Highways and hedges ; or fifty years of western Methodism

Front matter

r^i/i-i e7 o^o ^n:

FIFTY YEARS OF WESTERN METHODISM.

BY

Author's Preface To The Second Edition

IN sending out the second edition of "Highways and Hedges " I wish to express my sincere gratification in view of the favor with which my work has been received. Not only have I received the thanks and congratulations of old friends and fellow-laborers, but other brethren, comparatively strangers to me, occupying high positions among the laity and ministry, have, given it flattering notice. I have been advised by some of my friends to insert in this edition some of those notices. Others, again, have advised me to add a chapter giving my experiences and observations in the great city of the North -West, during the terrible fire of October, 1871; but I have concluded to make no further change in the volume than simply to correct some typographical errors that escaped notice in the former edition. I shall greatly appreciate the kindness of all who assist in the circulation of my book, as they will thereby assist me, though in an indirect way, to itinerate, and preach, and contribute something for the maintenance of the old landmarks and the extension of the boundaries of our beloved Methodism.

JOHN STEWART. 302 West Indiana-St., )

Chicago, III., December 20, 1871. )

Chapter I

Birth and ancestry — Father heads a small colony and emigrates to the Hockhocking Valley, in Ohio — Incidents of the journey — George Barris — Builds a cabin — Establishes Sabbath services in his cabin — Travels twenty-five miles to class-meetings — Induces Kevs. Jacob Young and George C. Light to visit the Hockhocking Valley — They establish the first permanent societies in the region — Names of members of first class at Daniel Stewart's — Class at South Town — Family religion — The subject of this narrative converted — Eliphalet Case — Hunting and praying — Philadelphia Case — Eev. Marcus Lindsey — Rev. Joseph Pownell — Revival — Singular mode of appointing new leader — E. T. "Webster attends class and is awakened — The subject of this narrative is licensed to exhort — Appointments: Smith's, M'Keever's, Pilcher's, and Lotridge's — Doings of mother Buter — Rev. T. A. Morris — Glorious time at Milton Buckingham's — The young exhorter becomes tempted — He eludes his companion and starts for home— Meets Lindsey at Athens, and counsels with him — Teaches school and holds prayer and class-meetings — Licensed to preach — Visits a camp-meeting near Circleville page 15

Chapter II

Ohio Conference at Louisville, Kentucky, October 3, 1816 — Appearance of the preachers — List of those received on trial — Vast boundaries of the Conference — Appointments of the preachers — The writer employed as assistant on Letart Falls circuit — Struggle and decision — Reception by colleague and people — Opens his work at King's, at mouth of Mill Creek — Large circuit: partly in Ohio and partly in Virginia — Twenty-eight appointments every four weeks — Sketch of first sermon — Revivals — Received for year's labor $25 in depreciated money — Question as to life-work — The farm and plenty, or the circuit and poverty — Decides for God — Recommendation carried up to the

Ohio Conference page 27 o CONTENTS.

Chapter III

Conference at Zanesville, Ohio, October 3, 1817-Bishop Roberts— list of persons received on trial— The writer the only survivor ol the class— Bishop Roberts's sermon on Sabbath— Samuel Parker sent as missionary to Natchez— His feeble health, and affectionate parting ~-i+.h his brethren— The -writer appointed to Little Kanawha circuit- Plan of circuit— "Writer's views of preaching and other duties— He and his colleague blaze their pioneer path through the forest— Rude but cheerful hospitality — Amusing experiences — Bear meat and bear

skins " Not all gold that glitters" — Preacher deceived by outward

appearances — Bevs. David Smithers, Samuel Briggs, and Beese Wolf : their peculiarities and worth as local preachers — Transferred to Fairfield circuit — Jacob Young's notice of the change in his autobiography— Mistakes corrected — Bev. Michael Ellis — His fatherly welcome — Reminiscences of appointments and fellow-workers — Charges that have grown out of this circuit — Some of the local preachers were men of great ability and worth — Biographical sketch of Rev. Michael Ellis — The quarterly-meeting of those days — Writer's first sermon in presence of his colleague — Rev. J. M'Mahon's criticism — Rev. James Quinn's amusing experience — Conference year two months shorter than usual — Round exchanged with Rev. Job Baker page 33

Chapter IV

Conference at Steubenville, Ohio, August 7, 1818 — Persons received on probation — Conference business — William Burke — Mahoning circuit— First call — Bev. Shadrach Bostwiek — Revival — Horatio Bay — Conversions — Erie Circuit — Dr. Samuel Adams — Dr. D. D. Davisson — Rev. Alfred Bruuson — Dr. Menarey — Revs. Smith, Leach, and Miller useful local preachers — Great revival and ingathering — Exchange one round with Bev. Isaac C. Hunter, the supply on Lake circuit, New York— Accompany Bev. J. B. Finley to Chautauqua camp-meeting— Large circuit— Erie — Waterford— M'Connelsville — Meadville— Mercer— Rev. Samuel Gregg's mistakes corrected — Horseback journey to Cincinnati — Proposition to found an institution of learning agitated— Indian missionary work — Delegates elected to General Conference—Persons admitted on probation— Ordained deacon— Postpone matrimonial engagement in view of missionary work— Sketches of J. Young and J. B. Finley pA(JB u

Chapter V

Volunteers for frontier work— Blue River circuit, Indiana—Mar riage and retirement of my colleague— Bishop Roberts moves into the bounds of the circuit — Character and popularity among the ne pie -Experience with a young Calvinistie missionary— Lewis Rob" erts and family — Wedding scenes— Muskatatack camp-meetinff_

CONTENTS. y

The jerks — List of appointments — General Conference, and exciting scenes page 61

Chapter VI

Mt. Carmel circuit, 111. — Conference at Shiloh, 111., September, 1820 — Bishop Roberts presiding in bed— Camp-meeting— Received on trial — Plan of Mt. Carmel circuit — Leading Methodist families of 1821 in that circuit — Camp-meetings — Remarkable conversions — Ohio Conference, and list of persons received on trial , page 72

Chapter VII

A horse-thief pursued, captured, and punished — Societies organized for protection — Return to Ohio page 85

Chapter VIII

Vincennes circuit, Indiana — Marriage — Conference at Lebanon, Ohio, September, 1821 — Persons admitted on trial — Camp-meeting on Mt. Carmel circuit — Conference at Cape Girardeau, Missouri — Camp-meeting — Persons admitted on trial — Ordination to elder's orders — Sickness — Vincennes — General Harrison — Representative Methodists of the circuit — Birth of a son — Plan of circuit page 97

Chapter IX

Sketch of the early life and Christian experience of Mrs. Stewart PAGE 106

Chapter X

Ohio Conference at Marietta, September, 1822 — Transfer to Ohio Conference — Madison circuit, Indiana — Delegates to General Conference— Preacher's family to " board around " — Local preachers — Route of travel — Controversy with Baptists — Camp-meeting — Valuable families from Ohio — Camp-meeting — Bishop Roberts's great sermon page 120

Chapter XI

Muskingum circuit, Ohio — Conference at Urbana, September, 1823 — Death of Rev. Charles Trescott — Rev. Thomas Beacham — Plan of circuit — Membership — Salary — Wife teaches school — Local preachers— Rev. C. Springer — Visit from Bishop Roberts and Rev. Martin Ruter — Delegates to General Conference — Presiding elder question — Lay delegation discussed page 126

Chapter XII

Marietta circuit, Ohio — Conference at Zanesville, Ohio, 1824— Deceased preachers — Incident of travel — Revival — Waterford — Parks —

10 CONTENTS.

Itinerant feature of Church polity— "Whitney— Crawford— Daniels- Birth of second son — Plan of circuit

Chapter XIII

Guyandotte circuit, Virginia— Conference at Columbus, Ohio, October, 1825— Nathan Walker deceased— Bugged mountain ride— Search for a house— Sheep turned out and shepherd turned in— Outline of the circuit — Local preachers— Spurlock — M'Comas— Barboursville— Ladeley — Public whipping-post and characteristic scenes ...page 140

Chapter XIV

Deer Creek circuit, Ohio — Conference at Hillsboro, October 4, 1826 — John "Walker deceased — Eev. John Ferree — Bev. Bussel Bigelow — Conversion of a young skeptic — Parsonage at Dry Bun — Kind neighbors— Domestic incidents — Serious illness of wife and prayer answered in her recovery — Dr. Deming — Third son born — Badical excitement — Anecdote of father Timmons — Camp-meeting — Conference at Cincinnati, September 19, 1827 — Delegates to General Conference— John Sale deceased — Beturned to Deer Creek circuit — Move to Greenfield — General Conference and its exciting questions — Nicholas Snethen and Thomas Bond page 146

Chapter XV

Miami circuit, Ohio — Conference at Chillicothe, September 18, 1828 — Camp-meeting — William B. Anderson — J. M. Trimble's first Conference exhortation — The great Freemason excitement — List of appointments — Prosperous year — closed with camp-meeting — Conference at Urbana, September 3, 1829— Beturned to Miami circuit with James Laws for colleague — Camp-meeting — Incidents of the meeting— First daughter born page 159

Chapter XVI

Oxford circuit, Ohio— Conference at Lancaster, Ohio, September 8, 1830 — Pleasant year — Build parsonage in Oxford — Conference at Mansfield, Ohio, September 8, 1831— Michael Ellis deceased— Delegates elected to the General Conference— Beturned to Oxford circuit

Miami State University — Second daughter born — Bev. Moses Crume

Local preachers — Aaron Powers and the Mormons Names of precious memory— Camp-meeting— Collision with Kidwell of the "Star of the West" pao*'i67

CHAPTER XVII. Bellefontaine circuit, Ohio — Conference at Dayton, Ohio Sentem

ber 19, 1832— Bishop Emory— Bev. J. G. Bruce and Peter Sharp

Camp-meeting — Local preachers and model private members — Kind-

CONTENTS. II

ness.of brother Messick — Deputation from the Flat-Head Indians this year resulted in founding a mission among them page 173

Chapter XVIII

Troy circuit — Conference at Cincinnati, August 21, 1833 — Bev. John Ulin deceased — Arza Brown — Richard Brandriff— Local preachers and lay members page 177

Chapter XIX

Adelphi circuit, Ohio-Conference at Circleville, Ohio, August 20, 1834 — Sargent and Callahan deceased — Plan of the circuit — Haunted house — New parsonage — Great camp-meeting — Incident — Camp-meeting near the falls of the Hockhocking — Conference at Springfield, Ohio, August 19, 1835 — Philip Gatch, William Page, and Russel Bigelow deceased — Delegates to General Conference page 181

Chapter XX

Athens circuit, Ohio — Conference at Chillicothe, Ohio, 1836 — "William Phillips deceased— Return home — Conference at Xenia, Ohio, September 27, 1837 — John A. Waterman and Erastus Felton deceased— Ohio State University page 190

Chapter XXI

Felicity circuit, Ohio — Conference at Columbus, Ohio, September 26, 1838 — Rev. J. B. Finley deceased — Augusta College, its professors, successes, and downfall — Hon. David Fisher — Holly Raper — John Patterson— James Armstrong — Erection of church in Augusta — Church in Higginsport page 198

Chapter XXII

Georgetown circuit, Ohio — Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, September 18, 1839 — Preachers deceased — Delegates to General Conference — • Protracted meetings— Camp-meeting — Conference at Zanesville, Ohio, September 30, 1840 — Persons admitted on trial — Charles R. Baldwin and Jeremiah Hill deceased — Controversy on baptism — Protracted meetings — Camp-meeting — Decease of venerable mother — Sickness of daughters- Incidents and triumphant death of the girls — Local preachers — Prominent laymen page 204

Chapter XXIII

Bainbridge circuit — Conference at Urbana, Ohio, August 25, 1841 — R. W. Finley deceased — Pleasant year — Closing camp-meeting near Bainbridge - Conference at Hamilton and Rossville, Ohio, September 28, 1842 — William B. Christie and Isaac C. Hunter deceased — Protracted meetings — Wonderful outpourings of the Spirit — Building a

12 CONTENTS.

church — Kevival incidents— "Writer's second son licensed, and recommended to the traveling connection page 219

Chapter XXIV

Kanawha district, Virginia — Conference a,t Chillicothe, Ohio, September 23, 1843 — Rev. A. Hance deceased— Appointed presiding elder — Delegates to General Conference — Territory and population of the district — Preachers — Charges — Great Variety — Amusing anecdote— General Conference at New York, May, 1844 — Plan of separation— Intense excitement — Ohio Conference at Marietta, Ohio, September 4, 1844 — Bishop Soule — J. W. Kanaga deceased — Bishop's cabinet — Inside view — Stormy times — " Abolitionism " — Conference at Cincinnati, Ohio, September 3, 1845 — Exciting times — Bishops Soule and Hamline — Brothers Collins, Jones, and Farnandis deceased—Doctrines of the Church on slavery — Position of the writer — Outrage at Parkersburg — Correspondence with Bishop Soule — State of the district page 233

Chapter XXV

Portsmouth district— Conference at Piqua, Ohio, September 2, 1846 — Deaths — Preachers on district — Eesidence — Conference at Columbus, Ohio, September 1, 1847— Delegates to General Conference- Journey to Pittsburg — Session of General Conference — Dr. Dixon — Conference at Newark, Ohio, September 27, 1848 -James Quinn and "William Parish — Preachers on Portsmouth district — Kentucky work included— Cholera— Kentucky hospitality— Conference at Dayton, Ohio, September 26, 1849— Deaths reported— Pew question— Visit to Iowa. — Eeminiscences page 261

Chapter XXVI

Deer Creek circuit, Ohio— Conference at Chillicothe, Ohio, September 18, 1850— Pleasant charge— Conference met at Springfield, Ohio, September 17, 1851— Deaths— Beturned to Deer Creek circuit- Colleague, Samuel Middleton — Sickness of wife — Reminiscences and reflections— Delegation to General Conference page 279

Chapter XXVII

London circuit, Ohio— Conference met at Zanesville, September 1, 1852— Deaths— Colleague, Rev. James Brown— Appointments— " A meregarden spot"— Gracious revivals, and a happy year— Conference met at Lancaster, Ohio, September 7, 1853— Deaths— Returned to London circuit— Colleague, Rev. J. Crum— Revival fires spread over the circuit— Incidents— "Washington Withrow's conversion— Buys a horse for the preacher— Names of noble-hearted laymen— Critical illness of wife -Prayer prevails— Journey to Wisconsin page 284

CONTENTS. IS

CHAPTER XXVI II.

Pickerington circuit and Lancaster district — Conference met at Portsmouth, Ohio, September 6, 1854 — No deaths reported — Journey to Wisconsin — Settlement at Pickerington — List of eight appointments— Pleasant home and surroundings — Names of some of those excellent families — Conference met at Athens, Ohio, September 5, 1855 — Death — Pleasant Conference — Delegates to General Conference— Eeturned to Pickerington circuit — Eev. J. L. Grover resigns the district — The writer appointed to fill the vacancy — The work and the preachers — Pleasant and profitable year page 291

Chapter XXIX

Jackson district — Conference met at Newark, Ohio, September 3, 1856— Deaths — The field and the workmen on Jackson district — Live at Jackson — Conference met at Chillicothe, August 26, 1857— List of those received on trial — Death — -Preachers for Jackson District — . Sickness and death of venerable father — Conference met at Marietta, Ohio, August 25, 1858 — List of preachers for Jackson district — Conference met at Columbus, Ohio, August 31, 1859 — List of those received on trial — Bishop Morris's Sabbath sermon — Preachers on Jackson district — Pleasant years — Stewart Chapel page 297

Chapter XXX

Minister at large — Western tour — Conference at Gallipolis, Ohio, September 19, 1860 — Deceased, Jacob Young and Samuel Harvey — Semi-centennial celebration resolved on — Permission to travel al large during the year — Visit Chicago, Monroe, Madison, Freeport, Eockford, Burlington, Mt. Pleasant, Fort Madison, West Point, Chambersburg, St. Louis, Springfield, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Covington, Columbus, etc Preached about one hundred sermons and

visited a multitude of friends — Impressions of persons and places visited— Programme for memorial services page 305

Chapter XXXI

Frankfort circuit — Conference held its fiftieth session at Circleville, Ohio, September 11, 1861 — Semi-centennial celebration — Colleague, W.W. Cherington— Old friends — Nine appointments — Attended many funerals — War excitement — Cherished names page 319

Chapter XXXII

Deer Creek circuit and Chillicothe district — Conference at Zanesville, Ohio, September 3, 1862— J. W- Clark, Uriah Heath, and John P. Calvert deceased — Historical succession of preachers on Deer Creek circuit from A. D. 1800 to 1863— Colleague, Eev. T. J. N. Simmons ; Z. Connell, presiding elder — Conference at Lancaster, Ohio,

CONTENTS.

September 3, 1863— Neither probationers nor deaths— Eeturned to Deer Creek circuit — Death of presiding elder — Writer appointed to the district — The work and workmen on the district — Continued military excitement page 322

Chapter XXXIII

West Bushville circuit — Conference at Chillicothe, Ohio, October 8, 1864 — -Edward Estell and Zachariah Coimell deceased — Beunion of the members of Cincinnati and Ohio Conferences— Grand patriotic address of Bishop Simpson — Circuit plan of four appointments — Mode of pastoral work — Eebel sympathizers — Neighbors and choice spirits page 329

Chapter XXXIV

Eoyaiton circuit, Ohio — Conference at Columbus, Ohio, September 21, 1865 — John C. Havens, Henry Wharton, and Leonidas L. Hamline deceased — Kind attention from brethren and Conference — Bequest of Conference that the writer should deliver semi-centennial sermon at its next session — Colleague, Eev. John W. White — Nine appointments — Meditations page 333

Chapter XXXV

Superannuated life — Conference at Columbus, Ohio, September 26, 1866 — Semi-centennial sermon made the order of the day for Monday, 10 o'clock — Conference request publication — Superannuated — Resolution of respect — Journey to the North-west — Settled at Monroe, Wisconsin — Welcomed — Letter of welcome from Dr. Brunson — Eev. Aspinwall — Called on to preach — Letter to Ohio Conference— Assist son on Joliet district, Eock Eiver Conference — Concluding adieu to Methodists page 337