Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/556

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

��D. I. Foust was the first minister ; D. A. Coon was also one of the earl}' ministers, after which came T. F. Dornblazer, and other regular ministers of the Lutheran Church in the cir- cuit. Rev. C. S. Ernsberger preaches for them at the present time. The membership is about one hundred and twent^'-five.

Many years before this church was erected, a Sunday school was organized in the Hastings Schoolhouse, called the Hopewell Sunday School. It was well sustained, and when the new church was erected, moved into it. H. J. McDanel is present Superintendent, with a membership of about seventy.

The United Presbyterian Church of Monroe is a comfortable brick edifice, located on Section 30. It originated a few miles south of its present loca- tion in Worthington Township. On the records in Mansfield appears a deed, dated November 24, 1827, from William Robinson, "to Frances Johnson. John Douglas and Robert Kenton, as Trustees of the Worthington Associate Reformed Church and their successors in oflfice.'' It con- veys two acres of ground in the northeast quar- ter of Section 18, for the purposes of this church. The organization of this church occurred some years before this, and the first church was built of logs. The original members were John Douglas, Frances Johnson, Adam Johnson, John Rob- inson, Robert and William Stewart, Robert Kenton, Peter Alexander, David Filloon and others.

Rev. James Johnson, of Mansfield, was one of its earliest ministers, preaching there once a month ; afterward, Rev. William Loughridge and the Rev. George Wilson, officiated ; and later. Rev. Richard Gaile}'. In 1858, it became the United Presbyterian b}" the union of the Associate and Associate Reformed, and the new church was erected in Monroe, which location was considered more central. Rev. D. H. French followed Mr. Galley in 1867. Mr. Gal- ley was the first preacher in the new church, and opened a select school in the sameljuilding.

��at which young men were prepared for college. He afterward built a small frame building near the church to which he transferred his school, and which came to be called the Monroe Semi- nary. Mr. Gailey afterward transferred his school to Lexington, where he died, but his daughter still continued the school. The old seminary in Monroe is occupied as a dwelling by James McCulloch, a brother of the venerable Judge McCulloch, of Mansfield.

Rev. G. M. Reed preaches in this church every three weeks. The membership is about forty-eight. For the last eight years, no Sun- day school has been connected with the church.

The Rocky Fork and Black Fork furnished the settlers of Monroe with that which is so necessar}- ever3'where, but which was of great importance in a new country, and especially before steam power was understood — water- power for milling purposes. A thing most essential to the well-being and prosperity of every community is a mill — one that will saw the lumber for dwellings, and manufacture corn and wheat into meal and flour. To-day mills can be located at any point where water can be procured from a spring or well, but in those days, before steam was used, mills were located on the banks of a stream, flowing with suflScient volume and force to turn the machiner}'. These streams were of incalcula- ble benefit to the earliest settlers, not only to furnish water power but means of transporta- tion to and from civilization. The Black Fork was navigable for small row-boats and scows up through Monroe into Mifflin Township, and the hunters, trappers and farmers of those daj's would load their canoes with furs, pelts and produce of diflferent kinds and travel dowm the stream to the nearest trading-place, and return with such materials as they needed, and for which the}' had exchanged their cargoes. The rapid advance of civilization, the building of mills and cutting of roads soon put an end to this, and for many years the streams have

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