History of the County of Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, with Biographical Sketches of Many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 64

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wonderment. Many of the earliest settlers of Western Pennsylvania were churchmen, zealously attached to the forms and beliefs of the Episcopal or mother- church of England. But this conservative church did not provide means for the protection and perpet- uation of congregational worship. The flocks were left without a shepherd. The Presbyterians would not give them the sacrament, or baptize their chil- dren, unless they would subscribe to the Westminster Confession, and promise to bring up their children in that faith; the Baptists would not permit them to commune, except they would renounce their baptism and become immersed. No wonder that clear-sighted old John Wesley, seeing what was to be done, and how it was to be done, made haste "to provide," to use his own words, " for those poor sheep in the wil- derness." And so the itinerant heralds, running up and down in every direction, gathered the flocks into new folds, and working with their whole heart and souls gathered bread where others would have gath- ered stones. They went to and fro watching, and wherever they found an open door there they entered.

The footsteps of these early preachers-Worster, Cooper, and Breeze-were traced a score of years afterwards by an observant man, himself, later on, a missionary farther west,1 from Uniontown, where the first society was raised. Their labors were followed to the Youghiogheny, near the Broad Ford, from thence down that stream to the Forks, in Westmoreland County, where a large society was early raised of men eminent for worth and piety, most of whom had been churchmen. They were thence traced along the Monongahela into Washington County, through some of the northwestern regions of Virginia, and so on back to Uniontown, whence they started.

In 1787 an annual conference was held at Union- town in the month of July. Bishop Asbury officiated as a plain Presbyter, in gown and band, assisted by Richard Whatcoat, elder, in the same habit. Michael Lord was ordained, of whom it was said he could re- peat the whole of the New Testament off the book and large portions of the Old Testament. The morn- ing service was read as abridged by Wesley. That was the last time that priestly robes and prayer-book were seen on like occasions in those parts.

In 1788 the Redstone field seems to have been divided into four circuits,-Clarksbury, Ohio, Pitts- burgh, and Redstone. To this field of labor seven preachers were appointed. Under them and their assistants societies were formed farther north in Westmoreland, and particularly in Ligonier Valley.

The Rev. James Quinn,' in his own words, speak- ing of his life and labors, says of these societies as they existed in the latter part of the last century,-

1 "Sketches of the Life and Labors of James Quinn, who was nearly Half a Century a Minister of the Gospel in the M. E. Church." Oin- cinnati, 1861.

" Quoted supra,

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HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

"I now must croes over Laurel Hill and make my way into the head of Ligonier Valley. There was a small society at A. McLean's, from Shippensburg or Carlisle, and another at Enos King's, son of the old local preacher. These, however, at that time were of recent date, and the prospect not flattering. But near old Fort Ligonier was raised a large and flourishing society. Here the father of the venerable Bishop Roberts and his extensive family, although church people, fell into the ranks of Methodism. Ah, old mother missed it in not having a missionary bishop here, and some one to take care of the poor sheep in the wilderness. . . . Here, too, were the Shaws and Fishers, the latter of Quaker origin. Here, also, was the devout Cornelius Riley and his excellent wife, Abigail, father and mother of James and Tobias Riley, of the Baltimore Conference. Little did I think at the time I received them into the church and wrote their names on the class-paper at old Brother John Roberts', brother of the bishop, that I should live and be effective till the lads should be- come senior ministers in the mother-conference.

"This society suffered much by emigration to the West, as most of the societies in the mountains did; for when the rich lands of the West came into market, the mountaineers made a general rush, as if the bears, panthers, wolves, Indians, rattlesnakes, and fire had all broke loose upon them, and, poor things, many of them lost their religion and their lives in the scuffle.

"There was another good society still farther down the valley, which met at the house of Brother Howell. Here James Talbot was a prominent and useful local preacher, and the father and mother of Brother Stewart, of Cincinnati, with their numerous family, were prominent in the membership. Here we leave the valley, and crossing a mountain or very high hill and passing over Conemaugh River, we arrive at a pretty extensive settlement at Black Lick. Here a handful of corn had been placed in the earth by the pioneers, and a good society sprang up, which met at the house of James Wakefield. This man was a local preacher. I am told he still lives (1843). He taught me some good things, and I loved him.

" We now leave the Black Lick settlement and di- rect our course west, and on the top of Chestnut Ridge the handful of corn had produced a good society, which met at the house of Father Wakefield, father of James. To his class belonged the venerable Martin Fate, his deeply-pious wife, three or four sons, and as many daughters. A son and grandson of this family became preachers, one local and the other itinerant."

Passing on down southward through Westmoreland, he says, "There was a door opened for preaching on Jacobs Creek, among the Masons and Ragans, and a small society raised, which, however, passed off west- ward by emigration, leaving scarcely a vestige behind.

" A few miles distant from Ragan's [Reagan's], on the Youghiogheny River, and near the foot of the

mountains, they obtained a preaching-place at one Flaugherty's and Hain's, on a farm belonging to Zachariah Connell. Here a society was raised by Jacob Lurtan, and his numerous family attended and became members; and the farm itself became the site of the town of Connellsville, and Connellsville is now the emporium of Methodism in an extensive tract of country."

Buch is one view, circumscribed it is true, of early Methodism in Westmoreland. We shall get another view from a different source, chiefly traditional, and still another in the extracts which we make use of, taken from the minute-book of the Greensburg Church records. Wherever these accounts differ, it will be seen they do not differ materially; and, taken together, they well enough agree to present an intel- ligible view of the early history of the church here.

The first Methodist preaching in the county was in 1785, at " Fell's Settlement," in Rostraver township, some two miles east of the Monongahela River. Here preaching was had by itinerante sent out by the Balti- more Conference. The surrounding region was settled by Scotch-Irish, who worshiped at " Rehoboth" Pres- byterian Church, built nine years previous. But the Fell and several other Maryland Methodist families had settled on the rich lands between the Youghio- gheny and Monongahela Rivers, and soon the seal of the pioneer itinerants found them and began their ministerial labors. "Fell's Meeting-House," a log structure, was built in 1785-86, and was the first Methodist Church erected west of the Alleghenies. In it the great Bishop Asbury often preached, and in the second one, afterwards built, the eloquent Bishop Bascom and other distinguished divines of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church expounded the word of God.

The second Methodist preaching in Westmoreland County was in 1798, not far from Ligonier, at the residence of the Riley family, where was the second preaching appointment for the earliest traveling cir- cuit riders, of whom Rev. Isaac Conway was the first here. The third place of preaching was at Mr. Stuart's, in Fairfield (some of whose descendants reside in Irwin). These two families were perhaps the earli- est of the Methodists in all this region. The fourth preaching appointment was near Greensburg, about 1812, in the families of Squire Ross, the Mellons, and Mccutchens. The next was at Jacobs Creek and Mount Pleasant, both in 1817. The first three circuit riders at the latter point were Revs. Jacob Dowell, Or- ville Wilson, and William Barnes. Shortly after- wards preaching was had at Greensburg and on the Big Sewickley,-at the former at the house of Samuel Bushfield, and at the latter at Mr. Slatterbach's dwell- ing. The appointments were made at Mr. Miller's, on the " Manor." All these were up to 1825, and were included in one charge, and generally by two pastors, who traveled on horseback, preaching every day in the week, and seldom reaching an appointment oftener than once in two weeks. The whole county was then

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part of one circuit (Connellsville), and was under the Baltimore Conference. Among the first preachers was Rev. Valentine Cook, presiding elder, whose district extended from the "Virginia line" to Erie, Pa. He was born in 1765, in Monroe County, Va., and in 1788 received into the itinerancy, having his first appoint- ment on the Calvert Circuit in Maryland. During 1792 he became engaged in a newspaper controversy, touching the leading principles of Methodism, with Rev. Samuel Porter, D.D., and with Rev. Jamison, a Scotchman, a minister of the Seceders' Church. He became presiding elder, and in 1798 was transferred to Kentucky, where he died in 1820. He was among the first Methodist preachers in the county. Among the most prominent to follow him were Revs. James Riley, Thornton Fleming, James Wilson, Henry Baker, Samuel V. Gillespie, and the venerable Samuel Wakefield.

Another of the pioneer and famous local preachers was Mr. Wirsing, grandfather of Capt. Wirsing, late county treasurer. He was born in Germany, and had been a commissioned officer in the army of his father- land, being in the dragoons. He was an educated gentleman of fine address and great powers of lan- guage. He was the ablest and most eloquent exhorter of his day, and people came in vast numbers to hear him speak at camp-meetings, quarterly meetings, re- vivals, etc. Under his preaching the venerable Rev. Samuel Wakefield was converted and embraced reli- gion, and there are yet living many old people of Israel who in their youth sought the altar of mercy under this famous exhorter's preaching. He was in the zenith of his fame in 1820, and five years later removed to near Petersburg, Somerset Co., where he died about 1835. Daniel and Conrad Pershing, brothers, were local preachers of note, and Isaac Per- shing, a son of the former, still lives at Derry, at a very advanced age. Rev. James Wakefield, uncle of Rev. Samuel Wakefield, was a minister of much celeb- rity, and preached all over this and the adjoining counties from 1800 to about 1845. He was a man of fine attainments and a successful revivalist, and pos- seesed a power of influencing his hearers hardly ex- celled in his day.

The oldest Methodist preacher in the county, and with only two exceptions in the Pittsburgh Confer- ence, is Rev. Samuel Wakefield, D.D., of Mount Pleas- ant. This patriarch and pioneer of his church was born in Huntingdon County in 1799. His father, Thomas Wakefield, was a native of Ireland, and mar- ried Elizabeth Morton, who was born in Chester County. They removed in 1800 to Indiana County, where their son Samuel resided until twenty-one years of age, when he entered on the ministry. His first preaching appointment was in Fayette County (Fayette Circuit), embracing half of that county and a part of West Virginia; his next, Somerset Cir- cuit; his third, Connellsville Circuit, which then em- braced all of this (Westmoreland) county. He was

then made for four years presiding elder of the Union- town district, which also included this county. He has been fifty-nine years in the ministry, twelve as a local preacher and forty-seven as an itinerant. He retired some two years ago from regular preaching, although he yet preaches on special occasions, such as dedications, and at funerals. There is probably no minister in America who has traveled so far on horseback, preached so many sermons, married so many couples, administered so many sacraments and baptisms, and attended so many funerals as Rev. Samuel Wakefield. About 1854, Allegheny Col- lege, in recognition of his great learning, conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Di- vinity. He has written largely for the religious press, and is the author of a work on "Theology," which has been introduced into the course of study for young ministers and been extensively circulated. He also served four years as presiding elder of the Allegheny District. He was married Aug. 28, 1821, to Miss Elizabeth Hough, through which union have been born ten children,-five sons and five daughters,-all living. One of them, Rev. John F. Wakefield, is the Methodist Episcopal pastor of Latrobe station. Dr. James B. Wakefield is a physician in Mount Pleasant, and Dr. Alfred N. Wakefield a physician at Johns- town., Mr. Wakefield and his wife have lived to- gether sixty-one years, in which time the church, to which he has in all that period been a faithful minister, has increased its numbers and strength in this county to wonderful proportions, which is largely attributable to his zeal and ability and to his ever- watchful care for its growth and promotion.

APPOINTMENTS IN THE CONNELLSVILLE CIRQUIT UNTIL THE FORMATION OF THE LIGONIER OIROUIT, 1830-34.1

Feb. 16, 1820, Connellsville* (Fayette County), Greensburg," Mount Pleasant," McNutt's, McCue's, Mellon's (afterward Ross'), Slatterbeck'st (sometimes written Sloderbeck), King's,"t Fisher's (near Ligo- nier), Hopewell, Stuart'st (Jacob, Ligonier Valley), Wakefield's (James).

June 20, 1820, Adams', Armel's, Wilson's, Shep- pard's,"t Sherrick's* (Jacobs Creek, not far from Scottdale), Shumard's, McAnelly's.

Sept. 16, 1820, Wakefield's. Dec. 2, 1820, Harrold's.

June 2, 1821, Wade's, Doty's, Bracken's (Indiana County ?).

Sept. 29, 1821, Trout's, Ross'* (near Crabtree, Unity township).

Dec. 8, 1821, Williams'. June 29, 1822, Miller's .*

Sept. 13, 1823, Vanausdoll's, Harvey's (or Harry's). Feb. 28, 1824, Sterrett's Salt-works.

1 At the formation of the Ligonier Circuit, in the summer of 1894, the preachers on the Connellsville Circuit had served the appointments dur- ing the previous year in those congregations or stations marked with an asterisk (*). The appointments marked with a dagger (t and per- haps others were thereafter included in the Ligonier Circuit.

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258 HISTORY OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

May 21, 1825, Funk's. November, 1825, Blairsville, McKissen's, Enfield's. towards the square devoted to religions services, April 29, 1826, Ross' Furnace" (Ligonier Valley), Galbreath's (Ligonier Valley), Palmer's (Ligonier Valley).

Oct. 28, 1826, Black Lick (Indiana County).

April 14, 1827, Stifty's, Riggs"" (near Markle's Paper-Mill).

Oct. 27, -, Mardice's, or Mardus'. Dec. 27, 1828, Morrison's, Allander's.

Oct. 9, 1890, Pershing's"t (John), northeast of Pleasant Unity, Unity School-house, near Pleasant Unity, Pershing's"t (Daniel).

Jan. 9, 1831, McLane's,"t Boner's, Livermore, Mc- Cutcheon's" (or McCue's?).

April 2, 1881, Ligonier"t (instead of Fisher's). June 11, 1831, Fairfield."t

Sept. 10, 1831, Asbury Chapel"t (perhaps instead of Hopewell).

March 17, 1882, Randolph* (three and a half miles east of Greensburg).

June 9, 1852, Armaugh (Indiana County).

Nov. 10, 1832, Bethel"t (Pleasant Unity), Youngs- town."t

Feb. 2, 1838, Tarr's," Frick's," Longenecker's," Laughlinstown .* t

April 20, 1838, Donegal, "t Hatfield's, Hartzel's"t (near Pleasant Unity).

Oct. 12, 1833, Salem .*

Jan. 18, 1884, Denniston Town* (New Alexandria).

PRESENT PASTORAL CHARGES.

After 1825 several new pastoral charges sprang up, and in that year all Western Pennsylvania was de- tached from the Baltimore and made into the Pitta- burgh Conference, which embraced West Virginia, Western Pennsylvania, and part of Ohio. In 1840 the Erie Conference was made out of it, and in 1844 that of West Virginia. The following are the present preaching appointments (stations and circuits) in the county : Circleville, Jacobs Creek, Lebanon, Ligo- nier, Cokeville, Latrobe, Irvine, Sardis, West Newton, Rostraver, Mount Pleasant, Pleasant Unity, Donegal, New Derry, Greensburg, Manor, and Madison. Each of these is a separate pastoral charge, embracing from one to four preaching-places.

To this imperfect sketch of the Methodist Church of the county may be added a few words touching the Loyalhanna camp-meeting grounds. In the summer of 1874 the East Pittsburgh District of the Methodist Episcopal Church appointed a committee to select ground on which to hold a camp-meeting. The com- mittee selected, out of quite a number proposed, the present site now occupied, one and a half miles east of Latrobe, and this they have improved by erecting suitable buildings and accommodations. . The ground was leased for twenty years, and has been laid off in lots fronting sixteen feet, and back forty feet. There are two tiers of lots around the entire camp; on these

are the cottages, and in summer temporary tents, facing

or upon the avenues that pess parallel to the sides and ends of this square. The seats in front of the preacher's stand will accommodate five thousand poe- ple. When camp-meeting is in progress- it lasting usually two weeks in August of each year- the grounds and the whole town of Latrobe are crowded with poe- ple. An admission-fee is charged, and these aggre- gate a considerable amount. Many owners of cottages with their families reside on the grounds during the heated season.

BABLY METHODIAM IN GREENSBURG AND VICINITY.

The following minutis cannot bat be of interest to the members of the Methodist Episcopal Church throughout the county, although it relates particu- larly to the establishment of the church at Greens- burg, and to the history of the congregation there. For the most part of this material we are indebted to William Robinson, Esq., one of the oldest citizens of the town and members of the congregation there, who has with a due regard to the desires of posterity, and in anticipation of the interest they will take in the matter, committed his personal knowledge and his acquired information in this regard to paper. To his valuable manuscript we have had access, and the ob- stance of it is here reproduced.

Greensburg, from the time when first at all roga- larly supplied with Methodist preaching, received this through the Pittsburgh Circuit until Pittsburgh be- came a station and the Connellsville Circuit was formed, about 1811, then in connection with the latter until 1816, when Pittsburgh was thrown into a cironis again (Pittsburgh and Connellsville), until about 1819, since which there has been no such circuit as the "Pittsburgh and Connellsville." Greensburg was then in the Connellsville Circuit until 1851, when it became detached by the formation of a new circuit embracing Greensburg, New Alexandria, Boss', Mount Pleasant, and Pleasant Unity.

The great local "public discussion of the leading points of difference between the Calvinistic and Ar- menian systems," by Rev. John Jamison, of the Seceder, and Rev. Valentine Cook, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, came off on Wednesday, June 12, 1793, a few miles distant from Greensburg, in some outdoor woodland, where a great number of seats had been prepared and a pulpit erected, and where when the time arrived "a vast concourse of people were in attendance," some of whom came as far as fifty miles. Tradition fixes the place at Congruity. Rev. Samuel Porter, who then had charge of the Presbyterian Church at Congruity, and who had a hand in bringing on the debate, saying "truth was suffering, and I must defend it or own it defenseless," hastened on the succeeding Sabbath, June 16, 1793, to give his " opin- ion""in two discourses " On the Decrees of God, the Perseverance of the Saints, and Sinless Perfection."

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ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY.

In 1792, Samuel Bushfield and wife (formerly Miss Catharine Taylor) came from Ireland, and after stop- ping a while in Lancaster and Huntingdon Coun- ties, settled at Greensburg in 1799. They were Methodists before they came hither, and soon after they came by their efforts Methodist preaching was secured. In 1799-1800 the first class at Greensburg was formed, embracing Samuel Bushfield and wife Catharine, Jacob Kern and wife Susanna, and John Kern and wife.

The early Methodist meetings at Greensburg up to 1880 were usually held at Bushfield's house. In it, too, was the "Prophet's Chamber." These places were, first, a wooden house, in part still standing on the north side of Pittsburgh Street, on the second lot west of the northwest corner of Pittsburgh and Joseph Streets, and a few yards eastward of the spring which rises about midway up Bunker Hill. The western end of the building was then a one-story kitchen. This was the birthplace, so to speak, of Methodism in Greensburg and parts adjacent.

After living a year or two in the house designated, Bushfield removed to a red, weather-boarded house which stood on West Pittsburgh Street, at the foot of the street, somewhere below the present residence of Hon. E. Cowan. About 1806-8 he removed to a log house on the north side of the road, and on the west bank of the spring run which passes from Ludwick to the Williams' (or old fair-ground) farm. Nearly opposite this house, on the south side of the road, is the old log barn, which was used for preaching instead of the house " in fine summer weather." This prop- erty he owned. In 1829 he removed to a house a short distance eastward from the spring, and as he moved he carried the visible church with him. To this house the venerable writer to whom we are in- debted says that at the age of eleven he accom- panied his father one Sunday when preaching was ex- pected, but no preacher was there. Aaron Hill then led a class. From there Bushfield in 1880 removed to the town of Greensburg, and there in 1832 he died. His wife, married at eighteen to Bushfield, died Dec. 28, 1856, in the eighty-fourth or eighty-fifth year of her age, and having been for above seventy years a member of the church.

Meetings were also held at the house of Jacob Kern before he moved West in 1817. He lived on Main Street, on a lot just north of the present church building. Sometimes, especially for night preaching, the court-house was used. This was before 1830, and more generally from 1890 to 1838. In 1832, Rev. Charles Cook came over from Uniontown, and held a protracted meeting here, at which a number joined the church, and after which the project of building a meeting-house was agitated. From 1830 until their first meeting-house was built class-meetings were still held in Bushfield's house and at the house of Joseph . Kern.

On Feb. 2, 1883, the Quarterly Conference ap- i church was in use.

pointed Rev. Wesley Kinney, Samuel B. Bushfield (son of Samuel Bushfield, deceased), and George T. Ramsay a committee to make an estimate of the amount necessary to build a house of worship in the borough of Greensburg, and, if deemed expedient, to secure a suitable lot of ground for the purpose. To secure the first " Methodist Episcopal Meeting-House" in Greensburg, which was built in 1833, two members of the society subscribed each fifty dollars, other members smaller sums, some citizens gave liberally (or what might be called so at the time), and Rev. John White, preacher in charge, collected around the circuit seventy dollars. The lot was bought of John Y. Barclay, Esq., for one hundred dollars. The first trustees were George T. Ramsay, Samuel B. Bush- field, Aaron Hill, Daniel H. Barnes, and Joseph Kern. The agreement between these and John Hart- zell, house carpenter, for the erection of the meeting- house was dated Feb. 16, 1833, and stipulated for a brick building, forty-two feet long and thirty feet wide, one story fourteen feet in height, three windows on each side and two in each end, each of twenty- four lights of eight-by-ten glass; one double door in centre of front end four feet wide in the clear. The building was to be completed by the 1st of the next July. It is thought the pulpit, altar, and pews were put in some time afterwards, and therefore were not covered by Hartzell's claim for the building, which was $638.85. The first seating was benches made of slabs and boards, and the first lighting was by can- dles in candlesticks and in sconces hung against the walls. Afterwards lard lamps were used for lighting. A debt for its erection was left on the hands of the trustees, which gave them some trouble until it was paid in 1889. :

The building was situated on Main Street, and ad- joined the present Presbyterian Church property. It was sold by the trustees to the school directors of the Greensburg public schools in 1849. In rebuilding, pilasters and a second story were added. This build- ing is still standing in good preservation, and is now occupied as a dwelling.

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History of the County of Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, with Biographical Sketches of Many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 64

Author: George Dallas Albert, editor Publication date: Publisher: Number of Pages:

Author: George Dallas Albert, editor
Publication date:
Publisher:
Number of Pages: