Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I, Part 56

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 930

USA > Pennsylvania > Indiana County > Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I > Part 56

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Rev. Mr. Sample was succeeded by Rev. A. T. Bell, who was the second pastor. During the summer of 1871 Mr. Bell, then a licentiate Rural Valley.

Kittanning Presbytery to labor here. After completing his course at the seminary he was called by this church in 1872, and began his labors there October 11, 1872. He was or- dained December 31st of the same year, and installed pastor for one half time, at a salary of $450 per year. This pastorate continued until April 25, 1882, when, by his request, Mr. Bell was released.

Rev. A. H. Jolly then preached here as stated supply until the latter part of 1884. From this time until May, 1887, the church a site was agreed upon near the residence of . was supplied by appointments from the Mr. John Kinter, and lumber was placed upon was changed from there to the present loca- tion. The lot upon which the present build- ing now stands was then purchased and also the cemetery connected with the church, mak- ing in all about one acre.

Presbytery. From May 29, 1887, up to 1888 the ground, but this was reconsidered, and it the church was supplied statedly by Rev. John C. Ambrose. The stated supply at present (1913) is Rev. Arthur L. South.

Elders .- At the time of organization in 1849, James McCunn, James Kinter and Matthew Ray were elected ruling elders. Mr. Ray was dismissed to the Presbyterian Church of Indiana March 11, 1869. Mr. Kinter was also dismissed. R. R. Ray and Josiah Kinter were elected in 1857. Mr. Ray was removed by death October 11, 1885. The ruling elders at present (1913) are: John M. Ray, clerk; and Andrew J. Fisher.

The church membership (1913) is seventy- six and the Sabbath school membership is thirty.

PLUMVILLE CHURCH

A petition was presented to the Presbytery of Saltsburg at the April meeting in 1864 asking for an organization in the village of Plumville, Pennsylvania. The request was granted and Revs. John Caruthers, W. F. Morgan and G. W. Mechlin, with Elders John MeClelland and William Wallace, were ap- pointed a committee to effect the organization. This committee met ou the 3d day of June, 1864, in the schoolhouse at Plumville, and organized Plumville Presbyterian Church. The original members were the following: Thomas Wadding, Eliza Wadding, George Johnston, Harriet Johnston, Henrietta Johns- ton, Phebe Johnston, William Wilson, Jane Wilson, Walter Templeton, Jane Templeton, Thomas Waddle, Catherine Waddle, Margaret Shields, Mary J. Shields, Patrick Lydic, Jane A. Lvdie, S. E. Lydie, John Trusal, Elizabeth Trusal, Peter Sutton, Annie Sutton, Sarah Sutton, Mary E. Sutton, N. C. Sutton. The first seventeen of these original members were received by certificate from Washington Presbyterian Church, the last seven from

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

Pastors and Stated Supplies .- Rev. J. M. at his own request November 15, 1885. Mr. Jones was the first supply. He served the Joseph Marshall was installed as ruling elder church from the organization until June, September 2, 1876, and served until June 11, 1868. During this period thirty persons were 1886. W. A. Wilson and A. Marshall were admitted to the church and $77 were con- ordained and installed June 2, 1883. On February 7, 1885, the congregation having adopted the "term service" plan, a new elec- tion was held. Under this plan Thomas Wadding, II. H. Shields, W. A. Wilson were reelected and installed; B. F. Lydie was also elected, ordained and installed. The elders in 1913 are: W. M. Bowser, clerk; C. G. Marshall, J. Frank Marshall, W. H. Wilson, J. S. Zimmerman. tributed to the benevolent objects of the church. After a vacancy of not quite one year, Rev. Carl Moore was called to the pas- torate for the fourth of his time, Mount Pleas- ant and Smicksburg applying for the re- mainder. He accepted, and was installed in the charge August 31, 1869. He was released as pastor of this church December 9, 1873, but served as stated supply until the spring of 1877. During this time fifty-four mem- The membership of the church is 160 and of the Sabbath school one hundred. bers were added to the church, and $199 were contributed to benevolent objects. About The congregation began to build a church edifice in the fall of 1865 and completed it in the fall of 1866. The contract was let to Mr. Thomas Wadding for the sum of $1,800 June, 1877, Rev. C. C. B. Duncan began to supply the church and October 17, 1878, he was called to the pastorate of this church for one fourth time. He began serving this for a frame structure 30 by 40 feet. church and Washington, to which he was also called, but declined the calls and was dis- GLEN CAMPBELL CHURCH missed from the Presbytery July 10, 1888. During his period of service, seven members were added to the roll. By the resignation of Mr. Duncan the pulpit was again made vacant for a time. It was statedly supplied in 1879 by Revs. Helm and Leyda.

This church was organized about the year 1900. The present elders are: William S. Martz, clerk; C. L. Shrode, D. L. Martin, Dr. E. B. Lewis. The membership of the church is seventy-two. The enrollment of the Sabbath school is one hundred and two. The present

In April, 1882, the congregation united with Concord and tendered a call to Rev. J. pastor of the church is Rev. James Kelley

M. Kelly for one third of the time. The call was accepted and the pastor began his labors April 30, 1882. He was regularly installed July 3, 1882, by a committee of the Presby- tery consisting of Revs. A. H. Jolly, A. T. Bell and J. H. Kerr. During his pastorate 120 members were added to the communion . a membership of twenty-four. The pastors in order of service since the organization have been as follows: Rev. Charles B. Wengerd, Rev. Charles E. Snooks, Rev. Daniel C. Schnebly, and Rev. James Kelley Argo, the present pastor, who took charge of the work on January 1, 1913. He devotes one half of his time to this church. The names of the

of the church, and $225 contributed to benev- olent objects. The congregation at present (1913) is served by Rev. Lebana H. Shindle- decker.

Ruling Elders .- Thomas Wadding and Patrick Lydie were installed as ruling elders June 3, 1864. Mr. Lydie having been an elder in the Washington Church, Mr. Wad- church officers are : Ruling elders, J. S. Kirk- ding only was ordained on this occasion. Mr. wood, J. P. Kline, A. O. Sommerville, Dr. R. E. Schall ; trustees, A. O. Sommerville, Dr. R. E. Schall, J. S. Kirkwood, J. P. Kline, John Harvey, H. C. Cloos, William Lester, J. W. Kline, S. T. Kerr, John Green, J. C. Stewart, A. S. Fulmer. John Harvey is superintend- ent of the Sunday school, which has an enroll- ment of 70; the school kept open all the year. Lydie died May 19, 1882. James M. Sutton and Robert F. Allison were installed as ruling elders October 31, 1869. Mr. Sutton was dis- missed at his own request in 1871. Mr. Alli- son died January 9, 1876. R. A. Allison and II. H. Shields were elected and ordained and installed in 1871. Mr. Allison was dismissed

Argo.

ARCADIA CHURCH

This church was built at a cost of one thou- sand dollars soon after the coal town of Arcadia, Indiana county, was started. It has

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

UNION CHURCH, ERNEST

There is preaching every Sabbath evening in this church. Rev. W. J. Wilson has preached here for the past seven years, and for the past two years he has been assisted by Rev. J. N. Park, of Indiana, Pa. The organ- ization was made in the year 1909 by Rev. W. J. Wilson and O. A. Cravener. J. Q. Ander- son has been the superintendent of the Sab- bath school for the last six years. He is a very efficient officer, consequently the enrollment of the school is 240. The Men's organized class numbers 52. It is well organized and is doing excellent service for the Master.

CATHOLIC

ST. BERNARD CHURCH, INDIANA

and Westmoreland counties were supplied from Sportsman's Hall, or Hill Church, now the Abbey of the Benedictines, at St. Vin- cent's, in Westmoreland county, where, be- fore the nineteenth century, Rev. Theodore Browers, a Belgian by birth, and of the Fran- cisean order, laid the foundation of a parish church, with which were connected the Cath- olies of Pittsburg.

The early Catholics of the county had to go to IIill Church or to Laretto, Cambria county, where, from about 1800, Rev. Dem Gallitzen, well known by his labors, zeal and love, was settled, collecting around him a poor but sin- cere congregation. After some time all the counties around were annexed to the Bishop- ric of Baltimore, until the See of Pittsburg was erected in 1843.

The first Catholic priest who ever came to Indiana for Catholic services was Rev. Ter- rence MeGirr, the eighth pastor of Hill Church. He erected a small log house as a place for holding public worship at Cameron's Bottom, about the same year that the Clay turnpike was being made from Indiana to Ebensburg. This was the first Catholic church in the county, but was not regularly attended.

The first Catholic settlers in the town of Indiana were Francis Gompers (died in 1858) and William Tinthoff. The latter, then a single man, removed after a short stay to Lebanon county, where he married, and after- wards returned to Indiana. G. Silvers next arrived, and for many years kept a tavern in After Father MeGirr Rev. T. Bradley, then residing at Ebensburg, but for a number of years previous located at Newry, Blair county, had charge of the Indiana and Came- ron's Bottom congregations, and attended more or less until 1844 or 1845, when Rev. J. A. Stillinger, of Blairsville, took charge of the Indiana congregation, continuing for about two years. his own house, afterward the property of the Catholic clergyman. Mr. Silvers died October 14. 1849. The family of Sweeneys, on the road leading from Indiana to Strongstown, were also among the oldest Catholic settlers in the neighborhood. All of these arrived here between 1814 and 1822. Later came the families of Mr. Maloy and Mr. Sheridan ; then Andrew Young, in 1829; Andrew Stadtmiller, In 1845 the Catholic Church at Indiana, a frame building 30 by 40 feet, was built by in 1834; G. Adam Young, in 1836; Oliver Joseph Metz, Herman Custer Camp, John about twenty families belonging to the con- P. Young, 1838; B. Wehrle, in 1840, and gregation, at a cost of nearly six hundred the three brothers, Conrad, Bernard and dollars.

Cyriac Wissel, in 1844. There were perhaps more Catholics settled around, especially of the English tongue, the descendants of whom now no more belong to the religion of their fathers, because they had no minister of their faith for many years. A great many of these settlers came from the eastern counties of Lebanon, Huntingdon, etc., to whom at that time the western counties of Pennsylvania were what the States of the "Great West" are now to us. In 1847 the Rt. Rev. Boniface Wimmer, abbot delcatur of St. Vincent, at that time superior of the monastery at that place, and itinerant missionary, frequently came to In- diana and supplied the charge with preach- ing himself or sent some of his young assist- ants to minister in his stead, and kept this up until 1849. About this time Rev. Nic. Stau- ber came to Indiana and remained until 1850, when he was removed. He died at St. Vin- cent's in November, 1857. After Father During the early period of their location Stauber came another secular priest, Rev. all the stations of Catholic worship in Indiana John Schmied, who left Indiana in October,

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

1850, and was succeeded by Rev. Will Lam- teen years is the longest in the history of the bert, an Irishman, who attended the congre- parish. gation until March, 1851.

No clergyman would stay here any longer, so the Rev. Boniface Wimmer resumed the place, purchased a home and made his resi- dence here. Revs. Mauris P. Jerome, P. Ilde- fons, P. Celestine, P. Valentine, P. Alto, P. Ulric and P. Magnus Mayer, all of the order of St. Benedict, attended here at various times as missionaries. The whole number of these missionaries who ever attended the congre- gation was not more than twenty.

Owing, probably, to such frequent changes in the ministry the congregation did not in- crease as rapidly as others in the neighbor- hood. Besides this charge, all the priests were obliged to attend other missions and stations, among them Johnstown, Brookville and Kittanning, and therefore a pastor would never know all the members of the congre- gation, which numbered in 1859 over seventy families; twenty-four of them were of the English speaking, and the remainder of Ger- man, nationality.

The next pastors were : Revs. Gerhard Pilz, O. S. B .; Blazidus Pilz, O. S. B. (brother of SS. SIMON AND JUDE'S CHURCH, BLAIRSVILLE Gerhard) ; and Moritz Koeder, O. S. B., who officiated from 1859 to 1861. From 1861 until May, 1876, Revs. Ferdinand Wolf, O. S. B., Utto Hube, O. S. B., and Leander Schnerr, O. S. B., had charge of the congrega- tion. On the 28th of May, 1876, Rev. George P. Allman, a secular priest, became pastor, and officiated in such capacity until 1884. He was succeeded by Rev. A. J. M. Brown, who remained in charge for only one year. Father M. Steger, his successor, was in charge for two years. Father Adam Tonner was placed in charge in 1887, and during a vigor- ous pastorate of five years made considerable improvement in the spiritual and temporal condition of the parish. So forcibly was his personality impressed on the community that even now, after twenty years, the present pastor is addressed as "Father Tonner" by non-Catholics. His successor was Father Thomas Kirner, who held the reins for four years, and was succeeded by Father Daniel Reutters. His administration lasted only ten months, when he retired from active work in the ministry. After a short interregnum, filled out by the Benedictine Fathers and Rev. M. Hughes, Father P. J. Vereker was placed in charge and at the end of four months was succeeded by the present incumbent, Rev. N. P. MeNelis, whose pastorate of more than fif- P. Kenrick, Bishop of Philadelphia, Decem-

The foundation of the present brick edifice was laid in 1869, under the superintendence of Rev. F. Wolf. The church was dedicated on the 26th of May, 1871, during the pastor- ate of Rev. Utto Hube. It is of the cross form, of Gothic architecture, originally 931/2 by 57 feet in size, seating about six hundred, but has been remodeled and enlarged.

The height of the tower is 125 feet. The architect's estimate of the cost was $22,000, but the actual expenditure in money was only $10,500, the balance being supplied by the hard labor of the congregation. The expense was borne by only sixty-five families.

The priest's house was completed, as well as the sisters' house, in 1876. For a time a parochial school under the care of two sisters of St. Agnes was connected with the congre- gation, with a daily attendance of from sev- enty to eighty. The parochial school was dis- continued during Father Allman's time, and owing to the decrease in the number of chil- dren of school age has never been reopened.

The Catholics of Blairsville were attended at first by the priests who resided at "Sports- man's Hall on the Hill," as it is sometimes called, where St. Vincent's Monastery is now. The regularly appointed pastors of that place were Rev. Theodore Brommis, Rev. L. S. Phelan (or Whelan), Rev. Fr. Lanigan, Rev. P. Heilbron, Rev. G. F. X. O'Brien, Rev. Charles Bonaventine McGuire, and Rev. Ter- rence McGirr, who was the last before Rev. J. A. Stillinger to take charge of Sportsman's Hall and Blairsville. The congregation of SS. Simon's and Jude's Church was organ- ized in the year 1829, when two lots of ground were purchased, bearing the numbers on the plan 241 and 243, in size 120 by 150 feet, situated at the corner of Campbell street and Coal Lane. This land was paid for in full on February 8, 1830, when it was conveyed to John Brown and John Campbell, of the borough of Blairsville, by Robert Brown and Ann, his wife, of the borough of Greensburg. It was transferred by John Brown and John Campbell to the first trustees of the congre- gation, February 3, 1831, viz .: John Camp- bell, William Bradley, Thomas Shannon, Thomas Donnelly, John W. Brown. By these gentlemen it was transferred to Rt. Rev. F.

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

ber 9, 1831. The arrangement was made a condition on which the Bishop sent a priest to take charge of the congregation.

A subscription was taken up in the year 1829, for the purpose of erecting a new church. The following names appear on the list: John Campbell, John W. Brown, Pat- rick O'Donnell, James Cantwell, John Schrosk, Hugh Harkins, Thomas McCul- lough, Thomas McFarland, Richard McCabe, Mark Graham, John McMahan, Peter Mc- Mahan, Lewis Mittinger, Michael Duras, Prosper Howard, Benjamin Crissman, David Mahan, John McAfee, John McMullen, Meredith Reed, Edward Shevlin, Sr., Elizabeth Emerson, James McDermott, Con. Johnston, William McAfee, Samuel McAn- ulty, James Murray, John Boland, Edward Laughlin, P. Duffy, Thomas Brown, A. Rich- ards, James P. Johnston, Stewart Davis, Wil- liam P. Sterrett, Joseph MeMasters, Thomas Lindsay, John Sheridan, Lawrence McMul- len, Daniel Short, Christopher Hughes, Sr., James D. McGill, Hugh Curran, John Short, George Miller, John Conway, Hugh Conway, James McGuire, John McCarty, Dennis O'Neil, James P. Donnelly, John Flowers, John Connor, Edw. Davis, William Flowers, Thomas McCaffrey, John Garrigan, James G. Brown, Rodger Meeching, Daniel O'Neil, Anthony Loftus, George Glass, Michael Mc- Keever, Thomas Donnelly, Henry Rentzel, Jacob Burgoon, Cornelius Campbell, Rev. Thomas Heyden, Mathias Blake, Michael Henry, Charles O'Rourke, William Blakeley, Michael Leyden, Michael Kelly, Jane Renney, John Kerboy, Bernard Ferrier, Michael Brawley, John Walsh, Peter Short, L. S. Waterman, D. McKaley, James Haney, Daniel Gilmartin. There is also a second list, exhibiting the names of those who sub- scribed and paid after the settlement of

The convent was erected in 1872. It is March 11, 1830. This arrangement was made about 40 feet square, and has fourteen rooms. for the purpose of finishing the church, and It is occupied by the Sisters of Charity who teach the parochial schools. to pay the debt due by the congregation. The managers were William Bradley, Thomas Shannon, John Campbell, Thomas Donnelly, John W. Brown. There was also a subscrip- tion taken up at Bolivar for the benefit of the church in May, 1831, by Wilson Knott, superintendent of the canal. The full amount of subscription was $676.11; the cost of ground, $85; of erection of church, $1,244 .- 17. The number of Easter communicants the first year after the formation of the church was 180, representing about 300 souls. The number increased every year till in 1840 it reached 310.

The dedication of the church took place October 28, 1830, the feast of SS. Simon and Jude. The Rt. Rev. F. P. Kenrick blessed it, assisted by Rev. John Hughes. Father Stillinger's appointment to the pastorship immediately followed, and on the Sunday of Advent, 1830, November 28th, he entered upon the discharge of his duties.

As the congregation had increased to such an extent that a larger church was needed, a new one was erected. The ground was opened and the foundation laid in 1841, work commencing in May, that year, and the build- ing was completed by July or August, 1842, and was dedicated to the service of God on the 2d of October, by Very Rev. Michael O'Connor, D. D., V. G. Dr. O'Connor preached in the afternoon, Rev. Thomas Hey- den in the forenoon.

The contract was let to Christopher McCaf- frey, of Blairsville, for the sum of $5,800, the amount of his bid. Some trouble arising between the contractor and the church com- mittee about extra work, it was referred to the courts for decision, and judgment was in Mr. McCaffrey's favor for $1,204.67, which made the whole cost of the church $7,004.67. The architect was Patrick Cunningham, of Pitts- burg. The church committee consisted of D. H. Barr, Esq., John MeLaughlin, William Maher, John S. Watterson, George Miller. The church stands on ground adjoining that of the old church; its general style is Gothic; it is 90 feet long, 48 feet wide, and 25 feet high, seating about 600 persons. It took about eight or ten years to pay off the entire debt. The paintings, which are a marked feature in the church, put up in the year 1858-59, were painted in Munich, Germany.

The school building was erected about the year 1855. It was 50 by 30 feet in size.

On the 19th day of September, 1873, Rev. J. H. Stillinger died, and was succeeded by Rev. E. Mckeever on the 22d of September of the same year. When Father Mckeever took charge the church committee was com- posed of Messrs. James Layton, James Crate, Thomas Geary, Frederick Hughes. There was also a special committee who took charge of the convent building, composed of Messrs. William Maher, Patrick Maher, Patrick Mc- Bride, John B. Bonner, John K. Henry. There was a debt of $3,000 against the con- vent when Father Mckeever took charge of

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HISTORY OF INDIANA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

affairs, which was principally due to the car- with and formed a part of Clarion Associa- penters. The whole cost of the building was tion, there is much information contained in about $9,000. In the year 1875 the church these minutes respecting the . early history was frescoed and newly painted. During the of our denomination within our present As- summer of the same year an addition of 20 feet was made to the schoolhouse, and over the whole length of the building a fine hall was erected. These improvements, together with a great many repairs that had to be made on the property, cost about $9,000.

The number of communicants in 1874 was During the hard times of the panic the con- gregation remained at about the same figures.

The graveyard back of the church, consist- ing of about two and one half acres, was pur- chased about 1860.

OTHER CATHOLIC CHURCHES

In 1859 the Catholics living in the Mahon- ings and other northern townships amounted to only ten families. At that time they had a church ground and graveyard in North Ma- honing, but no church. At the date of the present writing (1913) there are no Cath- olics, except possibly a few foreign laborers, in the Mahonings. The descendants of the original Catholic settlers have either left that section or affiliated with other churches.

In 1845 a small brick church was built at Saltsburg by about twenty-five families.

There has been a fine frame edifice at Cameron's Bottom since 1853. At that time sixty families and a monastery of the Fran- ciscan brothers were connected with it. The old stone church was erected in 1828-29. Among the priests who attended this congre- gation were first Revs. Terrence MeGirr and Dennis Kearney. J. Hackett was the pastor in 1858-59.

During the past ten years nine other Cath- olie churches have been erected within the ter- ritory included in the Indiana parish. The development of coal mining in the county brought in many foreign-born laborers, and churches have been built for them in Grace- ton, Josephine, Lucerne, Ernest, Iselin, Chambersville, Dixonville and Starford. A church of the Greek rite has also been built at Clymer.

BAPTIST

INDIANA BAPTIST ASSOCIATION

(J. F. Barnes, Indiana, Pa.)

sociational limits that should interest us. Nay, rather, it should cause us to hang our heads in shame because of our failure to improve the opportunities afforded us, inasmuch as a large portion of our territory was originally Baptist ground. The good seed had been deeply planted in the hearts of the pioneer

about 500, representing about 900 souls. settlers of our territory by the missionaries

from Beulah Church, located in Beulah City, Cambria Co., Pa., and carefully watered by earnest ministers from other localities. They baptized believers and built up churches, that through our apathy and indifference were sub- sequently permitted to languish and die. And at the present time even the name and location of some of these churches are entirely forgotten except by a very few of the older members of our Association.

By way of illustration: In the minutes for A. D. 1845 we find a report from Black- lick Church as follows: "John Scott, licenti- ate, pastor. Increased by baptism, five; by letter, two; decreased by letter, three; by ex- clusion, four ; present membership, seventy." Here was a church that had been organized in 1839, and judging from its report to the Association it appeared to be in a healthy working condition. With only two excep- tions it had the largest membership of any of the twenty-five churches reporting to Clarion Association that year. Well, where was that church located, and what became of it? These queries naturally present themselves to our minds. It was located in Indiana county on the eastern slope of the Laurel Ridge-or Laurel Hill as it is generally called-at a point near the village of Dilltown, but at that time no town had been located there. As to what became of Blacklick Church, I submit the following: Sometime about 1850 this church concluded to abandon the former place of worship. A portion of the member- ship organized themselves into a church at Mechanicsburg, Indiana county, and drop- ping the name Blacklick Church they assumed the name Brushvalley Baptist Church. This church became a member of Clarion Associa- tion in 1852, and at that time reported a mem- bership of twenty-nine, five of whom had been received by baptism during that Associational year.

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Indiana County, Pennsylvania, her people, past and present, Volume I, Part 56

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co. Number of Pages: 930

Author: Stewart, Joshua Thompson, 1862- comp
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago, J. H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 930