Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/487

 HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

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��of the Baptist Church before they came to this country. Afterward, they received WilHam Van Horn and wife. Charles Stewart and Eliza- beth Bartley. These formed a conference for divine worship, and constituted the first organ- ization of the Baptists in this part of the coun- try. The first minutes of their meetings appear April 17, 1819. Mr. Bartlej' was Moderator and Mr. Cunen, Clerk, and, on the 15th of Ma}' following, they agreed to be constituted into a church, to be called the Mansfield Church. The number of names at that time enrolled in the organization was fifty -three, among the most prominent of which were Mordecai Bartley, D. I. Swinne}', Nehemiah Storj*. Matthew Cunen, Eliphalet Flint. John Palmer. John C. Gilkison, John Rigdon, Robert Bentley, Baldwin Bent- le}-, Charles Spoouer, Richard Woodhouse, Pe- ter Ogden. James M. Gilkison and their wives. This membership was scattered through all the townships adjoining Madison, and meetings were held in different places in the county to accommodate the membership. This organiza- tion continued many j'ears, but, as the county grew and increased in population, organizations began to be formed and churches Iniilt in the diflferent townships, and this organization was thus divided, the memliers withdrawing and joining the organizations in their respective townships.

It was not until 1838 that an organization was formed in Mansfield, called the First Regu- lar Baptist Church of Mansfield, but which was constituted the Second Regular Baptist Church of Mansfield. p]lder Isaac Bloomer was first Pastor of this church. He came as a mission- ary from the Home Missionary Society in the fall of 1838, and held services in schoolhouses and in the court house during the winter. The council, which was called to recognize this or- ganization as a chui'ch, met Mai'ch 16, 1839, and consisted of Elders Jones, Going, Sage, Cosner, Converse and Cox. Nineteen persons united with the church, either b}' letter or

��otherwise. Rev. Bloomer served until 1846, and was followed in their order liy the following ministers :

Benjamin Thomas, Luther L. Hill, S. B. WelD- ster, Lewis L. Still, J. M. Winn, George Wil- son, R. Newton. David E. Thomas and John Fulton. The latter occupied the pulpit in 1859, and, in December of that year, the church was divided, thirty-nine members withdrawing and forming the Central Baptist Church of Mans- field.

This church was organized Jan. 7, 1860. at the residence of George Armentrout, by George Ar- mentrout, Mary Armentrout, B. Dunn, Fanu}' Dunn, Isaac Hedrick and wife, W. S. Hickox and wife, and othei'S. The fine, substantial brick church, now standing on the northwest corner of West Market and Walnut streets, was erected in 1862, at a cost of about $25,000. It was dedicated January 17, 1863. J. W. Os- born was first Pastor, and continued preaching for the congregation eight years. He was fol- lowed by S. A. Collins, J. Barstow, E. D. Hunt, John E. Chessore, T. J. Seigfried and J. W. Davis. The present membership is 125. The organization of the Sundaj' school was coeval with that of the church, and now numbers about 100 pupils. H. Colby was first Super- intendent.

The S^mod of ^laryland and A'irginia sent the Rev. F. J. Ruth, the founder of the English Lutheran Church of Mansfield, to this city, where he preached the first sermon in the Presbyterian. Church, October 1, 1831. He found but six persons in the town at that time who were Lutherans ; but, in the summer of 1832, he organized the church with fifteen members. Some of these were Jacob Hammer and wife, George Coher, George Peterman and wife, JMr. Flory, wife and daughter, Samuel Startzman and wife, Mr. Shroeder and wife, and a few others whose names are not now known. Their first meetings were generally held in the old coui-t house. Having seen the church fairl}-

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