USA > Pennsylvania > Washington County > History of Washington County, Pennsylvania : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men > Part 103
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The Waynesburg and Washington Railroad (nar- row-gauge) connects the borough of Washington with Waynesburg, Greene Co., being twenty-seven and one- half miles in length. The company was organized
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398
HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
in 1875, the following-named persons composing the board of managers, viz .: J. G. Ritchie (president), W. G. W. Day, S. W. Scott, W. T. Lantz, Jacob , ever, he did not fully accomplish until 1779. This Swart, Henry Swart, Clark Hackney, W. S. Bryson, John Ross. The work of construction proceeded, : Buffalo and Cross Creek Churches. and on the 6th of August, 1877, the tracklayers mov- At a meeting of the Synod of New York and Phila- delphia held May 16, 1781, these three ministers, together with Rev. James Power, of Westmoreland County, were, at their own request, erected into a sep- arate presbytery, to be called the Presbytery of Red- stone. The first meeting was appointed to be held at ing southward from Washington reached Banetown, a distance of ten miles. On the 1st of September following, fourteen miles south from Washington had been completed, and trains commenced running. On the 17th of the same month the track crossed the Greene County line, and the locomotive "General ' Laurel Hill, in what is now Fayette County ; but this Greene" entered that county, the first locomotive ever within its boundaries. About the 1st of Octo- ber in the same year the road was completed, and trains commenced running regularly over its entire length from Washington to Waynesburg. The cost of the road was $4975 per mile exclusive of equipment.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
RELIGIOUS HISTORY.
The Presbyterian Church in Washington County-The United Presby- terian Church-The Associate Presbyterian Theological Seminary- The Cumberland Presbyterian Church-The Disciples of Christ-The Catholic Church.
The Presbyterian Church in Washington County.1-From the first settlement of the territory subsequently included in the limits of the county of Washington, Pa., a part of the scattered population consisted of persons who held to the Presbyterian form of faith and worship. The number of these was largely increased after the Penn Proprietaries, in 1769, opened their land-office in Philadelphia for acquiring titles to land west of the mountains. For several years following this, notwithstanding the obstructions arising from conflict of jurisdiction between Virginia and Pennsylvania, a constant stream of immigration flowed into the country, and of this inflowing popula- tion Scotch-Irish Presbyterians constituted a princi- pal part. Some of these were direct from North Ire- land and West Scotland, a few from New Jersey and Virginia, much the larger part from Chester, York, and Lancaster Counties in Pennsylvania, Cecil County in Maryland, and New Castle County in Delaware.
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Coeval with this influx, church organizations began to be formed. Rev. John McMillan was the earliest Presbyterian minister settled in what is now Wash- ington County. He first visited the West in 1775, and received urgent calls from the Chartiers and Pigeon Creek congregations to become their pastor, which he accepted, but did not remove his family and locate permanently until 1778, but in the mean time repeatedly visited his congregations, and ordained elders, administered the sacraments, and performed other pastoral duties. In 1777, Rev. Thaddeus Dodd
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visited the Ten-Mile settlement, and shortly after- wards started to remove with his family, which, how- same year Rev. Joseph Smith became pastor of
was adjudged impracticable on account of Indian in- cursions, which prevented the Washington County ministers from going so far away from their homes. The meeting accordingly was held at Pigeon Creek, in Washington County, at the time appointed, which was Sept. 19, 1781, eleven o'clock A.M. The record runs thus: "Ubi post preces sederunt. The Rev. Messrs. John McMillan, James Power, and Thaddeus Dodd, elders; John Neil, Demas Lindley, and Pat- rick Scott. Absent, Rev. Joseph Smith."
In 1788 the Presbytery of Redstone became a con- stituent part of the Synod of Virginia, which was one of the four synods created by the division of the Gen- eral Synod and the erection of the General Assembly, which held its first meeting in May, 1789.
For several years Messrs. McMillan, Dodd, and Smith were the only Presbyterian ministers in the . county. The first additions to their number were from those educated, licensed, and ordained by them- selves. In 1788 Presbytery licensed John Brice, James Hughes, and Joseph Patterson. On the 11th of November, 1789, Mr. Patterson was ordained to the full work of the ministry, and became pastor of the united congregations of Raccoon, in Washington County, and Montours, in Allegheny County. On the 21st of April, 1790, Mr. Hughes was ordained, and became pastor of Lower Buffalo, in Washington County, and Short Creek, now West Liberty, in Ohio County, Va. On the 22d of April, 1790, Mr. Brice was ordained, and became pastor of Three Ridges, now West Alexander, in Washington County, and of Forks of Wheeling, Ohio Co., Va.
In 1793 the Synod of Virginia erected from Red- stone Presbytery a new presbytery west of the Mon- ongahela River, to be called the Presbytery of Ohio. Of the five ministers composing it, all except one, Rev. John Clark, of Bethel and Lebanon, in Alle- gheny County, were resident in Washington County, viz., John McMillan, Joseph Patterson, James Hughes, and John Brice. Rev. Messrs. Smith and Dodd had died a short time previously, and the churches of Cross Creek, Upper Buffalo, and Ten- Mile were without pastors.
The first meeting of the Presbytery of Ohio was held at Buffalo, Oct. 22, 1793. The elders present were John Miller, Josiah Scott, John Riddle, Wm. Mccullough, John McWilliams, Robert Lyle, and Joseph Coe.
1 By Rev. W. F. Hamilton, D.D.
399
RELIGIOUS HISTORY.
On the 13th of June, 1794, Thomas Marquis, who had been licensed by the Presbytery of Redstone the year preceding, was ordained and installed pastor of Upper Buffalo and Cross Creek. On the 30th of November, 1796, Samuel Ralston, a graduate of Glas- gow University, and who had been licensed in Ire- land, was ordained by the Presbytery of Ohio and installed as the first pastor of the united congrega- tions of Mingo Creek and. Horseshoe Bottom. In June, 1800, Elisha McCurdy, a licentiate of the Pres- bytery, was ordained and installed pastor of the united congregations of Cross- Roads and Three Springs. In 1802, Rev. John Anderson became pas- tor of Upper Buffalo.
In May, 1802, the General Assembly erected the Synod of Pittsburgh, including in it the Presbytery of Ohio. This was the first Synod erected west of the mountains. It met at Pittsburgh Sept. 29, 1802. Of the sixteen ministers reported as belonging at that time to the Presbytery of Ohio eleven were pastors in Washington County, viz. : the eight just named, and Thomas Moore, pastor of Ten-Mile; Andrew Gwinn, pastor of Pigeon Creek ; John Watson, pastor of Miller's Run, first president of Jefferson College.
In October, 1819, the Synod of Pittsburgh erected from the Presbytery of Ohio a new Presbytery, to be called the Presbytery of Washington. Of the nine ministers composing it seven were in the bounds of Washington County, viz .: Thomas Marquis, John Anderson, Elisha MeCurdy, Joseph Stevenson, Cephas Dodd, Andrew Wylie, and Thomas Hoge. The first meeting was held at Three Ridges Oct. 19, 1819. The elders present were John Henry, John Flack, John Maxwell, Joseph Donaghy, William Brown, David Gray, and Ziba Casterline.
At the time the Presbytery of Washington was erected there still remained in connection with the Presbytery of Ohio seven ministers resident in Wash- ington County, viz .: John McMillan, pastor of Char- tiers; Joseph Patterson, without charge ; Boyd Mer- cer, without charge ; Samuel Ralston, pastor of Mingo and Williamsport ; Matthew Brown, pastor of Wash- ington ; William McMillan, pastor of Miller's Run and president of Jefferson College; and Moses Allen, pastor of Raccoon. Thus there were fourteen minis- ters resident in the county at this time, while the church at Pigeon Creek was without a pastor.
In 1841 the General Assembly erected a new Synod, to be called the Synod of Wheeling, in which the Presbytery of Washington was included. At this time twelve of the twenty-one ministers, composing the Presbytery resided in Washington County, viz. : David McConaughy, Cephas Dodd, John McCluskey, Daniel Dernelle, David Hervey, William P. Alrich, John Eagleson, Eb. S. Graham, James M. Smith, John Stockton, John Moore, and James McKennan. At the same time eight others who belonged to the Pres- bytery of Ohio were also residents of Washington County, viz., Samuel Ralston, Matthew Brown, Wil-
liam Smith, Lemuel F. Leake, John Kerr, John M. Smith, Alexander B. Brown, and Clement V. McKaig.
In the general reconstruction of the Synods in 1870, consequent on the reunion of the Old and New School branches of the church, the Synod of Wheeling ceased to exist, and the Presbytery of Washington reverted to the Synod of Pittsburgh, At the same time the Presbytery of Ohio had its name changed to the Presbytery of Pittsburgh.
The following statistics, taken from official records for year ending April 1, 1881, show very nearly the present status of the Presbyterian Church in Wash- ington County : Within the Presbytery of Washing- ton,-ministers, 18; churches, 17. Within the Pres- bytery of Pittsburgh,-ministers, 11; churches, 9. Total, ministers, 29; churches, 26; ruling elders, 140 ; communicants, 5063 ; Sabbath-school scholars, 4025 ; funds contributed,-home missions, $2068; foreign missions, $4055; education, $584; publication, $411; church erection, $486; relief fund, $420; freedmen, $516; sustentation, $242; General Assembly, $420; congregational, $35,363 ; miscellaneous, $1080.
The following table gives a synoptical view of the churches and ministers within the county :
Churches.
Minister.
P. O. Address.
Chartiers.
Pigeon Creek
149 Matthew H. Bradley, pastor. Canonsburg. 270 John S. Marquis, pastor.
Dunningsville.
Upper Ten-Mile ...
200 John H. Sherrard, stated supply.
Lower Ten-Mile ..
140
Prosperity. Amity.
Upper Buffalo. 266 Jas. D. Walkinshaw, pastor. Buffalo.
Cross Creek
225, Wm. H. McCanghry, pastor .. Cross Creek Vill.
Raccoon.
260 Greer M. Kerr, pastor.
Midway.
West Alexander ...
312 Wm. H. Lester, pastor
West Alexander.
Lower Buffalo
129 James L. Reed, pastor ...
Independence.
Washington 1st.
382 James I. Brownson, D.D., pastor ..
Washington. Finleyville.
('ross-Roads.
180 Ross Stevenson, D.D., pastor. Florence.
Three Springs
90 Wm. I. Brugh, D.D , stated supply
Paris.
Monongahela City Miller's Run ..
254, Wm. O. Campbell, pastor. ... Monongahela City.
50 Wm. Ewing, Ph.D., stated supply
Canonsburg.
East Buffalo
144 Henry Woods, D.D., stated supply
Washington.
Claysville.
214
Claysville.
Mount Prospect .. Centre.
156| Alex. B. Brown, pastor
Canonsburg.
Canonsburg.
Pine Grove ..
Canousburg. 291 John M. Smith, pastor. 12 340 James T. Frederick, pastor. Burgettstown. 278 J. G. Cowden, pastor elect ..... Washington. 150 Abner O. Rockwell, stated supply Munntown.
Mount Pleasant ...
44 William F. Hamilton, D.D., stated supply
Washington.
California
41'Ed. P. Crane, stated supply .. California. Wm. Speer, D.D. James D. Moffet, Prest. of College ...
Washington.
Geo. P. Beard, Prest. of Nor- mal School.
California.
Wm. F. Brown.
Canonsburg.
Thomas B. Vaneman.
Canonsburg.
The United Presbyterian Church.1-The United Presbyterian Church is a lineal descendant of the se- cession from the Church of Scotland in the year 1734. To comprehend aright the ground of that secession,
1 By Rev. J. T. Brownlee.
No. of com- municants.
John Stockton, D.D., pastor emeritus.
Cross Creek Vill.
Mingo ..
195
200. Thos. R. Alexander, pastor. Hickory.
Burgett's Town.
Washington
Fairview
Washington.
400
HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
it may be well to look back to a period still more re- mote. The religious liberty which had been so largely enjoyed during the period of the Commonwealth (1653 -58) was immediately restrained, if not wholly sup- pressed, on the accession of Charles the Second to the throne. Presbyterial church government was abol- ished throughout the kingdon and Episcopacy estab- lished. Three hundred ministers, who refused sub- mission to the prelates placed over them, were ejected without form of trial, from their churches. By act of Parliament the king was declared to be "the only lawful supreme governor of the realm as well in mat- ters spiritual and ecclesiastical as in things temporal." The sore persecutions that followed during the reigns of Charles and James the Second are familiar to all readers of the annals of Scottish Presbyterianism. But the revolution of 1688 followed, and William the Prince of Orange, and Mary, his wife, were placed upon the throne. Religious liberty was now pro- claimed throughout the kingdom and Presbyterianism restored to Scotland. But so great was the desire of the government to avoid ecclesiastical excitement that the General Assembly of the church was induced to permit several hundred Episcopal incumbents, who during the preceding reigns had been placed in their charges, to retain those charges on the single condi- tion that they would now submit to that Presbyterian system which"they had before been laboring to over- throw. These men were little credit to any division of the church. Bishop Burnet, the friend and adviser of William and Mary, the distinguished author of the " History of the Reformation," and of "The Church in His Own Times," who cannot be suspected of any groundless prejudice against these men, says of them, "They were the worst preachers I ever heard; they · were ignorant to a reproach, and many of them were clearly vicious. They were a disgrace to their orders, and were indeed the dregs and the refuse of the northern parts. Those of them that rose above con- tempt and scandal were men of such violent tempers that they were as much hated as the others were de- spised."
The influence of these men was soon felt not merely in spreading the leaven of error, but in weakening the spiritual life and power of the church. Men in high places,-the Professor of Divinity in the Uni- versity of Glasgow, and the Professor of Ecclesiastical History in the same institution,-when arraigned be- fore the bar of the Assembly on the charge of teaching doctrines in direct opposition to some of the funda- mental principles of evangelical religion, were either dismissed without censure, or, being censured, were still permitted to retain their positions and all the emoluments pertaining thereto. The spirit of mod- eratism (a term expressive of loose morality and worldliness of spirit) was not only abroad but was dominant in the church. Being an ecclesiastical es- tablishment, the settlement of pastors in the congre- gations of the church was by the presentation of a
patron, and not by the choice of the people. Some may not have regarded this as oppressive, but to mul- titudes it was a galling yoke. They regarded it as an unrighteous and hateful imposition. Efforts in the direction of reformation from this undesirable estate were made from time to time, but they proved abortive. One, somewhat more concerted and systematic than the rest, was made about the year 1720 by the cele- brated Thomas Boston, associated with James Hog, the Erskines, and others, who were termed "the Marrow men." But it, too, was met by the pointed condemnation and rebuke of the Assembly. Shut out also from the privilege of protesting in the church courts against the prevailing latitudinarianism of the times, it only remained for those who would stem the tide to use the liberty which they still had to preach the truth from their pulpits. It was the exercise of this privilege that precipitated the event to which can be traced the origin of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States.
On the 10th of October, 1732, it became the duty of the Rev. Ebenezer Erskine, a prominent member of the Evangelical party in the church, to preach a sermon at the opening of the Synod of Perth and Sterling. His text was the words, " The stone which the builders refused is become the headstone of the corner." (Ps. cxviii. 22.) The sermon, as delivered, is found in the published works of the author, vol. ii. page 593. It pleads earnestly for the exaltation of Christ as the chief corner-stone in the spiritual building, the church, and inveighs somewhat warmly against any policy or practice in the church which might tend to degrade him to an inferior position ; but there is nothing in it that ought to be offensive to, or that should be regarded as scandalous by, any right-thinking man who loves evangelical truth. Yet a buzz of excitement immediately ensued. The debate ran through three days, and the vote being taken at length, by a majority of six the sermon was condemned and the preacher adjudged to a public rebuke at the bar of the Synod. Fourteen members dissented from the decision, and Mr. Erskine pro- tested and appealed to the General Assembly. This body met in May following (1733), and the case coming up the Assembly sustained the decision of the Synod, and as a termination of the process ordered the appellant to be rebuked at its own bar. He sub- mitted to the rebuke; but immediately laid on the table a protest, in which he claimed that he should " be at liberty to preach the same truths of God, and to testify against the same or like defections of this church upon àll proper occasions." In this protest he was joined by three others, Messrs. James Fisher, William Wilson, and Alexander Moncrief. All were of considerable prominence in the church : Fisher, the author of the well-known exposition of the "Shorter Catechism" bearing his name; Wilson, who, as the future Professor of Theology, prepared and read his theological lectures in the Latin language ; and Mon-
401
RELIGIOUS HISTORY.
crief, son of the Laird of Culfargie, whose thorough education had been received in the University of Leyden at the feet of the celebrated Marck. With the presentation of their protest the matter would in all probability have terminated, as at this time it does not appear that there was any desire or purpose on the part of the protesters to withdraw from the church of their fathers. But the protest thus laid on the table, being afterwards read by a member of the court and its contents by him stated to the Assembly, another scene of excitement ensued, the end of which was that the Assembly, indignant at the protesters for the liberty they claimed, directed its commission, which was to meet in the autumn of the same year, to deal with the protesters, receive the withdrawal of their protest, and in case of refusal to withdraw to proceed to inflict a higher censure.
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The commission met, and, obedient to the order of the Assembly, the protesters appeared at their bar. Long discussions followed, but the protesters adher- ing to their positions were, first, " suspended from the exercise of the ministerial functions," and, afterwards, it was decided to "loose the relation of the said four ministers to their several charges, and declare them no longer ministers of this church, and prohibit all ministers of this church to employ them in any ministerial function." Direction was also given that notices be served on the sheriff's of the districts in which the parishes of the protesters were located to see that the sentence of the commission in letter and spirit be fully executed. Against this action the protesters protested again, avowing their purpose to disregard it, as to the matter of ceasing from minis- terial functions, and closing their protest with the memorable words: "And we hereby appeal to the first free, faithful, and reforming General Assembly of the Church of Scotland."
in the church. The Synod met at the time desig- nated, and proceeding immediately to the work as- signed by the Assembly, with unanimous consent re- moved the sentence of suspension from the protesters and restored them fully to Christian and ministerial fellowship in the church. Certain members of the Synod were also appointed to convey to the brethren now restored official notice of the action now taken, and to give notice of the same also to their congregations.
A critical juncture was now reached. What will the newly-formed " Associate Presbytery" now do? Taking the matter into serious consideration, they made known their purpose to maintain their separa- tion from the mother-church. A pamphlet was soon issued, indicating their action and setting forth in detail the reasons justifying their course. As we assume not to denounce unqualifiedly the action of the General Assembly, so we assume not to defend without qualification the action of the protesters in declining the apparently liberal terms of reconcilia- tion and restoration now tendered unto them. It is confidently believed that in the course they took they were actuated by pure motives ; nor is it doubted that He who " walks in the midst of the golden candle- sticks" was able to overrule and did overrule this unhappy division for good, both to the parent church and also to those who by its act, at first cut off from its communion, now chose to maintain a permanent separation from it.
The events following need not be noticed in detail. The membership of the new Presbytery was soon in- creased to eight, all men of weight and influence in their respective fields of labor. In 1739 they were summoned before the bar of the Assembly to answer for the sin of schism. In constituted capacity as a Presbytery they appeared at the bar and entered a formal declinature of the authority of the court. Another "year of grace" was given by the Assembly, at the end of which, in 1740, the eight members of the " Associate Presbytery" were formally deposed from the office of the ministry and cut off from the com- munion of the church.
On the 5th of December following (1733) the breth- ren thus unchurched, and thus protesting and appeal- ing, met together at Gairney Bridge, and after much and prayerful deliberation constituted themselves into a court of Christ's house, which they named "The Associate Presbytery." At and even before this time They pursued the "even tenor of their way." Frequent accessions to their numbers were received from time to time of those in the Assembly who dur- ing the long controversy had all the while sympa- thized with the position and principles of the pro- testers. In 1744 the new organization contained twenty-six ministerial members, who belonged to three Presbyteries, constituting the "Associate Synod." The unhappy controversy about the Bur- gess oaths now followed, resulting, in 1747, in the division of the Associate Synod into two bodies about equal in size, known as the Burgher and Anti- Burgher Synods. The division continued for a period of seventy years, when, in the year 1820, a union of the long-divided parties was effected (a very few de- clining), resulting in the formation of the " United Se- a reaction in the sentiment of the church was begin- ning to be felt. The popular talents and high attain- ments and character of the brethren protesting, in connection with what by many was regarded as the imperious course of the prevailing party in the As- sembly and Synod, produced an impression so marked through the land that no less than seven of the fifteen Synods composing the whole church had sent up remonstrances against the suspension of the pro- testers by the commission, and so strong had this reactionary feeling now become that the Assembly of 1734, almost immediately after being constituted, empowered the Synod of Perth and Sterling to meet on July 2d (in advance of the regular time of meet- ing), and take action looking to the speedy reinstate- ment of the suspended brethren into good standing | cession" Church, a body which embraced at the time
402
HISTORY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
of the union two hundred and sixty-two congregations. Twenty-seven years later, in 1847, a union was formed between the "United Secession" and the "Relief Church." The latter was the result of a secession from the Established Church in 1758, solely as a pro- test against the principle of patronage, and on the ground of the absolute right of every congregation to choose its own pastor. At the time of its union with the United Secession the Relief contained one hun- dred and thirteen congregations, which, added to the number in the other branch, made the whole number four hundred and ninety-seven. The organization thus constituted took to itself the name of the " United Presbyterian Church of Scotland." At the present it contains about five hundred and fifty con- gregations, being one of the three principal organiza- tions (Established, Free, and United) into which the Presbyterianism of Scotland is divided.
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