Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/485

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��HISTORY or RICHLAND COUNTY.

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��eloquent. He was a graduate of Washing- ton College, in 1814. At the time of his retire- ment, about sixty -five or seventy families were connected with the church. He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1850. He died in 1858.

Rev. William Dalzell was called in 1853. and remained about three years, when he resigned to connect himself with the Old School Pres-. l)yterian Church, and the pulpit was vacant until April 2-i, 1858, when the Rev. David Paul was called.

In 1838, negotiations were commenced for the the purpose of uniting the Associate and Associate Reformed denominations into one organic bod}'. By various steps, and espec- ially by mutual consideration of a variety of propositions and terms of union, the two churches became gradually more harmoni- ous in their views, until 1856, when a gen- eral basis of union was proposed for the con- sideration of both churches. In May, 1857, this basis of union was adopted hj both bodies as the terms on'which they were agreed to unite. May 26. 1858. the union thus agreed upon was formally consummated in Pittsburgh, Penn.. the united body assuming the name of '■ The United Presbyterian Church of North America."

After this consummation, the Rev. David Paul and the Rev. David Collins, of the Asso- ciate Church of Ontario, labored as copartners in these two churches. This relation continued aliout a year, when the congregation at jNIans- field gave a call to Dr. Paul for all his time, and the church at Ontario called Dr. Collins. Mr. Paul filled the pulpit very acceptably until 1864, when he resigned to accept the presidenc}' of the Muskingum College. Rev. Joseph McKee followed Mr. Paul, and was Pastor until 1866.

In June. 1867. the congregation, in connec- tion with that of Monroe, made out a call for the Rev. D. H. French, the former tak- ing two-thirds, the latter one-third of his time. In 1870, the congregation petitioned

��the Presbytery for the whole of their Pastors time, w^hich was granted. Mr. French lalv ored faithfully, eft'ectively and acceptably for twelve years. When he entered upon the pas- toral charge, there were sixty -three members on the roll. In the Sabbath school were three classes, three teachers, and seventeen scholars. The membership is aljout one hundred and ^ixty, and the number of pupils in the Sunday- school 133. ,

The Ruling Elders are James Clark, Sam- uel Hill, Robert B. Maxwell. Dr. D. R. Johnston, R. G. Wallace and David Sturgeon. Trustees — John Neel. William Johnson, John P. Ferguson, William Rusk and R. N. Stew- art. Mr. French resigned November 3, 1870. having accepted a call in Dayton, Ohio. His last sermon was preached December 7. He was much beloved by his people, and, in his retirement, was followed by their prayers and benedictions.

A Sabbath school has been connected with the church since its organization, and is now in a flourishing condition.

It is to be regi-etted that the larger part of the history of the ISIethodist Episcopal Church is involved in obscurity, and that those immediately interested in it have foiled to keep a record, especially one that would throw light on its early history. The history of no other church in the city would, perhaps, be so full of interest as this ; yet, while the history of the others is comparatively complete, no official record has l)een kept. or. if kept, either lost or neglected ; and all that is left for the historian is to collect the few scattered items in old publications, which occasionally crop out in the history of other churches, and which still live in the memory of its older members. These extracts are very meager indeed.

Of one thing, however, there is no doubt : that is, that the first church erected in the town of Mansfield was a Methodist, and the organization

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