{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_12376/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_12376","id":"gutenberg_12376","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12376","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Biographies","Category: History - American","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Frontier and pioneer life -- Wisconsin","Methodist Episcopal Church. Wisconsin Conference"],"text":"THIRTY YEARS\n\nIN THE\n\nITINERANCY,\n\nBY\n\nREV. W.G. MILLER, D.D.\n\n1875\n\n\n\n\nDEDICATION.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nTO THE\nMINISTERS AND LAYMEN\nOF THE\nWISCONSIN CONFERENCE,\nWITH WHOM\nTHE AUTHOR HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED\nIN CHRISTIAN LABOR\nDURING THE PAST\nTHIRTY YEARS\nARE THESE PAGES\nRESPECTFULLY DEDICATED.\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe following pages were prepared in the midst of the taxing labors of\nthe Ministerial calling. The materials have been drawn from a multitude\nof sources, and, though the recollections of individuals have not been\nentirely harmonious in all cases, the facts and dates are believed to be\nmainly reliable. The general plan, it will be observed, contemplates a\nbrief record of the Charges and Ministers of the Wisconsin Conference,\nrather than furnish a sketch of my own services. To place the data,\nhowever, in suitable relations, and render it acceptable to the general\nreader, it has been deemed advisable to let the record follow the line\nof my labors during the thirty years of my Itinerant life. The\npublication of the book at the present time, is the result of my severe\nillness during the past year, and the generous, appreciative action\ntaken by the District Conferences. A record of many other Charges and\nMinisters had been prepared, but, to my regret, the limits of the volume\nwould not permit its insertion. Hoping that these pages may revive many\npleasant recollections, furnish interesting and profitable reading for\nthe fireside, and preserve material for the future historian, they are\ncommitted to the generous consideration of the public.\n\nTHE AUTHOR.\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nProvidential Intervention.--Nature and Providence alike Mysterious.--An\nUnseen Hand shaping Human Events.--The Author urged to enter the\nMinistry.--Shrinks from the Responsibility.--Flies to Modern\nTarshish.--Heads for Iowa.--Gets Stuck in the Mud.--Smitten by a\nNorthern Gale.--Turns Aside to see the Eldorado.--Finds Himself Face to\nFace with the Itinerancy.\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nThe Young Itinerant.--In a Lumber Mill at Waupun.--The Surprise.--An\nInterval of Reflection.--A Graceful Surrender.--The Outfit minus the\nHorse and Saddlebags.--.Receives Instruction.--The Final\nStruggle.--Arrives at Brothertown.--Reminiscences of the Red Man.--The\nSearching Scrutiny.--The Brothertown People.--The Mission.--Rev. Jesse\nHalstead--Rev. H.W. Frink.\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nExhorter in Charge.--The First Sabbath.--The Superb Singing.--Class and\nPrayer Meetings.--A Revival.--Stockbridge Counted In.--A\nRemonstrance.--Another Exhorter Found.--Decide to Hold a Great\nMeeting.--The Loaves and Fishes in the Lad's Basket too Few.--Chief\nChicks.--Conversion of a Noted Character.--Quarterly Meeting at Fond du\nLac.--Licensed to Preach.--Camp Meeting at Clason's Prairie.--Camp\nMeeting at Brothertown.--Church Enterprise.--Missionary\nMerchant.--Logging Bee.--Successive Labors.\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nFond du Lac.--First Sermon.--Early Presiding Elders.--Rev. H.W.\nReed.--Rev. James R. Goodrich.--Rev. Jesse Halstead the First\nPastor.--Rev. Harvey S. Bronson.--First Class.--Quarterly\nMeeting.--Delegation from Waupun.--Rev. Wm. H. Sampson.--Extended\nDistrict.--A Disastrous Fire.--Outside Appointments.--Stowe's\nChapel.--Preacher's Home.--Ethiel Humiston.--Byron.--Rev. Joseph T.\nLewis.--Rev. M.L. Noble--Rev. H. B. Colman.\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nGreen Lake Mission.--Waupun.--First Class.--Meetings held at Dr.\nBowman's.--Revival.--Two Local Preachers.--Short Cut to Ceresco.--Boxing\nthe Compass.--Wisconsin Phalanx.--First Society.--Dining Hall\nChapel.--Discussions.--Antiquated Views.--Green Lake.--Shadrach\nBurdick.--Visit to Dartford.--Little Green Lake.--The New\nChorister.--Markesan.--Lake Maria.--Revival.\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nGreen Lake Mission Continued.--Quarterly Meeting at Oshkosh.--Rev. G.N.\nHanson.--Lake Apuckaway.--Lost and Found.--Salt and Potatoes.--Mill\nCreek.--Rock River.--Rev. J.M.S. Maxson.--Oakfield.--Cold Bath.--Fox\nLake.--Gospel vs. Whiskey.--On Time.--Badger Hill.--S.A.L.\nDavis.--Miller's Mill.--G.W. Sexmith.--Burnett.--William Willard.--Grand\nRiver.--David Wood.\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nGreen Lake Mission Continued.--An Assistant Employed.--Quarterly Meeting\nat Waupun.--Love Feast.--Forty Miles Ride, and Four Sermons.--A Sermon\nand its Fruit.--Portage Prairie.--Randolph.--Randolph Centre.--Rolling\nPrairie,--Cheney's Class.--Brandon.--Rosendale.--Reed's\nCorners.--Strong's Landing,--A Night in the Openings.--Rev. Uriel\nFarmin.--Going to Conference.--Madison.--Visit at Platteville.--Bishop\nHamline.--Humorous to Grave.--Galena Conference.\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nAppointed to Watertown.--Aztalan the Mother of Circuits.--Divisions\nand Subdivisions.--Rev. S.H. Stocking.--Watertown.--Church\nEnterprise.--Sickly Season.--Quarterly Meeting at Burnett.--Rev. A.P.\nAllen.--Elder Sampson Ties a Knot.--Conference of 1847.--Returned to\nWatertown.--Financial Pressure.--Opens a School.--The Coat Sermon.\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nWaukesha--Old Prairieville Circuit--Changes--Rev. L.F. Moultrie--Rev.\nHooper Crews--Rev. J.M. Walker--Rev. Washington Wilcox--Upper and Nether\nMillstones--Our New Field--Revival--Four Sermons--Platform Missionary\nMeetings--The Orator--Donning the Eldership--The Collection.\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nMilwaukee--Early History--First Sermon--Rev. Mark Robinson--First\nClass--Rev. John Clark--Trustees--Rev. James Ash--Rev. David\nWorthington--Rev. Julius Field--Rev. John Crummer--First Church--Rev.\nJohn T. Mitchell--Rev. Sias Bolles--Lantern Convert--Second\nChurch--Rev. A. Hanson--Rev. Dr. Ryan--John H. Van Dyke--Rev. F.M.\nMills--Rev. James E. Wilson--Walker's Point--First Class--Rev.\nWm. Willard.\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\nSpring Street, Milwaukee--First Sabbath--Promising Outlook--The Deep\nShadow--Rev. Elihu Springer--Rev. I.M. Leihy--Revival--Missionary\nMeetings--Dedication at Sheboygan--Ravages of the Cholera--Death-bed\nScenes--The Riot--Bishop Waugh--Camp Meeting--Scandinavian Work--Rev.\nC. Willerup.\n\nCHAPTER XII.\n\nConference of 1851.--Presiding Elder.--Presentation.--Give and\nTake.--Fond du Lac District--Quarterly Meeting--Rev. J.S.\nPrescott.--Footman vs. Buggies--Fond du Lac.--Two Churches.--Greenbush\nQuarterly Meeting.--Rev. David Lewis--Pioneer Self-Sacrifice.--Finds a\nHelp-Meet.--Sheboygan Falls.--Rev. Matthias Himebaugh.--Oshkosh--First\nClass.--Church Enterprises.\n\nCHAPTER XIII.\n\nFond du Lac District Continued.--Green Bay.--First Settlement.--Rev.\nJohn Clark.--First Sermon.--First Class.--Col. Ryan.--First\nMethodist.--First Church Enterprise.--Good Society.--Heretical\nBonnet.--Various Changes.--Rev. R.P. Lawton--Church\nDisaster--Purifying the Temple--Rev. S. W. Ford.--Oneida Indian\nMission.--Oneidas.--Missionaries.--Quarterly Meeting.--Council.--\"Chief\nJake.\"--Interpreter.--Rev. Henry Requa.--His Dying Message.\n\nCHAPTER XIV.\n\nFond du Lac District Continued.--Appleton.--Early History.--Rev. C.G.\nLathrop--Lawrence University.--Incipient Stages.--Charter.--Trustees.\nAgent.--First Board of Instruction.--Buildings.--Faculty.--Rev. Dr.\nCooke.--Rev. Dr. Cobleigh.--Rev. Dr. Mason.--Rev. Dr. Knox.--Rev.\nDr. Steele.\n\nCHAPTER XV.\n\nFond du Lac District Continued.--Baraboo Conference.--Lodi Camp\nMeeting.--Fall River.--Revival at Appleton.--Rev. Elmore Yocum.--Revival\nat Sheboygan Falls.--Revival at Fond du Lac.--Rev. E.S.\nGrumley.--Revival at Sheboygan.--Rev. N.J. Aplin.--Camp-Meeting at\nGreenbush.--Rev. A.M. Hulce.--Results of the Year.--Janesville\nConference.--Omro. Rev. Dr. Golden.--The Cowhams.--Quarterly\nMeeting.--My Father's Death.--Close of the Term.\n\nCHAPTER XVI.\n\nConference of 1855.--The New Departure.--Mission Committee.--The Slavery\nControversy.--Triumph of Freedom.--Wisconsin Conference Rule. Conference\nReport.--Election of Delegates.--Appointed to Racine.--Detention.--The\nRemoval to the New Charge.--Stage, Dray, and Steamboat.--New Bus Line.\n\nCHAPTER XVII.\n\nRacine.--Its Early History.--Subsequent Growth.--Racine District.--Rev.\nDr. Hobart.--Kenosha.--Rev. Salmon Stebbins.--Sylvania.--The\nKelloggs.--Walworth Circuit--Burlington and Rochester.--Lyons. Troy\nCircuit.--First Class at Troy.--Eagle.--Round Prairie.--Hart\nPrairie.--Delavan.--Elkhorn.--Pastorate at Racine.--Revival.--Church\nEnlargement.--Second Year.--Precious Memories.\n\nCHAPTER XVIII.\n\nConference of 1859.--Janesville.--Early History.--First Sermon.--The\nCollection.--First Class.--First Church.--First Donation.--Rev. C.C.\nMason.--Missionary Anniversary.--Rev. A. Hamilton.--Rev. D. O. Jones.\nThe Writer's Pastorate.--The Great Revival.--The Recipe.--Old Union\nCircuit.--First Class.--Evansville.--Rev. Henry Summers.--New Church.\nConference of 1858.--Beloit.--Early Pastorates.--Church\nEnterprise.--Second Year at Janesville.\n\nCHAPTER XIX.\n\nConference of 1859.--Presiding Elder.--Milwaukee\nDistrict.--Residence.--District Parsonage.--Visits to Charges.--Spring\nStreet.--Asbury.--Rev. A.C. Manwell.--Brookfield.--West\nGranville.--Wauwatosa.--Rev. J.P. Roe.--Waukesha.--Rev. Wesley\nLattin.--Oconomowoc.--Rev. A.C. Pennock.--Rev. Job B. Mills.--Hart\nPrairie.--Rev. Delos Hale.--Watertown. Rev. David Brooks.--Rev. A.C.\nHuntley.--Brookfield Camp-Meeting.\n\nCHAPTER XX.\n\nWhitewater Conference.--Report on Slavery.--Election of Delegates.--\nWhitewater.--Early History.--Rev. Dr. Bannister.--General\nConference.--Member of Mission Committee.--Conference 1860.--Rev. I.L.\nHauser.--Mrs. I.L. Hauser.--Rev. J.C. Robbins.--The Rebellion.--Its\nCauses.--Fall of Sumter.--Extract of Sermon.--Conference 1861.--Rev.\nJ.H. Jenne.--Rev. S.C. Thomas.--Rev. G.C. Haddock.--Colonelcy.--Close\nof Term.\n\nCHAPTER XXI.\n\nConference of 1862.--The War.--Position of the Conference.--Rev. J.M.\nSnow.--Appointed again to Spring Street.--Dr. Bowman.--Changes.--Rev.\nP.S. Bennett.--Rev. C.S. Macreading.--Official Board.-The New Church\nEnterprise.--Juvenile Missionary Society.--Conference of 1863.--Rev.\nP.B. Pease.--Rev. George Fellows.--Rev. Samuel Fallows.--Rev. R.B.\nCurtis.--Rev. D.H. Muller.--Third Year.--Pastoral Work.--Revival. Visit\nto the Army.--Illness.--Close of Term.\n\nCHAPTER XXII.\n\nConference of 1865.--The War Closed.--Lay Delegation the Next Question.\nRev. George Chester.--Rev. Romulus O. Kellogg.--Missionary to\nChina.--Rev. L.N. Wheeler.--Appointed to Fond du Lac District.--Marriage\nof our Eldest Daughter.--Removal to Fond du Lac.--Rev. T.O.\nHollister.--State of the District.--Rev. J.T. Woodhead.--Waupun.--Rev.\nD.W. Couch.--Lamartine.--Rev. I.S. Eldridge.--Horicon.--Rev. Walter\nMcFarlane.\n\nCHAPTER XXIII.\n\nConference of 1866.--Centenary Year.--Lay\nDelegation.--Reconstruction.--Returned to Fond du Lac District.--Seven\nSermons a Week--Rev. O.J. Cowles.--Beaver Dam.--A Good Record.--Fall\nRiver.--Early History.--Columbus.--Rev. Henry Sewell.--Conference of\n1867.--Election of Delegates.--Cotton Street.--Rev. R.S. Hayward.--Rev.\nA.A. Reed.--General Conference.--Conference of 1868.--Rev. T.C.\nWilson.--Rev. H.C. Tilton. Rev. John Hill.--Rev. Isaac Searles--Rev.\nJ.B. Cooper.--An Incident--Close of the Term.--Progress Made.\n\nCHAPTER XXIV.\n\nConference of 1869.--Stationed at Ripon.--First Visit--Rev. E.J.\nSmith.--Rev. Byron Kingsbury.--Sabbath School.--Early Record of the\nStation.--Church Enterprises.--Rev. William Morse.--Rev. Joseph\nAnderson.--Revival.--Church Enlargement.--Berlin.--Early History.--Rev.\nIsaac Wiltse.--Conference of 1870.--Returned to Ripon.--Marriage of our\nSecond Daughter.--A Happy Year.--Close of our Labors.\n\nCHAPTER XXV.\n\nConference of 1871.--Election of Delegates.--Laymen's Electoral\nConvention.--Temperance.--The Sabbath.--Rev. Thomas Hughes.--Appointed\nto Spring Street.--Third Term.--Wide Field.--Rev. C.D. Pillsbury.--Rev.\nW.W. Case.--The Norwegian Work.--Rev. A. Haagenson.--The Silver\nWedding.--Results of the Year.\n\nCHAPTER XXVI.\n\nConference of 1872.--Rev. A.J. Mead.--Rev. A. Callender.--Rev. Wm. P.\nStowe.--Rev. O.B. Thayer.--Rev. S. Reynolds.--Revival under Mrs. Van\nCott--Conference of 1873.--Rev. Henry Colman.--Rev. A.A. Hoskin.--Rev.\nStephen Smith.--Illness.--Conference of 1874.--Rev. Dr. Carhart.--Rev.\nGeo. A. Smith.--Rev. C.N. Stowers.--In the Shade.\n\n\n\nThirty Years in the Itinerancy.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nProvidential Intervention.--Nature and Providence alike Mysterious.--An\nUnseen Hand shaping Human Events.--The Author urged to enter the\nMinistry.--Shrinks from the Responsibility.--Flies to Modern\nTarshish.--Heads for Iowa.--Gets Stuck in the Mud.--Smitten by a\nNorthern Gale.--Turns Aside to see the Eldorado.--Finds Himself Face to\nFace with the Itinerancy.\n\nThe ways of Providence are mysterious. And how, to men, could they be\notherwise? With their limited faculties it could not be expected that\nthey would be able to obtain more than partial glimpses of the \"goings\nforth of the Almighty.\" The Astronomer can determine the orbit of the\nplanets that belong to our system, since they lie within the range of\nhis vision; but not so the comets. These strange visitors locate their\nhabitations mainly in regions so remote from the plane of human\nexistence that his eye cannot reach them. And when they do condescend to\npay us a visit, they traverse so wide a circuit that the curve they\ndescribe is too slight to furnish a basis for reliable mathematical\ncalculations. Hence the orbit of a comet is a mystery, and the return\nnot unfrequently a surprise. If this be true of what seem to be the\nunfinished or exploded worlds, that swing like airy nothings in the\nheavens and fringe the imperial realm of physical being, then what may\nnot be predicated of the profounder mysteries that lie bosomed in those\nunexplored depths of the Universe, where the fixed stars hold high\ncourt? When our feet trip at every step of our advance to know the\nmysteries of nature, why need we affect surprise when the profounder\ndomain of providence refuses to yield up its secrets? That the ways of\nGod are mysterious is a logical necessity. The Infinite disparity\nbetween the human and the Divine intelligence involves it. Insignificant\nas a lady's finger ring may seem when compared to one of the mighty\nrings of Saturn, the human mind, in the presence of the Divine, is\ninfinitely more so. Well hath the Scriptures said, \"Far as the heavens\nare higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my\nthoughts than your thoughts.\"\n\nThe mysterious ways of Providence are, however, not unfrequently so\ninterwoven with human events as that average intelligence may be able to\nunderstand portions of them, though much of mystery must always remain.\nAnd in no one particular do these understandable portions find a clearer\nillustration than in those interventions which assign individual men to\ngiven pursuits and responsibilities in life. Truly, \"There is a\nProvidence that shapes our ends, rough hew them as we will.\"\n\nNor may these special interventions be wholly appropriated by the great\nmen of the world. On the contrary, they not unfrequently condescend to\nbless the very humblest. The same great thought, the same skilled hand\nand the same infinite power that were necessary to pile up the grandest\nmountain ranges and hollow the ocean's bed, were also required to create\na single grain of sand and assign it its place as a part of the grand\nwhole. So, while great and honorable men pass into the world's history\nas the proteges of a special providence, let it also be remembered that\nthe humbler ones, though their names may never be chronicled, are not\nforgotten by the All Father. If willing to be led, they shall not want\na kind hand to lead them. And even though rebellious at times, and at\nothers shrinking from the proffered responsibilities, yet a loving\nFather cares for the trembling and feeble ones, as well as the brave and\nthe strong, and kindly leads them into the paths of peace.\n\nI have not written thus, good reader, in these opening pages, to find a\nstarting place for the record that is to follow. On the contrary, these\nutterances hold a special relation to the writer and the labors of the\nlast thirty years.\n\nSoon after my conversion, and before I was eighteen years of age, I\nreceived an Exhorter's license. I was then engaged in teaching and found\nmy time largely occupied by my profession. Yet, I occasionally held\nservices on the Sabbath. During the ensuing four years I retained the\nsame relation. I was often urged to accept a Local Preacher's license,\nbut declined, thinking I was too much occupied in the other field to\nmake the necessary preparation for this. And, besides, I had now reached\na point of great perplexity and trial with reference to the ministerial\ncalling as a profession. Not that I entertained a serious thought of\naccepting it, but, on the contrary, was wholly averse to it. But,\nstrangely enough, while I was thus, both in feeling and convictions,\nopposed to the measure, every one else seemed to accept it as a matter\nalready settled that I would enter the Itinerant field. From the good\nRev. John B. Stratton, the Presiding Elder of the Prattsville District,\nNew York Conference, within the bounds of which I then resided, and his\nimmediate successor, Rev. Samuel D. Ferguson, down through all the\nministry and laiety of my acquaintance, I was made the special subject\nof attack. But from what all others thought to be my duty, I shrank\nwith a persistence that admitted of no compromise. The plan I had marked\nout for myself contemplated, ultimately, the position of a Local\nPreacher, and a life devoted largely to literature and business. On this\nplan I fully relied, and thought myself settled in my convictions and\nfixed in my purpose. Yet I am not able to say, that at times it did not\nrequire some effort of the will to keep my conscience quiet and my\nthought steady. A young man, from eighteen to twenty-two years of age,\nwho was subject to so many attacks, especially in high places, and who\nconstantly felt himself preached to and prayed at in almost every\nreligious assembly, must be more than human, not to say less than a\nChristian, to bear up under such a pressure. I clearly saw that one of\ntwo things must be done, and that speedily. Either I must yield to the\nmanifest demand of the church or \"go west.\" I chose the latter. Nor was\nthis decision mere obstinacy. There were several things to be considered\nand carefully weighed and determined before entering upon a work of such\ngrave responsibilities as the Itinerant ministry. First of all, the\nquestion must be settled in a man's conviction of duty; then the\nquestion of one's fitness for the work; and, finally, the financial\nquestion could not be ignored. To enter the Itinerancy involved\nresponsibilities that could only be sustained under the deepest\nconvictions that can possibly penetrate a human soul. The minister is\nGod's ambassador to lost men. He can only enter upon this work under the\nsanction of Divine authority. Having entered he is charged with the care\nof souls, and if these shall suffer harm, through his inefficiency or\nwant of fidelity, he must answer in the Divine assizes for the breach of\ntrust. Well may the best of men say, \"who is sufficient for these\nthings?\" Then add to this grave responsibility, the certain and\nmanifold trials which must come to every man who enters the Itinerancy.\nHis very calling makes him a spectacle to men, and necessarily the\nsubject of adverse criticism. He is the messenger of God and yet the\nservant of man. On the one hand, clothed with the authority of heaven,\nand on the other reduced to the condition of a servant. Expected to\ndeliver the high message of the King of Kings, and yet receives his\npulpit under the suffrages of man. Before he receives his appointment,\nhe is not unfrequently the subject of a sharp canvass from one end of\nthe Conference to the other, and after he receives it he is liable to\nfind himself among a people, who had rejected him in the canvass, and\nnow only acquiesce in the decision from sheer necessity. But if he\nescape Scylla in this particular, he is certain to drive upon Charybdis\nin another. Granting that his relations and labors may be acceptable, he\nfalls upon the inevitable necessity of devoting his time and labor,\nduring the vigor and strength of his days, for a meager compensation,\nand then pass into old age, and its attendant infirmities, as a\ndependancy, if not a pauper. And now let me submit; with such a picture\nhung upon the canopy of the future, and who shall say it is overdrawn?\nis it a matter of surprise that a young man should hesitate before\naccepting the position of an Itinerant?\n\nBut it will be said: \"There is another side to the picture.\" True, and\nthanks to the Great Head of the church that there is. But the other side\ncan only be seen when the beholder occupies the proper stand-point, and\nthis position I certainly had not attained at the time of which I write.\nIn this matter, as in most others, our mistakes arise from partial views\nand limited observation.\n\nA few years since I visited Niagara Falls. Before leaving Buffalo a\nfriend admonished me to avoid looking upon the descending floods until I\nshould reach Table Rock, as this precaution would give me a more\nsatisfactory impression. These instructions were more easily given than\nobserved. I found it required no small share of nerve to pass down the\nnear bank of the river with the eternal roar of its waters pouring into\nmy ears, cross over Suspension Bridge, spanning the rushing tides below\nstill tossing and foaming as though an ocean had broken from its prison,\nand then pass up the other bank, in full view of the cataract, and not\nlook upon it until my feet were planted on Table Rock. But from that\nhour to the present, I have never regretted the effort, for therein I\nlearned the importance of position, when face to face with any great\nquestion. The position gained, I raised my eyes upon Niagara Falls. I\nneed not say my whole being was thrilled. There lay the great \"horse\nshoe\" full before me, and I seemed to stand upon its outer crest and\nlook down into its deep chasm, where the angry waters wrestled with each\nother in their wildest frenzy. Then the floods from either side, that\nhad seemed to sweep around the chasm and hug the shore, as if in mortal\nterror, despairing of escape, rushed upon each other like two storm\nfiends. The war of waters was most terrific. The very earth shook.\nLocked in deadly embrace, and writhing as if in direst agony, the mighty\nfloods plunged the abyss, while far above floated the white plume of the\npresiding genius of old Niagara. The impression upon me was\noverwhelming. I saw Niagara Falls from the right stand-point. Whether I\nwas equally fortunate in my early views of the Itinerancy is a question\nthat will find solution in the following pages.\n\nI decided, however, to go West. My father and the balance of his family\nhad been looking enquiringly in that direction for several months, and I\nnow agreed to accompany them.\n\nIt was our purpose to make Dubuque, Iowa, the point of destination, as\nthe founders of that city, who were relatives, had visited us in the\nEast and had given us glowing accounts of the city and the adjacent\nportions of the State. With this purpose in view we landed at Racine.\nThe Madison, a crazy old steamer that could lay on more sides during a\nstorm than any water craft that I had ever seen, landed us on a pier in\nthe night, and from the pier we were taken ashore in a scow. We reached\nRacine in June, 1844. Racine at that time was a very small village, but,\nlike all western towns, it was in the daily belief that, at some time in\nthe near future, it would be a very large city. We spent the Sabbath and\nenjoyed the pleasure of attending religious services in a school house.\nThe pastor of our church at the time was Rev. Milton Bourne, of the Rock\nRiver Conference. We were favorably impressed with Racine, and\nespecially with the evidences of civilization it afforded, in the fact\nof a school house and the establishment of religious services.\n\nAt Racine we engaged a man to take us, six in all, with our trunks to\nDelavan. The roads were almost impassable. The rains had fallen so\ncopiously that the streams overflowed their banks, the marshes were full\nand the prairies inundated. With a good team, however, we made an\naverage of about fifteen miles a day. Our conveyance stuck fast in the\nmud eighteen times between Racine and Delavan. Sometimes we found these\ninteresting events would occur just in the middle of a broad marsh. In\nsuch case the gentlemen would take to the water, not unfrequently up to\nthe loins, build a chair by the crossing of hands, as they had learned\nto do in their school days, and give the ladies a safe passage to the\nprairie beyond. But woe worth the day if the wheels refused to turn, as\nthey sometimes did, in the middle of some deep, broad mud-hole. The\nlight prairie soil, when thoroughly saturated, is capable of very great\nvolatility and yet of stick-to-it-iveness. While the team and wagon,\nburied deeply in the mud, found the soil as yielding as quicksand, the\npassengers, on alighting, were no more fortunate. To make the chair and\nwade ashore with its precious burden, at such a time, involved a very\nnice adjustment of balances. If the three went headlong before they\nreached the shore, each received a generous \"coat of mail\" of the most\nmodern style.\n\nWe reached Delavan in due course of travel, where we remained several\ndays. The Sabbath intervened. My father preached in the morning, and I\nheld service in the afternoon. On Monday a council was held. Since our\nfeet touched the soil of Wisconsin, our ears had been filled with the\npraises of the country, and especially the counties of Dodge and Fond du\nLac. By the time we had spent several days at Delavan, and were ready to\nmove on toward Iowa, this clamor had become so decided in its tone,\nthat, as a result of the consultation, it was decided that two or three\nof us should go up through Dodge and Fond du Lac counties. Not with the\nexpectation that our destination would lie in that direction, but it was\nthought advisable to know what had been left behind, in case we should\nnot be pleased with Dubuque.\n\nLeaving the balance of our company at Delavan, we started on foot on our\ntour of exploration. Keeping our eyes and ears open, we were ready to\ngo in any direction in quest of the promised \"Eldorado.\" Like all \"land\nseekers\" of those early times, a few things were deemed essential to\nmake a location desirable. These were prairie, timber and water. But\nwith us one additional requisite must not be ignored. We must also find\na \"water power.\" With all these objects in view, the line of travel\nbecame perplexing and described a good many angles, but the main\ndirection lay through East Troy, Summit, Watertown, Oak Grove and\nWaupun. At the last named place we found a few scattered log houses,\nand, within a radius of five miles, perhaps a dozen families. The\nlocation was beautiful. With its prairie of from one to two miles in\nwidth, skirted on the north by groves of timber, through which ran the\nwest branch of Rock River, and fringed on the south by extended\nopenings, it took us captive at once. Passing up the stream two or three\nmiles we found the looked for water-power, and abundance of\nunappropriated lands. By setting our stakes on the crown of the prairie,\nand making the lines pass down to the river and through the belt of\ntimber, sufficient land of the right quality could be secured for the\nwhole family, including, also, the desired water-power. To decide upon\nthis spot as our future home, was the result of a brief consultation.\nAll thought of going to Iowa was now abandoned. Obtaining a load of\nlumber, which was all that could be secured for either love or money, a\nshanty was immediately erected for the accommodation of the family. Was\nit a providential intervention that assigned us our home and field of\nlabor in this new and rapidly populating portion of Wisconsin, rather\nthan the city of Dubuque?\n\nSociety in its formative state needs, above all other agencies, the\nsalutary influences of religion. To provide these and give them\nefficiency among the people, the presence and labors of the Gospel\nministry, and the establishment of churches, are a necessity. To secure\nthese at the outset requires the emigration of ministers from the older\nStates as well as people. Perhaps the motives of neither class in coming\nwill always bear a thorough scrutiny; yet who shall say that their\ncoming is not under the general direction of Providence? Nor is it\nimprobable that the hasty steps that seem to bear the unwilling servant\nfrom the presence of the Master are the very ones that most speedily\nbring him face to face with his duty.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nThe Young Itinerant.--In a Lumber Mill at Waupun.--The Surprise.--An\nInterval of Reflection.--A Graceful Surrender.--The Outfit minus the\nHorse and Saddlebags.--Receives Instruction.--The Final\nStruggle.--Arrives at Brothertown.--Reminiscences of the Red Man.--The\nSearching Scrutiny.--The Brothertown People.--The Mission.--Rev. Jesse\nHalstead.--Rev. H.W. Frink.\n\nIn March, A.D. 1845, a letter from Rev. Wm. H. Sampson, then Presiding\nElder of Green Bay District, Rock River Conference, found me at Waupun.\nThe intervening nine months, since our arrival in the preceding July,\nhad been spent in making improvements upon the land I had selected, and\nin the erection of a lumber mill, of which I was in part proprietor.\n\nThe bearer of the letter found me in the mill, engaged in rolling logs\nto the saw and in carrying away the lumber. I opened the letter and\nglanced at its contents. To my surprise and utter consternation it\ncontained a pressing request that I would take charge of the Brothertown\nIndian Mission until the next session of the Conference, as the\nMissionary, Rev. H.W. Frink, had been called away by family afflictions.\nI instinctively folded the letter and then crumpled it in the palm of my\nhand, inwardly saying, \"Hast thou found me, oh! mine enemy?\" No rash\nanswer, however, was given. This question of duty was certainly assuming\ngrave aspects. For four years it had haunted me at every turn. And even\nin the wilds of Wisconsin it was still my tormenter. Like Banquo's\nghost, it would not down at my bidding. I now tried to look the\nquestion fairly in the face, and make the decision a final one, but\nfound it exceedingly difficult to do so. To yield after so long a\nstruggle, and especially to surrender all my fondly cherished plans for\nthe future, appealed at first to my pride, and then to what I conceived\nto be my temporal interests, and the appeal for a moment seemed to gain\nthe ascendency. But how then could I answer to God? was the startling\nquestion that burned into my soul at every turn of the argument. In the\nmidst of my embarrassment the thought was suggested, \"It is only until\nConference, and then you can return and resume your business.\"\n\nCatching at this straw, thus floating to me, and half believing and half\nhoping that three months of my incompetency would satisfy the church and\nsend me back to my business again, I consented to go. Leaving my\ntemporal interests in the hands of my father, I hastened to make the\nnecessary preparations for my new responsibilities. The outfit was\nprovokingly limited. The horse and saddlebags, the inevitable Alpha, if\nnot the Omega, of an Itinerant's outfit, were wanting, as such\nconveniences had hardly, as yet, found their way to the northern\nportions of the Territory. But in their place were put good walking\nability and a small satchel. A few pieces of linen, a few books, but no\nsermons, were put into the satchel, and I was immediately stepping to\nthe measure of the Itinerancy.\n\nMy first point of destination was Fond du Lac, the residence of the\nPresiding Elder, where I must necessarily report for instructions. The\nwalk of twenty-two miles, with no other companion than a plethoric\nsatchel, passing from hand to hand as the weary miles, one after\nanother, were dismissed, was not the most favorable introduction to my\n\"new departure,\" but, bad as it was, I found relief in the thought that\nmy Eastern friends, who had so kindly and repeatedly proposed to give me\na comfortable seat somewhere in the New York Conference, were in\nblissful ignorance of the sorry figure I was making. Whether Jonah found\nhis last conveyance more agreeable than the first, I cannot say, but\ncertain it is, I found my first entrance upon the Itinerancy a\ntugging business.\n\nI reached Fond du Lac before nightfall, and was hospitably entertained.\nNotwithstanding the cordial reception I received, however, from both the\nelder and his good wife, I felt embarrassed by the searching look they\noccasionally gave me. Whether it was occasioned by my youthful, green or\ndelicate appearance, or my light, feminine voice, I could not divine.\n\nThe conversation soon turned upon the state of affairs at Brothertown,\nand I speedily forgot my embarrassment. In the course of the\nconversation I inquired whether the proceeding would not be considered\nirregular, to place an exhorter in charge of the Mission. The elder\nreplied, \"Necessity knows no law, and, besides, our Quarterly Meeting at\nthis place will soon be held, when we will relieve that embarrassment.\"\nI was doubtless indebted to this law of necessity for the privilege of\nholding one office in the church not provided for in the Discipline, and\none that has seldom if ever been accorded to others. Carefully\ninstructed in the best method to manage certain difficulties pending in\nthe Mission, I took early leave for a further walk of sixteen miles.\n\nAcross the prairie at the head of Lake Winnebago, I found the walk very\nagreeable. Passing Taycheedah, I then struck out into the deep woods\nthat skirt the eastern shore of the lake. I was now between my guide and\ninstructor, and the difficult work committed to my charge. Thought was\nbusy. An oppressive sense of my own insufficiency for so momentous a\nwork, came over me, as it had done before, but never in such\noverwhelming power. I was now face to face with the great work from\nwhich I had shrank for several years, and there was no retreat.\nImagination lifted the little hills of difficulty before me into\nmountains that seemed impassable. In the deep shade of the wood I found\na moss-covered rock for a seat, and gave myself up to reflection. The\ntroubled currents of the stream ran on this wise. To go forward in my\npresent undertaking may involve a committal to a work that a few short\nmonths shall not terminate. In such case, there will follow a life of\ntoil and sacrifice, on stinted allowance, beset with trials and\nperplexities, and clouded by cold unfeeling criticisms, censures and\nmisjudgings, of both motive and labor, of which I can now entertain no\nadequate conception. But if this work be not the dictate of duty, then\nwhy this unrest of soul which has so long disturbed the even flow of my\nreligious life, or why the uniform urgency of the authorities of the\nchurch both east and west in this direction? On the contrary, if my feet\nare now in the path of duty then why hesitate? A brave soul never\nfalters in the presence of difficulty or peril, but always deals the\nstrongest blows where the conflict rages the sharpest. The struggle was\nbrief and the result satisfactory. Kneeling by the side of the rock,\nprayer was offered for Divine guidance and help, and there fell on the\nsoul a baptism of serene peace and holy joy, which hallowed each\nremaining step of the journey.\n\nArriving at Brothertown the letter of introduction from the Elder was\npresented to A.D. Dick, Esq., one of the Stewards. The residence of\nthis brother was located in the central portion of the town, and gave\nevidence of good taste and comfort. Both himself and wife were members\nof the church, and their house the home of Itinerants. It was now nearly\ntwelve o'clock. I was invited to the parlor where I awaited dinner.\nThese few moments afforded an opportunity to survey my surroundings and\nmaster the situation. My early reading had introduced me to the Indian,\nboth in his native wilds and as seen on the borders of civilization, the\nformer as the noblest specimen of the natural man on the planet, and the\nlatter as the most degraded of mortals. But now I was in the very\npresence of the red man and even a guest in his dwelling. Nor is it too\nmuch to say that my curiosity was not a little excited. My reception,\nhowever, had been so cordial that I soon found myself at ease in my new\nassociations.\n\nThe letter was opened and read. During its reading I noticed that the\neye of mine host often wandered from the page to the newly arrived\nguest. By an occasional glance I tried to read the thoughts of the\nreader, but found that the dark face was not disposed to be\ncommunicative. This much, however, I think I read pretty clearly: \"Well,\nthe Elder has sent us a pretty slender specimen as a minister, but we\nwill try him and see what he can do.\"\n\nThe dinner was announced, conversation became lively, and before we were\naware of it the distinctions of race and color had faded out of sight,\nand a life-long friendship was founded. It was now arranged that, during\nmy stay on the Mission, I should make my home under this\nhospitable roof.\n\nThe Brothertown people came from the State of New York, and had now been\nsettled in their western home several years. A log chapel had been\nerected and school houses provided. The location along the eastern shore\nof Lake Winnebago was excellent, affording a good soil and water and\ntimber in abundance. Along the principal highways the farms had been\ncleared of timber and brought under a fair state of cultivation. The\nbuildings were mainly constructed of logs, though in later years, there\nhad been erected a goodly number of frame residences.\n\nBrothertown Mission first appears on the General Minutes in 1839, under\nthe name of Deansburg, as will appear hereafter. In 1840 it was called\nFond du Lac, as that point had now been added as a regular appointment.\nThe following year, 1841, the charge remained the same, but the name was\nchanged to Brothertown, this name having taken the place of Deansburg,\nin honor of the Brothertown Nation. But as this charge will further\nappear in connection with the labors of its pastors I will defer the\nbalance of the record for the present.\n\nRev. Jesse Halstead entered the traveling connection in the Troy\nConference, was ordained Deacon in September, 1837, and transferred to\nthe Illinois Conference. At the session of the Conference, held the same\nmonth, he was appointed second preacher to Aztalan Mission. Here he took\nhis first lessons in pioneer work. He traveled over a tract of country\nreaching from the line of the Territory on the south to Menomonee on the\nnorth, and from the Lake Shore Missions on the east to Madison on the\nwest. In these extended journeys he enjoyed the privilege of preaching\nthe first sermon and forming the first societies in many localities.\n\nIn 1838 he was sent to Crete Mission on the Kankakee, in the State of\nIllinois. The following year, 1839, he was sent to Brothertown, as\nbefore stated, the name on the Minutes being Deansburg. While on this\nMission, he visited Fond du Lac, and preached the first sermon, as will\nappear in another chapter. He remained on this charge only three months,\nand was then sent by his Presiding Elder, Rev. Julius Field, to supply\nOneida Indian Mission for the balance of the year, that charge having\nbeen left to be supplied. In January he was visited at Oneida by the\nPresiding Elder. While here the Elder fell sick, and desired Brother\nHalstead to accompany him on his round of appointments. In the line of\ntravel they visited Madison and intervening charges, and then went to\nRacine, the home of the Elder.\n\nBrother Halstead now started for his field at Oneida. It was in the\ndepth of winter, and the line of travel was through the dense forests\nalong the Lake Shore to Green Bay. But, nothing daunted, our Itinerant\npacked his books, which had been left with Brother Stebbins at this\nplace on his first trip to the north, and other baggage, and started on\nhis journey. The first day he reached Milwaukee, and here he laid in\nprovisions and other necessary outfit, such as axe, auger, &c. Striking\nout into the forest he made twenty miles the first day, but during the\nafternoon found himself in a severe snow storm. The first night he\nstopped at a house located at the site of the present village of\nGrafton. On rising the next morning he found the snow three feet deep.\nHe laid over one day, and on the following morning resumed his journey.\nHe only made nine miles, as he was compelled to beat the track in\nadvance of his horse; and at night he found quarters at Port Washington.\nThe next day he pursued his journey, but at nightfall found himself\nwithout shelter in the woods. He built a fire, cooked a piece of salt\npork to eat with his bread, and made a supper. But now for the night!\nHe emptied his jumper, and in it he made a bed, and, as nearly as\npossible, a coil of humanity. The next morning he found his boots\nfrozen. But, with a generous amount of tugging, they yielded to the\npressure of his feet, and he was again on his way, breaking the roads\nhimself, thereby aiding his horse in carrying his burden.\n\nOn the fifth day he found a house in the woods and remained in it for\nthe night. The sixth day he reached Sheboygan Falls, and the seventh day\nManitowoc. The eighth day he tried to reach Green Bay, a distance of\nforty miles, but was compelled to camp out for another night, and take\nthe ninth day to complete his journey.\n\nIn 1840, Brother Halstead was sent to Fond du Lac, his charge including,\nalso, Brothertown, of which a record will be made in a subsequent\nchapter. During this year he made a visit to Oshkosh. He took an Indian\ntrail on the west side of Lake Winnebago, and after traveling\ntwenty-five miles found himself on the bank of Fox River. He found no\nway to cross the stream, and, it being now dark, he was compelled to\nspend the night without shelter. A friendly Indian came along and joined\nhim in his preparations for the night. The weather was quite cold and\nthey were obliged to maintain a brisk fire to keep from freezing. In\nthis duty they served by turns, but neither of them had any provisions.\nOn the following day Brother, Halstead returned to Fond du Lac.\n\nDuring the year Brother Halstead was abundant in labor, and at\nBrothertown there was an extensive revival, giving large accessions to\nthe charge. The following year, he was returned to the work, but the\nname was changed to Brothertown. This year was also fragrant with\nblessing, and many souls were converted. After leaving Brothertown\nBrother Halstead was stationed at Monroe, and next at Hazel Green, where\nhe had Rev. I.M. Leihy as a junior preacher. His subsequent charges were\nPrairie du Chien, Patch Grove, Mequon, Oak Creek, and Brothertown, when\nhe took, in 1852, a superannuated relation.\n\nBrother Halstead was always at his post of duty. In some of his\nappointments he had long moves, hard work, and very small compensation,\nbut he and his good wife were always equal to the situation. It has been\na pleasure to the writer to make this record, as also that of other\nveterans of the Itinerancy. But of the labors, the sacrifices and trials\nof such men, but little can be known here. It is a satisfaction,\nhowever, to be assured that their record is on high. It is also a\npleasure to know with what views they look back upon the past. A line in\nhand from Brother Halstead only expresses the common sentiment of all. I\nwill give it to the reader. \"Among the most pleasant memories of my\nlife, I reckon the hardships endured as an Itinerant minister of the\nGospel of Christ. If I had another life to give I should not hesitate to\nthrow myself into the work again with all the strength and purpose the\nMaster has given me.\"\n\nRev. Hiram W. Frink was sent to Brothertown in 1842, and had nearly\ncompleted his third year when called away. Brother Frink is also a\nveteran, having entered the Conference in 1837, the year of Brother\nHalstead's transfer.\n\nHis first appointment was Sheboygan, including the territory between\nMilwaukee and Green Bay, and extending west as far as Lake Winnebago.\nIts principal appointments were Sheboygan, Port Washington, Brothertown,\nTwo Rivers and Manitowoc.\n\nHaving shipped his trunk to Manitowoc, his future home, Brother Frink\nleft Chicago on horseback, Oct. 28th, 1837, for his field of labor. At\nMilwaukee, the necessary outfit was procured to penetrate the deep\nforests which lay beyond, including an axe, steele and punk, a tin cup,\nblankets and provisions. The only road was an Indian trail, which pushed\nits devious way through the forest, around the swamps, and across\nbridgeless streams, without regard to the comfort of the traveler or the\nspeed of his locomotion. As there were no houses along the line of\ntravel, Brother Frink was compelled to spend the first night in the\nwoods. Fortunately, however, he found a small, tenantless cabin by the\nwayside, in which he was safe from the wild, noisy beasts, that prowled\nwithout. The following day he reached Sheboygan.\n\nAnd this journey was but a sample of the travel and exposures of the\nyear of labor, on which Brother Frink had entered. Amid the drifting\nsnows of winter, and the copious rains of summer, he was compelled to\ntraverse the dreary, and almost unbroken forests of his field, and on\nmore than one occasion he found the night around his camp-fire made\nhideous by the howling of wolves and the screaming of panthers. But in\nhim the cause found a sturdy pioneer who was equal to the demands of\nthe work.\n\nIn 1838, his appointment was Elgin, Ill., and, the following year,\nWatertown, Wis. In connection with the last named, we shall have\noccasion to refer to his labors in a subsequent chapter. At the close of\nhis year at Watertown the charge was divided, and in 1840, he was\nappointed to Summit, the eastern division.\n\nIn 1841, he was returned to Illinois and stationed at Sycamore, and the\nfollowing year was brought back to Wisconsin, and, as before stated,\nappointed to Brothertown. At the Conference of 1845, he took a location\non account of family afflictions, but returned again to the work as soon\nas relieved of his embarrassments.\n\nHis subsequent appointments have been Grafton, Agent for Tracts and\nSunday Schools, Palmyra, Rock Prairie, Albion, Dunkirk, Fort Atkinson,\nFootville, Burnett and Markesan. In 1865, he took a supernumerary\nrelation, but the following year, being made effective, he was appointed\nto the Bible Agency, which position he has continued to hold up to the\npresent writing. Brother Frink is still vigorous, and is doing effective\nservice. He has kept a cheerful spirit up to the present hour, and is\nhighly esteemed by his brethren.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nExhorter in Charge.--The First Sabbath.--The Superb Singing.--Class and\nPrayer Meetings.--A Revival.--Stockbridge Counted In.--A Remonstrance.--\nAnother Exhorter Found.--Decide to Hold a Great Meeting.--The Loaves\nand Fishes in the Lad's Basket too Few.--Chief Chicks.--Conversion of a\nNoted Character.--Quarterly Meeting at Fond du Lac.--Licensed to\nPreach.--Camp Meeting at Clason's Prairie.--Camp Meeting at\nBrothertown.--Church Enterprise.--Missionary Merchant.--Logging\nBee.--Successive Labors.\n\nMy first Sabbath, April 4, 1845, as \"Exhorter in Charge,\" gave me an\nopportunity to take the measure of my new field of labor. The chapel, as\nbefore stated, was constructed of logs. These were hewn on both sides,\nthus giving a smooth appearance both within and without. The logs were\nhalved together at the ends, and filled between with small pieces of\nwood laid in morter, and, on the whole, the chapel made a very\nrespectable appearance. It contained rude seats that would accommodate\nabout one hundred and fifty persons, and furnished standing room in\naddition for one hundred more.\n\nOn the advent of the young \"Elder,\" for it was their custom to call all\nministers by that name, the chapel was packed to its utmost capacity.\nOpening the services with great perturbation of spirit in the presence\nof so vast a crowd, I proceeded with difficulty until the people arose\nto sing. Instantly I was at ease. I was not a stranger to good singing,\nfor my surroundings had always been fortunate in this particular, but, I\nam free to say, that, up to that hour, my ears had never been so\nthrilled by Christian melody. The tones were not as mellow as those of\nthe African, but they were more deep and thrilling. Inclined rather to a\nhigh key, and disposed to be sharp and piercing, yet the voices of the\nvast congregation swept through every note of the gamut with equal\nfreedom. I was thoroughly entranced. And, on coming to myself, I found\nmy perturbation had left me and my soul was on a plane with the\nresponsibilities of the hour.\n\nAt the close of the public services, a class meeting was held under the\ncharge of Father Abner, the leader. This brother was a man of age and\nexperience, well adapted to his position, and universally beloved. The\nmeeting was conducted in the usual manner, and was an occasion of\nspiritual refreshing. The testimonies were direct and touchingly simple,\nusually accompanied with weeping, and sometimes with the shout of\ntriumph. The singing, however, was the principal feature, both in\nquantity and quality, for this highly susceptible people had given this\npart of the services, in all their meetings, a leading place. Among the\nmost noted leading voices were those of mine host, Alonzo D. Dick,\nJeremiah Johnson, Orrin Johnson, and Thomas Cummock. My labors were now\nfairly opened, and I soon found abundant opportunities for usefulness.\nThe regular meetings at the chapel were supplimented by others,\nprincipally prayer meetings, in the more remote parts of the town. These\nmeetings were held on the week-day evenings, and in a short time became\noccasions of great interest. I attended them usually, and found every\nevening thus employed when not engaged at the chapel. In these\nexcursions through the settlement, I was almost always accompanied by\none, or all of the above named brethren, to lead the singing, as I found\nmyself, though belonging to a singing family for three generations,\nunable to lead in this branch of the service. And in addition to these,\nI was also favored with the company of a young man of great worth and\nprecious memory. I refer to Lewis Fowler, an Exhorter of great promise,\nbut who soon after fell under the withering touch of consumption, and\npassed on to the better land.\n\nAs these side meetings, as I chose to call them, were multiplied, and\nawakened general interest in their several localities, we found the\nmeetings at the chapel also gained in numbers and spiritual power. Soon\nthe people began to talk of a revival, and pray for its speedy coming.\nNor was it long delayed. The work began at one of the side meetings,\nwhere an old backslider was led back to the cross. The next evening, in\nanother part of the settlement, there were three seekers at the altar.\nThe Sabbath now intervened, and it was deemed advisable to open meetings\nin the chapel during the ensuing week. Here the meetings were held\nnightly for four weeks. As a result, seventy-five persons professed\nconversion.\n\nThe working force of the Mission was now put into a more thorough\norganization. Several new classes were formed and the old ones carefully\norganized, making six in all. A Sunday School was established, bringing\ninto its promising field the latent talent of the church.\n\nBut we had hardly got our home work fully in hand, when there came an\ninvitation from Stockbridge, several miles below, to extend our labors\ninto that settlement. There had been a Congregational Mission among the\nStockbridge nation for many years, but its condition was not very\npromising.\n\nThe chapel was located in the central portion of the reservation, and\nthe Mission was now in charge of Dr. Marsh, a gentleman of education\nand ability. He divided his time, however, between the ministerial and\nmedical professions, and, as a result, the spiritual interests\nnecessarily languished.\n\nDuring the progress of our revival in Brothertown, Brother David\nWiggins, who had recently removed to Stockbridge, had been accompanied\nto the meeting by several of his neighbors, and they had been converted.\nThis fact will explain the invitation now given. We accepted, and a\nmeeting was opened, using the residence of Brother Wiggins as a\ntemporary chapel. The meetings, however, had hardly been commenced, when\nthere came a remonstrance from Dr. Marsh. The remonstrance, which was\nexpressed in very emphatic terms, assumed that I had no right to embrace\nany portion of the Stockbridge reservation in my field of labor. But\nwhat was I to do? Some of our own sheep had gone down into Goshen to\nfind pasturage, and now a few of the lambs of a strange flock had come\nto us seeking care and sustenance. Must these be left to the bleak winds\nthat were evidently sweeping around them, to chill their warm blood in\ntheir veins and cause them to perish in the wilderness? My answer was\nrespectful but decided. Having been placed, by what seemed to be a\nprovidential intervention, in charge of these souls, I could not\nwithdraw my oversight. The Doctor laid the matter before the Presiding\nElder, but he refused to interfere, and thus the matter ended. In due\ntime a class was formed, Brother Wiggins was appointed its leader, and\nseveral souls was brought to Christ.\n\nAt this place I found Brother R.S. Hayward. Before my arrival at\nBrothertown, this noble man of God, and his most estimable and talented\nwife, had purchased a farm on the Stockbridge reservation. They had\nalready erected a log house, cleared a few acres of land, and founded a\nhome both for themselves and passing Itinerants. Such a surprise, and\nsuch a cordial welcome as I experienced, fall but seldom to the lot of\na stranger.\n\nBrother Hayward was also an Exhorter. Two Exhorters together, what a\nministerial force! Why, we began to feel that, by the help of the\nMaster, we could take the whole land for Christ! Plans were immediately\nformed to extend our field of operations.\n\nAmong these, we decided to hold a series of two days' meetings, and,\nthat they might prove a grand success, we selected as the localities the\ngrand centres of population. We appointed the first to be held in Father\nChick's barn, a mile west of the Mission Chapel in Stockbridge. The day\ncame, and so did the two Exhorters. The people from the two nations came\nin throngs. The barn was filled, and the groves around it, until my head\ngrew dizzy in looking at the multitudes and thinking of what was to\nfollow. There was a congregation that might awaken the eloquence of a\nBishop, and nobody to conduct the services but two young, inexperienced\nExhorters. The reader may well imagine that there was genuine repentance\non the part of the striplings, and, may be, hastily made vows never\nagain to challenge a multitude, but these did not solve the problem of\nthe hour. Of course, as I was \"Exhorter in Charge,\" though the youngest\nman, I had to take the morning service. I was so thoroughly frightened\nthat I have forgotten the text, if I took any; but this point I do\nremember most distinctly. It was my first thought, on seeing the crowd,\nthat I would take for a text, \"There is a Lad here with five barley\nloaves and two small fishes, but what are they among so many?\" But the\nmore I thought of it, the more frightened I became. Fortunately, I\ndismissed it before the hour of service arrived, for I seriously\nquestioned whether I could furnish the people so generous a feast. How I\ngot through the service I am unable to say, for I never dared to ask any\none, and my friends, doubtless out of regard to my youth, forbore to\ntell me. As to the afternoon service, I need say nothing, for, though\nrespectable, I have no doubt Brother Hayward has preached many better\nsermons since.\n\nBut whatever was wanting in the public services, the social meetings of\nthe day were a great success. Here the brethren came in with their\nsinging and earnest prayers, and the sisters with their Christian\ntestimonies, until every heart was moved. In this part of the service\nSister Hayward led off with her accustomed ability and spirit, making a\nmarked feature of the exercises.\n\nThe part borne by Father Chicks, as he was called, the head chief of the\nStockbridge nation, also added not a little to the interest of the\noccasion. He had been but recently converted, and his heart was\noverflowing. To see such a religious demonstration on his own premises\nfilled him with joy, and awoke within him the fiery ardor of those other\ndays when his burning words had swayed his people to the good or evil,\nas the tempest bends the forest at its will. Tall and erect in form,\nwith a brow to rule an empire, he rose in the midst of the great\nassembly and came forward to the stand. Every eye was fixed upon him.\nTurning to the writer, that he might have assistance, if necessary, in\nthe use of the English, by the timely suggestion of the right word, he\nproceeded to say: \"Me been a great sinner, as all my people know.\" For\nthe moment he could go no farther. His noble form shook with emotion,\nand his manly face was flooded with tears. The whole audience wept with\nhim, for his tears were sublimely eloquent. Recovering himself, he\nsimply added, \"All me want now is to love him, Christ.\" Then turning to\nhis people, with a face as radient as the sunlight, he began to address\nthem in his own language. I could not understand the import of his\nwords, but the tones of his voice to our ears were entrancingly\neloquent. As he advanced in his address, his frame, now bearing the\nweight of four score years, grew lithe and animated. Soon the whole man\nwas in a storm of utterance. Had there been no living voice, the\nattitudes and swayings of the body, the carriage and transitions of the\nhead, and the faultless, yet energetic gestures of the hand, were enough\nto move the human soul to the depths of its being. But to these were\nadded the human voice divine with its matchless cadences, now kindling\ninto a storm of invective, before which the audience shrank, like\nshriveled leaves in autumn, then sinking to sepulchral tones that seemed\nto challenge a communion with the dead; now wailing an anguish of sorrow\nutterly insupportable, and then rising in holy exultation, as one\nredeemed from sin and inspired with the triumphant shout of victory.\n\nThe address occupied only twenty minutes. But for effectiveness I never\nsaw its equal. Bending forms and tears, groans and shouts, strangely\ncommingled in the scene. Eternity alone can reveal the results of\nthe day.\n\nAmong the converts at Brothertown were several interesting cases. I will\nonly refer to one. It is that of a very noted character, who \"feared not\nGod, nor regarded man.\" This man, whom I shall not name, was specially\nbitter against all ministers, and lost no opportunity to treat them\nrudely. His family had taken the precaution to notify me of his\nbearing, assuring me that my visits to the house would be agreeable to\nthem, yet they might subject me to abuse on his part, if not expulsion.\nI at once resolved to make an effort to reach him, and in due time found\nan opportunity. I discovered that he kept a large number of bee hives in\nhis yard, and I concluded that he was fond of bees. Having had some\nexperience in that line, I resolved to make my assault from that\nstand-point. The favorable opportunity came sooner than I expected.\nEarly one morning, as I was passing the apiary, I found him in trouble.\nA young colony had left the parent hive and alighted on one of the\ntopmost branches of a tall tree, and the owner was sending curses after\nthem in a most profane manner. Approaching him with the compliments of\nthe morning, I remarked, \"These young people are starting out in life\nwith pretty lofty notions.\" The reply was a volley of oaths that showed\nhim to be no novice in profanity. To relieve his embarrassment, and\ntranquilize his temper, I suggested that they were not beyond reach.\nWith a new outbreak of oaths, he replied, \"The ladder that old Jacob\ndreamed of would not be half tall enough.\" I told him if he would bring\nme a strong cord and a saw I would bring them down for him. He, half\ndoubtingly, glanced at my slight form, then into my face, as if to\nassure himself of my sincerity, and hastened to bring the desired\narticles. I fastened one end of the cord to my arm, and the other to the\nsaw. The ascent was then made, the saw drawn up by the cord, and the\nsevered limb with its burden let gently down until it dropped in front\nof the prepared hive. By the time I reached the ground the bees had\nentered the hive, and the raging spirit of their owner had\nbecame tranquil.\n\nConversation now turned upon the culture of the bee and its habits,\nuntil the way opened to rise from the temporal to the spiritual. The\nprovident wisdom of the little busy worker, in laying up the needed\nstore for future use, was especially commended, \"But more especially,\"\nit was added, \"is this course the dictate of wisdom in such beings as\nhave an eternity before them.\" I saw that a small act of kindness had\nwon his ear and touched his heart. On leaving, I was cordially invited\nto call and see the family. The advantage thus gained was prudently\nimproved until, in process of time, both himself and family were\ngarnered for the Master.\n\nBut the time had now come to lay aside the anomalous position of\n\"Exhorter in Charge,\" and take to myself the appellation of \"Preacher in\nCharge.\" Under the advice of the Presiding Elder I still retained my\nmembership on the Fond du Lac circuit, of which Waupun was a part. The\nlast Quarterly Meeting of the year was held in Fond du Lac May 31st,\n1845, Rev. Wm. H. Sampson presiding. The meeting was well attended. I\nwas granted a Local Preacher's license and recommended to the Rock River\nConference for admission on trial.\n\nAt the close of the quarterly meeting I returned to Brothertown and made\nup a company of the good people, to attend a camp-meeting to be held at\nClason's Prairie.\n\nIt was the pioneer camp-meeting in the region, and, though the\nattendance was not large, it included nearly all the population of the\nvicinity. There were ten tents, and as many preachers, with the\nPresiding Elder in charge. The spirit of the meeting was excellent, and\na goodly number of souls were gathered for the Master. The services were\ngreatly enlivened, and clothed with additional interest by the presence\nof the several brethren whom I had brought from Brothertown. Their\nready, incomparable spiritual songs, earnest prayers and touching\nnarratives of Christian experience, awakened intense feeling among all\nclasses, and gave abundant evidence of the power of the Gospel to save,\neven the red man, as well as his brother of lighter complexion and more\nfavorable surroundings.\n\nAnother feature of the meeting fastened itself upon my memory. It was\nthe persistence with which the good Elder pressed me into service on the\nSabbath before the great congregation, and such a formidable array of\nministers. It was indeed a great trial, but, as on other occasions where\nthere is a \"boy preacher\" around, there was no escape. And besides, the\neffort took on the nature of a trial sermon, as it was my first effort\nafter I had been duly licensed to preach. Whether I succeeded fairly or\nnot in the estimation of my critics, I am not able to say, for I kept my\near during the balance of the meeting turned the other way, lest I might\n\"have my feelings hurt.\"\n\nReturning to Brothertown, I now determined to hold a camp-meeting, under\n\"our own vine and fig tree,\" in July. The arrangements were accordingly\nmade, and at the appointed time, the Presiding Elder and several other\nministers came to our assistance. They were Rev. Messrs. H.R. Colman,\nStephen Jones, Joseph T. Lewis, G.N. Hanson, S.B. Whipple and my dear\nfather. The attendance was large, the order perfect, and the results of\nthe meeting specially satisfactory.\n\nAmong the converts were several persons from Calumet, a small village of\nwhite people adjoining Brothertown on the south. We now established an\nappointment in the village, formed a class and opened a Sunday School.\n\nBut the time had come in the history of the Mission when a new and\nlarger chapel must be erected. To further this object, several boxes of\ngoods had been forwarded to the Mission by Ladies Benevolent Societies\nin the east. They were accordingly opened out in the rooms of the vacant\nParsonage, and, when not otherwise employed, I installed myself as a\nsalesman of merchandise. It was not a little amusing to begin the\nerection of a church after this fashion, but this was not the only queer\nthing about the building of the Brothertown Church.\n\nIn addition, the Missionary put his own hands to the actual labor of\npreparing the materials. It was done in this wise. It was ascertained\nthat a man in Stockbridge, who owned a fine grove of timber, proposed to\ngive a certain amount of it for the church, provided the church people\nwould cut it. And it was further found that the owner of a mill in the\nvicinity would give the sawing. We decided at once to accept both\npropositions. Word was passed among the people, and on a given day a\nscore or more of men and teams, with the Missionary among them, made an\nonslaught upon the timber. In a few days the task was accomplished, and\nthe success of the enterprise guaranteed.\n\nThe conference year, however, expired at this time, Aug. 20th, and\nterminated my labors among this people.\n\nWell did the Apostle say, \"I have laid the foundation and another\nbuildeth thereon.\" Nor was this experience new to the world in the time\nof Paul. It was the work of David to prepare the materials, but it\nremained to Solomon to build the Temple. Thus it is in every calling of\nlife. But it is more manifestly so, perhaps, in the Itinerancy, than in\nany other.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nFond du Lac.--First Sermon.--Early Presiding Elders.--Rev. H.W.\nReed.--Rev. James R. Goodrich.--Rev. Jesse Halstead the first\nPastor.--Rev. Harvy S. Bronson.--First Class.--Quarterly\nMeeting.--Delegation from Waupun.--Rev. Wm. H. Sampson.--Extended\nDistrict.--A Disastrous Fire.--Outside Appointments.--Stowe's\nChapel.--Preacher's Home--Ethiel Humiston.--Byron.--Rev. Joseph T.\nLewis.--Rev. M.L. Noble.--Rev. H.R. Colman.\n\nThe first sermon preached in Fond du Lac was delivered at the residence\nof Hon. Mason C. Darling, by Rev. Jesse Halstead, Missionary to the\nBrothertown people, on the 17th day of November, A.D. 1839. The meeting,\nthe first of a religious character, was convened at the request of a few\nfamilies residing in Fond du Lac and its neighborhood, only seven in\nnumber, they having learned that the ubiquitious Itinerant had struck\ntheir trail, and was making a visit to their settlement. Having been\naccustomed to religious services in their eastern homes, these few\nscattered families had felt deeply their privations in these western\nwilds. The advent of a minister, therefore, opened an era of no common\nimportance. Few and scattered as were the families, some of them living\nseveral miles away, the small log house was filled.\n\nFrom this lowly, rude dwelling the songs of Zion ascended in grateful\npraise, floating out over the prairie and lingering in the branches of\nthe old forest trees along the river until they fell upon the ear of the\nroaming savage, and arrested his careless footsteps. The voice of prayer\nwas heard, breathing to heaven in fervid accents a recognition of the\nDivine goodness, and an humble consecration of devout worshippers, and\nthe fair land they had adopted as their home, to God. The Gospel Message\nheralded the dispensation of grace, mercy and peace alike to all,\nbearing in its wings the gift of healing, and a glorious prophecy of the\ncoming reign of the Messiah over \"the wilderness and solitary place.\"\nUnder the word, the pentacostal blessing came down on the people and\nfilled the humble sanctuary. To many, the memories of other days, and\ntheir dear old homes in the east, were overpowering. The fountains of\nfeeling were opened and tears came welling up from their depths, until\nthey brimmed the eyelids of all, and fell in showers, as when the cloud\nangel shakes his wings. Those only who have mingled in the first\nreligious meetings of the new settlement, can rightly appreciate the\nintense interest or gauge the overwhelming emotions of such an occasion.\n\nFond du Lac appears on the General Minutes at the session of the Rock\nRiver Conference, held Aug. 26th, 1840. At that time the entire\nTerritory was included in two districts. The first swept across from the\nsouthwest to the northeast, making Platteville and Green Bay its extreme\npoints. And the other embraced the southeastern portion, and extended as\nfar west and north as Watertown and Summit. The Presiding Elder on the\nlatter, the Milwaukee, was Rev. Julius Field, and on the former, the\nPlatteville, Rev. H.W. Reed. The year following the northeastern portion\nwas erected into a separate district, called Green Bay, and Rev. James\nR. Goodrich was made the Presiding Elder. Brother Reed remained another\nyear on the Platteville District, but during that year it retained only\ntwo charges that are at the present writing included within the bounds\nof the Wisconsin Conference. After this date, the labors of Brother Reed\nfell within other Conferences, where doubtless a record will be made of\nthem. His visits, however, have not been forgotten. He was a man of\nkindly spirit and great practical wisdom. Wherever he laid the\nfoundations, they showed the labors of a skillful hand. He still remains\nin the Itinerancy, and is the Patriarch of Iowa Methodism.\n\nBrother Goodrich, who succeeded him on the Green Bay portion of the\ndistrict, is also remembered with great pleasure by the people. He\nremained three years on the district, and during the first two, served\nthe Green Bay station also. He was transferred to the Chicago District\nin 1844, and was succeeded on the Green Bay District by Rev. Wm. H.\nSampson. At the close of the year, Brother Goodrich took a\nsuperannuated relation.\n\nRev. Jesse Halstead was appointed to the Fond du Lac charge, as before\nstated, and the Mission was made to include both Fond du Lac and\nBrothertown. He was also continued on the same charge the following\nyear, the circuit now being changed from the Platteville to the Green\nBay District.\n\nWe have spoken at length of the Brothertown portion of the charge in\nprevious chapters, and may now confine the record to that of Fond du\nLac. During this year a class was formed at Taycheedah with Francis M.\nMcCarty as leader.\n\nAt the session of the Conference, held Aug. 24, 1842, the name of Fond\ndu Lac again fails to appear on the minutes, showing, doubtless, that,\nup to this date, it had not assumed sufficient importance as a religious\ncentre to retain the name of a circuit. But at this session a charge\nappears under the name of Lake Winnebago, with Rev. John P. Gallup as\nPastor. This new charge contained so much of the old Fond du Lac Mission\nas had been separated from Brothertown, and, in addition, it swept down\nalong the west side of the Lake as far as Oshkosh.\n\nAt the Conference of 1843, the charge was continued, and Rev. Harvey S.\nBronson was appointed the Pastor. The meetings during the year were\nstill held in log houses, Dr. Mason C. Darling, Hon. Edward Pier and Mr.\nNorman Pier furnishing the accommodations. It was in the residence of\nthe second named that the first class was formed during this year by\nBrother Bronson. The class was composed of Mr. and Mrs. Charles\nOlmstead, Mrs. Edward Pier, Mr. and Mrs. Daniel C. Brooks, Mr. and Mrs.\nNorman Pier and Mrs. Parsons. Brother Charles Olmstead was the\nfirst leader.\n\nDuring his pastorate, Brother Bronson also formed a class at Wilkinson's\nSettlement, of which a record will be made elsewhere.\n\nIn 1844, Fond du Lac again appears on the Minutes as a charge, and\nTaycheedah is joined with it. Rev. Joseph T. Lewis was appointed the\nPastor, and Rev. Wm. H. Sampson the Presiding Elder. At the beginning of\nthis year the meetings were transferred to a frame school house that had\nbeen erected in the village. The tide of emigration was now setting\nstrongly in the direction of Fond du Lac and vicinity, and new\nsettlements were being rapidly formed. The charge, following the general\ndrift of things, extended its boundaries, adding several appointments,\nand among them Waupun.\n\nSoon after our settlement at this place, as detailed in a former\nchapter, we were informed that a Quarterly Meeting would be held in Fond\ndu Lac, at a given date, in the near future. We decided to attend. The\nday came, and my father and I started on foot for the Quarterly\nMeeting. On reaching Fond du Lac we enquired for the Presiding Elder, in\norder to ascertain the time and place of meeting, and found that he had\nalready gone over to the school house where the meeting was to be held.\nBeing directed, we soon found the place and entered. The Elder sat\nbehind the desk, ready to begin the services. The Preacher in charge sat\nat his right hand, wearing a thoughtful mood. As we took our seats, both\nglanced at us, as did several of the congregation, doubtless thinking,\n\"Well there are two more pioneers, and they must be Methodists to come\nthus to church on Saturday.\"\n\nAs soon as I felt assured that the eyes of the congregation were\nwithdrawn from me, I ventured to look up and take the measure, in turn,\nof those present. There were, perhaps, twenty-five in attendance. They\nwere so like, in their general appearance, congregations usually seen on\nsuch occasions in the east that it was difficult to realize we were in\nthe far west.\n\nThe service proceeded, and at its close the Quarterly Conference was\nheld. We tarried, and after the opening services, my father arose and\naddressed the Elder, stating that we had recently settled at Waupun, and\nsupposed we were outside of the boundaries of any charge. Yet such was\nthe flexibility of Methodist institutions, he had no doubt the\nboundaries of Fond du Lac Circuit could easily be thrown around Waupun.\nIf so, we would like to be recognized as members of the church. We were\nreceived on our credentials, my father as an ordained Local Preacher and\nI as an Exhorter. Before we left the Quarterly Meeting, it was decided\nthat Brother Lewis should establish an appointment and form a class at\nWaupun. But of this further mention will be made in a subsequent\nchapter.\n\nRev. Wm. H. Sampson, the Presiding Elder of the District, had been a\nmember of the Michigan Conference. On invitation, he was transferred to\nthe Rock River in August, 1842. His first appointment was Milwaukee, of\nwhich mention will be made in another place. The next year he was sent\nto Kenosha, then called Southport, to save the church property which had\nfallen under financial embarrassment. Having accomplished this task, he\nwas, in July, 1844, appointed to the charge of Green Bay District.\n\nA better selection for the position could not well have been made. He\nwas just in the strength of his early manhood, an able preacher, a sound\ntheologian, a wise administrator, and a man of agreeable presence. The\ncountry was new, society in a formative state, and the material limited.\nUnder these embarrassments, it required no little skill to lay the\nfoundations wisely and successfully rear the superstructure.\n\nThe District extended from Green Bay on the north to Whitewater on the\nsouth, and from Sheboygan on the east to Portage City on the west, and\nincluded eight charges. To encompass the labor of a single year required\nthe travel of four thousand miles. The roads were almost impassable,\nespecially in the northern and eastern portions of the District. During\ncertain seasons of the year, the buggy and sleigh could be used, but, in\nthe main, these extended journeys were performed on horseback. A wagon\nroad had been cut through the timber from Fond du Lac to Lake Michigan,\nbut only one family, as yet, had found a home between the former place\nand Sheboygan Falls.\n\nBetween Sheboygan and Manitowoc, a distance of twenty-five miles, there\nwas no house. The road, if such it might be called, was an unbroken line\nof mud of uncertain depth, and any amount of logs, stumps, roots and\nstones, to give it variety. The northern portion of the district was a\nwilderness, and the few points that had been invaded by settlements,\nwere almost wholly inaccessable. In the southern portion the roads were\nbetter, but even here, and especially through the Rock River woods, they\nwere not inviting.\n\nThe position of Presiding Elder on the Green Bay District at this time\nwas no sinecure. The long journeys, the great exposure and the meager\naccommodations among the people, were trying in the extreme. But it was\nfound that Brother Sampson was equal to every emergency.\n\nAt this time there were only three churches on the District, and these\nwere located at Green Bay, Oneida and Brothertown. Brother Sampson\nremained a full term on the District, and at its close became connected\nwith the Lawrence University, in connection with which a record of his\nlabors will appear. In this work he was engaged until 1851, when his\nhealth failed, and he was stationed at Kenosha. He was recalled the year\nfollowing, and until the year 1856 performed such services as his broken\nhealth would permit. He was now made effective and appointed Professor,\nbut in 1861 he again entered the regular work, being stationed at\nWhitewater. His subsequent appointments have been, Presiding Elder of\nMilwaukee District, Pastor of Racine, Janesville, Evansville, Sharon,\nMilton and Waukau, where he is, at the present writing, doing efficient\nwork. Brother Sampson has given to the cause long service, a noble life;\nand is an honor to the Conference.\n\nThe Fourth Quarterly Conference of the year was held at Fond du Lac. It\nwas at this meeting that I was granted license to preach and recommended\nto the Conference, as before stated. The meeting was held in the school\nhouse and convened on the 31st day of May, 1845. The members of the\nQuarterly Conference were Rev. Wm. H. Sampson, Presiding Elder, Rev.\nJoseph T. Lewis, Preacher, Rev. Silas Miller, Local Preacher, Francis M.\nMcCarty, Isaac Crofoot, Joseph Stowe, Charles Olmstead, D.C. Brooks,\nCornelius Davis, and myself.\n\nThe population of Fond du Lac proper, at the time of our first visit,\nwas very small. It contained seven buildings and numbered only five\nfamilies, including the family of the Presiding Elder. The school house\nwas the only public building, and for years was used for all public\nmeetings known to civilization. Subsequently this public convenience\nfell a prey to the devouring element. The papers, in announcing the\nfire, gravely enumerated the losses incurred by the disastrous\nconflagration in this wise: \"The Court House has been burned, every\nchurch in the town has been consumed, and even the school house and all\nthe other public buildings have shared the same fate. There is no\ninsurance, and the loss cannot be less than two hundred dollars.\"\n\nDuring the year an appointment was established at the residence of\nJoseph Stowe, Esq., on the old military road, four miles west of Fond\ndu Lac.\n\nTo accommodate the settlement, now rapidly increasing in population,\nBrother Stowe built a hall for public worship. Two square buildings were\nerected at a suitable distance from each other, with an open court\nbetween. Over this court, and extending from one building to the other,\nand including the upper part of one of them, the hall was built, thus\nfurnishing an upper chamber. The hall was fitted up with seats and\nformed a Chapel of no mean pretensions for that early period.\n\nBrother Stowe's Chapel, as the place was sometimes called, soon became a\ngreat institution in that region. A class was formed, and, under the\nleadership of Isaac Crofoot, greatly flourished. A few years after, the\nleadership passed to the hand of Ethiel Humiston. The members of this\nclass were Joseph Stowe, Priscilla Stowe, Isaac Crofoot, Ethiel\nHumiston, Almira Humiston, Amos Lewis and Susan Lewis.\n\nThe class meetings, as well as the public services at this Chapel, now\nbecame objects of general interest. Brother Humiston had been raised\nunder calvinistic teaching, and, until recently, had utterly failed to\ndiscover \"the way of Faith.\" But, coming to the light under the special\nteaching of the Spirit, he had become a most remarkable illustration of\nthis great arm of strength. In short, nothing could stand before his\nvictorious Faith. In this Chapel there were most extraordinary displays\nof divine power. Nor, under such leadership, need it be deemed strange\nthat revivals sometimes swept the entire circuit of the year. Nor were\nBrother Humiston's labors confined to his own neighborhood exclusively.\nHe was often invited to other appointments on the charge, and even to\nother charges, to aid the preachers in their revival meetings, and his\nlabors were always greatly blessed. I have known whole congregations\nmelted to tears under the recitals of his Christian experience. And\ncould a record be made of the wonderful displays of divine grace in the\nexperience and labors of this dear brother, it would be a priceless\nlegacy to the church.\n\nBut Brother Stowe was amply compensated for the erection of this temple\nfor the Lord. In one of the remarkable revivals enjoyed in it, and that,\ntoo, in the midst of harvest, his son, William Page, now the Presiding\nElder of Milwaukee District, was converted. The home of Brother Stowe\nwas always a stopping place for the preachers. The writer, in going up\nand down the land in his early Itinerant labors, has been often\nentertained by this dear brother, and his excellent wife and family.\nRepeatedly, when weary, I have gone to this home of the pilgrims as I\nwould have gone to my own father's house, and in doing so, always found\na generous welcome. William, then a lad, was always ready at the gate to\ntake my horse, and the mother, a motherly, godly woman, as ready to\nspread the table.\n\nAnother appointment established this year was that of Byron, where a\nclass was formed by Rev. Joseph T. Lewis on the 18th of July, 1845 The\nclass was at first formed as a branch from Fond du Lac, but has since\nbecame the head of an independent charge. The first members were Orrin\nMorris, Leader, Olive Morris, Abraham Shepherd, Eliza A. Shepherd, Mary\nC. Shepherd, and Maria Shepherd. The first sermon preached in Byron\nproper was delivered by Rev. Morgan L. Noble, Pastor of Fond du Lac,\nJanuary 25th, 1846, and thereafter this place became a regular\nappointment.\n\nA very comfortable church was built at Byron in 1855, under the labors\nof Rev. S.V.R. Shepherd, Pastor of the charge. In later years Byron has\nbecome distinguished as the place where the Fond du Lac District Camp\nMeetings are held.\n\nRev. Joseph T. Lewis was received on trial at the Conference held in\nChicago, August 24th, 1842. His first appointment was Elgin, Ill., and\nhis second, Mutchakinoc. He was born in Wales, and, at the time of his\nappointment to Fond du Lac, had been in America only five years. Such\nhad been his success, however, in acquiring the English language, that\nhe was now able to speak it with remarkable fluency and correctness.\n\nBrother Lewis was a man of robust constitution, above medium height, had\na strong face, adorned with a Roman nose, and a piercing eye. He had a\nvigorous mind, was a thorough student and was already taking rank as a\npreacher. During his brief year on the charge, he found time not only to\nmaster the Conference studies, but, by the aid of the writer, to make\nconsiderable progress in the study of Greek. At the end of the year he\nreported ninety members. His subsequent appointments were: 1845,\nSheboygan; 1846 and 1847, Beloit. During his last year at Beloit, he was\ncalled from labor to reward. His illness was brief, eight days duration,\nbut he was ready for the Messenger. Just before his departure, he said\nto his most estimable companion: \"Tell my brethren of the Rock River\nConference that I die <i>shouting happy</i>.\" Thus fell, on the 22d day of\nMay, 1848, one of the most promising young men of the Conference. Truly\nit is said: \"God buries his workmen, yet carries on his work.\" The\nConference extended to the accomplished and devoted widow their profound\nsympathy. Nor will it be amiss to say in this connection, that the widow\nseveral years after became the wife of Rev. Stephen Adams, of Beloit,\nand up to this hour is most highly esteemed by all who have the pleasure\nof an acquaintance.\n\nIn 1845, Rev. Morgan L. Noble was appointed to the Fond du Lac charge\nand remained two years. He was received by the Rock River Conference in\n1843, and was appointed to Du Page Circuit with Rev. Elihu Springer as\nPreacher in Charge. Brother Noble was a man of superior talent, but his\nhealth was not equal to the Itinerancy. At the close of his term at Fond\ndu Lac, he took a location and entered secular pursuits.\n\nIn 1847 Rev. Henry R. Colman was sent to Fond du Lac, and also remained\ntwo years.\n\nBrother Colman entered the New York Conference in May, 1831, and his\nfirst appointment was Warren Circuit, with Rev. Joseph McCreery as his\ncolleague. This charge was located forty miles from his residence and\nincluded twenty-four hundred square miles. His visits to his family were\nfew, and the year was one of most severe labor. His receipts were only\none hundred and forty dollars, showing that pioneer work had not at that\nperiod wholly ceased in the older States. Luzerne, his next field, gave\nhim one hundred and twenty dollars. The next year he traveled\nBridgeport, a large, four weeks circuit, and had for colleague Rev. J.G.\nWhitford. On this charge the receipts for the first two quarters were\nnot equal to his moving expenses. He was next stationed at Ticonderoga,\nWestport and Essex, and Berne, successively, when he was invited by Rev.\nJohn Clark, who was east attending the General Conference of 1840, to\ncome west and take charge of the Oneida Indian Mission. He consented,\nand at the following session of the Troy Conference he was transferred\nto the Rock River and assigned to that field, where he arrived September\n19th, 1840.\n\nHe remained on this Mission five years and was then appointed to\nBrothertown as my successor. At the expiration of two years he was\nappointed to Fond du Lac, as above stated, where he contracted a severe\ncold, but thinking to remove it without difficulty, continued his\nlabors. It was a fatal step. Bronchitis set in and he lost his voice.\nHe was granted a superannuated relation at the session of the Wisconsin\nConference, held at Beloit, July 27, 1849. From this attack he has never\nsufficiently recovered to resume his labors.\n\nThe loss of Brother Colman from the work in the Conference was severely\nfelt. Of solid endowments, respectable attainments, large practicable\nknowledge and excellent administrative abilities, his services seemed\nalmost necessary to the success of the work. We can only refer such\ndifficult problems to the Great Head of the church for solution.\n\nDuring the nine years of Brother Colman's service in Wisconsin, he was\nabundant in labor. He was emphatically a man of one work. His salary,\nlike that of his co-laborers, was small, making an average of only two\nhundred and fifty dollars a year. Certainly this was a small provision\nfor himself, wife and five children. By a judicious investment at an\nearly day, however, he is placed beyond the reach of want. He still\nlives in the affections of his brethren, and, after a superannuation of\ntwenty-five years, his visits to the sessions of the Conference always\nassure him a hearty greeting from his old friends.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nGreen Lake Mission.--Waupun.--First Class.--Meetings held at Dr.\nBowmans.--Revival.--Two Local Preachers.--Short Cut to Cereseo.--Boxing\nthe Compass.--Wisconsin Phalanx.--First Society.--Dining Hall Chapel.\nDiscussions.--Antiquated Views.--Green Lake.--Shadrach Burdicks.--Visit\nto Dartford.--Little Green Lake.--The New Chorister.--Markasan. Lake\nMaria.--Revival.\n\nThe Rock River Conference, for the year 1845, held its session at Peoria\non the 20th day of August. At this Conference I was received on trial\nand appointed to Green Lake Mission. The class admitted this year\nnumbered twenty-three, and among them were Wesley Lattin, Seth W. Ford\nand Joseph M. Walker.\n\nGreen Lake Mission, somewhat undefined in its geographical boundaries,\nwas intended to include the large tract of beautiful prairie and opening\ncountry lying west and southwest of Fond du Lac. It took its name from a\nlake on what was believed to be its northern boundary, five miles west\nof Ripon. As I did not attend the Conference, I awaited the return of\nthe Presiding Elder at Waupun. Being informed of my appointment, I\nenquired after its boundaries. The Elder facetiously replied, \"Fix a\npoint in the centre of Winnebago Marsh,\" since called Lake Horicon, \"and\ndraw a line to the north pole, and another due west to the Rocky\nMountains, and you will have your eastern and southern boundaries. As to\nthe other lines you need not be particular, as you will find no Dr.\nMarsh in your way to circumscribe your ambition.\" At the date of which\nwe write, a few small settlements only had been formed within the\nlimits of the Mission, but emigration was moving rapidly in that\ndirection, and it was believed that an ample field would soon be found.\n\nAt Waupun a class had been formed during the preceding year, as above\nstated, consisting of my father's family, six persons in all, as\nfollows: Rev. Silas Miller, Eunice Miller, Henry L. Hilyar, Malvina F.\nHilyar, Ezekiel T. Miller and myself. This band consisted of three\nofficers and three privates. My father was the Local Preacher, my\nbrother the Class Leader, and I the Exhorter. My mother, sister and\nsister's husband were the members.\n\nRev. Samuel Smith, an aged Local Preacher, and father of Rev. Charles\nSmith, a worthy member of the Wisconsin Conference, had settled, with\nhis family, in Waupun during the preceding year, and had held religious\nservices in private dwellings, whenever convenient.\n\nSoon after the class was formed, Father Smith, as he was called, and his\nfamily identified themselves with the infant society and became\nefficient laborers in the Lord's vinyard. At the same time the class was\nstrengthened by the addition of Dr. Brooks Bowman and his good lady.\nOthers were added during the year, including S.J. Mattoon, Mr. and Mrs.\nS.A.L. Davis, Mr. and Mrs. G.W. Sexmith and Mrs. F.F. Davis. The class\nnow numbered twenty-two members.\n\nA building had been erected by the contributions of the people in the\nvillage and country adjacent, for the purpose of a chapel and a school\nhouse. Regular services had been held in the new edifice for several\nmonths, both morning and evening. But during the absence of the Pastor\nat Conference, two ministers of sister denominations came to the village\nand established appointments, occupying the house on alternate\nSabbaths, thereby displacing the former occupants altogether.\n\nOn taking charge of the work, I called on the new comers and expressed a\ndesire to occupy the house for the regular appointment once in two\nweeks, but found they were not disposed to meet my wishes. I suggested\nthat such had been the previous custom and that our appointments were so\narranged, we could not work to any other than a two weeks' plan. But\nfinding them still indisposed to accommodate me, I merely stated to them\nthat the house, having been built mostly by my people, and in part by\nmyself, I could claim as a right what I had begged as a favor, but,\nsince I saw they were indisposed to give me the only hour that would\naccommodate the balance of my work, I should seek a place elsewhere. At\nthis juncture Dr. Brooks Bowman, the physician of the village,\ngenerously offered his residence as a temporary chapel, and it was\ngratefully accepted. The wisdom of the movement was soon shown by the\nresult. The people came to the private house, and, when they could find\nno room within, they uncomplainingly stood without. The Lord poured out\nhis spirit upon the people abundantly.\n\nThe eldest daughter of our generous host, as the first trophy of grace,\nwas converted. Other conversions followed, and in a short time the\nnumber increased to twenty. Among them were William McElroy and wife and\nseveral others, who became leading and influential members of the church\nin Waupun.\n\nThe opposition soon came to naught, and the house was left to our\npeaceable occupancy. The Local Preachers rendered valuable services in\nthe protracted meeting, and also alternated in filling the appointment\nduring my absence in caring for other portions of the charge. Father\nSmith was not able to visit other neighborhoods, but my father was\nabundant in labors, extending his visits to every part of the charge and\npreaching usually twice, and sometimes three times on the Sabbath.\n\nHaving spent my first Sabbath at Waupun I next visited Ceresco, where a\nsettlement had been made by the Wisconsin Phalanx, a Fourierite\nAssociation. There was no direct route, as all previous travel had taken\na circuit to the west, thereby striking the trail from Watertown. But I\ndeemed it best to open a track at the outset across the country to the\npoint of destination. Obtaining a horse and saddle, and substituting a\npocket compass for the saddlebags, as that evidence of civilization had\nnot yet reached the village, I started out on my trip. Unfortunately the\nday was cloudy, and in the absence of the sun recourse at an early stage\nof the journey was had to the faithful compass, but unhappily not soon\nenough to avoid perplexity. After having traveled some distance, as I\nbelieved in the right direction, I fell into a questioning, whether I\nshould go to the right or left of a marsh lying directly before me. The\ncompass was brought to aid in deciding the question. It was poised on\nthe knob of the saddle, when, to my surprise, it seemed to point several\ndegrees too far to the left. I boxed the truant thing again and again,\nbut could not bring the needle to point in any other direction. So I\nconcluded, if the mountain would not come to Mahomet, Mahomet must go to\nthe mountain. Out upon the trackless wilds, absolutely without any other\nguide, it would not do to ignore the compass. But now a new question\narose. If the needle tells the truth, I must have been going in the\nwrong direction for, perhaps, some considerable distance. In such case,\nit is impossible to conjecture how far I may be out of the direct line\nof travel or how far I may be astray. The needle may point to the north\npole, but I cannot be sure that, if I follow its guidance now, I will\nfind Ceresco in the line of travel. But there was no time to be lost.\nSo, deciding that I must follow the compass, I reined my horse into line\nand started on, I had not gone far, however, before I found myself\nconfronted by another large marsh. This must be avoided, and hence I\nmade a circuit to the west and passed it, but in doing so, much precious\ntime was lost, and speedily the night drew on. I was now without sun,\nstars or even compass. The stillness of the prairie was painful. And the\nscattered trees of the openings in the deepening shades of the evening\nlooked more like muffled ghosts with huge umbrellas, than the beautiful\ngroves they had appeared when seen by the light of day. Pushing on\nthrough the darkness, I soon found I was nearer my destination than I\nsupposed. Leaving the groves on the right and passing over the prairie\nto the left, I had not gone far when a light was visible in the\ndistance. On approaching, I found that I had reached Ceresco, where I\nwas most hospitably entertained by Rev. Uriel Farmin, a Local Preacher\nand a member of the Association.\n\nThe Wisconsin Phalanx came from the southeastern portion of the\nTerritory and settled at this point in May, 1844.\n\nSoon after their settlement, Rev. Wm. H. Sampson, Presiding Elder of\nGreen Bay District, visited the place and held the first religious\nservice of which I can obtain information. Not long after the minister\nin charge of the Winnebago Lake Mission at Oshkosh visited Ceresco, and\nformed a class of seven members. The names, as far as ascertained, were\nRev. Uriel Farmin and wife, Mrs. Morris Farmin, Mrs. Beckwith and\nGeorge Limbert. The first named was appointed Leader.\n\nThe Association had erected two long buildings, one for a tenement house\nand the other for a dining hall. The first was built with a wide hall\nrunning from one end to the other. On either side of this hall suits of\nrooms had been provided for the accommodation of the several families,\ngiving to each family at least a parlor and one or more sleeping\napartments, according to its needs. Here families were as exclusive in\ntheir relations as good neighborhood could well require. The dining hall\nwas a long, narrow building, giving in its width, barely room enough for\nthe table, a row of persons on each side, and the free movement of the\nwaiters behind them. The tables would accommodate one hundred and fifty\nat a fitting. In the rear of the dining hall, there was a large kitchen\nin which the cooking was done for the entire Association. The service of\nthe kitchen, as well as every other department, was performed by persons\nwho either volunteered or were assigned to their positions by lot, and\nwere paid by the hour from the common fund. Divided into squads, each\nsection had a foreman or directress, elected at reasonable intervals. It\nwas expected that all the members would take their meals at the common\ntable, yet exceptions were allowed in certain cases. It was affirmed\nthat with this division of labor and a common table, the cost of board\nfor a single individual per week did not exceed fifty cents.\n\nThe Association had under cultivation several hundred acres of land and\nwere now putting flour mills in operation. Goods were purchased at\nwholesale by the Association and re-sold to individuals at the same\nrate. A school had been established and was under the care of a very\ncompetent teacher. Thus, externally, everything appeared to promise well\nand the people seemed orderly and happy. But, like all other enterprises\nof the same character, selfishness and corruption finally crept in, and\nthe institution fell into decay, and ultimately disappeared.\n\nThe people of Ceresco were always gratified to receive the attention of\nthe outside world, and their hospitalities were proverbial. And, though\nnot a few of the leading men were professed Infidels, they always\nreceived ministers gladly and treated them with consideration. They were\nspecially gratified to have religious services held among them, and the\nringing of the bell would generally insure a good audience. The dining\nhall was used as a Chapel until a more convenient place was provided in\nthe erection of a large school house.\n\nHere in the low, long hall I held forth on the following Sabbath. The\nposition was an awkward one. The table stood in the middle of the hall,\nreaching from one end to the other. The congregation was seated on each\nside in long rows. The preacher stood at the head of the table and threw\nhis message along the narrow defile, greatly to his own annoyance, if\nnot the discomfort of the people. To me the task was exceedingly\ndisagreeable. My thin, feminine voice seemed to spend its volume before\nit had reached the middle of the line. Then, my rapid manner of speaking\nseemed to send the words in wild confusion into the distant part of the\nhall. But I soon learned to gauge my voice to the place, and,\nthereafter, I enjoyed unusual freedom of speech.\n\nAt the close of the services, the table was spread for dinner. I was\nassigned the head of the table, with the President of the Association at\nmy right, and the Vice President at my left. Both of these gentlemen\nwere decidedly Infidel in their views, and have since become somewhat\ndistinguished as champions of Unbelief. They always treated me with\ncourtesy, however, and sought to make my visits agreeable.\n\nIt was their custom to bring up some item in the sermon as the subject\nof discussion at the table. These discussions often became animated.\nBut, having been somewhat schooled in that line of things, I always\nrequired a definite statement of position on both sides before any\ndiscussion could be had on the point assailed. This precaution kept the\ncoast clear, and made these table conversations profitable. The\nPresident repeatedly expressed his gratification with the conversations,\nand also with the religious services of the day. And on one occasion he\ntook the freedom to say, \"Though I am not a believer in Christianity,\nyet I think there is nothing in the world that can so effectually\nharmonize the views and blend the sympathies of the community as these\nreligious services.\" I took the occasion to suggest to him that his\nadmission carried with it a complete vindication of the claims of\nreligion and a proof of its Divine origin.\n\nOn another occasion, as I was mounting my horse to leave, the President\nexpressed a wish that I would visit Fox Lake and establish an\nappointment in that village, assuring me that he had friends there, very\nintelligent people, who would receive me cordially and appreciate my\nlabors. I enquired whether there were not religious services established\nalready in Fox Lake. \"Oh! yes,\" he replied, \"but they are not up to the\ntimes. They are conducted by a Local Preacher from Waupun, a gentleman\nwhom I greatly respect, but he is quite antiquated in some of his\nviews.\" I enquired if he was free to state what these views were. He\nreplied: \"Why, sir, he retains the old notion that the world was made\nin six days.\" \"Well, was it not, Judge?\" \"Why, certainly not,\" he\nanswered, \"any man at all abreast with the times knows better than\nthat.\" Willing to put the Judge on the defensive whenever I could, I\nsaid; \"Well, Judge, if it required more than six days, will you have the\ngoodness to tell me just how long it did take to make it?\" The Judge\nfelt the awkward position he was in, and before he could recover I had\nbidden him good bye and was on my way. Nor was he less embarrassed when\nhe came to learn that the old gentleman to whom he referred was\nmy father.\n\nHaving spent the Sabbath at Ceresco, I now started in a southwesterly\ndirection to explore the country along the south side of Green Lake,\nwith the purpose to establish an appointment should a suitable location\nbe found. After traveling about three miles, I came to a large log\nhouse, which with its surroundings seemed to say, \"We have come to\nstay.\" Hitching my horse to the limb of a tree near the gate, I\napproached the house. I was met at the door by a lady of fine presence\nand intelligent bearing, who invited me to enter and be seated.\n\nI began the conversation with the usual compliments to the weather and\nthe beautiful country about Green Lake. Receiving frank responses to\nthese common places, I next enquired if there were still good locations\nuntaken in the neighborhood. Her intelligent face radiated a smile as\nher sharp eyes gave me a searching glance, which seemed to say, \"You\ncan't come any land-seeking dodge on me, you are a Minister.\" Changing\nthe conversation, I soon found that the proprietor of the house was a\nMr. Dakin, she, his sister, Mrs. White, and that she was a Methodist. At\na subsequent visit to Ceresco I had the pleasure to enter her name upon\nthe list of members.\n\nPassing on I came to the residence of Mr. Satterlee Clark, since widely\nknown in the State, but he being absent I stopped only a few moments and\ncontinued my exploration. The next house I visited was located near a\nbeautiful spring in a grove of timber. The building was small, but the\nsurroundings indicated thrift. I rode up to the door and saw a lady at\nher wash-tub. She threw the suds from her hands and came to the door. In\na moment I recognized her as a lady whom I had known in the State of New\nYork. She did not recognize me, however, as I had doubtless changed very\nmuch since she had seen me. But she was not mistaken in thinking I was a\nMinister. She invited me to tarry for dinner, saying her husband would\nsoon be in.\n\nWhen Shadrach Burdick, for that was the name of the husband, came to\ndinner he found his house invaded by the irrepressible Itinerancy. He\ngave me a cordial welcome, expressed his satisfaction that his new\nlocation did not lie beyond the limits of Gospel agencies, and urged me\nto make his house my home whenever I might come that way. I saw that he\ndid not recognize me, and concluded not to make myself known until the\nsurprise could be made more complete. Conversation turned on the\ncharacter of the settlement, the number of families and the prospect of\nopening an appointment. It was known that a few families had settled in\nthe vicinity, but mine host was not informed as to their religious\nproclivities. I decided at once to visit every family in the\nneighborhood.\n\nPassing down along the shore of Green Lake and thence up through the\nopenings to the margin of the prairie, I found a half dozen families. I\nfound also that, without exception, they were desirous to have religious\nmeetings established in the neighborhood. Receiving unexpected\nencouragement, I decided to hold a meeting before I left. Fixing on the\nmost central residence as our first chapel, we held service on Wednesday\nevening. After preaching, I proceeded to form a class, and received\neleven names. Brother Burdick was appointed the Leader. He demurred, but\nI was not disposed to excuse him. I then quietly stated to the class\nthat I had known their Leader on the Crumhorn, in the State of New York,\nwhere he held the same position, and I was fully persuaded there had\nbeen no mistake in the selection. The Leader was not a little surprised\nat this turn of things, and concluded that he had nothing further to\nsay, yet doubtless thought, \"How strange it is that lads in so short a\ntime will grow to be men?\"\n\nAt a subsequent visit I crossed the Lake in a small boat to explore the\nneighborhood where Dartford is now located, but found no settlement. An\nappointment, however, was opened at this point the following year with\nWm. C. Sherwood as the leading spirit. At the present writing, Dartford\nhas become a fine village, has a good Church, an energetic society, and\nhas enjoyed the services of several of the strong men of the Conference.\n\nAt Green Lake the congregations and class grew rapidly, and before the\nexpiration of the year the appointment had gained considerable\nprominence. As soon as a school house was built, the meetings were\nremoved to it and continued there until 1870, when a fine Church\nwas erected.\n\nLeaving Green Lake and resuming my journey of exploration, I came to\nLittle Green Lake. Here I found a four corners with a store on one side\nand a residence on the other. The residence was occupied by a Mr.\nJewell, whose wife was a relative of Rev. D. P. Kidder, then in charge\nof our Sunday School literature. My acquaintance with him soon made me\nacquainted with this most excellent family. On their kind invitation I\nestablished an appointment in their house, which was continued until\ntheir removal from the place. It was then removed to the residence of\nMr. Roby, who, with his wife, was a member of the church. A small class\nwas now formed. Before the expiration of the year the appointment was\nmoved a mile south to the school house in Mackford. And after a time it\nwas taken down to Markesan, a mile west of Mackford.\n\nIf was at this place that I assumed the role of Chorister, the\noccurrence transpiring in this wise. I announced my opening hymn,\nsupposing that some one present would be able to lead the singing, but\nto my surprise not one was disposed to serve us. I had never attempted\nsuch a thing in my life as to \"raise a tune\" in public, and the only\nclaim I had ever set up as a qualification was that I could put more\ntunes to each line of a hymn than any one that I had ever known. But\nsomething must be done, so I concluded to lead off. Hunting through the\ngarret of my memory, I brought out old Balerma for the occasion. To my\nsurprise, I went through the performance very much to my own\nsatisfaction and comfort. And more, when I got along to the third verse,\nseveral persons in the congregation began to follow, with a manifest\npurpose to learn my tune. I dispensed with further singing, and at the\nclose of the service a good brother came forward and remarked: \"There\nwere several ladies in the congregation who are excellent singers, and\nif you had sung a tune with which they were acquainted, they could have\nhelped you very much.\" Whereupon I concluded that if I were unable to\nsing the most familiar tune in the book, so that a bevy of good singers\ncould discern what I was trying to render, I certainly could never\nsucceed as a chorister. I never became the owner of a tuning fork.\n\nIn the changes which followed in the boundaries of the charges, Markesan\nwas assigned first to one and then to another, but several years ago it\ncame to the surface as the head of a circuit. And it now has a\nrespectable standing as a charge with a good Church and Parsonage.\n\nResuming my search for new settlement, I next visited Lake Maria. Here I\nfirst called at the house of Mr. Langdon. I was kindly received, and\nwhen my errand was made known I was pressingly invited to remain for the\nnight, and hold a meeting before leaving the neighborhood. I consented,\nand on the following evening we held service in Mr. Langdon's house.\nLake Maria was now taken into the list of appointments and was visited\nregularly during the year. At my third visit, which occurred on the 30th\nday of November, 1845, I formed a class, consisting of Lyman L. Austin,\nAmanda M. Austin, Mrs. L. Martin, Mrs. Maria Langdon, David C. Jones and\nMaryette Jones. A protracted meeting was held soon after and thirty\npersons were converted. The fruit of this meeting carried the membership\nduring the year up to twenty-five. Among the additions were Lansing\nMartin, Wm. Hare, Mrs. Susan Woodworth, and others, who have been\npillars in the church.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nGreen Lake Mission Continued.--Quarterly Meeting at Oshkosh.--Rev. G. N.\nHanson.--Lake Apuckaway.--Lost and Found.--Salt and Potatoes.--Mill\nCreek.--Rock River.--Rev. J.M.S. Maxson.--Oakfield.--Cold Bath.--Fox\nLake.--Gospel vs. Whiskey.--On Time.--Badger Hill.--S.A.L.\nDavis.--Miller's Mill.--G. W. Sexmith.--Burnett.--William\nWillard.--Grand River.--David Wood.\n\nIt had been arranged at the Conference that Green Lake and Winnebago\nLake Missions should hold their Quarterly Meetings together. The first\nwas now to be held at Oshkosh. In going, I took the trail leading from\nCeresco to Oshkosh, and traveled the whole distance without finding a\nhouse. But at the intersection of the Fond du Lac and Ceresco trails I\nmet Brother Sampson, the Presiding Elder.\n\nOn our arrival at Oshkosh we found it had been arranged to hold the\nservices on Saturday in a private house on the south side of the river.\nThe Elder preached, and at the close of the service, the Quarterly\nConference was convened under a tree, thereby giving the house to the\nneeded preparations for dinner.\n\nRev. G.N. Hanson was the Pastor at Oshkosh. He was a single man, several\nyears my senior, of a kind and gentle spirit, given to books and a fair\nPreacher. I had known him in the State of New York, where we were both\nExhorters, and, also, both engaged in teaching. Brother Hanson entered\nthe Rock River Conference in 1844, and his first charge was Manitowoc.\nHe had been stationed on the Winnebago Lake Mission at the recent\nConference and was doing a good work. After leaving this charge he\nrendered effective service in other fields until 1852, when, having\nalmost lost the use of his voice, he took a superannuated relation. But\nas soon thereafter as his health would permit, he entered the service of\nthe Bible Cause and for three years proved an efficient Agent. In this\nwork his field of labor lay mostly in the new and sparsely settled\nregions of the Chippewa Valley, and along the frontiers of Minnesota.\nBut here he evinced the same perseverance and self-denial which had\ncharacterized his whole life. Leaving his most estimable companion, he\ntook the Word of God, and though he could no longer give it a living\nvoice, he bore it joyfully to the families of the land, through the\nforest and marshes of those new counties, often throwing his shadow upon\nthe coming footsteps of the Itinerant himself. But at last he was\ncompelled to yield to the hand of disease which had long rested upon\nhim. He passed over the river in holy triumph in 1857.\n\nOn Sabbath the meeting was held in a frame building, the first in the\nplace, that had been erected for a store. It had been roofed and\nenclosed, but there were no doors or windows. Rude seats had been\narranged and the accommodations were ample. The Elder preached in the\nmorning and the writer, as the visiting Pastor, in the afternoon. The\nmeeting was well attended and greatly enjoyed by all. The people, of\ncourse, were mostly strangers to each other, and, coming from different\nparts of the world, were accustomed to various modes of worship. But\nthey seemed to forget their differences, and recognize Christ only as\ntheir common Savior.\n\nAt this time Oshkosh was but little more than a mere trading post. The\nfew families there were mostly on farms or claims in the vicinity of the\nriver or lake. During my stay I was entertained by Brother William W.\nWright, whose house, for many years thereafter, was a home for the\nItinerant ministers.\n\nThe Quarterly Meeting passed off very pleasantly, and at its close I\nreturned to my work of exploration on the Green Lake Mission.\n\nFlushed with the achievements of the previous few weeks, and still\nsighing for conquests, I now resolved to make a sally in the direction\nof Lake Apuckaway, lying to the northwest of Lake Maria. I found, on the\nsouthern shore, a few families, and made arrangements for an appointment\nin connection with my next round. I then started to return, but had not\ngone far, when I found I had lost my reckoning. I looked for my compass\nas eagerly as Christian for his roll, but I could not find it. This was\na double misfortune, to lose both the way and the guide at the same\ntime. I resorted to the device of the backwoodsman, and tried to\ndetermine my course by the moss on the trees, but I found this to be a\ngreat perplexity and abandoned it. I traveled in divers directions and\ndevious ways until nearly overcome with fatigue and hunger, when I\nsuddenly came upon a newly erected log cabin. The logs had been rolled\nup to form the body, a roof of \"shakes\" had been hastily put on, there\nwas no chinking between the logs, there were no windows, and the only\ndoor was a blanket. The floor was made of earth, and the fireplace was\nmerely a pile of stones in one corner, from which the smoke ascended\nthrough an opening in the roof, at one corner of the building.\n\nI knocked for admittance, and was kindly received. The good man and his\nwife had but recently come into the country. He had succeeded in\nerecting his cabin and putting it in its present condition, but had been\ntaken ill with the ague and compelled to suspend operations. He had now\nbeen so long confined at home that provisions had become scarce. It was\nmeal time. A few potatoes were taken from the embers and placed on a\nchest, as a substitute for a table. I was invited to join them in their\nrepast, using a trunk as a seat. Grace was said, under a special sense\nof the Divine favor. A little salt was added, and the meal was one of\nthe most relishable I had ever eaten. Several years after, I heard the\ngood brother relate the circumstance in a Love Feast, when he took\noccasion to say the visit was the most refreshing he had ever\nexperienced. It was certainly such to me. The village of Kingston has\nsince sprang up in the vicinity, and has become the head of a circuit.\n\nReturning again to Waupun, I now decided to look over the territory in\nthe more immediate vicinity. Going to the south of the village five\nmiles, I found Mill Creek, where a small settlement had been made. The\nmost central house of the neighborhood was the residence of Brother\nDavid Moul, who kindly offered it for a temporary chapel. An appointment\nwas established, and on the 16th day of November a class was formed.\nBrother Moul was appointed Leader. The class at the first, consisted of\nthe Leader and wife, David Boynton and wife, and two others, but in the\nrevival that soon followed, the number was increased to twenty-two.\n\nBrother Moul was an earnest worker in the Master's vineyard, generous in\nhis contributions to support the Gospel, and eminently faithful to every\ntrust committed to his keeping. At the end of twenty years, I made a\nvisit to Mill Creek. I found Brother Moul had erected a fine house and\nwas living in manifest comfort; but he retained a vivid recollection of\nthe early days and their sacrifices. Two relics remained, both in a fair\nstate of preservation, which he took great pleasure in showing to me.\nThe first was the old class book that I had given him at the time of the\norganization of the class. It was a single sheet of foolscap paper,\nfolded together in book form, and stitched. The names upon it were\nmostly in my own handwriting, and the Leader had carefully made his\nweekly entries of present and absent, until the pages were filled. The\nother object of interest was the old house, in which the first meetings\nwere held. Here we had seen remarkable displays of Divine power. And as\nI now looked upon the old structure, the early scenes seemed to return.\nI could again see the wide room, filled with rude seats, Brother Moul at\nthe door as usher, the crowds of people that thronged the place, the\ngroups of seekers at the mourners' bench, and the lines of happy faces\nthat were aglow with hallowed expressions of delight. I could again hear\nthe songs of praise as they rang out in the olden time, full and sweet,\nfilling the place with rarest melody. Nay, as I held communion with the\npast, I seemed to feel the hallowed influences, that pervaded the early\nworshippers, breathing through all my being, as of old, and even fancy\nmyself young again, and standing before the multitude as an ambassador\nof the Master.\n\nBut the scene, like the visions of the night, soon disappeared, and I\nturned sadly away, half regretting that I was no longer a pioneer, and\npermitted to feed the hungry sheep in the wilderness.\n\nBrother David Boynton, at this writing, remains on the old farm, which\nhas been growing with the passing decades, until the paternal acres\nhave become a large estate. Situated on a prominent highway, his house,\nuntil the days of railroads, was the stopping place of all the preachers\nwho needed entertainment at either noon or night. Brother Boynton, in\nthe person of his son, Rev. J.T. Boynton, of the Wisconsin Conference,\nhas given to the Itinerant work, an efficient laborer.\n\nLeaving Mill Creek, I next visited Rock River, a settlement on the Fond\ndu Lac road, six miles east of Waupun. My father had visited this place\nduring the preceding year, and had already established an appointment.\nBrother W.J.C. Robertson, a gentleman whom we had known in the East, had\ntendered the use of his house, and here the meetings were now being\nheld. My first visit occurred on the 18th day of November, 1845, In the\nevening, I held a service and formed a class. The members were W.J.C.\nRobertson, Martha Robertson, Mary Maxson, Mary Keyes, James Patterson,\nCharles Drake, Abigail Drake, and Elizabeth Winslow. The last named\nsubsequently became the wife of Rev. J.M.S. Maxson. The first Leader was\nBrother Robertson. Both the congregation and class grew rapidly in this\nneighborhood, and the appointment soon took a leading position on the\ncharge. During the ensuing winter a revival occurred, and gave an\naccession of twenty-five. From the first, this Society has been blessed\nwith a devoted and spiritual membership, and its prayer meetings have\nbeen a living power in the land. As a result, revivals have been\nfrequent, and the number saved a host. Passing from private houses, the\nmeetings were held in a school house, but in course of time the school\nhouse became too small, and a larger one was built, with a special view\nto a provision for religious meetings.\n\nIn later years I have held Quarterly meetings in this building, when it\nwas thronged with people. On such occasions, after filling the building\nto its utmost capacity, the good brethren would fill the court around it\nwith wagons, carriages and buggies, loaded with people. It was at one of\nthese gatherings that the little girl said, \"Why, Ma, only see how full\nthe school house is on the outside.\" During the past year a fine Church\nhas been erected.\n\nRock River was the home of the lamented Rev. James M.S. Maxson, before\nhe entered the Itinerant work. It was here that he was led to Christ,\nlicensed to preach, and sent out into the vineyard, and certainly the\nchurch has had no occasion to deplore her share of the responsibility.\nBrother Maxson entered the Conference in 1850, and filled with great\ncredit, Omro, Fall River, Grove street Milwaukee, Oconomowoc, Rosendale\nand Ripon charges. At the last named place, he closed his labors June\n19, 1858. He was a man of great force of character, a good preacher, and\nwas thoroughly devoted to his work. He was greatly beloved in his fields\nof labor, and his death was deeply regretted.\n\nHaving organized the class at Rock River, and arranged the plan of\nappointments to take it into the circuit, I passed on to visit an\nappointment at the Wilkinson Settlement, which had recently been\nattached to my charge from the Fond du Lac Circuit. It was situated on\nthe south side of the marsh, nine miles from Fond du Lac and twelve from\nWaupun. The school house, in which the meetings were held, was located\nwithin the limits of the present village of Oakfield.\n\nThe class at this place had been formed during the early part of 1844,\nby Rev H.S. Bronson, when he was pastor of Lake Winnebago Mission, and\nconsisted of Russell Wilkinson, Leader, and Alma, his wife, Robert\nWilkinson, and Almira, his wife, Eliza Botsford and Sarah Bull.\n\nTo reach the settlement, it was necessary to follow the military road\ntowards Fond du Lac for some distance, and then cross the marsh. At\ntimes, the stream in the middle was swollen, and the traveler was\ncompelled to leave his horse and cross on foot. This was especially true\nwhen the ice was not sufficiently strong to bear up the horse, and such\nwas the condition in which I found it on this occasion. So, leaving my\nhorse, I hastened to cross the marsh, but when I had reached the middle\nof the stream, the treacherous ice gave way, and I plunged into the\nwater up to my armpits. I clambered out, but as the day was intensely\ncold, I was soon a walking pillar of ice. I was now on the school house\nside of the stream, and there seemed to be no alternative but to go on.\nI would gladly have found a shelter and a fire elsewhere, but it was out\nof the question. So, putting on a bold face, I hastened forward, and\nfound the people in waiting for the minister. As I entered the school\nhouse, with the ice rattling at every movement, my appearance was\nridiculous in the extreme. But not more so than that of the audience.\nThe faces of that crowd would certainly have been the delight of a\npainter. Some of them were agape with surprise and amazement; others\nwere agonized with sympathy for the poor minister; and others still were\nfull of mirth, and would have laughed outright if they had not been in a\nreligious meeting. As to myself, the whole matter took a mirthful turn.\nI had been in church before, when by some queer or grotesque conjunction\nof affairs, the whole audience lost self control. I had witnessed\nmistakes, blunders and accidents that would make even solemnity herself\nlaugh, and remained serenely grave. But to see myself in the presence\nof that polite audience, standing at that stove, and turning from side\nto side, to thaw the icicles from the skirts of my coat, was too much\nfor me. I confess it was utterly impossible to keep my face in harmony\nwith the character of the pending services.\n\nAt Fox Lake, the next point visited, an appointment had been established\nby my father during the previous year. The services were now held on\nSabbath afternoon in the tavern. The log house, thus used for the double\npurpose of a chapel and a tavern, was built with two parts, and might\nhave been called a double house. The one end was occupied as a\nsitting-room and the other as a bar-room. The meetings were held, of\ncourse, in the former. But it was bringing the two kingdoms into close\nproximity to dispense the Gospel in one end of the house and whisky in\nthe other. In a short time, a better place was provided, and the\nmeetings were removed to it.\n\nWith the better provision for religious services, came also the\nministers of other denominations. We all labored together in harmony,\nexcept in one instance, where a conflict of appointments caused a\nmomentary ripple. My appointment had long been established, and, to the\nsurprise of the people, another appointment was announced by a young\nstore-keeper of the village for the same hour. The word reached me of\nthis attempt to displace the Methodists, when ten miles distant from\nthe place.\n\nI took my dinner and rode forward, without \"wrath\" or \"gainsaying.\" I\nreached the place at the hour, went in and began the services. While the\ncongregation were singing, the young man and his minister came in.\nFinding me in the desk, the minister quietly took a seat and listened\nvery attentively to the sermon. But not so the discomfited young man.\nBeing placed under the eye of the congregation, his condition was\npitiable in the extreme. But finding after awhile that I was master of\nthe ceremonies, and that no one in the congregation seemed vexed enough\nto fight for him, he subsided into a deferential attitude. And,\nthereafter, there were no further attempts to override my appointments.\nThe minister, or perhaps I should say clergyman, took no offense, but\nbecame in after years a highly valued friend and companion.\n\nAt this time Mrs. Green was the only member of the Methodist church in\nthe village. In process of time, however, a strong society was\nestablished. Then came the erection of a commodious Church and a very\npleasant Parsonage. Fox Lake has been furnished with a line of able\nministers, and has at the present writing a large and cultivated\ncongregation.\n\nPassing down the stream the following week, I found several families in\nthe vicinity of Badger Hill. I immediately arranged an appointment for a\nweek-day evening at the residence of a brother by the name of Morgan. At\nthe first service held December 7, 1845, I formed a class of six.\nBrother Morgan was appointed Leader, and at the Quarterly Meeting\nfollowing Brother Drinkwater was made steward. Some time after, the\nclass was removed to Fox Lake, it being only three miles distant.\n\nI now returned again to Waupun to spend the Sabbath. The Class Leader at\nthis time was S.A.L. Davis, who came to the place during the preceding\nyear. Brother Davis was an old neighbor from the East, a noble and true\nman, and, withal, had been my first Leader. He was specially adapted to\nthe position; a man of great faith and ardent impulses. Under his\nLeadership, the class was in a most flourishing condition. The late\nrevival had, however, so swelled the numbers that a division became\nnecessary. An appointment had already been established at Miller's Mill,\nand it was now deemed best to so divide the class as to establish the\nmeetings of one of them at this point. The change was accordingly made.\nThe class was formed December 12th, 1845, and George W. Sexmith was\nappointed Leader.\n\nBrother Sexmith was also an old neighbor, who had come West and taken a\nfarm in the vicinity of Miller's Mill. Under his care, the class grew\nrapidly, and became an efficient company of laborers. Several years\nafter he removed to Fond du Lac, and greatly prospered in business. In\n1852 I had the pleasure to present him with a Local Preacher's license.\nHe was employed one year as Pastor of Liberty Prairie circuit, but his\nhealth proved unequal to the Itinerancy, and he was compelled to resume\nhis relation as a Local Preacher, in which position he still holds an\nhonored place among his brethren.\n\nThe next place visited was Burnett. The services were held in the\nresidence of Mr. McDonald, and a class was formed December 14th, 1845.\nThe members of the first organization were William Willard, Leader,\nHuldah Ann Willard, Samuel C. Grant, Ruth M. Grant, and Elizabeth\nBenedict. The class grew rapidly, and the appointment took a leading\nrank on the charge. Burnett has since become a charge, has a good Church\nedifice and a strong congregation. Brother Willard became a member of\nthe Conference, of whom mention will be made in another chapter.\n\nHaving organized the work at Burnett, I next visited Grand River. I had\npassed through this place in the early part of Autumn. At that time I\nfound Brother David Wood and his son engaged in making preparations for\na home. Finding they intended to have their cabin completed and the\nfamily in it before winter, I engaged to visit them and establish an\nappointment. On reaching the place to fulfil this agreement, I found\nthat besides this family several others had also settled in the\nvicinity. At the first meeting, appointed before there was a family in\nthe neighborhood, we had a congregation of fifteen persons. The class\nwas formed December 19th, 1845, with David Wood as Leader. The Alto\nChurch, which gives the name to a charge, has been erected in the\nvicinity, and there is at the present writing a strong society. Father\nWood, as he is now called, still survives, and takes special delight in\nreferring to this visit of the 'boy preacher.'\n\nThe watch-night meeting was held at Waupun, and was an occasion of great\ninterest, several persons being converted.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nGreen Lake Mission Continued.--An Assistant Employed.--Quarterly Meeting\nat Waupun.--Love Feast.--Forty Miles Ride, and Four Sermons.--A Sermon\nand its Fruit.--Portage Prairie.--Randolph.--Randolph Centre.--Rolling\nPrairie.--Cheney's Class.--Brandon.--Rosendale.--Reed's\nCorners.--Strong's Landing.--A Night in the Openings.--Rev. Uriel\nFarmin.--Going to Conference.--Madison.--Visit at Platteville.--Bishop\nHamline.--Humorous to Grave.--Galena Conference.\n\nThe work of the Mission was now well in hand. But already the field was\nbecoming extended and the labor onerous. Thirteen regular preaching\nplaces had been established, and invitations were being received weekly\nto increase the number. To meet this demand, it was now determined to\nemploy an assistant.\n\nThe Quarterly Meeting was held soon after at Waupun, and Rev. Uriel\nFarmin was employed by the Presiding Elder to assist in filling the\nappointments. The meeting, the first of the kind ever held in Waupun,\nwas one of rare interest. The revival had just added a goodly number to\nthe membership, besides greatly quickening others. There were present a\nnumber of visitors from the newly formed classes in other parts of the\nMission, and as a spirit of revival seemed to pervade their respective\nlocalties also, they struck the same plane as those at Waupun. The Elder\npreached the Word, \"in the demonstration of the Spirit, and with power.\"\nBut the meeting reached its climax in the Sabbath morning Love Feast.\nThe house was filled, and many were compelled to sit on the writing\ndesks at the side of the room. The meeting was opened in the usual\norder, by passing to each a crumb of bread and a sip of water, in token\nof Christian regard. Christian testimonies followed each other in rapid\nsuccession, interspersed by singing spiritual songs, for a full hour. At\ntimes the tide of feeling rose, like swelling billows, to a great\nheight, threatening to carry the meeting into disorder, but by giving it\na happy change at the right moment, the Elder was able to maintain a\ncomplete mastery. There were two periods specially critical. One, when a\nyoung lady, one of the converts at Waupun, gave her testimony. Standing\non a seat, as there was no other place to stand, she first related her\nown experience, and then, turning to the young people, she delivered an\nexhortation that thrilled the audience with overwhelming emotions. The\nother was when a Brother Mosher, somewhat eccentric in his exercises,\ngave his experience. As he advanced in its recital, he grew excited and\neloquent, and the \"Amens\" and \"Hallelujahs\" came from every part of the\naudience. Now, leaping upon the tide of feeling he had raised, he passed\nfrom one to another, shaking hands and congratulating them, until he\ncame in front of the desk where sat my father and Father Smith, the two\nPatriarchs of the occasion. Throwing his arms around their necks, he\nfairly lifted them from their seats, but in a moment, he discovered his\nawkward position and resumed his seat. Instantly the clear voice of my\nfather was heard in one of those outbursts of song, which so effectually\nkindle the fervors of devotion, or if needed, stay the flow of feeling.\nIn a moment more, the meeting had passed the crisis.\n\nThe Mission was now put under a new plan, providing for alternate\nappointments, each preacher making the round in four weeks. But while\nthis arrangement was the general order, the numerous calls received from\nvarious localities required frequent changes. In most cases, however,\nthe new appointments were crowded between the others. To meet them, it\nrequired three sermons on the Sabbath, besides many others during the\nweek. As to myself, I sometimes rode forty miles on the Sabbath and\npreached four sermons.\n\nOn one of these excursions, I became very much exercised on the subject\nof Christian holiness. I had before given the subject special thought,\nbut now it seemed to assume unusual importance. Not only did the\nteachings of our standards bear an unwonted clearness to my perception,\nbut my heart began to realize its essential value.\n\nAt my morning service, I preached on the subject, and as I swept over\nthe prairie ten miles, in the face of a driving storm, I resolved to\npreach on the same subject again at my noon-day appointment. I did so,\nand with much better satisfaction than in the morning. Twelve miles more\nof storm, and I was again before a congregation to preach the\nunsearchable riches of Christ. I had now become so full of my theme that\nI concluded to make it the subject of my next discourse. So, changing my\ntext, I preached on Gospel purity, showing that experimental religion\npresents itself to the conception of the mind under three clearly\ndefined ideas. These are Justification, Regeneration, and\nSanctification. The drift of thought ran in this wise: By Justification\nwe mean the pardon of sin. The man, who finds this grace through Christ,\nstands as fully accepted before the Law, as though he had never sinned.\nBy Regeneration, we mean that radical change of man's moral and\nspiritual condition which subjects all the faculties and powers of the\nsoul to the control of the Divine Spirit. This work of grace, wrought in\nthe heart by the Spirit, includes not only the entire subjugation of the\n\"Man of Sin,\" but the introduction of the reign of Christ. These two\nachievements of grace, wrought in the subject at the same moment, we\nordinarily call Conversion. By Sanctification, we mean that higher state\nof grace which contemplates the removal of all sin from the heart of the\nbeliever, and the experience of \"Perfect Love.\"\n\nThis last attainment comes to the believer through earnest seeking, and\npersonal consecration to God. In thus \"going on to perfection,\" the\nbeliever passes through several phases of experience. He finds that if\nhe shall retain his justified state, it is necessary to seek advanced\nattainments. And if he shall be faithful in the use of grace already\nreceived, he will find the Spirit ever leading him to new fields of\nexperience. As the Astronomer rests his calculations on worlds already\ndiscovered when he looks into the regions beyond, so the Christian must\nmaintain his present experience, if he will know the further revelations\nof the Spirit.\n\nBut the moral perceptions, quickened by the Spirit, will furnish painful\nrevelations to the justified soul. He will discover that there linger\nstill within him remains of the carnal mind. Pride, the love of the\nworld, selfishness, self-will, and sometimes even anger or other evil\npassion, will begin to stir in the heart. Such revelations will awaken a\nprofound spiritual concern, and perhaps, become the subject of\ntemptation. But there need be no alarm. It is but an evidence that the\ngood work, began in Regeneration, has not been fully completed by entire\nSanctification. The tree has been cut down, but the shoots around the\nold stump show that there is vitality still in the roots. The \"Mightier\"\nthan the \"strong man\" must now come and pluck up the roots. The work of\neradication thus accomplished, the absolute reign of Christ will be\nestablished. The heart will now become the Garden of the Lord, without\nbriar, thorn, or thistle. Relieved of these hindrances, the graces will\nspeedily acquire maturity.\n\nAt the close of the sermon, a good sister referred in very earnest terms\nto the discourse, and was grateful for the ministry of a man who so well\nunderstood the deep things of God. Instantly the thought came, \"Ah, yes!\nbut there must be a great difference between merely understanding the\ntheory, and realizing a happy experience of the power.\" A hasty supper\nwas eaten, and I was away for another ten miles to my evening\nappointment. The snow was still falling, and the winds were driving it\nfiercely across the prairie, rendering the track invisible. Out on the\nprairie, my noble horse dashed forward with great speed, but I scarcely\nnoted the distance, as my thought was busy. The question that was\nringing through my heart was this: \"How can you preach to others what\nyou do not know yourself?\" At length I resolved; and scarcely stopping\nto measure the movement, or estimate the consequences, I was on my\nknees, engaged in prayer. My first conscious thought of my surroundings\nwas awakened by the wrestling of my horse, as my right hand held him\nfirmly by the lines. Then came the suggestion, \"This is a very\nunpropitious time to settle a matter of this importance. With a\nfractious horse by the rein, a terrible storm sweeping over the prairie,\nand an already blind snow-path, you had better defer the matter for the\npresent.\" My reply was, \"It is time these questions were settled, and I\npropose to settle them now\" \"But the snow-path is nearly filled; you\nwill lose your way and perish.\" I still replied, \"It is time these\nquestions were settled, and I propose to settle them now.\" \"But it is\ngetting dark, and your congregation will be waiting for you. You had\nbetter go forward, fill your appointment, and then attend to this\nmatter.\" The Lord helped me to reply once more, \"It is time these\nquestions were settled, and, God helping me, they shall be settled now.\"\nInstantly the light broke upon me, and I was able \"to reckon myself dead\nunto sin, but alive unto God, through Jesus Christ my Lord.\" I was found\nin due time at my appointment, preaching from the text, \"He is able to\nsave unto the uttermost all who come unto God by him.\"\n\nLearning that a settlement had been made on Portage Prairie, at a point\nwhere Mr. Langdon, of Lake Maria, had erected a lumber mill, I resolved\nto visit the locality. I found Mr. Langdon had erected a small house,\nand had already moved his family. I was welcomed to his new home and\nagain invited to make his house a chapel until better accommodations\ncould be secured. I accepted the kind offer, and thus Cambria was made a\nregular appointment. I visited the few scattered families in the\nvicinity, and found sufficient material to organize a small class. The\nclass was formed on the 10th day of January, 1846, and at the beginning\nincluded Mr. and Mrs. Irwin McCall, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Wilson, Mrs. Maria\nLangdon, and Mrs. H. W. Patton. Cambria has since been largely settled\nby emigrants from Wales.\n\nIn March, I visited Randolph and opened an appointment at the residence\nof Father Griffin. At the present writing, the village has become a\nrespectable station, with a good Church and Parsonage.\n\nI also opened an appointment at the residence of Mr. Torbit, at Randolph\nCentre, which place has since become the head of a circuit.\n\nIn May following, I formed a class on the north end of Rolling Prairie,\nwith Bro. Greenleaf, a Local Preacher, as Leader.\n\nWm. A. Cheney and family settled on Wedge's Prairie in the early part\nof this year. His house was immediately opened for religious meetings.\nBut before I could arrange my plans to visit the neighborhood, my\nfather, who was always on the alert to carry the Gospel Message to the\ndestitute, established an appointment. On his invitation I held a\nmeeting there, on the third day of June, 1846, and organized a class.\nThe following were the first members: Wm. A. Cheney, Leader, Sophronia\nCheney, Abigail Cheney, D.S. Cowles, Ann Cowles, Henry Moore, and wife.\n\nAt this time Brandon had not taken form or name, but, on its appearance,\nthe honors and emoluments of this society passed over to its keeping.\n\nRosendale and Reed's Corners were next visited. At the first I held\nservices in the house of Mr. Sanborn, after whom the prairie at that\ntime was called, and at the latter, the meeting was held in the\nresidence of a Brother Lee, a brother of the celebrated Dr. Luther Lee.\n\nRosendale has since become a very pleasant station, with its convenient\nChurch and Parsonage, and Reed's Corners is a prominent appointment in\nthe Brandon charge, and has also a fine Church.\n\nHaving heard frequent reference made to Strong's Landing, on the Fox\nRiver, I resolved to visit the place. On approaching the bank of the\nstream, I looked sharply in all directions to discover the town, but\nthere were no evidences of human skill within the range of my vision.\nConcluding that I had struck the river at the wrong place, I first\npassed down the stream for a mile, but failing to find any settlement I\nturned back. I now went up the stream for a considerable distance, and\nfound a trail that seemed to lead down to the margin of the river.\nFollowing it to the water, I found a small canoe tied to a tree. The\nlight now dawned upon my understanding. This was Strong's Landing. Not\nhaving prophetic vision, I was unable to see the city of the future,\nsitting so gracefully on the banks of the Fox. Again the Itinerancy was\nahead of the pioneer. Leaving the site of the future city of Berlin, I\nhastened to return to Waupun, but a starless night overtaking me on the\nway, I spent its weary hours where the village of Brandon now stands,\nunder the branches of a friendly tree.\n\nThe labors of the year were now drawing to a close. The regular\nappointments had multiplied until they numbered twenty-four. The\nmembership had gone up from a small figure to two hundred, and the\nspiritual interests were in a highly satisfactory condition.\n\nMy labors had been very arduous during the entire year, but had been\nwell sustained until the latter part of the winter, when my health\nfailed, resulting doubtless rather from exposure than labor. I was now\nlaid aside for several weeks, but through the blessing of God and the\nskill of Dr. Bowman, my physician at Waupun, my health so far rallied\nthat it was believed to be safe to proceed with my work.\n\nMy colleague had rendered effective service, proving to be a true\nyoke-fellow in every particular. Besides taking his full share of the\nregular appointments, he also gave a large portion of his time to the\nspecial labors of the charge. He was not expected, at the outset, to\ngive his whole time, but he soon became so fully identified with the\nwork that he was almost constantly employed. In the severe labors of\nprotracted meetings, and in the wide travel of the circuit of\nappointments, he was equally self-forgetting and faithful. He was a man\nof good attainments, kind spirit, studious habits, and an\nacceptable preacher.\n\nThe charge being in a formative state, and the necessities of the\npreachers small, the financial receipts from the people were very\nlimited. My own were only thirty-six dollars, and those of my colleague\ncould not have been greater.\n\nIn tracing the work on Green Lake Mission, I have been thus specific for\ntwo reasons. I desired, in the first place, to give the reader an inside\nview of the relations of the Itinerancy to frontier life, and in the\nsecond, note the beginnings of a list of charges that have since\nconstituted a Presiding Elder's District.\n\nThe Rock River Conference met this year in Galena, Ill. And as it was\nnecessary for my father to attend the Conference to receive Elder's\norders, we decided to make the journey in a buggy. The first day,\npassing through Beaver Dam, we reached Fountain Prairie, where we were\nentertained by Rev. E.J. Smith, of whom further mention will be made\nhereafter.\n\nAt noon on the following day we reached Madison, and were entertained by\nRev. R.J. Harvey, the Pastor of the charge. Madison at this time was a\nsmall village, but, besides the Capitol, contained several buildings of\nrespectable size and appearance.\n\nThe first Methodist sermon preached in Madison was delivered by Rev.\nSalmon Stebbins on the 28th day of November, 1837. Brother Stebbins was\nthen the Presiding Elder of of the District, which extended along the\nwestern shore of Lake Michigan, from the State line to Green Bay. On\nvisiting Madison, he was entertained by the contractor, who was erecting\nthe State House, and who also kept a hotel. On learning that Brother\nStebbins was a minister, this gentleman invited the entire population\nto a meeting in his bar-room, and here the first sermon was preached.\nAnd I am informed that the people were so pleased with the services that\non the following morning Brother Stebbins was presented with a\ncollection of fourteen dollars.\n\nBrother Stebbins again visited the capital July 15th, 1838, and spent\nthe Sabbath, preaching twice to respectable congregations. But as\nMadison, now in the West Wisconsin Conference, has fallen more directly\nunder the eye of Rev. Dr. Bronson, and will doubtless appear in the\nWestern Pioneer. I need not anticipate its historical incidents.\n\nPassing on our way we were entertained the following night by a\ngentleman residing on the line of travel, some twenty miles beyond the\nCapital, by the name of Skinner. The following day we reached\nPlatteville, where we were to spend the Sabbath.\n\nIt was now Friday night. Early the next morning, we received an\ninvitation to spend the afternoon, in company with others, at Major\nRoundtree's, with Bishop Hamline. We went. The company was composed\nmostly of preachers, on their way to Conference. Among them were the\nMitchells and Haneys. Of the first, there were Father Mitchell, a grand\nold Patriarch, John T. James, and Frank. Of the latter, there were the\nFather, Richard, William, Freeborn, and M.L.\n\nBut the central figure among them all was the good Bishop. Of full form,\ncompact frame, broad forehead, and strong features, he would be selected\nin any group as a princely man. And yet, withal, his spirit was as\ngentle as that of a child. Though one of the intellectual giants of the\ncountry, and one of her greatest orators, he still seemed so humble in\nspirit that I felt myself drawn towards him at once. In such a presence\nthe conversation was necessarily restrained. Dismissing, for the time,\nthe freedom of debate, anecdote and repartee, that so often characterize\nministerial gatherings, the interchange of thought took on a more\nserious tone. Only once was there an exception. Referring to the labors\nof some distinguished man of his acquaintance, one of the leading\nbrethren and prince of story tellers, whose name I need not mention,\nproceeded to relate an anecdote. Immediately the tides of feeling began\nto rise, and, as the story advanced to its climax, they broke over all\nrestraint. An immoderate laughter followed, in which no one joined more\nheartily than the brother himself. The storm of merriment, however, had\nhardly passed, when the Bishop, in one of those indescribably solemn\ntones for which he was distinguished, said, \"Brethren, I always find it\ndifficult to maintain the proper spiritual equilibrium without a good\ndeal of prayer.\" Then, turning to the offending brother, he added,\n\"Brother, will you lead us in prayer?\" The entire company instantly fell\nupon their knees. But the poor brother! What could he do? Pray he must,\nfor the entire company were on their knees, waiting for him to begin.\nSo, making a virtue of necessity, he made the venture. But, I am free to\nsay, it took a good deal of coasting before the good brother could get\nhis craft well out to sea, and headed towards the desired haven. During\nthe balance of the visit anecdotes were at a discount.\n\nOn Monday we went forward to the Conference, that I might appear before\nthe Committee of Examination. The Committee were Revs. Salmon Stebbins,\nN.P. Heath, and S. Stover.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nAppointed to Watertown.--Aztalan the Mother of Circuits.--Divisions\nand Subdivisions.--Rev. S.H. Stocking.--Watertown.--Church\nEnterprise.--Sickly Season.--Quarterly Meeting at Burnett--Rev. A.P.\nAllen.--Elder Sampson Ties a Knot.--Conference of 1847.--Returned to\nWatertown.--Financial Pressure.--Opens a School.--The Coat Sermon.\n\nAt the Galena Conference, Green Lake Mission was divided into two four\nweeks' circuits, requiring the labor of four men. In view of my impaired\nhealth, I was sent to Watertown, the Cabinet believing that I would here\nfind less labor and exposure.\n\nWatertown, up to the preceding year, had been a part of the old Aztalan\ncircuit, and as this circuit was the mother of charges in this part of\nthe Territory, it is proper that our respects should first be paid\nto her.\n\nThe old Aztalan circuit was organized at the session of the Illinois\nConference of 1837, and embraced all the settled portion of the\nTerritory east of Madison and west of the Lake Shore Missions. The first\npreachers were Rev. Samuel Pillsbury and Rev. Jesse Halstead, and the\nyear was one of extended travels and great exposure. During the year\nappointments were established at Aztalan, Whitewater, Meacham's Prairie,\nEast Troy, Spring Prairie, Elkhorn, Burlington, Round Prairie,\nMenomonee, Prairieville, Oconomowoc, and Watertown, and at several of\nthem classes were formed. Brother Halstead's horse became disabled, and\nduring a portion of the year this indomitable pioneer, with saddle-bags\non his arm, made on foot, the entire round of appointments. Brother\nPillsbury was also a man of sterling qualities, and rendered\neffective service.\n\nThe Quarterly Meetings of this year were held by Rev. Salmon Stebbins,\nthe Presiding Elder, at Aztalan, Meacham's Prairie, Troy, and\nBurlington.\n\nAt the Conference of 1839, Aztalan circuit was divided. The eastern part\nwas called Walworth, and Rev. James McKean was appointed its Pastor. The\nwestern part, retaining the Rock River Valley, was now called Watertown,\nand Rev. H.W. Frink was appointed the Pastor. Both charges were now put\nin the Milwaukee District, with Rev. Julius Field as Presiding Elder.\n\nBrother Frink was now a young man, and this was his third charge.\nLeaving the seat of the Conference, he returned to Elgin, his last field\nof labor, filled his saddle bags with clothes and books, mounted his\nhorse as a true knight of the Itinerancy, and was away for new perils\nand new conquests. In his journey to what was then deemed the wilds of\nWisconsin, he passed through Elk Grove, Wheeling, Indian Creek, Crystal\nLake, Pleasant Prairie, East Troy, Whitewater, Fort Atkinson and\nAztalan. The last named was the head of the Mission, as a class, the\nonly one on the charge, had been formed at this place.\n\nWithout much regard to boundaries, it was the work of the Pioneer to\nfind the scattered sheep in the Wilderness. To do this, he was obliged\nto undertake long and wearisome journeys, through exposed and almost\ntrackless regions. Without roads, without bridges, and without shelter,\nour young Itinerant pushed his way through the forests, swimming the\nstreams, when fords could not be found, and seeking shelter under the\noverhanging branches of the trees, in the absence of the friendly\ncabin. As the result of these extended journeys and herculean labors,\nBrother Frink, during the year, formed classes at Fort Atkinson,\nJefferson, Piperville, Oconomowoc, Summit, Baxter's Prairie, Waukesha,\nPoplar Creek, Brookfield, Wauwatosa, Granville, Menomonee, Lisbon and\nNorth Prairie, but was unable to gather sufficient materials to form one\nat Watertown.\n\nBrother Frink, however, enjoyed the honor of preaching the first sermon\nin this locality. As there was no school house or other public building\nthat could be had, a small log house, twelve feet square, on the west\nside of the river, was secured. Here the services were held during the\nbalance of the year. The Missionary was kindly received by all classes\nof people, and when in the place was usually entertained by Hon. Wm. M.\nDennis, since Bank Comptroller of the State, and Patrick Rogan, a\ngentleman whose religious affiliations were with the Catholic Church.\n\nAt Fort Atkinson, Brother Frink preached and formed the class, in the\nresidence of Jesse Roberts, during the winter of 1839 and 1840. The\nmembers of the first class were Jesse Roberts, Betsey Roberts, Franklin\nRoberts, Sarah Roberts, Martha Fellows, Anson Stone, and Mr. and Mrs.\nHarrison. The first Church was built in 1850, and Fort Atkinson became a\nseparate charge in 1854. It now ranks among the first charges in the\nJanesville District.\n\nThe class at Jefferson was formed in the summer of 1840, and the members\nwere Jacob Fellows, Martha Fellows, Mary Fellows, and John Masters.\n\nThe name of the circuit was again changed in 1841, Watertown being\ndropped and Aztalan restored. A change was also made in the name of the\nSummit charge, which was now called Prairieville.\n\nAnother dismemberment again befel the old Aztalan circuit this year. The\nsouthern portion, lying down the Rock River, was cut off and joined to\nterritory that had been developed in Rock County, from the east and\nsouth, and out of the united parts Janesville charge was constructed. On\nthe old Aztalan charge Rev. John Hodges became the Preacher, and on the\nJanesville Rev. Alpha Warren. By these changes Aztalan was again reduced\nto the condition of a Mission.\n\nIn 1842, Rev. C.G. Lathrop was appointed to Aztalan, of whom a further\nrecord will be made in a subsequent chapter. Both Aztalan and Janesville\nwere now transferred from the Platteville District to the Rock River, a\nnew District that had just been formed, with Rev. S.H. Stocking as\nPresiding Elder.\n\nBrother Stocking entered the traveling connection in Oneida Conference,\nand after filling a respectable class of appointments for a term of\nyears, came to Illinois at an early day. He was stationed at Chicago in\n1839, at Rockford in 1840, and was Presiding Elder of Mt. Morris\nDistrict in 1841, Rock River 1842, Ottawa 1843 and 1844, and Milwaukee\nin 1845. Brother Stocking was highly esteemed by his brethren, and was\nan excellent laborer, but, his health failing, he was compelled to take\na superannuated relation soon after the writer entered the work. He is\nspending the evening of life at Beloit.\n\nIn 1843 Rev. Stephen Jones was sent to Aztalan. In 1844 the charge was\nagain divided and Watertown charge was formed, Brother Jones being\ntransferred to the new charge. Rev. Asa Wood was now sent to Aztalan,\nand remained one year, when he was succeeded by Revs. C.N. Wager and S.\nB. Whipple. At the Conference of 1854 the honors and emoluments of\nAztalan circuit passed over to the keeping of Lake Mills, which charge\nat this writing holds a respectable rank in the Conference.\n\nWatertown, at the time of my appointment, had been a separate charge one\nyear. A Church edifice had been commenced, and a class formed. The\nmembers were Mr. and Mrs. Walter Andrews, Mr., and Mrs. Heber Smith, Mr.\nand Mrs. Calvin Bunton, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. A. Dutcher, Mr. and Mrs. Elihu\nHiggins, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Cook, Mrs. Simeon Ford, Mr. and Mrs. Cheney\nAdams, Mr. Sands Cook, and others.\n\nThe financial ability of the charge was moderate, and hence the erection\nof the Church required a great effort. Our meetings were held in the\nschool house until the Church edifice was enclosed, plastered, and\nfurnished with temporary seats.\n\nThe fall of 1846 was a season of unusual sickness, fevers in various\nforms being the principal ailment. Along the valley of the Rock River,\nthe affliction became so flagrant that scarcely a family escaped. And in\nsome families, so universal were its ravages, that not one member was\nleft in condition to care for the balance. In this state of things\nhundreds suffered, and not a few even died for want of kindly attention.\n\nRepeatedly, when riding through the country to visit the sick and bury\nthe dead, I found flags of distress hung out over the dwellings of sick\nfamilies, where not one was able to bring a pail of water, or provide a\nmorsel of food. In such cases I installed myself master of ceremonies,\nkindled fires, brought water, administered medicines, and then went\nforward to render the same class of services to others.\n\nIn attending funerals in the surrounding neighborhoods, I sometimes\nfound there were not well people enough to bury their dead. After\nperforming the sacred functions of my office as a minister, I was\nobliged to aid, with my own hands, to let the coffin down to its final\nresting place.\n\nThough still frail from my illness during the previous year, I stood\nthis strain for two months, when I was prostrated by an attack of\nbilious fever. During the first week of my illness a physician made two\nvisits to my boarding place, and this was more than he could give to the\ngreater portion of his patients. The family with whom I boarded were all\nsick, and I was dependent for care mostly upon such snatches of service\nas others could spare from pressing demands at home. At the end of a\nweek, believing my chances of recovery, under such circumstances,\nprecarious, I ordered my horse and buggy, and started for Waupun, thirty\nmiles distant. My friends remonstrated, and thought me insane; but,\nfortunately, they were too ill to prevent the movement. The attempt was\nperilous, indeed, but by the aid of stimulants, which I had provided\nwith special care, and a will-power that nerved itself for the occasion,\nI made the passage safely. At the end of four hours I was comfortably\nhoused at the residence of Dr. Bowman, who bestowed upon me skillful\nmedical treatment, while his family gave me careful and\nfaithful nursing.\n\nAt the end of four weeks I was able to return to my post of duty. The\nsickness had now mostly passed, and I was able to enter more fully upon\nthe regular labors of the charge. I now adopted a plan of systematic\nlabor, giving the forenoons to my study and the afternoons to pastoral\nvisiting. And I soon found that earnest and devoted labor brought its\nreward. A revival speedily followed, which added a goodly number of\nprobationers.\n\nBut the holidays were approaching, and it was expected that I would\nspend a portion of them at Waupun, where, it was hinted, an event would\ntranspire in which I might have a personal interest. Anticipating the\ntime several days, I went as far as Clason's Prairie, and turned aside\nto assist Brother Holmes, the Pastor of the charge, for a few evenings\nin a protracted meeting. Returning, I proceeded on my way to Burnett. By\narrangement, I met Brother Sampson here, and spent the Sabbath with him,\nit being his Quarterly Meeting on the Waupun charge.\n\nThe preachers on the circuit were Revs. A.P. Allen and Henry Requa, the\nlatter being employed by the Elder as an assistant. Brother Allen was a\nman of mature years, though he had been in the work only a short time.\nHe was a man of decided talent, but so full of queer ways and witty\nsayings that these seemed to give him his status in the general\nestimation of the people. He filled several leading charges in the\nConference, and served a full term as Presiding Elder on the Racine\nDistrict. But wherever he might be, the same tendency to create laughter\nwas ever present. If an exception ever came to my knowledge, it must\nhave been the one that is said to have occurred on a former charge at\none of his outlying appointments. It is related that at this point the\npeople had not shown much regard for the visits of the preacher or the\nsanctity of the Sabbath, spending the day either in rioting or in the\npursuit of their secular business. Becoming disgusted with this state of\nthings, Brother Allen announced at the close of his services, that on\nthe occasion of his next visit, he would preach his farewell sermon. The\nday came, and the people, shocked at the idea of being left without\nmeetings, came out in large numbers, leaving for once their business and\nsports. The services were opened in due form. On arising to announce\nthe text, the Preacher told the people that he had come prepared to\npreach his farewell sermon, and he was glad that so many had come out to\nhear it. He presumed they knew the reason of his purpose to leave them,\nand hence he need not consume time over that matter, but would proceed\nat once to announce as his text, the following passage of Holy Writ:\n'Oh, full of all subtlety and mischief, thou child of the devil, how\nlong wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord.' Having\nrepeated the text with emphasis, he looked over the congregation very\ngravely, and said, \"Ladies and gentlemen, you will perceive that I have\nchosen a pretty hard text. Now it is not polite for people to go out of\nmeeting during the preaching, and if any of you think that this text is\ntoo severe for you, you had better go out before we begin the sermon.\"\nAs might have been expected, none were disposed to go. \"Well, then,\"\nsaid the Preacher, \"if you are not disposed to go, I will begin. I\nintend to show, in the first place, that you are all full of subtlety\nand mischief. In the second place, I intend to show that you are all the\nchildren of the devil, and in the third place, I intend to put to you\nthe straight question, whether you intend to cease from thus perverting\nthe right ways of the Lord.\" The preacher, at this point, again, paused\nand looked over the congregation. \"Now you will say,\" he added, \"this is\ngoing to be a hard sermon.\" \"So it is, but if any of you think you can't\nsit to hear the truth told you, or in other words, to have your\nportraits taken, you had better leave now, for it is not polite to go\nout during the sermon.\" It was now too late to go, if any one felt\ninclined. So the sermon proceeded, and commanded respectful attention to\nits close. Before leaving, the Preacher was invited to continue the\nappointment, and consented to do so.\n\nBut to return to the Quarterly Meeting. The people came in great\nnumbers, and the services throughout were deeply impressive. On Saturday\nevening, several souls were converted, and on the Sabbath others were\nadded to the number. But the crowning meeting was held on Sabbath\nevening. Before the hour of service had arrived, the school house was\nfull, the seats even having been removed to furnish standing room. And\nyet crowds of people were coming from all directions. I finally proposed\nto the Elder, that if he would put a man in my place in the school\nhouse, I would go over to the nearest neighbor's house and hold another\nservice. The private house was soon filled, and in each congregation\nthere were several conversions.\n\nOn Monday, January 4th, 1847, Brother Sampson accompanied me to Dr.\nBowman's at Waupun, where he officiated in introducing the Doctor's\neldest daughter to the Itinerancy.\n\nReturning to Watertown, I held protracted meetings at all the outlying\nappointments, and had the happiness to witness many conversions. But the\nyear was one of hard labor and small financial receipts. At its close I\nfound my receipts from the charge were forty-four dollars and my board.\nThe forty-four dollars were put into the Church enterprise, and I drew\non my private funds for my incidental expenses.\n\nThe Conference met in Clark Street Church, Chicago, Aug. 11th, 1847. I\npassed my Conference Examination, was ordained Deacon by Bishop Waugh,\nand reappointed to Watertown.\n\nWatertown was now placed in Milwaukee District, with Rev. Elihu\nSpringer, as Presiding Elder. At the beginning of the new year we\nopened house-keeping in the upper rooms of a house on the corner of\nFourth and Main Streets. The first floor was occupied as a residence by\nJudge Enos.\n\nThe year opened encouragingly. The Church in the village required two\nsermons on the Sabbath, and I had established other appointments in the\ncountry which required three a week, besides funeral sermons. The\nappointments were Higgins and Bennetts on the south of the village, and\nPiperville, Concord and Newhouse on the east. At several of them, during\nthe winter, protracted meetings were held, in addition to the one held\nin the village. At each several conversions occurred, making a fair\naggregate in all. These extensive labors taxed me severely, and finally\nbrought on an attack of fever. I was taken during Sunday night, after\npreaching in Watertown both morning and evening. The attack was so\nviolent that before morning I had become deranged, and my life was\ndespaired of. But through my wife's faithful watching and the good\nProvidence of God, I was able to resume my labors in three weeks.\n\nIt now became apparent that a severe financial pressure was upon us. I\nhad spent what I could immediately command of my own funds, and the good\nbrethren had contributed so generously out of their scanty means, to\nplace the Church in condition for use, that they could not meet the\nPastor's salary. I saw clearly that some other provision must be made.\n\nWhile casting about to find my direction, a Providential opening\noccurred. Rev. Mr. Hoyt, the Episcopal clergyman, who had been keeping a\nLatin school for some time in the village, was compelled through illness\nto desist from teaching. Fortunately, I had gone down several times at\nhis request, and relieved him in hearing his classes in Greek and\nLatin. This little kindness, added to the fact I was one of the School\nCommissioners of the county, naturally directed attention to me, as the\nperson to open a select school in the village. I embraced the\nopportunity. The Trustees kindly consented to the use of the Church for\nthe purpose. As the seats were only temporary, they were easily adjusted\nto the new order of things, and a school of sixty students was soon\norganized. This new demand upon me greatly abridged the pastoral work,\nbut there seemed to be no other way to live. Before I could realize\nanything, however, from the school, we found ourselves in very\nconsiderable embarrassment. In this emergency, my wife opened her doors\nfor a few boarders, which met the immediate demands of the table.\n\nBut at this juncture of our affairs, an incident occurred that afforded\nrelief in another direction. My coat had become, through long wear and\nexposure, not a little seedy. On entering the pulpit one Sabbath morning\nI found a note lying on the Bible. I opened it and read as follows:\n\"Will Mr. Miller have the goodness to preach this morning from the Text,\n'I have put off my coat, and how shall I put it on?'\" The note was\nwritten in a delicate hand and gave evidence of no ordinary cultivation.\nAt the conclusion of the reading, I gave a searching glance over the\ncongregation, but could make no face present plead guilty to the\naccusation of impertinence.\n\nThe opening exercises of the service were not concluded before my course\nof action was decided upon. I read the note to the congregation, and\nstated that I had just found it on the desk. I further stated that I was\nat a loss to determine whether it was intended as a sneer at my old\ncoat, or whether the writer really desired an exposition of the text\nnamed. But, believing that no one could so far forget a due sense of\npropriety as to deride honest poverty, or scoff at so faithful a servant\nas my old coat had been, even though it now began to show signs of age,\nI chose to take the latter view of the case. With this conviction, I\nshould proceed to make the text the subject of the discourse. After\ngiving the connection and context, I proceeded to define the subject of\ncoats, arrange them into classes and set forth their uses. The spiritual\napplication was not difficult, but it needed a little skill to cut the\nseveral styles so that each one could recognize his own pattern and\nappropriate the right garment. \"Of course,\" I remarked, \"every one has\nheard of the garment of self-righteousness, though it may be that none\nin this congregation are aware of ever having seen it. Yet, should you\nchance to look upon it, with its straight seams and buckram collar, I am\nquite sure you would not prefer it to my old coat, unseemly as it may\nappear.\" Thus the sermon went on, to \"cut to order\" and \"fit to\nmeasure,\" until all the most flagrant styles of coats had been disposed\nof, being careful, meantime, to institute the comparison in each case\nwith the old coat before the audience. The discourse was perfectly\nludicrous, but, like all of its kind, it took amazingly. Its financial\nsuccess was, doubtless, all that the writer of the note had intended. On\nthe next Sabbath morning the minister walked into church with a new\noutfit of wearing apparel, from the crown of the hat to the soles of\nthe boots.\n\nWatertown, from the first, was an unpromising field for ministerial\nlabor. The leading influences at the beginning, if not directly opposed,\nwere almost wholly indifferent to the claims of religion.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nWaukesha--Old Prairieville Circuit--Changes--Rev. L.F. Moulthrop--Rev.\nHooper Crews--Rev. J.M. Walker--Rev. Washington Wilcox--Upper and Nether\nMillstones--Our New Field--Revival--Four Sermons--Platform Missionary\nMeetings--The Orator--Donning the Eldership--The Collection.\n\nThe General Conference of 1848 divided the Rock River Conference and\nformed the Wisconsin. The first session of the new Conference was held\nat Kenosha July 12th, and I was stationed at Waukesha.\n\nIt will be remembered that Prairieville was included in the Watertown\ncharge in 1839, and formed one of the appointments established at that\nearly day by Brother Frink. In the following year, when the Summit\ncharge was formed, Prairieville fell into the new circuit. In 1841\nPrairieville took the name of the charge, and henceforth became the\nmother of circuits in this portion of the Territory. Rev. John G.\nWhitcomb was appointed to the charge in 1842, and Rev. L.F. Moulthrop\nin 1843.\n\nBrother Moulthrop entered the Conference in 1840, and was first\nappointed to the Racine Mission. In 1841 he was stationed at Troy, where\nhe performed a vast amount of labor and gathered many souls for the\nMaster. He remained a second year and had for a colleague Rev. Henry\nWhitehead, so well known in connection with the Chicago Depository. On\ncoming to Waukesha he had Rev. S. Stover as a colleague.\n\nAt the close of his term Brother Moulthrop retired from the work, but\nwas re-admitted to the Conference in 1859, it being conceded that so\nvaliant a veteran should be permitted to spend the balance of his life\nin connection with the Conference.\n\nPrairieville Circuit at this time extended from the lake towns to\nWatertown, and into Washington county as far as settlements had\npenetrated. As stated in a former chapter, Brother Frink had passed over\nthis region in 1839, and had formed classes during the Conference year\nat several places, but it now remained for his successors to extend the\nfield. In doing this Brother Moulthrop opened an appointment at\nWauwatosa and in several other neighborhoods.\n\nAt Prairieville, the class formed by Brother Frink consisted of Mr.\nOwen, Leader, Mrs. Owen, Richard Smart, Truman Wheeler, Mrs. Truman\nWheeler, Hiram Wheeler, Mrs. Hiram Wheeler, Theophilus Haylett and\nHorace Edsell, and to these were soon after added, Mr. and Mrs. Winters,\nMr. and Mrs. Joseph Hadfield, Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Henry, Mr. and Mrs.\nDaniel Clark, Sarah Packham, Mr. Blodgett, Mr. and Mrs. John Bromell,\nJohn White, and Rev. Jonas Clark. Brother Henry was soon after made\nthe Leader.\n\nThe members of the class at Summit were John Merical, Leader, Levi\nMerical, John Merical, Jr., Philip Scheuler, Mary Scheuler, Maria L.\nFrink, Sarah Taft, and Sarah Hardell.\n\nPrairieville charge was now in the Chicago District, and Rev. Hooper\nCrews was the Presiding Elder. During this year he assisted Brother\nMoulthrop in holding a protracted meeting at Prairieville, and large\nnumbers were converted.\n\nBrother Crews was one of the choicest men in the Conference. He began\nhis ministerial work when what is now the great Northwest was yet in its\ninfancy, and has mingled in the discussion and settlement of all the\ngreat questions which have arisen. His appointments have placed him in\nthe front rank of his compeers, and among them all, none have made a\nbetter record, or will go from labor to reward leaving a profounder\nregret among the people.\n\nAt the Milwaukee Conference in 1844, Prairieville charge was divided.\nThe northern portion was set off and erected into the Washington\nMission, with Rev. J.M. Snow as Pastor, of whom a record will be made in\nanother chapter. Brother Moulthrop remained on the old charge, and was\nable to take care of what remained without an assistant.\n\nThe following year, 1845, the charge again required two men, and Revs.\nG.W. Cotrell and Miles L. Reed were appointed, and had a year of great\nprosperity. This year Pewaukee was detached from the Prairieville charge\nand added to Washington Mission, and as this change drew the latter to\nthe southward, the name of Washington was dropped, and that of Menomonee\nsubstituted. Brother Snow remained on the charge.\n\nBrother Reed was a young man of great promise, but his career was of\nshort duration. At the close of his year at Prairieville, his failing\nhealth compelled him to leave the work. Remaining, however, in the\nvillage, he was greatly useful and highly esteemed as a Local Preacher.\n\nIn 1846, the Pastors of Prairieville circuit were Rev. Washington Wilcox\nand Rev. J.M. Walker. Both of these devoted and earnest men were\nabundant in labor. Protracted meetings were held at nearly all of the\nprincipal appointments, and large numbers were converted. It is affirmed\nthat the junior preacher was engaged seventy five successive days in\nthese meetings. It is not a matter of surprise that a severe\nillness followed.\n\nBrother Walker entered the Conference, as before stated, in the class or\n1845, with the writer. His first circuit was Elkhorn. During the year he\nhad extensive revivals at both Delavan and North Geneva. After leaving\nPrairieville he was sent to Geneva, where he again had a prosperous\nyear, and also found an excellent wife. His next field was Rock Prairie,\nto which he was sent in 1848. Here he had over two hundred conversions.\nThe following year he was sent to Union Circuit, with Rev. James Lawson\nas colleague, and was returned to the same the next year. But in the\nearly part of the year he was removed to Beloit, to supply a vacancy.\nHis next appointment was Whitewater, where he succeeded in completing a\nChurch, and his next field was Beaver Dam. In 1855 he was appointed\nPresiding Elder of Beaver Dam District, which post he filled with great\nacceptability. His subsequent appointments have been Spring Street\nStation, Milwaukee, Chaplain of the Thirty-Eighth Regiment, Beaver Dam,\nOshkosh and Green Bay. At the last named, he is at the present writing\ndoing effective service.\n\nIn 1847 Prairieville Circuit was changed to a station, under the name of\nWaukesha. Brother Wilcox was returned, and during the year built up a\nstrong congregation, giving the station a front rank among the first\ncharges of the Conference.\n\nBrother Wilcox entered the traveling connection in the East and came to\nthe Illinois Conference at an early day. He was stationed in Galena in\n1839, and before coming to Waukesha he had served Dubuque, Mineral\nPoint, Dixon, Elgin and Sylvania. At the close of his term at Waukesha\nhe was appointed Presiding Elder of Fond du Lac District At the end of\nthree years he was sent to the Madison District, where he remained a\nfull term. His subsequent appointments fell within the bounds of the\nWest Wisconsin Conference, in all of which he acquitted himself\ncreditably. His last field was Baraboo Station, where he passed from\nlabor to reward, leaving to his brethren the record of a spotless life\nand unswerving devotion to the Master's work.\n\nBrother Wilcox was an able minister of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was a\nman of large intellect and strong convictions. His sermons embodied\ncardinal truth, and with him mere word painting was a sham. Sometimes he\nwas thought to be severe, but it was the severity of what he conceived\nto be truth. In debate, on the Conference floor, or in discussion before\nan audience, he was a giant. At times he would seem to push his\nantagonist relentlessly, but it was only following his inexorable logic\nto its findings. The same thoroughness entered into all he did. On a\ncommittee it was his habit to go to the bottom of things. Especially was\nthis true in the Conference examinations.\n\nI remember distinctly the examination that was had the year I graduated\nto Elder's orders. With him as chairman, and another strong man, whom I\nneed not name, as second, we were under the fiery ordeal seven sessions.\nI have never ceased to wonder that anything was left of us, after having\nbeen thus ground between the upper and nether millstones. And yet there\nwas no unkindness, for in his feelings he was as tender as a child. The\nfact is, this noble man could never do anything by halves. If the\nfaithful discharge of duty, the persistent adherence to the right, and\nunsparing self-denial, constitute the standard of nobility, then\nWashington Wilcox. had a right to claim his patent.\n\nAt Waukesha, a respectable Church edifice had been erected in 1841 and\n1842. At a later period a small Parsonage had been built, and on our\narrival it was in readiness to receive us. The public services of the\nSabbath were held at half-past ten in the morning and at one in the\nafternoon. The latter had been so arranged to accommodate families in\nthe country, who desired a second service before returning home. The\nplan, however, did not fully satisfy the people in the village, as it\nfailed to provide for an evening service. It was suggested that in a\nvillage, a certain class of people could be induced to attend an evening\nservice that would not go to any other. To test the matter, I opened an\nevening service. The arrangement proved satisfactory, and was continued,\nthough it involved the necessity of having three services a day.\n\nThe good seed of the kingdom, scattered among the crowds who gathered at\nthe evening service, in due time began to bear fruit, and an extensive\nrevival followed. As the good work in the village increased, and the\nnumber of converts was multiplied, the people of the surrounding\nneighborhoods became also interested, and attended the meeting. Many of\nthese were induced to accept the obligations of a holy life, and as a\nresult, invitations began to multiply, requesting me to open\nappointments in their respective localities. I now selected five of the\nmost central neighborhoods and established in them week-day evening\nservices. But as the summer drew on, they were discontinued except two,\nand these, as the most promising, were assigned to the Sabbath, and were\nfilled on alternate days at four o'clock in the afternoon. To meet these\nappointments, in addition to the regular services in the village,\nrequired four sermons each Sabbath. As to the propriety of undertaking\nthis amount of labor, I need say nothing. Some may deem it an evidence\nof zeal, but others that of folly.\n\nDuring this year the Milwaukee District established a system of platform\nmissionary meetings on the several charges. To further the object, it\nwas decided to appoint two or three ministers to attend each meeting,\nand by dividing the labor throughout the district, bring thereby all the\npreachers upon the platform. On several of these occasions, I found\nmyself associated with a brother who was beginning to attract\nconsiderable attention as a speaker. We usually put him on the programme\nfor the closing speech, that he might furnish the \"rousements,\" as\nBishop Morris would say, for the collection. And in this particular we\nwere seldom disappointed. The good brother was always ready for what\nmight be called a flaming speech. And though he always ran in much the\nsame channel, his craft, to use a figure, was always full-rigged and\nunder full sail. But, to change the figure, and bring it more fully into\nharmony with the department of nature, from which the brother had\nevidently derived his name, I might say his pinions were always full\nfledged and in full tension for a lofty flight. Unfortunately, however,\nhe could never fold his wings in time to make a graceful descent when he\ndesired to come down to the plane of ordinary mortals. In the descent he\nwould sometimes \"swap ends\" so many times, that it was a marvel that a\nbroken neck was not the result. But to his own mind these airy flights\nwere always sublime, and especially so when he struck the quotation,\nwhich usually closed each missionary speech, that placed the herald of\nthe Gospel on the highest pinnacle of time, and made him \"look back over\nthe vista of receding ages\" and \"forward over the hill-tops of coming\ntime,\" and \"lift up his voice until it should echo from mountain top to\nmountain top, from valley to valley, from river to river, from ocean to\nocean, from isle to isle, and from continent to continent, the whole\nearth around.\" Of course the collection always followed this speech, and\nif it proved to be pretty good, a few additional feathers went into the\npinions for the next flight.\n\nOn one of these occasions our orator became greatly elated with his\nsuccess, and rallied me upon the difference between the broad, velvety\nwing of the miller and the long, sharp pointed wing of his species. The\nopportunity was too good to be lost. I replied, \"Well, my brother, I had\na thought last night, when I saw you towering to such dizzy heights in\nyour speech.\" \"What was it?\" he enquired, eagerly. \"Oh!\" I replied, \"I\nwould hardly dare to tell you.\" \"Yes, yes,\" said he, \"let us have it.\" I\nstill hesitated, until the several brethren present joined him in his\npersistent request. \"Well,\" I answered, \"if you insist upon it I will\nstate it. When I saw you making your lofty flights, I thought if you\ncould only have a few feathers plucked from the wings of your\nimagination and placed in the tail of your judgment, you would make a\ngrand flyer.\" The next flight was made with greater caution.\n\nThe balance of the year at Waukesha was given to the ordinary demands of\nthe work. To the Church there had been large accessions and to the\nParsonage a welcome guest, in the person of our eldest daughter.\n\nThe Wisconsin Conference for 1849 was held at Platteville. I crossed the\nState in a buggy and was assigned to Father Mitchell's for\nentertainment. To enjoy the hospitality of this truly Christian\ngentleman and veteran patriarch for a week was a privilege that would\nmark an era at any time in a man's life. At this Conference I was\nordained an Elder by Bishop Janes, and received my appointment for a\nsecond year at Waukesha. Rev. Elihu Springer was returned to Milwaukee\nDistrict for the third year.\n\nAt my first Quarterly Meeting the Elder insisted on a reconstruction of\nmy work, in which he was joined by the Local Preachers and several other\nbrethren of the charge. The noon-day sermon was dispensed with and the\nSabbath afternoon appointments were given mainly to the care of the\nLocal Preachers. These were William Carpenter, Hiram Crane, and Miles L.\nReed, a trio of noble and devoted men.\n\nAssisted by these faithful men and a united and earnest church, the work\ngrew upon our hands, and this second year was also blessed with a\nprecious revival. It was in connection with this revival and the\ngarnering of the converts that the controversy arose between us and the\nBaptist friends on the subject of baptism. As many of our converts had\nnot enjoyed favorable opportunities to become informed on this subject,\nthe Pastor was desired by formal request to preach a sermon on the mode\nof baptism. This was done, and soon after the official board requested a\ncopy for publication. The writer, supposing it was merely intended to\nsecure a few copies through the columns of the village newspaper for\nconvenient reference, hastily furnished the discourse. Instead, however,\nof procuring a few slips only, it was published in pamphlet and given a\nmore extensive circulation. In due time it was taken up by the Pastor of\nthe Baptist Church and reviewed at length in his pulpit. On the\nfollowing Sabbath the reviewer was himself reviewed, and here ended the\ncontroversy. It is a question whether such controversies are really\nbeneficial. They usually engender strife and party feeling, and not\nunfrequently alienate the servants of our common Master. But that such\nwas not the case in this instance is pretty evident from the fact that\nat the session of our Conference in Waukesha the following year, the\nwriter was requested to fill on the Sabbath the pulpit of his former\nantagonist.\n\nOn this charge also the writer took his first serious lesson in Church\ntrials. The matter in question arose out of a misunderstanding between a\nman and his wife, growing out of a want of interest, perhaps, on the\npart of the one, and jealousy on the part of the other. Like other\ninexperienced administrators whom I have known, in trying to make\ncrooked things straight, I invoked an agency that became a fire and a\nsword in my hand. Neither the Church nor the individuals concerned\nderived any advantage in the result, and though the wisdom of the\nadministration was never called in question as far as I knew, yet I\ncould not suppress the conviction that Church trials can only be\ncommended as a last resort. It is much easier to awaken than allay the\nspirit of strife. Abating this discordant note, which did not long\ndisturb the harmony of the Church, the two years we spent on this charge\nare freighted with most precious memories. Full of incident, and\nfragrant with blessing, they form a bright link in the chain of our\nitinerant life. Happy in our work, with only occasional calls for\nspecial services abroad, the years passed swiftly and joyously.\n\nReferring to services abroad reminds me of the Quarterly Meeting I held\nfor the Presiding Elder, on what was then called Howard's Prairie, some\ntwenty miles distant. Seated in my buggy with my wife and child, I\nstarted on Friday afternoon for the place. We reached the neighborhood\nat nightfall. We were directed by the Elder to call on a given family\nfor entertainment, the gentleman being the most wealthy Methodist in\nthe settlement. We halted the buggy at his gate, and I went in to crave\nhis hospitality. As I approached the door and addressed myself to the\nmaster of the premises, he put on a frigid expression of countenance,\nand answered me coldly. I decided at once that I would not make myself\nknown, but try the spirit of the man. I inquired whether there was to be\na Quarterly Meeting in his neighborhood. He replied in the affirmative.\nI then inquired where the Methodist preachers put up when they came into\nthe settlement.\n\nHe said, \"They usually put up at the second house further on.\" I\nconcluded the old gentleman was not expecting company until the\nPresiding Elder should come, and so concluded we had better go on. As I\nretired the old gentleman looked sharply after me, but doubtless\nthinking so small and young a man as I then was could not be the Elder,\nhe permitted me to go on my way. We went on to the house indicated, and\ninquired of the gentleman at the gate whether the Methodist preachers\nwho visited the settlement usually found entertainment with him. He\nreplied, \"I am not a Methodist myself, but my old woman is one, I\nbelieve, and she sometimes takes in the preachers on her own hook, but\nshe is not at home to-night. Why didn't you stop up at the white house\non the hill? He is the loudest Methodist in this neighborhood.\" I\ninquired, \"Who lives up here in this small house that we have\njust passed?\"\n\n\"Oh,\" said he, \"that is my son, the Class-Leader.\" It was now quite\ndark. I returned to the buggy and asked my wife how she liked the\nPresiding Eldership. She laughed heartily, and said, \"The fact is, they\nare all waiting for the Presiding Elder, for no one would ever take\nyou for one.\"\n\nI concluded she was right, and on returning to the Class-Leader's house\nI made bold to announce myself in due form. We were most hospitably\nentertained, and were so pleased with our kind host and hostess that we\nfelt constrained to decline, the next day, urgent invitations from both\nof the large houses. My wife has often queried since as to what became\nof the pies and cakes that were intended for the Presiding Elder on\nthat occasion.\n\nThe services of the Sabbath were held in a school house. At the close of\nthe morning sermon the Pastor, Rev. Jesse Halstead, volunteered to carry\nthe hat through the congregation, to receive the collection for the\nPresiding Elder. After performing this service, he requested the good\npeople to sing while he should count the funds. On completing the count,\nhe found a deficiency, and concluded to carry the hat again. He started\nand moved leisurely along, taking special pains to afford all an\nopportunity to contribute, until he came to the dear man, whose\nacquaintance I had made the night before. He now paused, placed the hat\non the desk, under the face of the reputed miser, put his hands in his\npockets, and looked unconcernedly over the congregation, remarking,\n\"Well, brethren, there is no great hurry about this matter. If you have\nnot got the money with you, we will give you plenty of time to borrow it\nfrom your neighbor.\" This new feature in the programme directed all eyes\nto the brother in whose custody the hat had been placed. For a moment he\nwas frigid, but under such a concentration of piercing rays as were now\nturned upon him, he soon began to melt. Turning to his neighbor, he\nborrowed a contribution, whereupon the hat moved on.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nMilwaukee--Early History--First Sermon--Rev. Mark Robinson--First\nClass--Rev. John Clark--Trustees--Rev. James Ash--Rev. David\nWorthington--Rev. Julius Field--Rev. John Crummer--First Church--Rev.\nJohn T. Mitchell--Rev. Sias Bolles--Lantern Convert--Second Church--Rev.\nA. Hanson--Rev. Dr. Ryan--John H. Van Dyke--Rev. F.M. Mills--Rev. James\nE. Wilson--Walker's Point--First Class--Rev. Wm. Willard.\n\nThe Conference of 1850 was held June 26th at Beloit, Bishop Hamline\npresiding. Brother Springer was returned to the Milwaukee District, and\nI was appointed to Spring Street Station, Milwaukee. The charge included\nthe entire city except Walker's Point, where a Mission had been\nestablished, but before speaking of the Station in connection with my\nlabors, I should, in harmony with my general plan, first refer to its\nearlier history. In doing this, I can only give in these pages the\nbriefest outline, and refer the reader, who may desire further\ninformation, to a pamphlet entitled \"Milwaukee Methodism,\" published by\nthe writer in 1873.\n\nThe name of Milwaukee has, doubtless, come down to us from some extinct\ntribe of the aboriginal inhabitants of the country, as there seems to be\nnothing that will fully answer to it in any of the tongues now in use.\nIn 1680 Zenobius Membre mentions the river of Melleoke, flowing into\nLake Dauphan, in latitude forty, with an Indian village at its mouth.\nThree generations later Lieut. Gorrell visited Milwacky River, and found\na village on its bank, with an Indian trader.\n\nAnother interval of a generation occurred, and Solomon Juneau appeared\nand took up his residence in Milwaukee in 1818. Other fur traders came\nsoon after, but the real settlement of the country did not begin until\n1835, when nine families came, forming the nucleus of the future city.\n\nThe first Protestant sermon preached in Milwaukee was delivered by a\nMethodist clergyman in June, 1835. The meeting was held in a log house,\nerected by Dr. Enoch Chase for a residence, near the mouth of the river.\n\nMilwaukee Mission was organized by the Illinois Conference in the summer\nof 1835, and Rev. Mark Robinson, who had been admitted that year, was\nappointed to the charge. The Presiding Elder of the District, which\nextended from Chicago to Green Bay, was the veteran pioneer, Rev. John\nClark. The Presiding Elder visited Milwaukee during this year and\npreached a sermon in the residence of Dr. Chase, this being at that time\nthe principal place in which meetings were held. Both the Pastor and\nPresiding Elder were entertained by the Doctor.\n\nThe population of the village was very small, but before the expiration\nof the Conference year Brother Robinson was able to form a class of four\nmembers. These first members were David Worthington, Mrs. Samuel Brown,\nMrs. J.K. Lowry, and Mrs. Farmin.\n\nIn the autumn of 1836 Rev. William S. Crissey was sent to Milwaukee. The\ncongregations were now growing, and it was found expedient to provide\nsome place, other than a private residence, for the meetings. The\nSociety was not able to build, and to rent a suitable place seemed\nimpossible. In this embarrassment a carpenter's shop belonging to two\nmembers of the church, W.A. and L.S. Kellogg, was deemed the most\nfeasible arrangement. This building, located on the corner of East Water\nand Huron Streets, was a frame structure, and stood on posts. Beneath\nand all around it was a pond of water, and to gain an entrance a narrow\nbridge was constructed from the street to the door. The first Quarterly\nMeeting was held in this place by Rev. John Clark, on the 8th and 9th of\nJanuary, 1837. At this meeting the Pastor reported the conversion of Mr.\nJ.K. Lowry, doubtless the first in the village.\n\nThe legal organization of the Church, according to the laws of the\nTerritory, was effected July 22d, 1837, with Elah Dibble as Chairman and\nW.A. Kellogg as Secretary. The first Trustees were Elah Dibble, David\nWorthington, W.A. Kellogg, L.S. Kellogg, J.K. Lowry, Jared Thompson and\nJoseph E. Howe. The fourth Quarterly Meeting was held July 29th, and the\nPastor reported a membership of forty-five.\n\nIn September, 1837, Rev. James R. Goodrich was appointed to the Station\nand Rev. Salmon Stebbins to the District. Among the members enrolled at\nthis time I find the names of Thomas McElhenny, Jared Thompson, Local\nPreacher, Mr. and Mrs. L.S. Kellogg, Wm. A. Kellogg, Theresa Kellogg,\nOphelia Kellogg, Amelia Kellogg, Mr. and Mrs. Alexander, David\nWorthington, A.T. Wilson, Mrs. Samuel Brown, Mrs. Henry Miller, Mrs.\nJ.K. Lowry, James Ash, Mr. and Mrs. Elah Dibble, and Sisters Adams,\nChurch, James and Vail.\n\nDuring this year Leader's Meetings were established, and at the one held\nMarch 12th, 1838, James Ash, David Worthington, Francis Metcalf and\nHiram Johnson received Exhorter's license. The first named became\nsubsequently a member of the Conference, traveled several years\nacceptably, was greatly beloved by all his brethren, and finally died\nwithin the bounds of New Berlin Circuit. Brother Worthington was a clerk\nin Solomon Juneau's store. In 1840 he entered the Conference, was\nstationed at Burlington and was returned the following year. In 1842 he\nwas stationed at Davenport, Iowa, and thereafter his fields of labor\nfell within that State. He held an honored place among his brethren,\nrepresented them in the General Conference, and a few years since closed\na useful life and passed to his home on high.\n\nThe other brethren became Local Preachers, and the former departed this\nlife in Christian triumph at Appleton, Nov. 3, 1863, while the latter\nhas become a successful business man, and is awaiting his summons. Thus\nthe infant society of Milwaukee need not blush for her first\ncontribution to the Ministerial staff of the church.\n\nIn 1838 Rev. Wellington Weigly was appointed, but as the great financial\ndisaster had prostrated the business of the country, leaving the people\nin poverty, he only remained a short time, and the pulpit was largely\nleft to the care of Brother Thompson, the Local Preacher. In 1839 Rev.\nJulius Field was appointed to the District, and the charge was left to\nbe supplied.\n\nBrother Field entered the New York Conference in 1821, and before coming\nwest had filled leading appointments, including New York city. He was\ntransferred this year to the Illinois Conference, and assigned to the\nDistrict. He remained two years, and was then appointed General Agent of\nthe Bible Society for Northern Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa. He served\nin this field four years, was then stationed, in 1845, at Racine, but at\nthe close of the year was re-transferred to his old Conference, where he\ncontinued to render effective service, with but brief intervals, up to\n1871. Having now completed a half century of labor, he was invited by\nhis Conference to deliver a semi-centennial sermon. Having taken a\nsuperannuated relation, Brother Field, happy in spirit, is spending the\nevening of life among his friends, and awaiting the call of the Master.\n\nThe pastorate of Milwaukee was soon filled by Rev. Daniel Brayton, a\nsuperannuated member of the Troy Conference. It was now determined to\nbuild a Church. Hon. Morgan L. Martin came forward and generously\ndonated a lot, situated on the east side of Broadway, and between Biddle\nand Oneida Streets, but the financial derangement still continuing, it\nwas not deemed advisable to undertake the erection of the building.\n\nAt the General Conference of 1840, the Illinois Conference was divided\nand the Rock River took its northern territory. Rev. John Crummer was\nthis year appointed to Milwaukee. As the carpenter's shop could no\nlonger be had as a chapel, the meetings passed from one private house to\nanother for a time. But this state of things could not long continue.\nThe erection of a Church was decided upon, and before the close of the\nyear the edifice was completed. It was dedicated by Rev. Julius Field in\nMay, 1841. The building remains at this writing, on the same lot, but\nplaced with the side to the street, it has been fitted up for\nresidences.\n\nAt the session of the Rock River Conference in 1841, the Milwaukee\nDistrict was discontinued, and the city was placed on the Chicago\nDistrict. Rev. John T. Mitchell was appointed to the District, and Rev.\nSias Bolles to the station.\n\nBrother Mitchell was one of Nature's noblemen. Tall and erect in form,\nhigh and broad forehead, symmetrical and shapely cut features, dark and\nlustrous eyes, his bearing was princely. Such was Brother Mitchell in\nthe years of his strength. He was second to no man in his Conference or\nState as a pulpit orator. In 1844 he was elected Assistant Book Agent,\nCincinnati, where he served the church with distinguished ability. After\nleaving this position he re-entered the regular work in the Cincinnati\nConference, from the ranks of which he passed on, several years ago, to\nthe companionship of the white-robed in Heaven.\n\nBrother Bolles, on coming to the city, first proceeded to liquidate the\nindebtedness of two hundred dollars on the Church, and then entered upon\na protracted meeting, which resulted in an extensive revival. Among\nthose converted was a German Catholic boy, of whom the following\nincident is related: The first night he attended the meeting, Brother\nBolles preached on the duty of Christians to let their light shine.\nTaking the instruction of the Preacher in its most literal sense, the\nyoung man greatly surprised the good people on the following evening by\nstalking into church bearing a well-lighted lantern. On enquiring of the\nyoung man the reason for so strange a procedure, he answered: \"Why, the\nPriest said I must let my light shine, and so I have brought it with\nme.\" The Preacher carefully explained his sermon, bringing it down to\nthe capacity of his auditor, and had the pleasure to see him thoroughly\nconverted. Many years after, Brother Bolles was happily surprised to\nmeet his convert, who had grown into a Christian gentleman of exalted\nposition in society.\n\nIn 1842, Rev. Wm. H. Sampson was sent to Milwaukee, of whom a record is\nmade elsewhere. The following year Rev. James Mitchell was appointed,\nand it was decided to enter upon a new Church enterprise. A lot was\npurchased July 3d, 1844, of John Clifford, on the northwest corner of\nWest Water and Spring Streets.\n\nAt the time of the purchase the location was considered by not a few to\nbe unfortunate, as the population at that period on the west side was\nquite limited, and it was even hinted that a leading member of the Board\nof Trustees had unduly influenced the selection in order to enhance the\nvalue of certain property in the vicinity. But whatever may have been\nthe complications of the case at the beginning, certain it is that it\nwas found in due time to be a very excellent location. The building,\nforty-five by ninety feet in size, was commenced soon after, and carried\nforward as rapidly as possible to completion.\n\nIt was a brick structure, trimmed with stone. Standing with its front to\nWest Water, the side was turned to Spring Street. On the first floor\nthere were four stores fronting Spring Street, and having cellars in the\nbasement beneath them. The auditorium was on the second floor above the\npavement and was reached by a broad flight of steps in the front of the\nedifice. Between the outside entrance and the auditorium there was a\nvestibule with a class room on either side, and above it a commodious\ngallery. The auditorium was finished in a neat yet plain manner, and\nfurnished sittings for about six hundred people. The whole structure\ncost upwards of ten thousand dollars. To defray the current expenses and\nerect such an edifice taxed the good people to the utmost limit of their\nresources, besides imposing on them a heavy indebtedness. But there was\nno lack of courage, and the good work went forward.\n\nIn 1844 the Milwaukee District was again revived and Rev. James Mitchell\nwas assigned to it, and Rev. F.A. Savage was sent to the station. In\n1845 the station was left to be supplied, and Rev. Abram Hanson was\ncalled to fill the pastorate. Finding it difficult to rent a house,\nBrother Hanson procured a boarding place for himself and good lady with\nMr. Lindsay Ward, where he spent the year and founded an abiding\nfriendship. He was a man of superior pulpit ability and engaging\nmanners. The congregation filled the new Church edifice, and many\nvaluable accessions were made to the membership.\n\nBrother Hanson after leaving Milwaukee filled several important charges,\nand then retired from the work. For several years he served as the\nrepresentative of our national government at Liberia, where he fell\nunder the fatal malaria of the African coast, and passed on to the\nbetter country.\n\nThe next session of the Conference was held Aug. 12, 1846. At this\nConference Rev. S.H. Stocking was continued on the District, and Rev.\nW.M.D. Ryan was appointed to the station. Mr. Ryan entered the Ohio\nConference in 1839, and came by transfer to the Rock River Conference in\n1844. After spending two years in Chicago, where he had wrought a good\nwork for the Master, he was sent to this charge.\n\nThe fame of the Preacher had preceded him, and he was greeted by immense\ncongregations. His ministry formed an epoch in the history of the\nchurch. He brought the same earnest manner, the same fiery eloquence,\nand the same shrewd business tact that had characterized his labors in\nChicago and elsewhere, and which have since placed him in the front rank\nof successful laborers in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and the Metropolis of\nthe nation. The stores in the Church edifice were rented or sold for a\nterm of years to liquidate the indebtedness of the society, and the\nchurch was placed on a substantial financial basis. But Mr. Ryan could\nhardly feel at home among his new associates, and in this new field of\nlabor. His earlier associations were formed in a more southern latitude.\nThe Puritan type of society that, traveling westward on a line from New\nEngland, had struck Milwaukee, was not congenial to his tastes and not\nwholly in harmony with his methods of ministerial labor. At the end of\nnine months he was invited to a pastorate in the city of Baltimore, and\nhe deemed it advisable to accept the invitation. His place in Milwaukee\nwas filled by Rev. Francis M. Mills, who came, by exchange with Mr.\nRyan, from the charge in Baltimore to which the latter had been invited.\nMr. Mills filled out the balance of the year.\n\nAmong the accessions to the charge this year was Hon. John H. Van Dyke.\nSoon after his arrival, though a young man, he became an official\nmember, and has continued to hold positions of trust to the present\nwriting. A man of thorough mental training, sound judgment, and\nunswerving integrity, he cannot fail to command the respect and esteem\nof all. His legal abilities have specially fitted him for the Presidency\nof the Board of Trustees, the position he has long held, while his\nsuperior business sagacity has been of great service to the church in\nguiding her through the extraordinary trials she has been called to\nendure. Nor has he proved less valuable financially. Being possessed of\nlarge means, he is generous towards the Church and the benevolent\nenterprises of the city.\n\nIn 1847 Rev. Elihu Springer was appointed to the District, and Rev.\nFrancis M. Mills was returned to the station. Brother Mills was an able\npreacher, but in his style of delivery was almost the reverse of his\npredecessor. He was a noble representative of Baltimore Methodism, but\nhis health suffered from the bleak winds of the Lake, and at the close\nof his term he was compelled to seek a milder atmosphere.\n\nThe following two years Rev. James E. Wilson was stationed at Milwaukee.\n\nBrother Wilson came to the Conference from the Protestant Methodist\nChurch, in which he had held a prominent position both as a Preacher and\nSecretary of the Conference. He was a man of genial spirit, affable\nmanners, and commanding eloquence. His sermons were well prepared, and\nespecially in given passages, were delivered with an unction and pathos\nthat could not fail to produce an abiding impression. The great\nconcourse of people who waited upon his ministry attested how highly he\nwas appreciated by those who were permitted to listen to his weekly\nministrations. A revival occurred during the winter, and at the close of\nthe year he was able to report one hundred and sixty-four members and\nthirty-nine probationers.\n\nDuring the pastorate of Brother Wilson an unhappy controversy arose\nbetween the managers of the Sunday School and the leaders of the social\nmeans of grace with reference to the hours of meeting. The Official\nBoard decided in favor of the School, and an alienation of feeling was\nthe result. A few of the disaffected withdrew, organized a Wesleyan\nChurch, and called Rev. Mr. McKee as their Pastor. Though an unpleasant\naffair, the old church moved on as usual.\n\nBut as another charge was now growing up in the southern part of the\ncity, it is proper that I should refer to it before closing\nthis chapter.\n\nIn the fall of 1847 Osmond Bailey and a few others became specially\ninterested in establishing regular religious services at Walker's\nPoint. Soon after a class was formed consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Osmond\nBailey, Mrs. Capt. Stewart, Mrs. Warren. Mrs. Almena Waite, Mrs. Worden,\nMr. and Mrs. Daniel Waite and M.S. Velie.\n\nAt the Conference of 1848, the small society was erected into a Mission\nwith Rev. Warner Oliver as Pastor. The Meetings were held in a school\nhouse, located on lots eleven and twelve, in block one hundred and one.\n\nBrother Oliver was a man of fine talent, but was compelled to give a\nportion of his time to business, through the financial feebleness of\nthe charge.\n\nIn 1849 Rev. William Willard was appointed to the charge. It will be\nremembered that this good brother was a member of the class formed at\nBurnett in 1845. He entered the Conference in 1847, and had been\nstationed two years at Aztalan. He was an earnest laborer, and under his\nadministration the work was encouragingly prosperous. The congregations\nwere growing and the people were beginning to agitate the measure of\nbuilding a Church.\n\nAfter leaving Walker's Point, Brother Willard remained in the regular\nwork, with a few brief intervals, for many years, doing efficient\nservice for the Master. At this writing he is in Nebraska, using such\nopenings as may offer to help forward the good work.\n\nHiving thus briefly sketched the beginnings and progress of the good\nwork in the city up to the time of my appointment, I will defer the\nbalance of the record for the next chapter.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\nSpring Street, Milwaukee--First Sabbath--Promising Outlook--The Deep\nShadow--Rev. Elihu Springer--Rev. I.M. Leihy--Revival--Missionary\nMeetings--Dedication at Sheboygan--Ravages of the Cholera--Death-bed\nScenes--The Riot--Bishop Waugh--Camp Meeting--Scandinavian Work--Rev.\nC. Willerup.\n\nThe Spring Street Station had now attained the reputation of being the\nfirst charge in the Conference. The Church edifice, as we have seen, was\ndecidedly respectable, both in size and character. The membership was\nenterprising, and full of the spirit of labor. In its official Board\nwere found L.S. Kellogg, G.F. Austin, John H. Van Dyke, Geo. E.H. Day,\nJames Seville, J.C. Henderson, W.W. Lake, Wm. Rowbotham, George\nSouthwell, Wm. R. Jones, Wm. L. Boughton, John Kneene, Wm. Cossentine,\nC.F. Larigo and Charles Randall. And during the year John Kemp,\nCornelius Morse, Mitchell Steever, C.C. Chamberlin and Henry Seiler\nwere added.\n\nMy salary was fixed on the basis of the old Disciplinary allowance:\nQuarterage, $216; Table Expenses, $200; House Rent, $125; Traveling\nExpenses, $5; making a total of $546. This amount would be considered a\nsmall allowance at the present time, but at that early day it was\nbelieved to be a generous provision for a family of three persons.\n\nMy first Sabbath, always a trial day to the Preachers as well as the\npeople, passed without any special disaster. Perhaps it was owing in\npart to the presence of the Presiding Elder, who sat at my back.\nWhatever he or the people may have thought, I certainly felt that I was\na mere stripling going out with nothing in my hand but a sling and a\npebble. Nor did it relieve my embarrassment when I saw the great\ncongregation, and remembered that they had enjoyed for two years the\nministry of the most eloquent man in the Conference.\n\nIt is said that a minister ought always to be ready to preach or to die.\nI think, on that occasion, if I had been permitted to choose between\nthem, I would have accepted the latter. As it was, I very nearly did\nboth. And that I really did neither, I have always considered a special\nintervention of Providence. On the part of the people there was\nevidently a suspension of judgment. They were doubtless puzzled by my\ncontradictory appearances. In form I was slight and fragile, not\nweighing more than one hundred and thirty pounds, but in my face, though\nonly twenty-eight years of age, I bore the appearance of being ten\nyears older.\n\nAt the close of the service a large number of people remained and gave\nthe new Minister a hearty greeting. It was timely, giving me to realize\nI was not quite gone to the land of shadows.\n\nI was informed afterwards that one good brother went home from the\nservice and told his wife, who had not been present, that he had shaken\nhands with the new Minister and his daughter. \"No, father,\" said the\ndaughter, \"that lady was not the Minister's daughter, but his wife.\"\n\"Well,\" replied the father, \"she must be his second wife, for she looks\nyoung enough to be his daughter.\" Whether this opinion should be\ninterpreted as complimentary to the Minister or his wife, I was never\nfully able to decide.\n\nHaving passed the crisis, the first Sabbath, and survived the following\nweek, I now began to adjust myself to my work. I was happy to find that\nthe good people were strongly attached to Prayer and Class-Meetings.\nThis gave an assurance that there were at least some efficient laborers\nin the Church, who could be relied on if we should find ourselves in a\nrevival. I also found that the people could endure a large amount of\npastoral visiting. These discoveries were enough for a start, and I\nentered upon the work without delay.\n\nAbout this time I was called to attend a funeral in one of the families\nthat had gone out from the church the previous year, and were now\nmembers of the Wesleyan organization. The next Sabbath morning this\nfamily and several others were in my congregation. In the opening prayer\nI made the poor slave a special subject, as I often did. At the close of\nthe service, the head of one of the families came forward and stated\nthat Mr. McKee, the Pastor of the Wesleyan Church, had gone to the\nConference, and hence they were without services for a few Sabbaths. But\nas for his part, he did not care if he never came back, for I was\nabolitionist enough for him.\n\nIn a few weeks Rev. T. Orbison was sent to the city, in the place of Mr.\nMcKee. After the first Sabbath, he called on me and said that he found\nhis people quite disposed to return to the old Church, and that in\nconsequence, he had dispensed with his services the previous evening,\nand attended our Church with them. He was now inclined to advise them to\nreturn, as he saw no occasion for two organizations. The leading members\nhaving previously decided to return, the balance now joined them in the\nmovement, while those who had been gathered from other organizations,\nreturned to their respective homes.\n\nBrother Orbison, in coming to this country from Ireland, fell among the\nWesleyans on his arrival, and became identified with them, supposing\nthey were the same body he had left at home. On learning his mistake, he\nnow came over to us, and for many years was a worthy member of the\nWisconsin Conference. After doing faithful service for many years, and\nwinning the esteem of all, he laid aside the armor and took up the\neverlasting crown of rejoicing.\n\nThe work of the year was now well begun. The house was filled with\npeople, the finances were in excellent condition, and everything\nindicated a year of special success, But how strangely light and shadow,\nhopes and fears, rejoicing and mourning commingle in this life! While we\nwere thus full of hope, and even exultant over the indications of a\nprosperous year, little did we imagine that we were then on the\nthreshold of a deep affliction, arising from the sudden death of our\nPresiding Elder.\n\nBrother Springer left the city to hold his Quarterly Meetings at\nWatertown and Oconomowoc, the writer accompanying him to the city\nlimits. On the 21st of August he closed his Quarterly Meeting services\nat Watertown, took dinner at the Parsonage with the Pastor, Rev. David\nBrooks, and then rode on to Oconomowoc. He stopped for the night with\nBrother Worthington, ate sparingly, and retired at the usual time. At\nthree o'clock in the morning he was seized by the cholera. The attack,\nsevere at first, soon became alarming. Medical aid was called, but\nwithout avail. He lingered until six o'clock P.M., and passed away in\ngreat peace. His family were sent for, but failed to reach him before\nhis departure. The Funeral Sermon was preached in the Spring Street\nChurch by the writer, from Second Timothy, 4. 6-8.\n\nBrother Springer was received on trial by the Illinois Annual Conference\nin September, 1833. His appointments before coming to Milwaukee\nDistrict had been, Carlinville, Iroquois, Oplaine, Saminoc, Bristol,\nLockport, Joliet, St. Charles, Mineral Point and Hazel Green.\n\nBrother Springer was a man of commanding presence. In form erect, full\nand athletic, with a broad, high forehead, and an intellectual face. The\nwhole cast of the man indicated strength. He was a sound theologian, an\nable Preacher and a wise and vigilant administrator. He was emphatically\na true man, and, as a Presiding Elder, very popular. The loss of such a\nman, at forty years of age, was a great disaster to the Conference.\n\nSoon after the death of Brother Springer, Rev. I.M. Leihy was appointed\nas his successor on the District. Brother Leihy entered the Conference\nin 1843, and before coming to the District, had been stationed at Hazel\nGreen, Elizabeth, Mineral Point, Platteville, Southport, and Beloit He\nwas a man of marked ability both as a Preacher and administrator. His\nleading endowment was strength, and on some chosen subject, a subject to\nwhich he had given special attention, his preaching was overwhelming. He\nwas a man of immense will force, and not a whit behind the chief of his\nbrethren in his devotion to the Master's cause. Neither storms nor other\nimpediments deterred him from his work. With a face set as a flint\nagainst every obstacle in his path of duty, he drove straight on to\nfulfil the convictions of his dauntless spirit. By some he was thought\nto be severe, and not a little exacting, but those who knew him best\nwere tolerant of his idiosyncrasies, and were prepared to assign him a\nchief place among his brethren. After completing his term on the\nDistrict, he filled several important appointments, but finally located\nand removed to California, where at the present writing, as for several\nyears past, he is again engaged in the regular work.\n\nDuring the fall and early winter there was manifest a growing spiritual\ninterest among the people, which culminated ultimately in an extensive\nrevival of religion. The protracted meeting continued five weeks, and\nresulted in the conversion of seventy-five souls.\n\nThe plan of holding Platform Missionary Meetings was continued during\nthis year, and largely increased the contributions of the people. While\non my way in company with Brother Leihy, to attend such a meeting at\nPort Washington, I formed the acquaintance of Brother Jesse Hubbard and\nhis good lady at Mequon, where we halted for dinner. For many years this\nresidence was the home of Itinerant Preachers and the nucleus of\nChristian society in that region.\n\nThe dedication of the German Methodist Church at Sheboygan occurred in\nApril of this year. I went down to perform the service in a steamer, but\nwhen ready to return, the waves were running too high for the boat to\nmake the pier. The mishap left my Pulpit without a supply for the\nSabbath, an event which seldom transpired, but gave me an opportunity to\nmake the acquaintance of our people in that part of the Conference, and\nthe pleasure of preaching twice at Sheboygan and once at\nSheboygan Falls.\n\nDuring the summer of 1851 the cholera raged in Milwaukee in a most\nappalling manner. The whole city was a hospital. For several days\ntogether it was claimed there were fifty deaths per day. Though\nearnestly entreated to leave the city, as many others had done, I\ndeclined, feeling that my life was no more precious than the lives of\nothers. Besides, it seemed to me, if there is ever a time when a people\nneed the aid of their Pastor, it is when they are in peril and\naffliction. When at the height of its ravages, I repeatedly attended\nsix funerals a day, and visited a dozen sick persons. The very men whom\nI met at a funeral one day, I would bury the next. Mingling thus daily\nwith the sick and dying, I could not well escape myself. I suffered two\nattacks during the season, but through great mercy, the lives both of\nmyself and family were spared.\n\nDuring this terrible visitation I had frequent opportunities to test the\nvalue of the Christian religion. So marked was the difference between\nthe death-bed scenes of Christians and the unconverted that even\nInfidels themselves could not refrain from referring to it. As if to\nteach the people this great lesson, there were a few instances of\ntriumphant deaths, and a few of the opposite class. One good sister, as\nshe was gliding across the stream, enquired, \"Is this Jordan?\" She was\ntold it was. \"How calm and placid are its waters,\" she added. \"I\nexpected to find the billows running high, but, glory to Jesus! there is\nnot a ripple upon all the stream.\"\n\nUnlike this scene was the death of a young man who had sent for me in\ngreat haste. On entering the room, I recognized him as a young man whom\nI had repeatedly urged, during our meeting of the previous winter, to\ngive himself to the Saviour. He was now in the throes of dissolution and\nI could hardly hope to reach him. Wild with frenzy, he seemed to pray\nand curse with the same breath. As a momentary interval occurred between\nthe paroxysms, I sought to arrest his attention and divert his thought\nto Christ. He turned his piercing eyes on me and said, \"Oh! it is too\nlate. Last winter, if I had yielded to your kind admonitions, all would\nnow be well, but it is too late, too late.\" Another paroxysm seized him,\nand he was lost to all consciousness, and soon ceased to breathe.\n\nAnother event occurred this year of which mention should be made in\nthis connection. It is the notorious riot. I quote from \"Milwaukee\nMethodism.\" \"Rev. Mr. Leahy, a minister in the Protestant Methodist\nChurch, after visiting several of the principal cities of the Union,\ncame to Milwaukee. Having spent many years in a monastery, and having\nbecome convinced of his error, he now sought to enlighten the people on\nthe subject of the confessional. He proposed, in coming to the city, to\ngive a course of lectures in a public hall during the ensuing week. On\nthe intervening Sabbath he was invited to occupy several of the Pulpits\nof the city. He had already filled one in the morning, another in the\nafternoon, and then came to the Spring Street Church in the evening. The\nhouse was filled as usual. He opened the services in the regular order,\ntook his text and began the delivery of his sermon. Immediately a crowd\nof strange men began to press in at the door and push along up the\ncenter aisle. At a given signal, a rush was made towards the Pulpit.\nComprehending the situation in an instant, the Pastor, from his position\nin the Pulpit, ordered them back, and at the same time directed the men\nnearest the aisle and altar to intercept their advance. A stone was\nhurled at the Pastor's head, but it missed its mark and crashed against\nthe wall in the rear of the Pulpit. But L.S. Kellogg, L.L. Lee and\nothers stood firmly in the aisle and dealt some vigorous blows in\nresponse to the clubs and other missiles with which they were being\nseverely bruised. At this moment Dr. Waldo W. Lake, who was sitting in\nthe altar, drew a revolver which he on leaving home had put in his\npocket, expecting after service to visit a patient in an exposed part of\nthe city, and instantly the rioters fell back and retreated through the\nentrance to the street. During the conflict the audience room was a\nwild scene of confusion. The ladies became greatly alarmed, and required\nthe attention of a large number of gentlemen in making their escape from\nthe building. The door being thronged with the rioters, the principal\negress was found to be the windows next to the street, and these were\nelevated a full story above the pavement. Ladders, wagons, and other\nimpromptu scaffolding were provided, and large numbers of ladies were\nrescued in this way, while others were crowded against the sides of the\nroom until the rioters had withdrawn. After quiet had been restored\nmeasures were taken to convey the speaker safely to his lodgings at the\nhotel. But a good number of revolvers, carried by a posse of earnest\nmen, were a sufficient protection against all evil-minded persons that\nthronged the streets on the way.\"\n\nThe city was rocked with excitement. Early next morning a meeting was\nheld in the Church edifice that had thus been made the scene of a\nriotous assault. The populace interpreted the affair rightly. It was not\nso much an attack upon a Protestant Church as an assault against the\nfreedom of speech, one of the most sacred rights of the people. After\nexpressing suitable indignation against the actors and abettors of the\nriot, and resolving to protect the freedom of speech so long as it\nshould not offend against public morals, the meeting appointed a\ncommittee to wait on Mr. Leahy, and, on behalf of the community,\nguarantee him protection in his rights. Under this protection a lecture\nwas given in the Free Congregational Church, and another on the public\nsquare, when, all danger of assault having disappeared, he was permitted\nto go on his way.\n\nThe only persons seriously hurt were L.L. Lee and L.S. Kellogg. The\nfirst was compelled to carry a hand in a sling for a long time, and the\nlatter was considerably injured by a blow from a club on the head. The\nblood ran freely, but he was able to attend the Law and Order Meeting\nthe following morning. His speech on the occasion became a watchword\namong the people. He said in a very resolute manner, \"Our Fathers fought\nfor freedom, both civil and religious, and if we have got to fight the\nbattle over again I am ready, and I am willing that my blood should be\nthe first to flow.\" The city appropriated one hundred and fifty dollars\nto repair the damages done to the Church edifice.\n\nBishop Waugh made us a visit near the close of the year. He was on his\nway to the Conference to be held at Waukesha, and went with us to the\nCamp-Meeting at Brookfield. Spring Street Station made no inconsiderable\npart of the Meeting. She pitched a tent that would accommodate one\nhundred and fifty persons, and it was well filled from the beginning to\nthe end of the Meeting. It was a Meeting of great power. None who heard\nthe exhortations of the good Bishop at the close of his Sunday morning\nsermon can ever forget it. After holding the vast congregation\nspell-bound for more than an hour in the delivery of the sermon, the old\nman, with locks as white as the driven snow, came down from the stand,\nand, standing on a seat in the Altar, began to invite mourners. The\nmotives of the Gospel were presented one after another, the tide of\nfeeling rising, until the Bishop was master of the occasion, and seemed\nto sway the people at his pleasure. The Bishop's voice grew grandly\neloquent as his great soul rose to the level of the effort, and before\nit and its burden of truth, the people began to bend, then brake, and\nfinally flew to the Altar. Nor did the exhortation cease until the Altar\nwas literally crowded with seeking penitents.\n\nThe Scandinavian work was this year opened in Wisconsin. To further\nthis object the Missionary Management at New York sent forward Rev. C.\nWillerup, placing him at the beginning under my care. On reaching the\ncity he found the population using the Scandinavian language too small\nto organize the work, and we deemed it advisable to explore the\ninterior. To do this he must have an Itinerant's outfit, consisting at\nleast of horse and saddle-bags. While he was employed in settling his\nfamily in a rented house, I visited the market and purchased a horse for\nhim and the other necessary articles, using my own funds until drafts\nshould be received from the Missionary Treasury. The desired location\nfor the first Mission was found at Cambridge, where Brother Willerup\norganized a Society and subsequently erected a Church edifice. From this\nsmall beginning has since grown a family of charges and a line of able\nMinisters, constituting a Presiding Elder's District.\n\nThe Conference year had now come to a close. Many changes had occurred\nin Spring Street Station. In consequence of the cholera, and the\nconsequent stagnation of business, large numbers of the people went into\nthe country. But notwithstanding this depletion, such had been the\nnumber of accessions, one hundred and seven in all, that I was able to\nreport one hundred and fifty-seven members and sixty-three probationers,\nmaking a total of two hundred and twenty.\n\nThe financial plan, adopted at the beginning of the year, that of\ncollecting the funds in the classes, had proved a success. At the close\nof the year, the Pastor was fully paid, and the Society was out of debt.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XII.\n\nConference of 1851.--Presiding Elder.--Presentation.--Give and\nTake.--Fond du Lac District--Quarterly Meeting--Rev. J.S.\nPrescott.--Footman vs. Buggies--Fond du Lac.--Two Churches.--Greenbush\nQuarterly Meeting--Rev. David Lewis--Pioneer Self-Sacrifice.--Finds a\nHelp-Meet.--Sheboygan Falls.--Rev. Matthias Himebaugh.--Oshkosh--First\nClass.--Church Enterprises.\n\nThe Conference for 1851 was held June 25th, at Waukesha. The Sessions\nwere deeply spiritual, and were characterized by general harmony among\nthe preachers. At this Conference the Committee on Periodicals, of which\nI was a member, reported in favor of the establishment of a North\nWestern Christian Advocate, and the report was unanimously adopted.\n\nIn the arrangement of appointments I was assigned to the Fond du Lac\nDistrict. The appointment was a great surprise to myself, and doubtless\nto others. Besides, it was not in harmony with my judgment or wishes. It\nseemed to me to be an unwise measure to take so young a man, only\ntwenty-nine, from the companionship of books and the details of the\nPastoral office, and place him on a District where both of the\nDepartments of labor, so essential to success in the Ministry, must\nnecessarily be abridged. And in the next place, it appeared to me that,\nsince there were so many other men in the Conference, who were better\nqualified than I for the position, my appointment was but doing violence\nto the work. But I soon came to the conclusion that when an appointment\nhas been made there is no further need to debate the question. In such a\ncase, the sooner both the Ministers and people adjust their views to\nthe new order of things, the better for all concerned. Accepting this\nview, I hastened to conform to the situation with as good grace as\npossible. And to aid me perhaps a little, several of the preachers\nsurprised me by the presentation of a cane.\n\nI had heard it remarked that when a man used a cane, it was an evidence\nthat he had a weak place somewhere between the crown of the head and the\nsole of the foot. I was now puzzled to know what the cane meant. There\nwas doubtless a weak spot somewhere, in the opinion of the brethren. It\nmust of course be either in the District or the incumbent. But my query\nas to which was soon answered. Dr. Bowman, my father-in-law, was\ntraveling soon after in company with a good brother, when the\nconversation turned upon the appointments of the recent Conference. It\nhad not proceeded far when the brother remarked, in referring to my\nappointment, \"The Conference must have been hard up for material when it\nappointed that young stripling Presiding Elder.\" The mystery of the cane\nwas now explained. The good brethren of the Conference doubtless thought\nthe matter could be helped out by the use of a cane.\n\nBut a sharper joke than that was passed upon the people of Fond du Lac.\nOnly six years before they had given me license to preach, and sent me\nto the Conference, and now, in sending me back so soon, the Conference\nseemed to say, \"Brethren, we return you as good as you gave.\" I have\nheard it said that sometimes Quarterly Conferences grant licenses with\nthe implied understanding that the recipients are not expected to serve\nthe home Church, but are good enough to preach to less highly favored\npeople abroad. If this course had been adopted by these Fond du Lac\nbrethren as their policy, certainly it was a cruel joke to return the\nlabor of their hands on such short notice.\n\nBut fortunately I was not supposed to know anything about this matter,\nand hence, on the principle that \"where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly\nto be wise,\" I had nothing to do but to gather up my family and hasten\nto my new field of labor.\n\nFond du Lac District at this time embraced that portion of the State\nlying North and East of the city of Fond du Lac, and included thirteen\ncharges. A few of the charges could be reached by steamers on the Fox\nand Wolf Rivers and Lake Winnebago, but the balance could only be\nvisited by the stage or private conveyance. I chose to adopt the latter.\nHaving provided board for my wife and child with Rev. M.L. Noble, and\nsecured a horse and buggy, I was ready to enter upon my work.\n\nThe First Quarterly Meeting was held at Fond du Lac. The Church edifice\nwas unfinished, and the celebrated school house having been burned, as\nstated in a former chapter, the Meeting was held in the Court House. At\nthat time the building, though now so dingy, was new, and aspired to be\nthe most respectable edifice in the village. To prepare the Court House\nespecially for the Quarterly Meeting, the floors were newly carpeted\nwith sawdust, even then a famous product of the village, and the seats\nwell broomed. The place was crowded with people, and the occasion one of\nrare interest. The Gospel was dispensed from the \"Seat of Justice,\" the\nSacrament was administered within the \"Bar,\" now vacated by the lawyers,\nand the people knelt outside to receive the sacred emblems. Several of\nthe Members present had attended the Quarterly Meeting in the school\nhouse six years before, and among them were a few who had known me from\nmy boyhood. It afforded me great pleasure to meet them and receive\ntheir friendly greetings.\n\nRev. J.S. Prescott, the Pastor at Fond du Lac, had been bred to the\nlegal profession in the State of Ohio. He came to Wisconsin as a Local\nPreacher, and joined the Conference in 1846. He had been stationed at\nSheboygan, Waupun, and Green Bay. He was a man of sharp, decisive\nmovements, sometimes angular in his opinions and measures, but full of\nenergy and not afraid of hard work. He kept no horse, even when on the\nlargest circuits, as he could not afford to wait for so laggard a\nconveyance. In this particular he became notorious, and marvelous\nstories are related of his pedestrian abilities. It is affirmed that, on\none occasion, in going to the Conference, he walked from Waupun to\nPlatteville, and reached his destination in advance of the long line of\nministerial buggies that were headed in that direction. Carrying the\nsame energy into every Department of his work, he always left his\n\"footprint\" behind him. But his most devoted friends would sometimes\nquestion the wisdom of his measures. Even in the small village of Fond\ndu Lac, he had now two churches in process of erection. But such was his\nskill in raising funds at home and abroad that one of them was dedicated\nby Bishop Ames at the close of the year and the other by the writer in\nthe year following.\n\nSubsequently he served for several years as Agent of Lawrence\nUniversity, and then entered upon the project of founding an Institution\nof learning at Point Bluff. The selection of a location, however, was\nunfortunate, and his expectations were only partially realized. After\nthis disaster he addressed himself to business pursuits.\n\nThe Fond du Lac charge had now gained an influential position in the\nConference. Among her membership she had several leading business men.\nAnd in addition, this place had now become the home of Rev. H.R. Colman\nand Rev. M.L. Noble, the last two Pastors of the charge.\n\nMy next Meeting was held on Greenbush Circuit. This charge was midway\nbetween Fond du Lac and Sheboygan, and had been established only two\nyears. Its Eastern portion had been opened from Sheboygan, and its\nWestern from Fond du Lac. It had neither Church nor Parsonage, and the\nMinister lived in a shanty.\n\nThe Quarterly Meeting was held in Mr. Tunis Burhite's barn, about nine\nmiles east of Fond du Lac. I found the Pastor, Rev. David Lewis, at his\npost. As was his wont, he had made every needed preparation, and had\nbrought out nearly the entire strength of his charge. The barn was\nfilled with people, and the neighborhood taxed to its utmost to\nentertain the visitors. Nor was it surprising that, with such a\npreparation, the Meeting was an occasion of rare interest. For months\nand even years after, it was referred to with great satisfaction. At the\ntime the opinions of people were found to differ. One good sister said\nin my hearing, \"I think it is better to have old men like Elder Wilcox\nfor Presiding Elders, rather than such young men, because they can keep\na meeting steady and not let the people get so excited.\" But at the\nclose of the services a veteran Local Preacher said, \"The old Elder gave\nus a straight talk this morning.\" Both remarks were suggestive, and I\nresolved to bear myself with becoming dignity.\n\nBrother Lewis entered the Rock River Conference August 24th, 1842, and\nwas sent as Junior Preacher to Indian Creek, Ill., a four weeks'\ncircuit, the labor of which greatly taxed his strength. His next\nappointment was Manitowoc, the charge extending from Port Washington to\nTwo Rivers, and requiring one hundred and fifty miles of travel to each\nround of appointments. Through these dense forests, as I have had\noccasion to remark in a former chapter, the roads were almost\nimpassable, with long distances intervening between residences, and\ninvolving great fatigue and exposure. Like the good Brother Frink, who\npreceded him in this field, he was compelled to swim rivers, suffer\nhunger and endure fatigue, that would appall a man of less nerve. During\nthe winter his horse became disabled and he made the entire round on\nfoot, carrying his provisions in a knapsack. Such were the trials and\nexposures of the pioneers who planted the standard of the Cross in the\n\"Sheboygan Woods,\" as this region was called. They were indeed\nheroic men.\n\nThere were a few scattered sheep in the wilderness, and these were\ngathered into the fold. At Manitowoc, Brother Lewis formed a class.\n\nIn 1844 Brother Lewis was sent to Pewaukee, where he had eleven\nappointments. Though at the beginning of the year there was no class on\nthe charge, at its close Brother Lewis, was able to report sixty-five\nmembers. It was during this year that our sturdy pioneer took to himself\na worthy helpmeet, in the person of Miss Adelia Morley, who, as an\ninmate of the Presiding Elder's family, spread the table for the\nwriter's first meal as an Itinerant. Brother Lewis was next appointed\nsuccessively to Root River, Kankakee, and Brothertown, in which charges\nhe enjoyed his usual share of hard work and spiritual prosperity.\n\nIn 1849 he was appointed to Sheboygan Falls. The circuit was very large,\ntaking the entire tract of country between the Lake and Fond du Lac,\nbut the year was one of marked success. Finding the Parsonage under a\nmortgage that imperiled the safety of the property, Brother Lewis\nstepped forward and offered his horse, saddle, and a dollar and a half,\nall the money he had, in liquidation of the indebtedness. They were\naccepted, and as a result, the dear brother traveled his circuits on\nfoot for two years before he was able to procure another horse. Such is\nthe sterling material out of which the early Itinerants were made. With\nsuch men in the field, it is not a matter of surprise that, under the\nDivine blessing, the \"Wilderness and solitary place\" were made\nto rejoice.\n\nAt the close of his labors on this circuit, Brother Lewis was again sent\nto Manitowoc for one year, when, the Greenbush charge having been\ncreated, principally out of the west part of his former work, he was\nappointed to it, as before stated. After leaving Greenbush he was\nstationed at West Bend, Columbus and Fall River, Oneida Indian Mission,\nNew London, Markesan, Caldwell's Prairie, and New Berlin. At the\nJanesville Conference in 1870, Brother Lewis, having served the church\nnearly thirty years with great devotion, took a superannuated relation.\nAt this writing he is residing in Fond du Lac, maintains a happy frame\nof mind, and is still doing what he can for the cause. He certainly\ndeserves well of his Conference.\n\nSheboygan Mission, the next point visited, appears on the Minutes, as\nstated in a former chapter, in 1837, with Rev. H.W. Frink as Pastor.\nDuring this year Brother Frink formed a class at Sheboygan, consisting\nof the following members: Mr. and Mrs. Morris Farmin, Uriel Farmin,\nBenjamin Farmin, Mr. and Mrs. Elder Farmin, and Mr. and Mrs. McCreedy.\n\nAt the close of this year Sheboygan disappears from the list of\nappointments, but in 1843 the Manitowoc mission appears with Rev. D.\nLewis as Pastor, and Sheboygan, it will be recollected, is named as one\nof the appointments. In 1845, however, the name re-appears, and Rev.\nJoseph T. Lewis was sent to the charge. From this time until 1849 the\nstrength of the circuit consisted largely in the outlying appointments.\nBut at this date Sheboygan Falls was erected into a separate charge,\ntaking from Sheboygan its several interior appointments.\n\nRev. Daniel Stansbury, the Pastor, had commenced his labors in 1849, and\nwas now on his second year. The Membership numbered only thirty-three,\nbut Brother Stansbury had achieved a great work in the erection of a\nlarge and convenient Church edifice. I had visited the village the\npreceding year, as before stated, to dedicate the German Church, and had\nformed a very agreeable acquaintance with this truly noble man and his\nmost estimable family.\n\nBrother Stansbury was from Baltimore, and brought with him to Wisconsin\na goodly portion of the warm and cheerful type of Baltimore Methodism.\nHe was received on trial by the Wisconsin Conference in 1849, and hence\nSheboygan was his first appointment. His subsequent appointments were\nJanesville, Union, Portage City, Beaver Dam, Berlin and Janesville\nDistrict. In July of his second year on the District, and while\npreaching at his Quarterly Meeting on Cambridge circuit, he was stricken\ndown by paralysis. He was taken to his home in Janesville, where he\nlingered in extreme feebleness until Oct. 28, when he died in\ngreat peace.\n\nBrother Stansbury was a man of warm impulses, practical mind, and\nabundant labors. In the protracted meeting, his rare gifts of prayer\nand exhortation, made his labors a grand success, and, in the bright\nworld beyond, it will be found that his comparatively short ministry\ngathered a large harvest of souls.\n\nI next visited Sheboygan Falls. The charge first appears on the Minutes\nin 1849, it having been created out of the interior portions of the\nSheboygan circuit. Its first Pastor, as we have seen, was Rev. David\nLewis. In 1850, the following year, Rev. Matthias Himebaugh was\nappointed to the work. At this time the field embraced fifteen\nappointments, and required the travel of two hundred miles each month.\nLike his predecessors, Revs. J.S. Prescott and D. Lewis, Brother\nHimebaugh traveled this circuit on foot. The Society in the village\nconsisted of thirteen members, and included the names of Mr. and Mrs. L.\nCheeseman, Mr. and Mrs. Parrish, Mr. and Mrs. Goodell, Mr. and Mrs.\nSully, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, Mr. and Mrs. Waite, and others.\n\nThe public meetings were held in a school house outside of the village,\nand the prayer meetings in private houses. A lot had been purchased for\na Church and Parsonage, and the latter had been partly built. On the\narrival of Brother Himebaugh a hall was obtained in the village for the\nmeetings, and soon after he commenced a subscription for a Church.\n\nA revival occurred during the winter, and there were a goodly number of\naccessions, but they did not bring very much financial strength. The\nSociety, though small and in moderate circumstances, were very\nenterprising and generous in their effort to erect a Church, subscribing\ntowards the building one-fifth of their entire property. Having secured\npledges, amounting to twelve hundred dollars, the Pastor now led a\nstrong force of volunteer laborers in the manual labor of the\nundertaking. Felling the first tree for the timber in the woods with his\nown hands, Brother Himebaugh gave the keynote to the movement. Nor did\nhe stay his hand until he had expended sixty days of labor.\n\nAfter accomplishing what he could at home, he visited Milwaukee,\nChicago, and several towns and cities in the Erie, Pittsburgh and\nGenesee Conferences, to obtain aid to complete the enterprise. The\nedifice, forty by sixty, with a basement, was so far completed that the\nlecture-room was ready for dedication in December, 1851. With this good\nwork accomplished, our Quarterly Meeting at Sheboygan Falls was an\noccasion of great rejoicing.\n\nBrother Himebaugh entered the Erie Conference in 1839, then twenty years\nof age. His first circuit was Red Bank, on the Alleghany Mountains. At\nthe end of eleven years he was transferred to the Wisconsin Conference,\nand Sheboygan Falls was his first charge. After leaving this work, he\nwas stationed in the North Ward charge in Fond du Lac. Here he also did\na good work towards completing the Church edifice, which had been begun\nby Brother Prescott. He also had a good revival during the year.\n\nIn 1853, Brother Himebaugh was stationed at Oshkosh, where he performed\nprodigies of labor, preaching during a portion of the first year, on\nevery other Sabbath, four sermons, and walking fourteen miles. He also\ngathered large accessions, which rendered the charge self-sustaining\nthereafter.\n\nHis subsequent appointments have been: Madison, Madison District,\nAppleton, Appleton District, Agent of Lawrence University, and Assistant\nSuperintendent of the Western Seaman's Friend Society. At the present\nwriting, he still holds the last named position, and represents the\nBethel interests in this city. He is yet strong physically and\nintellectually, and bids fair to give to the good cause many\nadditional years.\n\nOshkosh was the next place visited. Instead of finding, as in 1845, a\nfew small cabins, I now found a respectable village and a\nflourishing Church.\n\nThe first Methodist sermon delivered in Oshkosh was preached by the\nveteran pioneer, Rev. Jesse Halstead, at the residence of Mr. Webster\nStanley, in 1841. The place was now taken into the list of his\nappointments, and was supplied by Brother Halstead with considerable\nregularity.\n\nAt a subsequent visit he was accompanied by his Presiding Elder, Rev.\nJames R. Goodrich. The services were again held in the residence of Mr.\nStanley, and at this meeting, which was held in the fall of 1841, the\nfirst class was formed. The members were: Ira Aikin, Mrs. Aikin, his\nmother, Rachel Aikin, his sister, Mrs. Chester Ford, Miss Ann Brooks,\nand Mrs. Electa Wright. Brother Aikin was the first Leader, but soon\nafter Brother William W. Wright and his wife becoming members, the\nLeadership passed over to Brother Wright. Before other provision was\nmade, the meetings were held at the residences of Mr. Stanley, Mrs.\nElecta Wright and William W. Wright, but subsequently they passed to the\nschool house and ultimately to the Court House.\n\nIn 1842, Rev. John P. Gallup was appointed to the Winnebago Lake\nMission. His plan of labor gave to Oshkosh every fourth Sabbath, and the\nintervening time was filled by Rev. Clark Dickinson, a highly esteemed\nLocal Preacher, and others. A revival occurred this year that brought\ninto the Church the larger portion of the people living in Oshkosh\nand vicinity.\n\nRev. Harvey S. Bronson was the Pastor in 1843, and was succeeded the\nfollowing year by Rev. Joseph H. Hurlbut. The first Church edifice was\nerected under the Pastorate of Rev. Robert Everdell in 1851. Being the\nPresiding Elder of the District at that time, the writer performed the\ndedicatory service. The building was enlarged in 1856 and again in 1861.\nUnder the Pastorate of Rev. Wm. P. Stowe there were large accessions,\nand he found it necessary to enlarge again, when in 1870 the writer was\ncalled to preach the re-opening sermon.\n\nThe mother charge at this writing ranks among the leading stations of\nthe Conference, and rejoices in the companionship of two promising\ndaughters. The first is located on the South Side, where a lot was\npurchased and the contract for a building let, under the Pastorate of\nRev. J.M. Walker, in 1868. The charge was organized the following year,\nand under the successive Pastorates of Revs. C.W. Brewer and Joseph\nAnderson, the Church was completed and the station assigned an honorable\nplace in the Conference. The other, located in the Western part of the\ncity, was erected into a separate charge at the last Conference session,\na Chapel having been previously built.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIII.\n\nFond du Lac District Continued.--Green Bay.--First Settlement.--Rev.\nJohn Clark.--First Sermon.--First Class.--Col. Ryan.--First\nMethodist.--First Church Enterprise.--Good Society.--Heretical\nBonnet.--Various Changes.--Rev. R.P. Lawton--Church\nDisaster--Purifying the Temple--Rev. S.W. Ford.--Oneida Indian\nMission.--Oneidas.--Missionaries.--Quarterly Meeting.--Council.--\"Chief\nJake.\"--Interpreter.--Rev. Henry Requa.--His Dying Message.\n\nGreen Bay, the next point visited, is the oldest town within the bounds\nof the Wisconsin Conference. Its site was explored by Jean Nicollet in\n1639, but its settlement did not begin for more than a century\nthereafter. In 1785 it contained seven families, and in 1816 there were\none hundred and fifty inhabitants located in the village and its\nvicinity. The population now began to increase more rapidly, and in 1819\nthere were sixty dwellings and five hundred inhabitants.\n\nGreen Bay was made a United States trading port in 1815, with Col. John\nBowyer as Indian Agent. And on the 16th of July of the following year,\nCol. John Miller commenced the erection of Fort Howard. The first frame\nhouse built, and perhaps the first in the State, was erected in 1825, by\nCol. E. Childs.\n\nCol. Samuel Ryan came to Green Bay in 1826 and was the first Methodist,\nas far as I have been able to ascertain, who settled within the bounds\nof the Wisconsin Conference, and was probably the first in the State.\nFrom the time of his arrival until 1833, the religious Meetings were\nheld in the Garrison school house and in an old Commissary store.\nThereafter, and until a Church was erected, the services were held in a\nnew yellow school house, or in the Garrison building at Fort Howard.\n\nAt the General Conference, which was held in Philadelphia in 1832,\naction was taken looking to the extension of the Missionary work of the\nChurch in the Northwest. In furtherance of this object, Rev. John Clark,\nthen of the New York Conference, was sent out as Superintendent of the\nwork. This eminent Minister and able administrator, whose special record\nI need not enter in these pages, as his Life has been published, arrived\nat Green Bay July 21st, 1832. Immediately after his arrival he began his\nlabors, preaching the first Methodist sermon within the limits of the\npresent boundaries of the Wisconsin Conference. The sermon was delivered\nin the Fort, to both soldiers and citizens.\n\nThe first class was formed by Brother Clark immediately after, the\nservices being held also in the Fort. This class consisted of four\nmembers, as follows: Col. Samuel Ryan, Sen., Mrs. Sherman, Mrs. Gen.\nBrooke, and a young man whose name cannot be given. Mrs. Brooke was the\nwife of the Commandant of the Fort, and Col. Ryan was the Leader.\n\nCol. Ryan was born in Ireland, May 22d, 1789, and in early youth entered\nupon the military profession. He was in the engagement between the\nShannon and Chesapeake off Boston Harbor, fought June 1st, 1813, and\nduring the conflict was severely wounded. He was converted at Sackett's\nHarbor, N.Y., under the ministry of Rev. Mr. Irwin, in 1821. In 1822 and\n'23, he resided at Sault St. Marie, and while there was Leader of a\nclass. During the year there was no Minister at the Sault, but Brother\nRyan held religious services regularly among the soldiers, and as the\nfruit of his labors, seventy souls were converted. On coming to Green\nBay, as above stated, in 1826, he resumed his labors, and continued to\ndevote himself to the good work in that locality for twenty-six years.\nThe Land Office, in which he held the first place, being now, 1852,\nremoved to Menasha, he also took up his residence in that village.\n\nBrother Ryan was a man of ardent temperament, full of vivacity, and not\na little eccentric, but a true soldier of the Lord Jesus Christ. As in\nhis youth his dauntless spirit never cowered in the presence of an\nearthly foe, so, in maturer years, he was a fearless champion for the\nspiritual reign of the Master. Honored by all, the Patriarch is now,\n\"leaning upon the top of his staff,\" with his dimned eye looking across\nthe river, ready to move on at any moment.\n\nOne of the early laborers at Green Bay was Rev. George White, who came\nfrom Oneida Conference, N.Y. He was stationed at Green Bay in 1835,\nBrother Clark having been assigned to the Presiding Eldership. Under the\nlabors of the new Pastor, the work continued to prosper. On the 2d day\nof February, 1835, Brother Clark reported to the Christian Advocate and\nJournal as follows: \"Brother White is in the spirit of his work, and the\nLord is blessing his labors in the conversion of souls, both in the Fort\nand among the citizens.\"\n\nThe first Church enterprise was entered upon in 1836, when a lot was\ndonated to the Society for the purpose of erecting a Church edifice. The\nDeed was given on the 6th day of September, 1836, by John Jacob Astor,\nRamsey Crooks, Emily Crooks, Robert Stewart and Eliza Stewart, and was\nexecuted by James Duane Doty, their attorney. The Trustees of the\nSociety, to whom the Deed was made, were Philip W. Nicholas, Francis\nMcCarty, George White, Thomas P. Green, William White, Edwin Hart, and\nJohn P. Gallup. The edifice was completed during the year, but in the\neffort the Society became seriously involved, and were compelled to\nmortgage the property. The indebtedness hung as an incubus on the\nSociety for ten years, and finally, through some strange mismanagement,\nthe property was sold at a great sacrifice to the Roman Catholics.\n\nAt the session of the Illinois Conference, held Sept. 27, 1837, Rev.\nPhilip W. Nicholas was sent to Green Bay, and Rev. Salmon Stebbins was\nassigned to the District. The congregations had now become highly\nrespectable both in numbers and position. Hon. M.L. Martin had settled\nat Green Bay, and his good lady, who was a Methodist, had become a\nmember of the Society. Sister Martin had been raised in affluent\ncircumstances, and was a lady of fine culture and rare judgment. Her\nhusband, a member of the legal profession, and subsequently a Delegate\nto Congress and Member of the Constitutional Convention of the State,\nwas a man of good attainments and superior abilities. His family not\nonly formed the nucleus of cultivated society, but also furnished a\npleasant home for the Itinerant.\n\nBesides this excellent and cultured family, the congregation embraced\nCol. Ryan and family, as before stated, Mrs. Gen. Brooke, and Mrs. Capt.\nKirby Smith, whose husband was killed in the Mexican War, she being now\nthe wife of Gen. Eaton, Quartermaster General of the U.S.A. In addition,\nGov. and Mrs. Doty were constant attendants upon the Chapel, as were\nalso Gen. and Mrs. Marcy, whose daughter, Mrs. George B. McClellan, was\nborn here, and the most excellent of all the officers, Capt. Merrill and\nhis young wife.\n\nReferring to the class of society that constituted at first the class\nand congregation at Green Bay, reminds me of a case of Church discipline\nwhich occurred there about the days of which I am now writing. It\nhappened on this wise:\n\nOne of the young members of the class, and perhaps the youngest, for she\nhad but recently come West as the bride of a distinguished citizen whose\nname has already been mentioned, had become the owner of a new bonnet.\nThe lady herself had never, though fashionably raised, shown a fondness\nfor gaudy apparel, but, being obliged to send to Detroit for all\nmillinery accommodations, she sometimes felt constrained to wear\narticles that were not selected in harmony with her tastes. The new\nbonnet fell somewhat into this category. If I were gifted in that line,\nI would attempt a description of the new comer, but, as I am not, I will\nsimply say it was made in the height of the then fashion, with a small\ncrown and a very high, flaring front, with ornaments atop. On the\nSabbath following its arrival, the good sister put on her bonnet as\ninnocently as in childhood she had ever said \"Our Father\" at her\nmother's knee, and went to Church. She walked modestly to her seat,\nbowed her head as usual, and the services proceeded. She certainly felt\ndevout, and she had not the remotest idea that there was anything in the\nChurch that could disturb the devotion of others. But alas! for poor\nhuman nature. A horrible nightmare was that moment lurking under the\nwings of the beautiful dream of our innocent sister. In that highly\nrespectable congregation, there were evil eyes that could not look at\nthe Minister or close in prayer. They were fixed upon the gaudy bonnet.\n\nAt the close of the services comment was rife. Some of the good plain\npeople christened the newly arrived, \"The Methodist Flower-Pot,\" while\nothers looked exceedingly unhappy. But there was one resolute brother\nwho could not permit matters to go on in this way, and hence the case\nwas brought before the Church. The zealous brother stated the case and\ndeclared that if Mr. Wesley's rule in regard to \"high heads and enormous\nbonnets\" meant anything, this was \"the time to put it to the test and\nprove its efficacy.\" He further stated that it was \"better to begin at\nthe top round of the ladder and work down, rather than take up some\noffending sister from a lower round as an example.\" Of course all things\nwere now ready for a decapitation, but judge of the surprise of the\nbrother, when the good sister showed herself not to be very\n\"high-headed,\" though big-bonneted, by offering the offensive article to\nher accuser, to manipulate into orthodox form, if he were pleased to do\nso, otherwise it would have to remain, like Mordecai at the King's gate,\nsteadfast and immovable.\n\nThe bonnet was not manipulated, and the good sister continued to wear\nwhat neither her accuser nor any other person in Green Bay could put\ninto another form.\n\nBefore the expiration of his second year, Brother Nicholas gave up the\nPastorate of the charge, and his place was supplied by Rev. Stephen P.\nKeyes. In 1839, Rev. F.A. Chenoweth was appointed to the charge, and\nRev. Julius Field was assigned to the District. In 1840 Green Bay was\nleft to be supplied, and Rev. Boyd Phelps was employed as the supply,\nand the charge was assigned to Platteville District, with Rev. H.W. Reed\nas Presiding Elder. The following year, 1841, the Green Bay District was\nformed, with Rev. James R. Goodrich as the Presiding Elder, and his name\nappears also as Pastor of the charge, but it is probable that Brother\nPhelps also assisted him in the Pastorate as a supply. In 1842 the\nappointments remained the same, but in 1843 Rev. G.L.S. Stuff was\nappointed to the station. Brother Stuff and Brother Keyes are remembered\nwith great pleasure at Green Bay, as men of sterling qualities and\nmarked ability, but as their labors have mostly fallen within the Rock\nRiver Conference, their record will doubtless be made in connection with\nthat field. In 1844, Rev. Wm. H. Sampson was appointed to the District,\nas stated elsewhere, and Rev. C.N. Wager to the station. He was followed\nin 1845 by Rev. T.P. Bingham, and the year following by Rev.\nR.P. Lawton.\n\nBrother Lawton entered the Rock River Conference this year, and in this,\nhis first appointment, acquitted himself creditably. As this good\nbrother, who may be set down as one of the pioneers of the Conference,\nbegan his labors, so he has continued to the present hour. His\nappointments after leaving Green Bay, have been Dixon, Ill., Delavan,\nMineral Point, Waukesha, Reed Street, Milwaukee, Palmyra, Grafton, Root\nRiver, Elkhorn, Delavan, East Troy, Evansville, Rosendale, Wautoma,\nPlover, New London, Hart Prairie, Utter's Corners, Footville, and\nJefferson, where he is located at this writing. Brother Lawton is a good\npreacher, has a genial spirit, and is devoted to his work. He has passed\nover the greater portion of the Conference, and has a host of friends\nwherever he has been stationed.\n\nRev. A.B. Randall was sent to Green Bay in 1847, and it was during this\nyear that the Church edifice was sold. This Church was dedicated,\ndoubtless, by Rev. John Clark, and had been used for ten years for\nreligious purposes, yet it is surprising to find how much of time and\nlabor it required to purify it after it fell into the hands of the\nCatholics. I am told that they spent days of labor and nights of vigil,\nexhausted miniature rivulets of holy water, and pounds of precious\n\"gems, frankincense, and myrrh,\" exorcising the devils and scattering\nthe Methodist imps of darkness from the holy place.\n\nThe balance of the money, after paying the indebtedness, was applied to\nthe purchase of the Second Church, which was still in use at the time\nof my visit.\n\nOn coming to Green Bay I found Rev. Seth W. Ford as Pastor, who was\ncommencing his second year on the charge. He was in the midst of a\nrevival, and the charge appeared to be in a prosperous condition. The\nQuarterly Meeting passed off very pleasantly, and gave me the\nopportunity to share the hospitality of Hon. M.L. Martin and his\nexcellent family. I also visited the Fort, and had the pleasure to enjoy\nthe companionship of Col. Ryan and his family.\n\nBrother Ford entered the Conference in 1845, as a classmate of the\nwriter, and passed with him through the course of graduation. I have\nreferred in a former chapter to the seven sessions through which we\npassed between the upper and nether millstones. Whether the result was\nflour or bran in the estimation of the Committee would have been forever\nhidden from us, doubtless, had not the good brethren, after our election\nto Elder's orders, moved that Brother Ford and myself be a Committee to\nexamine those of the class who had not been before the Committee. With\nour own experience fresh in our minds, I have no doubt the balance of\nthe class had an easy passage.\n\nBrother Ford's fields of labor had been Hamilton Grove, Macomb, and\nOneida Indian Mission. In each he had made a good record, and was now\nrapidly rising in his Conference. Since he left Green Bay he has\ncontinued to hold good appointments, and has served his Conference six\ntimes as its Secretary. Though slender in form, and apparently not\nvigorous in health, he has nevertheless taken his full share of work\nand is highly respected by his brethren.\n\nThe Oneida Indian Mission, lying twelve miles to the northwest of Green\nBay, next claimed my attention. Seated in my buggy, I was soon at the\nParsonage, where I found Rev. Henry Requa, the Missionary, and his\nkind family.\n\nThe Oneidas came from the State of New York. A few of them came as early\nas 1821, but through some hitch in the negotiations with the Menomonees\nfor the lands constituting the Reservation, the removal did not become\ngeneral until 1832. Meantime, a Mission had sprung up among the western\nbranch of the nation. In 1829 a young Mohawk, who had been converted in\nCanada, began the good work and established meetings. Among the early\nMissionaries the names of Rev. Mr. Poe and Rev. John Clark are\nespecially fragrant, but I have been unable to find satisfactory data\nuntil 1840, when Rev. Henry R. Colman was appointed to the Mission.\n\nBrother Colman remained until 1845, when he was succeeded by Rev. C.G.\nLathrop. Brother Ford followed next, and remained until 1850, when he\nwas succeeded by Brother Requa. Meantime, the old log church had given\nplace to a respectable frame edifice. There was also a good frame\nParsonage, occupied by the Missionary, and a school house, in which a\nschool was kept either by the Missionary or some one employed by him.\nThe membership at this time numbered one hundred and twenty-five.\n\nThe Quarterly Meeting was held on Saturday and Sabbath, as on the other\ncharges. On Saturday the Quarterly Conference was held, composed of the\nofficial members, but it was somewhat unique in its method of\ntransacting its business. The Conference was opened with singing and\nprayer. The next thing in order was an address from the Elder, or \"Big\nMissionary,\" as he is called. The address simply expressed the\ngratification of the Elder with his visit, and the encouraging things he\nhas heard of the good work of God among them, and then suggested such\nitems of business as would require their attention. This done, I took my\nseat, for what more could I do. The business must now be done in a\nstrange language, and in the method of the red man. After sitting in\nabsolute silence for some minutes, the head Chief of the Nation, \"Big\nJake,\" as he is called, being one of the Stewards, turned to a brother\non his right and spoke a few words, and received a reply. Then turning\nto another, he did the same, and thus continued to address each\npersonally, until all had been consulted. At intervals there were long\npauses, indicative, as I judged, of the gravity of the matter to be\nconsidered. At the end of an hour the Council had completed its work.\nThe Chief then arose in a very dignified manner, but without\nostentation, and, calling to his aid an interpreter, proceeded to reply\nto the opening address. He began his speech by expressing thanks, on\nbehalf of himself and people, that the \"Big Missionary\" had come once\nmore to see them. He next referred to the good work that had been\nperformed by the Missionary, and the special blessing of God upon his\npeople. And in conclusion, he reported the items of business they had\nconsidered, and the action taken in each case. If anything further was\ndesired at any time, it was always presented in a most respectful\nmanner. In this case it was represented that they needed some repairs on\nthe Church, and a bell, and they desired that the Missionary might be\npermitted to go abroad and raise the necessary funds. Permission was\ngranted, and the Missionary, taking several fine singers of the Nation\nwith him, went to New York, Boston, and other places, and secured the\nneeded help.\n\nAt the close of the public services came the hand shaking. The\nMissionary understood the matter and detained me in the Altar for a\nmoment, Commencing with the ladies and ending with the children, every\nperson in the Church came forward and shook hands with the Elder.\n\nI was greatly pleased with \"Chief Jake.\" He was a man of stalwart frame,\nstanding with head and shoulders above the people around him. That giant\nframe supported a large head, adorned by an expressive face. His\nmovement was dignified simply because he was a born nobleman, and did\nnot know how to appear other than like a prince. He was benevolent and\ntender to all who were trying to do right, but he was a terror to\nevil-doers. Standing for his people or the rights of the oppressed, he\nwas absolutely invincible.\n\nBrother Requa entered the Conference in 1847, after having been employed\none year as second preacher at Waupun. He was appointed to Brothertown\nin 1847, to Lowell in 1848, and Fond du Lac in 1849, Here his health\npartially failed, and, in consequence, he was sent to Oneida. From the\nfirst, Brother Requa attracted attention as a Preacher. The first time I\nheard him was at the Camp-Meeting at Sun Prairie, in the summer of 1846.\nHe had only recently been converted, and was now called out to exhort at\nthe close of a sermon. He had been known in the community as an Infidel,\nwhich greatly increased the interest felt by all when he arose to speak.\nBut the first utterance of his eloquent tongue, so full of feeling and\nso decided in its tone, disarmed all criticism. As he advanced, he threw\noff restraint, until he was master of himself and the congregation.\nOnce free, he seemed to lose sight of all but the condition of a\nperishing world. With lost men he reasoned, expostulated, entreated,\nuntil it seemed that the whole audience was moving towards the Altar.\n\nWhile at Oneida, as before stated, he went East to raise funds for the\nMission. Wherever he went, he was recognized as a man of rare eloquence.\nThrongs followed him from Church to Church, and, as might be expected,\nhis mission was a great success. On his return with the bell, the people\nwere overjoyed. For the first week after it was hung in the steeple, it\nwas kept going, almost night and day. The friends came from every part\nof the reservation, and no one was satisfied until his own hand pulled\nthe rope. And so high did the enthusiasm run that one man said, \"As soon\nas we get able, we will put one on every house in Oneida.\" After Brother\nRequa left Oneida, he served one year as Agent of Lawrence University,\nand was specially engaged in raising an Indian Scholarship Fund. His\nappointments subsequently were: Janesville, Fond du Lac District,\nOshkosh, Sheboygan Falls, Sheboygan, Brandon and Ripon. In March, 1865,\nhis second year at Ripon, he went as a Delegate of the Christian\nCommission to the army. His field of labor was Little Rock, Ark. While\nhere he was taken ill with the chronic diarrhoea, and on the 19th of May\ndeparted to his home above. During his illness, he was attended by his\nold friend, Brother A. B. Randall. Just before he died, he requested his\nattendant to bear this message to his brethren of the Wisconsin\nConference: \"Tell them that Henry Requa died at his post.\" He then\nadded, \"Take my ashes back to be interred among my brethren. I have\nlabored with them for twenty years past, trying to preach Jesus. My\npresent acceptance with God is a great comfort to me now. I am very\nunworthy, but I believe there are some in glory who call me father. In\nlooking over my whole life I cannot see an act upon which I would risk\nthe salvation of my soul; the best of them need washing in the blood of\nJesus. I know I have a home in glory. How precious Jesus is. Jesus, I\nlove thee for what thou hast done for me. I will praise thee forever.\"\n\nBrother Requa was a man of ardent temperament, and at times impulsive,\nbut he was a true man and a faithful minister. His attachments were\nstrong and abiding. He loved the work in which he was engaged, and was\nvery generally popular among the people. A born Radical, he was liable\nto push matters beyond what more conservative minds deemed wise, and it\nis possible that in some instances his extreme methods defeated his\npurpose, but even then, no one questioned the rectitude of his heart. In\nthe death of Brother Requa the Conference sustained a severe loss. His\nremains were interred in College Hill Cemetery, at Ripon.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIV.\n\nFond du Lac District Continued.--Appleton.--Early History.--Rev. C.G.\nLathrop--Lawrence University.--Incipient Stages.--Charter.--Trustees.\nAgent.--First Board of Instruction.--Buildings.--Faculty.--Rev. Dr.\nCooke.--Rev. Dr. Cobleigh.--Rev. Dr. Mason.--Rev. Dr. Knox.--Rev.\nDr. Steele.\n\nLeaving Oneida, I next visited Appleton, where I was kindly received by\nRev. C.G. Lathrop, the Pastor, and his good wife. Though three years had\nscarcely passed since the echoes of the woodman's axe first rang through\nthe forests of this locality, yet I found Appleton to be a village of\nconsiderable pretensions. The location of Lawrence University at this\npoint, and the great promise of business, given by its almost\nunparalleled water-power, had already drawn together an enterprising\ncommunity. Good buildings had been erected, and the village was putting\non an air of thrift.\n\nThe first sermon preached in Appleton, and probably in Outagamie County,\nwas delivered by Rev. Wm. H. Sampson, Oct. 8, 1848, in a shanty occupied\nby Brother John F. Johnson and family. The first class was formed by\nRev. A. B. Randall, the Pastor of Oshkosh circuit, whose charge included\nAppleton, in February, 1849. The first members were Robert R. Bateman,\nLeader, Robert S. Bateman, Mary Bateman, Amelia Bateman, Electa Norton,\nTheresa Randall, L. L. Randall, J.F. Johnson and D.W. Briggs. Brother\nRandall organized the first Sunday School in March, 1849, with Robert R.\nBateman as Superintendent.\n\nThe meetings were held in private houses until the Chapel of the\nInstitute was ready for use. They were held in the Chapel thereafter\nuntil the first Church was erected. In June, 1854, the corner-stone of\nthe Church was laid by Edwin Atkinson, Dr. Edward Cooke officiating. The\nlecture-room was occupied during the following winter, and the Church\nwas dedicated by Dr. N.E. Cobleigh in June, 1855.\n\nThe Quarterly Meeting, the first held in Appleton, was convened in the\nInstitute Chapel, Sept 27, 1851. The members of the Quarterly Conference\npresent were C.G. Lathrop, R.O. Kellogg, Jabez Brooks, D.L. Atwell,\nGeorge E. Havens, Charles Levings, John Day, H.L. Blood, A.C. Darling,\nL.L. Randall, D.C. Weston, William Rork, and J.F. Johnson. The meeting\nwas well attended, and the services indicated a healthy spiritual\ncondition.\n\nRev. Curtis G. Lathrop entered the Rock River Conference in 1842, and\nhis first appointment was Aztalan. Before coming to Appleton he had been\nstationed at Lancaster, Oneida Indian Mission, Green Lake and Fall\nRiver. After leaving Appleton his fields of labor have been Green Bay,\nOneida, Indian Mission, Presiding Elder of Watertown District, Menasha,\nNeenah, Waupaca, Dartford, Fox Lake, Vinland and Randolph. He took a\nsuperannuated relation in 1868, but during 1870 and 1871 he was able to\nserve as Chaplain of the Western Seaman's Friend Society, at Washington\nIsland. Having removed to Nebraska, he was made effective in 1874 and\ntransferred to the Nebraska Conference.\n\nBrother Lathrop is a man of vigorous mental endowments. He is an able\nPreacher, has a reliable judgment, and possesses a kind spirit. He hates\nshams and thoroughly detests the superficial. He never hangs out a flag\nto catch the popular breeze, and does not turn the prow of his craft\ndown the stream. His convictions are strong, but Curtis G. Lathrop is\nthe soul of integrity, and is most highly appreciated where best known.\n\nThe Lawrence University, located at Appleton, deserves special notice,\nit being the first, and, at the present writing, the only school of the\nChurch within the bounds of the Conference.\n\nIn the Spring of 1846, Rev. Wm. H. Sampson received a letter from H.\nEugene Eastman, Esq., of Green Bay, informing him that a gentleman in\nBoston, Mass., proposed to donate ten thousand dollars to found a school\nin the West. And as the gentleman entertained an exalted opinion of the\nadaptations of the Methodist Church to the work contemplated, he was\nauthorized to give the proposition that direction. The conditions on\nwhich the trust must be accepted were, that the School should be located\non the Fox River between Neenah and Green Bay, and that an additional\nten thousand dollars should be contributed by other parties.\n\nBrother Sampson submitted the proposition to the Conference, which met\nin August, and was instructed by that body to continue the\ncorrespondence, and, if possible, reduce the negotiations to a\ndefinite form.\n\nIn December following, Rev. Reeder Smith, who had been employed as Agent\nof the School at Albion, Mich., came to Fond du Lac, bearing the\nproposition directly from Hon. Amos A. Lawrence, the gentleman referred\nto. Not finding Brother Sampson at home, he went down to Brothertown and\nsecured the co-operation of Rev. H.R. Colman in making an exploration of\nthe Fox River. They went to Green Bay, thence to Kaukauna, and,\naccompanied by George W. Law, Esq., thence to Grand Chute, the present\nsite of Appleton. After looking over the grounds now constituting the\ncampus of the University, they passed on to Oshkosh, and thence to\nFond du Lac.\n\nBrother Sampson had now returned, and it was decided to hold a meeting\nin Milwaukee for consultation. The meeting was convened December 2 8th,\n1846, and was composed of the following members of the Conference: Wm.\nH. Sampson, Henry R. Colman, Washington Wilcox, and Wm. M.D. Ryan. To\nthese were added Reeder Smith, Geo. E.H. Day, and doubtless several\nothers whose names I have not been able to learn. At this meeting a\nCharter was drafted for the Lawrence Institute, and Rev. Reeder Smith\nwas sent to Madison to lay it before the Legislature. The Charter\nreceived the signature of Gov. Dodge, Jan. 17, 1847, and the following\ngentlemen were constituted the first Board of Trustees: Henry Dodge,\nLoyal H. Jones, Jacob L. Bean, Wm. H. Sampson, N.P. Talmadge, Henry R.\nColman, H.S. Baird, Wm. Dutcher, M. C. Darling, M.L. Martin, Geo. E.H.\nDay, D.C. Vosburg, and Reeder Smith.\n\nThe first meeting of the Board was to have been held in Fond du Lac,\nJune 30, 1847, but as there was not a quorum present, the meeting was\nadjourned to Sept. 3d. At this meeting the Board was duly organized by\nthe election of the following officers: Hon. M.C. Darling, President;\nHon. N.P. Talmadge, First Vice President; H.S. Baird, Esq., Second Vice\nPresident; Rev. Wm. H. Sampson, Secretary, and Hon. Morgan L. Martin,\nTreasurer. Rev. Reeder Smith was appointed Agent.\n\nGeo. W. Law, Esq., and Hon. John F. Mead now offered a donation of\nthirty-one acres of land each, on condition that the Institute should be\nlocated at Grand Chute. The offer was accepted, and the location was\nmade, the name of the place being soon after changed to Appleton. In due\ntime the Law Tract was conveyed to the Trustees, but, by some strange\nmismanagement, to say the least, on the part of the Agent, the Mead land\nwas conveyed to another party, and it was lost to the Institute.\n\nAt the Conference of 1848, Brother Sampson was appointed Principal, and\nwas expected to serve as Agent until the building to be erected was\nready for occupancy. In pursuance of this arrangement he left Fond du\nLac, Sept. 7th, to enter upon his new field of operations. He took the\nsteamer to Neenah, and then obtained an Indian \"Dug-out\" for the balance\nof the journey. As the craft carried no sail, he was compelled to put\nher before the \"white ash breeze\" across Lake Butte des Morts, and down\nthe river to the point of destination, his craft being nearly swamped by\na gale on the Lake.\n\nOn the 8th of September he began to cut a road to the grounds and clear\nthe brush from the campus, thereby making the beginning of both the\nInstitute and the city of Appleton. The lumber for the building of the\nPreparatory Department was purchased of Hon. M.L. Martin, and was\ndelivered at Duck Creek. The timber was furnished by Col. H.L. Blood.\nThrough the indomitable energy of Col. Blood and the co-operation of the\nagents, the building, seventy by thirty feet in size, and three stories\nhigh, was ready to receive students on the 12th day of November, 1849.\n\nThe Faculty with which the school opened were Rev. Wm. H. Sampson,\nPrincipal, Rev. R.O. Kellogg, Professor of Ancient Languages, Mr. James\nM. Phinney, Professor of Mathematics, and Miss Emeline M. Crooker,\nPreceptress. The first catalogue, published in the fall of 1850, showed\na list of one hundred and five students, which was certainly a very\ncreditable beginning. The name of the Institute was now changed to\nLawrence University.\n\nA record of the early years of struggle and sacrifice necessary to found\nthe University would fill a volume, and cannot be given at length in\nthese pages. Having been a member of the Board for nearly a quarter of a\ncentury, I could say much of the noble men who performed double service\non half pay, but such a recital cannot here be given.\n\nRev. Dr. Edward Cooke was installed President of the University June 29,\n1853. At the same time the corner stone of the College building was laid\nby Hon. M.C. Darling, Rev. Alfred Bronson, D.D., delivering the address.\nThe edifice, a substantial stone structure, one hundred and twenty by\nsixty feet, and five stories high, was pushed forward to an early\ncompletion by the untiring energy of the agents, Rev. J.S. Prescott and\nCol. H.L. Blood. For college purposes the building ranked among the\nfirst in the West.\n\nIn both Students and Faculty Lawrence University has been fortunate from\nthe beginning. As to the former, she has sent out not a few\nrepresentative men to the several occupations of life, several of whom\nwill find mention in these pages. As to the latter, she has enjoyed the\nlabors of a class of instructors whose names have found an honorable\nplace in both the clerical and literary circles of the Commonwealth.\n\nOf Rev. Wm. H. Sampson, the first head of the Faculty, a record has been\nmade in a former chapter, and it would afford me pleasure to refer at\nlength to the several members of the first Faculty, as also to all the\nProfessors who have followed, but I find it will be impossible to do so\nin these brief pages.\n\nRev. Edward Cooke, D.D., the first President, entered the New Jersey\nConference in 1843. He was a graduate of the Wesleyan University,\nMiddletown, Conn. His first appointment was Principal of the Pennington\nMale Seminary, N.J. In 1847 he was transferred to the New England\nConference, and stationed at Saugus. His subsequent appointments were\nUnion Church Charlestown, D. Street, Centenary, and Hanover, of Boston,\nMass. He was transferred to the Wisconsin Conference in 1853, having\nbeen elected President of the University. As a President he was very\npopular, and during his administration of six years had the satisfaction\nto see the Institution rise from a feeble preparatory school to a\nfull-fledged University. In addition to the ordinary duties of his\nposition, he was largely concerned with the financial matters of the\nenterprise, but in every portion of the work Dr. Cooke showed great\nwisdom, tact and devotion. And during his term he laid the friends of\neducation in the State under lasting obligations.\n\nAfter leaving the University, he was stationed at Summerfield Church,\nMilwaukee, but, returning to Boston at the close of his term, he was\nelected Principal of the Wesleyan Academy, Wilbraham, Mass., where he\nhas enjoyed great success in his administration. Dr. Cooke is a man of\nfine presence, and a good Preacher. Genial in spirit, full of anecdote\nand well read, he is very companionable. He has a multitude of friends\nin Wisconsin.\n\nRev. Nelson E. Cobleigh, D.D., was elected Professor in 1854. He was\nalso a graduate of the Wesleyan University. On coming West, he was first\nelected Professor in the McKendree College, Ill., from which position he\ncame to Appleton. His first visit to these \"northern wilds,\" as\nAppleton was then called, was a memorable one. It was a Commencement\noccasion, and in connection with the other exercises, the annual\nMissionary Meeting was held. Under the leadership of Dr. Cooke, Brother\nCobleigh was appointed to deliver one of the addresses. There were three\nspeakers appointed as usual, and the second place was assigned to Dr.\nCobleigh and the last to Dr. Cooke. The first speech, brief and to the\npoint, was made, and as Chairman I introduced Dr. Cobleigh. The speech\nopened in a quiet, clear, and common-sense way, none expecting more than\na good, average effort. But before the speaker had proceeded far, his\nsentences began to grow intense, and the blood began to shoot upward in\ndeep, livid lines along the neck and face, and wreathe his forehead. All\neyes were turned upon him, and each hearer began to feel the kindlings\nof a strange inspiration. But the speaker was lost to everything except\nhis theme. He dashed on from one burning thought to another, carrying\nhis audience with him, in such storms of eloquence as had never before\nenchanted the walls of the University Chapel.\n\nAt the expiration of a full hour, the great orator came to himself and\nresumed his seat, amid the shouts of the people. As soon as quiet\nintervened, I introduced Dr. Cooke. The Doctor came forward and stated\nthat as the speakers had been limited to thirty minutes each, and as his\ngood friend, Dr. Cobleigh, had used an hour, without any fault of his\nown, however, as he could not help it, he would not attempt to make a\nspeech himself, but would adopt the last half of the last speech, which\nwas infinitely better than he could do if he were to speak. The fine\nturn of the Doctor was taken with a good zest.\n\nAfter serving the University several years, Dr. Cobleigh went back to\nMcKendree College as President. He next served as Editor of Zion's\nHerald, in Boston, then was President of our College in Tennessee, and\nat the last General Conference he was elected editor of the Advocate at\nAtlanta, Ga. But his work was soon finished, and he passed on to join\nthe great and good who have entered the Heavenly gates.\n\nDr. R.Z. Mason came to the University as a Professor in 1855, and\ncontinued to hold this position until the resignation of Dr. Cooke, when\nhe succeeded to the Presidency. He remained at this post until the\nelection of Dr. Steele, when he entered upon business pursuits in\nAppleton. The Presidency of Dr. Mason was distinguished by great anxiety\nand severe labor. Like the Presidents who went before, and those who\nhave followed, he was greatly burdened with the financial management.\nThe several schemes which had been adopted to secure an Endowment Fund\nfor the University, had not fully met expectations, and in consequence,\nan indebtedness had been incurred. To lift this incumbrance became the\nspecial concern of President Mason. He traveled over the State, visiting\nthe charges in person, and taking subscriptions wherever they could be\nobtained. And I am happy to say that through his great ability in this\ndirection, and his unbounded persistence, the work was carried forward\nto a grand success.\n\nRev. Loren L. Knox, D.D., was another member of the Faculty. Brother\nKnox had also given the greater portion of his life to educational work.\nHis successful administration of the interests of leading institutions\nof learning in the East had fully prepared the Board to expect in him a\nvaluable accession to the Faculty, and they were not disappointed. He\nwas found to be a thorough scholar, a wise and careful instructor, and\na Christian gentleman of the highest and purest style. After leaving the\nUniversity, Dr. Knox did good service in the pulpit for several years,\nbut, finally, his health so far failed that he was compelled to take a\nsuperannuated relation. At the present writing he is residing at\nEvanston, where he is giving such attention to literary work as he finds\nhimself able to perform.\n\nRev. Geo. M. Steele, D.D., the President of the University at this\npresent time, is a man of fine literary attainments, an able\nadministrator, a superior preacher, and a writer of pronounced\nreputation. He is also a graduate of Middletown, and has had\nconsiderable experience as an instructor. He was elected President of\nthe University in 1865, and has more than met the highest expectations\nof the Board. In addition to his duties at the head of the Faculty, he\nhas given his personal attention largely to the financial interests of\nthe Institution. In this particular he has achieved a grand work, both\nin managing the current expenditures, and in increasing the Endowment\nFund. The Doctor is a great acquisition to the University, and is highly\nesteemed by his brethren. The Conference have delighted to honor him in\nall appropriate ways, and especially in sending him to both General\nConferences which have occurred since he became a member of the body.\n\nHaving thus paid our respects to Appleton and the University, we are\nprepared to pass on to other fields. To complete the round there were\ntwo charges yet to visit, but as these will claim our attention\nhereafter I need not refer to them now, except to give an incident that\ntranspired at the Quarterly Meeting held on one of them.\n\nThe meeting was held in a school house. The new schoolteacher, a nice\nyoungster, concluded to lead the singing. Gathering a few young people\naround him, and displaying a tuning-fork, he was ready for the services\nto begin. I gave the hymn commencing,\n\n     \"Come, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove.\"\n\nWhen I had finished the reading, the chorister arose with superlative\ndignity, and gave the key. Unfortunately, the choir dropped a tone or\ntwo too low, and the first verse was sung at that disadvantage.\nDiscovering the blunder, the key was again given, but the singers were\nnow getting nervous, and instead of rising, they went still lower, as\nthey sang,\n\n     \"Look how we grovel here below.\"\n\nCertainly the chariot wheels of Pharaoh did not roll more heavily than\nthe numbers from that orchestra. I remembered old Balerma, and felt\ndeeply for them. But our young knight of the tuning-fork was not to be\nvanquished. With a dash he brought the fork down upon the desk, and gave\nthe key again. But alas! for all human expectations! The choir dropped\ndown to a dead monotone, as they went on with the next verse:\n\n     \"In vain we tune our formal songs,\n       In vain we strive to rise;\n     Hosannas languish on our tongues,\n       And our devotion dies.\"\n\nBoth the choir and congregation felt a relief when the Minister said,\n\"Let us pray.\"\n\nHaving completed the first round of the District, I returned to Fond du\nLac to begin the second. But it is not my purpose to give the details of\neach round or year, as the labors of a Presiding Elder are too\nmonotonous to furnish a record that would be entertaining to the\ngeneral reader.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XV.\n\nFond du Lac District Continued.--Baraboo Conference.--Lodi Camp\nMeeting.--Fall River.--Revival at Appleton.--Rev. Elmore Yocum.--Revival\nat Sheboygan Falls.--Revival at Fond du Lac.--Rev. E.S.\nGrumley.--Revival at Sheboygan.--Rev. N.J. Aplin.--Camp-Meeting at\nGreenbush.--Rev. A.M. Hulce.--Results of the Year.--Janesville\nConference.--Omro. Rev. Dr. Golden.--The Cowhams.--Quarterly\nMeeting.--My Father's Death.--Close of the Term.\n\nThe Conference of 1852 was held at Fond du Lac, Sept. 1st, and was\npresided over by Bishop Ames. This was the first Conference held by the\ngood Bishop after his election to his high office. The visit was also\nthe first the good people of Northern Wisconsin had enjoyed from a\nBishop of the Church. Both parties appeared delighted with the\nacquaintance.\n\nOn the Sabbath preceding the session of the Conference, the new Church\nin the upper town was dedicated by the Bishop, the preachers of the\nConference generally being in attendance.\n\nAt this Conference I performed my first labor in the Cabinet. I felt the\nresponsibility to be one of great gravity, but sought to bear it in the\nfear of God. In fact, the adjustment of the appointments had been the\nsubject of careful thought and earnest prayer during the last three\nmonths of the year. From the first I felt that the adjustment of the\nMinisters and their work required the nicest discrimination and the most\nabsolute self-abnegation. Resolving to discharge my duty fearlessly, and\nyet fully in the spirit of the Golden Rule, I entered upon the\nresponsibility. Whether I succeeded or not, is a matter I have referred\nto the day when \"The Books\" shall be opened.\n\nThere were but few changes made in the appointments in the District, as\nI then cherished, as I have since, the conviction that changes, other\nthan by limitation, should only be made for grave reasons.\n\nFond du Lac was divided into two charges, Rev. M. Himebaugh, of whom a\nrecord has been made, being sent to the North Ward, and Rev. Ezra Tucker\nto the South Ward. The year in both charges was generally prosperous.\n\nBrother Tucker was a new man in the work, and entered upon his labors\nwith great zeal. Having the new Church, and the inspiration usually\nexperienced in such cases, he was encouraged with an extraordinary\npromise of success, but before the expiration of the year he fell sick,\nand was compelled to suspend his labors. After resting two years he was\nagain able to resume work. He filled several appointments thereafter in\nthe Wisconsin Conference, and then removed to Minnesota, where, on both\nstations and Districts, he has rendered effective service.\n\nRev. Jabez Brooks was appointed to Oshkosh, but as he was still needed\nin the Professorship he had formerly held in the Lawrence University, I\nchanged his appointment. Brother Brooks subsequently filled out the\nbalance of Brother Tucker's year at Fond du Lac, and was then stationed\nat Jackson Street, Milwaukee. He was subsequently made President of the\nHamline University, and at the present writing is Professor in the State\nUniversity of Minnesota. Dr. Brooks, for such is his present title, is a\nprime man in every respect. Scholarly, logical, clear-headed,\nkind-hearted and diligent, he is a general favorite, wherever known.\n\nDuring this year a Camp-Meeting was held on the District. The ground\nselected was Father Bower's Grove, on the east shore of Lake Butte des\nMorts, six miles above Oshkosh. The meeting was held June 8th, 1853. The\nattendance was good, there being ten tents on the ground, and there were\nfifty conversions.\n\nThe year closed pleasantly, and on my way to the Conference, to be held\nat Baraboo, Aug. 31st, I attended a Camp-Meeting at Lodi. The meeting\nhad been appointed with a view to intercept the Bishop and the Preachers\non their way to the Conference. The attendance was large and the meeting\nspirited. Bishop Scott came early in the week, and before Friday night\nthere were not less than sixty-five Preachers in attendance. After\npreaching twice, the Bishop left on Saturday, as he was to dedicate the\nnew Church in Baraboo on the Sabbath. As it was desirable also for the\nPresiding Elder to go forward with the Bishop, I was requested to remain\nand take charge of the Camp-Meeting until Monday. I consented on\ncondition that the Bishop would take the clergy with him to the\ndedication. I selected a few men from the Fond du Lac District, and a\nfew others from the vicinity of the meeting to remain with me, and the\nbalance mostly went with the Bishop.\n\nThe change in the state of affairs, as I anticipated, was felt\nimmediately. The Laity, who must always form the basis of a successful\nmeeting, now came forward and took hold of the work. On Saturday night\nthe Spirit fell on the people in great power. Before the conclusion of\nthe sermon it was manifest that there would be, to change the reference,\nan abundance of rain. In the Prayer Meeting which followed, not less\nthan thirty souls were converted. On Sabbath the meeting went forward\nwith great spirit. But the climax was not reached until Sabbath evening,\nwhen, at the close of a sermon by Brother Himebaugh, the whole audience\nseemed to respond to the invitations of the Gospel. The Altar was\nthronged and the adjacent seats were filled far back into the\ncongregation. It was impossible to tell how many were forward as\nseekers, or how many were converted, but those immediately engaged in\nthe work, expressed the belief that not less than one hundred persons\npassed into the Kingdom of Grace.\n\nThe meeting had now received such momentum that it was impossible to\nclose it on Monday. It was put in charge of brethren who were not\nimmediately needed at the Conference, and was continued nearly the\nentire week.\n\nOn this trip to the Conference, I was permitted to enjoy the\ncompanionship of Rev. N.J. Aplin, who rendered signal service in the\nmeeting on the Sabbath.\n\nThe Conference at Baraboo was one of unusual interest. The greetings of\nthe Preachers were cordial, as they always are where persons make\nsacrifices and put forth labor in a common cause. It was the first visit\nof Bishop Scott to the Conference, and his urbanity and self-sacrificing\nlabors endeared him to all. The business of the Conference was done in\nthe spirit of the Master, but an unhappy trial made the session a very\nprotracted one. This being the second year of my Presiding Eldership,\nthe Disciplinary limit required several removals, but I need not give\nthem in detail, as they can be ascertained, if desirable, by consulting\nthe Minutes.\n\nOn our return from the Conference we reached Fall River on Saturday\nevening, and remained there over the Sabbath. On arriving at the forks\nof the roads on the crown of the prairie, the several Preachers who were\nin company halted for a proper distribution among the good people. Rev.\nA.P. Allen, the inimitable joker, who had served as Pastor on the\ncharge, installed himself master of ceremonies, and proceeded to divide\nup the company. After assigning the balance to their respective\nquarters, he said, \"Now, I guess the young Presiding Elder and the old\nPastor had better go to Aunt Martha's, as that is the place where they\ndo up the chicken-fixings scientifically.\" We were delightfully\nentertained by Rev. E.J. Smith and family, with whom, it will be\nremembered, I became acquainted in 1845. On Sabbath morning, accompanied\nby Brother and Sister Smith and their daughters, now Mrs. Pedrick and\nMrs. Coe, of Ripon, we attended religious services at the school house\nin Fall River, where the serving fell to the lot of the writer.\n\nAt the beginning of the new year, special attention was given to the\nfinances in the several charges. And during the first round the work was\nplanned for the winter campaign. Fixing on the localities where I could\nrender special assistance to the Pastors, it was arranged to commence\nthe services with the Quarterly Meetings, and if the work should require\nmore than the following week, I could return after the succeeding\nQuarterly Meeting had been held.\n\nThe first meeting was held at Appleton, Rev. Elmore Yocum being the\nPastor. This noble man, one of the excellent of the earth, came to the\nConference in 1849 by transfer from the North Ohio Conference, and was\nappointed Presiding Elder of the Platteville District. At the close of\nhis term, he was stationed at Appleton, where his family could enjoy\nspecial educational advantages. At the end of two years he was made\nPresiding Elder of the Appleton District, and at the close of his term\nwent to the West Wisconsin Conference, as he had become identified with\nthe Educational Institution at Point Bluff. Both as Pastor and Presiding\nElder Brother Yocum was deservedly popular.\n\nThe meeting at Appleton awakened intense interest. The good work grew\nupon our hands from day to day, until the business of the village was\nlargely suspended during the hours of religious service. All classes\nfell under the good influence, and both students and citizens shared in\nthe result. One hundred and thirty souls were converted.\n\nThe next meeting was held at Sheboygan Falls. As I drove into the\nvillage, the severest storm of the winter was raging, and by Sabbath\nmorning the snow was two feet in depth. During the following night the\nwinds piled it into drifts that made the roads nearly impassable. What\nwas to be done? The prospect certainly looked dubious. But it occurred\nto me that a little preparation for the meeting would be of service, and\nthis could now be done before the crowd should rush in upon us. We\ndecided to go on. Illustrating the saying, \"Where there's a will there's\na way,\" the good people opened the streets in the village, and a small\ncongregation was brought together. The Spirit of God came down in sweet,\nmelting influences, and, under the Divine inspiration, the faith of the\nChurch grew strong. Before the end of the week the place was filled, and\nsouls were being converted.\n\nThe Pastor was Rev. R.W. Barnes. And as soon as the meeting was well\nestablished, the Pastors of the other Churches, Rev. Mr. Marsh, of the\nCongregational, and Rev. Mr. Lull, of the Baptist, came in with their\npeople. They were received cordially, and set at work as opportunity\noffered. Besides these, several of our own Laymen gave themselves almost\nwholly to the work. Among these, Rev. L. Cheeseman, a Local Preacher,\nand E.T. Bond, Esq., a merchant, deserve special mention. Too much\ncannot be said in praise of these lay workers and the Church generally.\nWith their Pastor, they were instant in season and out of season. After\nthe regular labor of the evening was concluded, it was no uncommon thing\nfor them to organize a second meeting for such of the seekers as had not\nobtained a satisfactory evidence of conversion. Here, in prayer and\nChristian Conference, they would labor until midnight, and in some\ninstances until the dawn of day. The shout of victory usually signalled\nthe close of the meeting. A more thorough work than this I never\nwitnessed. I left the meeting twice before its close to attend to my\nwork elsewhere, and was brought back by a messenger. During the meeting\none hundred and fifty souls professed conversion, and among them were\nboth men and women, who have since shown themselves to be valiant\nsoldiers for Prince Immanuel.\n\nThe next meeting was held in the South Ward charge, Fond du Lac. The\nPastor, Rev. E.S. Grumley, who had been appointed to the charge at the\nrecent Conference, entered the North Ohio Conference in 1842. He had\nbeen stationed at Lower Sandusky, Bucyrus, Ashland, Shanesville, Ohio\nCity, Tiffin, Sandusky City and Norwalk. Since his transfer to the\nConference in 1851, he had been two years at Council Hill. After filling\nhis term in Fond du Lac he was, for a full term, Presiding Elder on\nRacine District. After leaving the District he continued to hold\nrespectable appointments until 1871, when his health failed and he was\ncompelled to take a superannuated relation.\n\nBrother Grumley was a man of small frame and apparently of feeble\nhealth, yet he was able to do effective work to the last. He had a\nsound head, and a heart equally sound. He was a good Preacher, and a\nsuperior Pastor. Revivals usually attended his labors, and he was always\nhighly esteemed by the people.\n\nThe meeting at Fond du Lac immediately followed the one at Sheboygan\nFalls. With my family I left the latter place in time to reach Fond du\nLac at noon on Saturday. But through detention I was just driving into\nthe city as the bell was ringing for the service. Hastily caring for my\nhorse, I went immediately to the Church. Before the services were\nconcluded, I saw evident assurances that the Pastor had been making\ncareful preparation for the work before us. The opening sermon was\naddressed to the Church, and found a ready and hearty response. Before\nthe Quarterly Meeting had passed, it was manifest that a glorious\nrevival was impending. Seekers of religion came to the Altar and found a\nprepared Church to lead them to Christ. The meeting went on from night\nto night, and before the end of the week, each night brought scores of\nseekers. The good Pastor was now at home. In prayer, in exhortation, and\nin labor at the side of the seeker, he was a tower of strength. Among\nthe laity there were also several excellent laborers, who rendered\nvaluable services in the meeting. The revival reached all classes, from\nyouth to old age, and gave to the Church many reliable accessions.\n\nAt the beginning, sister Churches joined largely in the meeting, but as\nthe work extended among their people, they opened meetings at their own\nplaces of worship. The change, however, did not check the revival. It\nswept on through the community, and all the Churches shared in the\nharvest of souls.\n\nDuring this year Sheboygan was also favored with a revival. Rev. N.J.\nAplin, the Pastor, came to Wisconsin during the previous year. He came\nfrom Western New York, where he had been engaged in business, bringing a\nnote of introduction from Rev. Moses Miller, my uncle, who had been for\nseveral years his neighbor. I employed him at once, for the balance of\nthe year, at Charlestown, a new charge that I had just formed. He was\nadmitted on trial at the ensuing Conference, and appointed to Sheboygan.\n\nAfter leaving Sheboygan, Brother Aplin's appointments have been:\nManitowoc, Waukesha, Brookfield, Watertown, Beaver Dam, Oconomowoc,\nBerlin, Geneva, Sun Prairie, Sharon, and Clemensville. At the last named\nplace, he is still rendering the cause effective service. Brother Aplin\nhas been a successful man, and has seen, at various times, extensive\nrevivals under his labors. He is a man who \"seeks not his own but the\nthings of Christ.\"\n\nAt Sheboygan he was assisted in his meeting by Fay H. Purdy, Esq., of\nPalmyra, N.Y., with whom he had enjoyed an acquaintance in the East.\nBrother Purdy had already become distinguished as the \"Lawyer\nEvangelist.\" Under the united labors of these devoted and earnest men,\nthere was a great quickening in the Church, and though the population of\nthe town was largely German, there was an accession to the Church of\nforty members.\n\nIt was during this Conference year the celebrated Greenbush Camp Meeting\nwas held. The meeting was held in June, 1854. The people came in great\nnumbers, and many of them were fresh from their revivals at home. On\ninvitation, Brother Purdy came to the meeting and brought with him, from\nWestern New York, Rev. Amos Hard, Seth H. Woodruff, Esq., and several\nothers. The meeting was one of great power. Large numbers of professing\nChristians entered into a new consecration to God, and many souls\nprofessed conversion. Throughout the week, the meetings continued to\nincrease in spiritual interest, but culminated in the services of Sunday\nnight. After the close of the sermon, seekers were invited to the Altar.\nThen followed prayers, singing, and Christian testimony without\nintermission, until the morning light broke upon the encampment. The\nprayers of the penitent and the shouts of the saved greeted every hour\nof the night. The voices of prayer and song did not cease until the\nmeeting was closed on Monday.\n\nNor did the formal closing of the services in the grove close the\nmeeting. It was now adjourned to the school house in the village, where\nthe services were continued with unflagging interest. But there now came\nan interchange of labor. Whenever it was necessary to look after\ndomestic affairs, the meeting was left in the hands of others, and on\nreturning its duties were again resumed. Thus by these changes there was\nno cessation of the meeting throughout Monday, Monday night, and a\nportion of the following day. This meeting is still referred to with\ngreat interest by those who were permitted to participate in its\nthrilling exercises.\n\nThe Pastor of Greenbush at this time was Rev. A.M. Hulce. He was a young\nman in the work, having been received into the Conference at its last\nsession. Both himself and good lady were fully engaged in the work, and\ngreatly assisted in perfecting the arrangements for the meeting. Brother\nHulce was a well-read man, a good thinker, and earnestly devoted to his\nwork, but his health was not equal to the toil and exposures of the\nItinerancy. After laboring a few years he was compelled to retire to the\nlocal ranks, in which position he still holds an honorable place.\n\nOther charges than those mentioned also shared in the revivals of the\nyear, giving a net result for the District of nearly one thousand\nconversions. My labors throughout the year were severe, making an\naverage of nearly seven sermons per week.\n\nThe Conference for 1854 was held at Janesville, and I was returned to\nthe District for a fourth year. Several changes of Ministers were made,\nseveral new fields were opened, and six new men were brought into\nthe District.\n\nOmro was one of the charges to claim my attention at the beginning of\nthis year. It had now assumed considerable importance, it being the home\nof the Brother Cowhams. James M., the elder, was the Recording Steward,\nranking among the most efficient I have ever known, and John M., the\nyounger, was a leading spirit in all Church work, becoming subsequently\na Local Preacher of most excellent standing.\n\nThe Pastor of the charge was Rev. T.C. Golden, who entered the\nConference in 1850, and had been stationed at Cascade and Sheboygan\nFalls. He was a man of mark. Of a vigorous mental development and\nlogical cast, he early became an able Preacher and commanded a leading\nplace in the Conference. After leaving Omro, he was stationed in Fond du\nLac. He was then transferred to the West Wisconsin Conference, and\nstationed at La Crosse, after which he served several years as Presiding\nElder with great acceptability. At the present writing he is a Presiding\nElder in the Upper Iowa Conference. Dr. Golden, for such is his present\ntitle, has made a most gratifying record.\n\nA Quarterly Meeting held at Brother John M. Cowham's during this year,\nis remembered with great pleasure. This dear Brother had built both a\nhouse and a barn of large dimensions, and the meeting, to be held in\nthe latter, awakened general interest throughout the circuit, bringing\ntogether a multitude of people. Every house in the neighborhood was\nfilled with guests, and the balance, not less than fifty in number, were\nentertained at what was called the Cowham Mansion. But great as was the\noutpouring of the people, the manifestations of the Spirit were still\nmore extraordinary. Under the preaching of the Word, the Holy Ghost fell\non the people. The shout of redeemed souls and the cry of penitents,\n\"What shall I do to be saved?\" commingled strangely together. And yet,\nout of the apparent discord, there came the sweetest harmony. The minor\nstrains were lost in the rapturous paeans of the major movement, as each\nseeking soul received \"the new song.\" The days of the Fathers seemed to\nhave returned to the Church, when, under the Pentecostal baptism,\nbelievers fell to the floor, and multitudes were saved in a day.\n\nIt was during this year that I was called to experience a severe trial\nin the death of my dear father, which occurred on the 30th day of May,\n1855. After remaining at Waupun six years, he removed, in 1850, to\nWaupaca, where he purchased the lands comprising the site of the present\nvillage, laid out the town and erected a lumber mill. Soon after his\narrival he opened religious services, preaching the first sermon and\norganizing the first class. In due time, others came to his assistance,\nand a small Church was built. Waupaca having been taken into the regular\nwork, my father now visited the adjacent neighborhoods and established\nreligious meetings, preaching usually two or three times on the Sabbath.\nNot a few of these early appointments ultimately became the nucleus of\nindependent charges.\n\nMy father's illness was brief. In the latter part of the winter he met\nme at my Quarterly Meeting at Oshkosh, but, to the regret of the people,\nhe was unable to preach. He felt that his work was nearly done, and in\nreferring to the matter, said: \"I have no occasion to feel anxious about\nit, since, through Divine help, I have been permitted to preach, on an\naverage, about two sermons a week for thirty years.\" I visited him two\nweeks before his death, and found his mind tranquil and his Faith\nunwavering. When I enquired as to his state of mind, he said, \"It is\nlike a sunbeam of glory.\" He continued in the same satisfactory frame,\nuntil he passed over the river to join the white-robed throng in the\nHeavenly realm. The multitudes who gathered with tearful eyes around his\ngrave, gave but a fitting expression of their high appreciation of a\nnoble life.\n\nThe labors of my first term as Presiding Elder were now drawing to a\nclose. Though my labors had been arduous, yet such had been the kindness\nand co-operation of both Preachers and people, I felt an interest in\nthem. During the four years the District had nearly doubled its\nstrength, and was now ready for a division.\n\nFeeling that it was due to myself, being so young a man, and due to the\nChurch also, that I should now go back to station work, I favored at the\nConference a resolution asking the Bishop to appoint no man to a\nDistrict for a second term until there had been an intervening service\nof two years on circuits or stations. The action of the Conference\ndoubtless, sent me to a station instead of a District.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVI.\n\nConference of 1855.--The New Departure.--Mission Committee.--The Slavery\nControversy.--Triumph of Freedom.--Wisconsin Conference Rule. Conference\nReport.--Election of Delegates.--Appointed to Racine.--Detention.--The\nRemoval to the New Charge.--Stage, Dray, and Steamboat.--New Bus Line.\n\nThe Conference for 1855 was held at Racine on the 29th day of August,\nand was presided over by Bishop Janes. During the session I was\nquartered with Rev. Moses Adams, a superannuated member of the Black\nRiver Conference.\n\nThe business of the Conference was transacted with the usual dispatch,\nand there were only two items which engrossed unusual attention. These\nwere the distribution of the missionary appropriations and the election\nof delegates to the General Conference.\n\nAs to the first, a new departure was made in the organization of the\nCommittee on Missions. The Presiding Elders of the Conference had been\nhitherto appointed on this Committee. But now a few restless spirits,\nwho fancied that, as seen from their limited opportunities to judge\ncorrectly, the appropriations had not been judiciously made during the\npast few years, determined to appoint this Committee from among the\nPastors. The Elders, well knowing that the farcical proceeding would in\ntime come to naught, concluded to offer no opposition to the movement.\nThe Committee was accordingly appointed and proceeded to the discharge\nof its duties. At the first meeting, however, it was found that the\nCommittee was unable to proceed for want of information. At the next\nmeeting, to remedy this difficulty, the brethren who had occupied\nMission fields the previous year were invited to be present. This\nmeasure was found to afford only a partial relief, as these brethren\nknew nothing of the border territory that ought now to be organized into\nnew fields. The next move was to ask all the Pastors to meet the\nCommittee at the next session. To afford room to accommodate the\nCommittee and its invited guests, the audience room of the Church was\nappropriated for an entire afternoon. Here the great work of the\nCommittee was entered upon in right good earnest, with the special\nchampions of the movement as managers of the exhibition.\n\nBut now, alas! for the success of the meeting, there was too much light.\nAt once a large number of fields that had been supposed to be\nself-supporting was brought forward, and their respective\nrepresentatives were so successful in setting forth their feeble and\nhelpless condition, that many of them were entered upon the list by the\nCommittee as Missions. The question as to the number of Missions having\nbeen settled, the next thing in order was the amount of money that\nshould be given to each.\n\nFrom the information already received, the amounts were jotted down\nbriskly until the entire list had been gone over. The footings were now\nmade, and to the Committee the result was appalling. They had\nappropriated three times the amount of money at their disposal. Then\ncame the rub, which had been so often experienced by the Presiding\nElders. The Missions must be cut down in two ways. First, all that could\npossibly manage to get through the year without aid must be struck off\nthe list, and then such as remain will need to be cut down to the\nlowest possible figure. But still brave, our Committee would not see\ntheir impending defeat, and proceeded at once to the labor of\ncutting down.\n\nOne of the champions had been a surgeon in his time, and had cut human\nflesh with becoming recklessness, but now he, as well as the entire\nCommittee, struck a new experience. To strike Missions off the list, and\ncut down the appropriations to others, is comparatively an easy task in\nthe quiet and secluded confines of a committee room, but to do either in\nthe presence of the very men who expected to occupy those fields the\ncoming year, and who knew the poverty of the people, was quite another\nthing. The flood-gates of speech-making had been opened by the\nCommittee, and it was now impossible to close them. The balance of the\nafternoon was given to stormy debate, and into what disorder the meeting\nmight have drifted, if the coming evening had not made its appearance,\nit is impossible to conjecture.\n\nThe next day the Committee took another new departure, and invited the\nPresiding Elders, who had studied these matters and looked the ground\ncarefully over for a whole year, before them. The Committee were now\nable to complete their labors and make such a report as had usually been\npresented to the Conference. But the Conference became fully satisfied\nthat this experiment needed no duplicate, and, for years after, the\nmention of the \"Committee of the Whole on Missions,\" did not fail to\nexcite mirth.\n\nEarly in the session, the election of delegates to the General\nConference occurred. As I was too young to be thought of in that\nconnection, I was permitted to sit quietly and take notes. The only\nissue of any great importance in the election was the slavery question.\nAnd as this institution had already been put in issue in the general\nelections of the country, it could not well be left out on this\noccasion. So it was made the chief subject of discussion. To be a\nthorough-going anti-slavery man was the stubborn test of qualifications\nfor a delegate. And that there might be no mistake on this point, it was\ndeemed advisable to have an able committee present to the body as a\nplatform a report that should make the absolute prohibition of slavery\nits chief plank. But before I make further reference to the report it\nwill not be amiss to refer briefly to the subject of slavery in its\nrelations to the Church.\n\nAt the organization of the Church in this country, and for years\nthereafter, the testimony she gave against American Slavery was distinct\nand unequivocal. Both the Ministers and people were agreed that the\nInstitution was, as Mr. Wesley was pleased to call it, \"The sum of all\nvillanies.\" Agreeing in this, they further believed that, as a relic of\nbarbarism, it would soon pass away. Under this conviction they hardly\ndeemed it necessary to enter up any very stringent enactments against\nit, save that it might be well as a temporary arrangement to provide\nthat there should be no traffic in slaves. Under such a regulation\nmatters passed on for a term of years. But in due time it was found that\nthe tendency of events was not altogether satisfactory.\n\nAt the outset, the Church had been planted in the central portion of the\nAtlantic States, and had then grown rapidly southward, giving the\nbalance of power to the Conferences where slavery existed. At this\njuncture, also, by a remarkable change in the commercial affairs of the\ncountry, the cotton crop of the South began to find an increasing demand\nand appreciate in value, thereby giving an increased value to slave\nlabor. With this change came at once the multiplication of slaves and\nlarge returns. To own slaves and cultivate cotton now became the ruling\ninspiration of the people.\n\nAt the first the Church stoutly opposed the insetting tide, but as the\nwaves of commercial life grew strong and swept around her, the power of\nresistance grew more feeble from year to year, until finally some of her\nown people began to plead extenuation and even tolerance. The conflict\nwas now open, and the result seemed questionable. With the conscience of\nthe Southern portion of the Church asleep or dormant, the anti-slavery\nside of the issue came finally to depend upon the Church in the North\nfor statement and defence.\n\nAt this stage of the conflict the controversy became sectional, the\nSouth upholding and the North seeking to remove the evil. Thus the\ncontest raged for years, until the South, growing strong on her\nill-gotten gains, and arrogant from her success with the supple-kneed\npoliticians of the North, put the Church in the North upon the defensive\nby demanding toleration, if not actual adoption. The issue was made in\ntrying to foist upon the whole Church a slave holding Episcopacy. This\nlast act was the feather, if such it might be called, that broke the\ncamel's back.\n\nThe effort was thwarted by the North only through the timely aid of a\nfew of the Central Conferences. At this the South took offence, as is\nwell known, and seceded, carrying with them more than half a million of\nmembers and a portion of the Church property. To secure the latter, it\nis true, long and bitter litigations followed the separation. And it is\ngenerally accepted in the North that the decision which gave it to the\nSouth took its shape from the political complexion at the time of the\nSupreme Court of the United States.\n\nIt was now thought that the question of slavery was put to rest. But\nalas! for human foresight. It still remained that the General Rules,\nwhich permitted members to hold slaves, provided they did not \"buy or\nsell,\" had not been changed. And it was soon found that the awakened\nconscience of the North could not rest until the last vestige of the\nnefarious institution was swept from the Church. Agitations, therefore,\nfollowed, and each succeeding General Conference found this question to\nbe still the troubler of Israel. Nor was the question left alone to the\ncare of the General Conference. Each annual Conference was also\nagitated by it.\n\nBut it was evident to all that a serious embarrassment must be overcome\nto secure a change of the General Rules. The Constitution of the Church\nhas a provision which, to effect a change, requires a two-thirds vote in\nthe General Conference, and a three-fourths vote in all the Annual\nConferences. To obtain the requisite vote with these provisions, it will\nbe seen, can only be realized on such questions as can command great\nunanimity of sentiment. If the entire South had gone off in the\nseparation, the trouble would have been at an end, but, as we have seen,\nthe border Conferences remained with their brethren of the North, and\naided them in fighting the first battle with the slave power.\n\nBut now, when the question of a change of rule was brought forward, they\ntook the other side, and in doing so were able to furnish enough votes\nto defeat the proposed measure. And the question, which was now\nagitating the Annual Conference, was the framing of such a rule as would\nmeet the approval of the great body of the Church, and pass it along the\nline of the Conferences to secure their favorable consideration before\ntaking it to the General Conference.\n\nAt the preceding session of the Wisconsin Conference such a rule had\nbeen framed and sent on its way to the several Conferences to obtain\ntheir approval. This was called the \"Wisconsin Conference Rule,\" and\nread as follows: \"The buying, selling, or holding of a human being as a\nslave.\" This rule received very general favor among the Northern\nConferences, but was rejected of course by those lying along the border.\n\nAt the Conference now in session in Racine, as before stated, a report\nwas submitted touching this matter. And it was intended to so set forth\nthe sentiment of the Conference as to make it a test of eligibility in\nthe election. I subjoin an extract from the resolutions adopted:\n\n\"<i>Resolved,</i> That we contemplate with feelings of deep humility and\nsorrow before God, that the M. E. Church has any connection with the\nsystem of American Slavery, and that we will not cease our efforts for\nextirpation until the last ligament is severed.\"\n\n\"<i>Resolved,</i> That we record with gratitude, the favor with which the\n'New Rule,' proposed by our Conference at its last session, has met in\nso many of the Conferences in which it has been acted upon, and we\nbelieve that the principle involved in it is the standard at which the\nChurch should and will soon arrive.\"\n\n\"<i>Resolved,</i> That whether or not the next General Conference adopt it as\na substitute for our present General Rule on Slavery, we earnestly\nrequest that body to so modify the Chapter on Slavery as to prevent the\nadmission of any slaveholder into the M. E. Church, and secure the\nexclusion of all who are now members, if they will not, after due labor,\nemancipate their slaves.\"\n\nThis report was adopted with remarkable unanimity, but when the vote was\ntaken for delegates, it so happened that at least two of the men who had\nbeen most clamorous in its support, failed to secure an election. This\nresult, however, did not come from a real difference in sentiment on\nthe main question, but from a desire to send to the General Conference a\ndelegation that would not defeat the desired end by a manifestation of\nzeal without prudence. The Chairman of the Committee, however, was\nelected to lead the delegation. The Delegates were P. S. Bennett, I. M.\nLeihy, Edward Cooke, Elmore Yocum and Chauncey Hobart.\n\nDuring the session of the Conference, a meeting of the principal members\nof the Church and congregation at Racine was held, to take into\nconsideration the condition and wants of the charge. The deliberation\nhad resulted in laying before the Presiding Bishop a request for the\nappointment of the writer. The appointment was accordingly made. But a\nremoval to the charge was attended with no little difficulty.\n\nDuring the latter part of the spring term of the Lawrence University,\nthe typhoid fever appeared among the students, and in several instances\nproved fatal. To prevent the like result in other cases, the inhabitants\nopened their doors to receive sick students who could not be suitably\ncared for in the dormitories of the College. Four of these were taken by\nMrs. Miller, and, in every case, it was believed that their lives were\nonly saved through her kind intervention and care. This kindness to\nothers, however, proved disastrous to her and the family. Before her\ncharge was well off her hands, she was herself attacked by the same\nmalignant disease. Then followed weeks of suffering on her part, and not\na little interruption of my work as Presiding Elder, especially\nunfortunate in the closing part of the year. She passed down to the\nborders of the grave, and on two occasions the beating of the pulse\nseemed to cease, but in the good providence of God she was spared. Her\nreturn to health, however, was slow, and meantime her sister, now Mrs.\nGov. C. K. Davis, of Minnesota, who resided with us at the time, was\ntaken with the same disease. This latter case was also a severe one, and\nfor several weeks delayed our removal to the new charge. But as soon as\nit would do to attempt the journey, we were on our way. Unable to walk,\nI was obliged to carry the invalid from the house to the carriage, and\nfrom the carriage at Menasha to the steamboat. We reached Fond du Lac in\nthe evening and tarried for the night. The following morning we took the\nstage for Sheboygan. The roads were excellent and the coach comfortable,\nbut it was necessary to carry the invalid literally in my arms the\nentire distance. On arriving at the shore end of the pier at Sheboygan,\nthe steamboat, at the other end, gave a signal for her departure.\nHastily leaving the coach and sending the family forward with all\npossible dispatch, I chartered a common dray, the only conveyance at\nhand, placed a trunk upon it, took the invalid in my arms, seated myself\non the trunk, and bade the driver to put his horse on his best speed.\nThe race was a most creditable one, and before the boat had time to get\nunder way, we were nicely on board, to the great merriment of all\nconcerned.\n\nBut out of one trouble, we were soon into another. We had hardly reached\nthe open lake before the boat encountered a heavy sea, which brought\nsea-sickness to all of the company for the balance of the journey. But\nin this misfortune we were not alone. Rev. E. S. Grumley, the newly\nappointed Presiding Elder of the Racine District, and his family, had\nalso come on board at Sheboygan, and were now our companions in travel,\nas also in misery. Tossing amid the waves, the progress of the steamboat\nwas slow, and we did not reach Racine until after midnight. We were\nhappy to gain a landing, but we found ourselves without a conveyance to\nthe hotel. Not even the common dray was at hand. But, nothing daunted,\nwe groped amid the darkness until we came upon the buggy of the\nPresiding Elder, which fortunately had been landed from the same boat.\nThe invalid was soon placed in it, and, adopting a style of travel that\nmight have seemed unusual by daylight, in due time we were at the hotel.\n\nThe following morning we were sought out by the good people and kindly\ncared for, being assigned to quarters with my late host and his\nobliging family.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVII.\n\nRacine.--Its Early History.--Subsequent Growth.--Racine District.--Rev.\nDr. Hobart.--Kenosha.--Rev. Salmon Stebbins.--Sylvania.--The\nKelloggs.--Walworth Circuit.--Burlington and Rochester.--Lyons. Troy\nCircuit.--First Class at Troy.--Eagle.--Round Prairie.--Hart\nPrairie.--Delavan.--Elkhorn.--Pastorate at Racine.--Revival.--Church\nEnlargement.--Second Year.--Precious Memories.\n\nThe great centers from which the Church in Wisconsin has radiated were\nfew in number and were fixed upon at an early period in the development\nof the work. These centers were Green Bay, Sheboygan, Fond du Lac,\nAztalan, Racine, and Janesville. Of the first five a record has been\nmade, and, following the line of my labors, Racine should next engage my\nattention.\n\nAt this place the first settlement was made in November, 1834, by\nCaptain Gilbert Knapp, who came on horseback from Chicago. On the second\nday of January following, Stephen Campbell, Paul Kingston, and Messrs.\nNewton and Fay arrived, and, as far as I am able to ascertain, were the\nfirst Methodists who settled at Racine. At the same time William See and\nEdmund Weed came to the vicinity, the former settling at the Rapids,\nwhere he built a mill, and the latter making a claim on the lands which\nhave since become the homestead of Senator Fratt. Alanson Filer came in\nNovember, 1835, and A.G. Knight in April, 1836. In his journey to\nWisconsin, Brother Knight traveled on horseback from Wayne County, N.Y.,\nto Chicago, and on foot the balance of the way. Jonathan M. Snow and\nNathan Joy came soon after, the latter coming around the lakes in the\nfirst three-master that visited Lake Michigan. Rev. Daniel Slauson and\nWilliam Bull came in September, 1837, traveling in their own conveyance\nfrom Detroit. The list of names thus given does not make a full record\nof the early arrivals, but furnishes, as far as I am informed, such as\nconstituted, with the exception of the first named, the first Methodist\nCommunity.\n\nThe writer has been unable to ascertain where and by whom the first\nclass was formed, or who constituted the first members. But it is\nprobable that the place was included in Milwaukee Mission as early as\n1835, and that the class was formed by Rev. Mark Robinson during that\nyear, or by his successor, Rev. Wm. S. Crissey, the year following. And\nit is also probable that the gentlemen above named, who were there at\nthe time, and their families, constituted the first members, with\nBrother Paul Kingston as Leader. The meetings were held in the log\nresidence of the last named, located near the lake, at the foot of\nSeventh street.\n\nRacine Mission was formed in 1837 and Rev. Otis F. Curtis was the first\nPastor. The Mission, reaching from the Illinois State Line to Milwaukee,\nincluded appointments at Racine, Southport, Pleasant Prairie, Kellogg's\nCorners, Ives Grove, Caledonia and Root River.\n\nIn 1839 the charge took the name of Racine and Southport Mission, the\nPastor being Rev. Salmon Stebbins. In 1840 Southport was made a separate\ncharge, and the Pastor at Racine was Rev. L.F. Moulthrop. In 1841 the\nRoot River portion was set off and made a separate charge, and Racine\nwas left to be supplied. The following year the Sylvania circuit was\nformed, and Southport and Racine were again put together, with Rev.\nJames Mitchell as Pastor. In 1843 they were again separated, and the\nPastor at Racine was Rev. Milton Bourne. In 1844 the Pastor was Rev. G.\nL. S. Stuff, and in 1845, Rev. Julius Field.\n\nAs before stated, the meetings were at first held in a private house,\nbut as the congregations increased, a public building was rented near\nthe foot of Main Street. After the school house was built, the meetings\nwere removed to it, and it was at this latter place the writer attended\na service during his first Sabbath in the State. Soon after the first\nChurch was built, to which we shall have occasion to refer hereafter.\n\nRacine District was created in 1847, and Rev. Chauncey Hobart was\nappointed the first Presiding Elder. Dr. Hobart entered the Illinois\nConference in 1836, the Conference then including Illinois, Wisconsin,\nIowa and Minnesota. His appointments before coming to the District had\nbeen: Rockingham, Iowa, Monmouth, Macomb, Quincy, Rushville, Peoria,\nJacksonville, Springfield, and Clark Street, Chicago. After leaving the\nDistrict, in 1849, he was appointed Presiding Elder of Minnesota\nDistrict. At the end of his term he was stationed at Spring Street,\nMilwaukee, and next served one year as Presiding Elder on the Milwaukee\nDistrict, when, on account of the infirm health of his wife, he returned\nto Minnesota. Since his return, he has continued to labor on both\nstations and districts with great acceptability up to the present time.\n\nDr. Hobart is a man of superior abilities, and his labors have been in\nspecial demand. He has been elected five times to the General\nConference, and has been seven times appointed to Districts. As a\nPreacher he is always acceptable, but at times he delivers extraordinary\nsermons. It requires a great occasion to take the full measure of the\nman. At such times he has been known to move audiences with overwhelming\npower. Especially was this the case under the sermon he delivered at a\nCamp-Meeting held two miles west of Big Foot Prairie, in 1849. On this\noccasion the tide of feeling rose to such a height that great numbers of\nthe congregation unconsciously left their seats and stood entranced,\nwhile the saints shouted for joy, and sinners cried out in the anguish\nof their souls for mercy.\n\nHaving thus spoken of the Presiding Elder of the Racine District, it is\nfitting that we should now glance briefly at a few of the early charges.\n\nKenosha, as we have seen, was included in the Racine Mission in 1837,\nand shared the labors of Brother Curtis. The first class was formed\nduring this term probably by either the Pastor or Rev. John Clark, the\nPresiding Elder, and consisted of Rev. Reuben H. Deming, Austin Kellogg,\nHon. and Mrs. Charles Durkee, Mrs. Harvey Durkee, John W. Dana Martha E.\nDana, and Susan Dana. The Presiding Elder, Rev. Salmon Stebbins, held a\nQuarterly Meeting in Kenosha, then called Southport, November 24th,\n1837. The meeting was held in a small log school house standing near the\npresent site of the Simmons Block.\n\nDuring the following year a revival occurred, which resulted in the\nconversion of nearly the entire community. The meetings were held in a\npublic building on the North Side, but the erection of a Church\nimmediately followed. As before stated, Brother Stebbins became the\nPastor in 1839, and remained also the following year. The succeeding\nPastors up to 1845 were Rev. F.T. Mitchell, Rev. James Mitchell, Rev.\nWm. H. Sampson, Rev. C.D. Cahoon and Rev. Warner Oliver. At this\nwriting, Kenosha ranks among the leading stations of the Conference.\n\nBrother Stebbins entered the New York Conference in 1822. When the\nConference was divided he fell into the northern portion, which took the\nname of Troy. In this field he labored fourteen years, his charges\ncovering the territory from Albany to the Canada line. At the\nsolicitation of Rev. John Clark, he was transferred to the Illinois\nConference in 1837, and appointed Presiding Elder, the District\nextending from the Illinois State Line to Green Bay. In 1839 he was\nappointed to the Racine and Southport Mission, as before stated, and\nremained on the Southport part the following year. After leaving\nSouthport charge he was stationed at Platteville, Lake, Madison and St.\nCharles. Subsequently taking a location, he became a resident of\nKenosha, in the vicinity of which place he still resides.\n\nBrother Stebbins is a man of superior ability, and in his prime enjoyed\nconsiderable reputation as a Preacher. He is spending the evening of his\nlife in quiet, trustingly awaiting the change that now cannot be\nlong delayed.\n\nSylvania was settled by three Kellogg brothers and their families in the\nspring of 1837, the place being first known as Kellogg's Corners. Soon\nafter their arrival the ladies, one of whom, Mrs. Seth H. Kellogg, was\nthe daughter of Rev. Ebenezer Washburn, of New York Conference,\norganized a Sunday School. The neighborhood was connected with the\nRacine Mission, and a class was formed at an early period, with Seth H.\nKellogg as Leader, but I cannot fix the exact date. Nor am I able to\nstate at what time the first Church was completed. It was claimed,\nhowever, to have taken precedence in the State.\n\nIn the erection of the Church, which was built by Chauncey Kellogg, the\nyoung society was assisted by a donation of two hundred dollars from\nSunday Schools in New York City. Rev. Julius Field, whose wife was a\nsister of the Kelloggs, secured the aid, he having been stationed in\nthat city. The Church edifice cost six hundred dollars, and was the\nbuilding in which I preached the funeral sermon of Mother Washburn some\nsixteen years later. The veteran, Father Washburn, was also buried at\nthis place. Sylvania was made a separate charge in 1842, with Rev.\nMilton Bourne as Pastor.\n\nPassing westward, the old Walworth circuit should next claim our\nattention. It will be remembered that this charge was formed in 1839,\ntaking the south half of the old Aztalan circuit. The first Pastor was\nRev. James McKean, who was an earnest and devoted laborer in the\nvineyard. But as his fields fell on the south side of the State Line at\nthe end of his term, a record will doubtless be made of him elsewhere.\n\nIn 1840 the circuit was divided. The southeastern portion was called\nBurlington and Rochester, with Rev. David Worthington as Pastor, of whom\na record has been made in a former chapter, and the name of the old\ncharge was changed to Troy, on which Brother McKean remained as Pastor.\n\nOn the new charge there were two classes formed by Brother Worthington\nduring this year. The first was formed in Puffer's school house on\nSpring Prairie in the summer of 1840, and included in its membership,\nMr. and Mrs. John M. Cowham, Lansing Lewis, and Mrs. Lewis, his mother.\nBrother Cowham was the Leader.\n\nThe other class was organized in Lyonsdale, with Mr. and Mrs. Thomas\nLyon, Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher Lyon, Mr. and Mrs. Ansel Waite, Mr. and Mrs.\nMarshall, and Mrs. Jones. Hon. Wm. P. Lyon, of the Supreme Court,\nsubsequently became identified with the Society. Lyons, as the village\nis called, is at the present writing a charge of respectable standing,\nhaving a good Church and Parsonage. The writer had the pleasure to\ndedicate the Church during his Pastorate in Racine.\n\nAt Troy, a class had been organized by Brother McKean during the latter\npart of the former year. At this time the members were Daniel Griffin,\nSen., Daniel Griffin, Jr., Dr. and Mrs. Brooks Bowman, Mrs. McCracken,\nMr. and Mrs. John Spoor, and a Brother Jennings. Brother Spoor was a\nLocal Preacher, the Leader and the S.S. Superintendent.\n\nIn 1841, Rev. L.F. Moulthrop was appointed to Troy circuit. He remained\nthe second year and had as a colleague the excellent Rev. Henry\nWhitehead, so long and well known by the Preachers of the Northwest in\nconnection with the Chicago Book Depository. The circuit at this time\nincluded Troy, Eagle, Hart Prairie, Round Prairie, Turtle Prairie,\nDelavan and Elkhorn.\n\nAt Eagle a class was formed consisting of Rev. William Cross, Local\nPreacher, Mrs. William Cross, and her sister, now Mrs. James Parsons,\nMr. and Mrs. A. Hinkley, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas, Mr. and Mrs. Atwater, Mr.\nand Mrs. Long.\n\nAt Round Prairie a class was also formed. The members as far as\nascertained were Rev. James Flanders, Local Preacher, Mr. and Mrs.\nHoughton, Mrs. Norcross, Father Cornice, and Mr. and Mrs.\nNelson Cornice.\n\nAt Hart Prairie, the services were held in Father Worthington's log\nhouse, where a class was also organized. Father Worthington, his wife,\nand two sons, Elijah and Theodore, and Mrs. Lewis, were the\nfirst members.\n\nAt Delavan the meetings were held alternately in Mr. Bradway's log\nhouse in the village, and at the residence of Mr. Phoenix, on the\nprairie. The class at this place was small, and I am unable to insert in\nthe record more than the names of Mr. and Mrs. Bradway. Delavan has\nsince grown to the position of an influential charge, with an attractive\nChurch and enterprising membership.\n\nElkhorn at this early day had no class, but, as the County Seat, the\nvillage commanded an appointment. For several years the cause moved\nslowly, but finally won its way to a position. At the present writing,\nthe charge holds a respectable rank in the Conference.\n\nHaving thus briefly examined the early history of Racine and the other\ncharges that constituted her immediate surroundings, it is now proper\nthat we should return to the record of the writer's Pastorate.\n\nFinding that there was no Parsonage, I proceeded to rent a respectable\nhouse in a pleasant part of the city, paying for the same an additional\none hundred dollars out of my salary. Having settled my family, I\nadopted my usual method of devoting my mornings to my study, and\nafternoons to pastoral visiting. I soon passed over the entire\nmembership of the station, making it a special point to secure, as far\nas possible, a faithful attendance upon the means of grace. The effort\nwas successful beyond my expectations.\n\nThe congregation soon filled the Church. And as the interest continued\nto increase, the aisles and doors were thronged, while large numbers\nwere utterly unable to obtain admission. With this manifestation of\ninterest, it was deemed advisable to enter upon a protracted meeting\nwithout delay. We did so, and I preached every night for two weeks. But\nthe result was not satisfactory. We found the spiritual condition was\nnot on a plane with the demands of the work. The vast throng of people\nhad brought upon us a tide of worldly influence that we were unable to\nwithstand. Additional moral force was necessary, and, to secure it, we\ndeemed it better to go into the lecture-room and rely upon the social\nmeetings to develop the requisite spiritual power. With this change\nthere came to the membership the spirit of consecration and a remarkable\nbaptism of the Holy Ghost. Before the end of two weeks we were compelled\nto return to the audience room. The place was again thronged with\npeople, but the good work went forward. I continued to preach nightly\nfor four weeks. One hundred persons were converted and added to\nthe Church.\n\nWith this large increase of members and a corresponding increase of\nattendants, it was necessary to enlarge the Church edifice for their\naccommodation. Accordingly the work was undertaken. The rear end of the\nbuilding was opened, and the edifice was lengthened so as to accommodate\nnearly one-third more people. In doing this, it was thought advisable to\nstill increase the length by adding twelve feet more for an orchestra,\nthereby providing for the removal of the organ from the gallery to the\nrear of the pulpit.\n\nThe enlargement, besides furnishing the necessary accommodations for the\npeople, laid a broader financial basis to the charge, by bringing into\nthe congregation a number of families who were able to take the new\nseats at a good rental. The year passed very satisfactorily.\n\nThe Conference of 1856 was held September 17th, at Appleton, Bishop\nSimpson presiding. As expected, we were returned to Racine. We retained\nthe same house, and found our social relations with the people of\nRacine exceedingly pleasant. With not a few families a life-long\nfriendship was established, and to the present hour the mention of\nRacine revives many pleasant recollections. Judge Lyon, who came into\nthe Church this year, and his good lady, and Messrs. Knight, Yout,\nAdams, Langlois, Jones, Lunn, Slauson, Bull, Lees, Conroe, Kidder, Orr,\nJillson, Brewer, Lawrence, with their families, and many others, will\nnever be forgotten.\n\nThe labors of the year would afford many pleasing incidents were they\npermitted to appear in these pages, but their recital would unreasonably\nswell the volume.\n\nThe usual protracted meeting was held, continuing five weeks. The work\nwas very satisfactory, strengthening the converts of the previous year,\nand swelling the list of accessions. The revival was especially fruitful\nin the Sunday School, leading many of the young people to Christ. But\nthe labors of the year, as usual, came to a close when we were in the\nmidst of our work, and we were compelled to sunder old associations and\nform new ones in other fields.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVIII.\n\nConference of 1857.--Janesville.--Early History.--First Sermon.--The\nCollection.--First Class.--First Church.--First Donation.--Rev. C.C.\nMason.--Missionary Anniversary.--Rev. A. Hamilton.--Rev. D.O.\nJones.--The Writer's Pastorate.--The Great Revival.--The Recipe.--Old\nUnion Circuit.--First Class.--Evansville.--Rev. Henry Summers.--New\nChurch. Conference of 1858.--Beloit.--Early Pastorates.--Church\nEnterprise.--Second Year at Janesville.\n\nThe Conference for 1857 was held June 26th, at Spring Street, Milwaukee,\nBishop Ames presiding. At this Conference I was stationed at Janesville.\n\nJanesville, holding a central position in the southern portion of the\nState, was the initial point of settlement at an early period, and in\nafter years, became the focal as well as the radiation center of Church\noperations.\n\nOn the 15th day of November, 1835, a company consisting of six men\nstarted from Milwaukee with an ox-team and wagon, the latter containing\nprovisions, tools, etc., for the Rock River Valley. On the 18th they\narrived where Janesville now stands, and immediately proceeded to build\na log cabin opposite of what is called the \"Big Rock.\" This was the\nfirst settlement in Rock River Valley. Two of their number, however, had\nexplored the southern portion of the Territory in the preceding July. At\nthat time there were but two white families in Milwaukee, and only one\nbetween that place and Janesville, that of Mr. McMillen, who lived at\nwhat is now called Waukesha.\n\nOn the 23d of April, 1837, the first United States Mail entered\nJanesville. It contained one letter, and this was for the Postmaster,\nHenry F. Janes. The mail was brought by a man on horseback, whose mail\nroute extended from Mineral Point to Racine. The post-office at\nJanesville for several months consisted of a cigar box, which was\nfastened to a log in the bar-room. Small as it was, it was found to be\namply sufficient to contain all the letters then received by the\ncitizens of Rock County.\n\nThe first sermon preached in Janesville was delivered by Rev. Jesse\nHalstead in September, 1837. Brother Halstead, then on Aztalan circuit,\non coming to this place found a small log house, which enjoyed the\nappellation of a tavern. He accepted entertainment in common with other\ntravelers, but, it being soon known that he was a Minister, he was\ninvited to preach. He consented, and the services were held in the\nbar-room. The liquors were put out of sight, and the Minister made the\nbar his pulpit. The audience consisted of a dozen persons.\n\nThe next religious services of which I can obtain information, were held\nin the summer of 1838. They were held in an oak grove on one of the\nbluffs east of the village. I am not able to find any one who can\nfurnish me the name of the Preacher, but am assured that he was a\nMethodist, and that he did not neglect that special feature of a\nMethodist service, the collection. This last part of the exercises, I am\nassured, made a vivid impression on the mind of the party to whom I am\nindebted for this item of history. And it came in this wise: When the\nhat was passed he threw in a bill, an act so generous that it could not\nfail to call attention to the contributor. The next day he received a\ncall from the Minister, who desired him to replace the \"wild-cat\" bill\nby one of more respectable currency, as those kind of bills were\nbeginning to be refused throughout the Territory.\n\nIn 1839 Rev. James F. Flanders made an occasional visit to Janesville\nand preached to the people. His first sermon was delivered in the\nbar-room of the public house, which stood on the present site of the\nMyers House. Subsequently he preached in an unoccupied log house\nopposite where Lappin's Block now stands. The services were next held in\nschool houses, some log and others frame, until the erection of the\nCourt House in 1842. Thereafter the court room was occupied and used\nalternately by the different religious denominations.\n\nThe Rev. James McKean was the first Minister who preached regularly in\nJanesville. The place was taken into the Troy circuit in 1840, and\nBrother McKean visited it once in four weeks. This year Rev. Julius\nField held the first Quarterly Meeting in Janesville.\n\nIn the spring of 1841, Brother McKean formed a class and appointed J.P.\nWheeler Leader, but during the following winter the members all left\nthe place.\n\nJanesville appears first in the Minutes as the head of a charge in 1841,\nwith Rev. Alpha Warren as Pastor. At this time it was connected with\nPlatteville District, and the Presiding Elder was Rev. H.W. Reed.\nBrother Warren was succeeded by Rev. Boyd Phelps, who organized a class\nin the spring of 1843, consisting of nine or ten members, with John Wynn\nas Leader.\n\nRev. Lyman Catlin, who came in 1844, was the first resident Pastor. He\nwas formerly a Professor in Mt. Morris Seminary. During the winter his\nwife, who was a lady of fine culture, taught a select school in the\nvillage. Brother Catlin preached in Janesville on the morning of each\nSabbath, and in the afternoon alternated between Union and Johnstown.\n\nThe following year, Rev. T.W. Perkins was appointed to the charge, but\nin consequence of ill health, he was soon obliged to resign. His place\nwas supplied by Rev. Stephen Adams, of Beloit. In 1846 Rev. John Luccock\nwas the Pastor, and was followed the next year by Rev. Wesley Lattin,\nwho remained two years. Brother Lattin was very popular with all\nclasses, and his labors were blessed with an extensive revival. During\nhis Pastorate the Society erected a small frame church, 35 by 25 feet in\nsize. It was opened for worship in the fall of 1848. The location was on\nthe opposite side of Centre Street, and a little west of the present\nedifice. A Parsonage was also erected the same year. Both of them,\nhowever, were sold when the grounds were purchased for the new Church.\nIt was during the Pastorate of Brother Lattin that the first donation\nparty ever held in Janesville, was given. The company assembled at the\nresidence of Mr. and Mrs. John Wynn, where Brother Lattin boarded. The\nladies furnished the table with all the luxuries the village afforded,\nand the affair was considered a grand success.\n\nBrother Lattin was followed successively by Revs. J.M. Snow, O.F.\nComfort, and Daniel Stansbury. During the winter of 1852 Brother\nStansbury held a series of meetings, assisted by Rev. C.C. Mason, which\nresulted in a considerable addition to the membership of the Church.\n\nFinding that the little Church was now becoming too small to accommodate\nthem, the Society decided to build a more commodious house of worship.\nIt was commenced in the spring following, and was located on the corner\nof Jackson and Centre Streets. This is the edifice now occupied by the\nfirst charge, is built of brick, and is 75 by 45 feet in size. The\nbuilding was not fully completed until during the Pastorate of Rev.\nHenry Requa, in 1855, but it was so far advanced that it was dedicated\nin July, 1853, by the pioneer veteran, Rev. John Clark, of the Rock\nRiver Conference.\n\nThe severe labors of Brother Stansbury overtaxed his strength, and he\nwas compelled to seek rest. Brother Mason was employed to fill out the\nbalance of the year. Brother Mason was a Local Preacher from England,\nhad lost one limb, and though somewhat eccentric, he held a high rank as\na pulpit orator. He was often not a little surprised with the queer ways\nof this country. I remember to have met him at the Janesville Conference\nseveral years later. He was put up to preach, as usual on all great\noccasions, and delivered a grand sermon. The following evening the\nMissionary Anniversary came, and at the close of the speeches, the\nmeeting proceeded to constitute Life Memberships. This was a new role to\nthe old gentleman, but, soon comprehending the movement, he launched\ninto it with all his soul. The good Bishop was made a Life Member, then\nhis wife, then the Missionary Secretary, and so on in a spirited manner.\nAs each proposition was made, the good brother planked his dollar,\nlittle dreaming of the length of the road upon which he had entered. But\nas the memberships were multiplied, his purse fell under the law of\nsubtraction, until it contained but one dollar more. Just at this moment\nsome zealous brother proposed to be one of ten to make the Presiding\nElder of the Janesville District a Life Member of the Conference\nMissionary Society. It was no time for parley about that remaining\ndollar, for the Janesville District must not be outdone by the other\nDistricts in gallantry, so down went the last dollar. But it had hardly\nreached the table before the giver was hunting for his crutches. Such\nwas the generous nature of the man, however, that he would have stood\nhis ground to the coming of the morning if he had been advised in\nadvance of the character of the Anniversary exercises.\n\nIn 1853 Rev. J.W. Wood was stationed at Janesville, and Rev. Henry Requa\nin 1854 and 1855. Brother Requa was very popular, drew large audiences,\nand realized an accession of fifty members. At the Conference of 1855 a\nnew charge was formed on the east side of the river, and Rev. C.C.\nMason, who had been received on trial, was appointed as its\nfirst Pastor.\n\nIn 1856, Rev. A. Hamilton was appointed to Janesville, and Rev. D.O.\nJones to East Janesville. Brother Hamilton came to the Conference this\nyear by transfer from the Oneida Conference, where he had done effective\nwork for several years. At the close of the year in Janesville he was\nmade Presiding Elder of Watertown District, where he remained two years.\nIn 1859, by a reconstruction of the Districts, he was assigned to Beaver\nDam District, where he remained the other two years of his term. For a\nnumber of years thereafter he served on circuits and stations. His\nhealth now failed and he took a superannuated relation. Brother Hamilton\nwas a good and true man, of a metaphysical turn of thought, well versed\nin theology, and an instructive Preacher.\n\nBrother Jones entered the Conference in 1851, and had been stationed at\nElk Grove, Richland City, Muscoday, and Green Bay. Since he left\nJanesville, he has taken a respectable class of appointments, filling\nthem creditably to himself and acceptably to the people. He is genial in\nspirit and warm in his attachments. He is still in the enjoyment of\ngood health, and promises years of efficient service.\n\nThis brief record brings us to the date of my appointment. At the recent\nsession of the Conference, the charge on the east side of the river was\nleft to be supplied, and as it had, up to this time, developed but\nlittle strength, twenty-six members only, it was deemed best to let it\ngo back to the old charge.\n\nI found the Church edifice in good condition, but without class or\nprayer-rooms. The external appearance was decidedly respectable, and the\naccommodations within, both in respect to size and furnishing, equal or\nsuperior to any other Church in the village.\n\nThe Parsonage, a small and inferior building, had been recently sold to\nliquidate in part the indebtedness remaining on the Church, and this\ninvolved the necessity of renting a house for my family.\n\nAfter becoming settled in our new home, the first special work was to\ncomplete the payment of the Church debt. This was soon arranged, and I\nwas at liberty to direct my attention more particularly to the spiritual\ninterests of the charge. My first labor in this direction, as in all my\nformer charges, was to look well after the people at their homes, and\nthe second, to see that the social means of grace were well arranged and\nproperly sustained. And I soon found in Janesville, as I have always\nfound, that they are the key to successful labor. It is possible by\ncorresponding adjustment of pulpit labor to excite the attention of the\ncommunity, and thereby secure large congregations, but such a result is\nnot a certain index of true success. In the forum, as on the platform,\nit may be otherwise, but in the building up of Christ's kingdom, there\nmust be a spiritual basis; for his kingdom is a spiritual kingdom. In\nthese days of special clamor for superior pulpit attractions to draw\nthe crowd, there is a strong temptation to court popular favor by\nadjusting both the themes and style of address to the pulpit in such a\nway as to withold from the people the only spiritual food that can give\nlife to a dead soul. Such a Ministry in the eyes of the world may be\ndeemed a great success, but to such as judge not after the outward\nappearance, it is known to be a dead failure. While it utterly fails to\nbring souls to Christ, it is also disastrous to the Church itself. The\nmighty adhesive forces, which bind the hearts of Christians to each\nother, can only subsist on the marrow of Gospel truth, and if this is\nwanting, dissension will soon appear, and the Church suffer\ndisintegration. Holding these views, strengthened as they had been by my\nformer experience and observation, I resolved, at whatever cost of\nreputation, to adhere to them in Janesville.\n\nThe result proved their wisdom. With the revival of the prayer and class\nmeetings, and the utterance of plain Evangelical truth from the pulpit,\ncame a speedy manifestation of spiritual interest and growth. And so\nmarked had this indication of the presence of the Spirit become, that I\nfelt justified in opening a protracted meeting with the watch-night\nservices. The meeting grew in interest from night to night, and in a\nshort time the Altar was filled with penitents. Thus opened a meeting\nthat continued four months, resulting gloriously to the charge. Nearly\nthree hundred persons professed to be converted, and near two hundred of\nthem were received on probation.\n\nDuring the meeting I preached nearly every night, and sometimes in the\nafternoons. But I was greatly assisted in the meeting by Revs. J.B.\nCooper and I.S. Eldridge, of whom mention will be made in another\nchapter. Rev. A.B. Bishop, now a valuable member of Minnesota\nConference, was also, though young, a good laborer in the meeting. Among\nthe laymen who rendered special service was Brother J.L. Kimball, who,\nwith his daughter Emily, had been for years the principal reliance in\nthe singing, both in the choir and social meetings. Referring to this\ngood brother brings up an incident of the meeting. Brother K. had long\nbeen recognized as the financial man and the singer of the Church, but\ncould never take a part in the social services with any comfort to\nhimself. In one of the meetings I suggested that in these matters as in\nothers, practice would relieve the case. He concluded to try it, and for\ntwo weeks spoke a few words as opportunity offered. But he finally told\nthe congregation that my recipe would not work. Others might be able to\ntalk their way to Heaven, but he was satisfied that, as for himself, he\nwould have to pay his way, if he ever got there. The pleasant remark\nseemed more in keeping, when it was remembered that he was always a\ngenerous contributor to every good cause.\n\nWhile many of the converts were from among the young people, not a few\nwere persons of mature years, and some of them in affluent\ncircumstances. The large increase of members rendered it necessary to\nreconstruct the classes, but the want of class rooms retarded this\nbranch of our work. Several of the classes were assigned to meet during\nthe week at private houses, and four of them met in the audience room at\nthe close of the morning service. By placing a class in each corner,\nwith the understanding that when one of them commenced to sing, all the\nothers should join, the plan worked very well. After the singing each\nclass took up the thread where it had been dropped, and proceeded with\nthe service. Usually the Pastor sat in the Altar to give the responses\nto the exercises of each as they seemed to require them. Sometimes not a\nlittle confusion occurred, but it was taken in good feeling by all, and\nthe meetings were profitable.\n\nWe also organized meetings outside of the village. School houses and\nprivate dwellings were used for this purpose, and these meetings not\nonly accommodated the people of the several neighborhoods adjacent to\nthe village, but gave the needed religious employment to the Local\nPreachers and other members of the Church. The meetings were held in the\nafternoons of the Sabbath, and sometimes, to hold the plan in\ncountenance, the Pastor himself would go out and deliver a sermon. At\nfirst it was feared by some of the good brethren that these side\nmeetings would detract from the regular services of the Church, but the\nresult proved that, on the contrary, they gave an increase of both\ninterest and attendance. For the people, thus edified and interested,\ncame into the village and thronged the Church.\n\nBut the year was now drawing to a close. By request of the preceding\nConference, the Conference session had been changed to spring. The year\nhad been one of severe labor, but its compensations were abundant. I was\nable to report a membership, including probationers, of three hundred\nand six. Two events in my own family clothed the year with special\ninterest. The one, the conversion of our eldest daughter, then nine\nyears old, and her reception into the church, the other, the birth of\nour son. They were both occasions of devout thanksgiving to God.\n\nDuring this year I made a visit to Evansville, a charge that seems to\nhold a central position in the Conference west of Janesville. The first\nsettlement was made in this vicinity in the fall of 1839, when six\nfamilies came into what was then called the town of Union. These early\nsettlers were Rev. Boyd Phelps, Rev. Stephen Jones, Erastus Quivey,\nSamuel Lewis, Charles McMillin, and John Rhineheart. During the winter\nand spring religious meetings were established in private houses, Rev.\nBoyd Phelps preaching the first sermon. In the following spring and\nsummer, the settlement was enlarged by the arrival of Ira Jones, Jacob\nWest, John T. Baker, Rev. John Griffith, Hiram Griffith, David Johnson,\nJohn Sale and their families. The heads of all these families being\nmembers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, they applied to Rev. Samuel\nPillsbury, in charge of the Monroe circuit, for recognition. He visited\nthem, established an appointment and formed them into a class in August,\n1840. The class was organized at the residence of Hiram Griffith,\nlocated about one mile northwest of the present site of Evansville. At\nthe first organization the members were: Jacob West, Leader, Margaret\nWest, Boyd Phelps, Local Preacher, Clarissa Phelps, Stephen Jones, Local\nPreacher, Isabel Jones, John Griffith, Local Preacher, Belinda Griffith,\nJohn T. Baker, Jemima Baker, Ira Jones, Sarah J. Jones, John Rhineheart,\nDeborah Rhineheart, Alma Jones, Samuel Lewis, Sarah Lewis, Charles\nMcMillan, Miriam McMillan, Jane Brown, Erastus Quivey, Sally Quivey,\nHiram Griffith, Sally Griffith, David Johnson and Kizziah Johnson. Soon\nafter John Sale and Jane Sale also became members.\n\nOf this number, at least two became Itinerant Preachers. The first, Rev.\nBoyd Phelps, filled several appointments in the Conference, and was\nPresiding Elder of Beaver Dam District. He then removed to Minnesota,\nwhere he has also rendered effective service. The second, Rev. Stephen\nJones, was my predecessor at Watertown, but only continued a few years,\nwhen he entered secular pursuits. At one time he was a member of the\nState Legislature.\n\nRev. James Ash was sent to the Monroe Circuit in 1840, and his work\nembraced Union. He remained two years, and was very successful in his\nwork. The first Quarterly Meeting was held in the house of Brother Jacob\nWest, by Rev. H.W. Reed, in the fall of 1840. In 1842 Union was attached\nto the Madison circuit, and the Pastor was Rev. S.P. Keyes. During this\nyear a log school house was erected on the present site of Evansville,\nfor the double purpose of school and religious meetings. This building\nwas used for public worship until the summer of 1847. From 1843 to 1845\nUnion was connected with the Janesville circuit. In 1845 the Union\ncircuit was formed, with Rev. Asa Wood as Pastor. It was assigned to the\nPlatteville District, with Rev. Henry Summers as Presiding Elder.\n\nBrother Summers was a veteran representative of the Methodist Preacher\nof the olden time. He entered the work when Illinois was yet in her\nmaidenhood, and from the first was a recognized power in the land.\nGenial in spirit, full of anecdote, abundant in labors, an able\nPreacher, a faithful administrator, and a devoted servant of the Master,\nhe enjoyed the esteem of all. But I need not enlarge, as doubtless a\nrecord will be made of his labors in Illinois, where his fields of labor\nwere principally located.\n\nUnder the labors of Brother Wood, a frame church, 45 by 30 feet in size,\nwas erected, the location being in the block now occupied by J. R. Finch\nas a store in the village of Evansville. The building was dedicated by\nBrother Summers in June, 1847. But it will be necessary to omit further\ndetails of these early years.\n\nOld Union, the mother of charges west of Janesville, has been well\nrepresented in the Itinerant ranks. In addition to Brothers Phelps and\nJones, to whom reference has been made, she has sent into the field\nRevs. James Lawson, J.H. Hazeltine, George Fellows, and A.A. Hoskins.\n\nIn 1855, Evansville Station was created, with Rev. E.P. Beecher as\nPastor. The Janesville District was also established this year, with\nRev. J.W. Wood as Presiding Elder.\n\nUnder the Pastorate of Rev. George W. De Lamatyr, which begin in 1864,\nthe new Church was erected, costing some six thousand dollars. It was\ndedicated by Rev. Dr. Fallows in the fall of 1867. At the present\nwriting Evansville is recognized as a charge of excellent standing.\n\nThe Conference of 1858 was held May 12th at Beloit, Bishop Morris\npresiding. At this Conference the writer was elected Secretary, and\nRevs. S. W. Ford and George Fellows Assistants. The session was brief\nand harmonious.\n\nBeloit is located on the line between the States of Illinois and\nWisconsin, and was at first connected with Roscoe Circuit, a charge\nlying on the Illinois side. The class was probably informally organized\nby Brother Thomas McElhenny, the first Leader, in 1839. The following\nyear Rev. Milton Bourne, Pastor of Roscoe Circuit, established an\nappointment and recognized the infant Society. The members, besides\nBrother McElhenny, were Tyler Blodgett, Mrs. M.M. Moore and Sister\nLusena Cheney. The Pastors of Roscoe Circuit, during its supervision of\nBeloit, in addition to Brother Bourne, were Revs. James McKean, O.W.\nMunger, John Hodges, Alpha Warren, and Zadoc Hall.\n\nBeloit was made a separate charge in 1846, with Rev. Joseph T. Lewis as\nPastor, to whom reference has been made in a former chapter. During this\nyear the Society entered upon a Church enterprise. The lot was purchased\nby Rev. Stephen Adams and Brother Thomas McElhenny. The Society was\nfeeble, and the erection of the building, a substantial stone structure,\nrequired a great effort and many sacrifices. To purchase the lime, three\nhundred and fifty bushels, Brother Adams sold his only cow. Little can\nthose who come after realize the sacrifices the early pioneers were\ncalled to make to render the later years happy and prosperous.\n\nThe Church thus begun under the Pastorate of Brother Lewis was not fully\ncompleted until 1849, when it was dedicated by Bishop Janes. The death\nof Brother Lewis in the midst of his second year, was a severe loss to\nthe charge. But the good brethren were not discouraged, and pushed\nforward the work.\n\nBeloit has been highly favored in her Pastors, among whom may be found\nsuch men as A.P. Allen, I.M. Leihy, J.M. Walker, P.S. Bennett, S.W.\nFord, J.W. Wood, John Nolan, R.M. Beach, C. Scammon, W. Lattin, P.B.\nPease, C.D. Pillsbury, W.P. Stowe, L.L. Knox, W.W. Case, C.R. Pattee,\nA.C. Higgins, and G.S. Hubbs.\n\nAt the close of the Conference we returned to Janesville for a second\nyear. There still being no Parsonage I purchased a residence, thereby\nsecuring a pleasant home. The plan of supplying outside appointments was\ncontinued during the summer, and in some instances Sunday Schools were\nalso opened. The religious interest continued, and the Church was filled\nwith people. At the expiration of their probation one hundred of the\nconverts were received into full membership, and, in the following fall\nand winter, many others. During the winter a revival again visited the\ncharge, which greatly strengthened the converts of the previous year,\nand added to their number. The two years spent in Janesville to us were\nexceedingly pleasant, and gave us a goodly number of life-long friends.\nThe Sunday School had become very prosperous, the charge was now out of\ndebt, and the finances self-supporting. And more than all, we left a\nunited and happy people.\n\nJanesville has since enjoyed her full share of able and successful\nPastors. Several years ago, she divided into two bands, and has now two\ngood Churches, two good congregations, and two able Ministers.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIX.\n\nConference of 1859.--Presiding Elder.--Milwaukee\nDistrict.--Residence.--District Parsonage.-Visits to Charges.--Spring\nStreet.--Asbury.--Rev. A.C. Manwell.--Brookfield.--West\nGranville.--Wauwatosa.--Rev. J.P. Roe.--Waukesha.--Rev. Wesley\nLattin,--Oconomowoc.--Rev. A.C. Pennock.--Rev. Job B. Mills.--Hart\nPrairie.--Rev. Delos Hale.--Watertown. Rev. David Brooks.--Rev. A.C.\nHuntley.--Brookfield Camp-Meeting.\n\nThe next Conference session was held April 20th, 1859, at Sheboygan\nFalls. The excellent Bishop Baker presided, and I was again elected\nSecretary. It was at this Conference the trial of Rev. J. W. Wood was\nhad. He had been the Presiding Elder of the Janesville District, but,\nhaving obtained a divorce from his wife on the ground of desertion,\ninstead of the one cause named in the New Testament, and married\nanother, he had been suspended during the year. The trial resulted in\nhis expulsion. The case was carried to the next General Conference on\nAppeal, and that body sustained the action taken by the Conference.\n\nThe disability thus hanging over the Presiding Elder of the Janesville\nDistrict, rendered it necessary that some one should be appointed to\nrepresent the District in the Cabinet. The Bishop appointed me to this\nduty, thus imposing severe labor for the session. Since I was appointed\nto represent the District at the Conference, it was generally supposed\nthat I would be continued the following year, my term having expired at\nJanesville. But on the contrary, I was assigned to the Milwaukee\nDistrict.\n\nThis arrangement made Waukesha my place of residence, as the Milwaukee\nDistrict had erected at this village a District Parsonage. The\ninevitable concomitant of the Itinerancy, the moving season, passed in\nthe ordinary course of events, and left us comfortably located in\nour new home.\n\nThe District at this time included nineteen charges. The larger portion\nof them could be reached by railroad, but a sufficient number lay off\nthe line of public conveyance to render it advisable to keep a horse and\nbuggy, and hence they were obtained.\n\nSoon after reaching my new field of labor, my attention was called to\nthe financial condition of the District Parsonage. I found that a small\ndebt had come down from the erection of the building, which had been\nincreased from year to year by accruing interest and repairs, until at\nthis time the entire indebtedness amounted to nine hundred and\nthirty-one dollars. Meantime there had been, during the preceding year\nof financial pressure, such a depreciation of property in the village,\nthat the building was now worth but little more, if any, than the amount\nof indebtedness.\n\nIn looking the matter over, I saw at a glance that it would be much\neasier to build a new house in a desirable location than to pay an old\ndebt of this magnitude. But there were other interests to be considered.\nThe money for the erection of this Parsonage had been given in good\nfaith by the people, and if it were now permitted to pass out of the\nhands of the Trustees, there would be a shock to the confidence they had\nreposed in the administration of the Church. And in the next place, this\nmoney had been borrowed of innocent parties, and it was but right that\nit should be returned.\n\nWith these views, I undertook to save the property, but I am free to\nsay it was the most thankless financial task I had ever undertaken. I\ngave the first one hundred and fifty dollars, and then divided the\nbalance among the charges of the District. In passing around to my\nQuarterly Meetings, the amounts in most cases were pledged, and the\nlarger portion finally paid. Yet the collections were not fully\ncompleted before the end of my term.\n\nMilwaukee at this time still retained its three charges, and they were\nnow in charge respectively of Rev. J. M. Walker, Rev. E. Cooke, D.D.,\nand Rev. A.C. Manwell. As stated in a former chapter, Brother Walker had\nserved his full term on the Beaver Dam District, where he had been very\npopular. He entered upon his field with great spirit, but found himself\ngreatly embarrassed by the unhappy financial condition of the charge.\nBesides the indebtedness remaining on the Church, there remained\nconsiderable arrears on the salaries of preceding Pastorates.\n\nThis paying a Pastor at the end of his term in notes, that shall come\nback to haunt his successor, is not in keeping with the financial genius\nof the Church. I once had some sad experience in that line, and since it\nwas not in Milwaukee, I will take occasion to refer to it in this\nconnection. It was at a time when the slip rents were not large,\naveraging only about two hundred dollars a quarter. In the case referred\nto, the two hundred dollars of the first quarter of my year, had been\nabsorbed to meet the claims of the outgoing Pastor. And then, as he was\nstill behind two hundred dollars, a note was given him for the balance.\nBy this arrangement, the first half year of my term had been\nanticipated, and had not the people, finding out the state of the case,\ncome to my aid with a good donation, I must have been greatly\nembarrassed.\n\nNor does such mismanagement affect the one man alone. The system\nentails disaster upon the successive Pastors of the charge. Each man\nfeels that his predecessor has done him a great wrong, when the case may\nbe, the wrong was done by one man several years before, and afterwards\nhis successors have only been carrying it over from year to year. But,\nhowever long it may be carried, it still remains as the plague of both\nthe Pastors and the Church.\n\nBut in the person of Brother Walker, the system was squelched. Though at\nthe end of his term, owing largely to this irregularity, he was largely\ndeficient in his claim, he balanced the year.\n\nBrother Manwell, the Pastor of Asbury, entered the North Indiana\nConference in 1853, was transferred to the Wisconsin Conference in 1857,\nand had served Green Bay two years, before coming to this charge. The\nChurch accommodations were limited, but he made two good years at\nAsbury, and was able at their close to report considerable progress.\nAfter leaving the city, Brother Manwell served a good class of\nappointments, and among them Racine, Janesville, Whitewater and Ripon,\nuntil 1873, when he was transferred to Upper Iowa Conference. He was a\nman of kind spirit, pleasant address, and specially successful in\nleading the social meetings in his charges.\n\nReference is made to Dr. Cooke in a former chapter, and I need only say\nin this connection that under his Pastorate Summerfield had a\nprosperous year.\n\nAt Wauwatosa, I found Rev. N.J. Aplin, of whom mention is made in a\nformer chapter. His assistant was Rev. Edward Bassett, a promising young\nman, who had been converted in the revival at Janesville. The two men\nworked admirably together, and the year was one of great prosperity to\nthe Circuit. The Circuit was in a flame of revival. And during the year,\nthe beautiful brick Church at West Granville was erected.\n\nThe Brookfield class, it will be remembered, was formed by Brother Frink\nin 1840. The members were: Robert Curren, Leader, Sarah Curren, T.M.\nRiddle, Adeline Riddle, Gideon Wales, Polly Wales, Mark Johnson, Ann\nButterfield, Margaret Underwood, Charles Curran, Frank Morgan, Mrs.\nFrank Morgan, and Mrs. Fellows. To these were soon added, Mr. and Mrs.\nCarlton, Mr. and Mrs. Raymond. This Society had already erected a\ncomfortable frame Church, and the neighborhood had become famous as the\nlocality in which the Milwaukee District Camp-Meetings were held.\n\nWest Granville Church was located in the neighborhood that was known in\nthe early times by the name of Menomonee. And it will be recollected\nthat Brother Frink organized a class at this point also in 1840. The\nmembers of the class were: William Coates, Leader, Sarah Coates, T.J.\nRice, Cynthia Rice, Edward Earl, Hannah Earl, Lyman Wheeler, Bigelow\nCase, Alvira Case, Mrs. Martin M. Curtis, Nathan Wheeler, Jr., William\nHudson, Susan Hudson. At the first the class at Menomonee included all\nthe members in that region, but as the country became settled other\nclasses were organized, and among them those at the Haylett, Nelson and\nCoates neighborhoods. Subsequently these classes concentrated at\nMenomonee Falls and erected a Church. A new Church has since been built,\nand at this writing the village constitutes a respectable charge.\n\nAt Wauwatosa there was no Church, and Brother Aplin held his meetings in\na school house. But in 1869 a fine brick edifice was erected under the\nPastorate of Rev. John P. Roe.\n\nBrother Roe resided, at the time of my appointment to the Milwaukee\nDistrict, on the New Berlin Circuit. During the war he went to the army\nand served as Chaplain with great acceptability. On his return he\nrendered effective service as a Local Preacher until 1869, when he\nentered the Conference and was appointed to Wauwatosa. At the end of two\nyears he was elected Agent of the Lawrence University, and continued two\nyears, performing prodigies of labor, and achieving a grand success in\nraising an Endowment Fund. But his health finally failed, and he was\ncompelled to retire from the work. At this writing, he is traveling\nin Europe.\n\nAt Waukesha, the Pastor was Rev, Wesley Lattin, who had been returned\nfor a second year. This noble and true man was received into the\nConference, as before stated, in the same class with the writer. His\nfirst appointment was Sycamore, Ill., with Rev. Stephen R. Beggs as\nPreacher in charge.\n\nBrother Lattin had been stationed in Waukesha in 1852, and had now\nreturned in 1858 and 1859. The year was a prosperous one. A good revival\ncrowned his labors, and all the interests of the Church were kept in a\nhealthy condition. In the department of Pastoral labor Brother Lattin\nwas not inferior to any man in the Conference. Filled with the spirit of\ncharity himself, he was always able to diffuse the same kindly feeling\namong the people. Nor is it too much to say, he was universally beloved.\nOf an easy and graceful delivery, and plain, practical thought, his\nMinistry was always agreeable and useful.\n\nAfter leaving Waukesha, he was stationed successively at Beloit, Fond du\nLac, Waupun, Ripon, Appleton, and then returned again to Waukesha. But\nhere his health failed and he retired from the work for two years, but\nhaving removed to Kansas where his health rallied again, he was\ntransferred to the Kansas Conference in 1872. Since going to Kansas, our\ndear brother has had the misfortune to lose his wife and son. They were\ntraveling to a neighboring town with a horse and buggy. In trying to\nford a river the waters proved too strong for the faithful horse, and\nthey were all swept down the stream together, and were drowned. In this\ngreat sorrow Brother Lattin has the sympathies of all his brethren of\nthe Conference.\n\nOconomowoc was at this time under the Pastoral charge of Rev. Thomas\nWilcox. It will be remembered that a class was formed at this place by\nBrother Frink, in connection with his labors on the Watertown Circuit.\nThe members were: George W. Williams, Leader; Mrs. George W. Williams,\nJonathan Dorrity, Mr. and Mrs. Day Dewey. In 1840 it was connected with\nSummit, and retained Brother Frink as Pastor. In 1843 it was connected\nwith Prairieville Circuit, and shared the services of Revs. L.F.\nMoulthrop and S. Stover. Before the erection of the Church, the meetings\nwere held in a hall over a cooper shop. The Church enterprise was\ncommended under the Pastorate of Rev. S.W. Martin, a lot being donated\nfor the purpose by John S. Rockwell, Esq. Under the Pastorate of Rev.\nA.C. Pennock, the Church was put in condition for use, and on the 3d of\nFebruary, 1850, the writer was called to dedicate the basement.\n\nThe second Church enterprise was commenced in 1867, tinder the labors of\nRev. George Fellows, and was completed during the Pastorate of Rev. Wm.\nR. Jones in 1868. It was dedicated by Bishop Thomson. Oconomowoc has\ngrown to be one of the strongest and most desirable appointments in the\nConference.\n\nAt the time of my visit in 1850 the charge had been divided, giving to\nRev. A. C. Pennock the Oconomowoc portion, and Rev. Job B. Mills the\nnorthern appointments.\n\nBrother Pennock entered the Conference in 1848, and was appointed to\nWest Bend. The following year, as above stated, he was sent to\nOconomowoc, but here his health failed, and he was compelled to rest a\nyear. In 1852 he was re-admitted and again appointed to Oconomowoc, with\nRev. T.O. Hollister as Assistant. During this year he was greatly\nafflicted in the loss of his wife, and before the expiration of the year\nhe was sent to Waukesha to supply the place of Brother Lattin, whose\nhealth had failed. In 1853 Brother Pennock was stationed at Asbury,\nMilwaukee, but, his health again failing, he decided to go to Minnesota\nat the end of the year. He remained in Minnesota, doing effective work\nuntil 1864, when, becoming satisfied his health was unequal to the\nItinerancy, he located. At the present writing he is residing in\nMadison. He has a clear head and a warm heart.\n\nBrother Mills came to Wisconsin from Washington, D.C., in the Spring of\n1848. After stopping in Milwaukee a few months, and receiving license to\nexhort from Spring Street Station, he removed to Oconomowoc, where he\nwas granted a Local Preacher's license. Being employed, as before\nstated, on the north part of Oconomowoc charge, he found ten\nappointments and seven classes committed to his care, which gave him\nabundance of labor. He was admitted into the Conference at its next\nsession, and returned to his former field. His subsequent appointments\nin Wisconsin were Bark River, Palmyra, and Root River. In 1854 he was\nsent to Minneapolis Mission in Minnesota, having Rev. David Brooks as\nhis Presiding Elder.\n\nIn this place, now so flourishing a city, he was compelled to hold his\nmeetings in a loft over the Post Office. But, notwithstanding these\ndisadvantages, he formed a class, and his good wife organized a Sabbath\nSchool. In 1856 Brother Mills took a transfer to the Peoria Conference,\nnow Central Illinois, and in 1864, on account of blindness, was\ncompelled to take a superannuation. At this writing he is residing at\nOconomowoc, but, on invitation, often goes abroad to assist the brethren\nin their work. He is a grand, good man, and his labors are always\nappreciated.\n\nThe next charge visited was Hart Prairie. This Circuit had once formed a\npart of the old Troy charge of the early times, but, after undergoing\nvarious changes, it was now a charge by itself. It had a small Church\nand a most interesting congregation. Here I was the guest of Rev.\nRichard Fairchilds, a Local Preacher of large intelligence and extensive\ninfluence.\n\nThe Pastor was Rev. Delos Hale, who entered the Conference in 1854. He\nhad shirked duty for several years, and had been known as a reliable\nbusiness man at Summit. But finally, accepting his responsibilities, he\nwas appointed first to Oak Creek, and then West Bend. He was now on his\nsecond year, and was in the midst of a revival.\n\nAt my visit in the following summer, I attended a Camp-Meeting on\ngrounds a short distance east of the Church. The meeting was largely\nattended, and many souls were brought into the Kingdom.\n\nI was greatly pleased with my visit to Watertown. The Church I had left\nin an unfinished condition in 1848, was completed by Rev. David Brooks\ntwo years later, when I returned and performed the dedicatory service.\n\nBrother Brooks entered the Rock River Conference in 1844, and was\nstationed at Dixon, Illinois. On coming to Watertown, he entered upon\nhis work with spirit, and success crowned his efforts. After leaving\nWatertown, he rendered effective service in the regular work until 1852,\nwhen he was elected Agent of the Lawrence University. In 1853 he was\nappointed Presiding Elder of the Minnesota District, since which time he\nhas continued to labor on both stations and Districts in that field with\ngreat acceptability.\n\nBrother Brooks is a man of sterling qualities. Sound in the Faith,\ncircumspect in demeanor, faithful in his work, and true to every\ninterest of the Church, he could not fail to make a good record.\n\nI found Rev. A.C. Huntley the Pastor at Watertown. Brother Huntley\nentered the traveling connection in Western New York, and came to the\nWisconsin Conference by transfer in 1858. He had already held a\nprotracted meeting, and a large number had professed conversion, giving\nconsiderable additional strength to the charge. The Church edifice had\nnow become too small to meet the demands of the charge, and Brother\nHuntley had entered upon the labor of enlargement. In this good work he\nhad not only planned and superintended, but had also put his own hands\nto the actual labor. He succeeded so well in the enterprise, that he\nfinally decided to make the extension large enough to furnish also a\ngood Parsonage in the rear of the Church edifice. The dedicatory\nservices were conducted by the writer on Saturday, July 16th.\n\nThe Brookfield Camp-Meeting was held in the latter part of June. The\ngrove on the farm of Robert Curren, Esq., was secured for a term of\nyears, and through the assistance of Brothers Aplin and Bassett, and\nthe brethren on adjacent charges, it was well fitted up for the purposes\nof a Camp-Meeting. At this meeting we adopted the plan of making our\nCamp-Meetings self supporting. Instead of relying upon the brethren in\nthe neighborhood to do all the work and keep open doors for the week, we\ndetermined to pay our own bills, and thus permit the good people in the\nvicinity to enjoy the meeting, as well as those who came from abroad.\nThe change was deemed a great improvement. There was a good show of\ntents, and the attendance was large. The preaching was excellent, as the\ngood brethren were more intent upon saving souls than ventilating their\ngreat sermons. The meeting resulted in the conversion of many souls,\nwhile the membership was greatly quickened.\n\nIn these latter days the question is sometimes raised, \"Of what\nadvantage are these Camp-Meetings, now that we have good Churches in\nwhich to worship God?\" The question might be answered by another, \"Of\nwhat advantage is it to have picnics and other excursions in the open\nair, and pleasant groves, since we have houses to dwell in and\nrestaurants to supply the cravings of the appetite?\" The fact is,\nCamp-Meetings are as thoroughly in harmony with the laws of Philosophy\nas they are in keeping with the principles of Religion.\n\nTo intensify either the mental or spiritual forces, it is necessary to\nbreak up, at times, their monotonous habits, and send them off into new\nchannels of thought and feeling. A lesson may be learned in this\ndirection from the picnic excursion. It is not the little ones alone\nwho, relieved of the confinement of the parlor, gambol in half frantic\necstasy, but the sedate matron and the grave sire renew their youth, and\nin their exhuberance of spirit, join in the recreations with the zest\nof childhood. The same law obtains in Camp-Meetings. Why not go out into\nthe woods, beneath the spreading branches of the trees, or even under\nthe uncurtained canopy of Heaven, and enjoy a grand unbending of the\nspirit? With the shackles thrown off that have so long fettered the\nsoul, what a Heaven of felicity there is in its conscious freedom. The\neagle, long confined in a cage, after stretching his wings to satisfy\nhimself that he is really free, gambols in the air with an indescribable\necstasy. So there are thousands of Christians shut up in the Churches\nwho are dying for a little spiritual freedom. Their poor souls need a\nholiday. Let them go out to a good thorough-going Camp-Meeting, and\nobtain a new lease of life. And in saying this, I am not advocating\nundue license. I am only pleading for the inalienable rights of a human\nsoul. Such freedom of spirit is entirely consonant with the highest\nculture and absolute decorum. Communing thus with nature in her purest\nand most lovely moods, the soul is dwelling in the vestibule of God's\nown sanctuary. No wonder that prayer and song find such grand perfection\nin the Camp-Meeting. It is there they find their highest inspiration.\n\nBut another advantage of the Camp-Meeting lies in the unbroken chain of\nreligious thought and feeling which it affords. In the ordinary\nexperiences of life, the secular and the religious strongly mingle and\nintercept each other. But in the tented grove the secular is shut away\nfrom the mind, and the religious holds complete mastery. One service\nfollows another, and one religious impulse succeeds another so rapidly\nthat the soul finds no interval for communion with the world. And as the\nore, by long tarrying in the furnace, where no breath of cooling\ncurrents can reach it, flows as a liquid and is ready to take any form,\nso the soul, held in hallowed communion with the Divine spirit, is\nprepared to receive the perfect image of God.\n\nTo the soul who has no knowledge of these delightful experiences, there\nhangs a mystery around the Camp-Meeting, but to Christians the whole\nsubject is as clear as the noon-day. Like the disciples on the mount of\ntransfiguration, they are prepared to say, \"Master, it is good for us to\nbe here.\" With them Christ is the central figure, and it is his presence\nthat hallows the temple in the wilderness.\n\nIt is sometimes objected that the exercises at Camp-Meetings are too\nboisterous, and lead to extravagances. To this objection there are two\nreplies. First, it must be conceded that Camp-Meetings are not the only\nmeetings that may be denominated boisterous. At political meetings, and\non other occasions, I have witnessed the equal, at least, of anything I\nhave seen at Camp Meetings.\n\nBut the other reply is more to the point. No one can well deprecate the\nboisterous and extravagant in religion more than I do, and yet I accept\nboth as a necessity. To move men to right action, they must be swayed by\nright influences. If men were susceptible to the good, then gentle\ninfluences might sway them, but as they are steeped in evil, and largely\nlost to the better influences, the sterner only can reach them. If this\nshall be found to be true in the individual, then certainly it is more\nemphatically true of men in the aggregate. To move a multitude, then, to\nthe acceptance of Christ, the congregation must be put under an intense\nmoral pressure. And it will be found that the measure of pressure that\nwill move the great mass, will sometimes move individuals of peculiarly\nsensitive temperament over into the extravagant. Now in such cases, one\nof two things must be accepted. We must be content to leave the great\naggregate unmoved, or we must endure the irregularities that are\nsometimes seen, not only at Camp-Meetings, but in all revivals of\nreligion. We cannot accept the former, for it involves the ruin of\nperishing souls. Then, accepting the latter, we may not condemn what\ncannot be avoided, if the great end of Christian effort shall be\nrealized. Human nature is a very strange combination, and it must be\ntaken as it is. The religion of Christ proposes to save men, and to do\nso it must take us as we are. The wonder is not that it can make so\nlittle out of us, but rather, that it is able to make even a few fair\nspecimens, while the balance of us are only indifferent ones. Yet I\nrejoice to know that even the poorest of us are vastly better than we\nwould have been had it not been for the revelation of Christ in us.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XX.\n\nWhitewater Conference.--Report on Slavery.--Election of\nDelegates.--Whitewater.--Early History.--Rev. Dr. Bannister.--General\nConference.--Member of Mission Committee.--Conference 1860.--Rev. I.L.\nHauser.--Mrs. I.L. Hauser.--Rev. J.C. Robbins.--The Rebellion.--Its\nCauses.--Fall of Sumter.--Extract of Sermon.--Conference 1861.--Rev.\nJ.H. Jenne.--Rev. S.C. Thomas.--Rev. G.C. Haddock.--Colonelcy.--Close\nof Term.\n\nThe thirteenth session of the Wisconsin Conference was held Oct. 13,\n1859, in the village of Whitewater, and was presided over by Bishop\nAmes. The year had been of less than seven months duration, as by\nrequest of the Conference, the time of holding the sessions had been\nchanged back to the Fall. When the change was made in the first place,\nfrom Fall to Spring, it was believed by many that such an arrangement\nwould be a benefit to the Preachers, by giving them, for the winter, the\nproducts of their gardens. But, after a trial, it was found that the\nroads were generally much worse in the Spring than in the fall, and if\nthe Conferences were delayed so as to find good roads for moving, the\nPreachers would reach their new fields too late to plant their gardens.\nHence, after trying the experiment, it was thought best to return to\nthe Fall.\n\nAt this Conference the election of delegates to the General Conference\nagain occurred. The slavery question was now rife, and of course this\nelection could not be held without making it an issue. During the early\npart of the Conference this subject became the general theme of\nconversation, and, I might add, the discussions and the prayers. In\nshort, every man who was in danger of being struck with a vote must\ncertainly show his colors on the slavery issue. An able Committee was\nformed, and a careful report rendered. And when the vote was taken on\nthe report, all eyes were on the alert to see how each candidate voted.\n\nAs the Report on Slavery is not lengthy, I will insert it as taken from\nthe Conference Minutes:\n\n      1. That the assertion that the M.E. Church is constitutionally\n     pro-slavery, whether that assertion be made by our professed\n     friends or by our enemies, is a base slander.\n\n      2. That we recommend to the next General Conference so\n     to change the General Rule on Slavery as to prohibit the buying\n     selling or holding a human being as a slave.\n\n      3. That we concur with the Providence Conference in recommending\n     to the next General Conference so to change the General Rule\n     on Slavery as to read: 'Slavery, the buying or selling of men,\n     women or children, with an intention to enslave them.'\n\n      4. That we concur with the Erie Conference in recommending\n     to the next General Conference so to change the General Rule on\n     Slavery as to read: 'The buying, selling, holding or transferring\n     of a human being, to be used in slavery.'\n\nIt will be observed that the Wisconsin Conference preferred the wording\nof her own proposed Rule, yet such was her anxiety to secure action by\nthe General Conference, that she was willing to adopt any other form of\nwords, if the same sentiment should be explicitly incorporated. And by\nconcurring in those sent from the Providence and Erie Conferences, and\nat the same time re-affirming her own, which was going the circuit of\nthe other Conferences, she hoped to see some one of them reach the\napproaching General Conference, with the recommendation of a sufficient\nnumber of the Annual Conferences, to make it a law at once on the\naction of that body. With this intense interest thrown around the\nsubject, it is not a matter of surprise that the votes of the\ncandidates, on the adoption of the report, were carefully watched.\n\nBut in some cases even a fair and unequivocal vote was not enough.\nCommittees were self-constituted, or perhaps caucus-constituted to\ninterview candidates, much after the modern style, to see whether they\nwere sound on the main question. And as I had now become sufficiently\nadvanced in years to be considered a candidate, I was waited on by such\nan inquisitorial body. I told the good brethren that I was not a little\nsurprised to find any one in doubt as to my position. \"Oh,\" said they,\n\"we are not really in doubt as to your position, but we would like to\nunderstand how strong your convictions are, as you have not attended our\nmeetings.\" \"Yes,\" said I, \"and perhaps you will say that by neglecting\nyour meetings, I have shown a want of zeal for the cause. If so, I wish\nto state my position. In the first place, I have never felt it to be my\nduty to make a great show of valor, as long as the enemy is out of\nreach. And in the second place, I am in a different position from many\nof our present abolitionists, and should bear myself accordingly. They\nare young converts, and having just come into the kingdom, they must get\nup a tremendous shout, so as to satisfy their new associates that their\nconversion is genuine. But as to myself, I was always an abolitionist. I\nhave never uttered a word, written a sentence, or cast a vote that did\nnot look in that direction. Why, then, should I go into a spasm on the\neve of an election?\" Whether my little speech had anything to do with\nthe result of the ballot which placed me at the head of the delegation\nor not, it is impossible to divine. But of one thing I felt assured. I\nhad \"freed my mind,\" as the old lady said, and felt better. The balance\nof the delegation were I.M. Leihy, S. C. Thomas, E. Cooke, and P. S.\nBennett. At this Conference, I was also appointed the Chairman of a\nCommittee \"To Collect Historical Facts.\" Thus early did the Conference\nindicate a desire that the record of her devoted and pioneer men should\nnot be lost.\n\nWhitewater, the seat of the Conference, was a thriving village of two or\nthree thousand inhabitants, and gave the Conference a most hospitable\nentertainment. This place was settled April 1st, 1837, by Mr. William\nBarren, who was joined by Mr. Calvin Prince in the middle of the\nsame month.\n\nThe first sermon was preached in the fall of the same year by Rev. Jesse\nHalstead. Whitewater became a separate charge in 1843, with Rev. Alpha\nWarren as Pastor. During this year a class was formed. The members were:\nJ.K. Wood, Leader; Mrs. J.K. Wood, Henry Johnson, A.R. Eaton, Mrs. A.R.\nEaton, Mrs. Dr. Clark, Mrs. J.J. Stearin, Roxana Hamilton, and Miss\nWhitcomb. The meetings were held in private houses until the new brick\nschool house was built. They were then held in the school house until\nthe Church was erected. The first Church was commenced under the\nPastorate of Rev. J. Harrington in 1849, and was completed under that of\nRev. J.M. Walker in 1852. It was dedicated by the last named, Feb. 5th,\n1852. The Church was enlarged under the Pastorate of Rev. A.C. Huntley.\n\nWhitewater Station erected a new brick Church, one of the finest in the\ninterior, under the Pastorate of Rev. C.N. Stowers, which was dedicated\nby Bishop Merrill Oct. 19th, 1873. At this writing, Whitewater ranks\namong the leading stations of the Conference, having a good\ncongregation and a most enterprising Society.\n\nAt the close of this Conference I was returned to the Milwaukee\nDistrict. There were only a few changes made in the appointments of the\nPreachers. At this Conference the name of Rev. Henry Bannister, D.D.,\nProfessor in Garrett Biblical Institute, was transferred from the Racine\nto the Milwaukee District, and he was made a member of the Summerfield\nQuarterly Conference.\n\nDr. Bannister entered the Oneida Conference in 1842, and for two years\nserved as Professor of Languages in the Oneida Conference Seminary. At\nthe Conference of 1844, he was appointed Principal, and held that\nposition with distinguished honor until he was elected to a\nProfessorship in the Garrett Biblical Institute. At the present writing\nhe is still at the Institute, doing efficient work. Nearly a third of a\ncentury he has devoted to teaching, dividing his time almost equally\nbetween the Seminary and the Institute.\n\nDr. Bannister is one of Nature's noblemen, and his membership in any\nConference is an honor to the body. The Wisconsin Conference has\nrecognized his worth, and has sent him three times as one of her\ndelegates to the General Conference, and on one occasion was pleased to\nput him at the head of the list. But he is not the property of a\nConference; he belongs to the whole Church, and is the peer of his\nbrethren in any convocation she may assemble.\n\nThe General Conference met in Buffalo, N.Y., in May, 1860. The agitation\nknown as the Nazarite movement was then raging through Western New York,\nand it was understood that several cases would come before the General\nConference on appeal from the expelled members of the Genesee\nConference. I was requested to go down to the troubled District and look\nthe ground over before the opening of the Conference. I did so, but\nfound the movement too far advanced to avoid a rupture of the Societies\nin many of the charges. Several of the men who had taken an appeal had\nstultified themselves and vitiated their appeals, by forming Societies\non the basis of the new movement; and though they disclaimed all\nintention to establish another Church, the formation of these Societies,\nit was held, could be interpreted in no other way. Having thus become\nmembers of another Church their appeals, which contemplated their\nrestoration to the former Church, could not be entertained.\n\nBut the great question before the body was the new Rule on Slavery. At\nthe beginning, the subject was given to one of the large Committees, of\nwhich the writer was a member. The late Bishop Kingsley was the\nChairman, and the Committee met almost daily for three weeks. The report\nto the General Conference was made to cover the whole ground, and\naccepted the basis which had been advocated so long by the Wisconsin\nConference. On its presentation a long discussion followed, and it was\nbelieved that the requisite two-thirds vote would be obtained. But judge\nof our surprise when, on taking the vote, we found the measure had been\nlost by a few votes, and these had been mostly given by the delegation\nof the troubled District in Western New York.\n\nBut though the majority were thus defeated in their effort to change the\nGeneral Rule, they passed a chapter that declared it to be unchristian\nto hold slaves, as well as to traffic in them. The war, however, soon\nfollowed, and the \"logic of events,\" disposed of the Slavery question.\nAt this Conference I was elected a member of the General Mission\nCommittee at New York, which rendered it necessary for me to visit the\ncity annually for four years.\n\nThe Conference of 1860 was held Sept. 26th, at Janesville, Bishop Scott\npresiding. At this session the Conference received Rev. I.L. Hauser, and\nhe was sent as a Missionary to India.\n\nBrother Hauser is of Austrian, German and French descent. His mother's\nfamily were German, and the Hauser name is over six hundred years old in\nVienna, Austria. His grandmother on his father's side was directly\ndescended from one of the Huguenot families driven out of France by the\nrevocation of the edict of Nantes. Coming to America, the family settled\nin Pennsylvania, where Brother Hauser was born, in 1834. His family came\nto Wisconsin and settled at Delavan in 1850. He graduated from Lawrence\nUniversity in 1860. During his senior year he was President of the\nCollege Missionary Society, and when writing to Rev. Dr. Durbin,\nrequesting him to preach the annual sermon at Commencement, he stated\nthat he would soon be through College and be ready for duty, but he did\nnot know just what it was, and wished advice. The reply came for him to\nsend the name of the Pastor of the Church. The names of Rev. M.\nHimebaugh, Pastor, and Rev. Dr. Knox, one of the Professors, were sent.\nThree days after his graduation, having reached his home, he received a\nletter from Bishop Simpson, asking him to come at once to Evanston. From\nthere the Bishop sent him to the Erie Conference, then in session at\nErie, Penn., where he was ordained and appointed to the Mission\nin India.\n\nReturning to Wisconsin, he was united in marriage with Miss Jeannette\nShepherd, of Kenosha, Sept. 13th. Starting for their field of labor,\nthey sailed from Boston on the vessel Sea King, and after a tedious and\nstormy voyage of one hundred and thirty-eight days, they reached\nCalcutta. From there, after an eleven days' journey of one thousand and\nthree miles up the valley of the Ganges, they arrived at Bijnour,\nforty-five miles from where the river Ganges flows out of the mountains\ninto the plains of India. Here they labored six years, their field\ncomprising a District of nineteen hundred square miles, with a\npopulation of nearly one million, being fifty-four miles from the\nnearest Mission Station.\n\nFour schools were organized, in which twenty teachers were employed, and\nsix languages were used in the various studies. When the schools were\nfirst started not two natives in the District could speak English, but\nafter six years nearly six hundred had been taught in the schools to\nboth read and speak it. Regular services in the Chapel, such as\npreaching, Sunday School, class and prayer meetings, were held in the\nUrdu language for the native Christian Church. Brother Hauser also\nconducted the Church of England service each Sabbath morning for five\nyears, for the few English residents stationed there, as they had\nno Chaplain.\n\nBesides studying the several languages of the country, preaching in the\nbazaars and other public places to tens of thousands of people,\ninstructing the native preachers and teachers, looking after and giving\nemployment to the native Christians, he was appointed by the Publishing\nCommittee of the Mission to translate the Discipline into the Urdu\nlanguage, having the honor of making the first translation of that book\ninto any Eastern tongue. But in the midst of his labors, sickness fell\nupon himself and family. Diptheria attacked himself, his wife, and two\nof his children. One little girl died of that disease, and shortly\nafter another from fever. Brother Hauser's throat became seriously\naffected, and he was compelled to retire from the work. With his family,\nhe made a tour of several months through the Himalaya Mountains, to\nwithin eight miles of the borders of Thibet. In this tour he was not\nunfrequently twenty thousand feet above the sea, but failing to recover\nhis health, he, in 1868, returned to the United States, after an absence\nof eight years.\n\nSince his return, he has devoted his labor to the publication of the\nChristian Statesman, the only Protestant religious paper published in\nWisconsin. Being undenominational, the paper, patronized by all the\nProtestant Churches, has attained a wide circulation. Brother Hauser is\na man of great energy, and is doing a grand work for the Churches of\nWisconsin.\n\nMrs. Hauser is a lady of very superior talent. In their Mission field\nshe took her full share of the work, and since her return, she has not\nonly been one of the best contributors to the Statesman, but has largely\nidentified herself with the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society work in\nthe State. Both on the platform, and in the general work of the Society,\nshe holds a high rank. And in addition to this work, she is now\npreparing a volume of sketches of Women in Heathen Lands.\n\nAt the close of the preceding year, the Summerfield Quarterly Conference\nrequested my appointment to the Pastorate of that station. The Bishop at\nfirst was inclined to grant the request, but finally came to the\nconclusion that I ought to remain on the District. This left the charge\nto be supplied, and I secured the services of Rev. J.E. Wilson, then of\nOhio, but who had formerly served Milwaukee, as stated in a\npreceding chapter.\n\nSummerfield was just in the midst of her financial embarrassment. The\nindebtedness was about fifteen thousand dollars, and threatened to\noverwhelm the charge. But the good brethren were steadfast, and through\ngreat labor and sacrifice, aided by Rev. S.C. Thomas, succeeded in\nmeeting their obligations. Brother Wilson rendered effective service,\nbut at the close of the year returned to his home in Ohio.\n\nRev. J.C. Robbins was appointed this year to the Spring Street Station.\nBrother Robbins entered the North Indiana Conference in 1844. His\nappointments were Winchester, Plymouth, Clinton, Hagerstown,\nWilliamsburg, Knightstown, Doublin and Lewisville. He was transferred to\nthe Wisconsin Conference in 1855, and stationed at North Ward, Fond du\nLac. His subsequent appointments were Waupun, Berlin and Empire. The\nyear opened finely, and during the winter Brother Robbins held a\nprotracted meeting, which resulted in the conversion of many souls. But\nthe Society met with a severe loss this year, in the destruction of\ntheir Church by fire.\n\nBrother Robbins remained a second year at Spring Street, and again\nenjoyed a good revival. After leaving the city, he has been stationed at\nRacine, Waukesha, Sheboygan Falls, Waupun, Berlin, Green Bay, Hart\nPrairie, Sharon and Footville. At the present writing, he is at the last\nnamed place, seeking to gather sheaves for the Master.\n\nThis year intense excitement prevailed throughout the country. The\nPresidential election, which placed Abraham Lincoln at the head of our\nnational affairs, occurred in November. And during the following months,\nthe rebellion was taking form in the Southern States, but did not\nculminate in open rupture until the middle of April. But before stating\nthe position of the Conference and Church in the pending struggle, it\nwill be proper to refer to the causes which produced the conflict.\n\nIn the settlement of the United States, two distinct types of society\nplanted themselves in the two great centres of the Atlantic Coast. The\none made New England the theater of development, and the other the\nEastern cordon of the Southern States. From the first center, the\npopulation moved westward through New York, Pennsylvania, and the\nPrairie States, to the Mississippi. From the other, the settlements\nextended through the savannahs of the South to the Gulf.\n\nThe emigrants in the North were mainly those who came to the Western\nworld to find an asylum from the religious persecutions to which they\nhad been subjected at home. In the South, society was largely\nestablished under the sanctions of royalty. These two facts will account\nfor the radical differences existing between the people of the two\nsections. In the North, society very naturally accepted the political\ndoctrines of personal equality and universal freedom. In the South, the\npeople as naturally adhered to their aristocratic ideas, and held to the\ndoctrine of privileged classes.\n\nThe two types of society, thus placed side by side, were now given an\nopen field, in which the contest for supremacy could not long be\ndelayed. In geographical position, it would seem that the advantage was\ndecidedly with the South. And the same may be said of the patronage\nbestowed by the home governments. But notwithstanding the high mountain\nranges, the deep forests, and the sterile coasts of New England, her\npeople cut their way through every obstacle, and soon stood face to face\nwith their aristocratic neighbors. A collision of ideas was now\ninevitable. The South, quick to discover the unheralded force of Yankee\ncharacter, took the alarm and declared that \"Mason and Dixon's line\"\nshould divide between her and her neighbor. Here was deposited the first\negg in the nest, from which has been hatched the terrible brood of\nvipers which, under the name of \"State Rights,\" has involved the country\nin a most desolating war. It was on this line that Calhoun planted his\nstandard when he sought to inflame the South against the North. And it\nwas on this fatal line that his followers, thirty years after, sought to\noverturn the decisions of the ballot-box, and establish a Southern\nConfederacy. With what result, the record of the conflict affords\nan answer.\n\nOn the 13th of April, 1861, the rebels opened fire on Fort Sumter, and\non the 14th Major Anderson and his brave men were compelled to surrender\ntheir stronghold. As the news of this attack and surrender swept along\nthe telegraphic wires throughout the North, a most intense patriotism\nawoke in the heart of every loyal citizen. The people assembled on the\ncorners of the streets, in halls, in places of business, and in short,\nat every convenient place of resort, to discuss the situation, and feed\nthe flames of patriotism. Everywhere men and money were offered to\nsupport the government, without stint. The press teemed with burning\nwords, and the pulpit was outspoken in characterizing the rebellion and\nvindicating the government.\n\nThe writer was in Milwaukee when the news of the surrender of Fort\nSumter reached the city. On Sabbath, April 21st, I preached a sermon,\nfrom which the following extract is taken. I quote from Rev. Mr. Love's\n\"History of Wisconsin in the War.\"\n\n     \"But, Ladies and Gentlemen, the war is inevitable. Its coming\n     may be hastened or retarded by the shaping of events during\n     the next thirty days, but that war is upon us, and a civil\n     war, of a most frightful character and most alarming\n     proportions, is to my mind no longer a question. You can no\n     more prevent it than you can stay the leaping floods of\n     Niagara, or \u00c2\u00b8quench the king of day in the palm of your hand.\n     It is the legitimate offspring of an 'irrepressible conflict'\n     of ideas as antagonistic as light and darkness, as\n     diametrically opposed to each other as right and wrong, truth\n     and error. The Bible declaration, that God hath made of one\n     blood all the nations of men to dwell on all the face of the\n     earth, so beautifully set forth in our Declaration of\n     Independence, and teaching the great lesson of universal\n     equality and universal freedom, forms the corner-stone of our\n     institutions. But a plague spot is found in the opposing\n     doctrine of caste and privileged classes, which finds\n     illustration in American slavery. This war of principles has\n     already culminated in a collision at Fort Sumter, and it\n     would be contrary to all history to arrest the tide of war at\n     this stage. The antagonism is too direct, and the conflict\n     too heated to quench the flame till rivers of blood shall\n     pass over it. The act of the South in firing on Sumter is\n     none other than a rebellion, and that of the most inexcusable\n     and wicked character, against the best government on earth;\n     and I am free to confess that I am filled with horror when I\n     contemplate the result of this suicidal act on their part, an\n     act that must lead to years of war, as far as human ken can\n     see, and the most fearful desolations in its train. But,\n     gentlemen, there is no alternative. The glove is thrown to\n     us, and we must accept it. If our principles are right, and\n     we believe they are, we would be unworthy of our noble\n     paternity if we were to shrink from the issue. Let there,\n     then, be no shrinking from the contest. The battle is for\n     human liberty, and it were better that every man should go\n     down, and every dollar be sacrificed, than that we should\n     transmit to the coming millions of this land other than a\n     legacy of freedom. Were it not that good men have gone down\n     into the dust and smoke of the battle, there would not be\n     to-day a government on the face of the globe under which a\n     good man could well live. And since God in his Providence has\n     brought us to this hour, I trust that by his help we shall\n     not prove unworthy of the trust--the noblest ever given to\n     man--committed to our keeping. There can be no question as to\n     the result. We shall triumph, and with the triumph we shall\n     win a glorious national destiny.\"\n\nThe next Conference session was held in Fond du Lac Sept. 18, 1861,\nBishop Baker presiding. The session was one of unusual excitement. The\nwar had been begun, the terrible Bull Run defeat had occurred, and\nalready seven regiments of our brave boys had gone to the front. And\nwith the seventh, one of our own members, Rev. S.L. Brown, had gone as\nChaplain, while several others were either in the ranks or looking in\nthe same direction. In the matter of furnishing men, Wisconsin was\nalready ahead of the call made upon her, but such was the devotion of\nher people to the Old Flag, that ten other regiments could have been\nsent during the year.\n\nAt this session, the Conference adopted a very able Report, written by\nRev. J.H. Jenne, on the state of the country, showing a deep interest in\nthe issue before the Nation, and pledging her unwavering support to the\nGovernment.\n\nBrother Jenne entered the traveling connection in Maine, and came to the\nWisconsin Conference by transfer in 1856. His first appointment was\nAgent of the Lawrence University. His next appointment was Presiding\nElder of Appleton District, where he remained four years. His subsequent\nappointments have been Janesville, Janesville District, Lake Mills, Hart\nPrairie, Allen's Grove, Union Grove, Lyons, and Waupun. At the present\nwriting he is on his second year at the last named place.\n\nBrother Jenne is an able Minister of the New Testament. He is a man of\nlarge brain and profound research. Well versed in all the questions of\nthe day, as well as in the writings of the Fathers, he is able to\nfurnish a high standard of pulpit labor. He is a, true man, has a genial\nspirit, and to persons who can strike his plane of thought he is\ncompanionable.\n\nAt this Conference I was returned to the District for a fourth year,\nand Rev. S.C. Thomas was appointed to the Summerfield Church.\n\nBrother Thomas entered the Erie Conference in 1842, and, before coming\nto Wisconsin by transfer in 1851, had been stationed at Conneautville,\nGeneva, Ravenna, Willoughby, and Fredonia, besides serving two years as\nAgent of the Alleghany College. After coming to Wisconsin, he had served\nSpring Street, Platteville, Jackson Street, and had been Agent of the\nLawrence University for five years. He now remained two years at\nSummerfield, when he returned again to the Agency of the University. In\n1864 he was made Presiding Elder of the Milwaukee District, where he\nremained four years. He next served four years as Presiding Elder of the\nJanesville District, when he was appointed to Fort Atkinson. At the\npresent writing he is at Lyons. This outline completes a record of\nnearly a quarter of a century of labor in Wisconsin.\n\nBrother Thomas is a man of good business habits, a careful\nadministrator, and a good Preacher. He loves the theology and economy of\nthe Church for which he has so long expended his energies. He is wise in\ncounsel, closely attentive to all the trusts committed to his keeping,\nand has a host of friends.\n\nRev. George C. Haddock, Pastor at Waukesha, was received into the\nConference the previous year, had been at Port Washington one year,\nwhere he had been a supply a part of the previous year, and was now\nappointed to Waukesha. He remained two years, and did a good work.\nDuring the first year, the new stone Church was built in the place of\nthe old frame building that had been burned during the former year. And\nduring the winter following, the charge was blessed with a good revival,\nand among the fruits gathered into the Church, was our second daughter,\nthen ten years of age.\n\nAfter leaving Waukesha, Brother Haddock's appointments have been\nClinton, Oshkosh, Ripon, Appleton, Division Street, Fond du Lac; Fond du\nLac District, and Racine, where he is laboring at this writing.\n\nBrother Haddock is a man of mark. Early in life he acquired the\nprinter's trade, and subsequently devoted several years to the business\nof editing and publishing secular papers. Soon after his conversion he\nentered the Ministry, and in less than two years he was received into\nthe Conference. During the fifteen years of his connection with the\nConference, he has been an earnest and successful laborer, making full\nproof of his Ministry. Brother Haddock has a large intellectual\ndevelopment, a warm heart, an eloquent tongue, and an intense spiritual\nactivity. What he does must be done at once, and done thoroughly. He has\nan ardent hatred of shams, and despises all clap-trap. Both in sermons\nand debate, he strikes home, and woe be to the luckless pate that has\nthe temerity to dash under his well-aimed strokes. And yet under all\nthis seeming severity, there dwells a spirit as kind and manly as ever\nthrobbed in a human bosom.\n\nDuring this, the closing year of my term on the District, my labors were\nvery extended. Besides the regular duties of a large District, I added\nthat of aiding in raising regiments for the war. At all suitable times\nand places, I held war meetings, as they were called, and addressed the\npeople, often finding immense crowds congregated in groves and other\nconvenient localities.\n\nIt was in connection with these services that I was nominated for the\nColonelcy of a religious regiment, to be raised out of the Churches of\nthe city. But such were my responsibilities at home, where the\nGovernment needed all the support it could obtain, it was deemed\ninadvisable for me to accept. And on further thought it was considered\nbetter for the service to avoid such distinctive organizations.\n\nDuring my term on the District, the annual Camp Meeting at Brookfield\ngreatly prospered. Permanent tents were erected, and the Meeting gave\nconsiderable promise of stability. And on these grounds from year to\nyear many persons, were brought into the liberty of the Gospel.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXI.\n\nConference of 1862.--The War.--Position of the Conference.--Rev. J.M.\nSnow.--Appointed again to Spring Street.--Dr. Bowman.--Changes.--Rev.\nP.S. Bennett.--Rev. C.S. Macreading.--Official Board.-The New Church\nEnterprise.--Juvenile Missionary Society.--Conference of 1863.--Rev.\nP.B. Pease.--Rev. George Fellows.--Rev. Samuel Fallows.--Rev. R.B.\nCurtis.--Rev. D.H. Muller.--Third Year.--Pastoral Work.--Revival. Visit\nto the Army.--Illness.--Close of Term.\n\nThe Conference of 1862 was held Oct. 1st at Kenosha, Bishop Janes\npresiding. The country was now in the full tide of war. During the year\nseveral members of the Conference had gone out as Chaplains, Rev. H.C.\nTilton with the Thirteenth Regiment, Rev. C.D. Pillsbury with the\nTwenty-Second, and Rev. Samuel Fallows with the Thirty-Second.\n\nThis was the hour for brave words, and the Wisconsin Conference had them\nto give. Nor was it in words alone that she was prepared to sustain the\nGovernment. Such was the patriotism of the body that her ranks might\nhave been seriously depleted at any time, if it could have been done\nwith safety to the interests of the country. But it was conceded that\nthe Government must now have a vigorous support at home. Partisan\nfeeling in the late canvass had greatly demoralized the people, and a\nstrong moral influence was needed to rightly shape the tone of public\nsentiment. In fact, it was necessary throughout the struggle that the\nChurches, under the lead of the clergy, should act the part of Aaron and\nHur, in sustaining the Government.\n\nThe Report adopted by the Conference on the state of the country gave\nno uncertain expression of sentiment. Assuming the position dictated by\nthe most lofty patriotism, she pledged the country an unwavering support\nuntil the flag of the Commonwealth should again wave in peaceful triumph\nover the entire land. Recognizing human freedom as the issue in the\nconflict, she deemed it alike the duty of the citizen and the Christian\nto prosecute the war.\n\nAt this Conference the death of Rev. Jonathan M. Snow was announced, and\nhis obituary placed upon the Minutes. Brother Snow, after spending a\nshort time in Racine, entered the Illinois Conference in 1838. His\nappointments were Elgin, Princeton, Mount Morris, Geneva, Washington,\nSylvania, Troy, Janesville, Mineral Point and Madison. At the close of\nhis labors at Madison, in 1852, he retired from the active work, but in\n1859, he was re-admitted and granted a superannuated relation. Brother\nSnow was a decisive man, earnest, energetic and persevering. He\nperformed his full share of pioneer work, and deserves an honorable\nmention among the Fathers of the Conference,\n\nIn compliance with the request of the Spring Street Station, Milwaukee,\nI was this year appointed to its Pastorate, my term on the District\nhaving expired. At the earliest possible moment, I entered upon the work\nof my new field. But at the opening of the year we were called to pass\nunder a cloud. I refer to the death of Dr. Bowman, the father of Mrs.\nMiller. The Doctor had been compelled, through illness, to surrender his\npractice in Iowa, and had now been with us three years. His death was\npeaceful, and his assurance triumphant.\n\nDr. Bowman came to Wisconsin in 1840, residing, as we have seen, first\nat Troy, and subsequently at Waupun. In early life he was a skeptic, and\ncontinued in unbelief, until after his elevation to a Judgeship in\nMichigan. He was converted through the influence of his wife, and united\nwith the Methodist Episcopal Church. Distinguished in his profession,\nreliable in his religious convictions, and devoted to the Church, he was\nan arm of strength to the cause in its early struggles in the West.\n\nDuring the interval since my former Pastorate in 1851 and the present,\nvarious changes had occurred at Spring Street. The Society had lost two\nChurches by fire, and Summerfield charge had been formed. The successive\nPastors had been Revs. S.C. Thomas, Chauncey Hobart, P.S. Bennett,\nMilton Rowley, C.S. Macreading, E. Robinson, J.M. Walker, and J.C.\nRobbins. To several of them reference has been made in former chapters.\nWe will now refer to others.\n\nRev. P.S. Bennett entered the Black River Conference in 1838, and\nremained a member of that body until 1849, when he was transferred to\nthe Wisconsin Conference. Among the several charges he filled in his old\nConference, were Norfolk, Bangor, Brownville, Salina, Cleveland, Van\nBuren and Red Creek. In Wisconsin he had been stationed at Platteville,\nBeloit, and Waukesha.\n\nAfter leaving Spring Street, he was made Presiding Elder of the\nMilwaukee District, where he remained four years. His subsequent\nappointments were Racine, Appleton, Agent of Lawrence University, Green\nBay, and Appleton District. At the close of his term on this District,\nhe retired from active labor, having given to the Church a long,\ndevoted, and efficient service.\n\nBrother Bennett is well read in the literature of the Church, and loves\nher doctrines with a \"true heart, fervently.\" During his active labor he\nwas faithful to every trust confided to his keeping, was a good Pastor\nand a successful Presiding Elder. And at the present time, it needs only\nan attack upon the doctrines or usages of the Church to bring him to the\nfront in their defence. He is emphatically a true man.\n\nRev. C.S. Macreading came from New England, where he had held leading\nappointments in the Providence and New England Conferences for many\nyears. He had located, and had come West, seeking a field of labor.\nComing to Milwaukee, he found the charge vacant, by the removal of the\nformer Pastor on account of affliction in his family, and was employed\nby the Elder. He served his full term, and at its close the people were\nreluctant to part with him.\n\nBrother Macreading was a man of superior preaching talent; had an\nearnest spirit, and a warm heart. At Spring Street, the Lord greatly\nblessed his labors in the conversion of souls, several of whom remain to\nthis day to bless the Church with their wise counsel and\ndevoted services.\n\nIn entering upon the labor of the year, it was my first concern to\nretrieve, if possible, the disaster which had befallen the Society in\nthe loss of the Church. But to do this, it was deemed important to put\nevery branch of the work in the best possible condition. In this\nendeavor I had the earnest co-operation of the Official Board, composed\nat this time of Rev. T.T. Greenwood, Rev. Edwin Hyde, and Messrs. John\nH. Van Dyke, J.B. Judson, A.J.W. Pierce, Walter Lacy, Cornelius Morse,\nDaniel Petrie, Jonathan Crouch, James Seville, H.W. Goodall, Thomas\nGreenwood, O.H. Earl, J.R. Cocup, James Cherry, and Lawrence Harrison.\n\nThe spiritual condition of the Society was excellent, and the class and\nprayer meetings were in a flourishing condition. The next thing to be\ndone was to organize the financial department. In doing this I submitted\na new plan, called the \"Card System,\" for raising the current expenses.\nThe plan provided for monthly payments, and was operated through the use\nof cards. These were so prepared as to contain a subscription on one\nside, and rulings for entering the payments monthly on the other. The\nsubscriptions were to be made at the beginning of the year, and each\nsubscriber was expected to hand to the collector the several amounts\npromptly. The plan worked admirably, and placed the finances in a\nhealthy condition.\n\nDuring the winter we held a series of meetings, which resulted in a\nconsiderable accession to the membership. But this success was only\npreparatory to the Church enterprise before us. The hall that had been\nused as a chapel was small and inconveniently located. Better\naccommodations must be had. By the middle of the year the necessity\nbecame so urgent that the Pastor could hardly preach, pray or visit\nwithout making this subject his principal theme. Finding that the\nfinancial basis was quite limited, it was decided to erect a business\nblock, thereby providing for a subsequent income, should the enterprise\nentail an indebtedness upon the Society. The precaution, however, was\nunnecessary, as the unparalleled liberality of the people not only met\nthe demands of the enterprise, but provided for a former indebtedness.\nGround was broken for the new edifice on the fifteenth day of July, and\nthe Church was dedicated by Rev. Dr. Eddy on the twenty-third of January\nfollowing.\n\nThe Juvenile Missionary Society was formed this year, and thereby the\nSunday School became an efficient agency in raising Missionary money.\nIn our plan, each class in the School constituted a Missionary Society,\ntaking a distinctive name. The gatherings of the class for a month went\ninto a common fund, and was reported at the monthly meeting. This\nmeeting was held on the last Sabbath of each month, and was usually made\nan occasion of special interest.\n\nThe year now closing had been full of work. Besides my regular labor,\nand the responsibilities of the Church enterprise, I had rendered\nconsiderable service in raising regiments for the war, by delivering\naddresses in various portions of the State.\n\nFrom the beginning of the conflict, I greatly desired to go forward with\nthe brave boys and share with them the burdens and perils of the camp\nand field. But it was the view of many of my friends, and especially of\nthe Central War Committee of the State, that I was doing a better\nservice for my country at home, in seeking to shape public sentiment,\nthan I could render by leading a regiment in the field. Accepting their\njudgment, I endeavored to fulfil my mission to the best of my ability in\nthe field to which I seemed to be specially called.\n\nThe Conference of 1863 was held Oct. 1st, at Waukesha, and was presided\nover by Bishop Scott. The body again adopted a strong report in support\nof the Government. At this Conference Delegates to the General\nConference were again elected. They were H. Bannister, S.C. Thomas, C.D.\nPillsbury and M. Himebaugh. At the close of the session I was returned\nto Spring Street. My fellow Pastors in the city were Revs. P.B. Pease\nand George Fellows.\n\nBrother Pease entered the Wisconsin Conference at its session in Fond du\nLac, Sept. 1st, 1852. His appointments had been Aztalan, Wauwatosa,\nPalmyra, Appleton, Kenosha, and Beloit. He remained two years at\nSummerfield. His subsequent appointments have been Spring Street,\nAppleton District, and Janesville District, where at the present writing\nhe is doing a good-work.\n\nBrother Pease has a clear head, a sound understanding, and positive\nconvictions. His pulpit ministrations are impressive and practical, his\nadministration wise and reliable, and his intercourse with the people\nagreeable and spiritual. Wherever he has labored he has left a record of\nability and fidelity.\n\nBrother Fellows entered the Wisconsin Conference in 1852, in the same\nclass with Brother Pease. He was stationed at Wauwatosa, Grafton,\nHartford, Oconomowoc, Beaver Dam, and Kenosha. He located in 1859, was\nre-admitted in 1862, and appointed to Asbury the same year. Here he had\nbeen engaged in the erection of a new Church. During this year the\nbuilding was completed, and the old Church changed into a Parsonage. The\nChurch was dedicated by Rev. Dr. Eddy, assisted by Rev. Dr. Tiffany.\n\nIn 1864 Brother Fellows located, and for two years served Madison\nStation. He returned to the Conference in 1866, and was appointed to\nOconomowoc. His subsequent fields of labor were Waukesha, Neenah,\nMenasha, and Cotton Street, Fond du Lac. In 1872 he accepted a Bible\nAgency, and in 1874 was appointed Presiding Elder of Waupaca District.\nBrother Fellows is a man of energy, and will doubtless make an efficient\nPresiding Elder.\n\nOn the Spring Street charge the new year opened auspiciously. The\naccessions of the former year, in connection, with the better Church\naccommodations, had given to the work a broader basis, and afforded the\npromise of wider usefulness. From month to month throughout the year,\nthe stakes were strengthened and the cords lengthened. And at its close\nthere was a general feeling of grateful satisfaction.\n\nIn 1864 the Conference was held Oct. 5th at Oshkosh, Bishop Scott\npresiding. At this session Rev. Samuel Fallows was elected Secretary.\nBrother Fallows, after his graduation from the State University, devoted\nseveral years to the profession of teaching, in connection with the\nGalesville University, in the Northwestern part of the State. He came to\nthe Wisconsin Conference in 1861, and was stationed at Oshkosh. Before\nthe expiration of the year, however, he went out as a Chaplain in the\narmy, in the service of the Thirty-Second Regiment, and at the\nConference of 1862, he received his appointment to that post. Having\nreturned from the army his next appointment, in 1863, was Appleton\nStation. He was reappointed to the same charge in 1864, but before the\nexpiration of the year he became interested in raising a regiment of one\nhundred days' men, and went out as Lieutenant Colonel. He graduated to\nthe Colonelcy while in the service, and was brevetted as Brigadier\nGeneral on his return home. The war having closed before the expiration\nof the Conference year, he returned to the regular work, and received\nhis appointment in 1865 to the Summerfield Station. After serving three\nyears at Summerfield, he was appointed in 1868 to Spring Street. Here he\ndrew to his ministry a large congregation, and had an extensive revival,\nthereby hastening the erection of a new Church. The building during the\nsecond year was enclosed, but was not completed until the close of the\nfollowing year.\n\nBrother Fallows enjoyed a successful Pastorate at Spring Street, but\nbefore the expiration of his second year, he was appointed by the\nExecutive of the State to the position of Superintendent of Public\nInstruction. He remained in this position until his second term expired,\nJan. 1, 1874, when having been elected President of the Illinois\nWesleyan University, he was transferred to the Illinois Conference.\n\nBrother Fallows was a man whom his brethren delighted to honor. Though\nstill a young man comparatively, he had served his Conference as\nSecretary nine years, and had been sent once as a Delegate to the\nGeneral Conference. He is a man of superior culture, pleasant voice, and\nentertaining address. His genial spirit is a perpetual sunshine, and his\nconversational interviews, the fragrance of summer. In his addresses and\nsermons, the beautiful predominates. He was born an orator, and he has\nnever been able to shake off the enchantment. It is not his fault that\nhe is generally popular.\n\nAt this session the Conference adopted another report of the state of\nthe country. It was full of patriotism, pledging an unwavering support\nto the Government. The chairman of the committee was Rev. R.B. Curtis.\n\nBrother Curtis entered the Maine Conference in 1845, and in that\nConference and the East Maine he filled the following appointments:\nBingham, Corinth, Onoro, Frankfort, Searsport, Brick Chapel, Bangor,\nBangor District, and again Brick Chapel. He was transferred to the\nWisconsin Conference in 1862, and was appointed to Janesville. His next\nappointment was Delavan, where he remained three years. While here his\nhealth failed, and at the ensuing Conference he was compelled to take a\nsuperannuated relation. He passed from the earthly to the heavenly home,\nin Appleton, May 21st, 1872.\n\nBrother Curtis was a man of rare endowments and sublime piety. In his\nmental development, there was an almost absolute equipoise between the\nimagination and the logical powers. In his logical dissections of error\nand defence of truth, a keener blade has seldom, if ever, leaped from\nits scabbard. Under his masterly imagery his audiences were sometimes\nchained to their seats, as if held by the toils of an enchantment. With\nsuch extraordinary elements of popular address, it is not surprising\nthat he held a high rank in the pulpit. Nor was he deficient in his\nother qualifications as a Minister of Christ. When Brother Curtis fell\nfrom the walls of Zion, it might have been truly said, \"A Prince in\nIsrael has this day exchanged the earthly for the Heavenly Crown.\"\n\nDuring this year Rev. D.H. Muller was Pastor of Asbury Church. Brother\nMuller entered the Conference in 1861, coming from the Biblical School\nat Evanston. His first appointment was Menasha, and his second Oshkosh.\nAnd from the last named he came to Asbury. He remained two years, was\nsuccessful and highly esteemed; but at the close of his term he took a\ntransfer to the Genesee Conference. He has held leading appointments in\nthat Conference up to the present, and has also graduated to the dignity\nof a Presiding Elder.\n\nBrother Muller is a man of superior talent, genial spirit and fine\nconversational powers. His name is fragrant in all the charges he served\nin Wisconsin and the Conference regretted his transfer from the State.\n\nI was again returned to Spring Street, and the salary was now placed at\nthirteen hundred dollars. With the new Church full of people, with every\ndepartment of Church work thoroughly organized and in successful\noperation, I was now permitted to devote my labor to the regular\npastoral work. As far as possible, the forenoons were given to my study\nand the afternoons to pastoral visiting.\n\nIn a city like Milwaukee, this last department of labor is absolutely\nindispensable. It is not intended in this form of expression to intimate\nthat it can be dispensed with in any other field, for it cannot, but\nsimply to indicate the impossibility of caring rightly for the souls of\nmen in a great city, if this form of labor shall be neglected.\n\nIn a large city, the population is constantly changing, and unless the\nPastor shall be on the alert in looking up the people, members of his\nown flock, to say nothing of others, will drop out of sight. Soon they\nwill feel that the band of union between them and the Church has been\nsevered, and they have become outcasts. The result of such a state of\nthings, will be either recklessness of life, or a seeking of other\nChurch alliances. In either case, the charge itself suffers loss. In\naddition to this class of cases that need the eagle eye of the Pastor,\nthere is a constant influx of population. These coming people, in large\nnumbers, will fail to find churchly affiliations unless there is some\none who shall seek them out at their new homes, and invite them to\nattend the means of grace.\n\nI know it will be said, \"Let the members of the Churches do this.\" I\ngrant that the open field for this kind of labor is inviting to the\nChurch members, but suppose they do not enter it, what then? Shall the\nwork be left undone? Besides, the work can be done effectively only,\nthrough systematic arrangement, and this feature can only be given to it\nthrough the supervision of the Pastor. He only can know the entire\nground, and become the nucleus around which the membership will be\nable to rally.\n\nIt would greatly aid the Pastor in his work, if all new-comers would\nimmediately report themselves at the Parsonage or the Church. But as all\nsuch are usually burdened with many cares and perplexities during the\nfirst weeks or months in making a new home, the only way to reach the\ndesired result seems to be through the vigilant maintenance of\npastoral visiting.\n\nDuring the winter I held a protracted meeting, which gave an addition of\nforty-seven probationers. I felt the fatigue very much, and at the close\nof the meeting found it necessary for a time to abridge my labors.\n\nIn March following, the Official Board granted me leave of absence to\nengage for six weeks in the service of the Christian Commission. I was\nassigned to service at City Point, and along the lines of Gen. Grant's\narmy, before Richmond and Petersburgh. Leaving Milwaukee March 14th, and\npassing through Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia, I entered the\nJames River at Fortress Monroe, and reached City Point on the 21st.\nAfter calling at the headquarters of Gen. Grant, and preaching once in\nthe Chapel at the headquarters of the Christian Commission, I went along\nthe line of the army, first to the north of Point of Rocks, twenty\nmiles, and then to the south, twenty miles, as far as Hatch's Run,\nmaking forty miles in all. In these excursions I preached in the several\nChapels as opportunity offered, and rendered such assistance as I was\nable, in making the necessary preparations for the forward movement of\nthe army, which was expected to occur in a few days. But I soon found\nthat the exposures along the front were too great for my system, in its\nenfeebled condition. I contracted a severe cold, which rendered it\nnecessary to leave the lines. I returned to City Point, and was advised\nto leave at once for Washington, where I could obtain the desired\nmedical treatment. I took the steamboat the very afternoon the army was\nput in motion. By the time Gen. Grant had taken Gen. Lee, I had taken\nWashington.\n\nThe physicians here believed that my lungs were seriously compromised,\nand advised me to go to the seashore. I went immediately down to\nBrooklyn, and became the guest of my cousin, Col. J.T. Hildreth. My\nfamily and friends at Milwaukee at once became alarmed, and Mrs. Miller\ncame down. But through skillful treatment, good nursing, and a kind\nProvidence, the indications soon changed for the better, and at the end\nof two months I was able to return to my people. On reaching the city\nthe friends gave us a reception, and left us over two hundred dollars. I\nwas able to resume my labors soon after, and the balance of the year\npassed pleasantly. I had now completed my full term of three years.\nDuring this time I had received into the Church about two hundred\nmembers, and after allowing for removals and other changes, the net\nincrease had been about half that number.\n\nThough the people had been greatly taxed in building their new Church,\nit was found that the benevolent collections had considerably increased.\nThe Missionary, collection advanced during the first year from\nseventy-five dollars to two hundred and twenty. The second year it was\ntwo hundred and sixty-two, and the third, three hundred and forty.\n\nThe Sunday School had now reached an aggregate of four hundred scholars,\nand the Library six hundred volumes. Among the accessions of the term,\nthere were several who gave considerable financial strength to\nthe charge.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXII.\n\nConference of 1805.--The War Closed.--Lay Delegation the Next Question.\nRev. George Chester.--Rev. Romulus O. Kellogg.--Missionary to\nChina.--Rev. L.N. Wheeler.--Appointed to Fond du Lac District.--Marriage\nof our Eldest Daughter.--Removal to Fond du Lac.--Rev. T.O.\nHollister.--State of the District.--Rev. J.T. Woodhead.--Waupun.--Rev.\nD.W. Couch.--Lamartine.--Rev. I.S. Eldridge.--Horicon.--Rev. Walter\nMcFarlane.\n\nThe Conference of 1865 was held Oct. 4th in Summerfield Church,\nMilwaukee, Bishop Baker presiding, and assisted by Bishop Ames. Rev.\nSamuel Fallows was elected Secretary, and Revs. Wm. P. Stowe, E.D.\nFarnham and R.W. Bosworth Assistants.\n\nThe relentless war that had raged for four years had now closed. The\nclouds had lifted from the fields of conflict, and the Conference was\nnow able to take note of the past and anticipate the future of the\ncountry. The report adopted at this session, presented by the Committee\non the state of the country, was a masterly document. It recognized the\nfact that the Wisconsin Conference, since its organization, had\nexhibited a bold and manly opposition to American Slavery. That the\nrecent rebellion, aiming its blows at the Government, bought by the\nblood of Revolutionary patriots, was the outgrowth of the institution of\nSlavery. And that the Conference, in common with the Laity, and loyal\ncitizens of the North generally, had acquitted herself nobly, in\nstanding by the Government in its hour of trial, and, having rendered\nthis service as a Christian duty, she had nothing to take back. Looking\nout upon the future, she also anticipated the coming day when equal\nrights should be accorded to all, irrespective of color or nationality.\n\nThe question of Slavery and the frightful war it had entailed upon the\ncountry having passed away, the Conference now took up the subject of\nLay Delegation. And since the subject is new to many, it may not be\nimproper to devote to it a brief examination.\n\nThe question has been raised, \"How came it to pass that in the\norganization of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Laity were not\nassociated with the Ministry in the Conferences?\" The question is a\nlegitimate one, and deserves a considerate answer.\n\nIt should be remembered that the establishment of the Church was rather\na growth than an organization. This one fact accounts, doubtless, for\nthe peculiar feature referred to. Had there existed at the outset a\nlarge body of Christians, including Ministers and Laymen, awaiting an\norganization, at the time Mr. Wesley began his labors, it is possible\nthat he might have so combined them in appropriate relations as to\nsecure a united responsibility. But such was not the state of the case.\nIn the strict sense of the word, Mr. Wesley had no Church, and no people\nout of which to organize one. And it is possible that he began his\nlabors without an expectation of organizing a Church. His great concern,\noverleaping every other consideration, was to save souls. In this work\nhe was ready to call to his aid such instrumentalities as gave the best\npromise of the desired result. It was but natural that, whenever he met\na congenial spirit, there should be an affiliation. In such case a unity\nof effort would necessarily follow.\n\nIn this manner there grew up around Mr. Wesley a company of men, who\nwere recognized as his helpers. With the multiplication of these\nassistant laborers, it became advisable to reduce the co-operative\neffort to a systematic plan. To adopt a plan of labor and give it\nefficiency, the organization of Conferences became a necessity. The\nfirst Conferences were composed of Mr. Wesley and his helpers, and could\nnot embody Laymen, as no Church had been organized. This state of things\ncontinued during the life time of Mr. Wesley in England, and as he gave\nthe Church in the United States its first organization, the same system\nwas introduced here.\n\nSubsequently, as the work extended and the Conferences multiplied, it\nwas but natural that they should all take the same character. Nor would\nthere have been any special need for a change, perhaps, if there had\nbeen no changes in the character of the work to be done. But with the\nerection of Churches, the founding of schools, and the creation of the\nBook Concern and Church literature, the Conferences, having these\ninterests in charge, need the presence and aid of Laymen.\n\nAt the General Conference of 1864, action had been taken inviting the\nmembership to vote on the subject, and also to elect provisional\nDelegates to the General Conference of 1868. The action of the Wisconsin\nConference fully endorsed the movement and the body faithfully complied\nwith its provisions.\n\nAt this session the Conference made a record of the death, of three of\nits members, Revs. Henry Requa, George Chester and Romulus O. Kellogg.\nTo the first named, reference has been made in former chapters.\n\nBrother Chester came to this country in 1849, from England, where he had\nbeen converted under the labors of Rev. James Caughey. He was received\ninto the Wisconsin Conference in 1851, and was appointed to Prairie La\nCrosse. His subsequent appointments were Willow River, Madison Circuit,\nWaterloo, Columbus, Burnett, Fox Lake, Footville, Evansville, and\nShopiere. At the last named place he was attacked with typhoid fever,\nand, after an illness of three weeks, passed away in holy triumph, with\nthe words, \"Glory! Glory! Glory!\" upon his lips. Brother Chester was a\ntrue man, and a successful Minister of the Lord Jesus Christ.\n\nBrother Kellogg came with his parents to Milwaukee in 1836. He prepared\nfor College at Rock River Seminary, Mount Morris, graduated at the\nWesleyan University, Conn., in 1849, and served as Professor of\nLanguages in the Lawrence University for five years thereafter. He was\nreceived into the Wisconsin Conference in 1862, and was appointed to\nFort Atkinson. He was reappointed the second and third years, but,\nduring the latter, his nervous system gave way under his devoted and\ntrying labors, and he passed to the bright beyond. Brother Kellogg was a\nman of fine culture, genial spirit, faithful to every trust, and\nuniversally beloved by all who knew him.\n\nThe Conference at this session was again called upon to send one of its\nmembers abroad as a Missionary. Rev. L.N. Wheeler was sent to China. He\nwas presented at the Conference with an album containing the photographs\nof the donors as a token of remembrance. The writer was selected to make\nthe presentation speech, as he had known him from his childhood.\n\nBrother Wheeler, before he engaged in the Ministerial work, devoted\nseveral years to editing and publishing secular papers. He entered the\nConference in 1858, and had been stationed at Two Rivers, Byron, Empire,\nManitowoc, and Sheboygan.\n\nHaving been advised with by the Mission Board at New York during the\nyear, as to his qualifications, I was prepared to expect the\nappointment, fully persuaded that it would prove both creditable to the\nConference and profitable to the Mission field. While abroad Brother\nWheeler had charge for some time of the Mission press. He rendered\nefficient service in the China Mission during the seven years of his\nabsence. But, on account of failing health, he was compelled to return\nin 1872. He is now stationed again at Manitowoc. He is a man of superior\ntalent, and is greatly esteemed.\n\nI had now completed my term of three years on the Spring Street Station,\nand my next appointment was very much in doubt. I had been solicited to\naccept invitations to several stations, and also the Fond du Lac\nDistrict, but in each case I assured the good brethren that I deemed it\nbest to let the Bishop and his Cabinet decide without prejudice, and\nassign me work where they believed I could serve the general cause to\nthe best advantage. Had I allowed myself a preference, it would have\nbeen some quiet station of moderate responsibility, where I could have\nrallied my enfeebled health. Besides, I had a doubt whether I ought to\nbe put on a District so soon again, after having completed two full\nterms before I reached my fortieth year. But it is vain to speculate in\nadvance. At the close of the Conference, I found myself appointed\nPresiding Elder of Fond du Lac District.\n\nThe appointment was a surprise to both myself and family. But accepting\nthe situation as a legitimate feature of the Itinerancy, we entered at\nonce upon the needed preparations for a removal to Fond du Lac. The\nremoval, however, was to be preceded by an event that, by separating the\nfamily, would render the change exceedingly trying. I refer to the\nmarriage of our eldest daughter to Capt. Frank P. Lawrence, of Racine,\nthereby breaking a link out of the chain that had so long and pleasantly\nbound us together in the family circle. But, having previously learned\nthat life's difficulties are best overcome by turning towards them a\nbrave bearing, we prepared for the nuptials.\n\nOn the morning of the 17th of October a few friends came in at the\nbreakfast hour, and our daughter passed into the keeping of another.\nThough fully satisfied with the arrangement, the occasion imposed upon\nme the most difficult duty of my life. The ceremony was performed in\nconnection with the family devotions, and quite unmanned me. Assembled\nin the parlor, I took my usual place to lead the devotions. The\nScriptures were read, and my daughter presided as usual at the piano.\nThus far everything maintained its accustomed order. But when we knelt\nin prayer, and I closed my eyes to all visible things, the invisible\ncame trooping in throngs to my already burdened thought. Then came the\nvivid recollection of the many happy years we had spent together as a\nfamily, the many sweet hours we had spent together in that parlor, with\nmusic and song, in which our dear daughter had ever been the central\nfigure, and the now sad fact of an immediate separation. The chain must\nnow be broken, and its then brightest link snatched away to gladden\nanother home, while our own circle must be broken forever.\n\nWith these thoughts rushing upon me, it is not a matter of surprise that\nI was quite overwhelmed with feeling, and found utterance almost\nimpossible. How I passed through the prayer and the ceremony that\nfollowed, has never been quite clear to me, but I was told that nothing\nwas omitted that could be deemed essential to the occasion. The wedding\nparty was soon after dismissed with our blessing, and we at once began\nthe preparations for our own trip to the cars, to occur in the afternoon\nof the same day.\n\nWe reached Fond du Lac at nightfall, and were kindly entertained by Rev.\nJ.T. Woodhead and his family. The following day we were invited to the\npleasant home of our old friend, C.O. Hurd, who, with his most excellent\nfamily, gave us a kindly greeting and cared for us until the arrival of\nour goods.\n\nMy predecessor on the District was Rev. Theron O. Hollister, a man \"full\nof faith and the Holy Ghost.\" Brother Hollister was received into the\nConference at its session in Baraboo in 1853, and his first charge was\nSummit. His subsequent fields of labor were Fort Atkinson, Lake Mills,\nGreenbush, Sheboygan Falls, and Fond du Lac, where he succeeded to the\nDistrict. At the close of his term on the District he was appointed to\nOconomowoc, next to Waukesha, and the year following to Hart Prairie.\nHere his health utterly broke down, and at the following session of the\nConference in 1868, he was compelled to take a superannuated relation.\nHe now removed to Salem, in Kenosha County, where he died March 13,\n1869, aged forty-seven.\n\nBrother Hollister was a man of robust frame, and, generally, good\nhealth. He was an earnest man, and whatever he did was done with all his\nstrength, of both mind and body. With limited early opportunities, and\ntoo intensely occupied in after years with the practical labor of the\nMinistry, to retrieve the loss he had sustained, he did not aspire to a\nknowledge of books. But in all the active labor of leading souls to\nChrist, he was a workman who needed not to be ashamed.\n\nHe swept over the District like a storm, \"instant in season and out of\nseason,\" laying his strong hand on every part of the work, and pushing\nit forward. And no doubt it was the work that he did on the District\nthat laid the foundation of the disease which terminated his useful\nlife. An overtaxed brain fell a prey to mental disability, and our good\nbrother went to his reward.\n\nFond du Lac was under the pastoral care of Rev. J.T. Woodhead. This\nexcellent brother entered the Conference in 1858, and before coming to\nFond du Lac, had been stationed at Greenbush, Berlin and Ripon. He was\nnow on his third year in his present field.\n\nBrother Woodhead's early opportunities were limited, but with great\ndevotion to his calling, he had carefully improved his time after\nentering the Ministry. He was accepted by his people as a man of rare\nexcellences, happily blending in beautiful harmony both Faith and Works.\nIn the pulpit, his manner is not always graceful, but it is never\ndisagreeable. His discourses abound with Evangelical truth, set off\nusually in fine delineations of Scriptural scenes and characters. He has\nextraordinary dramatic talent, and only needs the culture of the\nschools, in addition to his present gifts and graces, to place him in\nthe front rank as a speaker. Brother Woodhead is one of the best Pastors\nI have ever known.\n\nThe Fond du Lac District at this time numbered twenty charges. To visit\neach quarterly on the Sabbath was impossible, unless I chose to hold two\non adjacent charges, the same day. And this plan I did not deem\nadvisable, believing that it tends to break down Quarterly Meetings\naltogether, by dividing the interest. I chose rather to visit each\ncharge regularly semi-annually, and the feebler ones more frequently, if\npossible. The intervening Quarterly Meetings were held by the Pastors,\nexcept they chose to procure supplies.\n\nMy first Quarterly Meeting, held at Fond du Lac, was an occasion of rare\ninterest. Having been granted license to preach, and sent into the\nItinerancy by these brethren, they were disposed to assert a special\ninterest in the Presiding Elder. Besides, the Society, under the\nministrations of Brother Woodhead, was in a happy spiritual condition, a\nsatisfactory pledge of a good meeting.\n\nAs it is my purpose to write up more particularly, as far as space will\npermit, the charges and Ministers of the Conference, than my own labors,\nI shall not undertake to follow in order my visits to the several\ncharges. During the present year, as well as the three following, I\nshall simply refer to such items as will further this object, well\nknowing that the adoption of any other plan would involve the issue of\nseveral volumes instead of one.\n\nWaupun came early on the list. Many changes had occurred at Waupun\nduring the twenty years which had intervened since my Pastorate in 1845.\nI found a small frame Church and one of the best Parsonages in the\nConference. The Society had become strong both financially and in\nnumbers. I was happy indeed to meet old friends with whom I had labored\nin other years, and especially the converts of the early times, now\ngrown to be pillars in the Church. But with our rejoicing there also\ncame the shadows of sadness. Many had gone over the river. And since my\nvisit, others still have gone, and among them, Brother and Sister\nWilliam McElroy. But they were ready.\n\nRev. D.W. Couch was the Pastor at Waupun. He entered the Conference in\n1857, and before coming to Waupun had been stationed at Bristol,\nPleasant Prairie, Geneva, and had also served as Agent of the\nNorthwestern Seaman's Friend Society. After leaving Waupun his\nappointments have been Janesville in the Wisconsin Conference, and\nMineral Point in the West Wisconsin. At the last Conference he was\nappointed Presiding Elder of the Madison District, where he is rendering\neffective service.\n\nBrother Couch is a very useful man, having unusual ability to adjust\nhimself to such work as requires special adaptations. He has a great\nfund of anecdote, and is able to make a draft on this reserve whenever\nneeded. He has special control of the purses of the people, and hence is\nin great requisition wherever there is a call for funds, and especially\nat Church dedications. He is a pronounced success.\n\nAt Lamartine my Quarterly Meeting also revived old recollections. The\ncharge now embraced Rock River, where I formed a class in 1845, and also\nthe Society that held their services, at an early day, in Brother\nStowe's Chapel. A Church had now been built at Lamartine, the centre of\nthe charge, and also a Parsonage. The charge was now in a flame of\nrevival. With the praying band at Rock River at one end of the Circuit,\nand Brother Humiston and his devoted laborers at the other, an almost\ncontinuous revival was but the normal condition. But in addition, I now\nfound the circuit under the charge of Rev. I.S. Eldridge, one of my old\nco-laborers at Janesville.\n\nBrother Eldridge entered the Conference in April, 1859, and before\ncoming to Lamartine had been stationed at Utter's Corners, Palmyra,\nWauwatosa, and Byron. He was now on his second year, the charge having\nenjoyed during the former one great prosperity. After leaving Lamartine,\nBrother Eldridge's appointments have been Horicon and Juneau, Fox Lake,\nBrandon, Sheboygan Falls, Burnett, and Eagle.\n\nBrother Eldridge is yet in the vigor of his strength, and gives promise\nof many years of usefulness. While his great forte is revival work, he\nhas mental and spiritual force enough to amply sustain every other\ndepartment of a Minister's obligation. During the earlier portion of his\nwork, his incessant labor in protracted meetings greatly abridged his\nopportunities for study, but I presume in later years he has endeavored\nto retrieve the loss sustained. At this writing he is again at Eagle,\nwhere his accessions are already climbing the second hundred.\n\nAt Horicon I found Rev. Walter McFarlane, Pastor of the Horicon and\nJuneau charge. This dear brother and his most estimable lady gave me a\nhearty welcome, and made me feel at home in a few moments. I found the\ncharge in a prosperous condition, and the Pastor in high esteem among\nthe people.\n\nBrother McFarlane is a Scotchman by birth. He entered the Conference in\n1856, and was stationed at Cascade. His following appointments were\nOconto, Vinland, Two Rivers, and Empire. He was now on his second year\nin his present charge. After leaving Horicon, he was stationed at Byron.\nWhile on this charge he and his good lady took great interest in fitting\nup the Camp-Meeting grounds of the Fond du Lac District. A fine\nPreacher's stand was erected, comfortable seats were provided, and many\npermanent tents were built. The meetings during this period became\nfar-famed and highly profitable. The great burden of looking after all\nlocal matters was sustained by this good Brother, as the Pastor of the\ncharge, and the administration was always highly acceptable. After\nleaving Byron, his appointments were Winneconne, Bristol, Sylvania, and\nGranville. In this last named charge, he is at this writing doing\neffective work.\n\nBrother McFarlane is well versed in Theology and Biblical criticism. He\nhas a large fund of information on all subjects of general interest, and\nis able to make himself an interesting companion among the people. He\nhas an intense dislike to the superficial, and is never satisfied with\nthe examination of any subject until he can feel the firm foundation\nbeneath him. In his sermons he seeks to give reliable information on\nspecific subjects rather than spin glittering generalities. Firm as the\nHighlands of his native home, and balmy as her valleys, he is none other\nthan a highly esteemed brother.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIII.\n\nConference of 1866.--Centenary Year.--Lay\nDelegation.--Reconstruction.--Returned to Fond du Lac District.--Seven\nSermons a Week--Rev. O.J. Cowles.--Beaver Dam.--A Good Record.--Fall\nRiver.--Early History.--Columbus.--Rev. Henry Sewell.--Conference of\n1867.--Election of Delegates.--Cotton Street.--Rev. R.S. Hayward.--Rev.\nA.A. Reed.--General Conference.--Conference of 1868.--Rev. T.C.\nWilson.--Rev. H.C. Tilton. Rev. John Hill.--Rev. Isaac Searles.--Rev.\nJ.B. Cooper.--An Incident.--Close of the Term.--Progress Made.\n\nThe Conference of 1866 was held at Ripon, Bishop Clark presiding. The\nSecretaries were the same as the preceding year.\n\nThe Centenary of American Methodism occurred this year, and the month of\nOctober had been set apart for the purposes of a celebration. The writer\nhad been designated to preach a Centenary sermon during the session of\nthe Conference, but as I was called to Waupun to attend the funeral of\nmy brothers's wife, on the day the services were to have been held, the\ngood Bishop kindly consented to occupy the pulpit for me.\n\nThe collections during the Centenary year were mostly given to\nEducational purposes, the Lawrence University, the Garrett Biblical\nInstitute, and the Evansville Seminary being the beneficiaries. The\nfirst named received perhaps fifteen thousand dollars.\n\nThe subject of Lay Delegation again engaged the attention of the body.\nWhile fully sympathizing with the general movement, the Conference\nanticipated the contemplated change by inviting the several District\nSteward's meetings to elect three Delegates from each District to visit\nthe ensuing session of the Annual Conference, and co-operate with that\nbody in its deliberations, as far as the polity of the Church would\npermit. The invitation was accepted, and at the next session the\nDelegates were cordially received.\n\nAt this time the question of the Ecclesiastical Reconstruction of the\nSouth was beginning to agitate the Church. The Conference, always\nradical on all the great questions of the day, took advanced ground, and\nconsistently adhered to its positions throughout the discussion. The\nsubsequent history of the Southern work has fully justified the\naction taken.\n\nWith this session of the Conference began the Cabinet work of my third\nterm as Presiding Elder. Adhering to my former convictions, I favored\nonly such changes in the appointments as were dictated by the law of the\nChurch and stern necessity. In connection with the appointments, an\neffort was made to secure my assignment to the station in Fond du Lac,\nbut when it was known that a Committee from the Official Board was in\nattendance upon the Conference, the Ministers and Laymen of the District\nentered a vigorous remonstrance.\n\nThe Bishop kindly enquired whether I had any suggestions to make. I\nanswered, \"I have never interfered in making my own appointments; and it\nis too late to begin now. As you and the Cabinet understand the case,\nhaving had a full representation from both sides, I will step aside and\nlet you decide the matter.\" After an absence of an hour, I returned, and\nfound my name still at the head of the District.\n\nAt the close of the session I returned to Fond du Lac and entered upon\nanother year of taxing labor. The work was growing rapidly, and it was\nnecessary to reconstruct and enlarge several of the Churches, and build\nothers. In several localities we succeeded in a consolidation of the\nwork, thereby making it possible to erect several Churches. Instead of\nmaintaining feeble appointments at contiguous school houses, we found it\nbetter to combine two or more of them, and build a Church in a central\nlocality. In this way the Mulleton, Hingham, Leroy, Markesan, Lake\nMaria, and several other Churches found an existence.\n\nDuring the winter season of this year, I was largely engaged with the\nseveral Pastors in protracted meetings. And during the first half of the\nyear, I preached on an average seven sermons a week. The Pastors were a\nband of devoted and earnest workers, and the year was one of\nremarkable success.\n\nAt Fond du Lac a charge of Pastors occurred, as the term of the former\nPastor had expired. His successor was Rev. O.J. Cowles. a young man of\nexcellent promise. He was a graduate of Cornell College in 1860, and of\nthe Garrett Biblical Institute in 1863. He entered the Conference the\nsame year, and had been stationed at Kenosha, Berlin, and Appleton.\nAfter his two years of service in Fond du Lac, he was stationed three\nyears each at Racine and Oshkosh.\n\nBrother Cowles is a man of superior talent and excellent spirit. He is\none of the rising men of the Conference, and bids fair to take a front\nrank. At this writing he is stationed at Whitewater, where he is in the\nmidst of a gracious revival.\n\nBeaver Dam Station was added this year to the District. Beaver Dam was\nsettled by members of the Presbyterian Church, and hence its earliest\nreligious services were held by the Ministers of that denomination. The\nfirst Methodist appointment was established by Rev. A.P. Allen in 1846,\nbeing then Pastor of Waupun Circuit as my successor. Rev. Henry Requa,\nas before stated, was employed by the Elder as his assistant. During the\nyear these earnest laborers held a protracted meeting, which resulted in\nseveral conversions. The first class was formed by Brother Allen, and\nconsisted of L.H. Marvin, Leader, Mr. and Mrs. Peters, Bennett Gordon,\nand Mrs. Reuben Dexter. Brother Marvin still resides at Beaver Dam.\n\nThe meetings were held in L.H. Marvin's cabinet shop, until other\nprovision could be made. The first Church, a frame building twenty-six\nby forty feet in size, was commenced by Brother Allen in the winter of\n1846 and '47, and completed the following year by Brother Requa. The\nbuilding was enlarged under the Pastorate of Rev. I.M. Leihy in 1859.\nUnder the Pastorate of Rev. A.A. Reed in 1870 and 1871, a large brick\nChurch was erected, the writer being invited to lay the corner-stone the\nfirst year, and preach the dedicatory sermon the second. During Brother\nReed's Pastorate a great revival also occurred, under the labors of Mrs.\nMaggie N. Van Cott, which added greatly to the strength of the Church.\nAt the present writing, the Pastor is Rev. Isaac Wiltse, of whom mention\nwill be made in a subsequent chapter.\n\nFall River and Columbus were assigned to the District this year from the\nJanesville District. At the organization of the work they constituted\none Circuit, but had now grown to be independent charges.\n\nFall River Society was organized in the log house of Clark Smith, on\nFountain Prairie, by Rev. Stephen Jones in 1844, the locality being at\nthe time connected with the old Aztalan Circuit. The members were Rev.\nE.J. Smith, of whom mention is made elsewhere, his wife, Martha Smith,\nClark Smith, Sarah Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Aaron E. Houghton. Brother E.J.\nSmith was appointed Leader.\n\nA log school house, the first built in the county, was erected soon\nafter, and the meetings were transferred to it. The population grew\nrapidly, being attracted by the beautiful location, and in due time\nthere was a strong society. Under the energetic and effective labors of\nthe Leader and his talented lady, this society was instrumental in the\nconversion of many souls.\n\nIn process of time a mill was built on the stream at Fall River. A fine\nschool house was soon after erected, and the meetings removed to it, as\nthe locality had become more central than the one on the Prairie. At the\npresent writing, Fall River holds a most respectable rank as a charge,\nhas a good Church, and a convenient Parsonage.\n\nColumbus was visited by Rev. Stephen Jones in 1844, he having been\nappointed to Aztalan Circuit the preceding autumn. He preached the first\nsermon in the log dwelling house of Brigham Campbell, but I am unable to\nfix the date. Nor am I able to give the organization of the first class,\nbut it is probable that during the early years the members in this\nlocality were connected with the Society on Fountain Prairie.\n\nIn 1859 Columbus was made a station, and Rev. Henry Colman was appointed\nPastor. The Society built their first Church, a frame structure, in an\nunfortunate location, but have now displaced it by a fine brick edifice,\nwhich they have placed in the central portion of the village. It is one\nof the best Churches in the interior of the State.\n\nThe present Pastor is Rev. Henry Sewell, who entered the Conference in\n1858. His appointments have been Porter, Edgerton and Stoughton,\nOrfordville, Utter's Corners, Emerald Grove and Maxonville, Sun Prairie,\nLake Mills, Oconomowoc, and Columbus. Brother Sewell is one of the most\nefficient men of the Conference. At Sun Prairie, he built a ten thousand\ndollar Church, and has succeeded in completing the enterprise at\nColumbus. In revival work Brother Sewell has met with rare success,\nusually increasing the membership of his charges at least one\nhundred per cent.\n\nThe Conference of 1867 was held Oct. 2d at Beaver Dam, Bishop Simpson\npresiding, and the same Secretaries were re-elected.\n\nThe action of the Conference on the subject of Lay Delegation will\nappear in the following resolutions:\n\n\"<i>Resolved,</i> That we are in favor of the representation of the Laity in\nAnnual and General Conference.\"\n\n\"<i>Resolved</i>, That our Delegates to the next General Conference be\ninstructed to use their influence in favor of such representation.\"\n\nHaving thus laid down the platform, the Conference next proceeded to\nelect the Delegates to the General Conference, resulting in the choice\nof G.M. Steele, W.G. Miller, Samuel Fallows, Henry Bannister, and C.D.\nPillsbury.\n\nTwo other subjects specially engaged the attention of the Conference at\nthis session. I refer to the \"Sabbath Question,\" and \"Ministerial\nEducation.\" Appropriate resolutions were adopted, and measures taken to\ngive efficiency to the timely expression of sentiment.\n\nMy work on the District opened at Cotton Street, Fond du Lac. This\ncharge, under the name of Arndt Street, or North Fond du Lac, had been\nmerged in the Division Street Station, and was now re-organized with\nRev. M.D. Warner as Pastor. A new Church had been commenced during the\npreceding year, and it was now completed. The dedicatory services were\nconducted by the lamented Dr. T.M. Eddy.\n\nBrandon was the next charge visited, the Pastor being my old friend Rev.\nR.S. Hayward, whose acquaintance, it will be remembered, I made as an\nExhorter at Brothertown.\n\nBrother Hayward entered the Conference in 1850, and had been stationed\nat Waupaca, Dartford, Metomon, Berlin, Wausau, and Sheboygan. He then\nserved as Presiding Elder on the Waupaca District a full term, and was\nsubsequently stationed at Vinland and Omro. In all these fields he had\nacquitted himself creditably, and was now doing a good work at Brandon.\nAfter leaving Brandon, he has served North Oshkosh, Clemensville,\nMenasha, Utica and Zion. At the last named he is now hard at work for\nthe Master.\n\nRev. A.A. Reed, who had just completed a three years' term at Brandon,\nwas now at Sheboygan Falls. This charge was continuing to hold a fair\nrank in the Conference, and during Brother Reed's Pastorate received\nmany accessions, and also improved the Church property.\n\nBrother Reed entered the Conference in 1859. His appointments had been\nEmpire, Lamartine, Byron, Greenbush, and Brandon. At the close of a\nthree years' term at Sheboygan Falls, he was sent to Beaver Dam, where\nhe succeeded, as before stated, in erecting a fine Church, and greatly\nmultiplying the membership. His present field, the Agency of the\nLawrence University, is one of great labor. But in this work, as well as\nin whatever may be assigned him, Brother Reed is a grand success, and\nwill accomplish his task.\n\nThe General Conference met in the month of May of this year in Chicago.\nDuring the session I was entertained by an old Milwaukee friend, Capt.\nJ.C. Henderson, long known on the Lakes as the Sabbath keeping Captain.\nThe two great questions that came before the body were Lay Delegation,\nand the admission of the Delegates from the newly formed Conferences in\nthe South. Both measures received the approval of the General\nConference, but as they were brought to the attention of the reader\nthrough the periodicals of the Church, I need not burden these pages\nwith a further reference to them.\n\nThe Conference of 1868 was held Oct. 1st at Racine, Bishop Ames\npresiding. The term of Rev. Joseph Anderson on the Waupaca District\nhaving expired, one of the young, men of the Conference was appointed as\nhis successor. I refer to Rev. T.C. Wilson.\n\nThis promising brother graduated from the Lawrence University in 1859,\nand was admitted to the Conference in 1862. Before being appointed to\nthe District he had been stationed at East Troy, Clinton, and Neenah.\nHis labors on the District were highly appreciated, and, at the close of\nhis term in 1872, he was appointed Presiding Elder of the Appleton\nDistrict, where he is, at this writing, still employed in the good work.\nHe is recognized as a man of thorough scholarship, a good Preacher, and\na successful laborer in the vineyard.\n\nAt the close of the Conference, the writer was returned to the Fond du\nLac District for a fourth year. On the District there were but few\nchanges, but among them was the bringing of two new men to Fond du Lac.\n\nRev. H.C. Tilton, appointed to Division Street, entered the Maine\nConference July 21st, 1841. His appointments in that Conference were\nMount Desert, Deer Island, Steuben, North Penobscot and North\nBucksport. At the division of the Conference he fell into East Maine,\nand, before coming West, was stationed at Frankfort, Hampden, Bangor,\nRockland and Damariscotta.\n\nBrother Tilton came to the Wisconsin Conference by transfer in 1857. His\nappointments have been Summerfield, Janesville, Janesville District,\nRacine District, Asbury, Division Street. Court Street, Janesville,\nand Appleton.\n\nBrother Tilton is a veteran in the work, having been in the Itinerancy\nnearly thirty-four years. Having possessed a vigorous constitution and\nfirm health, he has taken his full share of privation and hard work. His\nservices have always been in special demand, and he has not spared\nhimself. He is a man of vigorous intellect and a ready delivery, his\npulpit efforts always commanding the attention of the people. At this\nwriting he is building in Appleton one of the best Churches in the\nConference.\n\nRev. John Hill entered the North Indiana Conference in 1855. His\nappointments were Elkhart, La Grange, La Grove, Indianapolis, Anderson,\nGreenfield and Fort Wayne. He came to the Wisconsin Conference by\ntransfer this year, and Cotton Street was his first charge. His next\nappointment was Summerfield, Milwaukee, and the last was Bay View. Here\nhe was thrown from a wagon by the sudden starting of the horse, and,\nfalling upon his head, received a severe injury, from which he died in\ntwenty-four hours.\n\nBrother Hill was a man of small frame, but a large brain and a generous\nheart. His style of speech was clear, distinct and rapid. He could\nreason a question with great force, and could fringe the most\ncommonplace subjects with wit and humor. He was a true man, a good\nPreacher, and a faithful Pastor.\n\nRev. Isaac Searles was this year stationed at Brandon. He entered the\nRock River Conference in 1841, and was appointed to Indian Creek\nCircuit. His subsequent appointments in that Conference were Sycamore,\nCedar Rapids, Rock Island, Union Grove, and Hazel Green. In 1848, at the\ndivision, he fell into the Wisconsin Conference. In Wisconsin his\nappointments were Dodgeville, Lindon, Platteville, Madison District, Fox\nLake, Fall River, Dartford, Beaver Dam District, Watertown, Waukesha,\nEast Troy, and now Brandon. At this place his health failed, and, after\nlingering; until December 8th, 1870, he was called to the Father's\nhouse: above. His death was triumphant. His last words were, \"Jesus is\nmine, Jesus is mine.\" \"He saves me to the uttermost.\" \"I am standing on\nthe Rock.\" Thus passed away a. noble man, a true friend, and a\nveteran Minister.\n\nRev. J.B. Cooper was this year employed to supply Byron charge. This\nexcellent brother entered the traveling connection in the State of New\nYork, where he filled several appointments, but, his health failing, he\ntook a superannuated relation in 1854, and came to Janesville. In 1857\nhe rendered special service, as before stated, in the great revival of\nthat year, and in 1860 re-entered the regular work in the Wisconsin\nConference. His charges have been Evansville, Delavan, Hart Prairie,\nByron, Randolph and Rosendale, where he is stationed at the\npresent writing.\n\nBrother Cooper is a good specimen of the Itinerant Preacher. His manner\nis affable, his spirit genial, and his hand diligent. In all his charges\nhe is deservedly popular.\n\nAt one of the Quarterly Meetings of this charge, I was approached, at\nthe close of the morning services, by a gentleman who enquired whether I\ncame from the State of New York. On learning that I did, he further\nenquired whether I attended, when a boy, Prof. McLaren's Academy at\nGallupville. I informed him that I was there several years. \"Well,\" said\nhe, \"are you the one who measured the shote?\" I replied, \"Tell me about\nit, and we will see.\" He then related the following incident: \"At the\ntime to which I refer there was a boy about thirteen years old who was\nvery proficient in figures, and the Professor took great pleasure in\ngiving him difficult problems to solve during the dinner hour. On one of\nthese occasions, as the Professor was going across the green for his\ndinner, the boy met him and asked for a problem. Looking up, he saw a\nhalf grown hog near by, and quickly replied, 'Give me the cubic inches\nof that shote.' And, supposing he had got a good joke on the boy, he\npassed on. But as soon as he was fairly out of sight, the boy called\ntogether several other boys, and stated the case to them, adding, 'Now,\nboys, if you will help me to catch that shote, we will show the\nProfessor a thing that they have never done in Edinburgh.' The boys\nconsented, and his hogship was soon made a prisoner. Under a vigorous\nvocal protest, he was then dragged to the back end of the Academy\nbuilding, and plunged into a half hogshead of water. After his release,\nof course, the vacant space in the hogshead, caused by the displacing of\nthe water, represented the actual size of the shote. In five minutes\nmore, the cubic inches were obtained, and on the return of the Professor\nthe answer was ready for him.\" The story was well told, and I was\nobliged to confess to the impeachment.\n\nDuring this, the last year of my second term on the Fond du Lac\nDistrict, my strength was taxed to its utmost. Besides the regular\nQuarterly Meetings, I had made it my earnest concern to aid all the\nPreachers on the District in their work as far as possible. During the\nwinter this service was largely rendered in protracted meetings, and\nduring the summer in Church enterprises. In fact, the latter branch of\nlabor had been made a specialty during the entire term. And as a result,\ntwo Churches had been dedicated in Fond du Lac, three on the Chilton\ncharge, three on the Hingham work, one on the Byron, two on the\nMarkesan, one on the Brandon, one on the Rosendale, one on the Fox Lake,\none on the Empire, and one on the Horicon and Juneau, besides quite a\nnumber that were remodeled and largely improved. Including both classes,\nwe had had on the District during the term twenty-two Church\nenterprises. Extensive revivals had occurred, and we were now able to\nreport an increase of eight hundred and seventy-seven members.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIV.\n\nConference of 1869.--Stationed at Ripon.--First Visit.--Rev. E.J.\nSmith.--Rev. Byron Kingsbury.--Sabbath School.--Early Record of the\nStation.--Church Enterprises.--Rev. William Morse.--Rev. Joseph\nAnderson.--Revival.--Church Enlargement.--Berlin.--Early History.--Rev.\nIsaac Wiltse.--Conference of 1870.--Returned to Ripon.--Marriage of our\nSecond Daughter.--A Happy Year.--Close of our Labors.\n\nThe Conference of 1869 was held September 23d at Appleton, Bishop Scott\npresiding. My term on the District had now expired, and a new\nappointment must follow. Several of the strongest charges opened their\ndoors, but for reasons that were quite satisfactory both to myself and\nthe good people, I was stationed at Ripon.\n\nThe following week I started for my new field of labor. As before\nstated, I had visited this locality in 1845, it then being known as\nCeresco. But, besides a casual visit and a week's stay during the\nsession of the Conference, I had enjoyed limited opportunities to\nmaintain an acquaintance with the people or the charge. I reached the\ncity Saturday afternoon, and immediately, satchel in hand, started down\nMain Street to find some one who might invite me to lodgings. I had not\ngone far when I saw a gentleman hastily crossing the street to intercept\nme. On approaching I found it to be Rev. E.J. Smith, a Local Preacher,\nto whom reference has been made in former chapters in connection with\nFall River. I had learned of his removal to Ripon, but was hardly\nprepared to meet my old friend so suddenly, and receive such a hearty\ngreeting. An invitation to lodgings immediately followed, and I joyfully\naccepted, remembering the kind hospitality this noble family had given\nme in other days.\n\nAfter chatting over the past, and taking some refreshments, my old\nfriend took me out to a multitude of introductions among the brethren. I\nfound them all cordial, and began to feel quite at home among them.\nPassing down Main Street, we visited the Church, a building of\nrespectable size and comparatively new, and passing down still further\ninto the borders of what was formerly known as Ceresco proper, we found\nthe Parsonage. This little walk of Saturday gave me an outline of the\nlay of things, and helped me to poise my head and arrange my thoughts\nfor the Sabbath.\n\nThe Sabbath gave me a fair congregation, and at the close of the service\nwe enjoyed a good Class Meeting, Led by my old friend, E.J. Smith. And\nas one of the living members of the class, I found also an old\nacquaintance of my boyhood and later years, Albert Cook. There were also\na few friends of other days still residing in Ripon, and several who had\ncome from other places to reside in the city, to join in the cordial\ngreeting that was given me. The Sunday School, under the charge of Rev.\nByron Kingsbury, so well known throughout the State in the Sunday School\nwork, met also at the close of the morning service. It was in a\nflourishing condition, as it could not well be otherwise with such a\nSuperintendent. The Superintendent introduced the new Pastor to the\nschool, and playfully asked them if they thought the new Pastor was as\ngood-looking as the old. Quite to my surprise, they answered in the\naffirmative. In the few remarks that followed I accounted for the good\nlooks of both the former Pastor and the present on the score that I was\nthe Father and the former Pastor was one of my boys, as I had\nintroduced him to the Conference some years before. This little sally\nreconciled the children to the new state of things, and secured me a\nkindly greeting from all of them.\n\nSince my Pastorate in 1845, a variety of changes had passed over the\nplace and the Church. I found Ripon no longer a small settlement,\nnestled in the little valley between the bluffs, but a veritable city,\nnow largely perched on the brow of the prairie, with its numerous\nbusiness houses, its Churches, and its College. The Church, instead of\nbeing a small class with its meetings first in the dining hall and\nafterwards in the small school house, was now a large Society, and\ncomfortably quartered in a respectable Church edifice.\n\nBut all these changes had not come in a day. The Circuit of twenty-four\nappointments, of which Ripon was only one, had been divided and\nsubdivided until they had become nearly a score of charges. To trace\nthese changes in detail would weary the reader, and hence I have only\nreferred to them incidentally, as they have fallen into the line of my\nsubsequent labors. In this connection, I must confine myself to Ripon\nand its immediate vicinity.\n\nThe first Quarterly Meeting of which I can find a record was held in\nCeresco by Rev. J.M. Walker, Oct. 15th, 1855, Rev. William Stevens was\nthen the Preacher in charge. The official members were: George Limbert,\nLocal Preacher, Z. Pedrick, Recording Steward, Thos. P. Smith, Steward,\nand David S. Shepherd, Class Leader. There were at this time four\nclasses connected with the charge, and these were located at Ripon,\nCeresco. Rush Lake, and Utica. At the fourth Quarterly Meeting of this\nyear there were two Sunday Schools reported. One at Ceresco, with\nthirty-three scholars, and one at Ripon, with twenty-one.\n\nThe following year, 1856, Rev. R. Moffat was sent to the charge. Utica\nwas now put into another charge, and Democrat Prairie attached to\nCeresco. During this year, a small frame Church was built in Ceresco, on\nthe east side of the street, and about forty rods south of the Ceresco\nmill. The pioneer Church was used until 1860, when it was sold to Mr.\nW.H. Demming, who removed it to its present location for a cooper-shop.\nFrom 1856 to 1860, while the services in Ceresco were thus held in the\nsmall Church, the meetings in Ripon were held in the City Hall, which\nwas rented for the purpose. When the new Church was built, the\ncongregations were united.\n\nThe new Church, under the Pastorate of Rev. William Morse, was commenced\nin May, 1860, and the lecture-room was ready for use in March, 1861. The\naudience room was not completed until the Pastorate of Rev. J.T.\nWoodhead in 1862. Brother Woodhead was succeeded by Rev.\nJoseph Anderson.\n\nBrother Morse had entered the traveling connection in the State of New\nYork, had located, and had come West, seeking health for his wife. The\ndeath of Brother Maxson, of which mention is made in a former chapter,\nhad left Ripon without a Pastor, and Brother Morse was employed to fill\nthe vacancy.\n\nBesides filling out the unexpired year, he remained two years on the\ncharge, and during his Pastorate there were many accessions. He filled\nseveral other appointments subsequently in the Conference with great\nacceptability, but on account of family affliction, he was finally\ncompelled to retire from active labor. At this writing he is in Western\nIowa, where he does what he can to help on the good cause. He is a man\nof sweet spirit, and is highly esteemed by all his brethren.\n\nBrother Anderson entered the Wisconsin Conference in 1852, and was\nstationed at South Grove, in Racine District. His subsequent\nappointments had been Milton, Geneva, Sheboygan Falls, Fond du Lac\nDistrict, and Appleton. On the stations, and during his four years on\nthe District, he had done efficient work, and was now brought to Ripon\nas the successor of Brother Woodhead, where he was well received. After\nleaving Ripon, his appointments have been, Presiding Elder on the\nWaupaca District four years, Waupaca Station, Second Church, Oshkosh,\nand Omro, his present field.\n\nBrother Anderson is a man of large frame, and gives evidence of unusual\nphysical strength. He has a strong head, a kind heart, and is inclined\nto the humorous. He can tell a good story in a social circle, and can\nrelate a good anecdote in the pulpit. In the latter he is gifted in the\nline of similes, which often in his hands make the sermon interesting\nand profitable. He gives promise of many more years of usefulness.\n\nAt Ripon, the Sabbath having passed, steps were taken to place the\nParsonage in readiness to receive the Pastor's family. Those noble\nwomen, Mrs. Kingsbury, Mrs. Smith, and others, not only aided in the\nnecessary provision, but actually gave their personal superintendence to\nthe arrangement of the furniture. A new carpet was put down in the\nparlor; a new stove in the sitting room, and such other measures taken\nas were deemed necessary to render the coming and stay of the Pastor's\nfamily agreeable to them. And when the family came on Thursday, they\nfound the rooms warm, the table spread, and the house filled with happy\nfaces, warm hearts and ready hands, to give them a cordial greeting.\nSuch a reception, given by such a people, robs the Itinerancy of half\nits burdens, and gives to the relations of Pastor and people an\nexquisite setting.\n\nThe preliminaries settled, I took up my work in the order I had been\naccustomed to follow whenever assigned to station work. Knowing the\nimportance of the pastoral as well as the pulpit labor, I had always\nbeen accustomed to adhere strictly to a division of labor, giving the\nforenoons to my study, and the afternoons to pastoral visits. By this\narrangement I found I could give to the study all the time necessary to\nfully employ a healthy brain, and yet find time to pass over in\nconsecutive order the entire list of families in regular attendance upon\nthe Church, three or four times a year. The prosecution of this plan in\nRipon soon filled the house with people, and also added greatly to the\nspiritual prosperity of the membership.\n\nDuring the winter considerable revival interest pervaded the\ncongregation, which had now come to fill the Church to suffocation, and\nnot less than seventy-five persons professed conversion. The students\nfrom the College came to the Church in great numbers, and several of\nthem were found among the converts.\n\nDuring the winter, a lecture course was instituted, under the auspices\nof the Literary Society connected with the College, and I was requested\nto give the first lecture. The flattering manner in which the effort was\nspoken of by the press brought other invitations, and I yielded to\nseveral of them, though my time was too much occupied with my regular\nwork to indulge myself far in this direction. At this time I was also\nemployed to do considerable work in connection with the press. Besides\nbecoming one of the corresponding editors of the Index and the N.W.\nAdvance, two papers published in Milwaukee, I accepted the position of a\nLocal Editor on the Fond du Lac Commonwealth, and in this capacity\nrepresented Ripon and its vicinity in its columns.\n\nDuring the winter, I was called to Onion River to dedicate the new\nbrick Church that had been built on the Hingham charge, and in the\nfollowing summer I was called to Oshkosh to re-open the First Church,\nwhich had been enlarged and greatly improved by the Rev. Wm. P. Stowe.\nFrequent calls were also made upon me for addresses on Temperance and\nother subjects. I yielded as far as consistent with my other\nobligations, but made in these cases, as ever in the course of my\nlabors, all such calls yield to the pressing demands of my regular\nMinisterial work.\n\nBut at this stage of our work, another enterprise lay immediately before\nthe good people of Ripon. The Church could no longer accommodate the\ncrowds of people that thronged it, and an extension became necessary. A\nunited and generous effort, however, soon rendered this necessary\nimprovement a fixed fact. By an extension of the length and\nreconstruction of the basement, and suitable refitting, the Ripon Church\nbecame not only commodious, but, in size, the second Church in the\nnorthern portion of the Conference.\n\nOn one of the beautiful days of June, I concluded to make a visit to\nBerlin. Taking my family in a carriage, we passed over a delightful\ncountry and along pleasant roads, wondering at the change that had come\nover that region since I made my wild excursion in this direction in\n1845, to find Strong's Landing. I now found Berlin a pleasant city and\nthe home of many valued friends, whom I had known elsewhere.\n\nBerlin, though now aspiring to be a charge of respectable standing, had\nits beginning, like all others, in \"the day of small things.\" The first\nMethodist sermon was preached by Rev. Mr. Bassinger in September, 1850.\nThe services were held in the office of a warehouse. Berlin was now\nconnected with Dartford, and became a regular appointment. Brother\nBassinger formed a class in connection with the first service in the\nwarehouse. The members were Reuben Tompkins, his wife, and two\ndaughters, Mrs. Kellogg and Mrs. McElroy.\n\nUntil a Church was built the meetings were held, after leaving the\nwarehouse, first over Mr. Bartlett's store, and afterwards over Mr.\nAlexander's clothing store. The first Church was built under the\nPastorate of Rev. J. Pearsall in 1851. It did good service for several\nyears, and was then sold. It is now used as a blacksmith shop. The\nsecond church, the present respectable edifice, was built in 1858 by\nRev. D. Stansbury, and was dedicated by the late Dr. T.M. Eddy. The\nParsonage was built by Rev. D.O. Jones in 1862.\n\nRev. Isaac Wiltse, the Pastor at Berlin at this time entered the\nWisconsin Conference at its April session in 1859. His charges before\ncoming to Berlin were Wautoma, Kingston, Door Creek, Lowell, Liberty\nPrairie, and Dartford. Since leaving Berlin, his appointment has been\nBeaver Dam, where he is now doing a good work for the Master.\n\nBrother Wiltse is one of those men who usually remain on a charge as\nlong as the law of the Church will permit. He is a young man of a clear\nunderstanding and genuine piety. As a Preacher he holds an excellent\nposition in the Conference, and he is not less esteemed as a Pastor.\nAvoiding all effort to make a show in the world, he furnishes a large\nstock of Gospel truth in his sermons, and puts into his administration\nan equal share of common sense.\n\nThe next session of the Conference was held Oct. 12, in Janesville. We\nwere returned to Ripon, as expected by all. But the year opened with\nanother of those occasions which strangely unite both joy and sorrow. On\nthe third day of November, a happy group were met at the Parsonage, to\ncelebrate the marriage of our second daughter, Laura Eunice, and Mr.\nJesse Smith, of Fond du Lac. This event took to Fond du Lac our second\nand only remaining daughter, leaving us alone with our son, now twelve\nyears of age, as the only representative of young life in the household.\nThose only who have thus felt the shadows one after another creeping\naround the home hearth, can realize the desolation of feeling that\nbroods over the parental heart on such occasions. But there is no time\nin this life to estimate its losses. The duties of the day are ever upon\nus, and we must away at their call.\n\nThe Church enlargement had been completed, and every indication gave\npromise of a successful year. Our associations were exceedingly\npleasant, and the Church, at peace in all her borders, was in a healthy\nspiritual condition. During the winter a revival again blessed the\nlabors of Pastor and people. The following summer was one of great\ncomfort. The two years spent at Ripon were among the most happy of all\nour Itinerant life. Not a jar had disturbed the fair fabric of our\ndreams, not a ripple had disturbed the happy flow of feeling. And,\nstrongly entrenched in the confidence and good feeling of all the\npeople, we closed the year in full expectation of a return and another\nsuccessful term.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXV.\n\nConference of 1871.--Election of Delegates.--Laymen's Electoral\nConvention.--Temperance.--The Sabbath.--Rev. Thomas Hughes.--Appointed\nto Spring Street.--Third Term.--Wide Field.--Rev. C.D. Pillsbury.--Rev.\nW.W. Case.--The Norwegian Work.--Rev. A. Haagenson.--The Silver\nWedding.--Results of the Year.\n\nThe Conference of 1871 was held in the Summerfield Church, Milwaukee,\nOct. 11, and was presided over by Bishop Simpson. At this session the\nelection of Delegates to the General Conference again occurred. The\nConference was entitled to five clerical Delegates, and the Laymen to\ntwo. The Conference elected G.M. Steele, C.D. Pillsbury, Henry\nBannister, P.R. Pease, and W.G. Miller. The Laymen's Convention elected\nHon. Wm. P. Lyon, of the Supreme Court of the State, and R.P. Elmore,\nEsq., of Milwaukee. Judge Lyon being unable to attend, his place was\nfilled by Prof. H.A. Jones, of Lawrence University.\n\nAt this session provision was made to hold a Methodist State Convention\nat Madison during the following summer. Able reports were also adopted\non the subject of Temperance and the observance of the Christian\nSabbath, showing that the members of the body kept abreast with the\ndemands of the times.\n\nThis year the Conference was called to make a record of the death of two\nof its members, Rev. Isaac Searles, and Rev. Thomas Hughes. As reference\nhas been made to the first named in a former chapter, it need not be\nrepeated in this connection.\n\nBrother Hughes was a native of Wales, and had been connected with our\nWelsh work. Alter serving two years in the Welsh Mission in Oneida\nConference he came to Wisconsin in 1857. He settled in Fond du Lac\ncounty, and for several years supplied the Welsh Mission in Nekimi,\npreaching also at times to the English population in that neighborhood.\nHis death occurred in Utica, N.Y. He was a man of strong mind, amiable\nspirit, and thoroughly versed in the doctrines of the Bible and the\nstandards of the Church.\n\nBesides this depletion of the Itinerant ranks, three of our brethren had\nbeen called during the year to go down into the deep shadows of domestic\naffliction, in the loss of their companions, Revs. William Teal, Warren\nWoodruff and H.H. Jones. The obituaries of these devoted co-laborers\nwere inserted in the Conference Minutes.\n\nDuring the session of the Conference, Mrs. Miller and myself were\nentertained by the Misses Curry, whose generous hospitality made our\nstay with them exceedingly pleasant. We also visited many of our old\nfriends in the city as opportunity permitted, little dreaming of the\nsurprise that was awaiting us.\n\nThe Conference closed in the usual manner by the reading of the\nappointments. But judge of our surprise to find ourselves assigned for a\nthird time to the Pastorate of Spring Street Station, Milwaukee. To say\nwe were surprised indeed would be but to state the truth, and yet to say\nwe were pained we could not, for who that has ever known the good people\nof Old Spring Street, could ever deem it an affliction to be stationed\namong them. However, when we looked upon the weeping eyes of several of\nour dear Ripon friends in the congregation, and thought of the many\nothers at home, we would have been other than human if our eyes had not\nalso filled with tears. Nor is it too much to say, that we did not know\nhow much we were attached to the good people of Ripon and our work\nthere, until we found ourselves so suddenly separated from them. But on\nthe other hand, what could we say? We came first to Milwaukee when in\nour youth. We came again to the Milwaukee District in 1859, and to the\nstation in 1862, giving to the first four years of severe labor, and to\nthe last three of the most successful years of our Itinerant life. We\nhad known this people as it seldom falls to the lot of Itinerants to\nknow a people. With not a few we had knelt at the Altar of God, when\nthey passed into the spiritual kingdom. The names of very many of them\nhad been entered by the writer's hand on the records of the Church. With\nmany we had bowed our heads in recognition of their deep sorrow, and\nwith many had clasped hands in the day of their rejoicing. And now, to\nbe sent back to a third Pastorate within a period of twenty years, could\nnot be deemed less than a great privilege.\n\nBut to our work. Following my life-long custom, the first Sabbath of the\nnew Conference year found me at my post of labor. I was happy to find\nthe charge in a good spiritual condition, and hence I was able to take\nup the work in its ordinary line of service. My first care was to\narrange a complete system of pastoral labor, still entertaining the\nconviction that upon the faithful prosecution of this branch of the\nMinisterial work depended, in a good degree, the success of the pastoral\nfunction. And in this branch of service Spring Street Station imposes a\nvast amount of labor. As the mother Church of the city, her membership\nis widely scattered, and her congregations large. Yet the Pastor, with a\ncareful husbanding of time, and an earnest effort, can pass over the\nfield as often as the exigencies of the work require. He may not always\nvisit each family as often as they desire, for there are many in every\nChurch who have a very limited idea of the amount of labor, care and\nthought the pastoral office imposes, but he will be able to meet all\nreasonable demands.\n\nThe new Church had been completed during the preceding year, and had\nbeen dedicated by Rev. Drs. Eddy and Ives on the Sabbath before\nConference, Oct. 8th, 1871. The building is a fine brick structure, one\nhundred feet in length by eighty in width at the transepts. Besides the\nauditorium, it has a large lecture-room, three parlors, a Pastor's\nstudy, a library room, and a convenient kitchen. The entire cost of\nbuildings and grounds, including the Parsonage, was sixty thousand\ndollars. At the dedication subscriptions were obtained to meet the\nindebtedness of twenty thousand dollars with a satisfactory margin.\n\nThe new year opened with all the Church appliances in vigorous\noperation. The class and prayer meetings were well attended, and the\nintervening evenings were occupied by the meetings of the Ladies' Aid,\nthe Literary and other Church societies. The Sunday School, under the\nsuperintendence of Rev. Edwin Hyde, was in a flourishing condition,\nranking, doubtless, as one of the most numerous and successful schools\nof the city.\n\nThe Milwaukee District was now in charge of Rev. C.D. Pillsbury, who\nentered the Maine Conference in 1843. He filled the following\nappointments in that Conference: Dover, Atkinson, Sagerville, and\nExeter. At the division in 1848, he fell into the East Maine Conference,\nwhere his appointments were Machias, Summer Street, Bangor, Agent of\nEast Maine Seminary, and Presiding Elder of Bangor District. He was\ntransferred to the Wisconsin Conference in 1857, and stationed at Racine\nas the writer's successor. His subsequent appointments have been Racine\nDistrict, Chaplain of the Twenty-Second Regiment, Beloit, Agent of the\nFreedmen's Aid Commission, Janesville District, and Milwaukee District.\n\nAfter leaving the District Brother Pillsbury has been stationed at Bay\nView and Menasha, but, his health failing, he took a supernumerary\nrelation at the last Conference, and at this writing is residing at\nMinneapolis. He has done considerable literary work, in connection with\nhis Ministerial labors. Brother Pillsbury has a well balanced mind, and\nis thoroughly versed in the great questions of the day. He is sound in\ntheology and faithful in administration; a good, strong Preacher, and is\nuniversally respected, both as a man and a Minister.\n\nAsbury Church was greatly delighted with the return of Rev. W.W. Case to\nits pastorate. He entered the Erie Conference in 1859, and in that\nConference he had been stationed at Ellington, Cattaraugus, and Little\nValley. He was transferred to the Wisconsin Conference in 1864, and had\nnow been stationed three years each at Edgerton and Beloit. During his\nyear at Asbury, he had gathered a fine congregation, and was now in\ngreat esteem among the people. He remained three years at Asbury, and\nwas then stationed at Division Street, Fond du Lac, where he is at the\npresent writing, serving the second year.\n\nBrother Case is still a young man, and is blessed with a pleasant\ncountenance, agreeable manners, and an affable spirit. In social life he\nis a great favorite. He is well read, and has an entertaining delivery.\nIn the selection of his pulpit topics, and in the manner of their\ntreatment, he dwells more in the sunshine than in the storm. He has\nalready reached a position among his brethren that gives promise of\ngreat usefulness in the Master's work.\n\nIt has not been my purpose to embody in these pages a record of the\nexceedingly interesting and prosperous work among our German brethren,\nas their branch of Methodistic labor in the State has developed an\nAnnual Conference of its own, and richly deserves a volume for its\nproper presentation. But as our Norwegian brethren are connected with\nour own Conference, a brief reference to their work will not be out\nof place.\n\nIt will be recollected that in a former chapter reference was made to\nthe beginning of the work in our State. We will now refer to the opening\nof the good work in Milwaukee.\n\nIn the spring of 1864, the writer was holding a protracted meeting in\nthe Spring Street Methodist Episcopal Church. At one of the meetings\nthere came to the Altar as seekers, two Norwegians. As the meetings\nprogressed, others came with them, until there were some twelve persons\non probation and in full membership, who used the Scandinavian language.\nDuring the following summer, it was deemed advisable to form them into a\nclass by themselves, and as they resided in the vicinity of the Asbury\nChurch, put them in connection with that charge. Rev. P.K. Rye, then\nstationed at Racine, came down a few times and furnished them services\nin their own language.\n\nAt the ensuing session of the West Wisconsin Conference, in which the\nScandinavian work was then placed, Milwaukee was connected with Racine\ncharge, and placed under the care of Rev. A. Haagenson. The society was\nduly organized by the new Pastor on the 25th day of March, 1865. Brother\nHaagenson was greatly blessed in his labors, and before the end of the\nyear purchased the German Baptist Church, located on Walker Street,\nbetween Hanover and Greenbush. The cost of the building and lots was\neight hundred dollars. Brother Haagenson remained until 1868, when he\nwas succeeded on the Milwaukee and Racine Mission by Rev. N.\nChristopherson, who remained until the close of 1870.\n\nIn 1871, Milwaukee and Ashipun were put together, with Rev. C.O. Trider\nas Pastor. The erection of a new Church, twenty-eight by forty-five feet\nin size, was commenced in December, and in May, 1872, the lecture-room\nwas dedicated by Rev. A. Haagenson. At the present writing, Brother\nHaagenson is the Presiding Elder of the Norwegian District, and has also\ncharge of the Station, having in the latter portion of his work Rev. O.\nHanson as an Assistant.\n\nBrother Haagenson is a man of deep piety and earnest purpose. Studious\nand laborious, he furnishes an excellent type of a Methodist Preacher.\nHis labors are onerous, but his work is in a highly prosperous state,\nand is making a record of many conversions.\n\nOn the fourth of January, 1872, we celebrated our silver wedding. We had\nmade a note of our wedding anniversary with considerable regularity from\nyear to year, but had never until now celebrated any of the epochs which\nare so often made to divide the years of married life. In this instance\nwe deemed it advisable to depart from our usual custom, since\ntwenty-five years seems to be a point from which both the past and\nfuture may be seen ordinarily with considerable distinctness of outline.\nAnd further, it was now probable that the whole family could be brought\ntogether, an event which could not be looked upon with any great degree\nof assurance as probable at any future time.\n\nThe entertainment was given in the evening in the Parsonage, and was\nattended by about one hundred persons. Spring Street and the other\nChurches of the city were well represented. But in addition to these,\nthere were delegations present from all the charges we had served in the\nConference, each bringing the hand of greeting from our old friends to\ncheer us. A record of the occasion, however, would be incomplete if I\nwere not to state that the silver ware of the house was increased by an\naddition valued at nearly five hundred dollars. But every rose has its\nthorn. Never before were we obliged to sleep with one eye open to guard\nour treasures.\n\nThe year now drew to a close, and, counting up the results, we found\nthat fifty-one members had been received, the Pastor's salary, amounting\nto twenty-three hundred dollars, had been paid, the Church debt had been\nreduced to ten thousand dollars, and that to meet the balance there were\nsubscriptions, including organ fund, of fifteen thousand dollars.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVI.\n\nConference of 1872.--Rev. A.P. Mead.--Rev. A. Callender.--Rev. Win. P.\nStowe.--Rev. O.B. Thayer.--Rev. S. Reynolds,--Revival under Mrs. Van\nCott.--Conference of 1873.--Rev. Henry Colman.--Rev. A.A. Hoskin.--Rev.\nStephen Smith.--Illness.--Conference of 1874.--Rev. Dr. Carhart.--Rev.\nGeo. A. Smith.--Rev. C.N. Stowers.\n\nThe Conference of 1872 was held Oct. 9th, at Division Street Church,\nFond du Lac, Bishop Haven presiding. The Woman's Foreign Missionary\nSociety, having been fully recognized by the General Conference, was\nmade the subject of a highly appreciative report, in which the\nConference extended to the ladies of the Church a cordial welcome to\nthis new field of effort, and pledged them a helping hand in the\ngood work.\n\nAt this session Rev. A.P. Mead was appointed Presiding Elder of Waupaca\nDistrict. Brother Mead graduated from the Garrett Biblical Institute in\n1861, and was the same year admitted into the Conference. His\nappointments had been Sharon, Elkhorn, Kenosha, Bay View, and Lyons,\nwhen he was sent to the District. He remained only two years on the\nWaupaca District, and was then appointed to the Fond du Lac District.\nBrother Mead is a man of genial spirit and large practical sense. His\nsermons are replete with Evangelical truth, and produce an abiding\nimpression. His intercourse with the people and Preachers is\ninstructive, and his administration cannot fail to prove a blessing to\nthe District.\n\nAt this session of the Conference, the decease of Rev. Aurora\nCallender, among others, was announced. Brother Callender entered the\nPittsburg Conference in 1828, and was first stationed at Franklin, a\ncircuit located on the slope of the Alleghany Mountains, and in the\nneighborhood of the Oil Regions. Before coming to Wisconsin, his\nappointments were Meadville Circuit, Meadville, Springfield, Cuyahoga\nFalls, Chardon and Middleburgh. Coming to Wisconsin, he was stationed,\nin 1850, at Sylvania. His subsequent appointments were Geneva and\nElkhorn, Union, Hazel Green, Dodgeville, Mineral Point District,\nNorwegian Mission District, Clinton, and Agent of American Colonization\nSociety, Subsequently he filled several charges as a supply, and\ndeparted this life in the midst of his work at Pickneyville, Ill., Oct.\n23d, 1871.\n\nBrother Callender was a veteran pioneer. Capable of great physical\nendurance, possessing a vigorous intellect, well skilled in theology and\nMethodist law, his labors were abundant and of a substantial character.\nIn his earlier years, especially, his Ministry led many souls to\nthe Cross.\n\nAt this Conference I was returned to Spring Street Station, and, Brother\nPillsbury's term on the District having expired, Rev. Wm. P. Stowe was\nappointed Presiding Elder.\n\nBrother Stowe, it will be remembered, was converted in his boyhood in\nhis father's chapel. When grown to man's estate, he took up the trowel\nand thereby procured funds to secure his education. He graduated from\nthe Lawrence University as a member of the Second Class, in 1858. He\nentered the Conference the same year, and was stationed at Sheboygan.\nThe following two years he was stationed at Port Washington, but before\nthe close of the second year his health failed, and he retired from the\nwork. In 1862 he accepted the Chaplaincy of the Twenty-Seventh Regiment,\nbut the year following he was re-admitted and stationed at Sharon. His\nsubsequent appointments were Beloit, Racine, Oshkosh, and Summerfield,\nMilwaukee, in all of which charges he has left the fragrance of a good\nname and the legacy of substantial fruit. As a Presiding Elder, he is\ndeservedly popular.\n\nBrother Stowe has a large frame, tends to corpulency, and shows great\nphysical vigor. With large perception, he reads men and surroundings\naptly. In the pulpit, he puts ideas in logical relations, and aims at an\nobject. His sermons abound in illustrations, strung on a strong cord of\nEvangelical truth.\n\nRev. O.B. Thayer was stationed at Summerfield Church, having become a\nmember of the Conference in 1870. He had been stationed at Court Street\nChurch, Janesville, and at Appleton. In both these charges he had\ndeveloped a high standard of pulpit talent. He remained at Summerfield\ntwo years, and was then appointed to Kenosha, where, at the present\nwriting, he is preaching to fine congregations.\n\nRev. S. Reynolds, State Agent of the American Bible Society, was also a\nmember of the Ministerial fraternity of Milwaukee. This good brother\ncame to the Conference by transfer from Iowa. He has been engaged for\nmany years in his present work, and has gained a reputation, second to\nnone, in the management of the laborious and manifold responsibilities\nof his position. In his addresses he deals in stubborn facts, and never\nfails to interest the audience. He is vigilant in looking after the\ndetails of his trust, but he needs a word of caution as to his health.\nHis great labor is evidently overtaxing his strength.\n\nMy salary was again fixed at two thousand three hundred dollars. A new\nsystem of finance was now adopted, called the \"Envelope System.\" In its\nprincipal features, it was similar to the \"Card System,\" introduced\nduring my former term, but contained several additional provisions to\nrender it more effective. The new plan succeeded admirably, giving to\nthe station, at the end of the first quarter of the year, the\nextraordinary record of having fully paid the Pastor's salary, and every\nother claim for current expenses, besides liquidating several bills for\nimprovements on the Church and Parsonage. And it is proper to add that\nthe current year closed with several hundred dollars in the Treasury.\n\nThe regular work of the station opened this year encouragingly. A\ngeneral quickening followed, and by mid-winter there had been half a\nscore of conversions. Mrs. Maggie N. Van Cott, who had been engaged for\na year to assist us, now came to our help. The meeting continued five\nweeks, under this most extraordinary laborer, and resulted in the\nconversion of near four hundred souls, about two hundred of whom united\nwith the Spring Street Church.\n\nThe Conference of 1873 was held Oct. 15, at Whitewater, Bishop Merrill\npresiding. At this session Rev. Henry Colman, who had repeatedly served\nas Assistant, was elected Secretary of the Conference.\n\nBrother Colman graduated from the Lawrence University as a member of the\nFirst Class in 1856. He entered the West Wisconsin Conference in 1858,\nand filled one appointment in that Conference, when, in 1859, he was\ntransferred to the Wisconsin Conference and stationed at Columbus. In\n1860 he was stationed at Green Bay, and the following year at Asbury,\nMilwaukee. In 1863 he was appointed Principal of the Evansville\nSeminary, where he remained four years. After leaving the Seminary, he\nhas held a respectable class of appointments, and is now doing effective\nwork at Fort Atkinson. He is a man of clear head and honorable,\nChristian impulses. Having a thorough knowledge of Biblical criticism,\nhe has for several years rendered the Sunday Schools of the State a good\nservice by furnishing in the Christian Statesman a weekly exposition of\nthe Lesson.\n\nIn keeping with the provision of the Discipline, adopted at the recent\nsession of the General Conference, for the Trial of Appeals, the\nConference elected her quota as follows: W.G. Miller, O.J. Cowles,\nJoseph Anderson, J.W. Carhart, P.B. Pease, P.S. Bennett, and W.P. Stowe.\nBut as there were no cases to be tried, the brethren elected were\ncompelled to wear empty honors.\n\nAt this Conference, the writer again returned to Spring Street, it being\nthe third year of the third term of my Pastorate among this people, and\nthe thirtieth Conference year of my itinerent labors. Brother Stowe was\nalso returned to the District, and Rev. A.A. Hoskin was appointed to\nAsbury, and Rev. Stephen Smith to Bay View.\n\nBrother Hoskin entered the Conference in 1867, and before coming to the\ncity had been stationed at Milton, Shopiere, and Menomonee Falls. He is\na young man of fine culture, genial spirit, and great industry. His\nsermons embody the fundamental truths of the Gospel, and their manifold\nrelations to practical life, and are highly appreciated by the people.\n\nBesides being a good Preacher, he is also a poet of considerable\nreputation.\n\nBrother Smith entered the Conference in 1856, and his first appointment\nwas Sylvania. His subsequent appointments have been Elkhorn, Sharon,\nGeneva, Manitowoc, Fort Atkinson, Delavan, First Church, Janesville, and\nBay View. On all these charges he has left the evidences of earnest and\ndevoted work for the Master. At Bay View, the present year has been one\nof extraordinary success. The revival that transpired under his labors\nswept through the entire community, and gave an accession of more than\none hundred members, a majority of whom were heads of families.\n\nBrother Smith is a good Preacher, filling his sermons with a clear\nexposition of Evangelical truth. And his Ministry has ever been a\nbenediction to the people of his respective charges.\n\nThe year opened in Spring Street Station with unusual promise. The\nsocial meetings were well attended, the congregations were large and\nattentive, the Sunday School, the largest in the city, prosperous, the\nseveral societies were doing effective work, and the finances were in an\nexcellent condition. With this outlook, we were anticipating a glorious\nyear, but how uncertain are all human expectations!\n\nDuring the delivery of the morning sermon on Sabbath, April 26th, 1874,\nthe writer was taken violently ill. The attack proved to be the\nprostration of the nervous system, resulting from overworking the brain,\na difficulty that had been foreshadowed by several premonitions during\nthe preceding year. My condition at the first was perilous, but after\nfour hours of skillful medical treatment and careful nursing, the crisis\npassed. Then followed weary weeks of watching and waiting. Meantime, I\nreceived the earnest sympathy of my people, and the kind assistance of\nmy brethren in the Ministry, who generously proposed to supply\nmy pulpit.\n\nThe Conference of 1874 was held at Oshkosh, Bishop Foster presiding. I\nwas able to attend and answer to my name, but could spend but little\ntime in the Conference room. Whenever present I seemed to myself, as I\nmust have seemed to others, like a dismantled ship, stranded on the\nbeach. I was most kindly treated by all the brethren, being relieved of\nevery burden, and assured of abiding sympathy.\n\nAt this Conference Rev. J.W. Carhart, D.D., was stationed, by request of\nthe people, at Oshkosh. Brother Carhart entered the traveling connection\nin the Troy Conference, and came to the Wisconsin Conference by transfer\nin 1871, being stationed at Racine. He had just completed a full term,\nand hence Oshkosh is his second appointment in the Conference. He is a\nman of superior culture, fine preaching ability, and cannot fail to give\ncharacter to the pulpit, wherever he may be stationed.\n\nRev. George A. Smith was stationed at Spring Street as my successor.\nBrother Smith entered the Conference in April 1859, his first\nappointment being Principal of the Evansville Seminary. His subsequent\nappointments were Milton, Emerald Grove, Lyons and Spring Prairie. In\nhis last field his health failed through intense mental application, and\nhe was compelled to retire from the work. After five years of rest he\nwas again able to resume his labors, being stationed first at Pleasant\nPrairie, and next at Kenosha.\n\nBrother Smith is in the strength of his manhood, has a vigorous mind, is\na fine thinker, uses clear-cut and well selected language, has a most\namiable spirit, and his Ministry cannot fail to be a grand\nsuccess anywhere.\n\nBrother Stowers came to the Conference by transfer in 1867, and first\nserved as Professor in the Lawrence University. In 1869, having been\nelected President of the Upper Iowa University, he was transferred to\nthe Upper Iowa Conference. He returned, however, to the Wisconsin\nConference the following year, and was stationed at Janesville. His next\ncharge was Whitewater, where, during his three years' Pastorate, he\nachieved great success in the erection of a fine brick Church, and in\nsecuring large accessions to the membership.\n\nBrother Stowers is a man of great energy and decided talent. He has an\nexcellent voice, a ready utterance, and abundant illustrations, which\nrender his pulpit labors attractive. He is an able and successful\nMinister.\n\nAt the adjournment of the Conference, the Preachers hastened to their\nnew fields of labor, perhaps hardly thinking, in their eagerness to be\nat their work, of the tearful eyes that were looking after them, and the\naching hearts of those brethren who, no longer able to go out with them\nto the battle, were compelled to languish in hospitals, or linger by\nthe wayside.\n\nAs for myself, I returned to Milwaukee, and retired to the quiet home a\nfew personal friends in the city and elsewhere had assisted me to build,\nand where I now write this, the last line of\n\nTHIRTY YEARS IN THE ITINERANCY.","title":"Thirty Years in the Itinerancy","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":89429}