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Shelby County |
CHAPTER XVI. - PROTESTANT CHURCHES IN SHELBY COUNTY (CONT'D)SALEM BRANCH OF THE GALLAND'S GROVE DISTRICT OF THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS CHURCH.
On December 27, 1869, Elder Charles Derry organized what in Cass township was known as the Salem church, with eighteen members, representing the families of the Hallidays, Lelands, Shackeltons, Seddones, Halls, Bullards and Leythams. Henry Halliday was chosen president; Jonathan Bullard, priest; Richard Leytham and David Hall, teachers; John Leytham, deacon; Joseph Seddon, clerk. For a period of forty years the church has been served by only four presidents, Henry Halliday, George Sweet, William D. Bullard and Frederick Hansen. HARLAN BRANCH OF THE GALLAND'S GROVE DISTRICT OF THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS CHURCH.
On May 23, 1869, the Harlan branch of the Latter-Day Saints church was organized. Prominent among the pioneer members of this church were Jonas W. Chatburn, John W. Salter, Frank Reynolds, W. M. Goreham, and J. C. Hardman, W. N. Booth, David Brewster and George A. Hoisington, Thomas N. Franklin has been long in service as clerk of the church. The church building at Harlan was erected in 1882 and is still used for church purposes. In 1887 the general church reunion was held at Harlan, President Joseph Smith presiding. The Sunday school work of the church was organized April 15, 1883, with Nathan Booth, superintendent; Henry Booth, secretary; and Frederick A. Smith (later a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles), treasurer. The superintendents of the Sunday school have been, besides N. Booth, J. B. Swain, F. P. Taylor, W. N. Booth, J. O. Booth, G. A. Hoisington, A. D. Martin and T. N. Franklin.
In 1909 the Methodist Episcopal church of Harlan, in an elaborate manner, celebrated fifty years of local Methodism. The author of this work is privileged to present the following historical article prepared for the occasion by Rev. A. R. Miller, at the time pastor of the Harlan Methodist Episcopal church: The beginning of Methodism in Shelby county was a quarterly meeting held in Harlan December 3, 1859. There were present at the quarterly conference I. I. Stewart, presiding elder: H. A. Tarkington, local elder, and S. P. Springer, steward and class leader. Four others, G. W. Tague, Lloyd Jenkins, L. D. Sunderland and Samuel Dewell, were invited in for counsel. It was unanimously voted to have the presiding elder secure a preacher for a circuit which was called Harlan Mission. The circuit extended from Manteno, in the northwest corner of Shelby county, to Macedonia, near the south line of Pottawattamie county, a distance, from extreme points, of about seventy-five miles. Rev. H. A. Tarkington and Rev. John Wilson, local preachers, contest the honor of preaching the first Methodist sermon within the bounds of the mission, but the first regularly appointed pastor was Rev. Kirtland Card. He was a vigorous, active young man, said to have been a good preacher, a hard worker, a mixer and all round good fellow. He was quite a musician, could play the violin (in those days called a fiddle), was an excellent fifer, often playing at the rallies, when enthusiasm was created and soldiers enlisted for the army. He received one hundred and thirty-nine dollars and sixty-one cents salary, of which Harlan paid two dollars and thirty-seven cents. He served the charge two years. He died some years later, in Harrison county, where some of his descendants may be found today. Harlan mission was a part of the Iowa conference, the first year of Rev. Card's ministry; the second it was in the Western Iowa, which was just organized. The next preacher was N. L. Phillips, who served the charge two years. The first year he was allowed a salary of three hundred dollars, and was paid one hundred and seventy-one dollars. The second year he was allowed three hundred and fifty and received two hundred and twenty-four dollars and twenty-two cents. The fourth session of the Western Iowa conference was held in September, 1863, and James Lisle was appointed to Harlan mission. At the next session the name of the conference was changed to Des Moines, and Rev. Lisle was reappointed to Harlan circuit. He was almost immediately drafted into the army, and J. A. Jefferson supplied the charge the balance of the year. At the conference of 1865 E.R. Latta came to Harlan circuit, but for some unknown reason left the work before the third quarter, and Ezra Martin took his place. At the close of the conference year 1866 there were in Shelby county 39 Methodists: Harlan, 1; Howlett's, 4; Simoda, 7; Newtown, 2; Bowman's Grove, 18; full members, 32; probationers, 7. There are now in the bounds of Shelby county six good charges, with thirteen church buildings and 1,053 members. The year 1866-67 marked the beginning of better days for Harlan mission. It was served by T. McK. Stuart. The work had eight appointments, Bowman's Grove, Harlan, Simoda, Howlett's, Newtown, Big Grove, Macedonia, Wheeler's Grove. Rev. Stuart reported 79 members, 15 probationers, 6 Sunday schools, 40 officers and teachers and 250 scholars. He received $327.52, of which Harlan paid $19.80. When Dr. Stuart served Harlan alone, 1901-4, he reported 353 members, 18 probationers, 1 Sunday school, with 24 officers and teachers and 200 pupils, and received for his support $1,100, besides house rent, valued at $200. Next came W. T. Smith, who was to become prominent in the affairs of the conference, to serve four of the districts as presiding elder, and one term as missionary secretary. Although there had been regular services in Harlan since 1859, there was no organized class until during Dr. Smith's administration. The charter members were Aaron Bergstresser, Elizabeth Woodruff, R. M. Smith, Lucy Adams, Mrs. Brazee, Mary F. Long; three full members, three probationers. The first parsonage was begun during Rev. Smith's term. One hundred dollars was raised by a festival, subscriptions were taken, and the works started. The sills were hewed from logs cut in the timber at Bowman's Grove, Rev. Smith hauled them in with his ponies (used in traveling the circuit) hitched to a wagon with the coupling pole suitably lengthened. It was enclosed in the fall of 1878, painted the following summer by C. W. Blodgett and completed by W. E. Hamilton. The year between W. T. Smith and W. E. Hamilton was divided between A. W. Taylor, A Johnson and C. W. Blodgett. Few men are more revered in the work than Dr. Hamilton, who served the charge again in 1882. He says: "The first time I saw Harlan it consisted of a court house, a store, a blacksmith shop, a school house, and eighteen dwelling houses, including the unfinished parsonage." During the first year the parsonage was completed and the foundation of the first church was laid. Levi Park followed Hamilton, but his work was unsatisfactory, and he was moved in the middle of the year, and S. W. Hawke finished it. Next came William Armstrong, who was considered a strong preacher, an all round man, who had an eye to fine horses, and it is said rather enjoyed an occasional horse race. The year 1873-4 the charge was supplied by A. C. Smith, who received a salary of $743.75, of which Harlan was to pay $400 and did pay $402.56. The church begun by Dr. Hamilton was dedicated during his time, the services conducted by Dr. Burns, president of Simpson College. The next pastor was an Englishman, whose name was Charles Ashton, a unique character of marked personality and striking originality. In his record he says, the times were exceedingly close, considerable dissatisfaction existed, several of the influential and paying members had moved away, few citizens sympathized with the church, Methodism was below par, grasshoppers covered the country, crops had failed, and the outlook was discouraging. However, he held a good revival and got $638.21 salary. At the next session of the conference T. P. Newland was appointed, but was compelled to give up the work at the end of six months, and G. W. White finished it. Rev. Newland still lives, in his seventy-fifth year, his home at Villisca, loved and respected by all who know him. G. H. Detwiler, an earnest soul, a natural evangelist with a fund of anecdotes, served the next year. The men who have served the charge since that time are all well remembered, and all are living except M. F. Goddard. Their order of succession is: D. C. Franklin, W. E. Hamilton, P. V. D. Vedder---(in the South, in poor health stricken with paralysis)---W. W. Ramsay, J. H. Senseney, W. H. Shipman, A. T Jeffrey, M. E. Goddard, J. T. Ream, B. F. Miller, T. McK. Stuart, C. J. English, William Dudley, John P. Morley. These are the pastors that have served this charge from the beginning until the time of the present incumbent. These have all been true men--wrkmen that need not be ashamed. They have been loyal to the faith of their fathers. In every instance, as each name has been called for the passage of his character at conference, the answer has been: "Nothing against him." They were spirit-filled men, who won trophies for the church and souls for their Master. Of the thiry-four pastors that have served the church the past fifty years, one only, J. T. Ream, stayed four years; three, D. C. Franklin, A. T. Jeffry and T. McK. Stuart---second term---three year each; twelve, two year; eight, one year. At two separate years there were two pastors during the year, and one year there were three. Great revivals prevailed during the pastorates of Revs. Veddar, Jeffry, Goddard and Ream. They reported 191, 165, 113, 203 conversions respectively, a total of 672. Since the time of D. C. Franklin, when Harlan became a station, 1,034 converts have been received on probation, besides scores that have joined other communions. The present fine new brick church building was erected in 1879 at a cost of $12,000.The approximate membership of the church is 367 and the number of pupils enrolled in the Sunday school is 240. Charles A. Reynolds is superintendent of the school. The pastors of the church from 1909 to date are: Reverends A. R. Miller, Edwin C. McDade and William Emmet Hardaway, who is the present pastor.
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