USA > Pennsylvania > Chester County > Brandywine > History of the Presbyterian Church in the Forks of Brandywine, Chester County, Pa. (Brandywine Manor Presbyterian Church), from A.D. 1735 to A.D. 1885 : with biographical sketches of the deceased pastors of the church and of those who prepared for the Christian ministry under the direction of the Rev. Nathan Grier > Part 9
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REV. BRITTON E. COLLINS.
Britton Estol Collins was born in Philadelphia, February 2, 1802. Having settled within the bounds of this congregation, he was brought to a knowledge of Jesus Christ as the only Saviour, and led to devote himself to the ministry of Reconciliation by the preaching of the Rev. Dr. J. N. C. Grier.
Mr. Collins pursued his classical studies under the direction of the Rev. John W. Grier, and in the Fall of 1824 entered the Seminary at Princeton, where he remained two years. He was licensed by the Presby- tery of Philadelphia in April, 1828, and passed the next two years preaching as a probationer.
On the 7th of April, 1830, Mr. Collins was received as a licentiate by the Presbytery of Huntingdon, and in June (16th) of the same year was ordained as an Evangelist. He received a call from the church at Millerstown, Perry County, Pa., April 4, 1832, and was installed in October of that year.
Mr. Collins resigned his charge at Millerstown April 9, 1839, and the next October received a call to Shirleysburg, which he declined, but consented to act as a stated supply. He remained at Shirleysburg until October, 1853, when he retired, but continued to labor as a missionary within the bounds of the Presbytery of Huntingdon until the infirmities of age unfitted him for the active duties of the ministry. At his death, which took place at Shirleysburg, April 12, 1876, he was the oldest member of that Presbytery.
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A faithful servant of the Master, after a life of usefulness, with the petition on his lips, "Thy will be done," he entered into rest .*
REV. BENJAMIN M. NYCE.
Benjamin M. Nyce was born near Pughtown, Chester County. While he was still a minor his father, John Nyce, removed and settled near Wagon- town, within the bounds of Dr. Grier's charge. Having become connected with the congregation wor- shipping in this place, Mr. Nyce was finally led to consider it his duty to make known the glad tidings of salvation. He passed some time in the study of the classics in the Brandywine Academy, then under the direction of the Rev. John W. Grier, and entered Dick- inson College, where he was graduated in September, 1829.
He taught the next three years in the Deaf and Dumb Asylum, Philadelphia, and in the Autumn of 1833 entered the Seminary at Princeton, where he remained one year. But of his subsequent history the writer after diligent inquiry has been unable to obtain any reliable information. The probability is that he died shortly after completing his preparation for the ministry.+
* Hist. of Presbytery of Huntingdon ;" Neerology of Princetou Seminary ; Presbyterian Banner.
+ Records of Princeton Seminary ; Records of Deaf and Dumb Asylum ; " Reminiscences of Rev. R. M'Cachran."
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REV. RICHARD WALKER.
Richard, eldest son of Richard and Sarah (Hen- derson) Walker, was born at Indian Town, Wallace Township, May 1, 1812. He was engaged for some years in mechanical pursuits, but finally relinquished them to enter the Gospel ministry. After due prepara- tion he was licensed by the New School Presbytery of Philadelphia, and supplied for a time the church at Womelsdorf, Berks County. .
In April, 1842, he was sent as a supply to the Pres- byterian Church at Allentown, Lehigh County, Pa. His ministry there was so successful that in May, 1844, he was installed as pastor of the congregation worship- ping in that church. He remained in charge until 1859, when bodily infirmity compelled him to with- draw from continnous ministerial labor.
He subsequently preached in different places when his health permitted until a short time before his death, which occurred at Allentown on the 10th of May, 1882.
Mr. Walker was unassuming, earnest, and sincere, and the members of his charge parted with regret from the pastor whose unremitted endeavors to promote their spiritual interests had rendered him incapable of any but partial labor in the Gospel field .*
* Necrology of Princeton Seminary ; Obituary Notice, Graphic ; Com. from Samuel Walker.
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REV. REES HAPPERSETT, D.D.
Dr. Happersett, the youngest son of Melchi and Rebecca (Graham) Happersett, was born in West Nantmeal Township, Chester County, July 31, 1810. He became the subject of Divine Grace during the great revival of 1831 in Dr. Grier's congregation, of which his parents had long been members. His aca- demical studies were prosecuted at New London in this County, and his collegiate at Washington College, Pa., where he was graduated in 1836. He completed his theological course in the Seminary at Princeton, N. J., three years afterwards, and was licensed by the Pres- bytery of Newcastle in September, 1839.
Shortly after his licensure, Dr. Happersett became pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Havre de Grace, Md., where he remained about a year. He then entered the service of the Board of Domestic Missions, and for upwards of twenty years was diligently en- gaged in increasing its means and usefulness.
While he was connected with that Board, Dr. Hap- persett visited and preached in many of the Southern States. He also supplied, at different times, the vacant pulpits of several churches in Pennsylvania, among others the church at Waynesburg (Honeybrook) upwards of six months.
Having observed, during his visits to California, the scarcity of laborers in the Gospel field of that State, he determined to aid the efforts which were making to unfurl and uphold the banner of Presbyterianism in
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the settlements on the " Pacific Slope." He, therefore, resigned his office in the Board of Missions in the Fall of 1861, proceeded immediately to San Francisco, and passed the next six months preaching in that city and vicinity.
In the Spring of 1862 he accepted a unanimous call to the pastorate of the First Presbyterian Church at Stockton, Cal., where he ministered with increasing acceptance and benefit until his death, in September, 1866.
The degree of D.D. was conferred on him by Jef- ferson College in 1856 .**
REV. JUSTUS UMSTEAD.
Rev. Justus Umstead, whose parents were members of Dr. Grier's congregation, is a graduate of the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania, and of the Theological Sem- inary at Princeton, New Jersey.
He was licensed by the Presbytery of Philadelphia in July, 1847, and settled shortly after at South Bend, Ind., where he remained about a year. He then became pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Musca- tine, Iowa, and after a successful ministry of three years removed to Keokuk in the same State. Mr. Umstead remained at Keokuk, in the faithful discharge of his pastoral duties, until the Fall of 1860, when he
* Com. from the late Mrs. Agnes Happersett ; Minutes of Pres. of Newcastle ; Minutes of Board of Domestic Missions.
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accepted a call from the church at Fagg's Manor, Pa., where he was installed in November, 1860.
His labors at Fagg's Manor were not without en- couragement. In 1865 there was an awakening, by which one hundred and fifty-seven "were added to the Lord."
In May, 1872, the pastoral relation was dissolved, and he took charge of the Presbyterian Church at St. George's, Delaware. He remained until 1876, when he resigned and became pastor of the church at Smyrna in the same State, where he is still engaged in ministerial work with marked success .*
REV. JAMES G. RALSTON, D.D., LL.D.
Dr. Ralston, widely known as a successful educator, and a minister of the Gospel, was born in Wallace Township, Chester County. He united at an early age with the congregation worshipping in this place, and directed his attention to a preparation for the ministry of the New Testament. His academical training was obtained at New London and Hopewell Academies in this County, and his collegiate at Wash- ington College, Pennsylvania, where he was graduated September 26, 1838.
He taught the next two years after his graduation in an academy at Steubenville, Ohio, pursuing at the same time the study of Theology under the direction of the principal of the academy, the Rev. John W.
* Rev. W. B. Noble, " History of Fagg's Manor ;" MSS.
11
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Scott, D.D. In June, 1840, he entered the Theo- logical Seminary at Princeton, New Jersey, where he completed his studies for the ministry.
Dr. Ralston was licensed by the Presbytery of New- castle, April 14, 1841, and accepted a mission to the Winnebago Indians. But his health failing before he reached his destination, he was obliged reluctantly to abandon the undertaking. His health having been in a measure restored, he preached for some months as a supply to the Church at Florence, in the bounds of the Presbytery of Washington.
In October, 1841, Dr. Ralston entered on what proved to be the main business of his life, as principal of the Female Seminary at Oxford, Chester County, Pa. He remained at Oxford until the close of October, 1845, when he opened the now well-known Oakland Female Institute at Norristown, Montgomery County, Pa. There his industry, ability, and faithfulness as an in- structor soon resulted in a large and annually increas- ing patronage. The upwards of twenty-five hundred ladies who have been educated wholly or in part in that institution have exerted and are exerting an in- fluence whose usefulness can never be fully estimated. At the fireside, in the school-room, and the church, and among the benighted of heathen lands, the results of their judicious mental and religious training must be traced.
In addition to the discharge of his onerous duties as principal of a large educational institution, Dr. Ralston frequently supplied the pulpits of churches without a pastor, and assisted his clerical brethren during revivals and on other occasions. He was also
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during the last seventeen years of his life an efficient member of the Board of Publication of the Presby- terian Church.
The degree of LL.D. was conferred on him by Lafayette College, Easton, Pa., in 1865, and of D.D. by his Alma Mater two years afterwards.
Dr. Ralston died November 10, 1880, in the sixty- fifth year of his age .*
REV. WILLIAM PINKERTON.
William Pinkerton, an elder brother of the Rev. John Pinkerton, was born in October, 1809. Having been hopefully converted during the great refreshing from on High in 1831, he resolved to dedicate himself to the work of the Gospel ministry.
His preparatory studies were pursued at New London Academy, Chester County, and his collegiate at Wash- ington College, Pennsylvania, where he was graduated in September, 1836. His theological course was com- pleted at Princeton in 1839. On the 10th of the next September he was licensed by the Presbytery of New- castle, and settled shortly afterwards as Pastor of the Cove Church, Albemarle County, Va. He also min- istered to the High Bridge Church, Rockbridge County, Va., and to Collierstown Church in the same county.
During the last sixteen years of his life he had
* Futhey, " Hist. of Chester County ;" Com. from John K. Ralston.
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the pastoral oversight of Mount Carmel Church, Augusta County, Va.
Mr. Pinkerton was a diligent worker in the Master's vineyard. Uniting a ready command of language with fervid piety, his services in the Sanctuary were largely attended and blessed by the conversion of many.
Besides the faithful discharge of his duties to the congregations committed to his care, he established and conducted a classical school, and also successfully labored in the revival of churches which had either grown feeble or been partially abandoned. Among these was Mountain Plain, where, more than a hundred years before, Mr. Black, the first pastor of Brandy- wine Manor Church, had spent the last years of his ministry.
Mr. Pinkerton died March 13, 1875 .*
REV. WILLIAM H. TEMPLETON.
William H. Templeton, eldest son of John Temple- ton, Esq., who was upwards of thirty years a Ruling Elder of this church, commenced his academical studies at New London, Chester County, in 1841. He entered Washington College, Pennsylvania, in November, 1843, and was graduated in 1845. He passed the next two years teaching, and then became a member of the
* Futhey, " History of Upper Oct. Church ;" Com. from Frank D. Pinkerton ; MSS.
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seminary at Princeton, New Jersey, where his theo- logical course was completed.
Mr. Templeton was licensed by the Presbytery of New Brunswick in September, 1850, and the next October went as a missionary to the Creek Indians, Indian Territory. He remained in that Territory until 1857, when the death of his wife and his impaired health caused him to return to Pennsylvania.
Being unable to endure the labor to which he had been subjected, Mr. Templeton withdrew from the missionary field ; but in 1858 settled in Illinois, where he is still engaged in ministerial labor .*
REV. JOHN PINKERTON.
John Pinkerton, third son of John W. and Agnes Pinkerton, was born near Sadsburyville, Chester County, Pa., in November, 1811. When he was about six years of age his parents, who were members of the Upper Octoraro Presbyterian Church, removed to Honeybrook Township, and connected themselves with the congregation worshipping in this place.
Mr. Pinkerton passed his early years, like many young men, without any serious thoughts on the subject of religion until 1831, when he was awakened to a sense of his lost condition during the remarkable revival which commenced in that year. His convic- tions were deep and pungent, and he was so weighed down by the burden of sin that his health became
Minutes of Presbytery of New Brunswick; Com. from the late J. G. Templeton ; MS. Collections.
.
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impaired. But obeying the Saviour's command, "Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden," he found pardon and peace.
Having determined to obtain a classical education, Mr. Pinkerton entered the Academy at Lewisburg, Union County, Pa., May 15, 1837. He completed his preparatory studies in it and the Academy at Mifflin- burg in the same county at the close of 1841, and was graduated at the College of New Jersey in 1843. After the usual Theological Course at Princeton, he taught some time in a classical school which his brother, the Rev. William Pinkerton, had established.
The Presbytery of Greenbrier licensed him to preach the Gospel in October, 1849. He assisted the Rev. Samuel R. Houston, of Monroe County, Va., in teaching and ministerial labor until October, 1853, when he accepted a call from the congregation of Mossy Creek Presbyterian Church, Augusta County, Va. Mr. Pinkerton was ordained and installed No- vember 5, 1853, and this relation continued until his death, May 31, 1871, left the people of his charge to mourn the loss of their zealous, beloved, and faithful pastor.
The possessor of abilities and acquirements which would have enabled him to attain eminence in almost any department of literature, Mr. Pinkerton devoted the talents committed to his care to the service of his Divine Master, and instead of earthly honors, chose rather to be an humble disciple of Him "who went about doing good."*
* Memorial by Rev. William T. Price; Records of Lewisburg Academy ; Personal Reminiscences.
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COATESVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
COATESVILLE, though settled at an early period, remained without a house for public worship until 1831. In that year the members of Baptist, Episco- pal, Friends', Methodist, and Presbyterian Churches residing in and near the village, with a Christian har- mony worthy of record, uniting their efforts and means, built a meeting-house.
Among those who occupied its pulpit, on the part of the Presbyterians, when his other duties permitted, was the Rev. A. G. Morrisson, pastor of the congregations of Doe Run and Union. His services were so accept- able, and the number of his hearers increased so much, that in 1833 a petition was presented to Presbytery for the organization of a Church at Coatesville. The re- quest was not granted, but being renewed at the next meeting of Presbytery, it was favorably received and a Committee appointed, which met in September (4th), 1833, and organized the Presbyterian Church of Coatesville.
The congregation, which had been gathered princi- pally by the care and faithfulness of Mr. Morrisson, in March of the next year presented a call for one-half of his time. This he accepted, and having obtained a release from the pastorate of the Union Church, was installed on the 24th of April, 1834.
Under his ministry the number of members became
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so large that they found it necessary to have a meet- ing-house of their own. They therefore obtained the interest in the building and lot of those who had contributed funds for the purpose .*
Having increased facilities for public worship, the congregation became sufficiently numerous to sustain weekly services in the sanctuary, and a call was ac- cordingly presented to Presbytery on the 14th of April, 1857, for the whole of Mr. Morrisson's time. The re- quest was granted, his relation at Doe Run dissolved, and he devoted the whole of his labor to the church at Coatesville.
How faithfully he performed the duties of an " am- bassador for Christ" is shown by the increasing mem- bership of the church, the flourishing condition of its Sunday-School, its liberal contributions for benevolent purposes, and the warm affection which existed between the pastor and his people.
But "the prophets do not live forever," and, in 1868, the infirmities of nearly threescore and ten caused Mr. Morrisson to offer his resignation. The members of his flock, however, could not endure the thought of parting with the pastor who had been con- nected with the church from its beginning, and who, for a third of a century, had been to many of them a guide and counsellor, a " more than friend." They therefore generously resolved to provide a colleague and to continue to pay Mr. Morrisson a portion of his salary during his life.
* They occupied this building until 1849, when it was replaced by a new church edifice, and this, in 1867, was enlarged to its present size.
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In accordance with this resolution, the congregation gave a call in January (15th), 1868, to the present pastor, the Rev. James Roberts, who was ordained and installed May 28, 1868. The relation thus es- tablished between the aged servant of God and his younger brother continued " harmoniously and pleas- antly" until the death of Mr. Morrisson, October 27, 1870.
Dr. Roberts, who is a native of Montrose, Scotland, received his classical education at Media, Delaware County, Pa., where he passed some time as an in- structor. He was graduated at Lafayette College, Easton, Pa., in July, 1865, and at the Theological Seminary, Princeton, N. J., a few weeks before his installation at Coatesville.
During his pastorate the membership of the church, now upwards of three hundred, has annually in- creased. The Sunday-School, which was conducted many years by the same Superintendent, continues to flourish, and in numbers, influence, and liberality the Presbyterians, under the guidance of Dr. Roberts, are the leading denomination in that borough.
Dr. Roberts, who is equally and deservedly es- teemed by his clerical brethren and the people of his charge, was sent as a Commissioner to the General Assembly in 1872, and also in 1877. Since April, 1869, he has been the stated clerk of Presbytery, and in 1883 received the honorary degree of D.D. from Lafayette College, Pennsylvania.
A centre of manufacturing industry, and situated on one of the great thoroughfares of trade, Coatesville must necessarily increase in wealth and population.
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But from the nature of their occupations many of its inhabitants will be only transient residents. With- drawn from the kindly influence of home, exposed to numerous temptations, and often suddenly deprived of employment by the vicissitudes of business, they, above most others, will always need the restraining, consoling, and saving influence of the Gospel. It is, therefore, a cause for thankfulness that, in Coatesville, the oppor- tunities to hear the words of truth have kept pace with the growth of the population. Where, in 1830, there was not a single building set apart for public worship, the voice of prayer, admonition, and praise may now be heard, on every returning Sabbath, in six meeting-houses dedicated to the service of the Triune God .*
* Minutes of Presbytery of Newcastle; Dr. Roberts, " Pastoral of Coatesville Pres. Church."
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HONEYBROOK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
WHEN Dr. Grier's congregation had become so large that it was necessary for a portion to withdraw, those residing near the western boundary of his charge obtained a site in the village of Honeybrook, erected a house for public worship, and having received permission from the Presbytery, were organized as the Honeybrook Presbyterian Church, November 28, 1835.
They were dependent on supplies until May, 1837, when the Rev. William W. Latta, who had been given a unanimous call to become their pastor, was ordained and installed. Mr. Latta remained, with increasing popularity and usefulness, until the Fall of 1858, when failing health caused him to obtain a release from his charge.
Unassuming, kind, and faithful, Mr. Latta was much beloved by the members of the congregation, and they parted with regret from the pastor under whose guidance many of them had found "joy and peace in believing."
Mr. Latta was succeeded by the Rev. Jolin G. Thom, who was installed May 19, 1859. Mr. Thom, like the Apostle to the Gentiles, "was in labors abundant." Besides the services of the sanctuary, he preached and conducted weekly prayer-meetings in different parts of his charge, and was active in the
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furtherance of Sunday-Schools and temperance. He also aided his fellow-citizens by his counsel and ex- ample during the struggle to maintain the Union.
Having declined several invitations to take the over- sight of congregations without a pastor, Mr. Thom at last accepted a call to St. Louis, Mo., and was in- stalled in October, 1865. But he had scarcely entered on his field of labor when, enfeebled by his previous discharge of pastoral duties, he sunk under an attack of typhoid fever and entered into rest.
The successor of Mr. Thom was the Rev. J. H. Young, who became pastor in 1866, and remained until March 7, 1869, when the pastoral relation was dissolved by the Presbytery of Donegal.
Mr. Young is a ready speaker, a sound theologian, and a good classical scholar. He is now professor of Languages in the Normal School in Indiana, Pa.
The congregation next presented a unanimous call to the Rev. William Ferguson, of Dubuque, Iowa, which he accepted, and was installed in October, 1869.
In the Fall of 1871, Mr. Ferguson was released at his own request by the Presbytery of Chester. The ministry of Mr. Ferguson was not without its fruits, eighty-six having been added to the church while he had charge.
He is now pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Pittsgrove, N. J., where his labors have met with en- couraging success.
In June, 1872, the congregation gave a unanimous call to the Rev. William W. Totheroth, who was in- stalled by a Committee of the Presbytery of Chester on the last day of October, 1872. In 1883, Mr.
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Totheroth received and accepted a call to become pastor of a Church at Le Roy, N. Y.
The pastorate of Mr. Totheroth was eminently bene- ficial. His zeal, prudence, and industry promoted harmony, increased the membership of the church, and imparted renewed activity to its benevolent opera- tions.
In the amount of its donations for charitable pur- poses, the number of its members, and of children at- tending its Sabbath-Schools, this church ranks among the first of the rural Presbyterian Churches in our State. It has contributed to the growth of the village in which its meeting-house is placed, and, like ortho- dox churches in general, is a nucleus around which en- terprise, refinement, and intelligence have clustered .*
* Minutes of Presbytery of Donegal ; Rev. Mr. Totheroth, " Hist. of Church ;" Local Memoranda.
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FAIRVIEW PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
ON account of the distance which they had to travel in order to attend the services of the sanctuary, and for other reasons which need not be stated, the mem- bers of Dr. Grier's congregation who resided in the northeastern part of his charge resolved to erect a building for public worship and obtain a distinct organization. Accordingly, having procured an ele- vated and beautiful site, easy of access, and convenient, they commenced in 1839 the erection of a meeting- house, which was completed and dedicated on the first day of the next year.
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