Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 15.djvu/95



FIRST PRESBYTERIANISM ON PACIFIC COAST 87

thing was clone according to Presbyterian politics, so that I do not see and never have seen any reason why we are not justified in calling it a Presbyterian Church. Their own rec- ords also call it a Presbyterian Church.

However, I agree that the resolution in their own records that "this Church be governed on the Congregational plan, but attached to the Bath Presbytery," a thing which would be impossible if they were not a Presbyterian Church, "and adopt its form of confession of faith and covenant as ours," shows that the intent of the man who organized the Church was to organize it as a Presbyterian Church. Furthermore, all those records are in the possession of the Synod of Washington, as they should be, which is solely and always has been a Pres- byterian body. The Presbytery of Oregon was not organized until much later, and the church on Clatsop Plains was or- ganized before there was any Presbytery, just as the one was out in Eastern Washington, but there has never been any objection to calling Clatsop Plains a Presbyterian Church, and I never heard of any objection before to calling Waiilatpu a Presbyterian Church. We have always claimed it and I think we are justified in the claim with the facts I have given you above. Respectfully yours,

(Signed) W. S. HOLT.

Mrs. Spalding became a member of the Presbyterian Church in Holland Patent, Oneida County, N. Y., in the Summer of 1826. Transferred her membership to the Presbyterian Church in Lane Seminary, Walnut Hills, Hamilton County, Ohio, and from this latter church to the Waiilatpu.

Mrs. Whitman became a member of the Presbyterian Church in Plattsburgh, Steuben County, N. Y. ; was transferred to the Presbyterian Church, Angelica, Alleghany County, N. Y., and from thence to the Waiilatpu.

Mr. Spalding united with the Presbyterian Church in Platts- burgh, Steuben County, N. Y., in the Summer of 1825. Grad- uated from the Western Reserve College, Hudson, Portage County, Ohio, in the Fall of 1833. Finished his theological course at Lane Seminary, Walnut Hills, Ohio, ordained to the Gospel Ministery by the Bath Presbytery in 1835, and was appointed the same year by the A. B. C. F. M. as missionary. He was one of the organizers of the Waiilatpu Church.