USA > West Virginia > Kanawha County > Charleston > History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens > Part 35
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General J. H. Oley; Sheltering Arms Hospi- tal, located at the mouth of Paint Creek, has collected $5,650.38; Rev. R. D. Roller was called to Charleston. In 1889, the deputies from Kanawha to the General Convention were Rev. R. D. Roller and W. S. Laidley, and changes in the Prayer Book was its work. In 1890 the Council met in Charleston; St. John's Church was completed. In 1892, deputies from Kanawha to the Council were Dr. Roller and W. S. Laidley. In 1895, the deputies were the same as in 1892. In 1898, a Coad- juter Bishop was considered; the deputy from Kanawha was W. S. Laidley; ninety places had been visited during the last year, and there had been 4,568 confirmations since organiza- tion. In 1899, Rev. W. L. Gravall was elected Co-Adjutor Bishop and consecrated November IO. In 1901, Council was held at Charleston; the delegates elected from Charleston were Dr. Roller and W. S. Laidley. Since this date there has been little change except in a steady growth of confirmations.
Bishop Meade said when he first came to Charleston there were two communicants, Mrs. Colonel Lovell and Mrs. Quarrier; there were others by birth and education attached to the church, and some gentlemen advocated . it in preference to others. At Coalsmouth, the Thompsons, Hudsons, Lewises, Turners, Thorntons, Bradfords, Simmses, Rogerses and others have been vestrymen. Rev. Joseph Wil- lard came to Kanawha as a missionary, and was the first Episcopal minister to come here. He found but few communicants but several at- tached to the church and willing to contribute to its support, including the Slaughters, Quarriers, Rogerses, McFarlands, Patricks, Drydens, Lovells, Welchs, Reynolds, Lewises and others. The deed to the lot for the church was re- corded in 1835 and the building was completed in 1837. The corner stone for the new church was laid in 1884, and the building finished in 1888. A committee had been appointed to build a new church; the Bishop informed the congregation they needed it by sending a con- tribution of $25 for that purpose. The com- mittee consisted of Mrs. A. J. Ryan, Mrs. C. I. Morgan, W. H. Hogeman, W. A. Quarrier and W. S. Laidley. Mrs. Ryan resigned and
Rector Cobb was appointed in her place. Mrs. Morgan removed and Mrs. H. D. Ruffner was appointed in her place. Each of the committee except Laidley died before the church was finished. The church was consecrated June 9, 1901. The building, with the spire, is of stone.
The "House of Prayer" was built in 1874 by a committee consisting of E. L. Bill, Lewis Summers and W. S. Laidley. Mr. Bill and Mr. J. D. Luckadoe conducted the Sunday School.
St. Mathews Church on the South Side was started in 1892 by the Rector, Dr. Roller and Alexander W. Quarrier. After Mr. Quar- rier's death, Mr. W. W. Adams carried on the work until his death, and was succeeded by John Howe Peyton, who finished the handsome stone church.
In Bishop Peterkin's Book, a "History of the Protestant Episcopal Church in West Vir- ginia," will be found much fuller details of the Church in Kanawha, and this can be had of Rev. Dr. Roller of Charleston.
THE UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH
This body of Christians began its work in what is now West Virginia, in the year 1836, and its first organization was perfected in Ma- son county. A conference west of the moun- tains was organized at Centreville, in Tyler county, in March, 1858, and the body thus created, has ever since been known as the Par- kersburg conference, in the bounds of which the great Kanawha valley is included. The ter- ritory embraced within the conference included a large portion of what is now West Virginia. From this beginning this denomination has spread its work over almost the entire state, in- cluding the counties of the Great Kanawha valley, where it has a large membership with valuable church property, especially in Mason and Putnam counties.
ROMAN CATHOLIC
The Rev. Father Bonnecamps, a Jesuit, was the first Catholic priest who saw the mouth of the Great Kanawha river. He was the chap- lain of the French expedition, which buried the leaden plates on the banks of the Ohio in 1749. The expedition reached the mouth of the Great
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Kanawha, August 18, 1749, where storms de- layed it for two days. Whether Father Bon- necamps performed any part of the church ser- vice here is not known, but it is to be presumed that he did. He was an able mathematician and from his observations on this journey, he drew the first map of the Ohio valley. It is still preserved, and is a model of accuracy.
"Who the first Catholics were that settled in the Kanawha valley," says Mr. Lewis, "we do not know, but that there were some residing here at an early date is a matter of record. But no organizations were effected for a number of years. The first priest known to have vis- ited Charleston was Rev. Father Hitzelberger, who came on a visit to relatives or friends about the year 1836, when he preached in the court house. Subsequently he was pastor of the church at Norfolk, Va .; he later joined the order of Jesuits and died there many years since.
"Right Rev. Bishop Richard Vincent Whe- lan visited the Kanawha valley for the first time in 1842. He came from Richmond in a stage coach to Kanawha Falls, whence he went to Nicholas county to visit the Duffys there re- siding. On a later visit to the valley he fell sick at a hotel in Charleston, but was removed to the residence of George Jeffries, where he was attended by Dr. Cotton.
"Rev. John H. Walters visited Charleston previous to the Civil War, and baptized sev- eral persons there and at Valcoulon on Coal river. Fathers Joseph Heidencamp, Henry F. Parde, Patrick McKernan and Father Kellen- berg from Pomeroy, Ohio, visited Charleston and other points in the valley during the Civil War, but there was no stationed priest until the coming of Father Joseph W. Stenger, to whose energy and zeal is due the flourishing condition of the church in the valley at the present time. He * * arrived * at Charleston June 5, 1866, and in August of the same year, Bishop Whelan joined him and purchased property. A school was organized that year, and Father Stenger converted the office of the late Judge Dunbar into a chapel, where the congregation worshiped until De- cember, 1869, when the church building was completed.
CHURCHES IN CHARLESTON IN 1911
Second Day Adventist; Randolph near Ohio avenue; Rev. Geo. Moore, pastor.
Baptist Temple; Capitol and Washington ; Rev. T. C. Johnston, pastor.
Cavalry Baptist ; 732 Indiana avenue, West- side ; Rev. T. H. Binford, pastor.
Ebenezer Baptist; Stockton street: Rev. Judge W. Coleman, pastor.
First Baptist (colored) ; Washington near Shrewsbury; Rev. B. R. Reed, pastor.
Glenwood Baptist: 701 B. St .; Rev. Peter Moore, pastor.
Magazine Missionary Baptist: Gardner near Crescent rd .: Rev. Ira H. Bee, pastor. .
Church of Sacred Heart (R. Catholic) : Broad bet. Va. and Quarrier streets: Rev. Father Lewis, pastor.
Christian; Lee cor. Brooks; Rev. Samuel D. Moore, pastor.
St. John's Episcopal; Broad and Quarrier streets ; Rev. R. D. Roller, pastor.
St. Luke's Episcopal: Randolph nr. Vir- ginia Ave .; Rev. Arthur Lewis, pastor.
St. Mathew's Mission: Southside; Rev. A. Lewis, pastor.
Church of B'nai Jacob: Court and State: Rev. Samiel Fredman, pastor.
Polish Jew Synagogue-Court nr. State street.
Virginia Street Temple; Virginia, bet. Broad and Brooks: Rev. Leon Volmer, pastor. St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran; Court. bet. State and Virginia: Rev. E. S. Wanna- got, pastor.
Bowman Methodist Episcopal: Upper Big- ley Ave .; Rev. C. C. Lanahan, pastor.
Elizabeth M. E .: South Side; Rev. C. A. Powers, pastor.
First M. E. (South) ; Washington near Dickinson; Rev. R. T. Webb, pastor.
First (State Street) M. E. Church; Quarrier and Morris; Rev. O. D. King, pastor.
Lawrence M. E. Church; Washington nr. Elizabeth : Rev. W. A. Byus, pastor.
Roane Street M. E. Church: 40I Roane (W. S.); Rev. R. T. Yoak, pastor.
St. Paul M. E. Church; Court, bet. State and Virginia; Rev. R. P. Downs, pastor.
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Simpson M. E. Church (Colored) ; Quar- rier and Dickinson; Rev. T. S. Corroll, pas- tor.
Sixth Street M. E. Church; Sixth near Rus- sell; Rev. C. C. Graham, pastor.
Bream Memorial Church; Charleston St .; Rev. C. F. Myers, pastor. (See sketch in chapter XVII.)
First Presbyterian; Quarrier and Hale; Rev. Ernest Thompson, D. D., pastor.
Glenwood Presbyterian, 1223 Seventh Ave. Good Will Mission, Young near Welch.
Kanawha Presbyterian Church; 1007 Vir- ginia St .; Rev. J. M. Waddell, pastor.
Lick Branch Presbyterian Church; South Ruffner.
Piedmont St. Mission.
Schwamb Memorial Presbyterian Church; Crescent Road.
Second Presbyterian Church; Bigley Ave. South Side Presbyterian Mission.
United Brethren Congregations; Ort Hall; Rev. W. M. Slaughter, pastor.
SUNDAY SCHOOLS
The Sunday School Superintendents' Asso- ciation reports the following attendance of the Charleston Sunday schools on Sunday, October Ist :
MORNING SCHOOLS
Calvary Baptist 402
First M. E. 336
First Presbyterian 3II
Sixth Street M. E. 230
First M. E. South 317
Baptist Temple I91
Bowman M. E. 176
Kanawha Presbyterian 125
Roane Street M. E. 83
Christian Church
78
United Brethren 53
AFTERNOON SCHOOLS
Bream Memorial 728
Union Mission I50
Schwamb Memorial I30
Young Street 60
Lick Branch 52
This, of course, does not include all the schol- ars in the city, but only those so reported in the papers.
OUR SERMON
"If a man die, shall he live again?"
The proposition is put in the form of a con- undrum or query, as if it were not a settled one -that man shall die. We have all our days been taught that life is uncertain and that death is sure-that death and taxes are of the sure things of this world. Paul says that "by Adam, sin entered into the world and death by sin, so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." And by our experience, tradition, and by revelation we say, that all earthly things do die, and the proposition might be read, "As man must die, shall he live again?"
Death is the cessation of life, as darkness is the absence of light; so death is the departure of life; it is the event which changes man from a living unto a deceased person, and this. event comes to all living beings. Then we will ask, what is life? "Life is life," a vital force, that, being implanted in any one, or anything, makes him a living, moving, thinking person, or if in a thing, makes it a growing, changing, living thing. This definition is not very satisfactory. Life may be defined, perhaps, as a quickening, animating principle, and death is the absence thereof, yet there may be a suspension of this animation, but no death, as it may return; but when this principle is incapable of restoration, then it is death. When man was by God formed, he was made man out of the dust of the ground; then the Creator breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, he became a living soul. In one instance his physical body was formed, in the other he was created a living soul. This made the whole man of a dual na- ture-this physical or earthly body with his soul or Spiritual nature added.
But "life" is not comprehended and hence cannot be defined; it is of that spiritual nature which mortal man cannot comprehend and no philosophy can explain or make known. We may learn of its results, but life itself we are unable to comprehend. A preacher once said (and he spake with authority). "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." Whenever the natural body is spoken of, it is always spoken of as mortal, and the spirit as . immortal, and there has never been supposed
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to exist any man that was not of this dual na- ture; otherwise he would be only as an animal, that has no soul. The separation of the soul and the body is at the time of his death, if not the cause of it.
In so far as our observation goes, and so far as all learning in all ages, and all records show, it is the fate of all to die-that there is a time coming to each living person when his body and his spirit shall separate. This same preacher has said "There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit, neither hath he power in the day of death," and we know of no contradiction having been made of this statement and of no tradition or record, nor of any observation to the contrary.
If a man die, shall he live again?
Having conceded to the first proposition, that he not only will die, but as a fact, must die, sometime, sooner or later, and that the time is not far off to many, what of the other part of the question, "Shall he live again." This is no new question; man has never desired to be annihilated, and it has been stated that he will live again because the desire to so live, has been thus implanted within him. Whether this is strong proof or no proof, we leave with you, and shall not undertake to determine. We ad- mit that we have no knowledge of any one who, having died, has returned to tell us of the here- after life; neither do we know that his evi- dence would be convincing, if it depended only on his word. There are some persons called Spiritualists that claim to have had spiritual communications from persons who have de- parted this life, which, if true, would prove the fact that if a man die he shall live again; but even this testimony is not satisfactory and it does not furnish sufficient evidence to satisfy all persons that the communication is from the one from whom it purports to come. Besides Spiritualism has never been generally regarded as a proper medium of communication of the great facts, the answer to which is of such vast importance to all.
Then on what must we base our conclusions ? We answer, upon the Word of God, upon the Bible, upon Revelation, the inspired Written Word of God. We do not suppose that we need this inspiration to teach us that there is
a God, for much of his power and knowledge and His attributes are known without it; but there is not much else that would satisfy the ordinary mind, that "man does live again." Paul wrote most convincingly on this subject and it is taught from the beginning to the end, most conclusively, that man shall live again; his dual nature can be explained on no other theory, and it is not as difficult a proposition to believe, perhaps, as it is to disbelieve it.
There are insects that live in one state or condition for a time and then undergo a change of nature and, without ceasing to live, go on under a new life or a nature quite different. Insects that were made to and do live in the water as their natural element and are at home and happy under the water after a sea- son undergo a radical change into another form (metamorphosis) and come out, and stay out and live in the air ever after. Once they would swim, but now they fly; once they be- longed to the water but now to the atmosphere, which has become their natural element. If insects, bugs and worms are thus made to live again or to continue their life after such a change of nature, of which we have no manner of doubt, should it be considered incredible that man should be given a like ability to live again and experience a change of nature? That he should live on Earth as a physical natural man and afterwards live a spiritual life in another element. in another world; live as we believe both God and His angels live, with a better and more refined nature, and able to comprehend much that he is now unable to do? It seems to us that this almost convinces us that it not only is true, but that it as a matter of course must be true that if a man die, he shall live again.
Taking it to be answered in the affirmative, that hereafter he shall live again, that really he never wholly dies, that his spiritual nature has never died, but only his earthly natural body. he continues to live and will live in the Spirit- ual world. Then we may ask, what of it and what then? We are satisfield that a spiritual life is not similar to the life we here live, and that there must be a purpose in making the change, and that this change will not be an immaterial one-that we will not go along as
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we have been going. We know and we are taught that there is in this world a principle of right and of good, and of truth, as well as a principle of wrong, of wickedness, and of deception and fraud. God is the living princi- ple of all that is good, and Satan of the other and that they are opposed to each other. That in the future world the followers of the one and those of the other are to be separated, and that the good are to be blessed and the others will not be.
You ask how we know all this? Through inspiration and revelation and by the force of necessity,-we must believe that God made a heaven and another place, and that there was a purpose in this preparation of two places or states of being. If all were to be treated alike, only one place would be required and if there were to be no discrimination, there would be no inducement to be good and obey God, but we could follow our own wicked inclinations, and make the future world as miserable as this world has been made to many; therefore as a matter of necessity, and of common sense there must be more than one future world and place and there must be a separation of the in- habitants of the earth,-they must be divided, hereafter.
If those that have tried to serve the Lord and do his will are to be blessed, and rewarded, they must be separated from those that caused them so much suffering on earth. Satan and his hosts and his followers have done all in their power while on earth to cause all the suf- fering possible, which was by no means to be endured longer, if it could be avoided; and it is taught that it can be and will be avoided in the next world, and that there will be a sep- aration of the sheep from the goats. There is no doubt of this proposition in the mind of any one who believes in God, in a future world, and in the fact that Man shall live again. It is asserted by some that they do not believe all this, that when a man dies that is the end of him, and they do not or pretend not to believe
the Bible, and what it teaches as to the future; but the fact, as so taught, does not depend upon any one's belief, and whether you do or do not believe it, the fact remains the same, neverthe- less.
He has commanded among other things that "thou shall not lie, nor steal, nor kill;" and the violation of one of these commands is as great a sin, as it was in Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, and mankind suffered the con- sequences as surely as the sin was committed, and "the Lord shall judge his people" and "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Then the most natural question that could be asked, is, what are we to do to avoid the future punishment. We are not a minister of the Gospel nor authorized to in- terpret the Bible, nor to advise in such matters. But there are persons sent to teach, to warn and to advise. Seek of them, read the Book that professes to be God's inspired Word. Do that which your own conscience teaches you to do and leave off that which you know, already, is wrong, and do that which you know is right; cease to do evil. Choose you this day whom you will serve, God or Satan. Do not deceive yourself with the belief that you can serve Satan all your life on Earth, and live hereafter in Heaven with God and his Holy Angels and mankind redeemed and saved. Life in this world dies not last long, death is the separa- tion of this body from the soul, and then will follow the separation of the good from the bad : when you can no longer prevent your real na- ture from being known and your merits or de- merits from being rewarded. Your belief or your want of it, may be your worst sin. Per- haps it would be well for you to investigate and make enquiry, to learn what you should do, and then do it; for life is uncertain, and you may make it too late. Do not rely on our words, but consider and act. Read this over and let it have its weight, consider it and may you be blessed in your attempt to reach the truth.
CHAPTER XVI
KANAWHA PHYSICIANS
Early Physicians-Drs. John Eoff, N. W. Thompson, Spicer Patrick, R. E. Putney, J. E. Put- ney, T. O. Watkins, Daniel Smith, C. I. Lewis and Others-Character of the Profession in Kanawha County-Charleston Doctors.
PHYSICIANS OF KANAWHA
As far back as either history or tradition will take us, we find that Kanawha has had good physicians, notwithstanding the fact, as stated by Mr. Thomas Mathews that "previous to the coming of doctors, the people were healthy." It was not considered healthy to have Indians lurking around and it was hardly considered correct that because the residents had nothing in particular, they would not have a chill. It has been said that the mistakes made by physicians are not exposed to the public but are covered up about four feet under ground, and that there is nothing more to be said.
The earlier physicians of the valley, says says Dr. A. L. Knight, were generally classi- cally educated, good anatomists and presum- ably skillful surgeons, but did not practice be- yond minor surgery prior to the introduction of chloroform, as an anesthetic about 1844. Since then, major operations have occasion- ally been done in the valley. The valley is now also provided with aurists, ophthalmologists and other specialists. Prior to the passage of the act regulating the practice of medicine in the state of West Virginia, there were scattered here and there, Thompsonian or root and "yarb" doctors, whose methods were a combina- tion of the obsolete ones of physicians and the ordinary domestic practice ( from away back). These woods doctors were audacious in direct proportions to their ignorance of pathology, and would undertake to cure anything from scaties or itch, to caveinoma or cancer. Still
they should have a niche at least on the pedes- tal of the fane to medical history. Their suc- cess, with their crude, but innoxious remedies furnished by the bountiful hands of nature, gave many beneficial lessons to the regular physicians. Their harmless, but often efficient "teas," led the regulars to adopt more extracts and tinctures to the exclusion of harsher rem- edies. But the "firum ovea tea," given to make the measles break out, the "stercus vaccae," as a poultice in snake bite, and the blood of a black cat's tail, for erysipelas and shingles, were not adopted by the regulars.
The difficulties and hardships of the pioneer physician were great indeed. First, he kept and dispensed his own medicines-an inconvenience only known to those who have filled the dou- ble office of practitioner and apothecary. Then he and his horse were burthened with the old fashioned, weather-beaten saddle-bags, called by our grandmothers "saddle-pockets." in which at best, a limited supply of the most or- dinary medicines and a few surgical instru- ments could be stowed away. As a matter of course, a circuitous ride of fifty, sixty, often 100 miles, with perhaps thirty or more patients to provide for, would exhaust the largest pill- bags of all save the stronger medicines. Out of such a difficulty there was but one escape. to adopt the method of Dr. Bob Sawyer. of Dickens's "Pickwick" story, namely, to "give 'em calomel all round," which would hold the fort till a new supply of medicinal ammunition could be sent on. Then there were but few
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ST. MARK'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, ST. ALBANS
M. E. CHURCH, ST. ALBANS
E EFF
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, ST. ALBANS
BANK OF ST. ALBANS, ST. ALBANS
HIGH SCHOOL, ST. ALBANS
POSTOFFICE AND FIRST NATIONAL BANK AND DR. WILSON'S HOSPITAL (SECOND FLOOR), ST. ALBANS
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public roads or highways; in many sections not even a bridle path. All of the choice bottom and contiguous lands bordering on the Ohio and Kanawha rivers were in large military surveys, and in many instances owned by non- resident parties and therefore unimproved. The remaining portions were sparsely settled and hence three-fourths of the valley was a primitive wilderness.
However, the undergrowth of small bushes, except in deep, loamy soils where the dog-weed, paw-paw and hazel flourished, were not nearly so dense as in after years, so that course could be followed by day or moonlight by means of blazed trees, ridges, streamlets, etc. But these Heaven-gifted courses of travel were from time to time obstructed by the settlers them- selves by newly made fields and clearings where the unwary traveler would often find himself confronted with heaps of logs and brush, or newly-made rail or brush fence lying directly across the faintly outlined bridle-path. In the latter case the hillside cow-trail around the field bordering on the inclined, stony, ragged edge of the hill, offered the only feasible way of continuing the tiresome ride.
The reader will perceive by the foregoing that these laborious journeys could be made by the pedestrian or upon horseback only; and hence a physician having within his field of practice from one to two thousand inhabitants was compelled to keep in good condition from two to four good saddle horses, such as did not hesitate to climb the ragged hills or to swim the swollen streams when so required, and with stamina to endure his rounds of visits, which often required from one to two days and nights over just such roads and by-ways as above described. And all this labor of man and horse at the extortionate price of twenty-five cents per mile, measured by the crude guesses of the patrons !
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