USA > Pennsylvania > Westmoreland County > History of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, Vol. I > Part 33
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The Pittsburgh, Westmoreland and Somerset Railroad has its northern ter- minus at Ligonier, extending south through Ligonier and Cook townships to Somerset.
The Westmoreland Central Railroad has its southern terminus at Ligonier, extending north through Ligonier township to the coal mines of the Colonial Coal and Coke Company.
The Alexandria Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad leaves the main line at Donohoe, runs north through Unity township to Crabtree.
CHAPTER XXII
Church History.
There was no other state in the Union which began with as many religious denominations and as much genuine religions toleration as Pennsylvania. From the first settlement of Penn and his Quaker adherents, the Province was an asylum for all elements in Europe. Particularly did they come to Pennsyl- vania if they were persecuted because of their religion at home. Other colonies were formed like ours by people who fled from the religious persecutions of Europe, but many of them instituted a series of persecutions in America that were scarcely less vigorous than those from which they had fled in the old world. The Puritans were determined to worship as they saw fit, but they did not allow Roger Williams to do so. It was different in Pennsylvania. With one exception we had absolute toleration of all religions, and this gave us more denominations than any other state, if not more than all the others put together.
This heterogeneous religion prevented our old Congress and our Constitu- tional Convention in 1787 from endorsing or establishing any religion. There is little doubt but that, had the colonies been all Puritan like Massachusetts, or all Cavalier like Virginia, Congress would have been forced to establish a church as the sanctioned religion of the new nation, thus following the religious policy of all European countries. But here in Pennsylvania we had all kinds of religion, and among our people were many skeptics, and prominent men without religious belief at all. This influence in Philadelphia, where both our Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention met, prevented these bodies in no small degree from forming an established religion. Indeed, it might be said that our many religious beliefs prompted both bodies to sanction our system as the prevailing system throughout the Union as it is today. Here we had genuine religious freedom. The Congregationalists in the east and the Episcopalians in the south tolerated but little else in the way of religion. What might be called persecutions on account of religion, while they were common in New England and Virginia, were practically unknown from the beginning in Pennsylvania. The Acadian persecution of 1755 was the only exception in the history of the Province to a system of absolute religious toleration. Our system of religion then differed none whatever from that which is common in
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the United States today. The poet Longfellow wrote "Evangeline," to de- scribe this one exception in our history to complete and perfect toleration. We have, it is true, on our early statute books, a few laws known as Blue- Laws (a name given them because they resembled the rigorous laws of New England), but we never had any that compared in their severity with those of other states. Yet there is no indication that we were less moral, that we were more negligent of church duties, or less enthusiastic in going into all the world "and preaching the gospel to every creature. Nor were they ever accused of be- ing less devout in their observance of the Sabbath than the people of any other state. Though they recognized marriage as a civil contract into which they entered with almost no ceremony at all, each church adopting its own simple form, yet they adhered as closely to its vows as the people of any other state.
PLEASANT GROVE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, COOK TOWNSHIP. BUILT IN 1832.
This generous view of life, this universal toleration so thoroughly lived up to, not only led our lawgivers to adopt ours as a national system, but it brought to our state people representing all forms and creeds of religion. Here, at last, was a province where no man was persecuted because of his religion or because of his lack of religion. Yet our morals were as high, our piety as sincere and wide-spread, as in any other colony.
As every one knows, Philadelphia and the eastern counties were settled by Quakers. They did not hold their own as the state filled up with immigration. Though at first they outnumbered all others, they have gradually lost ground until they are now only found in a few eastern counties. Westmoreland county
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
was settled largely by Presbyterians and Lutherans. The former had for that day a well educated minister, and, with their energy shown no less in religion than in other matters, they spread their theories and tenets very rapidly.
Christopher Gist, a surveyor from Virginia, in the employ of the Ohio Land Company, often as early as 1750 read prayers from the Established Church prayer books to the Indians and white men in his employ. The Roman Catholics who founded and built Fort Duquesne held religious serv- ices regularly until the fort was taken by the English, and the day following, Rev. Beatty, as we have said, preached a Thanksgiving sermon. He was a Presbyterian, and following this up the first permanent preaching and church founding in our county was done by the Presbyterians. They were already strong in the east, and sent out missionaries.
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
Rev. John Steel came here at the request of Governor Penn to try to induce those who had settled here prior to 1769 in disregard of the law which forbade them to settle on lands not yet purchased by the Indians, to remove. Steel was a brave and daring spirit who did not fear the savages. He had been a captain in the expedition under Armstrong against Kittanning in 1756. But, as most of them would not move, Revs. George Duffield and Charles Beatty were sent to Western Pennsylvania by the Synod of New York and Philadelphia, to preach to them and to try to found churches. Beatty had been a chaplain not only with Forbes' army but with Braddock's ill-fated troops as well, and was therefore well suited to minister to the spiritual wants of the pioneers. Their work was scattered over a wide range of territory, and further than that they busily sowed the seed which afterwards brought forth an abundant harvest, little is definitely known of their work. Soon after this a minister named An- derson was sent here by the Donegal Synod who were to pay him twenty shill- ings a day for every Sabbath he preached west of the Allegheny mountains. For the year 1769 the same synod ordered that the western frontier be supplied with ministers "for ten Sabbaths."
Rev. Mr. Finley also did missionary work here. He arrived on horseback in 1771. He purchased lands in what is now Washington county, then in Bed- ford county, as the old assessment books of Bedford show.
Rev. James Power came from the east also, and was the first who had the nerve to remain with our frontier people. He came first in 1774, and preached several months. In 1776 he came with his family and remained. He traveled very widely over what is now Washington, Allegheny, Westmoreland and Fay- ette counties. He preached in private houses, in barns, in forts, and in the woods. He thus organized small bodies of people which eventually grew into church organizations and procured pastors of their own. After a few years of general work over a large field, he became the regular pastor of the Mt. Pleasant and Sewickley congregations, in 1779. He remained constantly with
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
them till 1817, when he was released because he was too old to perform the arduous duties of this position. Mount Pleasant church was two miles north of the present town of Mt. Pleasant. Its name, being a purely Scotch-Irish one, indicated the nationality of its founders. From the church the town afterwards took its name. It was he who was preaching at Unity, perhaps in Proctor's house, on the day that Hannastown was destroyed, and who dismissed his people and rode rapidly homeward.
He was born in Chester county in 1746, graduated from Princeton in 1766, and began to preach regularly in 1772. He and his family and what scanty goods they had came here on pack-horses, having crossed the Allegheny moun- tains on the Forbes road. He carried his eldest daughter on a horse behind him, and his youngest child in his arms. The two other children were carried in baskets which balanced each other as they hung across the back of another pack-horse, while the remainder of the horse's burden was made up by clothes tied to the saddle. The mother rode another horse, and the remainder of their goods were packed on other horses. In 1787 he was relieved from the Se- wickley church pastorate, after which he devoted his time entirely to the Mt. Pleasant work. He has been described as a straight slender man, of medium height, and one who displayed much grace, and manners, both in and out of the pulpit. He was, moreover, very neat in his dress, and a very able preacher. He died August 5, 1830, aged eighty-five years. After his retirement in 1817 the charge remained vacant till 1821, when Rev. A. O. Patterson was made pastor of Mt. Pleasant and Sewickley, again united. The Sewickley charge had been organized by Dr. Power in 1776. When it was cut off from Mt. Pleasant it was united with Long Run congregation, and both charges were under the ministry of Rev. William Swan.
Rev. James Finley, who, as we said, was the first minister who visited this part of the state, was born in Ulster, Ireland, and was thoroughly educated be- fore he came to America. He was licensed to preach in 1752. In person he was a short, compactly built, nervous man, and able both by nature and by preparation to endure the many hardships necessarily encountered in a fron- tier life. With his family he came here in 1783, and began preaching at Re- hoboth, or Upper Meeting House, in Sewickley township. He remained their pastor till 1795. This is one of the oldest Presbyterian congregations in our county. Rev. Finley preached there first in 1772 when he was only prospect- ing for a field of labor, as it were, and when his hearers were but a few scat- tered white settlers. In 1778 he gathered the people together at Rehoboth, and organized them, and in 1784 took regular pastoral charge of them. He died in 1795, and was succeeded shortly after by Rev. David Smith, who served them till his death, August 24, 1803. He, in turn, was succeeded by Rev. William Wylie, who remained their pastor till 1817, when he was succeeded by Rev. Robert Johnston. This section of the county was on the frontier bor- der, and was greatly annoyed by the Indians in the last quarter of the eigh- teenth century.
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
Long Run congregation is about as old as the Red Stone Presbytery, which was formed in 1781. It was supplied by the Presbytery till 1793, when it and Sewickley were united, and Rev. William Swan became their pastor. He min- istered to them till 1818, when after a short vacation, he became the pastor of Long Run alone, and continued with them till 1822, when he resigned because of his age. Fairfield, in Ligonier Valley, was also an early organization and was supplied by the Redstone Presbytery for some years. It was then united with Donegal and Wheatfield congregations, and Rev. George Hill was made pastor. His ordination took place November 13, 1792. He continued to preach to them till his death, June 17, 1822. In 1824, June 17, Rev. Samuel Swan was ordained pastor of Fairfield, Ligonier and Donegal.
Unity congregation was organized about 1776. They preached there, as was the custom, several years before they built a church. It was known as Proctor's Tent. The present church edifice is the building on the same ground. Among its early members were William Findley, John Proctor, the Lochrys, the Sloons, the Craigs, etc. For some years they had no regular pastor, but were served with supplies. The first regular pastor was. Rev. John McPerrin, who was installed in 1791, and remained till 1800. He served the Salem con- gregation at the same time. Both Salem and Congruity charges were organ- ized about the time Unity was, though Unity was older as a preaching place than either of them, and all were added to the Redstone Presbytery. The first pastor at Congruity was Rev. Samuel Porter, who preached at the same time at Poke Run. Porter and McPerrin were both ordained together, on Septem- ber 22, 1790.
All these men were practically missionaries then. The Redstone Presbytery was erected by the Synod of New York and Philadelphia on May 16, 1781. It was to meet in what is now Fayette county in September, but its meeting had to be put off on account of Indians who were prowling about the country. Their first meeting was held shortly after that at Pigeon Creek, in Washington county. There were present Revs. McMillen, Power, and Thaddeus Dodds, and Elders John Neil, Dennis Findley and Patrick Scott. Rev. Joseph Smith is marked "absent."
Rev. Samuel Porter was an Irishman, born in 1760. He studied Greek and Latin and theology under Rev. McMillen, and boarded with his family while doing so, all free of charge. He was licensed to preach in 1789, and the year following began preaching at Polk Run and Congruity. He died Septem- ber 23, 1825, while pastor in charge of the latter congregation.
Rev. George Hill was born in York county, March 13, 1764, and was li- censed to preach December 22, 1791. He was first assigned to Wheatfield, Fairfield and Donegal, November 13, 1792. In 1798 he took on the charge of Ligonier, at which time Wheatfield was otherwise provided for. There he labored diligently and with much vigor and success till his death, June 9, 1822.
John McPerrin was born in York or Adams county, in 1757. He learned the dead languages under Rev. Robert Smith, and was graduated from Dick-
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
inson college at Carlisle on May 17, 1788. He was licensed to preach by the Redstone Presbytery in 1789, and became pastor of Salem and Unity congre- gation, September 22, 1791. In 1800 he removed from the locality and died in 1822.
William Swan was a native of Cumberland county, and was educated at Cannonsburg. He was licensed to preach December 22, 1791, and began preaching at Long Run and Sewickley, April 7, 1793. There he preached more than a quarter of a century. In 1822 his lungs failed and he closed his work. He died in 1827.
Many of these early ministers preached for years without churches. There was generally a pulpit of rough boards or logs erected, while fallen trees served those who wanted to sit down during the services. Most of the con- gregation remained standing, or leaned against trees, during the whole of a long sermon. The men often came to the meeting without coats, and often the preacher spoke in his shirt sleeves. When they had churches they were very cold in the winter, and the people often brought heavy blankets and a superabundance of deer skins to keep them warm. Often, too, they built a log heap near the church, so that they could fire it and go there between services to get warm. They usually had two sermons, one in the forenoon and one in the afternoon, with an hour's intermission between for luncheon. They often met together, the citizens of a community, and built a log church in a single day. There was rarely ever a fire place in them, but they often placed a large kettle filled with red hot coals which made the room a little warmer. The roof was made of clapboards held in place by small saplings laid on the top of them. It was about in keeping with the rude log houses in which the early settlers lived. The singing was done by the unlearned congregation, and from all ac- counts had very little music in it.
The early ministers traveled long distances on horseback from one preach- ing place to another. At all times they were in danger from wild beasts and Indians. Often the distance between preaching stations was so great that they were compelled to pass a night in the wilderness, sleeping on the bare earth and under a canopy of stars. There were no bridges across the large streams. They had to be forded, and this, particularly in the winter time, was attended with great danger. They endured the vigor of our climate without complaint, and did it practically without remuneration. They carried the Gospel to half- dressed pioneers who stood around the rude pulpit leaning on their rifles. They invariably worked at some kind of manual labor in order to assist in support- ing their families. They sowed good seed, and by their simple methods of life most of them outlived the span of years allotted to man, and saw a rich har- vest as the result of their early labors.
THE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
The United Presbyterian Church of North America, Scotch in its theology, ancestry and traditions, was constituted by the union of the Associate and
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
Associate Reformed Presbyterian Churches at Old City Hall. in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, May 26, 1858.
The United Presbyterian Church, as one of the distinctive branches holding the Calvinistic faith, dates its origin back to the later years of Charles II and James II. This denomination in the United States heads at many fountains. While these at the Union in 1858 had gathered into the two main branches, the Associate and Associate Reformed, the body traces a considerable portion of its followers back to the Scotch Covenanters, those "Mountain Men" and "Hill Men," who, following the battle of Bothwell Bridge and outlawry by the Stuarts, held their Conventicles for worship in the hills under the guidance of Cameron, Cargill and Renwick, leaders who were soon after to wear the crown of martyrdom.
The entrance of this "psalm-singing" denomination into Westmoreland county is coincident with the earliest settlements established in the county. Wherever Scotch-Irish families built their cabins and hewed their farms out of the wilderness, like the Pilgrim fathers in New England, they established the church and school. Among the earliest settlements to establish worship according to Associate Reformed Presbyterian (now United Presbyterian) standards were the settlements at Hannastown and New Alexandria. Rev. John Jamison preached at these places as early as 1792, and exercised pastoral oversight over the scattered families of the faith until the New Alexandria congregation was organized, August 19, 1805. Soon after the organization of the congregation Rev. Dr. Mungo Dick became pastor and remained in pastoral charge until 1816.
Rev. John Jamison, above referred to, had an eventful and busy life. Upon his mother's side he was descended from Sir William Wallace, and on his father's side from the royal line of Bruce. He was graduated by St. Andrew's University, and received his theological training under the celebrated John Brown, of Haddington, who formulated the Westminster Confession of Faith, promulgated by the famous body of Westminster divines. Jamison was li- censed to preach by a burgher Presbytery of Scotland, and in 1783 migrated to Pennsylvania and entered upon his first pastorate at Big Springs, later re- moving to Hannastown. He was a man of robust frame, more than six feet tall, quick in temper, unbending in will, kindly in disposition, yet withal a ter- ror to evil-doers, an able preacher, and a leader among men. He was a man of tireless energy. During his ministry he labored in thirty-six fields, in twen- ty-five of which there are now strong United Presbyterian congregations. He is said to be the first minister who preached north of the Conemaugh river. After his pastorate at New Alexandria he removed to Crete, Indiana county, where he died and was buried in 1821. The other pastors of the New Alex- andria church have been Rev. Jonathan G. Fulton, John W. Duff, Matthew Clark, Oliver Katz and Samuel Collins, D. D., who gave to this congregation the evening of his days in a ministry that extended over a period of fifty-nine years. Rev. J. B. Pollock is the present pastor. The centennial of this con-
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
gregation's formal organization was celebrated in its handsome new church home in October, 1905.
Another point where the church was early established was on the banks of the Puckety creek, in Allegheny township. In 1794 a nucleus of people com- posed of the Ross, Reed, and other families held services and petitioned the presbytery for preaching. Revs. Joseph Kerr and Dr. Mungo Dick, and later, Rev. Mathew Henderson, all pioneer ministers of western Pennsylvania, occa- sionally held services. Living at remote distances, these ministers were com- pelled to journey on horseback to fill their appointments, through unsettled portions of country, beset by dangers from unbridged streams, wild beasts and prowling savages. Their compensation for this hard work was very small. Rev. James McConnell, the first settled pastor, was installed September 4, 1811. The first log church was built in 1815. Rev. McConnell was another pupil of John Brown, of Haddington. He remained pastor of the congregation until 1833. The church was burned in May, 1836, but in 1837 a new house of wor- ship was erected. Rev. Jonathan G. Fulton became pastor in 1838. He re- mained but a year and two months. Mr. Fulton, whom many yet living re- member, was one of the most logical, eloquent and earnest preachers that ever served the denomination. The succeeding pastors have been Revs. W. A. Mc- Kinney, J. W. Duff, John C. Bryson, James Given, M. M. Patterson, D. D., C. H. Marshall, J. B. McIsaack, and L. R. Peacock. In 1897 the brick church was burned, and in 1898 the present fine frame structure was erected. The Watts, McGearys, Crooks, Rosses, Stewarts, Andersons and Hunnells are among the substantial people connected with this church. The congregation celebrated its centennial October 13, 1904.
In 1802 the Associate Reformed Church of Mt. Pleasant was organized. Like many of its sisters, the services were first held in a tent with a board pulpit erected therein. The promoters of this organization were the Andrews fam- ilies, who a few years before had come from Ireland, and the Wardens, the an- cestors of the Warden family of Mt. Pleasant, who had come from the north of Ireland in 1765. Rev. Dr. Mungo Dick, born at Fifeshire, Scotland, in 1772, educated at the University of Edinburgh, was settled as the first pas- tor in 1806, in connection with Sewickley and New Alexandria. He was re- garded as one of the ablest preachers of his day. He served the congregation for sixteen years. After a vacancy of fifteen years. Rev. Richard Gaily became pastor in 1839 and remained for ten years. Rev. D. H. Pollock followed with a pastorate of four years, until 1853. In 1856 Rev. James H. Fife became pastor, until his death in 1861. The fifth pastor was Rev. A. B. Fields, for, four years. In August, 1871, Rev. John A. Nelson was installed and remained pastor for four years. Rev. Robert B. Taggart, now of Harriman, Tennessee, was installed in 1877 and served the congregation for six years. He is one of the most erudite linguists and church historians in his denomination. The present pastor, Rev. Howard S. Wilson, was installed in 1884, this being his first and only charge.
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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY.
In the later years of the eighteenth century little colonies of Seceders set- tled in the Ligonier Valley, near Fort Palmer, Fort Ligonier, and Donegal township. These were troublous times; the restless savages were a constant source of danger and the people built their cabins within easy reach of the forts and blockhouses, to which they were compelled to flee for refuge from the turbulent Indians. Very early after these settlements were made, Associate Presbyterian congregations were organized at Fairfield, within hailing dis- tance of Fort Palmer, and in Donegal township. Rev. John Cree served as pastor from 1803 to 1806, after which these congregations, so far as can be learned, were vacant until October 18, 1815, when Rev. Dr. Joseph Scroggs, to whom we have referred at length elsewhere in these pages, became pastor. The field of Dr. Scrogg's ministry has been prolific of preachers in the United Presbyterian ministry. Rev. Dr. James P. Lytle, Revs. Joseph Scroggs, James D. Lytle, R. H. Pollock, T. C. Pollock, Andrew Graham, William Graham, Joseph McKelvey, A. W. Lytle, D. P. Smith, T. M. Huston, Allen A. Graham and S. Alvin Work were reared under his spiritual oversight. Rev. A. R. Rankin, Rev. Dr. G. C. Vincent, D. D., LL. D., W. H. Vincent, D. D., T. M. Jamison, and R. H. Rockwell have since ministered to the congregation. Since Dr. Scroggs' death the pastors of Ligonier and Fairfield have been Rev. W. H. Vincent, D. D., Revs. T. M. Jamison, R. H. Rockwell and W. T. Brownlee, the present pastor.
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