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 27
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* By REV. JAMES L. BROWNSON, D.D.
JAMES OF
JACOB SLAGLE
SAMUEL
GEORGE BAIRD.
JOSEPH HE
JOHN WILEY
THOS.
M'KEF
THOMAS
RULING ELDERS, WASHINGTON 1ST.
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as stated supply for one year. After this, the church was obliged to depend upon the temporary services of members of Presbytery and other ministers not settled, until the spring of 1805, when the Rev. Matthew Brown began his labors as the first elected pastor, and also as principal of the Washington Academy. He was installed by the Presbytery, October 16th following. A sketch of the life and labors of this distinguished preacher and educator, as well as of his several successors, may be found elsc- where in this volume. During his effective service, the church was enlarged to a membership of two hundred, the average of yearly additions, including several seasons of revival, being fifteen. During this pastorate of seventeen years, Messrs. James Brice, Josiah Scott, William Sherrard, Hugh Wylie, Thomas Stockton, Thomas Officer, Robert Johnston, Thomas Fergus, Obadiah Jennings, James Orr and Dr. John Wishart were at different times added to the Session.
By unanimous election, the Rev. Obadiah Jennings, formerly a ruling elder, as above stated, succeeded Dr. Brown in the pas- torate, in October, 1823, and continued until 1828, when he accepted a call to Nashville, Tennessee, and there died in 1832. The harvest of Dr. Jennings' earnest labors began at the very time of his departure, and continued through the year following. A few yet linger among us of the many who were then born into the kingdom. During his pastorate, Messrs. Charles Hawkins, Robert Colmery, Jacob Slagle, Robert Officer, Adam Weir and Alexander Ramsey were added to the Session by election and ordination.
In the autumn of 1829, the Rev. David Elliott, D.D., became the pastor, from which relation scarcely any appeal could have separated him, short of the call of the General Assembly, which, at the end of seven happy and prosperous years, transferred him to a Professor's chair in the Western Theological Seminary. He left three hundred communicants on the roll, having received an annual average of twenty members on examination and sixteen on certificate. Messrs. Hugh Fergus and Samuel Vance were set apart to the ruling eldership by his hands.
For a period of twelve years following Dr. Elliott's retirement, the church continued to maintain its ground, though with un-
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usual change in the pastorate. The service of the Rev. Daniel Deruelle extended from November, 1837, to October, 1840; that of the Rev. James Smith, D.D., from December, 1840, to April, 1844; that of the Rev. William C. Anderson, D.D., from the early winter following to January 9, 1846; and that of the Rev. John B. Pinney, LL.D., from January, 1847, to April, 1848. Each of these brethren did good service for Christ in his turn, and received tokens of divine blessing upon his labors. The inter- vals of vacancy were ably filled by that eminent servant of God, the Rev. David McConaughey, D.D., LL.D., then President of Washington College.
It was under Dr. Pinney's pastorate that Messrs. George Baird, Joseph Henderson, James Boon and the Hon. Robert R. Reed, M.D., were set apart as rulers in the Lord's house. At the same time, Messrs. John Wilson, Isaac Hewitt, John K. Wilson and John Grayson, Jr., were made deacons.
The pastorate of the Rev. James I. Brownson, D.D., dates, in fact, from January 1, 1849, though his formal installation, by a committee of the Presbytery of Washington, did not occur until the first day of May following. Its fortieth anniversary was duly celebrated, at the opening of the present year, by appro- priate exercises, in commemoration of the divine goodness and grace, and of the mutual good will of the pastor and people, and their cordial co-operation, through this whole period. Its con- tinuance is heartily committed to the sovereignty of the Head of the Church. Its history can be best given in sections, ac- cording to subjects.
THE GROWTH AND MEMBERSHIP OF THE CHURCH, of course, claims the first place. The pastor at his coming found a con- stituency of 125 families and 277 communicants. The additions during these forty years have been 749 by original profession, and 694 by certificate, making an aggregate of 1,443, and an an- nual average of 36. This number added to the membership at the beginning gives a roll of 1,720 communicants, who have been under the present pastor's care. Subtracting now our present number, 439, it appears that 1,281 have gone from us by death, or removal to other places, within the same period, or an annual average of about 32.
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Within these two-score years, the rite of baptism has been ad- ministered to 562 infants and 155 adults; 354 couples have, within the same period, been united in marriage by the pastor ; 42 young men (about one-third of whom have come from families of our own church and the rest from the college) have confessed Christ among us in the Holy Supper, and afterwards entered the ministry ; and 32 young ladies of our communion have in these years, as appears from the pastor's record, been called to be wives of ministers.
SABBATH-SCHOOL .--- Our Sabbath-school was organized June 15, 1816, and has continued without suspension until now. It has a very gratifying record of faithful work for Christ, with many tokens of usefulness, not the least of which is seen in the fact that immediately from its classes, 271 pupils have gone to the communion-table under the present pastorate. It now has an enrollment, in its different departments, of 440 scholars and 23 teachers, besides six officers. James C. Acheson, Esq., has entered his twenty-fifth year as the successful Superintendent, having followed the lamented Dr. Robert R. Reed, whose death, December 14, 1864, terminated a like most faithful service of twenty-six years.
CHURCH ACCOMMODATIONS have a fair place in this history. The first church building was erected just after the settlement of the first pastor, in 1805. With a capacity of from five to six hundred sittings, it fulfilled its purpose until September II, 1851, when the first structure on the present site, fully one- third larger, or ninety by sixty-three feet in dimensions, was dedicated to divine service. It was taken down and rebuilt, ex- cept the basement, in 1868; and the new building was set apart in like manner, March 27, 1869, the cost of the reconstruction, furniture, etc., being about $22,000. A handsome and com- modious chapel was added, at a cost of $10,500, in 1886, and dedicated March 19, 1887. An extension of the main building, at the southern end, followed the next year, at a cost of $1250, which now contains a fine new church organ and ac- commodations for the choir, immediately behind the pulpit ; and also a neat " study " for the pastor in its lower story. These advancements have given us a church property with excel-
!
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lent facilities, worth, at the present valuation, not less than $50,000.
THE RELIGIOUS BENEFACTIONS claim a leading place among the church activities. Beside all that has been necessary for self-support, the church has steadily advanced in gifts to the various agencies of evangelization established from time to time by the General Assembly, and to such other causes as commended themselves. For some years past the system of a collection for Christian beneficence, every Lord's day, with pro- portionate distribution under a fixed scale, among the several sanctioned objects, has been satisfactorily practiced. For some years prior to 1849 the average of gifts per member for such purposes was $2.50. At the quarter-century celebration of the present pastorate, at the opening of 1874, with an increased membership, the average was $4.25 for that period. For the past fifteen years the like average has been $5.68. For the year ending April 1, 1888, it amounted to $11.67, which was due in part to the special appeals of the " Centennial Year."
The sources of these beneficent funds, besides moderate, spe- cial and occasional personal gifts, have been chiefly three, viz. : church collections, contributions from missionary organizations (especially of females) and contributions from the Sabbath- school. The aggregate of gifts to the Lord, though far from what it should be, has been steadily increasing, as the general work of evangelization has advanced, with new fields, new methods and new light, ever opening to the church. Imper- fectly yet, but more and more, has our call been felt to go in spirit and work with our brethren in the Lord, who have gone into the vast destitutions of our own land, including the needs of our savage tribes and the freedmen of the South, and with not a few of them-also "into all the world" to "preach the gospel to every creature."
Precious names, both of the dead and the living, link us to this sacred cause. Those of Mr. and Mrs. William McCombs, and Mr. and Mrs. John McClintock, carry us back to their devotion to the work in Smyrna, in 1836, though unforeseen difficulties suspended the mission, and held them to consecrated service in the field at home. Our Mrs. Julia McGiffin Hamilton, Mrs.
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Theressa Dennis Mckinney, Miss Mary H. McKean and Miss Flora Lee are gratefully recalled as having gone from our com- munion table to expend the strength of their lives for Christ, in behalf of the Western Indians. The like devotion led Misses Mary Garrett and Flora Bausman to the emancipated slaves. Nor have we forgotten that Mrs. Elizabeth Ewing Speer, now again among us, went with her husband, Dr. W. Speer, after their marriage, in 1852, when, in view of his previous service in China, he was appointed by the board to carry the same gospel to the incoming Chinese on our Pacific Coast. We may not claim space to name the home missionaries, male and female, who have nobly represented us in the Western States and ter- ritories. Mr. and Mrs. Cornes, who went to instant death by the explosion of a steamer in the harbor of Yokohama; Miss Lucinda Crouch (now Mrs. Leaman), who went as a teacher to China in 1873; Mr. and Mrs. Clemens in Africa; Dr. and Mrs. A. G. McFarland in Siam ; the three Newtons, Joseph P. Gra- ham, James M. Alexander, James I. Hull and Dr. J. C. R. and Mrs. Ewing in India; Dr. A. L. Blackford in Brazil; and Ander- son O. Forbes in the Sandwich Islands, all were identified with us in church fellowship, in the course of their education, and at least four of them first confessed Christ in our company. And now our latest offering has been made in the persons of the Rev. William B. and Clara Linton Hamilton,* both spiritual children of our church, who are just about to sail for Chinanfu, China, the place of their destination, as witnesses for Christ and for us to the perishing heathen.
Some of these dear brethren and sisters have gone up to their glorious reward from lands of idolatry, and some are toil- ing and enduring still, but they all have held our warmest sympathies and prayers.
A desire from outside the church itself is hesitatingly ful- filled in appending to this history the list of young men who
* Since the above was written, and before its publication, the sad news has come to us with crushing power, that our beloved young Mrs. Hamilton was called in death to meet her Lord and receive her crown, just six weeks after the arrival of her hus- band and herself at Chinanfu. This event occurred January to, 1889, following a confinement to bed of five days. The Lord chose her song in glory, rather than the earthly service to which she had devoted herself with an undivided heart, J. I. B.
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first confessed Christ in our fellowship and then devoted them- selves to the ministry. The following have thus gone from the families of the church, viz. : John L. Hawkins, John Stockton, D.D., Hugh A. Koontz, James W. McKennan, D.D., Abner Leonard, George Gordon, John McClintock, Joseph Gordon, William Ewing, Ph.D., Hugh O. Rosborough, Samuel J. Wil- son, D.D. LL.D., Alexander Reed, D.D., George K. Scott, Bernard W. Slagle, Marcus Wishart, Joseph Vance, D.D., Wil- liam H. Hartsell, Samuel T. Davis, Edward P. Hawes, Edward P. Lewis, George W. Riggle, William B. Reed, George P. Wil- son, Marcus A. Brownson and Wm. B. Hamilton. The follow- ing, also, have come from other places as students of the col- lege, have been received into our church on profession of their faith, and here realized their call into the ministry, viz. : John W. Scott, D.D., James Anderson, D.D., Wm. H. McGuffey, D.D., LL.D., David Chesnut, Thomas Cratty, Wm. D. Mc- Cartney, William McCombs, James Smith, John D. Whitham, James H. Dinsmore, D.D., Andrew M. Hershey, Clement V. McKaig, D.D., Obadiah H. Miller, Thomas M. Newell, Samuel M. Templeton, John M. Faris, David McCombs, John M. Bon- nell, Andrew Barr, John Y. Calhoun, Edgar Woods, Robert F. Bunting, D.D., William V. Milligan, D.D., Wm. E. Ijams, James F. Craig,* R. Boyd Jack,* John Watson Hughes,* Richard Carson, Wm. W. Anderson, Wm. A. Ramsey, David W. Clark, John P. P. Stockton, Henry G. Blayney, J. McC. Blayney, Robert B. Farrar, George Newell, William B. Faris, Daniel W. Townsend, Alexander H. Marshall, D.D., David H. Sloan, D.D., James S. Ramsey, D.D., C. Morris Wines, Silas Cook, Joseph P. Graham, Joseph A. Donahey, Martin L. E. Donahey, Robert Smith, John C. Ely. Of this whole number ten of the first class and twenty-one of the second belonged to the period before the commencement of the present pastorate.
To this list quite a number could be added of dear brethren who went home from revival scenes here to confess Christ among their friends, and also laid their lives upon the altar of the ministry. A still larger list than that given above would contain the precious names of those who came to us by letter
* Died before completion of studies.
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and bore away our deepest interest into their work in the gos- pel.
ORGANIZATION .--- The church was organized in 1793, and its present officers are as follows, viz. :
Rev. James I. Brownson, D.D., pastor, settled Jan. 1, 1849.
Ruling Elders .--- Thos. McKennan, M.D., ordained 1859; Jas. C. Acheson (clerk of session), ordained 1864; Thomas Mc- Kean, ordained 1864; William Davis, ordained 1869; William Paul, ordained 1869; M. Wilson McClane, ordained 1869; John Vance, ordained 1878; Dunning Hart, ordained 1883; John Aiken, ordained 1883; Jos. F. McFarland, ordained 1883; James K. Mitchell, ordained 1883.
Deacons .- Geo. Davis, ordained 1868; Saml. M. Charlton (treasurer benevolent funds), 1871; Jonathan Allison, installed 1887; Joseph L. Thistle, M.D., ordained 1887; Edward Cul- bertson, ordained 1887.
Trustees .- Colin M. Reed, Jr., president ; Jas. W. McDow- ell, secretary ; Alex. M. Brown, treasurer ; Nelson Vankirk, A. G. Happer.
The organizations for church work are as follows, viz. :
FOREIGN MISSIONS .- Sewing Society, Ladies' Foreign Mis- sionary Society, Cornes Band, Young Ladies' Band, Seminary Band, Boys' Missionary Society ("Standard Bearers ") and Girls' Missionary Society (" June Rose Buds.")
HOME MISSIONS -Woman's Home Mission Society and Young People's Home Missionary Society.
SOCIETY OF CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR .- Organized in 1888, and growing in number and usefulness.
* UNITY (GREENE COUNTY, PA.)
This church was organized August 27, 1814, by a committee of the Presbytery of Ohio, consisting of Rev. John Anderson, D.D., and Rev. Joseph Stevenson. It was one of the churches included in the Presbytery of Washington at its erection in 1819.
PASTORS AND STATED SUPPLIES .-- From the time of organiza- tion to 1828 the church had only occasional supplies appointed by Presbytery. From 1828 until about 1844, or later, the
* By REV. W. F. HAMILTON.
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churches of Unity and Wolf Run were united in the support of a minister, each receiving one-half time. During this period the succession was as follows : Rev. Abner Leonard, stated supply, one year ; Rev. WV. D. Smith, 1831-33; Rev. Samuel Moody, 1834; Rev. John Knox, 1835 : Rev. James Fleming, stated supply ; Rev. John D. Whitham, 1841-43 ; Rev. Alex. McCarrell, 1844. About this time Unity and Claysville united in supporting Mr. McCarrell. When he ceased preaching at Unity, it united with the newly- organized church of Waynesburg, and they were supplied suc- cessively by Rev. Messrs. H. O. Rosborough, J. Y. Calhoun and John Miller. In 1854 Rev. Samuel Jeffery began labor in these churches, and continued to supply them with great acceptance and success until his death in 1859. Subsequently Rev. James A. Ewing and Rev. William Jeffery each served as stated supply one year. Rev. William Hanna preached from 1862 to 1864, and was succeeded by William S. Vancleve, a licentiate of Pres- bytery, 1865-67. The union with Waynesburg having ter- minated, Unity was supplied by Rev. Samuel Graham from 1869 to 1872, and by Rev. J. B. Stevenson from 1873 to 1875. From 1876 to 1881 Unity was united with Cameron as one pastoral charge under Rev. R. B. Farrar. Since that time it has been supplied partly by appointment of Presbytery. Rev. William Hanna served for a few years as stated supply. Rev. Samuel Graham is now serving in that capacity.
RULING ELDERS .- David Gray, installed 1814, died April 5, 1822; Jacob Rickey, installed 1814, died December 1, 1822; Moses Dinsmore, installed 1814, died April 3, 1836, aged fifty- three; Francis Braddock, installed 1814, died March 25, 1856, aged seventy-seven; Abraham C. Rickey, installed 1837, died July 28, 1880; Francis Braddock, Jr., installed 1837, entered the ministry 1845 ; Obadiah Vancleve, installed 1837, removed soon after to Waynesburg; Thomas Dinsmore, installed 1837, died March 3, 1862, aged eighty-six; William Loughridge, installed 1856, died April 16, 1867, aged ninety-five; David Braddock, installed 1856; John Carter, installed 1856; John Reed, installed 1856, removed in 1872 to West Alexander ; J. H. Braddock, in- stalled 1873; Hamilton Teagarden, installed 1873; Daniel Clut- ter, installed 1873; died July 1, 1881; Thomas Henderson, in-
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stalled 1878; had been an elder previously in the State of Iowa.
HOUSES OF WORSHIP .- The congregation first worshipped in a log school-house. In 1840 a frame structure, 45x50 feet, costing about $700, was built. It was burned in 1879, and the same year a new building was erected in Graysville. Its cost was $2250, of which the Board of Church Erection gave $350. It is 34x54 feet, and seats three hundred persons. It was dedi- cated June 20, 1880.
SABBATH-SCHOOL was first conducted by Francis Braddock, Sr., in the old log school-house. It has been sustained to the present time with a considerable measure of interest and success.
SPIRITUAL HISTORY .-- The general condition of this church has been unfavorably affected by the frequent change of minis- ters. But several seasons of marked interest have occurred. During the ministry of Rev. Samuel Jeffery, and subsequently in 1869, 1876 and 1880, seasons of revival came, bringing in, on some occasions, as many as twenty converts.
CANDIDATES .- Nine persons from this church have studied for the ministry, viz. : Francis, Cyrus and Joseph Braddock, sons of Francis Braddock, Sr., ruling elder; Robert S., Francis B., Thomas H., John, Moses and William Dinsmore, sons of Moses Dinsmore, ruling elder; and James Lynn Reed, son of John Reed, ruling elder.
EAST BUFFALO .*
The time when this church was formally organized cannot be definitely ascertained. The sessional records prior to 1864 have been lost. The earliest mention of this church, ecclesiastically, is in the minutes of the Synod of Pittsburgh, where the Presby- tery of Ohio reports Rev. Thomas Hoge as stated supply at Upper Ten-mile and East Buffalo in the year IS18, one year previous to the formation of the Presbytery of Washington It must have had some kind of existence prior to that time, and cotemporary with a German Lutheran organization that wor- shipped at the same place till near 1840, and both occupying to some extent the same house of worship. It was, doubtless, to
By A. S. FAGLESON.
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accommodate both these elements that existed in the neighbor- hood, that induced Hardman Horn, Lawrence Streker and Michael Ely to make a joint deed, which is recorded in Book S, Vol. I, pages 402 and 403, Records of Washington County, Pa., to the "German Societies of this neighborhood being of the Presbyterian and [?] Church persuasion," for the sum of five shillings, conveying certain boundaries containing three acres (one acre from each), "for the use of school-house, meeting- house and burying-ground, forever." This deed was made March 5, 1802.
In the above-mentioned deed the word "Lutheran" must have been omitted by the person who wrote it, for we find in the deed of Lawrence Streker's executors to William Brownlee, and dated June 12, 1820, the following : "excepting and reserv- ing at all times one acre of said land for the Presbyterian and Lutheran meeting-house, best known as Wolf's meeting-house." This last name, no doubt, came from Wolf's Fort, and people of that name, which were in the immediate vicinity of this Church. Both organizations existed within the memory of some yet living and members of this church.
This church was granted a charter of incorporation by the Court of Washington County, Pa., on the 17th of August, A. D. 1869, as "East Buffalo Presbyterian Church (Old School)."
MINISTERS .-- Thomas Hoge was received as a licentiate from the Presbytery of Tyrone, Ireland, by the Presbytery of Ohio, on the 17th of April, 1816; was ordained on the 21st of Janu- ary, 1817; and in 1818 was reported as stated supply at Upper Ten-mile and East Buffalo.
By Presbytery of Washington, in 1819, he is reported as stated supply at East Buffalo alone; and in 1820, stated supply at East Buffalo and Claysville. Presbytery of Washington met at East Buffalo, June 26, 1821, and on the 27th Mr. Hoge was installed pastor of the united churches of East Buffalo and Claysville, and the relation as pastor continued till October 6, 1825, and Mr. Hoge was dismissed to the Presbytery of Baltimore.
He was again received from the Presbytery of Ohio, and be- came stated supply at Claysville, and preached at East Buffalo,
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until about 1832, and was dismissed to the Presbytery of Phila- delphia in 1835.
Rev. W. P. Alrich was received as a licentiate from the Pres- bytery of New Castle, December 20, 1831, and was ordained April 17, 1832, and appears on the records of Presbytery as stated supply that year at East Buffalo-reporting the member- ship of the church as twenty-five at that time. He continued to minister to this church until the early part of 1864. There was quite a revival under his ministry about the years 1856-57. He was, during all this time, Professor in Washington College.
Dr. Alrich was succeeded by the Rev. James Black, D.D., also a professor in the Washington College, about October 1, 1864, and continued in that relation until August 2, 1868, when he accepted the presidency of the Iowa State University.
Rev. W. J. Alexander began his ministrations to this church about the ist of October, 1868, and was elected pastor on the 12th, and labored faithfully, intending to accept the call, until his death, January 20, 1869. An interesting revival and an ad- dition of sixteen was the result of his three months service.
On the Ioth of April, 1869, a call was made for the Rev. R. S. Morton, who began his ministrations May 23d, and was in- stalled pastor June 28, 1869. He continued pastor until Janu- ary, 1871, when he resigned.
Rev. Henry Woods, D.D., then and still a professor in Wash- ington and Jefferson College, succeeded Rev. Morton in January, 1871, and still continues his ministrations to this church. Two interesting revivals have occurred during his ministry, the first during the winter of 1878 and 1879, when nearly seventy were added to the church, increasing its membership to about one hundred and forty-five, and the other during the winter of 1886 and 1887, when eighteen were added to the church roll. The present membership is one hundred and forty-one.
The following persons served this church as elders, and have gone to their reward: Joseph Donahey, Sr., Archibald Brownlee, Martin Ely, James Mitchel, James Thompson, Joseph Donahey, Jr., Joseph Clark and Joseph Vankirk. John G. Clark and James Rankin are living and connected with other churches. The present members of session are Elisha Ely and Joseph C.
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Johnson, who were elected in 1855; Israel Weirich and Andrew S. Eagleson, installed September 15, 1867; William C. Ramsey and John H. Vankirk, inducted into office November 29, 1885.
The present Sabbath-school officers are, Superintendent, A. S. Eagleson ; Assistant Superintendent, Joseph C. Johnson.
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