Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.djvu/89

COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES 59 for speed, which served him well in the many and lengthy trips around the circuit. The succeeding pastor to this charge was Rev. M. Tobey, who remained but a short time. Rev. Daniel M. Barber, who had established a school for young ladies near Washingtonville, next took the New Columbia charge. At the same date Rev. D. M. Halliday was pastor at Danville.

Next in 1838 came Rev. D. J. Waller, Sr., whose life work in both the religious and material field has left a permanent impress on the history of Columbia county. His charge embraced all the country from the mouth of Roaring creek to Little mountain, and along the Susquehanna to Nanticoke, with North mountain for the upper boundary, a territory nearly forty miles square. One sermon a fortnight was all that could be allotted to Bloomsburg and Berwick, while other points were restricted to services once a month. At first the residence of the pastor was at Espy, as the most central point, but later, when Berwick was set off as a separate charge, Catawissa offered letter inducements for a time.

Among the early pastors in this section may be mentioned Revs. Daniel M. Barber, A. H. Hand, S. S. Shedden, George W. Thompson, Charles Williamson and James L Hamilton, in Columbia county: and Revs. John Bryson, Halliday, Yeomans, John B. Patterson, Dunham, William Smith, Nicholas Patterson, Isaac Grier, Hood and Ijams, in Montour county.

Detailed histories of the different churches of both counties will be found in the chapters devoted to the separate divisions. The list of pastors, location of churches, and other statis¬ tics for 1914 are here presented: Sunday Members School William Gemmill, Millville J. Homer Kerr, Orangeville...70...72 John B. Crier, Danville James W. Kirk. Mahoning..t xt27s William R. Mather. Raven Creekt Spencer C. Dickson. Bloomsburg 443t410 Howard A. Loux. Berwickt499tJSt Robert P. Howie. Mooresburgt 9at132 Arturo D’Albergp, West Berwickt C. .A. I^nkel. Centraliat 48t60

All of the above churches are in the Presbytery of Northumberland. The following churches are vacant, the pulpits being occasionally filled by request: Briar Creek, New Columbia, Washingtonville, Benton, Derry and Rohrsburg.

METHODIST

The introduction of Methodism into Columbia county was made probably through the instrumentality of Bishop Asbury, the founder of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America. It was under his preaching in Northampton county that the Bowmans were converted. They subsequently removed to Berwick, and it was probably through their representations that the Bishop was led to come here. At that time he ordained these men who subsequently became such a power for good. Other itinerants who came here on missionary tours were Revs. William Colbert, James Paynter, Morris Howe and Robert Burch, but they did not seem to effect any permanent organization.

In the valley of Briar creek, four miles distant from Berwick, near the present village of that name, resided the Bowmans, Thomas and Christopher, both ministers of the Methodist Church. In order that the neighborhood could have regular religious services, Thomas Bowman fitted up the third story of his rather pretentious stone house as a place of worship, and invited the Methodists to hold services therein. This house was used for religious purposes for many years and stood in a fair state of repair until 1912. It is now only a ruin. Rev. Thomas Bowman later became the celebrated and eloquent Bishop Bowman, whose death occurred in 1914.

In the year 1805, under the joint ministry of Revs. James Paynter and Joseph Carson, a great revival was held, the country for forty miles around feeling the impulse. As a direct result a class was formed at Berwick, and this point was made a regular appointment of the Wyoming circuit, which extended from Northumberland to Tioga Point. In 1806 it was attached to the Northumberland circuit, with which it was associated until 1831, when the church work had so increased that the Berwick circuit was formed, embracing twenty- eight preaching places, of which the following were in Columbia county: Benton, Berwick, Bloomsburg, Buckhorn, Espy, Jersey town, Light Street, Mifflinville and Orangeville. In 1886 there were forty-two churches in Columbia county of the Methodist denomination, and in Montour county there were eight.

Since that date the denomination has grown steadily in strength and numbers and in the year 1914 is the strongest religious denomination in both of these counties.

The first regular conference appointments for the different stations in Columbia county were made in 1791, when it was in the North-