USA > Pennsylvania > Washington County > Washington > History of the Presbytery of Washington : including a brief account of the planting of the Presbyterian church in Western Pennsylvania and parts adjacent, with sketches of pioneer ministers and ruling elders ; also sketches of later ministers and ruling elders > Part 2
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THE PRESBYTERY OF WASHINGTON.
been appointed by Synod to perform missionary labor here. Now, in 1785, he locates permanently as pastor of Rehoboth and Round Hill, in the Forks of the Youghiogheny. Follow- ing Mr. Finley, came Rev. Samuel Barr, who, after a brief pas- torate at Pittsburgh and Pitt Township, characterized by mutual dissatisfactions and judicial prosecutions on the part of pas- tor and people, was, at his request, dismissed to another Presby- tery. Rev. Robert Finley was also received, and subsequently dismissed. Before further pursuing this line of statement, it should be remarked that, while each minister had his own spe- cial pastorate to care for, it would be a mistake to suppose that his labors were confined within this compass. At every meet- ing of Presbytery, to quote the humble, and withal, significant phraseology of that day, "supplications for supplies" were pre- sented, and responsive to these the ministers employed them- selves, as they were able, in laborious journeyings over the whole field, " strengthening the feeble hands," and " confirming the souls of the disciples." Perhaps from no source can a bet- ter idea be gained of the manifold labors of the ministers, and also of the feeble beginnings of the churches, than from these lists of supplies contained in the old records. An examination of them gives us, during this period from '81 to '93, a consider- able number of names of local interest, prominent among which are "Ohio Court House," same as "Short Creek," occurring just afterward, now West Liberty ; "Wheeling," same as " Forks of Wheeling; " "Jackson's Fork," which was on south fork of Ten Mile, now Green County ; "Three Ridges," now " West Alexander ;" "Lower Buffalo ;" "King's Creek," after- wards, on account of removal of site, changed to Cross Roads ; " Mill Creek ; " "Town of Washington;" " Heads of Buffalo," now East Buffalo ; "Three Springs ; " " Big Wheeling, " " Hol- iday's Cove ;" "Stone Coal Fork of Buffalo ; " " Campbell's Tent ;" " Mouth of Buffalo," the site of Charlestown Village, now Wellsburg.
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It should also be remarked, at this point, that a cherished purpose of these early ministers was to have raised upon the field fellow-helpers in the work of the ministry, and that in order to this they gave, as opportunity offered, instructions in
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ANTECEDENT HISTORY.
the ancient languages, science and theology, and exerted them- selves in common for the establishment of classical schools. Accordingly, during the twelve years referred to, twelve persons trained on the field were licensed to preach, seven of whom were ordained and installed within the Presbytery, viz. : Joseph Patterson, at Raccoon, Washington County, and Montours, Al- legheny County; John Brice, at Three Ridges, Washington County, and Forks of Wheeling, Ohio County, Va .; James Hughes, at Lower Buffalo, Washington County, and Short Creek, Brook County, Va. The four others were all in West- moreland County, viz. : John McPherrin, at Unity and Salem ; Samuel Porter, at Congruity and Poke Run ; George Hill, at Fairfield and Donegal ; and William Swan, at Long Run and Sewickly; from which latter Mr. Powers had been released. Meanwhile Mr. Dunlap, having been released from Dunlap's Creek, Rev. Jacob Jennings, who had been received on certifi- cate from the Low Dutch Church, became pastor of Dunlap's Creek and Muddy Creek (now New Providence), Green County, and Rev. Joseph Smith and Rev. Thaddeus Dodd had been re- moved by death, while of the twelve licentiates, two,-James McGready and Robert Marshall, -- had been dismissed to other Presbyteries, and three were still under care. Thus, at the end of these twelve years, the roll stood, Power, McMillan, Dunlap, Clark, Findley, Patterson, Brice, Hughes, McPherrin, Porter, Jennings, Hill and Swan, with David Smith, Thomas Marquis and Boyd Mercer, licentiates.
During this same period of twelve years, the number of churches had increased in even greater proportion. The Pres- bytery reported to the General Assembly in '93, twenty-four vacant churches, and as an equal number were being served by the thirteen ministers named, the whole number at this date was not less than forty-eight. From Presbytery's record of supplies it also appears that, in addition to these, were not a few nuclei of what are known to have afterwards become fully organized churches, so that here and there, over a large field, extending from Fairfield and Donegal, east, to Forks of Wheeling, west, and from Bethel on Blacklick, north, to Tygart's Valley, south, were already enkindled and blazing, with more or less bright-
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THE PRESBYTERY OF WASHINGTON.
ness, some threescore beacon-lights of Gospel Truth as formu- lated in the Presbyterian Confession.
PRESBYTERY OF OHIO,
After continuing for twelve years sole occupant of the field, the Presbytery of Redstone was at last compelled to accept the necessity for a division of its territory. Accordingly, by Pres- bytery's request, the Synod of Virginia in 1793 erected a new Presbytery, to be called the Presbytery of Ohio, and to consist of the ministers and churches west of the Monongahela River and of a line extending from the river's mouth north to Presque Isle, the point where the city of Erie now stands. The minis- ters were John McMillan, John Clark, Joseph Patterson, James Hughes and John Brice. The churches were Pigeon Creek, Chartiers, Ten Mile, Upper Buffalo, Cross Creek, Bethel, Leb- anon, Raccoon, Montours, Short Creek, Lower Buffalo, Three Ridges, Forks of Wheeling, Mingo Creek, Horseshoe, Pike Run, Muddy Creek, Mill Creek, King's Creek, Three Springs, with a few others in an inchoate condition. The disproportion in the number of churches and ministers was partly owing to the recent deaths of Rev. Messrs. Smith and Dodd, leaving Buf- falo, Cross Creek and Ten Mile vacant. This new Presbytery, it will be observed, had the two qualities of being strictly rural and strictly frontier. All its churches were country churches. The boundary line, as run, left the borough of Pittsburgh in Red- stone Presbytery, where, in common with all the churches that grew up on that side of the river, it continued nearly thirty years afterwards. The only towns of importance included were Washington and Wheeling, in neither of which was a church yet formed. Its frontier character appears in that on the west side, it had no boundary, extending indefinitely into what was then called the Indian or Western Territory. How nobly this handful of country churches and ministers performed the great work laid upon them, will appear in the sequel. It augurs well for the future that at their first meeting, held at Upper Buffalo October 22, 1793, the following action was taken : " Presbytery, taking into serious consideration their great need of divine aid in order to a due discharge of the important trust committed to
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ANTECEDENT HISTORY.
them, agreed to spend to-morrow in fasting and prayer, and supplicate Almighty God that he would take this infant Presby- tery into his special care, that he would preside in all their meetings, and enable them to act faithfully for God, and be zeal- ous for the promotion of Christ's Kingdom in the world, and that he would pour out his Spirit upon the congregations under their care, and raise up and qualify many for the important work of the gospel ministry."
That the Presbytery judged rightly as to the importance of the trust committed to them, appears, in part at least, from the list of places mentioned, from time to time, in the minutes, as asking or receiving supplies. Some, from the long list of these, showing the extent of the field, are the following, viz .: McIn- tosh (i. e., Beaver), Forks of Beaver, Mt. Pleasant, New Salem, Ma- honing, Conaquanessing, Shenango, Slippery Rock, Middlesex, Cool Spring, Sandy Creek, Meadville, Fair Grove, Bull Creek, Pymatuning, Presque Isle, Oil Creek, Colts, The Triangle, La Boeuf, Franklin, etc., all of which will be recognized as north of the river in Pennsylvania. Those westwardly in Virginia and the Indian Territory are the following, viz .: Grave Creek, Charles- town, Indian Short Creek, Richland (i. e., St. Clairsville), Island Creek, Steuben, Captina, Muskingum, Yellow Creek, Youngs- town, Long Run. "Vacant settlements on Muskingum, Hock- hocking, Scioto and the Miamis," Detroit, Chillicothe, " Beulah, Orangedale and Clear Creek on the Miami," Middleton (i. e., Athens), Beech Springs, Crab Apple, Forks of Yellow Creek (i. e., Richmond), Galliopolis, New Comerstown, Scotch Settle- ment, Ow! Creek (i. e., Mt. Vernon), Newark, Cadiz, Mesopota- mia, Scioto Salt Works, Pickaway Plains, Plainsville, Grand River, Hudson, Canton, Delaware, Round Hill, Big Spring, New Hagerstown, etc.
To the same effect is the fact that not less than twenty meet- ings of Presbytery, not general indeed, but mostly for the ordi- nation and installation of some pastor, were held here and there over the missionary field, including such points as Cool Spring, Meadville, Neshannock, Hopewell and Fairfield in Pennsylvania, and Crab Apple, Steuben, Waterford, New Lancaster, New Lis- bon, Two Ridges and Clinton in Ohio.
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THE PRESBYTERY OF WASHINGTON.
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OCTOBER 22, 1793, TO MARCH 5, 1802.
Tracing now from its beginning the Presbytery's growth, and omitting as before precise dates tabulated elsewhere, we find that in the first eight and onc-half years of its existence, which was the period that elapsed before the first division of its terri- tory was made, Presbytery received from other bodies, 3 minis- ters, 7 licentiates, licensed 18 candidates and ordained 19 licen- tiates.
Samuel Donnell was ordained as an evangelist, agrecably to "request from remote parts of Tennessee " and " liberty granted by the General Assembly."
Installations were made on the field as follows: Thomas Mar- quis, at Cross Creek; Thomas Moore, at Ten Mile ; Boyd Mer- cer, at Pigeon Creek and Pike Run ; Samuel Ralston, at Mingo and Horseshoe; William Woods, at Bethel and Lebanon ; Thomas E. Hughes, at New Salem and Mt. Pleasant, which was the first north of the Ohio River; George Scott, at Mill Creek and The Flats, i. e., Fairview; Andrew Givin, at Pigeon Creek and Pike Run ; John Watson, at Miller's Run; Joseph Ander- son, at Richland, Short Creek and Cross Roads, i. e., at St. Clairsville, Mt. Pleasant and Crab Apple,-the first installation by this Presbytery in what is now the State of Ohio: John McClain, at Montours; Elisha McCurdy, at Cross Roads and Three Springs; William Wick, at Hopewell and Neshannock, which latter was exchanged for Youngstown the year following ; Samuel Tait, at Upper Salem and Cool Spring : James Snod- grass, at Steubenville and Island Creek; Joseph Stockton, at Meadville and Sugar Creek; Robert Lee, at Amity and Big Spring; James Satterfield, at Moorfield and Upper Neshannock ; William Wylie, at Fairfield and Upper and Lower Sandy ; Rev. Samuel Donnell was dismissed to Presbytery of Transylvania, Abraham Boyd, licentiate, to Presbytery of Redstone. Rev. John Clark and Smilie Hughes, licentiate, were removed by death.
The time had now come when the erection of a new Presby- tery was an obvious necessity, and accordingly in compliance with action taken by the Synod of Virginia, the Presbytery of
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ANTECEDENT HISTORY.
Ohio at a meeting held March 5, 1802, dismissed Thomas E. Hughes, William Wick, Samuel Tait, Joseph Stockton, Robert Lee, James Satterfield and William Wylie to constitute the Presbytery of Erie. It was a timely and withal munificent gift of their devoted sons made by this handful of country churches south of the river, for the lifting up of Christ's standard in the newer region northward toward the lakes.
The erection of the Presbytery of Erie, the third on the list, made it possible to have a Synod constituted in the West, and accordingly the necessary action to that end was taken by the General Assembly in 1802, and the Synod of Pittsburgh, the first in the West, held its first meeting September 29, 1802, in Pitts- burgh,-the parent Synod of Virginia having but two years pre- viously held its only meeting west of the mountains in the town of Washington.
MARCH 5, 1802, TO OCTOBER 21, 1808.
During the next six and one-half years, which was the period intervening before another division of territory took place, Pres- bytery received from other bodies 2 ministers, I licentiate, licensed 21 candidates, ordained 12 licentiates. Stephen Lindley, Cephas Dodd, Abraham Scott, Jonathan Lesley were ordained as evangelists. Installations were made as follows: John An- derson, at Upper Buffalo; Jacob Lindley, at Waterford, O .; John Rhea, at Crab Apple and Beech Springs, O .; Matthew Brown, at Washington; John Wright, at Hockhocking and Rush Creek, O .; William McMillan, at Two Ridges and Yellow Creek, O .; James Robinson, at Crooked Creek; Clement Val- andingham, at New Lisbon and Long Run, O .; Moses Allen, at New Providence and Jefferson; James Scott, at Clinton, Frederick and Ebenezer, O.
Rev. Thomas Moore was dismissed to Presbytery of Redstone. ยท Licentiates William Woods, Robert Patterson, Alexander Cook, Robert Johnston, Nicholas Pittenger, Johnston Eaton, Cyrus Riggs, Reid Bracken, were dismissed to Presbytery of Erie ; Samuel Woods, to Presbytery of Washington in Synod of Ken- tucky. Rev. John Watson was removed by death.
The second division of Presbytery's territory took place by
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THE PRESBYTERY OF WASHINGTON.
act of Synod October 7, 1So8, and accordingly Presbytery dis- missed, October 21, 1808, Stephen Lindley, Jacob Lindley, John Wright, James Robinson and James 'Scott, to constitute the Presbytery of Lancaster, and also dismissed Clement Valan- dingham to Presbytery of Hartford, erected by Synod at same time.
OCTOBER 21, ISOS, TO OCTOBER 8, 1819.
During the remaining period of eleven years intervening be- fore the Presbyteries of Washington and Steubenville were simultaneously erected, Presbytery received from other bodies 4 ministers, 3 licentiates, licensed 17 candidates, ordained S licentiates. Thomas Hoge was ordained as an evangelist. Installations were made as follows: Joseph Stevenson, at Three Ridges and Forks of Wheeling; Andrew McDonald, at White Oak Flats; Thomas Clark, at Crab Apple, O .: Michael Law, at Montours ; Andrew Wylie, at Miller's Run; James Hervey, at Wheelingtown and Forks of Wheeling; Alexander Cook, at Bethany ; Moses Allen, at Raccoon ; Obadiah Jennings, at Steu- benville, O .; J. Snodgrass, at Island Creek, O .; Thomas Hunt. at Two Ridges and Richmond, O.
Rev. Jonathan Lesley was dismissed to Presbytery of Hart- ford; Rev. James Hughes, to Presbytery of Miami; Rev. Thomas Hoge, to Presbytery of Redstone. Licentiates Thomas Hunt, William Johnston, John Reed, James Cunningham, George Vaneman, William Jones, Joseph S. Hughes, James Smith, John Matthews, Ira Condit, Ezekiel Glasgow, James Wright, Andrew Russell, were dismissed to various Presbyteries. Michaiah Fairfield had his license withdrawn; Rev. John McClain was deposed; Rev. John Brice was removed by death.
Summing up, it is found that during the whole period of twenty-six years thus reviewed, Presbytery received from other bodies 9 ministers, It licentiates, of whom 7 were from Red- stone Presbytery; licensed 56 candidates, ordained 39 licen- tiates, installed 40 pastors, dismissed 19 ministers, 23 licentiates, struck from the roll I minister, I licentiate, and lost by death 3 ministers and I licentiate.
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ANTECEDENT HISTORY.
RULING ELDERS.
No mention has been made thus far of Ruling Elders and the part they took in founding and building up the church in the West. This part of the subject has been kept back until now in order that the whole period, from 1781 to 1819, may, as to this, be viewed connectedly. It is to be regretted that the informa- tion we have concerning most of the early elders is so meagre. The Presbyterial and Synodical Records give the names of those who were in attendance at their successive meetings, but fail to designate to what church each elder belonged. The oldest sessional records extant do not supply this lack to any considerable extent. In nearly every case carly sessional rec- ords, if ever kept, have been lost. Still the field is not all blank, and it is important that all that is certainly authentic, be pre- served both as a means of testing traditions and as furnishing clues for additional research. After not a little of painstaking scrutiny, an approximation has been made toward the recon- struction, as it were, of the old sessions on this part of the field, on the basis of attendance at either Presbytery or Synod, the figures attached to each name indicating the date when such person first attended Presbytery or Synod. The result reached is as follows :
Pigeon Creek .- Patrick Scott, 1781; Patrick McCullough, 1783; William McCombs, 1783; Hugh Scott, 1788; William Ferguson, 1800; Hugh Cotton, 1802; John Stevenson, 1804; Joseph Vaughan, 1805; John Hosack, 1807; James Kerr, ISOS ; John Atkinson, 1814; Aaron Kerr, 1816.
Ten Mile .-- Demas Lindsley, 1781; Joseph Coc, 1784; Jacob Cook, 1785; William McFarland, 1785; Stephen Cook, 1785; Daniel Axtell, 1786; Stephen Saunders, 1796; Joseph Lindsley, 1797; Abel McFarland, 1797; John Carmichael, 1798; John Smiley, 1798; Jonas Condit, ISO7; Ziba Casterline, 1810; Jacob Hathaway, ISIS.
Upper Buffalo .- John Johnston, 1783; William Smiley, 1784; John Cowen, 1,89; William McCullough, 1793; Robert Lyle,1
1 Robert Lyle represented Cross Creek Church in 1793 and as late as 1815. May have represented Buffalo in 1817 or later.
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THE PRESBYTERY OF WASHINGTON.
; John McWilliams, 1793; James Brice,1 ; James Dinsmore,2 -----; John Gilchrist, 1800; David McCombs, ISOI; William Hughes, 1802; William Wallace, 1803; john Flack, 1817; John Dinsmore, 1818; James McConaughey, 1818.
Cross Creek .- James Edgar, 1782; George Marquis, 1783 ; Joseph Patterson, 1785; Joseph Vance, 1789; Thomas Marquis, 1789; Thomas Marshall, 1792; Robert Lyle, 1793; Henry Graham, 1794; William Rea, 1795; Hugh Newell, 1795; Rob- ert McCready, 1796; John Morrison, 1798; Hugh Edgar, 1806; Samuel Mckibben, 1807; John Wilkin, 1807; Thomas Smith, 1810; George Miller, ISI8; Joseph Smith, 1818; Andrew Far- rar, 1819.
Three Ridges .- John McPherrin, 1792 ; Silas Coe, 1793 ; John Henry, 1794; William Scott, 1800; John Maxwell, 1801; Moses Hull, 1802; George Sutherland, 1802; George Lee, ISO3; Wil- liam Gaston, 1805; Thomas Byers, 1812; James McCamant, IS13.
Forks of Wheeling .- James McConnell, 1791 ; John Baird, ; John Faris, 1799; Adam Faris, 1802; William Maxwell, 1814; Richard Campbell, 1815.
Short Crock .-- William Brown, 1792 ; John Wayt, 1794; Mat- thew Anderson, 1796; Nathaniel Coleman, 1797; William Mckinley, 1800; William Faris, ISO5 ; Thomas Yates, ISIS.
Lower Buffalo .- Arthur Scott, 1818; George Green, 1819.
Mill Creek .- George Mccullough, 1793 ; David Kerr, 1796; Alex. Mccullough, 1800; John Thompson, ISO1 ; James Ewing,' John McCullough, 1813; Joseph McCready, 1819.
1 A James Brice represented Bethel Church in 1785. Either the same or another James Brice represented Upper Buffalo as early as 1793. A James Brice also repre- sented Washington as early as 1806.
2 James Dinsmore was present from 1784 to 1814. Represented Bethel Church until about 1795. After that represented Upper Buffalo.
3 John Baird represented Forks of Wheeling in Presbytery of Ohio in 1795. May have previously represented it in Redstone Presbytery probably 1792. There was another John Baird in that Presbytery, Ilon. John Baird, of Mt. Pleasant, who was sole representative of Redstone Presbytery in first General Assembly.
" There was a James Ewing present in Redstone as early as 1790. Supposed to be the one who afterwards represented Montours. The James Ewing from Mill Creek was about cotemporary with John Thompson of that church.
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ANTECEDENT HISTORY.
The Flats .--- John Edie, 1804; John Pittenger, 1816; John McMillan.1
Cross Roads .- Miles Wilson, 1799; John McMillan, IS00; Philip Jackson, 1800; John Travis, 1801; John Riddle,2 James Proudfit, 1803; Samuel Fulton, 1804; John Duncan, 1805 ; Joseph Jackson, 1808; George Anderson, 1819.
Three Springs .- Wm. Lee, 1800; John Orr, 1803; John Wylie, 1809.
Washington .- Wm. McCombs,3 Joseph Wherry, 1798; Robt. Stockton, 1797; James Brice,' -; Josiah Scott, ---; Thos. Officer, 1806; Robt. Johnston, 1812; Obadiah Jennings, 1813; Thos. Fergus, 1815; Hugh Wylie, 1817; Thos. Stockton, 1818; James Orr, 1818; John Wishart, 1818.
Unity .- Jacob Rickey, 1814 ; Francis Braddock, 1816.
East Buffalo .-- Jos. Donahey, 1819; Archibald Brownlee, 1819.
While the foregoing list is believed to be accurate, as far as it goes, it is confessedly incomplete.
It can doubtless be extended by those better informed, each in his own locality. To further this, additional lists of names taken from the official records are appended. (Vid. Appendix No. I.)
Some of the names in the foregoing list are not found in the Presbyterial records, but only in the records of Synod. Many of them occur but rarely. Both these facts strengthen the belief that there were not a few worthy persons holding this office whose names do not appear on any Presbyterial or Synodical record. John Stevenson, Sr., of Pigeon Creek ; David Rannels and Wm. Patterson, of Upper Buffalo; John Goodman Young, of Three Springs; Wm. Sherrard, of Washington; Moses Dins- mon of Unity, are among those thus accredited by tradition or otherwise. No doubt there were many such.
1 Cross Roads and the Flats each had an elder of this name-possibly the same person.
? The name John Riddle appears as early as 1793. Cross Roads and Raccoon each had an elder of this name, believed to be the same person.
$ A Wm. McCombs represented Pigeon Creek in 17S3. Either the same or an- other person of this name was one of the first elders at Washington, and may have represented the Church any time after 1793.
" See note on Upper Buffalo.
6 A Josiah Scott represented Chartiers in 1785. Either the same or another person of this name may have represented Washington after 1793.
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IS
THE PRESBYTERY OF WASHINGTON.
The records show some names conspicuous for frequency of at- tendance. Including both Presbyteries and the Synod, James Ed- gar has a record of 25 meetings ; Wm. Smiley, 25 ; James Dins- more, 21 ; Demas Lindsley, 18; Wm. Lee, 18; Wm. Rea, 16; Pat- rick Mccullough, 13; many others not far short of these figures.
It should here be added that, considering the difficulty of travel, the meetings of the General Assembly were fairly well at- tended by Elders. The list is as follows : 1794, James Edgar ; 1795, Patrick Scott, Wm. Smiley; 1798, Nathaniel Coleman ; 1802, Wm. McKinly ; 1807, Wm. McKinly, Wm. Rea; 1809, Robt. Laughlin ; 1813, Obadiah Jennings; 1817, Wmn. Rea; 1819, Wm. Rea.
Taken as a class, the early elders were above the average of their contemporaries in intelligence and influence. Almost forgotten as they now are with the passing away of three or four genera- tions, most of them were, in their day, leaders in public affairs. One has but to glance at the early civil list to be convinced of this. Thus, looking only to that part of the field which lay in Washington County, embracing parts of the two Presbyteries of Washington and Pittsburgh, as now constituted, we find that pre- vious to 1790, when justices of the peace were, to some extent. associated as judges in the county court, the names of James Edgar, Wm. McFarland, Hugh Scott, William Smiley, William Scott, Henry Graham are on the list. Elsewhere as justices are the names of John Stephenson, Patrick McCullough, Alex. Wright, John Riddle, James Proudfit, Wm. Hughes, Win. Rea, Robt. McCready, John Wilkins, George Craighead, Isaac Leon- ard, Jonas Condit, Andrew Swearingen, and perhaps others. James Edgar also held the position of a member of the Supreme Executive Council of the State. And under the Constitution of 1790, two other Ruling Elders-James Allison and John Mc- Dowell-held the position of Associate Judge. Abel McFar- land was a member of the State Senate, and John McDowell, James Edgar, Alex. Wright, John Flanikin, James Brice, Joseph Vance, James Kerr, Aaron Kerr, and, it may be, other elders were members of the House of Representatives, most of them for several terms. Indeed for the first thirty years, to call the roll of the members of Legislature for Washington County is
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ANTECEDENT HISTORY.
very much like calling a roll of Scotch-Irish Elders of Presby- tery. Further references to the county records show that elders Demas Lindsley, Wm. McComb, James Bradford, Thos. Mar- quis, Thos. Byers, Thos. Officer, together with many of those already named, held other responsible positions on the civil list. These statements, it will be noted, are limited to elders. Should this limit be passed, so as to take in church members in general, it would be still more apparent that the Presbyterian Church in that day did not fail to contribute largely of her best material to the service of the State.1
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