hand Welshman, a good pastor, and a very good preacher whenever he applied himself. He was noted for his itinerancy, both in preaching and visiting from house to house.

He resigned here Nov. 11, 1847, being called to the Third Presbyterian Church of Baltimore, thence re- moving to Philadelphia, where, after laboring a few years, he died.

The Rev. Moses Allen Williams was installed pas- tor of this church Nov. 20, 1849, on a salary of $500. He labored here as stated supply from February until this date.

He was the son of a ruling elder in the Mingo con- gregation, and was born Sept. 20, 1811. He was partly educated for the ministry by the donation of a sum of money for this purpose by the great-grandmother of one of the present members of this church. He is the brother of Dr. Aaron Williams, a well-known minister, now living near the city of Pittsburgh. He resigned his charge here in 1852.

Mr. Williams was a godly man and an excellent pastor, but only a moderate preacher. He wrote all his sermons ont at length and read closely, claiming it was impossible for him to speak without notes, or even commit his discourses. The following informa- tion is condensed from a letter received in October, 1876, from Mr. Williams, who was then preaching at Jacksonville, Oregon :

" After leaving Uniontown I went to South Amer- ica, and lived three years in Valparaiso, Chili. I left Valparaiso in the fall of 1856, arriving in San Fran- cisco after a delightful voyage of forty-two days. In December I crossed Washington Territory by a trail through dense forests until I arrived at Cowlitz Landing, at the head of navigation on the Cowlitz River. In the spring of 1857 I was engaged by the secretaries of the board to explore for the cause of home missions. I preached in Sacramento awhile, organized a Presbyterian Church in Napa City, and made my way north through California to Red Bluffs and Shasta, thence by mule-hack over high ranges of mountains, almost buried sometimes in the deep, melting snows, and brought up at Yreka, in Shasta Valley, and explored and preached all over Scott's and Shasta Valleys.

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History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 74

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885 Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts & Co. Number of Pages: 1314

Author: Ellis, Franklin, 1828-1885
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts & Co.
Number of Pages: 1314