History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens, Part 34

Author: Laidley, William Sydney, 1839-1917. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, Ill., Richmond-Arnold publishing co
Number of Pages: 1066

USA > West Virginia > Kanawha County > Charleston > History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens > Part 34

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).

"In the years that followed the churches of

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this denomination multiplied rapidly and spread throughout the valley. The Cole River church was organized in 1803; Upper Falls church (on Cole river), 1817; Green Bottom church, now in Mason county, in 1820, from which time they have increased to perhaps seventy organizations in the valley.

"In 1834, the church throughout the United States divided on the question of mission work, and from that time to the present the student of its history meets with missionary and anti- mission Baptists. The disaffection extended to the Kanawha valley, and in 1834 the Teays Valley association was rent asunder. Rev. William C. Ligon, then pastor of the old Kan- awha church, led the missionary movement, and in the same year the anti-mission members of the lower part of the valley met and organ- ized the Pocatalico association, their champion being the Rev. William Martin. They are now styled by church historians, Primitive Baptists. The Pocatalico association has with- in its jurisdiction several churches, among which are Liberty and Hopewell, in Kanawha county; Zoar, in Putnam; Enon, in Mason, and Eliun and Little Flock, in Jackson."

The Charleston Baptist church was organ- ized in the court house on the 30th day of Oc- tober, 1869, by the Rev. P. H. Murray. He has been preaching for some time before the organization was perfected and continued to do so after the organization was effected, until the calling of the Rev. J. B. Hardiwicke, in 1870, who was then installed as the first reg- ular pastor of the Charleston church. The names of the first members were R. T. Oney, Mrs. A. J. Marsh, Rachel A. Smith, David Beaver. Sarah A. Beaver, Byron Holmes, Sarah A. Holmes, Martha J. Willimson, Sallie Goshorn, A. P. Sinnett, J. H. Wood- rum, Meredith Price and Almeda Price-thir- teen in all. The Rev. T. C. Johnson is the present pastor. In connection with the church is one of the most flourishing Sabbath schools in the city.

COAL'S MOUTH BAPTIST CHURCH

In the spring of 1859 the Rev. Martin Bibb visited Coal's Mouth and preached to the very few Baptists then living in the vicinity. On the 29th of May, 1859, he baptized a young 16

lady in Kanawha River at the mouth of Coal River. The banks of the river were literally lined with people, many of them witnessing baptism for the first time. This little begin- ning resulted in the organization of the Coal's Mouth Baptist Church.

The church was regularly organized on the 13th of April, 1860. The council that organ- ized the church was composed of the following brethren: Rev. Martin Bibb, Rev. Ralph Swainburn, Rev. Thomas Hawkins, Rev. W. A. Wood, Rev. John Mitchell and Rev. Morris Reece. Although but five persons were ready to join the church, the council decided that the church should be organized. The five constit- uent members were: Jahn Hansford, Alvah Hansford, Mary A. Lewis, Eliza A. Rock and Victoria Hansford.

Though few in numbers, this church began to work. A lot was secured, also lumber enough to build a meeting house. Subscrip- tions amounting to enough to complete the building were subscribed (but not paid in), and all seemed encouraged. But the Civil War came on and everything was demoralized. The lumber paid for was carried away in the flood of '61, and the subscriptions could not be paid. When the war closed the Baptists found it nec- essary to start anew.

The church was reorganized in 1866, with the following members: John Hansford, Alvah Hansford, Victoria Hansford, Mrs. H. K. Chilton, Mary Allen, Eliza Swindler, Patty WVilkenson, Blanche Wilkenson, Ann Wilken- son, and two others whose names we could not obtain.

In 1866 a small house of worship was built on the lower side of Coal River. This build- ing was afterward sold to the M. E. Church, and another meeting house was built, this time on the east side of Coal River ( 1882-83). This building was destroyed by fire February 12, 1906. After the burning of the meeting house, services were held in halls until the pres- ent building was ready for use. The first serv- ice in the basement of the new building was conducted May 16, 1909.

At a meeting held Thursday evening, May 24th, 1911, the name of the church was changed from the "Coal's Mouth Baptist Church" to

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"The First Baptist Church of Saint Albans." Dedicatory services were held on June 4, 19II.

The church has had many struggles, but she has triumphed over them all. Mrs. Victoria Hansford Teass, one of the constituent mem- bers ( (now deceased), wrote of the church : "As I pause and look back over the forty years in- tervening between then and now, my heart goes out in thankfulness to Him who works in mys- terious ways and caused the 'feeble band' to grow into a flourishing church now numbering over three hundred, beside the great number that came into its doors and passed on to the Church Triumphant."

CHURCH OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES

Rev. T. B. Lawler, Pastor; T. H. Griffith, Clerk.

Deacons .- John Hollinsworth, Presley Mar- tin, E. H. Holstein, Dr. John Henderson, Chris Sattes, Charles Kerns, C. J. Pierson.

Trustees .- John Martin, F. D. Burgess, C. D. Hereford.

Finance Committee .- John Martin, T. H. Griffith, Mrs. K. L. Wilson.

Music Director .- John Martin.

Organist .- Mrs. K. L. Wilson.

Ushers .- Charles Kerns, Walter Morrison, Chris Sattes, James Mallory, Clyde Coiner, Frank Holstein.

Sunday School .- I. E. Handley, Supt .. T. H. Griffith, Asst. Supt., Clyde Coiner, Treas- urer, Secretaries, Nellie Rock, Ora Hollins- worth.

Ladies' Aid .- Mrs. James A. Watson, Pres- ident, Mrs. Pendleton, Secretary, Mrs. John Hollinsworth, Treasurer.

PRESBYTERIAN

The first Presbyterian minister who visited that part of the valley below the Falls, was Rev. William Graham, who was for twenty- one years at the head of Liberty Hall academy, the first Virginia institution of learning west of the Blue Ridge. In 1798 he went on a missionary enterprise to Mason County on the Ohio river, where he sickened and died of a fever, January 8, 1799. The place of his set- tlement still bears the name of "Graham Sta- tion."

In the year 1815 the Rev. William Gould, of Gallipolis, Ohio, began to preach at Point Pleasant and other points on the Kanawha. Almost contemporary with him, Rev. Henry Ruffner began preaching in the upper part of the valley, and it was due to his labors that the First Presbyterian church of Charleston was organized.

First Presbyterian Church, Charleston. The Presbyterians of both Charleston and the Salines were formed into an organized church on May 14, 1819, and on that day the Rev. Henry Ruffner met the members from the two places and effected the organization, he having been appointed for this purpose. He became its pastor and preached alternately at Charles- ton and Kanawha Salines for one year and then resigned to accept the chair of ancient languages in Washington College, at Lexing- ton, Virginia.

The name given was the "Kanawha Presby- terian Church," and this was selected as it embraced the Presbyterians residing in the two towns, and it would not have suited everybody to call the church after either place. It was therefore given a wider jurisdiction and in- cluded the church of the entire Valley of the Kanawha. From 1820 to 1836, this church had for its ministers the Rev. Calvin Chad- dock, the Rev. Nathaniel Calhoun, and the Rev. A. S. Morrison. In April 1837 the Rev. James M. Brown, D. D., was installed as pas- tor and so continued until his death, June 8, 1862. He was the oldest of five Brown broth- ers, sons of Mary Moore, all of whom be- came eminent Presbyterian ministers. He wrote the famous little book "The Captives of Abbs Valley" while he was living in Charles- ton as the pastor of this church. He not only built up the Presbyterian church in Charleston, but did much for the cause of education and aided in securing competent teachers and good management for the school in Mercer Acad- emy in Charleston.

After the death of Dr. Brown in 1862, this church was supplied by the Rev. J. W. C. Blaney and the Rev. J. C. Downing until 1867. In 1868 the Rev. J. Calvin Barr of Lewisburg. Greenbrier county, West Virginia, who for nearly ten years had served with the venerable

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Dr. McElhenny at the Lewisburg church, took charge of the Charleston Institute, a girls' school in Charleston, Kanawha county, West Virginia, which school was located on the lot on which the post office has been located for many years.

At the beginning of the school year of 1869, he and his scholarly assistant the Rev. N. G. Geddes, took charge of the Presbyterian church in Charleston, preaching alternately. Both were graduates of Jefferson College, Pennsyl- vania, one a graduate of the Theological Sem- inary of Allegheny and the other of Princeton, N. J. Mr. Barr was a minister of the South- ern Presbyterian church and Mr. Geddes of the Northern church. Mr. Geddes found the work of teaching and preaching too onerous, and after a few months retired and left Mr. Barr in full charge of the pulpit until 1872.

There had been a divided feeling in the con- gregation for some time. A large majority desired to be reinstated in their old relations with the Greenbrier Presbytery and the Synod of Virginia, while a minority preferred unit- ing with the Presbytery of West Virginia. had not sent a representative to either Pres- bytery since the death of Dr. Brown in 1862. One hundred and fifty members petitioned the session to represent them in their ecclesiastical courts. The session called a meeting of the On account of this divided feeling, the session congregation and presented them with two rolls that they might inscribe the same re- spectively according to their choice. One hun- dred and fifty enrolled themselves under the Greenbrier Presbytery and twenty-one under the Presbytery of West Virginia. The minor- ity took the name of "The Kanawha Presby- terian" and the larger congregation the name of the First Presbyterian church, and the prop- erty was amicably divided. The larger con- gregation took the old church, its furniture, books and records, and the smaller congrega- tion took the parsonage property.

Dr. J. C. Barr was regularly installed pastor of the First Presbyterian church May 15, 1872. In 1885 this church, with its surrounding mis- sions, had reached a membership of about four hundred, and Rev. T. E. Booker of Staunton was called as assistant to Dr. Barr. After

eighteen months Mr. Booker accepted a call to Hebron church in Lexington Presbytery and Dr. Barr was left alone. With the help of an active eldership and a student each summer from the Seminary, he kept up the work alone until May, 1899, when Rev. R. E. Vinson was called as assistant pastor, who was a graduate of Union Theological Seminary and a schol- arly, gifted young man. He accepted the chair of Hebrew in Austin Theological Seminary, . May 1, 1903.

Owing to Dr. Barr's advancing years, * he and the session decided that they should seek a co-pastor who could take the responsibility of the preaching and after six months' delib- eration and effort a call was extended to Dr. Ernest Thompson of Stuart Robinson Mem- orial church of Louisville, Ky. He accepted and was installed co-pastor Nov. 1, 1902 and has proved a faithful and efficient pastor. He generally preaches Sabbath morning and even- ing to a large congregation, and the congre- gation has increased and the membership has reached about seven hundred.

The stone church on the corner of Quarrier and Hale Streets was opened for service in June, 1889, and its total cost was about $35,- 000. It seats seven hundred, and with lecture room it will seat fully one thousand persons. The parsonage on the church lot in which Dr. Barr lived was built in 1890 costing about $6,000.00 and the parsonage in, which Dr. Thompson resides cost $11,000.00. Several flourishing missions have been maintained and four mission churches have been built. The Bream Memorial, Lick Branch and the Glen- wood, have become separate organizations and the Bream Memorial is self sustaining and has a membership of five hundred and forty-two and a Sunday school of over one thousand, and has its own pastor, the Rev. Chas. F. Myers.

Dr. Thompson is a native of Georgia, a graduate of Drewry College, Mo., and of Mc- Cormack Theological Seminary and he took a post graduate course in the University of Edinburg.

From the parent organizations at Charles- ton and Point Pleasant, have come numerous

*Dr. Barr died Sept. 8, 191I.

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others. From that at Charleston have grown those of Malden, St. Albans and others, while from that at Point Pleasant have come that of Town Flats, in 1837; Upper Flats, in 1849; Buffalo, in 1860; and Winfield and McLean chapel, of a later date.

Among the men who have devotedly worked to spread the teachings of the church through- out the valley have been Rev. Robert Osborn, J. M. Brown, Stewart Robinson, Thomas N. Paxton, George S. Woodhull, John Rowe and John C. Brown. This is among the most ac- tive denominations of the valley.

METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH

This denomination early began its work in the Kanawha valley; but, because of the neg- lect in keeping records, and the destruction and loss of the same during the late war, much of great interest has been irretrievably lost. Of the first ministers who traversed the country drained by the New River, Kanawha and their tributaries, we know but little, but as early as 1796, they were so numerous in this region, that a conference-the first west of the Alleghenies -was held at Lewisburg, in Greenbrier coun- ty. Bishop Francis Asbury presiding. The work went on and was rapidly extended to the Ohio. On the 23d day of May. 1804. the general conference in session at Baltimore, de- clared that the Greenbrier district should be included in the Baltimore conference, while the Great Kanawha valley should be a part of the Western conference, which then included the states of Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, the Illinois country and the Natchez mission.

"But owing to neglect in making and preserving records," says Mr. Lewis, "we know comparatively little of the introduction of Methodism into the valley. It is certain. however, that Rev. Asa Shinn was one among its earliest expounders here and probably the first, who visited this immediate region. Among those who were contemporary with him, or who came soon after him, were Jacob Truman, Samuel Brown, John Cord, Samuel Dement, William Pickett and the distinguished Henry Bascom, afterward a bishop in the Methodist Episcopal church, south, and, who, it is claimed, preached the first Methodist ser-

mon ever delivered in the town of Charleston. This was in 1813, and two years later another, destined to the bishopric-Rev. Thomas A. Morris-delivered a series of sermons in Charleston. In 1815 Rev. Mr. Morris traveled the Kanawha Valley, and in 1816 joined the Ohio conference. For several years he traveled a circuit, then served as elder, and in 1836, was elected a bishop. He was the last of the Meth- odist bishops that made the rounds of his con- ferences on horseback. He died at Springfield, Ohio, September 2, 1874.

"The church appears to have been organized in Charleston, as early as 1816, and the congre- gation then worshipped in a log house which stood near the site on which the brick church was afterward built on Virginia street. From this time onward the names of Thomas Lowery, Burwell Spurlock, Stephen Spurlock. Francis Wilson, Alexander Cummins, Joseph Farrow, William McComas, William Herr. Henry S. Fernandus, David Kemper. Isaac C. Hunter and John H. Power, are remembered as among the early Methodist ministers of the valley.

"Rev. Robert O. Spencer with a colleague, Joseph Deter, who died a few weeks after his arrival, came to the valley in 1833. The Charleston congregation then, as it had done for some years previously, worshipped in a frame building which stood on what is now Virginia street. but in the year 1834. Rev. Spencer W. Young, largely assisted by Charles R. Baldwin, a prominent and talented lawyer of Charleston, having at the time but recently become a member of the church, and the co-op- eration of the laity, among whom were Thomas C. Thomas, Luke Wilcox and Henry New, undertook and in the same year, completed a commodious brick edifice, which became known as "Asbury Chapel." It was dedicated by Rev. William Young. The renowned Henry Bas- com had been engaged for that purpose, but was unable to be present. The first trustees ap- pointed in 1833, were Thomas C. Thomas, William S. Hutt, John Trudgian, James S. Stark and Charles R. Baldwin."

The Methodist Episcopal Church (South) was organized in the year 1866 by the Rev. J. F. Johnson, the present minister being Rev.

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Robert T. Webb. The first building erected by this denomination was destroyed by fire.

EPISCOPAL

The church had its representatives early in the history of Kanawha County and may have had them earlier than the record shows, as for several years after the settlement began there was little done towards establishing churches.

The county was formed in 1788. Prior to 1776, Virginia was a colony of England and the Established Church of England was the church in Virginia; all others were dissenters. The state government and the church were more or less the same in the colonies, and the vestries of the church participated in matters, and had duties to attend to, that are now a part of the county government. Every parish had its vestry and every county had one or more parishes, and parishes were formed by the Assembly. Henning's Statutes show that legislation concerning the church and parishes was a large part of the work of the General Assembly.

The legislation recorded in Chapter I, Oc- tober Session of 1776, was in relation to to- bacco, and the next, in relation to the church, repealing the act of parliament that imposed duties on the people or punishment for religious opinions, or as to any mode of worship, and exempting dissenters from paying taxes to sup- port churches, but the glebes were saved to the parishes and all donations held sacred; in short, all connection between church and state was repealed.

Then the war came on to determine whether this act should stand or fall, and the church in Virginia continued to be so English that the loyalty of the rebels in the churches of the col- ony was held doubtful. When the war was over, the church in Virginia was in a very weak condition, her ministry looked upon with dis- favor and as tories, her churches nearly all despoiled and her members unable to decide what to do; their love of liberty seemed to take them one way and their church another.

But the best people in Virginia were Epis- copalians and they passed that Act which made all religions and churches stand on an equal footing, and they did as much to sustain it as

did any others. They sacrificed their church for their country, while others were fighting for their country and their churches. The Prayer Book was retained, though they could not use the Prayer for the King. In Virginia they had upwards of 160 churches and about 100 ministers. At the end of the war there were about thirty ministers, and the church was well nigh extinct; but the members would not concede that they could not be loyal to the State and be Episcopalians, so they began to organize and they procured Rev. Dr. Madison to be consecrated as Bishop of Virginia, but he died in 1812.

They called annual conventions or councils ; Bishop Moore succeeded Bishop Madison; reg- ular clergy and lay delegates attended from the parishes and it was in 1823 that the church in Kanawha was represented in the annual con- vention held in Leesburg, when the Rev. Charles H. Page attended from Kanawha. Ac- cording to his report, the church had ten com- municants, and the church at Coalsmouth was in a flourishing condition and a church there was then being built; there were two Sunday schools in the parish, one at Coalsmouth and the other at Charleston, and Mr. Page was then rector. Edmond Berkely was the lay delegate at the convention in 1826; the church at Coals- mouth was built, principally through the Hud- son family; the congregations were from 100 to 150 in number. In 1829, Bishop Meade was elected an assistant bishop and this shows that the church was growing throughout the state. In 1832, Rev. Mr. Goodwin was the Rector of Kanawha Parish. In 1836, Rev. John Martin was rector of Kanawha Parish and his report shows a church being built at Charleston and that he also preached at Coalsmouth.

The reports from the churches are interest- ing and those who would like to read them can call on Dr. Roller and get Bishop Peterkin's Book. In 1840, Rev. James Clark was the rector of Kanawha Parish, and Rev. Mr. Mar- tin of Coalsmouth Parish. In 1841, $2,000 had been collected to build a church in the Sa- lines. In 1842, the Bishop says, it was re- ported that the churches in Western Pennsyl- vania and Western Virginia were discussing a proposition to make a new diocese of their ter-

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ritory, but a motion looking to this subject was laid on the table; the church in the Salines had been completed, costing $3,300. In 1844, says the Bishop, he consecrated the church in the Salines, and preached at St. John's in Teays Valley, which church was once a distillery and is now commonly called, "Still House Chapel." In that year, Rev. Mr. West was rector at Coalsmouth. In 1845, Rev. Mr. H. D. Ward was minister at Charleston and Rev. F. B. Nash at Coalsmouth. In 1846, Bishop Johns was assistant to Bishop Meade. In 1848, Francis M. Whittle was rector at Charleston and the Salines, and Rev. F. B. Nash at Coals- mouth and at Still House Chapel. In 1851, Rev. R. T. Beam was rector in Charleston, and Mr. Nash at Coalsmouth. In 1856, Rev. R. T. L. Smith was rector at Charleston and Malden. In 1857, the Bishop visited Coalsmouth, Cedar Grove and Fields Creek. In 1860, Mr. Smith was rector in Charleston. He reports that he had done preaching on missionary trips, and once at Clifton an old man promised he would prepare a room for preaching for any Evan- gelical minister to use; it was not long before Rev. Mr. Smith was again at Clifton and found that the old man had done as he promised and the room was prepared; in this he preached, the old man and his wife and daughter attend- ing afternoon and evening and the church be- ing well filled. The old lady, who was over seventy, came up with her daughter, who had been brought to God by his preaching, and said she was so happy she wanted to shout like a Methodist, though she was a Baptist. In Coalsmouth, the church which had been vacant for several years, was in that year filled by Rev. Alonzo J. M. Hudson.

Now comes on another war. There were visited in 1860 by the bishops in Western Vir- ginia the churches at Bunker Hill, Martins- burg. Hedgesville, Shepperdstown, Middleway, Charlestown, then in Greenbrier and Monroe, Fairmont, Wheeling, Wellsburg, Moundsville, Parkersburg, Ravenswood, Point Pleasant ; but failed to reach Weston, Mercers Bottom, Charleston, Coalsmouth, Morgantown. The reports show collections from all of them and also from Clarksburg. Pleasant County, etc., and show a healthy financial condition of the

church, but there were no delegates to the An- nual Council from West Virginia. In 1862, when the war was going on, Bishop Meade died. In 1865, Rev. W. F. M. Jacobs came to Charleston, found the church much disor- ganized and the building desolated; he was taken sick and had to resign and Rev. Mr. Thompson of Gallipolis kindly officiated. In 1867, Rev. Mr. Jacobs, who resigned because of ill health, died. In 1868, Rev. Joseph A. Nock came to Charleston; Rev. F. M. Whittle was elected assistant bishop of Virginia, with Bishop Johns; Malden organized a separate parish; Coalsmouth had no minister, and had had none since 1861. In 1869, Rev. Mr. Nock resigned and Rev. C. M. Callaway was elected. In 1873, Rev. David Barr was minister at Coalsmouth. In 1875, Mission Chapel in West Charleston was under Supt. E. L. Bill; Rev. Mr. C. M. Callaway resigned from St. John's at Charleston; Rev. Pendleton Burke resigned at St. Albans; Convocation held at Wellsburg resolved that a division of the diocese is de- manded by the interests of the church in West Virginia. Rev. R. A. Cobb was elected to St. John's, Charleston in 1875. In 1876, Bishop Johns died in April; Committee reports in favor of the division of the Diocese and of making the State of West Virginia a new dio- cese. This division had been agitated in 1821, in 1851, in 1865, in 1872 and again in 1874.

In 1877, there was held a primary conven- tion to take steps toward the formation of the new diocese; the vote for bishop of the new diocese did not select. In 1878, Council at Charlestown elected G. W. Peterkin bishop of West Virginia; at the Special Council at Mar- tinsburg, Bishop Peterkin presided and there were present eight clergy and seven laymen. In 1880, Rev. R. A. Cobb was elected secre- tary of Council: and Rev. Mr. Cobb and Maj. T. L. Brown were elected deputies. In 1883. Rev. R. A. Cobb and Maj. T. L. Brown were deputies to General Convention, which was at- tended by eighteen clergymen and sixteen lay- men. In 1886, R. A. Cobb and T. L. Brown were elected from Kanawha. In 1887, Rev. Dr. Cobb resigned as secretary of Council. In 1888 occurred the death of Rev. Dr. R. A. Cobb, G. WV. Thompson, Maj. F. C. Corill and

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History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens, Part 34

Author: Laidley, William Sydney, 1839-1917. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1911 Publisher: Chicago, Ill., Richmond-Arnold publishing co Number of Pages: 1066

Author: Laidley, William Sydney, 1839-1917. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, Ill., Richmond-Arnold publishing co
Number of Pages: 1066