USA > Pennsylvania > Huntingdon County > Huntingdon > The Historical memorial of the centennial anniversary of the Presbytery of Huntingdon : held in Huntingdon, Pa., April 9, 1895 : 1795-1895 > Part 4
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The cause of Temperance has received its mightiest impulses in all this region from the faithful testimony of our ministers and people. If some of the early fathers brought from their foreign homes unfortunate drinking habits, which hindered their work and brought reproach upon our holy religion, others became the pioneers in temperance reform. The earliest recollections of the writer are connected with the Washing- tonian movement, and conspicuous among the local leaders in that reform was his own pastor. His enthusiasm was contagious, and he sought to lead his congregation and all others into the paths of sobriety. It re- quired a true moral heroism in the earliest stages of this work to con- demn the drinking habits of the time and to promote the unpopular reform. But the times have greatly changed, and now the trend of Christian thought is in direct antagonism towards such unseemly indul- gence. But this intelligent sentiment was created by a generation long since passed away. The credit of this enlightened stand on the moral questions of the day belongs to those whose early struggles were directed to the purging of all moral forces from the contaminating associations of strong drink. They encountered the prejudices of the great mass of
37
OF THE PRESBYTERY OF HUNTINGDON.
the people. They were called upon to lift up a standard against social customs that seemed thoroughly intrenched, to antagonize the popular sentiment, and to assail even the cherished theories of those on whom they depended for their bread. But their fidelity is rewarded in the hopeful aspect of this much-needed reform.
One of the marked agencies for good which has been developed within these latter years is the organization for work of the earnest women of our churches. In former times it did not enter into the thoughts of the fathers to utilize this mighty power. Its surprising development has indicated a new departure in Christian work which must lead to re- sults that will bless the world in all ages to come. To the hints which the epistles of the great Apostle to the Gentiles kept constantly before the eye of Christendom the church seemed to be strangely oblivious. But now the Christian world is delighted and amazed at woman's work, especially her work for woman. The church is blessed by her activity. Every impulse of devotion is awakened by the touch of her gentle hand. Every work receives a new life from the inbreathing of her loving spirit. With matchless tact she carries forward enterprises that would have sadly languished without her loving care and help. Her sympa- thetic eye discerns the wants of those beyond the limits of our Presby- tery, and directs efforts for their relief. The highest place of honor must be assigned the earnest and godly women who quietly pursue the way in which the Master leads them, who minister to him as truly and as tenderly as the Marys and Salomes of old cared for the blessed One, whilst a patient and weary toiler under the burning heats of a Syrian sun.
To trace the influence of this Presbytery through this hundred years on the civil affairs of this Commonwealth would be a grateful task. But we can only glance at a phase of our subject so far-reaching as this. It seems to me that Presbyterians can be nothing else than good and patri- otic citizens. Every interest is bound up in the welfare of our beloved country. Every instinct of personal concern and of duty would render them of necessity patriotic, and devoted to the maintenance of authority and order. The government itself is the crystallizing of Presbyterian principles in the forms of authority and law. It is the ideal of every one who is devoted to the standards and polity of our church. The heart instinctively embalms in its reverence and regard institutions that reflect in such a marked degree the very principles which the fathers taught, and for which they suffered and so many died. Our representative form
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THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY
of government is the outcome of the very teachings which have blessed the world from the days of Calvin and of Knox. The Presbyterian pastor was the object of British hate in the troublous Colonial and Revo- lutionary times. They and their people stood up nobly for the cause of liberty and free government, and to this day their descendants are ready with stout heart and strong arm to defend these priceless institutions.
From the congregations of this Presbytery have many gone forth to serve their country in its time of peril, and their generation in all the various walks of life. By a thorough training in the doctrines of the word and principles of our holy religion, they have been furnished for the most responsible positions. They have adorned every station, and have brought honor to themselves and to the people whose interests they were appointed to conserve. Of the twenty-three governors of this Commonwealth, five were associated with congregations within the original limits of this Presbytery. Three of them, Governors William Bigler, James Pollock, and James A. Beaver have been office-bearers therein, whilst the others, Governors David R. Porter and Andrew G. Curtin, whose recent death filled the land with sorrow, were in full sympathy with the doctrine and polity of the church of their fathers. But it would be invidious to mention some names only of those who have occupied the high places ; who have sat upon the bench in the lower and the higher courts of this Commonwealth ; who have been dignified and influential members of the Senate and House of Representatives in Congress, or have attained to eminence in the learned professions, or have reached the highest success in mechanical, agricultural, or other business pursuits. There is a broadening and refining and stimulating influence in the very principles of our Presbyterianism that dignifies and ennobles character ; that beautifies and strengthens life ; that makes men earnest and the benefactors of their kind.
We may interrogate the days that are past, and the answer will be voiced by hundreds and thousands of beneficiaries, "The land in which we dwell, the world itself, is better that God ordained that the Pres- bytery of Huntingdon should be a beneficent agency therein." Great numbers have passed in at the open gate of the city of habitation above, led thither by its. faithful teachings, and the great throng on the sea of glass awaits in rapturous delight the full consummation of its finished work. The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad.
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OF THE PRESBYTERY OF HUNTINGDON.
PRAYER.
REV. ANDREW H. PARKER.
O GOD, the fountain of all excellence and the Father of mercies infinitely exalted above us and absolutely independent of us, possessed of every infinite and possible perfection, thou art worthy of the praise, adoration, and love of all thine intelligent creatures. We would enter thy gates this day with thanksgiving and come into thy courts with praise. We would thank thee for the sacred and inspiring memories of the past, for the gracious and elevating associations of the present, and for the suggestions and thoughts and hopes respecting the future which are necessarily brought home to our hearts in connection with this anniversary of the Presbytery. We would remember the way by which thou hast led these churches of thy grace through these many years. We would rehearse thy wondrous works of old, and tell of thy doings. We would weave thy mercies into our songs of praise, and call upon our souls and all that is within us to bless and magnify thy holy name for thy love and care, thy patience and thy faithfulness. We would say, "Not unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name, be all the glory and the praise."
We thank thee for the goodly heritage of thy church in this portion of thy vineyard. We thank thee for its beginning, its progress, and its bountiful present. We praise thee for the faith of our fathers, as they set foot upon this portion of our land, and claimed it for the Master. We thank thee for the churches which they planted in faith and prayer, through struggle and self-denial, and which thou didst so signally bless and prosper. We thank thee for the streams of gracious influence which issued from them, enlightening, converting, and sanctifying. We thank thee for the truth thy servants guarded for us, and have handed down to us in its integrity and purity. We thank thee that so many left behind them the savor of a holy life, and the testimony of a triumphant death. We thank thee that thou hast made the past century one of distinguish- ing blessing, of providential care and guidance, and of the gracious operations of thy Holy Spirit; and that to-day we can rejoice in the number, the unity, the strength, and the efficiency of the churches which enrich and gladden this portion of our land.
And now that thou hast permitted us to enter upon another century, we pray thee that thy presence may go with us. Give us an intelligent
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THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY
appreciation of the significance of our past history, and of the promise of the future which it embodies. Impress us with a deep sense of our superior advantages and larger responsibilities ; may we understand their meaning, feel their pressure, and may we respond with all our hearts to their demands. May we make progress in all holy activities, in all Christian work, in our love for the souls of men, and in the intelligence and ardor of our zeal for the glory of God and for tlie cause of Jesus Christ. May thy church be purified and strengthened and enlarged ; may it become more luminous, more energetic, and more fruitful; may the name of Christ, which is above every name, be exalted in it and the gospel be preached in its purity and power.
Bless the members of the churches represented here. Adorn them with the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit. May they be united in earnest and loving co-operation in the great work which thou hast given them to do. May they be lifted up to a higher plane of Christian thought, feeling, and activity, and develop a nobler Christianity than has ever yet been seen in our midst.
Bless all the ministers and elders of this Presbytery. Give us power from on high. Qualify us for every duty. Fill our hearts with love to Christ, and may it be the supreme joy of our lives to uphold the rights of his crown and to explain the meaning of his cross. .
Bless all schools and missions and societies and agencies under our care. May the abiding presence of thy Spirit testify to thy favor and approbation ; and through their instrumentality may there be gathered into the fellowship of the church daily of such as shall be saved.
May the Spirit of the Lord revive thy work in every portion of the church universal. Pardon all our sins, and save us for Christ's sake. Amen.
"FRAGMENTS THAT REMAIN."
REV. JOSEPH C. KELLY. " Colligite fragmenta ne pereant."
THE object of this paper is not to present a connected and formal history of the Presbytery of Huntingdon, but only to give such facts of interest as may have come within the writer's knowledge. These facts, however, are so fragmentary and incomplete, and, offered as they are
4I
OF THE PRESBYTERY OF HUNTINGDON.
just after the hearing of the admirable historical sermon, so like the broken pieces collected after the feast, that, for want of a better title, it seems appropriate to style them " Fragments that Remain."
The first public worship to Jehovah and the first preaching of the gospel ever heard on the virgin soil of the territory now occupied by the Presbytery of Huntingdon, of which there is any record, was one hundred and thirty-nine years ago, when the Rev. Charles Beatty, a Presbyterian minister, at that time chaplain of Colonel Armstrong's regi- ment, preached to the troops encamped on the Beaver Dams near Hol- lidaysburg. That was in September, 1756, when Colonel Armstrong's regiment was sent against the Indians at Kittanning. Says the Rev. N. G. White, in his published sermon, "Never before had the quiet repose of the Sabbath been broken by the sound of a call to prayer : its primi- tive silence was undisturbed, save by the scream of the wild bird, the roar of the beast of prey, or the more terrific yell of the savage Indian." The preacher on this occasion was no ordinary character. Charles Beatty was one of William Tennent's students. He had received a classical education in Ireland. Reaching manhood and coming to this country, he engaged in trade; he travelled on foot, or with his pack- horse, to display his " auld-warld gear" to the people in their homes. Stopping at the old Log College at Neshaminy, he amused himself by surprising Tennent with a proffer, in Latin, of his merchandise. Ten- nent, perceiving at once that this was "no peddler's Greek," replied in Latin ; and the conversation went on in the Roman tongue, with such evidence of scholarship, religious knowledge, and fervent piety that Tennent commanded him to sell what he had and prepare for the ministry. He was not disobedient to the "heavenly vision"; for he who spoke to Saul by the way called Beatty to " this grace and apostleship also."* Charles Beatty was the friend and companion of David Brainerd; they were often together, and Brainerd rejoiced in his society. Of Charles Beatty we shall hear again; for the present we go forward to the organization of the Presbytery.
1795-PRESBYTERY ORGANIZED.
When the Presbytery of Huntingdon was organized one hundred years ago there were on the territory now covered by the Presbytery, and not including the part which has been assigned to the Presbytery of
* History of the Presbyterian Church, by the Rev. Richard Webster.
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THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY
Northumberland, just seven groups of churches and as many pastors. There was one other minister, the Rev. John Hoge, who convened the Presbytery and preached the first sermon. However, he was never a pastor, and his name does not appear upon the minutes of Presbytery, after the first meeting, except in the relation of a supply to some vacant churches.
The several groups of churches, in the order of the priority of their formation with their pastors, are as follows :
I. Lower Tuscarora and Cedar Spring Pastor Hugh Magill, formed 1766.
2. West Penn's Valley, Warrior Marks, and Half Moon . Pastor James Martin, formed 1775.
3. East and West Kishacoquillas Pastor James Johnston, formed 1783.
4. Upper and Centre . . Pastor Matthew Stevens, formed 1783.
5. Hart's Log and Huntingdon Pastor John Johnston, formed 1786.
6. Frankstown . . Pastor David Bard, formed 1788.
7. Cedar Creek and Spring Creek . Pastor David Wiley, formed 1794.
These seven groups of churches were like the seven golden candle- sticks spoken of in Revelation, and the seven pastors, like the seven stars in the hand of the Son of man, stretched forth in mercy over the newly-formed settlements. Some of these candlesticks have been re- moved, all the stars have ceased to shine, or passed on to shine in other skies ; but in their stead seventy-five churches give their light, and the hand of his mercy, never withdrawn, now sparkles with many stars.
LOWER TUSCARORA CHURCH.
The oldest church in the Presbytery which still preserves its origi- nal name is the Lower Tuscarora. On Thursday, the 21st day of August, 1766, the Rev. Charles Beatty, accompanied by the Rev. George Duffield, and constituting a committee appointed by the Synod of New York and Philadelphia, came to a place in the Tuscarora Valley where the people had begun to build a house for worship before the late war (1763), but by accident it had been burned. Here, on a spot near where the old Tuscarora Academy now stands, Mr. Duffield preached. These ministers had crossed the Tuscarora Mountain the day before, preached to some settlers farther up the valley, and spent the night at the house of William Graham, two and a half miles south, where David B. Esh now lives. The valley had been occupied by settlers quite a number of years before this time. A note found among my father's papers, and in his own handwriting, says, " Robert Hogg, Samuel Bigham, James Grey, and John Grey were the four first settlers in Tuscarora Valley, and the
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OF THE PRESBYTERY OF HUNTINGDON.
first white men who came across the Tuscarora Mountain, about the year 1749. From Hazzard's Register."
But after the harvest season of 1763, when the early settlers were surprised, attacked, and many of them cruelly massacred, the valley was for a time deserted by its inhabitants, who fled to Carlisle and Shippens- burg for refuge. At the time these ministers visited the valley the peo- ple were returning, and were ready once more to erect the meeting-house which had been burned down. In fact, to quote from Beatty's diary, they " propose to build two houses for worship, one about fourteen miles from the upper end of the valley, and the other ten miles below it towards the Juniata River. As their circumstances are such, at present, that they cannot support the gospel, they purpose to join with the peo- ple settled upon the other side of the Juniata, but hope in a few years to support a minister in the valley."
This house of worship, referred to in Beatty's diary, was soon after erected. It was the pioneer meeting-house of the Presbytery, built of round logs, covered with clapboards, and without a floor; but had a fireplace in one end, which was a luxury not found in some other churches erected later. Interesting reminiscences are still heard in that congregation of how our forefathers, dressed in homespun, worshipped God in the old Log Cabin Church, and how, to guard against surprise, they carried rifles as well as their Bibles, and stationed picket guards on favorable positions near the church. The first elders of this church were William Bell, Esq., and Captain John Williams.
About the year 1790, and during the early pastorate of Mr. Magill, a second church was built. It was situated at the base of the hill and on the northwest side of the road. It was a square log house and of more suitable dimensions ; but the architecture and finish of this house were also of a very primitive character. The walls were not plastered, and there was no ceiling above, and it was lighted with a due regard for economy. The pulpit was erected at the west side, and at the base a stand for the chorister. There was a door at each end of the house, the principal aisle extended from one door to the other, and two narrow aisles proceeding from this divided the house into five plots of pews, three in front and one on each side of the pulpit. A draft sketched in 1803 ex- hibits very well the internal and also financial arrangement, designating the locality of the pews, with the names of the occupants and the amount of stipend for which each occupant was responsible in pounds, shillings, and pence.
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THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY
A fine grove was a pleasant circumstance connected with this church, extending over the academy grounds and affording comfortable shades in all quarters. And in a well-selected spot a tent or stand was erected for the ministers, from which in fair weather, when more than an ordinary congregation was assembled, they preached to the eager people.
In 1816 the third building (or, counting the one burnt down before the visit of Beatty and Duffield as the first, the fourth) was erected. It was built of stone, and still stands at the forks of the road. It has, however, been remodelled, and now contains the recitation halls of the old Tuscarora Academy.
The present church was built under the pastorate of the Rev. G. W. Thompson, D.D., in 1849, at a cost of six thousand five hundred dollars.
The first regular pastor of the Lower Tuscarora Church was the Rev. Hugh Magill, who came in 1776. He was installed in 1779, on the fourth Wednesday of November, over this church and the church of Cedar Spring. He resigned this part of his charge in 1796 .*
In the latter part of the year 1799 the Rev. John Coulter, then a young man, visited the Tuscarora Valley as an itinerant missionary, and it is said preached his first sermon at Lower Tuscarora, on the first day of January, 1800,-it being the first day of the week, the first day of the month, the first day of the year, and the first day of the nineteenth century,-from I Cor. ix. 16, "Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel !"
Mr. Coulter was a ready and earnest preacher, a watchful and faithful pastor. His social qualities as well as his ministerial offices were marked with the spirit of the Master. In this region he was the first to stem the torrent of evil flowing from the common use of intoxicating drink, although encountering fierce opposition in the church as well as out of it.
The first temperance society in Juniata County was organized by him on the 27th of April, 1831. This society was called the Lower Tus- carora Temperance Society, and anticipated the Washingtonian move- ment at least ten years.
* All the facts relating to the early history of the Lower Tuscarora Church are taken from a manuscript prepared by Joseph Kelly, M.D. Dr. Kelly was born November 18, 1795, and died May 26, 1877, and was a ruling elder in that church from March 10, 1844, to the time of his death.
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OF THE PRESBYTERY OF HUNTINGDON.
THE REGULATION OF SITTINGS IN THE LOWER TUSCARORA PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH FOR THE YEAR 1803. COPIED FROM A COPY OF THE ORIGINAL BY REV. ROBERT STEWART, D.D., OCTOBER 26, 1893.
Wm. Bartley
Wm. Patton Joseph Ard .
David Bell .
John McCahan
John Williams
John McCoy
John Boggs .
Thomas Armstrong .
Norris Williams
Andrew Morrow
Charles Hight
John Gray :
Pastor, JOHN COULTER,
4200
3
3
3
3
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1/2
14
January 1, 1800- June 22, 1834.
.
Wm. Graham, Esq ..
John Ross
Adam Thompson
Patrick McKennon
John McCahan
Samuel Williams
George Glassford
Samuel McFadden
James McCahan
Joseph McCoy William Law .
John Silverthorn Jacob Kuhn .
Takens Fisher
12
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& s. Robert Muskelly 1/3
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73
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29
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Wm. Martin /3 Joseph Barnet 1/3
3 12
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22
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Thos. Hamilton 73
Wm. Forhes
3 9 John Kerr
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3 9
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Mrs. Beale . Christopher Hurrell . 13 2 17 Frederick Casner . . 73
Thos. Gilson 3 15 Zacheus Patterson Wm. Stewart .
20 28
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James and Ed. Mil-
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1/3 2 17
David Gray . . .
I 8 112
William Bell, Esq.
John Madough (Middagh)
John Dillen .
3 15
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THE CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY
The original constitution contained six articles, of which the most important was the third, and is as follows :
" Article 3d. The members of this Society believing that the use of intoxicating liquors is for persons in health not only unnecessary but hurtful, and that the practice is the cause of forming intemperate appe- tites and habits, and that so long as it is continued the evils of intemper- ance can never be prevented, do therefore agree that we will abstain from the use of distilled spirits, except as a medicine in case of bodily infirmity, that we will not allow the use of them in our families, nor pro- vide them for the entertainment of our friends, or for persons in our employment, and that in all suitable ways we will discountenance the use of them in the community." *
* The paper which contains the constitution bears also the roll of the officers and members, which deserves to be perpetuated, and is here given.
OFFICERS.
President .- James Hughes, Esq. Vice-President .- James Milliken. Secretaries .- Joseph Kelly, M.D., and Robert Barnard.
Treasurer .- James Patterson. Auditor .- Samuel Milliken.
SIGNERS TO THE CONSTITUTION.
Daniel McDonald.
Thomas Mairs.
Charles McDonald.
Ruth Burns.
Katharine McDonald.
Elizabeth Mairs.
Eleanor McDonald.
Sarah Burns.
Alex. Patterson.
Hugh G. Hughes.
John McDonald.
James Milliken.
Mary Patterson.
John Gray.
Catharine McDonald.
Samuel Milliken.
Eleanor Morrow.
Elizabeth Burns.
Sarah Milliken.
Andrew McDonald.
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