USA > Pennsylvania > Erie County > The history of Erie County, Pennsylvania > Part 14
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one of much trouble and perplexity. We were compelled to keep from forty to eighty or one hundred men in the service of the company to defend the settlers and property. More than once mobs of men, from twenty to thirty, would assem- ble for the purpose of destroying houses, and other mischief, some of whom I had indicted, and bills were found against . them by the grand jury of the then Allegheny County, the courts being held in the borough of Pittsburg."
Some of the earliest settlers in the county, who were lo- cated at Northeast, were Presbyterians from Ireland, and brought their Bibles with them. Among these was a ruling elder, named William Dundass, and others of the names of Lowry and Campbell. They held their meetings in private dwellings, and in fine weather in the open air. An occa- sional missionary was sent out by the Ohio and Redstone Presbyteries, but this was of rare occurrence until after 1800. The first church edifice erected in Erie County was at Middlebrook, near Lowville, two miles from Wattsburg, in 1801. It was built of logs and is still standing, though not occupied as a church .*
To show the customs of the times with regard to religious services, as well as to give an interesting event in the life of one of the most enterprising as well as excellent of the citi- zens of Erie County, we make the following extract :-
"In 1801, in the course of the summer and fall, we were visited by a number of clergymen who were sent out by the Ohio and Redstone Presbyteries, who preached in a number of places, and took much pains to collect and establish churches, and to convene the scattering inhabitants for religious service. Among those who came among us was the Rev. McCurdy, who appeared a very zealous man and well calculated to be useful as a traveling minister. On the
* Mr. Colt's Journal, 1801. "Rev. Mr. Wood, from Washington County, intended preaching at the Middlebrook church, but getting lost by taking the wrong path, could not find the meeting-house, and returned to Colt's station after a fatiguing day's ride."
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Sabbath of the twenty-seventh of September, (the first time the Sacrament was administered in the county,) it was ap- pointed and agreed upon to have the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper administered in the township of Greenfield, on a plantation then occupied by William Dundass, and a congregation of three hundred assembled. The day was pleasant, I accompanied Mrs. Colt to the place of meeting; on our way the conversation turned upon religious subjects,
MIDDLEBROOK CHURCH, ERECTED IN 1801.
and my consort had come to the determination to offer her- self as a communicant, and to become a member of the church-her mind appeared much occupied meditating upon the subject. While conversing with her I became more thoughtful than usual, and shortly after arriving at the place of meeting, I became more and more impressed with the evil nature of sin, and of the importance of leading a sober, orderly, and religious life, and it was not long after service that I found myself much distressed in mind, and my body considerably agitated. Although I felt a load of guilt upon me, I resolved to come forward and make a request to be-
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come a member of the church, provided I could be admitted at that late period. Accordingly, at the interval between those who sat down at the first table and those who were preparing to come to the second, I came forward and kneeled at the feet of the minister and elders, and explained to them as well as I could the situation I was in, and what I had a desire to do. After asking me a few questions, and after hav- ing a short conference among themselves, I was invited to rise, being overwhelmed with grief. A token of admittance was given to me by one of the elders-I arose and took my seat at the table. So it was that me and my beloved consort were permitted both to partake of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper on the same day, and I hope and trust it will be a day of grateful remembrance while we live, and of un- ceasing praise beyond the grave.
"The ministers present were Revs. McCurdy, Satterfield, Wick and Boyd, from the Ohio and Redstone Presbyteries. After service we were invited to go home with Mr. McCord, and on Monday, being the last day of the feast, people were again assembled and a sermon preached-it appeared a good day to me. Toward evening, service being ended, they re- turned to their respective homes, this being a new epoch to my life as it was a beginning of years."
From another source we find that this service was held at Northeast, and that about forty persons sat down at the tables.
The Presbytery of Erie was organized April 13th, 1802. The enabling act was passed by the Synod of Virginia, (under whose jurisdiction the territory then was,) at their meeting at Winchester, Virginia, October 2d, 1801. The first meeting was held at Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, on the day above mentioned. Erie Presbytery then embraced that portion of Pennsylvania west and northwest of the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers, with a portion of the Western Reserve. It now embraces Erie, Crawford, and parts of Mercer, Venango, and Warren
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Counties. From it, has been constituted Beaver, Allegheny, Allegheny City, and part of New Lisbon Presbyteries. The New School Presbytery of Erie held its first meeting at Meadville, Pennsylvania, in June, 1838. It is proper to state, that at the time of the division of the General Assem- bly in 1838, the New School had the majority in the Old Presbytery. At the meeting in June following, the Old School members withdrew, taking the officers and all the old records, as directed by the General Assembly. The New School Presbytery now embraces Erie County, with a part of Crawford.
September 1st, 1803, Rev. Robert Patterson, of Ohio Presbytery, was ordained pastor of the church of Upper and Lower Greenfield for two-thirds of his time, and imme- diately after arrangements were made by which he was to preach occasionally in Erie. The names of those who signed the call from Upper Greenfield were Thomas Robert- son, Judah Colt, Timothy Tuttle, and Seth Loomis; the salary for two-thirds of his time, was two hundred dollars. The ordination took place at Mr. John McCord's bark house, Rev. Mr. Badger preaching the sermon, and Rev. Mr. Tate giving the right hand of fellowship. The Rev. Mr. Stockton was also present, and the people, as was the custom, were favored with preaching for several days.
In 1806 Mr. Patterson petitioned the Presbytery of Erie and desired leave to resign his charge. The reasons offered were that his salary was insufficient, and "impediments in the way of realizing any land as his own by purchase embar- rassed and disturbed his mind, so that he had neither leisure nor due composure to engage in that reading, meditation, and study which were necessary to a faithful and profitable discharge of ministerial duties." With regard to the citi- zens, he says, "in their intercourse I have found them respectful, obliging, and friendly; and though the dispen- sation of the Gospel and its ordinances have not been attended by any remarkable success, yet we are not without
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some encouragement and dawnings of hope." Writing from Pittsburg, where he established himself in 1807, in reference to his successor in the county, Rev. J. Eaton, he says : "I would be rejoiced to be informed that the prospect of their religious horizon is becoming brighter than it has ever yet been, for to me it appears very nearly a land 'sitting in the region and shadow of death.'" Rev. Mr. Patterson died in 1832, near Pittsburg, where he had resided many years.
The Rev. Johnston Eaton preached a few Sabbaths at the mouth of Walnut Creek, (Manchester,) in 1805. In 1807 he returned, and was ordained in 1808 as pastor of the churches of Fairview and Springfield. The services were held in the barn of William Sturgeon, in what is now the village of Fairview.
The first preaching by Mr. Eaton was at Swan's tavern, east side of the mouth of Walnut Creek. This building was removed but a few years ago, when it was said to be the first house erected in the county.
In a year or two the congregation erected a log meeting- house opposite the dwelling of R. L. Perkins, where still are the remains of the burying-ground by which it was sur- rounded. Directly in front of the church was an Indian mound about six feet in height and fifteen in diameter, cov- ered with grass, on which the hardy pioneers reclined at the noon recess. The house of worship soon became too strait, and it was enlarged by the removal of two sides, and even then, on fine days the services were conducted in the open air.
The first elders were Andrew Caughey, George Reed, and William Arbuckle. Of the twenty-five original members at Fairview, but five survive; their names are Jane Caughey, Agnes McCreary, Elizabeth Eaton, Jane Sturgeon, and William Arbuckle.
The Rev. Mr. Eaton was appointed chaplain to the army at Erie during the war of 1812-13, the most of his people being called to the defense of their country. After this he
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preached a part of his time in the Dunn settlement and in Northeast. From the organization of the Presbyterian church in Erie, in 1815, he labored there a portion of the time until 1822. Mr. Eaton sustained the pastoral relation at Fairview until his death in 1847, a period of nearly forty years. He was a student of Rev. John McMillan, and a faithful servant, enduring hardships and encountering diffi- culties with indomitable resolution, and with ardent devo- tion to the Master.
At Erie there was no preaching for several years except- ing from an itinerant or missionary occasionally. The inhabitants attended church at Northeast or Fairview, par- ticularly on sacramental occasions. In 1807 the Rev. John Lindsay was employed by the General Assembly of the Pres- byterian church for two or (if he preferred it) three months to preach in the new settlements in the Holland purchase, and to go as far as the town of Erie.
We need offer no apology for quoting largely from a his- torical sermon of Rev. A. H. Carrier, preached at North- east, February, 1861, on the occasion of the occupancy of their old meeting-house for the last time.
" The church at Northeast was organized, under the name of the church of Lower Greenfield, in the year 1801. The spot upon which those assembled, who formed it, was a place in the woods nearly in the rear of Amos Gould's residence. The services of the occasion were held in the open air, and they continued to be thus held until the log church was built. The minister who organized the church was the Rev. Elisha MeCurdy. In Dr. Sprague's 'Annals of the Ameri- can Pulpit,' an interesting and detailed account is given of the labors of this servant of Christ in Western Pennsylvania. He was a native of Carlisle, Pennsylvania. At twenty-nine he began preparation for the ministry, and pursued his studies seven years, mostly at Cannonsburgh. He was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Ohio, in Washing- ton County, Pennsylvania, in 1799. For some time after
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his licensure he was engaged in missionary labor in the region bordering on Lake Erie. He had an important agency in connection with the great revival in Western Pennsylvania, which commenced about 1801-02. It must have been while laboring in connection with that revival that he organized the church of Lower Greenfield, as it was called. Mr. McCurdy's last days were spent at Allegheny. He died in the triumphs of the Gospel on the 22d of July, 1845, in the eighty-third year of his age. Though the founder of the church at Northeast, it does not appear that he labored either as its pastor or stated supply. The church at its organization consisted of twenty-five members, of whom none, so far as I am aware, are surviving, with the single exception of the aged Mrs. Moorhead, in Harbor Creek. The church did not enjoy the services of religion each Sabbath, but through many years of its existence divided with other churches the labors of such ministers as could be obtained.
"In 1802 Rev. Robert Patterson accepted a call to take the pastoral charge of the Presbyterian churches of Erie and Upper and Lower Greenfield. In 1803 he was ordained and installed pastor of Upper and Lower Greenfield. He continued their stated pastor four years and a half, when he applied to the Presbytery for a dismission, and was accord- ingly dismissed. The church here consisted then of about forty members. After this there was a long interval, during which the church did not enjoy the stated ministrations of any minister. In 1812 a Rev. Mr. McPherrin was employed for six months, and then, after another long interval, bringing us down to 1815-16, we find that the Rev. Mr. Eaton was engaged to preach either one-fourth or one-third part of his time at Northeast.
" Rev. Mr. Tate often labored at Northeast about these years, during seasons of religious interest, and at four days meetings, held, as usual in those times, in connection with communion seasons. Rev. Mr. Eaton's residence was at
16
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Fairview, and his parish was somewhat extensive, consist- ing as it did of the place of his residence, together with Erie and the township of Northeast. There are several of the church and congregation who distinctly remember Mr. Eaton as their minister. In his day worship was held in a log church on Cemetery Hill. When this house (the log one) was built, I have not been able to ascertain, but prob- ably not long after the organization of the church. Thither from all the country round the people resorted, coming, not as now, over the best of roads and in comfortable carriages, but through the mire of swamps, and over stumps, tread- ing their way upon horseback or slowly moving in a cart drawn by oxen. The elder female members of the church have told me of frequently taking a child in their arms, and, upon horseback, riding eight, ten, or a dozen miles over not the best of roads to attend preaching. Sometimes the log church would be too contracted to hold all who came ; then they would adjourn to the open air, and under the shelter of the trees would worship God. Thus the grove which adorns our attractive cemetery has often been made to resound with praise, to hear the voice of prayer, and to ring with the mes- sage of peace-the glad tidings of a Saviour.
"In 1818 it appears that Rev. Mr. Camp, a missionary, was employed statedly, one month, in which time a revival commenced which resulted in an addition to the church of about twenty members.
" The old log church now began to be too strait for its occu- pants, and perhaps it was argued by some of the younger members of the society that it was not 'up with the times.' This would seem, however, to have hardly been a valid argu- ment, judging from the picture which one of our older mem- bers gives me of the appearance of the present village and surrounding country in those days. The few scattered houses along the main street were built substantially of logs; and interposed between them were wide tracts of girdled trees, which gave to the place the aspect of a harbor
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filled with masts. The worthy people, however, with com- mendable zeal for the cause of religion, determined that they would have for the house of God something better than their own. We are not in possession of any records stating pre- cisely what steps were first taken, what debates were had upon the subject, what arguments were used in favor of the project, and what objections were urged against it; but I have heard it intimated that, with that tenacity of habit which generally characterizes elderly people, much was said by the more aged members against changing the location of the house. They had become accustomed to climb the hill where the sanctuary stood, the grave-yard was there, their religious associations clustered around that spot, and they were unwill- ing that those associations should be disturbed. But the log village prevailed. Its inhabitants considered themselves centrally located, and succeeded in securing the new struc- ture as an ornament for their street. The work undertaken was no slight enterprise. The record of the mode by which it was built proves under what difficulties it was prosecuted. Money was an article which played but a small part in the erection of the house which we desert to-day. The mem- bers of the congregation seemed to say in effect, by their contributions, what Peter said to the lame man at the Beau- tiful Gate of the temple : 'Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee.' The list of items constituting payments is a perfect curiosity, very significant of the con- dition of the times, and indicative likewise of much zeal that an excellent house of worship should be built. As scarcely any could furnish money, there was given what was equally serviceable-lumber of all kinds, and such labor as was needed. But besides this, unlimited amounts of grain and flour, and every merchantable article, were furnished as equivalents for the amount of subscription or for the price of the pews and slips. Some items credited are calculated to excite a smile, such, for instance, as 'bread and apple pies,' which were appropriated to the object in a way not
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precisely explained. Our notions of propriety, too, are somewhat startled, unless we understand how the temper- ance question stood in those days, by finding a more peculiar item credited. In one instance a barrel of whisky, price eleven dollars, is set down as part payment for the price of a pew ! Where it went to, and what was done with it does not appear. Our fathers unquestionably apprehended no difficulty in the way of such a barter. We may be thankful that the interval of years since then has created a more en- lightened conscience in regard to the use of spirituous drinks.
"Through much labor and sacrifice the walls were at last inclosed and the house covered, and then, while the seats were yet not built, the people turned into the new house for worship. Doubtless it seemed, notwithstanding its then unplastered walls, a luxurious place to those who had occu- pied the old log-house. All who had a hand in building it, or who were interested in worshiping in it, considered them- selves exceedingly fortunate in possessing so imposing a structure. We who sit and shiver here these winter Sab- baths may do well to let our imaginations run back to those days when stoves for churches were not thought of, and when the congregation, within unplastered walls, managed as they could to keep comfortable. Not that it would be desirable to bring back those times, when any method of warming a church was considered a desecration of it, but it may be wholesome to remember what experiences have pre- ceded ours. Some, even of the middle-aged members, have told me that they remember to have seen the minister preach- ing, winter Sabbaths, with hands well fortified against the cold in thick, woolen mittens.
"The work continued on the church, to a greater or less extent, for several years. The galleries were finally erected and the interior completed. At that day the building was considered, by the surrounding people, an architectural won- der. People, I am told, came long distances in order to see it. Doubtless it excited more remark, and was regarded
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with higher interest than is the case with our beautiful new edifice. And indeed it was, for that time, a most creditable structure-in greater contrast with the dwellings of the peo- ple, and indicative, therefore, it is possible, of more zeal for the outward prosperity of Zion than the building which now so eminently graces our village. Owing to the gradual manner in which it was constructed, this house was never formally dedicated. The congregation were anxious to occupy it while, as yet, they were unable to finish it; and when finished, it had been already dedicated by their long- continued acts of worship, and, as we may hope, by the con- version therein of many a soul.
"After the erection of the church, the first minister who appears upon the records was a Mr. Ely, a licensed minister of the Buffalo Presbytery, who was employed one-half his time for six months. This was in 1823. . The church was commenced about 1818, and finished in 1822. In 1824 Rev. Giles Doolittle was invited, by regular calls, to take the pastoral charge of the congregation in Northeast and Ripley, New York. On the 15th April, 1825, he was ordained by the Presbytery of Erie, and installed by them pastor of the united congregations above named.
"The number of church members when he took charge amounted to sixty-eight. The only elders, two in number, at that time were John McCord and Thomas Robinson. The oldest surviving members of the church are Edmund Orton, Dr. James Smedley, and Harmon Ensign, who united at about the same time, having come from the same town in Connecticut; and among the females, Mrs. Robinson, who united about 1803, Mrs. Hall, and Mrs. Baldwin. Their connection with the church dates back to the times of the old log meeting-house. Of those who joined during the same periods, some, however, are still surviving, but are connected now with the church at Harbor Creek.
"Mr. Doolittle continued his labors with this church from 1825 to 14th September, 1832. He died at Hudson, Ohio,
16*
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at which place he was laboring as pastor. In 1832 the church was divided. Fifty-eight members, living in Harbor Creek and vicinity, were constituted a church, leaving a membership here of one hundred and five.
"November 15th, 1833, Rev. W. A. Adair was ordained and installed over the congregations of Northeast and Har- bor Creek. It was during the years of prevailing religious interest-a period of revivals-that Mr. Adair was con- nected with this church, and during his ministry, in connec- tion particularly with the labors of Rev. Samuel G. Orton, large accessions were made to the church. In 1836 the membership amounted to one hundred and eighty-three, and in April, 1838, to two hundred and fifteen-a larger number than are now in communion with us. In June, 1838, Rev. Nathaniel West commenced labors with this church. His pastoral relation with it ceased 17th July, 1841. January, 1842, Rev. Miles Doolittle began to preach to the Presby- terian congregation of Northeast, and continued their pastor until some time in 1844. November of that year, Rev. Samuel Montgomery became their stated minister, followed by Rev. Mr. Paine in 1848, who was succeeded by Rev. Mr. Cochrane in 1850. August, 1852, Mr. Cochrane gave place to Rev. D. D. Gregory. During the continuance of Mr. Gregory with this people, a lot was purchased and a parsonage built thereon. March, 1859, the present minister took charge of the congregation. February, 1859, a meet- ing was called, and a committee appointed to take into con- sideration the purchase of a lot for a new church.
" The committee reported the twenty-eighth, were empow- ered to purchase March seventh, and March twelfth resolved to build. The result of that resolution is the beautiful structure which adorns our village."
In 1811 the Rev. Robert Reid, a minister of the Asso- ciate Reformed denomination, organized a church in Erie, which was incorporated as the "First Church of Erie." The congregation met in the school-house until 1816, when they
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erected a comfortable building near their present site. The frame is now occupied by the new furnace as a store, it hav- ing been removed to State Street.
The first elders of the church were Archibald McSparren, Thos. Hughes, Alex. Robinson, and Jas. Barr.
The Associate Reformed denomination, in 1841, erected a large and substantial church, and in 1845 called their pres- ent pastor, Rev. Jos. Pressly.
In 1816 the Rev. Charles Colson, a Lutheran minister from Germany, who had settled in Meadville, organized four churches in this vicinity, expecting to have the oversight of them. One was at Meadville, another ten miles above, on French Creek, a third at Conneaut, and a fourth at Erie. He took a severe cold, returning to Meadville, from the effects of which he died the same year.
In 1824 the First Presbyterian Church of Erie erected a large and substantial building on the site at present occupied by their new edifice. The trustees were Judah Colt, P. S. V. Hamot, G. Sanford, R. McClelland, B. Russel, J. Evans, R. Brown, S. Hays, T. Laird, G. Selden, J. Kellogg. At the ceremony of laying the corner-stone, Rev. Timothy Al- den offered prayer, and Rev. Johnston Eaton made a few pertinent remarks. Rev. David Mckinney, now of Pitts- burg, was ordained and installed April 13th, 1825. Rev. George A. Lyon, the present pastor, was installed Septem- ber 9th, 1829.
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