A history and record of the Protestant Episcopal church in the diocese of West Virginia, Part 46

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USA > West Virginia > A history and record of the Protestant Episcopal church in the diocese of West Virginia > Part 46

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The list of names in this parish for the year 1800 is small, containing only the following: Aaron Robinson, William Hendling, James Robinson, Israel Robinson, John Harris, Peter Mooney, Peter Ross, Benedict Wells.

At a later period, St. Paul's was principally sustained by the late George Hammond, Esq., and some of his relatives and friends, among whom we find the names of Gist. Hood, Crawford, Wells and others.

Trinity Church, at Charlestown, now Wellsburg .- At Char- lestown, now Wellsburg, Brooke county, Va., the residence of the Rev. J. Doddridge, Episcopal services, in 1800, were held in Brooke Academy. This town was, at an early period of its settlement, a stopping place for immigrants from be- yond the Alleghanies, some of whom became permanent citi- zens. From the number of names, attached to the subscrip- tion paper of Dr. Doddridge, for the year 1800, it is inferred that the congregation was then large. There is now a neat church edifice in the place, and, notwithstanding numerous removals, a few families remain, who are warmly attached to the church.

The subscribers for 1800 were as follows: Philip Dod- dridge, A. Green, Oliver Brown, Nicholas P. Tillinghast, John T. Windsor, Sebastian Derr, Patience Vilettle, Alexander Caldwell, Josiah Reeves, Elizabeth Taylor, Robert T. Moore, James Darrow, Silas Bent, James H. White, William Thorp. John Connel, Robert H. Johnson, Henry Prather, Thomas

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IN WEST VIRGINIA.

Hinds, Charles Prather, James Clark, William McConnell, Nicholas Murray, John Fling, John Bly, Salmual Talman, Thomas Oram.

At Wheeling, Grave Creek, and some other points, were many families from Maryland and Eastern Virginia, who, having been brought up in the Church of England, now in their wilderness homes, longed io unite in prayer and praise to God in the language of her incomparable liturgy. These people, Dr. Doddridge visited, as often as his other engage- ments would permit, not infrequently holding service in the open air.

The few Episcopal clergymen in the West, kept up a Church organization and had semi-annual meetings, called conven- tions, for prayer, consultation and the mutual edification of ministers and people. At such a meeting, held in St. Thomas Church, Washington county, in 1810, it was resolved, that the Rev. Dr. Doddridge do open a correspondence with Bishop White, of Philadelphia, for the purpose of obtaining through him permission from the General Convention to form a diocese in the Western country. It is believed that the object of the memorialists at this time, was to unite the Western counties of Pennsylvania, Western Virginia and the State of Ohio in one diocese.

Dr. Doddridge was an indefatigable laborer, and, while buoyed up by the hope that his efforts for promoting the in- terests of the Episcopal Church in the Western country, would be seconded by the zeal and ministrations of mission- ary brethren from beyond the Alleghanies, he exerted him- self, to visit and cheer desponding members of the same faith, at widely distant points. But no missionaries came, and those who ardently desired for themselves and families the ministrations of the Church, to which they had been attached in earlier days, and more favored localities, were compelled to join other communions or live and die without the ordi- nances of the Gospel.

At the Second Annual Convention of the Diocese of Ohio,

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held in Worthington, on June 2, 1819, Bishop Chase, in his address, says: "On Monday, May 10th, at the request of Dr. Doddridge, I visited Wheeling, Va. I attempted the exercise of no Episcopal office here, being without the Diocese of Ohio. I, however, performed morning prayer in public and preached a sermon to the people, after which they saw fit to organize a parish by choosing their wardens and vestrymen. Also, while on the Virginia side, I performed the visitation to a sick man, a Mr. Wilson, and the next day (May 12), preached and performed divine service at West Liberty; stayed the same evening at Mrs. Hammond's, and was treated with great kindness.

May 13th, I again joined my worthy friend and brother, Dr. Doddridge, at his home in Charleston (alias Wellsburg), and was welcomed by himself and excellent family, with urbanity and unfeigned good-will. Twice the same day we held divine service. In the evening the congregation was large and very attentive.

May 14th, attended by the Doctor and some of his family, I went to St. John's Parish, a small church about ten miles northeast of Charleston. Here the morning service was per- formed and a sermon preached, after which I visited a sick woman, and the same night passed over the river to Steuben- ville.

After having given up the charge of his parishes in Vir- ginia, for several years, on account of his health, Dr. Dod- dridge died at his home, in Wellsburg, November 9th, 1826, in the 58th year of his age.

Cabell.

Cabell county was formed from Kanawha, in 1809, and named for William H. Cabell, Governor of Virginia, in 1805. Square miles, 300. Population-1870, 6,429; 1880, 13,744; 1890, 23,542; 1900, 29,252.

The Church in Cabell County .- There were few Episcopalians among the early settlers, and of these W. S. Laidley, Esq., of Charleston, furnishes the following items of interest:

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"My father, John Laidley, lived on a farm on the Ohio, be- low Guyandotte; he was a lawyer. In 1843 he rode horse- back to Staten's Run, on the Kanawha River, where the Staten and Summers families and others had taken posses- sion of an abandoned still-house and fitted it for Sunday- school purposes, and Bishop Meade preached there and con- firmed a class, one of whom was John Laidley.

"Jolin Laidley attended church at the chapel at Marshall Academy and College. There was usually a sermon, one Sun- day by a Presbyterian, and the next by a Methodist minister; the congregation was the same each Sunday. His library had many prayer books and sermons; one set was by Mr. Pusey, with the name erased. Father said the sermons were better without the name. Of his family, they were about equally divided between the Presbyterians, Methodists and Episcopalians. Mrs. Judge Summers, Colonel T. T. S. Laid- ley, U. S. A., Dr. T. M. Laidley and myself were the Episco- palians.

"There was no Episcopal service in the county, and few members of the Church. During the war, Rev. Mr. Tompkins came from Catlettsburg, Kentucky, and conducted service and preached at Marshall College. Mrs. Saline C. Mason and Mrs. J. M. Buffington were members of the Church residing in Cab- ell county. Mrs. Buffington was Miss Maria Thompson, of Culpepper, Virginia; Mrs. Mason was a daughter of John W. Hite. My mother was a Hite, and how she became a Meth- odist when all the Hites were Church people, is not pertinent to this book, though very interesting to the family and the Methodists.

"General John H. Oley went from Charleston to Cabell county about 1872, and he organized the Church there. Pre- vious to the founding of the city of Huntington, by Mr. Collis P. Huntington, then president of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, Church services were held at Barboursville,-the then county-seat,-on August 22d, 1869, being the fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, by Rev. Horace Edwin Hayden. Rector

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of Christ Church, Point Pleasant. After Evening Prayer on that day, a meeting of persons favorable to the Church, was held, and four gentlemen, viz .: Charles J. Burnett, H. J. Sam- uels, Thomas B. Kline and Abraham Suydam, were elected vestrymen. R. R. McLeod was elected secretary of the ves- try, though he appears not to have been a vestryman. It was resolved to call the parish,-the bounds of which were no doubt according to the prevailing custom, co-terminous with those of the county,-Cabell, and the church, Trinity, and to invite the Rector at Coalsmouth to hold service one Sunday each month. The salary was fixed at $200 and traveling ex- penses. Rev. Joseph Nock was the first to officiate under this resolution. He held the first service on March 6th, 1870, and subsequently on the first Sunday of each month. The first lay-delegate to represent the parish was Mr. Abraham Suy- dam, who was elected to attend the Annual Convention of the Diocese of Virginia at Wheeling, West Virginia, in May, 1870. We find Rev. C. Brassington Mee in charge in April, 1872, and that Messrs. J. M. Love, John H. Oley and J. N. Buffington, M. D., of Huntington, had been elected as additional mem- bers of the vestry. In June of this year, 1872, Bishop John Johns visited Huntington, accompanied by Rev. Mr. Hyland, of Parkersburg, and preached in the chapel of Marshall Col- lege and confirmed four persons. In October, 1872, Rev. E. Valentine Jones became the Rector, officiating at both Bar- boursville and Huntington. There was no church building at either point, however. At Huntington the services were held in a rented hall, ' Trinity Hall,' and the congregation began to have some coherence. The Civil Court, upon request of the congregation, appointed Messrs. John H. Oley, A. J. Ens- low and John Hooe Russell trustees, and in them was vested the title to lots 6 and 7, block 115, in the city of Huntington. Hon. A. A. Low, of New York, one of the owners of the land on which the city stands, and an earnest Churchman, made the necessary payments on these lots. They were a little later exchanged for four lots on the corner of Fifth avenue

TRINITY CHURCH, HUNTINGTON.

RECTORY, HUNTINGTON.

REV. JOHN SHACKELFORD GIBSON.

TRINITY CHURCH, HUNTINGTON.

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and Eleventh street, where the church and rectory now stand. The first lots were on Fifth avenue and Tenth street, southwest corner.

"After September 1st, 1873, the services at Barboursville were discontinued and the work concentrated in an effort to build up the parish at Huntington, then beginning to grow very rapidly. Rev. Mr. Jones continued to serve until June, 1874, when he resigned and returned to Old Virginia.

From this date, 1874, until the consecration of Bishop Peterkin as the Diocesan of the newly-erected Diocese of West Virginia, in 1878, there was no settled minister or regu- lar service maintained in Cabell parish. In 1877 Rev. Dr. Dashiell, of Richmond, Virginia, representing Bishop Whittle and the Diocean Missionary Society, of Virginia, visited the parish and conferred with the vestry as to what could be done to support the work, but, owing to the agitation of the sub- ject of division of the Diocese of Virginia, into Virginia and West Virginia, which was accomplished in this year, 1877. no minister was appointed.

"Bishop Peterkin, with Rev. Robert A. Cobbs and Rev. T. Hugo Lacy, visited the parish on August 6th, 1878, preaching in the Presbyterian Church. He presided at a meeting of the vestry and congregation, at which there was pledged the sum of $200 for the salary of a minister, who should officiate twice a month. In 1882 Rev. John W. Lea took charge, residing at St. Albans and officiating on alternate Sundays in Hunting- ton. Steps were at once taken to erect a church in Hunting- ton. Friends in New York pledged $3,500 if the little con- gregation at Huntington would gather $2,500 additional. and the vestry resolved that the $2,500 should be raised. Plans were procured from Mr. Cassell, architect of Baltimore, Md., and the work of erection began. During the building of the church, which occupied several years, services were held in the Presbyterian Church near-by, rented for the purpose.

"Rev. Mr. Lea died suddenly of carbuncle in 1884, much lamented by the Church and community, by whom he was be-

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loved for many manly virtues and Christian graces. The next Rector was Rev. J. B. Fitzpatrick, residing at St. Albans, who took charge in 1884, having just been ordained Deacon in the Church, after many years spent in the ministry of the Metho- dist Church. During his ministry the Guild-room, in the base- ment, was completed, and the first services, held by Episco- palians in a church-building of their own, were held in this room. Before the close of his rectorship, in 1886, he had the happiness of seeing the church in use-temporarily seated with chairs-for divine service. Mr. Fitzpatrick resigned in 1886 and removed to the far South.

In May, 1887, Rev. Norman Fitzhugh Marshall, of Virginia, became Rector, and was the first resident minister of the parish since 1874. He gave his whole time to Huntington. The salary was fixed at $600, and $200 missionary stipend. During his ministry of nearly five years the city and Church advanced rapidly, so that in 1888 the Diocesan Council could be entertained in the parish. The rectory, a modern house of good design, and commodious, was built at a cost of $3,500; the church was supplied with pews and furnaces and beauti- fied with memorials to General John H. Oley, (a faithful sol- dier of the State and Cross, who, after sixteen years' earnest service of the parish, as treasurer, vestryman and choir- master, entered into rest, greatly beloved by all classes, in March, 1888); Mrs. Anne Harvey and Miss May P. Ensign. Mr. Marshall resigned in 1892 and removed to Delaware, Ohio.

"On September 15th, 1892, Rev. John Shackelford Gibson became Rector, and at this writing, July, 1901, continues at his post. The membership, despite many losses by removal and death, and the prevalence of long years of depression of business, has continued to increase, and the Church has been greatly improved and beautified, being now painted and car- peted, supplied with a pipe organ and other needed equip- ments, and both it and the rectory lighted and heated with natural gas. In 1899, the Twenty-second Annual Council as- sembled here, and action was taken to elect a Bishop-Coadju-

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tor for the Diocese. Those who have ministered in Word and Sacraments to this parish have been mentioned.

Those who have served as vestrymen since 1869 are: Dr. Charles J. Burnett, S. W .; Judge H. J. Samuels, Thomas B. Kline, Abraham Suydam, Lucien C. Ricketts, Registrar; Al- bert Laidley, General John H. Oley, Treasurer, Registrar; Goveneur Morris, Registrar ; J. M. Love, J. W .; Dr. J. D. Mon- eure, S. W .; Dr. J. N. Buffington, G. T. Herndon, Ely Ensign, S. W .; James Nelson, John Hooe Russell. Treasurer: George Cullen, T. J. Harmer, Robert C. Ward, Dr. M. L. Mayo. S. W .; George McDonough (did not qualify), Colonel Robert T. Har- vey, W. R. Poindexter, J. C. Fitzgerald, Registrar; J. W. Bur- nett, William S. Gladstone, J. W., Registrar; H. Jenkins, Francis Bliss Enslow, William H. Banks, Registrar: James M. Wyatt, Registrar, Treasurer; Gustavus A. Northcott, Treasurer; Dr. R. H. Pepper, Registrar; Carlton D. Emmons, Treasurer, Registrar: Henry J. Derbyshire, Captain Cameron L. Thompson, J. W .; Joseph B. Hagan, Z. S. Durfey. Marion (. Dimmick, J. W .; L. H. Hutchinson, Edmund Sehon, Frank Dow Fuller, Thomas L. Trimmer, Edward Shepard Aleshire, Harry Chambers. Lay-readers have been: M. Lewis Mayo, M. D .; M. C. Dimmick.

Bishop Meade, in his book, speaks of Guyandotte as one of the most promising towns in the State, but the diversion of the road to a point a few miles lower down the river and the building there of the town of Huntington, has greatly lessen- ed its importance; occasional services have been held there, but the few resident communicants are identified with Trinity Church, Huntington. In like manner, in Barboursville. which was for a long time the county-seat and where our church was first organized we no longer have services, and the few communicants there are identified with Huntington. For a few words about services in Milton see Kanawha county.

Calhoun.

Calhoun county was formed from Gilmer in 1856, and named for John C. Calhoun. Square miles, 260. Population- 1870, 2,939; 1880, 6,072: 1890, 8,951 ; 1900. 10,266.

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In September, 1884, in company with the Rev. Mr. Wood, Bishop Peterkin visited Grantsville. We have had, however, as yet, no occasion and no encouragement to start any work there.

Clay.

Clay county was formed from parts of Braxton and Nicho- las, in 1858, and named for Henry Clay. Square miles, 390. Population-1870, 2,196; 1880, 3,460; 1890, 4,656; 1900, 8,248.

In August, 1887, the Bishop paid a visit to Clay county, preaching in the court-house. As far as he could find out, there were then no Church people in the county. Since the railroad has been finished up to Clay, the Rev. Mr. Card, of Charleston, has paid several visits to the vicinity of the coun- ty-seat, and ministered to a few Church people from Canada, who have come in there in connection with the lumber inter- est. The building of a chapel has been proposed, and some steps taken towards it, but at this time of writing no real beginning has been made. The Rev. Dr. Roller, has held services at Baring Creek, and Clendenin. He makes this note as of July 21, 1895: " I had the first Episcopal Service (Morning Prayer and Sermon) ever held at Clendenin; 40 men, 20 women and about half a dozen children present. Met with a favorable reception."

Doddridge.

Doddridge county was formed in 1845, from parts of Harri- son, Tyler, Ritchie and Lewis, and named for Philip Dod- dridge. Square miles, 300. Population -- 1870, 7,076; 1880, 10,552; 1890, 11,999; 1900, 13,689.

Bishop Peterkin visited West Union in April, 1888, and preached in the Methodist Church. We have, from time to time, had a few of our Church people living in West Union, but so far have not been able to undertake any regular work there.

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CHAPTER X.

Records Continued. Fayette, Gilmer, Grant, Greenbrier, Hamp- shire, Hancock, Hardy, Harrison, Jackson Counties. Churches in Montgomery, Ansted, Lewisburg, Ronceverte, White Sul- phur, Romney, Moorefield, Clarksburg, Ripley, Ravenswood, &c. -

Fayette.

Fayette county was formed from Kanawha, Greenbrier, Nicholas and Logan, in 1831, and named for General Lafay- ette. Square miles, 750. Population-1870, 6,647; 1880, 11,- 560; 1890, 20,488; 1900, 31,987.

The Church of the Redeemer, Ansted. - In 1873, the site now occupied by the town of Ansted, contained only two residences, one occupied by Colonel William Tyree, a stage stand on the James River and Kanawha Turnpike, and the old Westlake farm house, since destroyed. In the fall of that year, The Gauley Kanawha Coal Company, (Limited), was organized in London, through the efforts of General J. D. Imboden, and Professor David Thomas Ansted .- for whom the town was named,-was sent out as Chairman of the Com- pany, and the mines were first opened and operated under his personal supervision. He was a scientist of world-wide fame, as the author of "Ansted's Ancient World," from which Humbolt frequently quotes in his "Cosmos," and "Ansted's Geology" was the standard text-book for many years at West Point and Annapolis. In a controversy between Greece and France, over certain mining rights, and concessions by the former, England was appealed to as Arbitrator, and the Brit- ish Government selected Professor Ansted as its representa- tive to ascertain the facts and settle the dispute, which task

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was satisfactorily accomplished, just before his arrival in Fayette county.

At that time, there was not an Episcopalian within ten miles of Ansted, and probably not a half-dozen members of the Church within the confines of the county, the community being composed almost wholly of Baptists and Methodists.

About 1879, the mines had drawn two or three members of the Episcopal Church from Virginia, among whom was Mrs. Olivia Page, relict of the late Edwin Randolph Page, of Camp- bell county, Virginia; and, without money, or with little financial influence, or aid, beyond what she derived from a fixed and steadfast purpose, she began the erection of the church, known as that of the "Redeemer," which was com- pleted, paid for, and consecrated within a few years; the necessary funds for which were raised by small individual donations, few of which exceeded five or ten dollars. When the building was completed, Mr. Thomas Coats, of the firm of J. P. Coats & Co., of London, presented an organ, which was the largest single donation ever received, either in the construction or furnishing of the church. A Sunday-school was started, and steadily maintained, with an enrollment ex- ceeding one hundred and twenty scholars at times, and rarely falling below eighty, the average being from ninety to one hundred. No records were kept prior to 1887, but from July 10th of that year to date, about ninety baptisms and forty confirmations are recorded, nearly all of which have been the direct fruit of the Sunday-school. On May 14th, 1898, there were fifty-five communicants, since which date there has been no regular pastor, and the number has been reduced to about thirty at present, by deaths and removals. A mission school was started, and conducted for several years by Mrs. Quinby, and later by Miss Rose Pendleton, but of this there is no record save the good work they left. The first Missionary regularly attached to the field, was probably the Rev. F. K. Leavell, since which date there has been in regular order. the Revs. J. H. Birkhead, G. P. Summerville, Peter

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Wager, J. K. Taylor, F. A. Meade and J. Tilton Marley. At present the services are being very satisfactorily conducted by Mr. T. C. Darst, of the Theological Seminary, assigned to Ansted, Powellton and Montgomery during the summer vaca- tion.

From the beginning, the church has been sustained by the efforts of a few members, not overburdened with this world's goods; and but for assistance derived from the Missionary fund, little could have been accomplished. In time they hope to become self-sustaining, but at present the communicants are composed almost entirely of a mining class, wholly depen- dent upon their daily labor, with little to spare for the sup- port of a minister, however earnest may be their desire. Such as they have, they give freely, but they have little from which to contribute. The earthly remains of the founder now repose in the church-yard, a monument to her labor, and in fulfillment of her earnest desire; but the work she began, will-by the Grace of God-outlive the stone which marks her grave.

WILLIAM N. PAGE.

St. David's Mission, Powellton .- The first service of the Church was held at Powellton on December 5th, 1886, by Rev. J. H. Birkhead, of the Coal Valley (now Montgomery) Mis- sion, after which, services were held from time to time by Rev. J. H. Birkhead and Rey. Peter Wager, until early in 1893, when the latter resigned. On July 14th, 1893, Rev. A. K. Fenton arrived in Powellton to reside there and take charge of the work at that and near-by points, devoting two Sundays in each month to Powellton, two to Montgomery, and holding occasional service at Mount Carbon and other points.

Prior to the summer of 1893 services were held, sometimes in the Union Church and sometimes in the school-house, but since that time they have been held in a building erected by The Mount Carbon Company, Limited, for the convenience of its miners and other employees, and for the meeting of

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Benevolent Societies, &c. A sanctuary, well furnished, is divided off in one of the halls.

On December 2d, 1893, a meeting of the communicants was held to organize a mission, and on January 3d, 1894, Bishop Peterkin sanctioned the organization of St. David's Mission of Powellton, with the following officers: Treasurer, Evan Powell; Warden, D. T. Evans; Registrar, H. P. Devonshire. The present committee in charge is as follows: D. Swain, J. I. Absalom, E. T. Jones, Godwin H. Powel, D. T. Evans and Thomas Price, the three first named being Warden, Registrar and Treasurer, respectively.

Services are held by the Missionary in charge on two Sun- days in the month, and upon the other Sundays, Morning Prayer is read by the lay-reader, Mr. Godwin H. Powel.

The first report concerning Powellton Mission was made in 1887, showing: Communicants, 7; families, 25; teachers and officers in the Sunday-school, 8; scholars, 40. The last (1900) report shows: Communicants, 20; families, 16; teach- ers and officers in the Sunday-school, 9; scholars, 65.

Rev. A. K. Fenton resigned and left this mission in July, 1894; Rev. I. A. Canfield took charge from March 1st to No- vember 1st, 1895; Rev. J. T. Marley took charge in July, 1896. and continued until December 1st, 1899, giving two Sundays in each month to this mission, two to Ansted, and holding occasional services at Montgomery, Mount Carbon and sev- eral points in the New River field. Rev. L. W. Doggett was in charge from May 1st to November 15th, 1900, and Rev. A. R. Price from December 1st, 1900, to April 15th, 1901. (At this writing (July, 1901,) the mission is in temporary charge of Mr. Thomas C. Darst, of the Theological Seminary of Vir- ginia.) The Rev. A. M. Lewis, deacon, has recently been as- signed to this field, with headquarters at this place, and will take charge the first Sunday in September. Services are held regularly, though infrequently, at Mt. Carbon, where we have a few Church people.

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A history and record of the Protestant Episcopal church in the diocese of West Virginia, Part 46

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