534 FiWs TQZ'i.^^GZ^^^t'aZQZfi^^ J^C^Q^g^^ ^ i LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, | She/f J^'X I] UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. ) ^Q^ g^c ^ 2{;go£:^£c;gs^c^ ' i :i'*c,*'C.'*c.'* m. / HISTORICAL SKETCH -OF THE- FIRST PRESBTTERUN CHURCH i'ORT WAYNE, INDIANA. -()- «3i3*. ■'>m (D w xiee. -BY- J, L, WILLIAMS. Read Before the Coiii»:reetioii b""^^' OCTOSIEI^ le, ISSl, THE SEMI-CKNTENNIAJ^ OF ITS OlKiANIZATlON DAILY NKWS l-OKT WATNK HISTORICAL SKETCH -OF THE- FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, FORT WAYNE, INDIANA. '%atfii' ^mtmifiUvenccri of flw '&^/me. -o- A Lecture Before tlie Coiioreetion ?5* "b' OCTOBER le, issi. THE SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF ITS ORGANIZATION. -BY — ^^•^'- ^^'^'^ J. L: WILLIAMS, DAILY NKWS PRINTING FORT WAY'NE. It has not ])iH'n the aim of tliis sketch to give a connected history of Fort Wayne. The incidental alhisi(jns to events which connect it witli the earliest explorations, and witli the dawnifigs ot civiliza- tion in the noilhwest, cannot tail, however, to snggest the idea tliat Fort Wayne shon Id find in some one a competent historian. Few points in all the west furnish more interesting material. i The formation of the Presbyterian Historical Society by the general assembly has already induced many valuable contributions to the early religious history of the country. Its object is com- mended by the highest considerations. If the commencement and growth of our material prosperity are worthy of an enduring record, much more the early straggles and lal)ors for the establishment of a religious and moral influence, by which alone this prosperity can be sanctified and blessed. The christian citizen will ever turn to the church of his choice as an institution claiming affectionate regard, and its history, even back to the feeble beginning, will ever possess the highest interest. The place in which Providence has cast our lot, has claims upon the historian. Fort Wayne is historic ground. It has reminiscences extending back a hundred and seventy years. Dillon, the historian of Indiana, was led to believe from his researches that it was often visited by the early French explorers before the year 1700, and thought a trading post was estalilished here prior to 1719.* Vau- dreuil, then Governor of Louisiana, writing in 1751, mentioned Fort Miami at this point. It was a small stockade fort, built by the French, and situated near the St. Marys, probably in the vicinity of the canal aqueduct. The dim outlines of this fort was^traced by Wayne in 1794 and by Col. John Johnston in 1800. The appointment of Col. Johnston as Indian agent here in 1800, by the second President, John Adams, signalized the practical as- sertion of civil government by the United States at this remote out- ])ost. He was a gentleman of intelligence and gi'cat moral worth. With his family,, he lived in the Fort some twelve or thirteen years, *If Judge Law be Cdrrect in fixing 17lu for the settlement at Yinoennes, we can scarcely err in claiming at least as early a date for the trading post here. The progress of the traders and missionaries wa.s from Canada. A ri'jiort of La Salle, written probalily in 1(582, mentif)ns the route by the Mauiiiee and Wabash as the most direct to the Mississippi. It is improbable that the Freiicli would pass this thmnged center of the ^liamies (sometimes called Twightwees in their early history,) at the carrying place between these riveivs, without establisliing here one of that cordon of military posts de- signed to connect tlieir (^anadiaii and Mississijipi settlements. and then retired to his lann on tlie Big Miami, two miles above J*iqiia. soon afti'i' Ihc coiiiiiicneement of the war of 1S12 willi En- g\nm\. Among tiie ehil(h\'n of Col. Johnston born in the Fort here was one wlio alterwards became the wife of John 1). Jones, a promi- nent citizen of Cincinnati. Mr.s. Jones, a few years ago, visited Fort Wayne to see tlic old Fort, and was welcomed by the citizens, both on her own account and tlie memor}' of lier respected pioneer father. fJen. Jolm E. Hunt, " well known business man of the Maumee valley, a State Scnatoi' in early times, and brother-in-law of Lewis Cass, was also born in tlu' old Fort in 1798. He died at Toledo in 1877, aged seventy-nine years. The Junction of these ri\ers, the St Marj's and the St. Joseph, justly claim,\' the I'lblo into the tonn-ucs of natiims of low niurul tniiiiiiin- lias hccii fninul a malli'i' of cxoei'diiig difticulty. * * * " Kn<;lish is ciiijjhatically tlic lain;Uiige of coinmerce, of civili/.ation, of social and religious tVci'doin, of ]ii-ogrt'.ssi\H' inti'lligcncc, of active catliolic l)liihnitln'oj)y; and therefore, beyond any tongue ever used by man, it is of I'iglit the cosmopolitan speech." — Mfi/-s/i's f,rrf/ii-rs nn t/ir Kiiiil'ish ltlory of the Anglo-Saxon race in the new world vouchsafed just as life ebl)e(l away? And IMcmtcalm. on being told l)y the surgecm that he could live but a few hours, replied: "So mueh the better; I shall not live to see the surrender of Quebec." Was a glimpse into the far future opened up just at the close of his pro- longed, heroic struggle for his l)eloved France,' pn^senting to his dying vision, with oppressive vividness, the waning of the (Jallic race on this continent? However this may be. the fact to ns is l)alpable. that mighty influences were set to work by the decision of that old French and English war.* Tn far-reaching results, the earth has witnessed no contest comparalile to it in all its annals Four nations, at different periods, have held dominion here. For nearly half a century prior to the conquest of Canada, in 1 7(>3 the French flag waved at the meeting of the St. Joseph and St. Marys. The French adapted their manners and character to forest life. Schoolcraft says the Indians of the northwest often referred to '-the days of French supremacy as a kind of golden era, when *Hon. Samuel F. Vintnn, in arti-iiing the qiiestioji of boundarv lietweeii Virginia and Oliio. maintained conclusively that, according to the law of nations, the claim of France to the valley.s of the St. Lawrence and Mississ- ippi, founded on discovery and occujiation, wnf^ jirr/ecf, and that of England, based on her colonial possessions along the Atlantic slope, not even •Avespecf- ahle jn-etenfie. The sword seems, therefore, to have been the only arbiter which could have given this vast countrv to English civilization. 8 all things in tlicir arthirs were 1)etter than they now are." Then came the English in December, ITOO.f and the British flag was run up ill its stead. Their manners were reser\e(I and haughty, far less adapted than the genial, pliant and vivaeious Freneli to win the . c'onlideiice ol" tiie Indians. In no particular is there greater dis- similarity i-ii the two nations. The I'^renrli, like the Si)aniards, readily meet a lower civilization upon an intermediate platform, as in Canada and Mexico. The genuine Anglo-Saxon takes no step downward. English society in Calcntta is as select and high-toned as in London. To elevate, near to its own level, or else to destroy by gradual encroachment and pressure, seems to lie their mission among the sluggish and decaying nations. Whether or not the Indian sagacity was adequate to a full perception of these diverse tendencies, certain it is that the Miamies of that day wei'e haters of the English. In less than three years the British flag was lowered here, and its iiroiid. di'fiant folds trailed in the dust.* The conspiracy of Pontiac — greatest of the ivd race, in genius, force of character, and statesman-like combination — had done its work. Nine of the twelve English forts in the northwest, scattered from Presque Isle (now Erie) to (Jreen Bay. and from Mackinaw to Ouiatenon (near Lafayette) were cajitured in the sjjace ol" a few Aveeks. Only Detroit, Kort I'itt. and (liven liay. successfully resisted the simultaneous attack. Thence forward for thirty-oiii^ years, as in the preceding century, the barltarian power and glory of the Miamiesf at this point was unchecked, until the advent of Wayne, in ITiU. To the Indians, as to us, it was a chosen central home and place of thronged concourse. Here the tril)es and bands gathered in council Ibi' war or for peace. + History attests their attachment to it. Their appeal at the Greenville treaty in IT!*."), after their country had l>een con- fDetruit was surrendered to the English forces under Major Kt)gers on the 29th (jf November, 17H0. .\n otticer was then sent southward to take posses- sion of Fort ^lianii and Oviiatenon i Wea Piairie). — Parkmnn. * It was about the period ot these stirring changes, that the leading Miami chief. Hicharch illr, \\ as liurn under '-the Big Ap))le tree," which stood some sixty rods from tlie .supposed site of this old Britisii fort. This tree is now gwne, hut in ]S()0 it was yet standing, eleven feet in circumfer- ence, connecting tlie memories of tlic past cciituiy witli tlie jircscnt. f See appiMidix note B. JTliis })hice was called Ivc-ki-on-gay in tlie .Miami dialect: Ke-ki-ouge in tlie Pottawattamie. 9 (luered, for permission still to occup}' this spot, was touching. Jjittle Turtle spoke of this carr3ing place as '' that glorious gate which your y<^"ngcr brothers had the happiness to own, and through which all the good words of our chiefs had to pass from the north to the south, and from the east to the west." But we must not forget that the earth is for cultivation, not permanently for the chase. For great and beneficent providential ends — the greatest gooil to the greatest number — civilization and religion were to be introduced, and the red man has passed away. Under American rule has risen this beautiful city of some thirty thousand inhalji- tants, with railroads and telegraphs, churches and free schools. A modern writer says : "Indolence, prodigality, and want of fore- thought, are sufflcent causes whv men and nations should forfeit their right in the soil as the patrimony from God." Witlujut enter- ing upon these deep m^'steries, it is nevertheless i)lain that the oc- cupation of this part of the continent by a people who would develop its long dormant resources, was, just at that period, demanded by the economical, social and moral necessities of the world. Much as we may pit}' the poor Indian; little p,s we should palliate the sever- ity, often needless, with which he has been driven back; yet we may not question the All-wise disposings which gave this fertile land to a race that is making it the grainary of the world, and will fit it liy the close of this centur}-, for the abode of eighty millions of peo- ple, exhibiting the highest type of christian civilization. The expedition of La Balm against Detroit in August or Septem- lier. 17S0. also connects Fort Wayne, by memorials written in blood, with the war of the Revolution. This daring forest chieftain, with earnest sympathy for the American cause, and, we must think, with more zeal than knowledge, collected at Kaskaskia and Vincennes, about an hundred men, and set ont for the capture of Detroit, then in possession of the British. The signal achievement of Col. George Rogers Clark, a few months before, in taking Vincennes, then a British fort, with one hundred and seventy men, no doubt incited to this daring adventure. Seizing the goods of British traders at Fort Wayne on his march, the Miamis, instigated by the English, at- 10 tacketl his encampment on the River Aboite, 1 1 miles south-west * In tliis l):ittle LaBahns little army, with few exceptions, was en- tirely cut off. The saii'acious mind of AN'ashington. at an early period, hail fixed upon the junction of these rivers, as of co)nmandino: im[)ortance for a strong militar}' post, and the main purpose of the campaign of 17!tl. was its occupation as a centre of military operations for the North West. The instructions to (reneral St. Clair were prepared under his special direction. His plans contemplated a garrison here of one thousand to twelve hundred men. including the communica- tions. The defeat of St. Clair's army, when within two d;iy's march of this place — a defeat more disastrous than that of BratUlock — marred all his well matured i)!ai\s for the defense of the North West. The news of this terrible reverse furnished the occasion on which Washington, for once in his life, is said to ha\e l)een overcome 1)V an ungovernable burst of passion. As the scene is described by Irving, his wrath was tremendous. His private secretary who alone was present, was .awed into silence by the appalling tones in which the toiTent of invective was poured fourth. "Its all over !"" said he, "St. Clair's defeated — routed !"' His ecpianimity was soon re- stored, and Washington was himself again. But the imi)ortant national objects hinging upon this campaign, and on the military occupation of this point, as they lay in Washington's mind, are thug revealed. We need not marvel that his great soul was stirred to its inmost depth. A favorite military plan had disgracefully failed for the second time. Out of an army of fifteen hundred. nin(> hun- dred had been cut off. Kentucky and western Pennsylvania were in mourning for the slain. A thousand miles of defenceless frontier were thrown open to the merciless savages, rendered more savage and merciless. V>y this second repulse of the the American army, in its attempts to occupy this, their favorite place of rendezvous, the Federal city of the tribes forming the Miami confederacy. This success, following the defeat of Harmar's army the year before, *Tliis encampment of La Balm was near what was afterward the village of White Kaoeoon, a Miami Chief. 11 whoso buttle-field was within rifle shot of this church building, had emboldened the Indians to believe that a final ovei'throw of the ''pale faces'' was quite within their power. Great was the conster- nation on the frontier. The Presbytery of Ked Stone, then the only l*resbytery west of the mountains, in view of these calamities past and impending, appointed a day of fasting and prayer throughout their then extended bounds. Harmar's principal engagement was on the tongue of land lie- tween the St. Joseph and Maumee livers, the site of the main Indian village. The carnage was especiallj^ terrifflc in the conflict that took place in the lied of the St. Joseph river near its mouth, and also in the retreat of the Americans across the Maumee, half a mile below the junction, still known as Harmar's Ford. The ex- treme point of land just below the mouth of the St. Joseph, now so attractive in rural peaceful beauty, is said to have been the accus- .(^omed place for burriing prisoners.* In 1790. before Harmar's campaign. Mr. (xamelin was sent l»y Grov. St. Clair to the Indians here as a peace commissioner. Three days after he left this point, al)out the first of May, as if in savage derision of the overtures of the United States Grovernment, an American was l)rought here and l)urned.t The campaign of 1794 — -the third under Washington's adminis- tration, directed to this central point of Indian strength — was suc- cessful. After defeating the Indians at the Eapids of the Maumee, Gen. Wayne selected here a commanding site, and in October of that year, Fort Wayne was completed and placed under the com- mand of Major Hamtramck. Thence forward peace reigned on this frontier, until the war with England in 1S12. From the erection of the Fort here, eighty-seven years ago, this has been a center of American civilization and influence. Col. John Johnston, of Ohio, now deceased, whose active and useful life was connected with three generations, wrote, in Novem- ber, 1859, to a member of this church, as follows: * These statements were made to some of our older eitizeiis by Chief Kichiirdville, Mr. Peltier, and others. See appendix note C. ■f l)ill^(in"s History. 12 "I was appointed in the Indian Department in 1800, and stationed at Foi-t Wayne. My habitual station was tliere for twelve or thirteen years. There was not a [*rotestant clergyman of any denomination that performed ilivine ser\ic'e at that post during the time stated. * * * q"'iie only officer of the army, within my knowledge, who pul)liely professed Christianity, was Col. Vose, who commanded at Foit Wayne about the year 181(1 or 1817. Thig noble Christian soldier was in the constant practice of assembling his men on the Sabbath day to read the scriptures and converse with them relative to their duties and the salvation of their souls — a rare instance of Christian fidelity and the power of divine grace. I never knew to what denomination he l)elonged. The conduct of such a man and under such circumstances can only l)e appreciated by persons familiar with the allurements and temptations of military life. * * * The nearest white settlement was Hamilton county, Ohio, and the post office, Cincinnati, two hnncU'ed miles dis- tant from this post. Fifty-eight years ago it took twenty-seven days on horseback from Fort ^^'ayne to Washington City, and now the distance can be traveled by rail in two days." The desire naturall}' arises here to learn further of Col. A^'ose, the commencement of whose pulilic histor}' resembles so much in strength of religious purpose that of Havelock, in India, or of Capt. Vicars who fell so IjraA'cly before Sebastopol, only two days after leading the devotions of a public religious meeting in the English camp As yet. we ha\e only learned, through the departments at Washing- ton, that he died in the army at New Orleans, in 1845. and that he ever maintained the character of " a very correct and honorable man, an excellent otllcer, without fear and without reproach."'* When (ien. Harrison, in September, 1812, marched to the relief of the garrison here, then besieged by the Indians, the expedition was accompanied by Kev. Matthew G. Wallace, an honore the after life of Col. Vose. See ap- pendix, note I). 13 of the gospel in Protestant ibiin. on this ground. 3Ir. Walliice died at Terre Hante, his liome. Thougli not strictly witiiin the range of this history, yet in any record of early religions effort at I^'ort Wayne, the work of Rev. Isaac McCoy, of the Baptist chnrcli, nnist not he omitted. From .May, 1820, to December, 1822, he resided here, preaching the gospel, and maintaining a Mission School, chietly for the benefit of the Indians. In Angiist, 1822, a Baptist churcli Avas organized at Fort Wayne, consisting of the mission family, two Indian women and one black man. Mr. McCoy's faithfnl and intelligent missionary laboi-s here and elsewhere in the Indian territory, have passed into the pul)lislied history of the country. But the distinction of having first preached to the actual settlers of Fort Wayne, according to tiie distinctive faith and usages of the Presbyterian church, and undt'r ecclesiastical appointment, is due t^ the Rev. John Ross, a native of Ireland, l)eing familiarly and rev- erently known thi-oughout the two S^'nods of Indiana as " Fatiier Ross." This venerable servant of God afterwards died in Tipton county. Indiana, at the age of ninety-three. In December, 1822, Mr. Ross, then pastor of a church in the New Jersey settlement, on the west side of the Big Miami, opposite the town of Franklin, visited this post, under appointment of the gen- eral assembly to labor for three months as a missionary among the destitutions of this frontier region. The settlement here comprised about one hundred and fifty or two hundred souls, including French and half-breed families, mainly engaged in the Indian trade. The nearest white settlement was at Shane's Prairie, forty miles southeast, and except as the trace Avas dotted with an occasional settler, a day's journey apart, all northwest of Piqua, Ohio, was a wilderness. The missionary took passage in a light two-horse wagon with Matthew (iriggs, afterwards, with his family, members of the Fort Wayne church, then of Leltanon, Ohio, and visiting Fort Wayne on a trading expedition, witli hats and dried fruit. This incident, though in itself trivial, aptly exemplilies the fact exhibited on a larger scale, in all past history, down to the late commercial treaties lie- 14 tween the great Christian powers niid China — that commerce, under the orderings of ]*ri)\ idcnce. is made the means ol" spreading tlie gospel over the eartli. The ship of commerce carries themissionarv to India or Cliina. and tlie structure of Anglo-Saxon civilization, there maintained for commercial ends, sustains him amid heathen- ism. .Material interests and governmental regulations, though not so designed, thus become the scatfolding on ^\ hich ministers of the gospel stand while building the spiritual temple. Father Ross, in a letter dated November 2()tli, 1859, describes the peril and exposure of tlie first missionary journey ; how their first night's encampment in the woods, a few miles north of Dayton, was made memoral)le by the howling of wolves on every side ; how the snow storm aftei'wards met them in the wilderness with intense cold, which froze fast in the mud the wheels of their wagon ; how, failing to strike fii'c from the flint, the woodsman's last hope, they were com- pelled to leave their conve3'ance under guard of a faithful dog; how by walking and leading their horses, the cold being too severe to ride, they reached Fort Wa3-ne at a late hour on a wintry night; and with what kindness he was received by one who afterwards became a ruling Elder* in this church — a kindness, the remembrance of which, after the lapse of forty years, was still fresh in the old missionary's grateful heart. Father l\oss continues : '• The next day ])eing the Sabl)ath, I preached in the Fort morning and afternoon, because there was no other convenient place to preach in. * * * j visited the place five times from 1S22 to lS2(i. T was once sent out to Fort Wayne by the Synod of ()liio.'' The business records ol" the Home Missionary Society furnish the following memorandum of tlu^ correspondence of that period : "Allen TInmilton. post master at P\)rt Waj'ne, Decemlier 10th. 1828. wrote, saying tiierc iiad lieeii no minister there since the town was laid oflT. He urged their claims by saying that the canal is laid ofl[' through the place ; that there are in the town and immediate *Siunn('l Hanna. 15 vicinity, live liundred iiiiiabitants, and no prcaeliing within ciglity miles, &('., &c'. In response to this appeal. Kev. Charles K. Furnian was ap})ointe(l a missionary for Fort Wayne. On the 20th of Fel)ruar\ , 1S3(), he wrote to the Mission Kooms in New York, from this plaee. as follows: " I arri\e(l here on the K^th of Novembei'. F^'om this place, one liundred miles in CAery direction, it is a perfect wilderness. * * This county only contains seven or eight hundred inhabitants, be" tween three or four hundred of whom live in tow^n. 1 never knew for the same number of inhabitants in any place, so many attendants upon the pi*eaching of the gospel. Without a librar\-, except a \'ery small selection of tracts, I have a small, though interesting, Sabbath 8(^hool. -x- * * There are aliont seven or eight wlio have been professors of religion in our church l)efore, and 1 think a church might now l)e formed of at least a dozen mem])ers. * One lady in the place has been, I trust, born into the kingxlom. The people are hospitable, and have more intelligence and liberality of feeling than any similar town I have found in the country. ' After preaching some six or eight months, Mr. Furman passed on to other fields. In June. 1831. Kev. James Chute, of the Presbytery of Columl>us, visited Fort Wayne, and on the first of July following, at the request of the few Presbyterians then residing here, organized the First Presbyterian church of Fort Wayne, consisting of eleven memliers. On the -ith of October, 1831, the church was received under care of Miami Presbyter}', whose place of meeting was some one hundred and twent}- miles distant. (_)f the first members of this church, two were half-Indians, who had before, in 1820, joined the Baptist church under the labors of Rev. Mr. McCoy, missionary to the Indians at this post. They were nieces of " Litte Turtle." the celebrated war-chief of the Miarais. the force of whose fierce courage, as leader of the savage hosts, our countrymen had felt on this spot in the bloody conflict with Harmar's army, in 171)0, and again in the defeat of St. Clair, on the upper Wabash, in ITl'l. They were daughters ol Capt. 1/ \f- 16 Wells, who, at the age of twelve years, had I)eeii taken prisoner or rather stolen) in Kentucky and adopted by the Miami tribe. ( )!' Little 'riiille. Col. Jolinston thus wrote to me in Noveml)er, IS,")!): •• .Mt'sliekunno<;li(juoli. or the Little Turtle, was ol" mixed blood, half .Mohican, half .Miami. * * :(: | ]^JJ^,^y i^jj,j intimately — the gentleman of his race. lie died at Fort Wayne, and was buried, as he deserviMl. by the commanding otiicer, with al' the honors of wnv due to his high character and r:ink." With great l)r()prietv, the spot which he so l)ravely defended against Ilarmar in 17!)0. was selected as his burial [)lace. ('apt. Wells fought by the si(U' of his Chief in the memorable bat- tle with 8t. Clair's army. .Vftcrwards in the time of calm reflection, with dim memories still of his childhood home, of brothers and playmates, he seems to ha\e been harrowed with the thought that amongst the slain by his own hand, may have Ijeen his kindred. The approach of Waynes army in 1 7!>4, stirred anew conflicting emotions. ])ase(l ui)()n indistinct recollections of early ties of coun- try and kiudri'd on the one hand, and existing attachments of wife and children on the other. He resolved to make his history known. With true Indian characteristics, the secret purpose of leaving his adopti'd nation, was, according to reliable tradition, made known in this manner. Taking with him the war chief, Little Turtle, to a favorite spot on the banks of the Maumee, Wells said : "I now leave your nation for my own people. We lia\'e long been friends. We ari' friends yet, until the sun reaches a certain height, (which he indicated.) From that time we are enemies. Then if you wish to kill me you may. If 1 want to kill you I may." At the appointed hour, crossing the river, Capt. Wells disai)peared in the forest, tak- ing an eastern direction to strike the trail of Wayne's army. Ob- taining an interview with (Jen. Wayne, he became ever afterward the faithful friend of the .\mericans,* though living chiefly with the Miamis until killed in the Chicago massacre in 1S12, having gone ""At (iiic tinu^ Wells was ■ ndiaii .\!j,-i'nt at Fm-t Wayne, ]>}' appDintniciit nl' tliu GiivL'riuiK'iit. 17 to that besieged post on a hazardous mission lor the relief of his friends.t The daughters of Capt. Wells. Mrs. Turner and Mrs. Hackley, were educated in Kentucky, and are yet kindly remember- ed l)y some in this church and comnuuiity as ladies of refinement and intelligent piety. The house of one of them, Mrs. Ann Turner, standing on the present site of Colerick's Opera House, on Colum- bia street, was the appointed place of weekly prayer, where bless- ings were sought upon the little vine planted in the wilderness. They now rest lieside their kinsman, the war-chief, in the old orchard near the junction of the rivers. Of the little flock of eleven, whose names were enrolled at the beginning, all, pastor and people, have passed from the church be- low, save two ladies. In all this pai't of the North- West, from Piqua even to the Sel- kirk settlement (now Winnepeg) in the British possessions, this, at its organization, was probably the only church of the Presbji:er- ian type. The want of a place of worship, affording reasonable comfort, was here a chief hinderance of church progress for the first six years. Six or eight different rooms were occupied in succession within this period. The religious services connected with the organization were held in the open air under a rude shelter of l)oards, near the junc- tion of Columbia and Harrison streets, on ground now occupied by the canal basin. For a time, the little brick school room, about twenty l)_y twenty-five feet, then standing some two hundred feet south-west of the present count}' jail, in a cluster of sumach shrub- bery, was the place of worship. Then the Masonic Hall, on the site of Hill & Orbison's warehouse, a room perhaps, thirty by forty feet, was occupied until driven out in June, 1S33, by the advent of fThe wif(! of the Commandant at Chicago, i.s understood to liave been WelLs' niece. 18 the first printing press ever set up in north-eastern Indiana, J for whose convenience, we maj^ be assured, it was most willingly yielded 1)}' Pres})yterians — a people who have ever stood in the front ranks of Protestantism, for the dittusion of knowledge through a free and independent press, and who, we may safely trust, will vindicate this historic claim, by being among the last to yield the freedom of dis- cussion and the untrammeled dissemination of thought, under whatever specious pretext of public good, the encroachment shall ^. come. Next a carpenter's shoi) on the north side of Columbia street -whi^ 'o R. W. Tajlor'a otor e room now otaiH te? was for some length of time the sanctuary. At the close of each week's work, the shop was hastily transformed in its adaption from material to sacred use, by removijig the shavings and adjusting the benches, minns their backs, with the work-bench for a pulpit desk. A small room on the opposite side of Columbia street, was for a short time used, as was likewise a room in the (Jd brick tavern, in the same street, on the site of fN^Bash^ store room. During the summer of 1883. and afterwards in 1835 and 1836, the old brick Court House, long since gone to decay, was occupied as a place of worship. One one Sab- bath, now distinctly remembered, if not on more than one occasion, the congregation were compelled after the services had commenced to go forth from one of their humble sanctuaries, and were seen fol- lowing their pastor, with bible and hj-mn-book in hand, in search of a place of less discomfort; having been sorely persecuted, not by Po/e or King, but l)y the elements, eagerly taking advantage of some outrage, against the laws of practical science, liy the chimney liuilder. Such were the wanderings and adjournings of the littk; congregation until in 1837, they found a home and resting place in their own church building, the small frame forty feet square, near east end of Berry street. This history has to-day its counterpart in many a place within the wide range of our advancing s(!ttlements, whose appeal for aid to the occupants of cushioned seats, and otherwise pleasant and com- JTlie Port Wayne Sf'iitiiicl, cstnlilislicd by TIk.s. Tigar and .S.V. H. Noc;!. 19 tbr'taljlc c'dilk'i'.s, needs no elociuonco for its enforcement, otlier tluin the simple statement of sucli i)ri\ :iti(»n and endnrunee. In that little frame church, on what is now the site of the beau- tiful residence building erected in 1881 by Charles McCulloch, Esq., wi're oi'ganized both the Synod of Northern Indiana and the Pres- bytery of Fort Wayne, the former in October, 184H, and the latter on the 1st day of January, 1845. Interest was imparted to the propriate religious ceremonies, in October, 1845. The l)asement of the new building was first occupied for public worship in 1847, and the upper room completed and solemnly dedicated to the wor- ship of Almighty God in November, 1852, with religious services, suited to an occasion of so much interest and joy, to all who loved the sanctuary. The sermon was preached by Rev. Thomas E. Thomas, D. D.. then President of Hanover College. /? A 1 )rief notice of those who have preached the gospeL is appro- priate to this historic sketch. The labors of Rev. James Chute were continued in humble, self-denying faithfulness, from the organ- ization of the church till called to his rest on the 28th of December, 1835. His memory is ])lessed. Following the death of Mr. Chute, the pulpit was supplied, first in l8oG, by Rev. Daniel Jones, and after him by Rev. Jesse Hoover, a Lutheran minister, until October, 1 837. Rev. Alexander T. Rankin was next invited to this field. He entered on his ministry in Oct,ol)er, 1837, and continued to labor here until Hepteml)er, 1843. Rev. William C. Anderson was called . to the church in the spring of 1844. Though declining to accept the call, he took charge of the church and preached for some six months, gaiiding it, under the providence of (iod, most happily 20 throuirli the period of its uti'mIcsI trials and daiiux-r. Tn Sei)tiynl>{.!r, Mr. Andersons liealtli iiaviiiti' tailed, a call was lorvvardoil to.ll. S. Diekson. Mr. D. was installed })astor in November, 1845. Until this time tlu' lixed i-i'lalionsliij) of pastor and people had not been enjoyed l^y this eongri'gation — the several ministers iiiiviug kiborod as stated supplies. In the fall of 1S47, Mr. Dicksou having resign- ed the pastorate, Kev. Lowiiian 1'. ITawes supplied the pulpit for about six months, in August, 1848, l\vv. J. (1. Riheldatfer, then of the gi'aduating class of I'rinccton Seminary, accepted a call and was installed as pastor, continuing in that relation until he resigned in IS.")!. Tu Xovemlu'r, 1851. Hev. Jonathan Kdwards. D. I)., was in- stalled as pastor. He resigned in July. 1855, to accept the I'rcsi- dency of Hanover (\)llege. and was succeeded by llev. John M. Lowrie. T). 1).. who was installed in November, 1856. During the vacancy l)efore the settlement of l)r. Lowrie, Rev. J. H. JJurns sup- plied the pulpit foi- a few months. The pastorate of liev. Dr. Lowrie continued to the time of his death, September 20, 1807. Tn Marcli, 1808, Rev. Thomas H. Skinner, D. D., accepted the call of this congregation. Dr. S. resigned September 18, 1871, to accept a call to Second Presbyterian church, of Cincinnati. February 5, 1872, Rev. J). W. Moffatt, then a i)astor at Georgetown, D. C., accept- ed a call to this church. This is the ninth year of his pastorate. The total number of admissions to membership in this clun'ch since its organization in 1831, has been — on profession of faith, 49-4; on certificate from other churches, 504; aggregating, 1,058; (adding the seven original members makes 1,005.) The present membership is :)!)5. Ma}', 1844. six memlicrs were dismissed at their own re- (juest, who with others were then organized as the Second I^resby- terian clnu'di of l''<)rt Wayne. Again on the second day of Decem- ber, 1807, thirty-four nicmbci's were in like manner dismissed for the purpose of being organized as the Third Presbyterian church of Fort Wayne. For several years after the organization of the church. Presbyter- ians, Methodists, and Baptists worshipped together, their respective ministers preaching on alterniite Sal)baths. The num])er of church- goers seemed to small too divide. It was with difiiculty, moreover 21 tlmt even one \)hwv of meeting, affbnlinL!; reasoniible eomfort, could l»e proeiirt'd. Tliere are those yet living who can bear grateful tes- timony to seasons of marked religious enjoyment in the union meet- ings of tliat period, held amid thcsi' rude surroundings, with so little of the elegance, or even the convenience, with wliieh christian con- gregations in Fort Wayne are now blessed. In any sketch of religious ijrogxess, efforts for instructing the children in the word of (lod should by no means be omitted. The first Sabl)ath school in this place was organized in 1825, fifty-six years ago, ))y James Hanna, an Elder in the church of Dayton, then on a visit to his children residing here. For some years all protes- tant denominations united in the work. In 1S4(I the Methodists and Lntlierans, and in 1842, the Baptists, estal)lished separate schools in connection with their respective chnrches. Thus, with some in- terruptions in the earlier times, this church 8abl)ath school has con- tinned for over a half century, and with the Sabbath Schools sustain- ed l)y other churches, not less nseful, has contributed materially to the cause of morals and religion in this region. Nor should the Ladies' Missionary Circle be overlooked. This was instituted at an early period. Many are the instances in which the families of missionaries laboring in the destitute surroundings, have been essentially relieved through their unolitrnsive labors. The ladies of the church have also contributed largely through tliis agency, first and last, towards erecting and furnishing this church building. Such are some of the incidents in the military and religious his- tory of Fort Wayne. Besides the chain of events l)earing strictly upon the progress of the Presbyterian church, other points of his- toric interest are brought prominently to view. First, its early occupation by European nations. France and England, each in turn, maintained a garrison here, as an exercise of sovereignty over this part of the continent. Great questions of in- •>•> tiiiitc rcuch, imolviiig (lomiuion. race, lunyiiagt', law,* aiul religion, have hung upon the petty display ol' military power at the junction oi" these rivers. Second, the signal success for a time attending the struggles of the Aborigines in rc'ijelling the approach of American civilization. No other point was defended with such oljstinacy and valor. Suc- cessively, La Balm, Harmar and St. (Mair, were overwhelmed or driven back by savage courage and sti'ategy. Sliall we ascribe more than ordinary \igor ;uid force to the Ued men, whose place of rendezvous for war or peace was here ? rnc^uestionabh', they were e(iual to any of the tribes in f(jrce and courage. Or, was there a peculiar beauty and achiptedness to Indian life, in the rivers and forests surrounihng this old carrying place, inciting to daring deeds for its (Uifense ? We ai'c assuretl that no country ever filled more completely the range of an Indian's wants, or for him possessed more (;f tlu; attractions of home. Third, the i)ersistence of the United States (jrovernment in estab- lishing and ijiaintaining its power here. Four campaigns, three un- der Washington's and (jne under John Adams', administration, were directed to this point. Fourth, when opened to civilized pursuits, enterprising men were attracted iiere' by l)usiness facilities and commanding position. Some of these brought with them an appreciation of religious pi'i\ilrges — the Iruits of early training,— and when the missionary came to seek the scattered shee[) in the wilderness, were ready to respond l)y co-operative eftbrts. The missionary's report in 1830, represents at that date an extraordinary attendance upon the preaching of the gospel. The stati' of society lu-re at the present *Tlu' Kn'Ufh Colonists in Caiiailu, loiii;' uttiT tlie iutrndiKtioii of EngHsh jurispnidt'iice, wore irrccoucilablv opijosed to the trial l)y j»u-y. A Canadian, tcstityiiiLC before tlie British House of Connnons in 1774, said, "that the Canadian- had no clear notions of jrovernment, havint; never been used to any such sjx'culations.'" — 'DllUm'H IlUtory. 23 time, with very inucli to l)e ameudecl. in oile particular, exemplifies tlie lasting inHnent-e of first settlers upon future character and habits. ''As the twig is I)ent, the tree inclines." Truthfully ma}- it by said, in ISSl as in ISCO. we are comparatively a ehurch-going people. In few towns or cities in tiie west is the population, Pro- testant and Catholic, in larger proportion found in the sanctuary on the Sabbath than at Fort Wayne. NOTE A. Thr tnll.>xvinn'. iVnui FhwUt's Kn-li~h Gnummn: presenting' thu.-uim- gen- erul idea in u aitfereat form, Nva> tir>t n.^tieed while X\u' foregoing was pas:vill ever perpetuate it. The Miami of Lake Erie (now Maumee) was likewise named for the tfibe. The St. Joseph, of Lake Michigan, was called the ''River MUnnles;- when LaSalle erected a fort, and Henepin flrst raised the cross at its mouth in November, 1679. Our own St. Mary's was marked ^'Miamies' rirrr'- on the rude skeleton map, made to represent the western country at the time of Colonel Boipiefs ex- pedition in 1763. NOTE C. An Incident in Indian Life at Fort Wayne. About seventy years ago a white man was bound to the :-take for burning. The mother of the late principal chief of the Miamies, Richardville, (or Pee- jec-wa) herself a daughter of a chief, a woman of great influence in the tribe, "had made fruitless efforts to save him. The savages stood around eager for the cruel sacrifice, and the torch was ready to be applied. Kichardville, then a voung man, had been designated as their future chief, but not yet in- stalled." To him his mother applied, and placing a knife in his hand, bade him assert, at that moment, his chieftainship. Hushing within theinfurated 26 oiix-li', lie out the cords that ImiuihI the white man. — Thmiyh chagrined at the eircape of their victim, all applauded, a.* men, .savage nr civilized will iioiiDr a hold and decided charactrr. and hi> intiuenee and power were from that time estahli.shed. The kind liearted Miami wonnm contrived to secrete the w liite man. sending liim down the ^laumee in a canot' under a cover of furs and peltries, in charge of some friendly Indians. Many vear.s afterward:?, tlie chief, on a journey to AVashingtou City, stopped at a town in Ohio. A man approached him, throwing his arms around his neck in greatful embrace. It was the rescued prisoned. These facts are given un the authority of Allen Hamilton, Esq., of Ft)rt AVayne. as they were often related to him by the chief himself. NOTE I). PiXK KiDGK, Choctaw Nation. Feb. 23. 1800. 31k. J. L. Williams, DkarSir: — Your letter of January 28 has just ..i^onieto hand— ^ V*mt-lm|m ri«? respecting Col. Josiah X. Vose, of the United States Army. * * * He was stationed at Fort Towson, in the Choctaw country, from 1832 to 1840. I ciune to reside in this place in 1836, which is two miles from Fort Towson. During the four years of our residence so ne:ir to each other, our interconr-e was fre(juent and most gratifying to my- .self, and I have reason to think nuitually pleasant and profitable. Col. "N'ose and AVife were menll)ers of the Park Street Church, Boston. By request of Col. A'ose, I preached a part of the time at Fort Towson, and the word seemed to be etfectual to the salvation of souls. AA'hen I took charge of the church here, it was on the very frontier, not only of religion, but )f civilization. The church at the time consisted of fourmembers, two of them slaves; and westerly there was not, at that time, another Presbyter- ian professor of religion between this and the liocky Mountains. The two first additions to our little church were two Lieutenants from the Fort. One of them, Lieut. Barnwell, from South Carolina, was a son-in-law of Colonel A^ose. ••- * * The other was Lieut. Field, from Buttalo, X. Y. He sub- sequently married another daughter of Col. A'ose. He was killed at the battle of Monterey, Mexico. * * * Gardiner A'ose, a S(m of Col. A^ose, is a minister of the gospel, and at this time a professor of rlietoric in Am- herst college. Col. A'ose wa- a consistent Chri-tian gentleman to the day of his death. His example and influence were always for good, over the ottii'crs and men under his command. He took a lively interest in our missionary operations, and gave it not only his favor in everj- practicable way, biit also his substan- tial support. Col. A'ose was ever ready to conduct meetings on the Sabbath when 1 was absent, and to take an active pai-t in prayer meetings, and at the monthly concerts. The influence of such a commander, at a frontier post, among the Indians, is of inestinuible value to the country at large. — * * * More than sixty persons, including otflcers and their wives, sol- diers and ramp wonu'u. united with the church of which I have been the stated su})}ily. No post on the western frontier, it is confidently believed, has exerted as favorable an influence on the cause of morality and religion as Yort Towson. This is to be ascribed in a good degree to the influence of pious commanders. * """ * I shall never cease to give thanks to God for the favor he has shown us through the pious commanders that in his good providence have been stationed at Fort Towson, and in wbieh favor Col. A'^ose was preeminent. * * "' "Blessed is the man who maketh the Lortl lii> trust;" and blessings descend after him to unborn generations. Yovu-s trulv, C. KINGSBURY. NOTE K. On the Ladies' Missionary Work. The orgjini7.;iti alUulecl ti> in the preceeding histDvical .sketch. The Circle continues it,'- existence and work. Tint \u> full record of the amount of its eontrihutiou;^ to honn' mission.-- is ivttainalile. The Ladies Foreign Missionary Society was organized Dee. 1S71. The hidies of the three Presbj^terian churches of this city, met December 18, 1871, and, under tiie direction of Mrs. Dickson, wife of a former pastor of this church, organized the Fort Wayne auxilliar}- of the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society, of Phikidelphia, and assumed tlie support of a missionaiw in China. During the ten years ttf its existence, $4:874.4;9 luive been collected by tlie society, of which §4000.00 have been devoted to the purpose above mentioned and the remainder to the current expenses of the society and gifts to special objects of interest in the missionary tield, for which the aid of the society has been solicited. NOTE F. Our Churches— In 1831 and in I88J— Their Sup- port Then and Now A Striking Contrast. Fron The Daily News of Jan., 23, ISsu. In cities like this the beginnings of society, religious and social, possess an interest tv those who come after. My friend, Abram Barnett, hands uie the following church subscription paper, circulated in Fort Wayne lifty years ago, which he recently found among the papers of his father, James Barnett, who at an early period removed fn>m Dayton to this place, and whose wife was a sister of Hon. Sam'l Hanna. Old settlers will remember the iirm of Barnett & Hanna as one of the earliest mercantile tirms. The town then contained 350 inhabitants. All Protestant denominatinus worship- ped together, and united in calling the first settled minister. The whole town could then only promise to pay a minister ;^258, as shown by the following : THE SUBSCRIPTION PAPER. W^e, the undersigned eitizen.■^ of Fort Wayne and its vicinity, being very desirous of procuring the services of a resident ministerof the Gospel among us, do agree to pay the several sums annexed to our names in aid of the support of Rev. James Chute for one year at this place. Fort Wayne, July 12th, 1831. Sam'l Hanna. $1-5.00; Allen Hamilton, 7.50; H. Hanna, 10.00; Smallwood Noel, 10.00; David Archer, 5.00; AVm. N. Hood, 10.00. At this rate as long as he shall live in Fort Wayne. . Z. B. Tenny, 6.00; James Barnett, 20.00; A. L. Davis, 5.00: Wm. Rockhill, 5.00; Sam'l Lewis, 5.00; Abner Gerard, 5.00; R. L. Britton, 2.50; Sam'l Edsall. 5.00; L. G. Thompson, 5.00; Ann Turner, 10.00; AVm. Sutten- tield, 2.00; Sam'l Brown, 2.00; Thos. Daniels, 5.00; James Mcintosh, Jr., 1.00; James Daniels, 5.00; Philip Klinger, 10.00; James I). Klinger, 5.00; Johh D. Klinger, 5.00; Wm. Caster, 3.00. If he should remain a citizen. Ptobert Hood, 15.00; H. Kudisill, 5.00; J. H. Griggs, 7.00; Rebecca Hack- ley, 5.00; Mathew Griggs, 10.00; Mason M.Meriam, 5.00; John Jettcoat, 5.00. Hill cV: Henderson, 5.00; Lewis H. Davis, 10.00; Isaac Patterson, 1.00; Francis 28 Alexiindcr, 2.00; HiraJii AVoesc, 2.00; Simon Kdsall, 2.00; John B. Duhoii^, o.OO; Charles S. Griggs, 5.00; Win. Wilson, 5.00; Lewis Armstrong, 2.00; John Mcintosh, 5.00." Of these 44 leading men in 1S81, only Simon Edsall is living in 1881. It is gratitying, however, to state that some half dozen or more estimahle ladies who, in 1831, were wives, respectively, of some of the ahove .subsc'ril)ers, are still with us. Mr. W. P. Cooper, recently appointed 1>y our city council to compile sta- tistics, whose report may lie seen in all tlu' city papers, sums up the total church memhershi]) in the eleven distinct denominations in Fort Wayne, at tile present time, as 11.357; ami tiie value ot' church structures at $472,100. (^uite a wholes(jme contrast. Fort Wayne, in 1831, had no church huildings, lariic or small. The writer attended his tirst Sabbath service here in June, 1832, in the back room of Judge Haiuia's stty, cS:c. 4,514 General Assembly, ----- 305 Congregational Expeiidittu-es includinn jioor t>f Congre- gation, Arc, cV:.. - " - - ' 60,003 24,657 Total for Tc, Y-ars, . - . . 84,660 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 753 366 4