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.pdf/89

 COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES fo r speed, which served him well in the many and lengthy (rips around the circuit. T he succeeding pastor to this charge was Rev. M. Tobey, who remained but a short time. R ev. Daniel M . Barber, who had established a school fo r young ladies near WashingtonviUc, next took the New Coliunbia charge. A t the same date Rev. D. M. H alliday was pastor at Danville. N ext in 1838 cantc Rev. D . J . W aller, Sr., whose life work in both (he religious and material field has left a permanent impress on the history* o f Columbia county. H is chaige embraced alt the country from the mouth of R oaring crcck to Little mountain, and along (he Susquehanna to Nanticokc, with North mountain for the upper boundary, a territory nearly forty miles s<]uare. One sermon a fort­ night w as all that could be allotted to Blooms­ burg and Berwick, w hile other points were restricted to services once a month. A t first the residence of the pastor w*as at E sp y, as the most central point, but later, when Berw ick was set o ff as a separate charge, Cataw issa offered letter inducements for a time. Among the early pastors in this section may be mentioned Revs. Daniel M . Barber, A . II. H and, S. S. Shcddcn, George W . Thompson, C harles Williamson and Jam es L Hamilton, in Columbia cou n ty: and Revs. John Bryson, H alliday, Yeomans, John B . Patterson, Dun­ ham, William Sm ith, Nicholas Patterson, Isaac G rier, Hood and. Ijam s, in Montour county. Detailed histories of the different churches o f both counties will be found in the chapters devoted to the separate divisions. T he list of pastors, location o f churches, and other statis­ tics fo r 1 9 1 4 arc here presented: Pojlor W illia m Gemmill. M illville.......................... J. H o m e r Kerr, O ran geville................. 70 John B. Crier, D anville.............................. James W. K irk. M a h on in g.................. x W illiam R. Mather. Raven C reek.................. Spencer C. Dickson. Bloomsburg 443 Howard A. Loux. Berwick 499 Robert P. H owie. Mooresburg.............. 9a A rtu ro D ’Albergp, W est Berw ick................ C. .A. I^nkel. Centralia........................ 48

Sundoy

Sckcpi 72 27s 410 JSt 132 60

A ll of the above churches are in the P r c ^ y tery o f Northumberland. T he following churches are vacant, the pulpits being occa­ sionally filled by request: B riar Creek, N ew Columbia. Washington ville. Benton, Derry and Rohrsburg.

59

M E T H O D IS T

T he introduction o f Metliodism into Colum­ bia county was made probably through the in­ strumentality of Bishop Asbury, the founder of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Am eri­ ca. It w as under lus preaching in Northamp­ ton county that the Bowmans were co n ve rt^. They subsequently removed to Berwick, and it was probably through their representations tlu t the Bishop was led to come here. A t that time he ordained these men w*lio subsequently became such a power for good. Other itin­ erants who came here on missionary tours were Revs. Willwm Colbert, Jam es Paynter, M orris Howe and Robert Burch, but they did not seem to effect any pcnnaneiu organization. In the valley o f B riar creek, four miles dis­ tant from Berw ick, 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 r ^ u la r religious services, Thomas Bow ­ man fitted up the third story o f his rather pretentious stone house as a place o f worship, and invited the Methodists to hold services therein. T his house was used for religious purposes for many years and stood in a fair state o f repair until 19 12. It is now only a* ruin. Rev. Thomas Bowman later tm am e the celebrated and eloquent Bishop Bowman, whose death occurred in 1914. In (he year 1805, under the joint ministry o f Revs. Jam es Paynter and Joseph Carson, a great revival was held, the country for forty miles around feeling the impulse. A s a direct result a class was formed at l^ rw ick, and this point was made a regular appointment of the W yoming circuit, which extended from N orth­ umberland to Tioga Point. In 1806 it was attached (0 the Northumberland circuit, wdth which it .w as associated until i 8 t i, when the church work had so increased that (he B er­ wick circuit was formed, embracing twentyeight preaching places, o f which the following were in Columbia county: Benton, Berwick, Bloomsburg, Buck bom . Espy, Jersey town. Light Street. MifBinvillc and Orangeville. In 1886 there were forty-two churches in Columbia county of the Methodist denomina­ tion. and in Montour county (here were eight. Since that date the denomination has grown steadily in strength and numl)crs and in the year 19 14 is the strongest religious denomina­ tion ill both of these counties. The first regular conference appointments for the different stations in Columbia county were mailc in 17 9 1, when it was in the North-