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 35
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Though in order of time he was the sixth of the early ministers to come to the West, he was in age the senior of all. His venerable appearance was increased by the peruke, or large white wig, which he continued to wear until the end of life. Mr. Clark's churches shared in the great revi- val in 1787, as appears from an account in the Western Missionary Maga- zine, Sept., 1803. Tradition gives about nothing as to his personal charac- teristics or his qualities as a preacher. What manner of spirit he was of may, however, be inferred from the creditable fact that he and his wife, Margaret, conjointly, bequeathed several thousand dollars to assist in the education of candidates for the ministry and in maintaining Jefferson Col- lege in its infancy .*
REV. JAMES FINLEY was born of pious parents in County Armagh, Ire- land, Feb., 1725; was a younger brother of Rev. Dr. Samuel Finley, Pres- ident of Princeton College. The family came to America about 1734. James Finley received his education chiefly under Rev. Samuel Blair. After receiving license from Presbytery of Newcastle (as is supposed) he was ordained by same in 1752 ; was pastor first at East Nottingham ; after- ward Elk was added. So attached were his people that he was compelled to appeal to Synod to get his relation dissolved, which was done in 1782, when he removed West and began preaching to the churches of Rehoboth and Round Hill, in the forks of the Youghiogheny, Westmoreland County, Pa. He attended a meeting of Presbytery of Redstone, in March, 1783, and was received as a member in 1785 ; continued pastor of these churches until Oct., 1794; died Jan. 6, 1795, in the seventieth year of his age and about the forty-fourth of his ministry.
Mr. Finley, though his name comes seventh on the roll of Presbytery, has the distinction of being the first of them all to blow the gospel trumpet
* Mr. Clark, in his last will and testament, provided that a mulatto servant whom he owned should be free on the death of his wife, Margaret, provided he besaved him- self. Dr. Smith, in " Old Redstone," p. 301, speaks of Mr. Clark's colored man. Dan, who was a famous bass singer.
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west of the mountains, having made a visit thither as early as 1765. He was the oldest man in the Presbytery, excepting Mr. Clark, was of low stature, heavy build, florid complexion and full round face, quick in word and act; was appointed associate justice of Common Pleas for Westmore- land County by the Supreme Executive Council, but the office, if ever ac- cepted, was resigned in 1788. Three of his sons-Joseph, Michael and William -- became elders at Rehoboth ; another-Ebenezer -- at Dunlap's Creek. One son -- John Evans-was graduated at Princeton in 1776, li- censed by Pesbytery of Newcastle, and went to Kentucky about 1795, and preached in Mason County at the time of the great revival ; resided in that State until his death. Rev. Robert M. Finley, late of Wooster, O., was a grandson of Rev. James Finley and a son of the Rehoboth elder, Joseph Finley.
REV. SAMUEL BARR was born Feb. 4, 1751, near Londonderry, Ireland ; was educated at the University of Glasgow, and, after licensure, came to America and was ordained by the Presbytery of Newcastle June 15, 1785, and in October of the same year was married to Mary, daughter of James McDowell, of New London, Chester County, Pa. In December of same year he met with the Presbytery of Redstone, and stated that he had re- ceived a call from the churches of Pittsburgh and Pitt township (Beulah), declaring his acceptance thereof, subject to Presbytery's approval. In April, 1787, he was received by Presbytery as a member. His pastoral re- lation was dissolved in June, 1789, and in September, 1790, he was dis- missed to the Presbytery of Newcastle. His was the distinction of having been the first pastor of the First Church of Pittsburgh, and although his term of service was brief and troubled, there is ground to believe that his work was in some respects fruitful of good. His preaching was evan- gelical and his scholarship and pulpit ability not below the average stand- ard. After his return to the East he preached at Newcastle, Del., where he died May 31, 1818, in the sixty-eighth year of his age and about the thirty-fifth of his ministry. Some of his descendants yet reside in those parts.
REV. JOHN BRICE .- The Brice family came to Washington County from Maryland among the first settlers. James Brice, a brother of John, was one of the early elders in Upper Buffalo. John was a pupil in Rev. Thaddeus Dodd's school at Ten Mile, in 17S2, and after further studies with Rev. Joseph Smith, of Upper Buffalo, was licensed by Presbytery of Redstone April 15, 1788, at the same time with James Hughes. By the same Presbytery he was ordained pastor * of Three Ridges and Forks of Wheeling April 22, 1790. This relation was dissolved June 29, 1808, after which he performed missionary labor in the adjacent
* NOTE .-- The earlier records say nothing about installation. The facts of the call and the ordination are stated, and then follows the record, " Mr. now takes his seat as a member."
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regions, and in 1810 took a dismission to Presbytery of Lancaster, but re- turned his certificate without using it. He died Aug. 26, 1811, in his fifty- first year and the twenty-third year of his ministry. He was a man of nervous temperament, and subject to morbid exercises of mind and fits of despondency ; nevertheless was of deep piety, and his preaching was "in demonstration of the Spirit and of power," and was followed with a rich fruitage.
Mr. Brice was twice married. His first wife was Rebecca Kerr, sister of James Kerr, ruling elder in Pigeon Creek Church. The second was Jean, daughter of Robert Stockton, ruling elder of Washington, and sister of Rev. Joseph Stockton. The late Rev. John Brice McCoy, of the Presbytery of Washington, was a grandson. So also is Rev. J. Brice Reed, of Fairmount, West Virginia.
REV. JAMES HUGHES, son of Rowland and Elizabeth (Smiley) Hughes, was born in York County, Pa. His father dying in 1779, the mother removed soon after, with her family, to Washington County, Pa., and set- tled in the bounds of Upper Buffalo Church, of which one of her sons- William-became an elder as early as 1802. James attended the school of Rev. Thaddeus Dodd, at Ten Mile, in 1782, and after further studies with his pastor, Rev. Joseph Smith, he was licensed by the Presbytery of Redstone, April 15, 1788. Of three several calls presented to him, he accepted the one from Short Creek and Lower Buffalo, and was ordained pastor April 21, 1790. He was one of the original members of the Presbytery of Ohio, at its erection in 1793, and was its Stated Clerk from 1803 to 1814. He was a zealous worker in the great revivals of that day, the fullest accounts of which extant are from his pen. He was conspicuous for his service in missionary work, being for many years a member of the Board of Trust, Corresponding Secretary of the Western Missionary Society and one of the managing editors of The Western Missionary Magazine, published at Washington, Pa. He made several missionary tours into the Western Territory. He was Moderator of the Synod of Pittsburgh in 1806. On the 29th of June, 1814, he resigned his pastoral charge and was dis- missed to the Presbytery of Miami. Residing in Urbanna, Ohio, he engaged, under appointment of General Assembly, in missionary labor among the Indians. He also served the church of Urbanna for some years as stated supply. In ISIS he became Principal of what was afterwards Miami University. In this office he continued until his death, May 21, 1821, at Oxford, Butler County, Ohio, in the thirty-third year of his ministry and something over sixty years of age.
Mr. Hughes was married, about the time of his licensure, to Mary, daughter of Rev. Joseph Smith. Two of their sons-Joseph S. (vide in loco) and Thomas E. Hughes, Jr .- entered the ministry.
REV. JOSEPH PATTERSON, son of Robert and Jane Patterson, was born in County Down, Ireland, March 20, 1752. When but twenty years old, he
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was married to Jane Moak, and soon afterward they came to America. The Revolutionary War found him engaged as a school-teacher, which business he at once relinquished and enlisted as a soldier in the ranks. Retiring from the army in 1777, he spent two years in York County, Pa., and then came, in 1779, to what is now Washington County, Pa. He was one of the early members and a ruling elder in Cross Creek Church. In 1785-he began to study for the ministry, under his pastor, Rev. Joseph Smith, and on the 13th of August, 1788, was licensed by the Presbytery of Redstone. On the 11th of November, 1789, he was ordained pastor of the churches of Raccoon and Montour's Run. April 16, 1799, he resigned charge of the latter, continuing pastor of the former until October 16, 1816, when, on account of increasing bodily infirmity, he relinquished it also, and removed to the city of Pittsburgh. The remainder of his life was spent there, in various labors, less exacting, but scarcely less useful, than those of the pas- torate. He spent much time in visiting the poor and afflicted and in dis- tributing Bibles and tracts. His whole ministerial life was an eminently useful one. Canonsburg Academy, and its successor, Jefferson College, the Western Missionary Society, the Western Theological Seminary, the Bible Society, the Tract Society, and the Sabbath-school cause, all found in him a zealous and effective friend.
His death occurred February 4, 1832, in his eightieth year and the forty- fourth of his ministry.
In personal appearance Mr. Patterson was of middle height, with an athletic frame. He had a mild, clear eye, aquiline nose, and dark hair. Ilis voice was low and tender in conversation, but often sonorous and commanding in the pulpit. His preaching was simple and plain, but it was always sensible, edifying and rich in evangelical truth. Many things are on record illustrating what were plainly the two salient features in his religious character, viz. : Ist. A singular faith in God's providential care and in the efficacy of prayer. 2d. A most facile habit of introducing practical religion into his daily conversation. (Vide Biographical Sketch by Rev. E. P. Swift, D.D., quoted in "Old Redstone." Also, Tribute by Rev. R. Lea, in " Centennial Volume of First Church of Pittsburgh.")
Mr. Patterson was twice married. His second wife, whom he married May 9, 1812, was Rebecca Leach, of Abingdon, Pa. Of eight children borne to him by his first wife, the eldest was Robert, an honored minister for many years in the Presbytery of Erie. A granddaughter became the wife of Rev. John B. Graham, formerly of the Presbytery of Washington. Rev. Joseph Patterson Graham, of Presbytery of Kolhapur, Synod of India, is a great-grandson.
REV. JAMES MCGREADY was born in Pennsylvania. The family moved to North Carolina while he was yet quite young. After a few years he was brought to West Pennsylvania by a relative, and about 1785 began a course of study under Rev. Joseph Smith, which was completed under Rev. John McMillan. He was licensed by Presbytery of Redstone, August 13, 1788,
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and soon after took a dismission to Orange Presbytery, and preached for a few years in Guilford County, N. C. In 1796 he removed to Logan County, Ky., and labored in the three congregations of Muddy, Red and Gaspar Rivers. Here his preaching produced the most powerful impressions, and he became a conspicuous actor in the scenes of the great Kentucky revival. For a time he was brought into embarrassed relations to his Presbytery, but in the end his thorough uprightness, as well as orthodoxy, were made manifest. The latter part of his life he resided at Henderson, Ky., on the Ohio River. The minutes of the General Assembly show that during this time he was much engaged in missionary labors in Indiana and elsewhere, under commission from the General Assembly. He died in 1817, aged about sixty years. In 1831 two volumes of his sermons, edited by Rev. James Smith, were published at Nashville, Tenn. They evince much rugged strength of intellect, and a tenacious grasp of fundamental Gospel truth. Rev. John Andrews, of Chillicothe, a contemporary of McGready, bears witness to " his fervent piety, his unaffected humility, his earnest, persevering supplications at the Throne of Grace, his resignation to the will of God under afflictions, bereavements and poverty, his cheerful reliance on God's providence, and his contempt of the vanities of this world, to which he seemed to be in a great degree crucified."
REV. JOHN MCPHERRIN was born November 17, 1757, in Adams County, Pa., in the bounds of Lower Marsh Creek Church, of which his father was an elder. He was fitted for college by Rev. Robert Smith, D.D., of Pequea, and was graduated at Dickinson in 1788; studied theology under Rev. John Clark, of the Presbytery of Redstone; was licensed by this Presbytery August 20, 1789, and was ordained by the same as pastor of Salem and Unity Churches, in Westmoreland County, September 22, 1790; resigned charge of Unity, June 25, 1800, and of Salem, April 20, 1805; removing to Butler County, he became pastor of Concord and Muddy Creek ; preached also for a time at Harmony, and in 1813 was installed for part of his time at Butler, its first pastor. This and Concord thenceforth constituted his charge until he died, February 10, 1822, in the sixty-fifth year of his age and thirty-third of his ministry. He was a thorough classical scholar and an able theologian. He prepared several young men for the ministry ; was Moderator of the Synod of Virginia in 1795, and also in 1799, and of the Synod of Pittsburgh in 1805. His son-in-law, Hon. Walter Lowrie, former Secretary of the Board of Foreign Missions, writes concerning him : " He was tall in person, his hair quite gray, and his whole appearance the most venerable of any man I have ever seen. Decision and energy were the leading traits of his character. His zeal in his Master's cause never flagged. His eloquence was classically chaste, yet strong and nervous." Mr. McPherrin was married in early life to Mary, daughter of John Steven- son, of Cross Creek Church, Washington County, Pa. Rev. John C. Lowrie, D.D., of New York City, and Rev. Josiah McPherrin, of Nebraska, are grandsons. So also were Rev. Messrs. Walter M. and Reuben P.
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Lowrie, missionaries to China, both now deceased. Rev. James Walter Lowrie, of Peking, China, is a great-grandson.
REV. ROBERT FINLEY was licensed by the Presbytery of Orange, and in June, 1785, ordained by the Presbytery of South Carolina, and became pastor of Waxhaw Church; was received by the Presbytery of Redstone November 11, 1789, and the year following received a call from the churches of Mill Creek and King's Creek, which he did not accept. In June, 1791, upon the representation that he might wish to remove to Kentucky before the next meeting of Presbytery, Rev. James Finley was appointed "to write him a dismission and furnish him with proper credentials," and at the next meeting reported that he had done as appointed to do.
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REV. SAMUEL PORTER was born in Ireland June 11, 1760, of Covenanter parents. He was married in his early manhood, and with his wife and children came to America at the close of the Revolutionary War. About the year 1784 he settled in Washington County, Pa., in the bounds of what is now Raccoon Church. He attended the preaching of Rev. Joseph Smith, then pastor of Cross Creek and Buffalo, and occasionally heard Rev. Mr. McMillan at Chartiers. He was very poor in this world's goods, but found a helpful friend in Alex. Wright, Esq., one of the first bench of elders at Raccoon, who, with Messrs. Smith and McMillan, encouraged him to pre- pare for the ministry. After pursuing, under the two ministers named, a shorter course of study than was usually required, he was licensed by the Presbytery of Redstone November 12, 1789, and on the 22d of September, 1790, was ordained by the same, and became pastor of the churches of Poke Run and Congruity, in Westmoreland County. From the former he was released April 11, 1798, continuing pastor of Congruity until his death. September 23, 1825, in the sixty-fifth year of his age and thirty-sixth of lis ministry.
Notwithstanding the defects of early education, Mr. Porter attained a high rank in the ministry. His natural abilities were good. He had grea: aptness both in acquiring and imparting knowledge. He was made Mod- erator of the Synod of Pittsburgh in 1804, being the third in succession. A volume of his sermons and other writings, with memoir by Rev. D". Elliott, was published in 1853. It proves him to have been an able dis- putant and defender of sound doctrine. In personal appearance he wa. slightly above the medium height, stout and heavy built, the muscles of h . face full, his hair light brown. He had a rich vein of humor, and was an attractive companion. As a preacher and public speaker he was forcible and effective. His voice, though loud, was not harsh, and was well-mode- lated ; his sermons evangelical and didactic.
Mr. Porter had a son Samuel, who was graduated at Jefferson College in 1807, and licensed by the Presbytery of Redstone December 26, 18og. !! died shortly after being settled at Cumberland, Md., in ISII.
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REV. ROBERT MARSHALL was born in County Down, Ireland, November 27, 1760 ; came with his family to Western Pennsylvania in his twelfth year ; was a soldier in the War of the Revolution, and was present in six general engagements ; was subsequently converted under the preaching of Rev. John McMillan. His preparatory studies were under Rev. Thaddeus Dodd at Ten Mile, and Rev. William Graham, Liberty Hall, Va .; studied theology with Dr. McMillan, and was licensed by the Presbytery of Redstone April 23, 1790; received an appointment to ride as missionary under commission of Synod of Virginia, and in October, 1792, was dismissed to the Presbytery of 'Transylvania, and on the 13th of June, 1793, was ordained pastor of Bethel and Blue Spring Churches in Kentucky ; also conducted a classical school in which were educated many who became prominent in Church and State. He was deeply stirred by the great revival of 1800, and in 1803 allowed himself to be carried away for a time with the Stone heresy and schism, for which he was suspended from his ministry in the Presbyterian Church. In ISII he appeared at the bar of Synod declaring his penitence, and was restored. His subsequent life attested his sincerity. After a short period of missionary labor under Assembly's commission, he was reinstated in his old charge of Bethel, where he continued till his decease in 1833, aged seventy-three years.
REV. GEORGE HILL was born in York County, Pa., March 13, 1764. About 1783 he came with the family to Fayette County, in the bounds of George's Creek Church; studied theology with Rev. James Dunlap, and was licensed by the Presbytery of Redstone December 22, 1791 ; was ordained by the same November 13, 1792, becoming pastor of Fairfield, Donegal and Wheatfield Churches, in Westmoreland County, Pa. In 1798 he was re- leased from Wheatfield, and Ligonier was taken into his charge. In this field he labored until his death, June 9, 1822, in the fifty-eighth year of his age and the thirty-first of his ministry. He is represented as having been remarkable for modesty, sensibility, self-denial and devotedness to his Master's cause. Rev. George Hill, D.D., senior member of the Presbytery of Blairsville, is a grandson. George H. Hill, licentiate of the same Pres- bytery, is a great-grandson.
REV. WILLIAM SWAN was born in Cumberland, (now Franklin) County, Pa. He pursued his studies with Rev. John McMillan, in his "Log Cabin " school, and assisted in the same as teacher, succeeding James Ross (after- ward Hon. Jas. Ross, U. S. Senator). He was licensed by Presbytery of Redstone, December 22, 1791, and on the 16th of October, 1793, was ordained pastor of Long Run and Sewickly Churches, in Westmoreland County, Pa. Having labored here for twenty-five years, he was, at his request, released. The year following he was recalled to Long Run, where he labored until, at his request, the relation was dissolved, April 17, 1822. He died November 27, 1827, in the 63d year of his age, and the 36th of his ministry.
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REV. JACOB JENNINGS was born in Somerset County, N. J., in 1744. After having been engaged in the practice of medicine until he was forty years old, he entered on the study of theology, and became a minister in the Reformed Dutch Church. He was received as a member of the Presby- tery of Redstone, April 17, 1792, and accepted a call from the churches of Dunlap's Creek and Muddy Creek (New Providence). From the latter he was released October 17, 1797, and from the former June 18, 1811. He died February 17, 1813, in the 69th year of his age. He was a man of great weight of character and much venerated. He was Moderator of the Synod of Pittsburgh at its first sessions, 1802.
Mr. Jennings was the father of Rev. Obadiah Jennings, D.D. The late Rev. Samuel C. Jennings, D.D., of the Presbytery of Pittsburgh, was a grandson. Rev. P. S. Jennings, of the same Presbytery, is a great- grandson.
REV. DAVID SMITH, son of Rev. Joseph and Esther (Cummin) Smith, was born at Wilmington, Del, 1772. Coming West with his parents, when about eight years old, he soon after began classical studies with his father. He studied also with Rev. Thaddeus Dodd, at Ten Mile. He graduated at Hampden Sydney, and having read theology under his father, was licensed by Presbytery of Redstone, November 14, 1792, and was ordained pastor of George's Creek and Union (Tent) by same, August 20, 1794. In De- cember, 1797, accepted a call to Rehoboth and Round Hill, where he labored until his death, August 24, 1803, in the 32d year of his age, and the irth of his ministry. "He was a sound divine, a faithful and pathetic preacher." He was one of the editors of the Western Missionary Mag- azine.
Soon after his ordination, Mr. Smith was married to Rebecca, daughter of Rev. Dr. James Power. They were the parents of Rev. Joseph Smith, D.D., author of " Old Redstone." Rev. James Power Smith, of Fredericks- burg, Va., is a grandson. The wives of Rev. William Brown, D.D. and Rev. J. C. Barr, D.D., of the Synod of Virginia, are granddaughters.
REV. THOMAS MARQUIS. ( Vide sketch by Dr. Brownson.)
REV. BOYD MERCER was born in 1766, near Winchester, Va., where he spent his boyhood. He received his education from Rev. Robert Smith, D.D., of Pequea, Pa .; was licensed by Presbytery of Redstone, April 1. 1793; was ordained by Presbytery of Ohio, April 29, 1795, and from that date until April 16, 1799, was pastor of the churches of Pigeon Creek and Pike Run, in Washington County. In the years following he was stated supply successively at Charlestown (Wellsburg), Pitt Township, and M! Keesport, and at Muddy Creek and Jefferson. In ISO6 he was comm' .. sioned Associate Judge of Washington County, which office he held as long as he lived. During this period he preached as opportunity offered.
He was under medium height, of active temperament, and his selmbps were instructive and evangelical. He died February 5, 1841, aged 75 years
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Some of his descendants live on the farm he owned near Pigeon Creek Church, and which was his homestead. The greater part are in the West. His wife was a Miss Blackstone, of Fayette County, Pa.
REV. THOMAS MOORE came into the bounds of Presbytery of Redstone in 1793, as a licentiate of the Bristol Association, in the State of Massachu- setts, and the year following was dismissed to accept a call to the church of Ten Mile, in the Presbytery of Ohio, by which Presbytery he was or- dained at Ten Mile, August 21, 1764. This relation was dissolved Decem- ber 14, 1803. In July following, he accepted a call to Salem, in the Pres- bytery of Redstone, which relation was dissolved on the church's petition, April 19, 1809. In IS14 he removed to the State of Ohio, taking his dis- mission to Presbytery of Lancaster, of which he continued a member until his death. During much of this period he was stated supply of the church of Unity, near which he lived on his farm. He also preached part of the time at Madison, and in the vacant churches of the Presbytery, and on missionary fields. He died August 24, 1840, in the 79th year of his age, and the 52d of his ministry.
Mr. Moore is described as "a tall and rather fine-looking man, with smooth face and black hair well combed toward the back of his head." This was when he lived in Western Penna. He was a man of vigorous intellect and a good scholar ; was thought by some to be ultra-Calvinistic. His voice was loud and his preaching notably effective during the " falling exercise " revival both at Ten Mile and at Salem. He was a trustee of Canonsburg Academy and one of the editors of the Western Missionary Magazine. Mr. Moore's wife was a daughter of Rev. James Power, D.D.
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