,,thirty ,,years ,,in ,,the ,,itinerancy1 ,,by ,,rev4 ,w4,g4 ,,miller1 ,d4,d4 #ahge ,,dedication4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,to ,,the ,,ministers ,,and ,,laymen ,,of ,,the ,,wisconsin ,,conference1 ,,with ,,whom ,,the ,,author ,,has ,,been ,,associated ,,in ,,christian ,,labor ,,during ,,the ,,past ,,thirty ,,years ,,are ,,these ,,pages ,,respectfully ,,dedicated4 ,,preface4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the following pages were prepared in the midst of the taxing labors of the ,ministerial calling4 ,the materials have been drawn from a multitude of sources1 and1 though the recollections of individuals have not been entirely harmonious in all cases1 the facts and dates are believed to be mainly reliable4 ,the general plan1 it will be observed1 contemplates a brief record of the ,charges and ,ministers of the ,wisconsin ,conference1 rather than furnish a sketch of my own services4 ,to place the data1 however1 in suitable relations1 and render it acceptable to the general reader1 it has been deemed advisable to let the record follow the line of my labors during the thirty years of my ,itinerant life4 ,the publication of the book at the present time1 is the result of my severe illness during the past year1 and the generous1 appreciative action taken by the ,district ,conferences4 ,a record of many other ,charges and ,ministers had been prepared1 but1 to my regret1 the limits of the volume would not permit its insertion4 ,hoping that these pages may revive many pleasant recollections1 furnish interesting and profitable reading for the fireside1 and preserve material for the future historian1 they are committed to the generous consideration of the public4 ,,the ,,author4 ,,contents4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,providential ,intervention4--,nature and ,providence alike ,mysterious4--,an ,unseen ,hand shaping ,human ,events4--,the ,author urged to enter the ,ministry4--,shrinks from the ,responsibility4--,flies to ,modern ,tarshish4--,heads for ,iowa4--,gets ,stuck in the ,mud4--,smitten by a ,northern ,gale4--,turns ,aside to see the ,eldorado4--,finds ,himself ,face to ,face with the ,itinerancy4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,the ,young ,itinerant4--,in a ,lumber ,mill at ,waupun4--,the ,surprise4--,an ,interval of ,reflection4--,a ,graceful ,surrender4--,the ,outfit minus the ,horse and ,saddlebags4--4,receives ,instruction4--,the ,final ,struggle4--,arrives at ,brothertown4--,reminiscences of the ,red ,man4--,the ,searching ,scrutiny4--,the ,brothertown ,people4--,the ,mission4--,rev4 ,jesse ,halstead--,rev4 ,h4,w4 ,frink4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,exhorter in ,charge4--,the ,first ,sabbath4--,the ,superb ,singing4--,class and ,prayer ,meetings4--,a ,revival4--,stockbridge ,counted ,in4--,a ,remonstrance4--,another ,exhorter ,found4--,decide to ,hold a ,great ,meeting4--,the ,loaves and ,fishes in the ,lad's ,basket too ,few4--,chief ,chicks4--,conversion of a ,noted ,character4--,quarterly ,meeting at ,fond du ,lac4--,licensed to ,preach4--,camp ,meeting at ,clason's ,prairie4--,camp ,meeting at ,brothertown4--,church ,enterprise4--,missionary ,merchant4--,logging ,bee4--,successive ,labors4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,fond du ,lac4--,first ,sermon4--,early ,presiding ,elders4--,rev4 ,h4,w4 ,reed4--,rev4 ,james ,r4 ,goodrich4--,rev4 ,jesse ,halstead the ,first ,pastor4--,rev4 ,harvey ,s4 ,bronson4--,first ,class4--,quarterly ,meeting4--,delegation from ,waupun4--,rev4 ,wm4 ,h4 ,sampson4--,extended ,district4--,a ,disastrous ,fire4--,outside ,appointments4--,stowe's ,chapel4--,preacher's ,home4--,ethiel ,humiston4--,byron4--,rev4 ,joseph ,t4 ,lewis4--,rev4 ,m4,l4 ,noble--,rev4 ,h4 ,b4 ,colman4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,green ,lake ,mission4--,waupun4--,first ,class4--,meetings held at ,dr4 ,bowman's4--,revival4--,two ,local ,preachers4--,short ,cut to ,ceresco4--,boxing the ,compass4--,wisconsin ,phalanx4--,first ,society4--,dining ,hall ,chapel4--,discussions4--,antiquated ,views4--,green ,lake4--,shadrach ,burdick4--,visit to ,dartford4--,little ,green ,lake4--,the ,new ,chorister4--,markesan4--,lake ,maria4--,revival4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,green ,lake ,mission ,continued4--,quarterly ,meeting at ,oshkosh4--,rev4 ,g4,n4 ,hanson4--,lake ,apuckaway4--,lost and ,found4--,salt and ,potatoes4--,mill ,creek4--,rock ,river4--,rev4 ,j4,m4,s4 ,maxson4--,oakfield4--,cold ,bath4--,fox ,lake4--,gospel vs4 ,whiskey4--,on ,time4--,badger ,hill4--,s4,a4,l4 ,davis4--,miller's ,mill4--,g4,w4 ,sexmith4--,burnett4--,william ,willard4--,grand ,river4--,david ,wood4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,green ,lake ,mission ,continued4--,an ,assistant ,employed4--,quarterly ,meeting at ,waupun4--,love ,feast4--,forty ,miles ,ride1 and ,four ,sermons4--,a ,sermon and its ,fruit4--,portage ,prairie4--,randolph4--,randolph ,centre4--,rolling ,prairie1--,cheney's ,class4--,brandon4--,rosendale4--,reed's ,corners4--,strong's ,landing1--,a ,night in the ,openings4--,rev4 ,uriel ,farmin4--,going to ,conference4--,madison4--,visit at ,platteville4--,bishop ,hamline4--,humorous to ,grave4--,galena ,conference4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,appointed to ,watertown4--,aztalan the ,mother of ,circuits4--,divisions and ,subdivisions4--,rev4 ,s4,h4 ,stocking4--,watertown4--,church ,enterprise4--,sickly ,season4--,quarterly ,meeting at ,burnett4--,rev4 ,a4,p4 ,allen4--,elder ,sampson ,ties a ,knot4--,conference of #ahdg4--,returned to ,watertown4--,financial ,pressure4--,opens a ,school4--,the ,coat ,sermon4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,waukesha--,old ,prairieville ,circuit--,changes--,rev4 ,l4,f4 ,moultrie--,rev4 ,hooper ,crews--,rev4 ,j4,m4 ,walker--,rev4 ,washington ,wilcox--,upper and ,nether ,millstones--,our ,new ,field--,revival--,four ,sermons--,platform ,missionary ,meetings--,the ,orator--,donning the ,eldership--,the ,collection4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,milwaukee--,early ,history--,first ,sermon--,rev4 ,mark ,robinson--,first ,class--,rev4 ,john ,clark--,trustees--,rev4 ,james ,ash--,rev4 ,david ,worthington--,rev4 ,julius ,field--,rev4 ,john ,crummer--,first ,church--,rev4 ,john ,t4 ,mitchell--,rev4 ,sias ,bolles--,lantern ,convert--,second ,church--,rev4 ,a4 ,hanson--,rev4 ,dr4 ,ryan--,john ,h4 ,van ,dyke--,rev4 ,f4,m4 ,mills--,rev4 ,james ,e4 ,wilson--,walker's ,point--,first ,class--,rev4 ,wm4 ,willard4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,spring ,street1 ,milwaukee--,first ,sabbath--,promising ,outlook--,the ,deep ,shadow--,rev4 ,elihu ,springer--,rev4 ,i4,m4 ,leihy--,revival--,missionary ,meetings--,dedication at ,sheboygan--,ravages of the ,cholera--,death-bed ,scenes--,the ,riot--,bishop ,waugh--,camp ,meeting--,scandinavian ,work--,rev4 ,c4 ,willerup4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,conference of #ahea4--,presiding ,elder4--,presentation4--,give and ,take4--,fond du ,lac ,district--,quarterly ,meeting--,rev4 ,j4,s4 ,prescott4--,footman vs4 ,buggies--,fond du ,lac4--,two ,churches4--,greenbush ,quarterly ,meeting4--,rev4 ,david ,lewis--,pioneer ,self-,sacrifice4--,finds a ,help-,meet4--,sheboygan ,falls4--,rev4 ,matthias ,himebaugh4--,oshkosh--,first ,class4--,church ,enterprises4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,fond du ,lac ,district ,continued4--,green ,bay4--,first ,settlement4--,rev4 ,john ,clark4--,first ,sermon4--,first ,class4--,col4 ,ryan4--,first ,methodist4--,first ,church ,enterprise4--,good ,society4--,heretical ,bonnet4--,various ,changes4--,rev4 ,r4,p4 ,lawton--,church ,disaster--,purifying the ,temple--,rev4 ,s4 ,w4 ,ford4--,oneida ,indian ,mission4--,oneidas4--,missionaries4--,q uarterly ,meeting4--,council4--,chief ,jake4--,interpreter4--,rev4 ,henry ,requa4--,his ,dying ,message4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,fond du ,lac ,district ,continued4--,appleton4--,early ,history4--,rev4 ,c4,g4 ,lathrop--,lawrence ,university4--,incipient ,stages4--,charter4--,trustees4 ,agent4--,first ,board of ,instruction4--,buildings4--,faculty4--, rev4 ,dr4 ,cooke4--,rev4 ,dr4 ,cobleigh4--,rev4 ,dr4 ,mason4--,rev4 ,dr4 ,knox4--,rev4 ,dr4 ,steele4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,fond du ,lac ,district ,continued4--,baraboo ,conference4--,lodi ,camp ,meeting4--,fall ,river4--,revival at ,appleton4--,rev4 ,elmore ,yocum4--,revival at ,sheboygan ,falls4--,revival at ,fond du ,lac4--,rev4 ,e4,s4 ,grumley4--,revival at ,sheboygan4--,rev4 ,n4,j4 ,aplin4--,camp-,meeting at ,greenbush4--,rev4 ,a4,m4 ,hulce4--,results of the ,year4--,janesville ,conference4--,omro4 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,golden4--,the ,cowhams4--,quarterly ,meeting4--,my ,father's ,death4--,close of the ,term4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,conference of #ahee4--,the ,new ,departure4--,mission ,committee4--,the ,slavery ,controversy4--,triumph of ,freedom4--,wisconsin ,conference ,rule4 ,conference ,report4--,election of ,delegates4--,appointed to ,racine4--,detention4--,the ,removal to the ,new ,charge4--,stage1 ,dray1 and ,steamboat4--,new ,bus ,line4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,racine4--,its ,early ,history4--,subsequent ,growth4--,racine ,district4--,rev4 ,dr4 ,hobart4--,kenosha4--,rev4 ,salmon ,stebbins4--,sylvania4--,the ,kelloggs4--,walworth ,circuit--,burlington and ,rochester4--,lyons4 ,troy ,circuit4--,first ,class at ,troy4--,eagle4--,round ,prairie4--,hart ,prairie4--,delavan4--,elkhorn4--,pastor ate at ,racine4--,revival4--,church ,enlargement4--,second ,year4--,precious ,memories4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,conference of #ahei4--;,janesville4--,early ,history4--,first ,sermon4--,the ,collection4--,first ,class4--,first ,church4--,first ,donation4--,rev4 ,c4,c4 ,mason4--,missionary ,anniversary4--,rev4 ,a4 ,hamilton4--,rev4 ,d4 ,o4 ,jones4 ,the ,writer's ,pastorate4--,the ,great ,revival4--,the ,recipe4--,old ,union ,circuit4--,first ,class4--,evansville4--,rev4 ,henry ,summers4--,new ,church4 ,conference of #aheh4--;,beloit4--,early ,pastorates4--,church ,enterprise4--,second ,year at ,janesville4 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,conference of #ahei4--,presiding ,elder4--,milwaukee ,district4--,residence4--,district ,parsonage4--,visits to ,charges4--,spring ,street4--,asbury4--,rev4 ,a4,c4 ,manwell4--,brookfield4--,west ,granville4--,wauwatosa4--,rev4 ,j4,p4 ,roe4--,waukesha4--,rev4 ,wesley ,lattin4--,oconomowoc4--,rev4 ,a4,c4 ,pennock4--,rev4 ,job ,b4 ,mills4--,hart ,prairie4--,rev4 ,delos ,hale4--,watertown4 ,rev4 ,david ,brooks4--,rev4 ,a4,c4 ,huntley4--,brookfield ,camp-,meeting4 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,whitewater ,conference4--,report on ,slavery4--,election of ,delegates4-- ,whitewater4--,early ,history4--,rev4 ,dr4 ,bannister4--,general ,conference4--,member of ,mission ,committee4--,conference #ahfj4--,rev4 ,i4,l4 ,hauser4--,mrs4 ,i4,l4 ,hauser4--,rev4 ,j4,c4 ,robbins4--,the ,rebellion4--,its ,causes4--,fall of ,sumter4--,extract of ,sermon4--,conference #ahfa4--,rev4 ,j4,h4 ,jenne4--,rev4 ,s4,c4 ,thomas4--,rev4 ,g4,c4 ,haddock4--,colonelcy4--,close of ,term4 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,conference of #ahfb4--,the ,war4--,position of the ,conference4--,rev4 ,j4,m4 ,snow4--,appointed again to ,spring ,street4--,dr4 ,bowman4--,changes4--,rev4 ,p4,s4 ,bennett4--,rev4 ,c4,s4 ,macreading4--,official ,board4-,the ,new ,church ,enterprise4--,juvenile ,missionary ,society4--,conference of #ahfc4--,rev4 ,p4,b4 ,pease4--,rev4 ,george ,fellows4--,rev4 ,samuel ,fallows4--,rev4 ,r4,b4 ,curtis4--,rev4 ,d4,h4 ,muller4--,third ,year4--,pastoral ,work4--,revival4 ,visit to the ,army4--,illness4--,close of ,term4 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,conference of #ahfe4--,the ,war ,closed4--,lay ,delegation the ,next ,question4 ,rev4 ,george ,chester4--,rev4 ,romulus ,o4 ,kellogg4--,missionary to ,china4--,rev4 ,l4,n4 ,wheeler4--,appointed to ,fond du ,lac ,district4--,marriage of our ,eldest ,daughter4--,removal to ,fond du ,lac4--,rev4 ,t4,o4 ,hollister4--,state of the ,district4--,rev4 ,j4,t4 ,woodhead4--,waupun4--,rev4 ,d4,w4 ,couch4--,lamartine4--,rev4 ,i4,s4 ,eldridge4--,horicon4--,rev4 ,walter ,mc,farlane4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,conference of #ahff4--;,centenary ,year4--,lay ,delegation4--,reconstruction4--,returne d to ,fond du ,lac ,district4--,seven ,sermons a ,week--,rev4 ,o4,j4 ,cowles4--,beaver ,dam4--,a ,good ,record4--,fall ,river4--,early ,history4--,columbus4--,rev4 ,henry ,sewell4--,conference of #ahfg4--;,election of ,delegates4--,cotton ,street4--,rev4 ,r4,s4 ,hayward4--,rev4 ,a4,a4 ,reed4--,general ,conference4--,conference of #ahfh4--,rev4 ,t4,c4 ,wilson4--,rev4 ,h4,c4 ,tilton4 ,rev4 ,john ,hill4--,rev4 ,isaac ,searles--,rev4 ,j4,b4 ,cooper4--,an ,incident--,close of the ,term4--,progress ,made4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,conference of #ahfi4--,stationed at ,ripon4--,first ,visit--,rev4 ,e4,j4 ,smith4--,rev4 ,byron ,kingsbury4--,sabbath ,school4--,early ,record of the ,station4--,church ,enterprises4--,rev4 ,william ,morse4--,rev4 ,joseph ,anderson4--,revival4--,church ,enlargement4--,berlin4--,early ,history4--,rev4 ,isaac ,wiltse4--,conference of #ahgj4--,returned to ,ripon4--,marriage of our ,second ,daughter4--,a ,happy ,year4--,close of our ,labors4 ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,conference of #ahga4--;,election of ,delegates4--,laymen's ,electoral ,convention4--,temperance4--,the ,sabbath4--,rev4 ,thomas ,hughes4--,appointed to ,spring ,street4--,third ,term4--,wide ,field4--,rev4 ,c4,d4 ,pillsbury4--,rev4 ,w4,w4 ,case4--,the ,norwegian ,work4--,rev4 ,a4 ,haagenson4--,the ,silver ,wedding4--,results of the ,year4 ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,conference of #ahgb4--,rev4 ,a4,j4 ,mead4--,rev4 ,a4 ,callender4--,rev4 ,wm4 ,p4 ,stowe4--,rev4 ,o4,b4 ,thayer4--,rev4 ,s4 ,reynolds4--,revival under ,mrs4 ,van ,cott--,conference of #ahgc4--,rev4 ,henry ,colman4--,rev4 ,a4,a4 ,hoskin4--,rev4 ,stephen ,smith4--,illness4--,conference of #ahgd4--,rev4 ,dr4 ,carhart4--,rev4 ,geo4 ,a4 ,smith4--,rev4 ,c4,n4 ,stowers4--,in the ,shade4 ,thirty ,years in the ,itinerancy4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,chapter ,i4 ,providential ,intervention4--,nature and ,providence alike ,mysterious4--,an ,unseen ,hand shaping ,human ,events4--,the ,author urged to enter the ,ministry4--,shrinks from the ,responsibility4--,flies to ,modern ,tarshish4--,heads for ,iowa4--,gets ,stuck in the ,mud4--,smitten by a ,northern ,gale4--,turns ,aside to see the ,eldorado4--,finds ,himself ,face to ,face with the ,itinerancy4 ,the ways of ,providence are mysterious4 ,and how1 to men1 could they be otherwise8 ,with their limited faculties it could not be expected that they would be able to obtain more than partial glimpses of the goings forth of the ,almighty4 ,the ,astronomer can determine the orbit of the planets that belong to our system1 since they lie within the range of his vision2 but not so the comets4 ,these strange visitors locate their habitations mainly in regions so remote from the plane of human existence that his eye cannot reach them4 ,and when they do condescend to pay us a visit1 they traverse so wide a circuit that the curve they describe is too slight to furnish a basis for reliable mathematical calculations4 ,hence the orbit of a comet is a mystery1 and the return not unfrequently a surprise4 ,if this be true of what seem to be the unfinished or exploded worlds1 that swing like airy nothings in the heavens and fringe the imperial realm of physical being1 then what may not be predicated of the profounder mysteries that lie bosomed in those unexplored depths of the ,universe1 where the fixed stars hold high court8 ,when our feet trip at every step of our advance to know the mysteries of nature1 why need we affect surprise when the profounder domain of providence refuses to yield up its secrets8 ,that the ways of ,god are mysterious is a logical necessity4 ,the ,infinite disparity between the human and the ,divine intelligence involves it4 ,insignificant as a lady's finger ring may seem when compared to one of the mighty rings of ,saturn1 the human mind1 in the presence of the ,divine1 is infinitely more so4 ,well hath the ,scriptures said1 ,far as the heavens are higher than the earth1 so are my ways higher than your ways1 and my thoughts than your thoughts4 ,the mysterious ways of ,providence are1 however1 not unfrequently so interwoven with human events as that average intelligence may be able to understand portions of them1 though much of mystery must always remain4 ,and in no one particular do these understandable portions find a clearer illustration than in those interventions which assign individual men to given pursuits and responsibilities in life4 ,truly1 ,there is a ,providence that shapes our ends1 rough hew them as we will4 ,nor may these special interventions be wholly appropriated by the great men of the world4 ,on the contrary1 they not unfrequently condescend to bless the very humblest4 ,the same great thought1 the same skilled hand and the same infinite power that were necessary to pile up the grandest mountain ranges and hollow the ocean's bed1 were also required to create a single grain of sand and assign it its place as a part of the grand whole4 ,so1 while great and honorable men pass into the world's history as the proteges of a special providence1 let it also be remembered that the humbler ones1 though their names may never be chronicled1 are not forgotten by the ,all ,father4 ,if willing to be led1 they shall not want a kind hand to lead them4 ,and even though rebellious at times1 and at others shrinking from the proffered responsibilities1 yet a loving ,father cares for the trembling and feeble ones1 as well as the brave and the strong1 and kindly leads them into the paths of peace4 ,i have not written thus1 good reader1 in these opening pages1 to find a starting place for the record that is to follow4 ,on the contrary1 these utterances hold a special relation to the writer and the labors of the last thirty years4 ,soon after my conversion1 and before ,i was eighteen years of age1 ,i received an ,exhorter's license4 ,i was then engaged in teaching and found my time largely occupied by my profession4 ,yet1 ,i occasionally held services on the ,sabbath4 ,during the ensuing four years ,i retained the same relation4 ,i was often urged to accept a ,local ,preacher's license1 but declined1 thinking ,i was too much occupied in the other field to make the necessary preparation for this4 ,and1 besides1 ,i had now reached a point of great perplexity and trial with reference to the ministerial calling as a profession4 ,not that ,i entertained a serious thought of accepting it1 but1 on the contrary1 was wholly averse to it4 ,but1 strangely enough1 while ,i was thus1 both in feeling and convictions1 opposed to the measure1 every one else seemed to accept it as a matter already settled that ,i would enter the ,itinerant field4 ,from the good ,rev4 ,john ,b4 ,stratton1 the ,presiding ,elder of the ,prattsville ,district1 ,new ,york ,conference1 within the bounds of which ,i then resided1 and his immediate successor1 ,rev4 ,samuel ,d4 ,ferguson1 down through all the ministry and laiety of my acquaintance1 ,i was made the special subject of attack4 ,but from what all others thought to be my duty1 ,i shrank with a persistence that admitted of no compromise4 ,the plan ,i had marked out for myself contemplated1 ultimately1 the position of a ,local ,preacher1 and a life devoted largely to literature and business4 ,on this plan ,i fully relied1 and thought myself settled in my convictions and fixed in my purpose4 ,yet ,i am not able to say1 that at times it did not require some effort of the will to keep my conscience quiet and my thought steady4 ,a young man1 from eighteen to twenty-two years of age1 who was subject to so many attacks1 especially in high places1 and who constantly felt himself preached to and prayed at in almost every religious assembly1 must be more than human1 not to say less than a ,christian1 to bear up under such a pressure4 ,i clearly saw that one of two things must be done1 and that speedily4 ,either ,i must yield to the manifest demand of the church or go west4 ,i chose the latter4 ,nor was this decision mere obstinacy4 ,there were several things to be considered and carefully weighed and determined before entering upon a work of such grave responsibilities as the ,itinerant ministry4 ,first of all1 the question must be settled in a man's conviction of duty2 then the question of one's fitness for the work2 and1 finally1 the financial question could not be ignored4 ,to enter the ,itinerancy involved responsibilities that could only be sustained under the deepest convictions that can possibly penetrate a human soul4 ,the minister is ,god's ambassador to lost men4 ,he can only enter upon this work under the sanction of ,divine authority4 ,having entered he is charged with the care of souls1 and if these shall suffer harm1 through his inefficiency or want of fidelity1 he must answer in the ,divine assizes for the breach of trust4 ,well may the best of men say1 who is sufficient for these things8 ,then add to this grave responsibility1 the certain and manifold trials which must come to every man who enters the ,itinerancy4 ,his very calling makes him a spectacle to men1 and necessarily the subject of adverse criticism4 ,he is the messenger of ,god and yet the servant of man4 ,on the one hand1 clothed with the authority of heaven1 and on the other reduced to the condition of a servant4 ,expected to deliver the high message of the ,king of ,kings1 and yet receives his pulpit under the suffrages of man4 ,before he receives his appointment1 he is not unfrequently the subject of a sharp canvass from one end of the ,conference to the other1 and after he receives it he is liable to find himself among a people1 who had rejected him in the canvass1 and now only acquiesce in the decision from sheer necessity4 ,but if he escape ,scylla in this particular1 he is certain to drive upon ,charybdis in another4 ,granting that his relations and labors may be acceptable1 he falls upon the inevitable necessity of devoting his time and labor1 during the vigor and strength of his days1 for a meager compensation1 and then pass into old age1 and its attendant infirmities1 as a dependancy1 if not a pauper4 ,and now let me submit2 with such a picture hung upon the canopy of the future1 and who shall say it is overdrawn8 is it a matter of surprise that a young man should hesitate before accepting the position of an ,itinerant8 ,but it will be said3 ,there is another side to the picture4 ,true1 and thanks to the ,great ,head of the church that there is4 ,but the other side can only be seen when the beholder occupies the proper stand-point1 and this position ,i certainly had not attained at the time of which ,i write4 ,in this matter1 as in most others1 our mistakes arise from partial views and limited observation4 ,a few years since ,i visited ,niagara ,falls4 ,before leaving ,buffalo a friend admonished me to avoid looking upon the descending floods until ,i should reach ,table ,rock1 as this precaution would give me a more satisfactory impression4 ,these instructions were more easily given than observed4 ,i found it required no small share of nerve to pass down the near bank of the river with the eternal roar of its waters pouring into my ears1 cross over ,suspension ,bridge1 spanning the rushing tides below still tossing and foaming as though an ocean had broken from its prison1 and then pass up the other bank1 in full view of the cataract1 and not look upon it until my feet were planted on ,table ,rock4 ,but from that hour to the present1 ,i have never regretted the effort1 for therein ,i learned the importance of position1 when face to face with any great question4 ,the position gained1 ,i raised my eyes upon ,niagara ,falls4 ,i need not say my whole being was thrilled4 ,there lay the great horse shoe full before me1 and ,i seemed to stand upon its outer crest and look down into its deep chasm1 where the angry waters wrestled with each other in their wildest frenzy4 ,then the floods from either side1 that had seemed to sweep around the chasm and hug the shore1 as if in mortal terror1 despairing of escape1 rushed upon each other like two storm fiends4 ,the war of waters was most terrific4 ,the very earth shook4 ,locked in deadly embrace1 and writhing as if in direst agony1 the mighty floods plunged the abyss1 while far above floated the white plume of the presiding genius of old ,niagara4 ,the impression upon me was overwhelming4 ,i saw ,niagara ,falls from the right stand-point4 ,whether ,i was equally fortunate in my early views of the ,itinerancy is a question that will find solution in the following pages4 ,i decided1 however1 to go ,west4 ,my father and the balance of his family had been looking enquiringly in that direction for several months1 and ,i now agreed to accompany them4 ,it was our purpose to make ,dubuque1 ,iowa1 the point of destination1 as the founders of that city1 who were relatives1 had visited us in the ,east and had given us glowing accounts of the city and the adjacent portions of the ,state4 ,with this purpose in view we landed at ,racine4 ,the ,madison1 a crazy old steamer that could lay on more sides during a storm than any water craft that ,i had ever seen1 landed us on a pier in the night1 and from the pier we were taken ashore in a scow4 ,we reached ,racine in ,june1 #ahdd4 ,racine at that time was a very small village1 but1 like all western towns1 it was in the daily belief that1 at some time in the near future1 it would be a very large city4 ,we spent the ,sabbath and enjoyed the pleasure of attending religious services in a school house4 ,the pastor of our church at the time was ,rev4 ,milton ,bourne1 of the ,rock ,river ,conference4 ,we were favorably impressed with ,racine1 and especially with the evidences of civilization it afforded1 in the fact of a school house and the establishment of religious services4 ,at ,racine we engaged a man to take us1 six in all1 with our trunks to ,delavan4 ,the roads were almost impassable4 ,the rains had fallen so copiously that the streams overflowed their banks1 the marshes were full and the prairies inundated4 ,with a good team1 however1 we made an average of about fifteen miles a day4 ,our conveyance stuck fast in the mud eighteen times between ,racine and ,delavan4 ,sometimes we found these interesting events would occur just in the middle of a broad marsh4 ,in such case the gentlemen would take to the water1 not unfrequently up to the loins1 build a chair by the crossing of hands1 as they had learned to do in their school days1 and give the ladies a safe passage to the prairie beyond4 ,but woe worth the day if the wheels refused to turn1 as they sometimes did1 in the middle of some deep1 broad mud-hole4 ,the light prairie soil1 when thoroughly saturated1 is capable of very great volatility and yet of stick-to-it-iveness4 ,while the team and wagon1 buried deeply in the mud1 found the soil as yielding as quicksand1 the passengers1 on alighting1 were no more fortunate4 ,to make the chair and wade ashore with its precious burden1 at such a time1 involved a very nice adjustment of balances4 ,if the three went headlong before they reached the shore1 each received a generous coat of mail of the most modern style4 ,we reached ,delavan in due course of travel1 where we remained several days4 ,the ,sabbath intervened4 ,my father preached in the morning1 and ,i held service in the afternoon4 ,on ,monday a council was held4 ,since our feet touched the soil of ,wisconsin1 our ears had been filled with the praises of the country1 and especially the counties of ,dodge and ,fond du ,lac4 ,by the time we had spent several days at ,delavan1 and were ready to move on toward ,iowa1 this clamor had become so decided in its tone1 that1 as a result of the consultation1 it was decided that two or three of us should go up through ,dodge and ,fond du ,lac counties4 ,not with the expectation that our destination would lie in that direction1 but it was thought advisable to know what had been left behind1 in case we should not be pleased with ,dubuque4 ,leaving the balance of our company at ,delavan1 we started on foot on our tour of exploration4 ,keeping our eyes and ears open1 we were ready to go in any direction in quest of the promised ,eldorado4 ,like all land seekers of those early times1 a few things were deemed essential to make a location desirable4 ,these were prairie1 timber and water4 ,but with us one additional requisite must not be ignored4 ,we must also find a water power4 ,with all these objects in view1 the line of travel became perplexing and described a good many angles1 but the main direction lay through ,east ,troy1 ,summit1 ,watertown1 ,oak ,grove and ,waupun4 ,at the last named place we found a few scattered log houses1 and1 within a radius of five miles1 perhaps a dozen families4 ,the location was beautiful4 ,with its prairie of from one to two miles in width1 skirted on the north by groves of timber1 through which ran the west branch of ,rock ,river1 and fringed on the south by extended openings1 it took us captive at once4 ,passing up the stream two or three miles we found the looked for water-power1 and abundance of unappropriated lands4 ,by setting our stakes on the crown of the prairie1 and making the lines pass down to the river and through the belt of timber1 sufficient land of the right quality could be secured for the whole family1 including1 also1 the desired water-power4 ,to decide upon this spot as our future home1 was the result of a brief consultation4 ,all thought of going to ,iowa was now abandoned4 ,obtaining a load of lumber1 which was all that could be secured for either love or money1 a shanty was immediately erected for the accommodation of the family4 ,was it a providential intervention that assigned us our home and field of labor in this new and rapidly populating portion of ,wisconsin1 rather than the city of ,dubuque8 ,society in its formative state needs1 above all other agencies1 the salutary influences of religion4 ,to provide these and give them efficiency among the people1 the presence and labors of the ,gospel ministry1 and the establishment of churches1 are a necessity4 ,to secure these at the outset requires the emigration of ministers from the older ,states as well as people4 ,perhaps the motives of neither class in coming will always bear a thorough scrutiny2 yet who shall say that their coming is not under the general direction of ,providence8 ,nor is it improbable that the hasty steps that seem to bear the unwilling servant from the presence of the ,master are the very ones that most speedily bring him face to face with his duty4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,the ,young ,itinerant4--,in a ,lumber ,mill at ,waupun4--,the ,surprise4--,an ,interval of ,reflection4--,a ,graceful ,surrender4--,the ,outfit minus the ,horse and ,saddlebags4--,receives ,instruction4--,the ,final ,struggle4--,arrives at ,brothertown4--,reminiscences of the ,red ,man4--,the ,searching ,scrutiny4--,the ,brothertown ,people4--,the ,mission4--,rev4 ,jesse ,halstead4--,rev4 ,h4,w4 ,frink4 ,in ,march1 ,a4,d4 #ahde1 a letter from ,rev4 ,wm4 ,h4 ,sampson1 then ,presiding ,elder of ,green ,bay ,district1 ,rock ,river ,conference1 found me at ,waupun4 ,the intervening nine months1 since our arrival in the preceding ,july1 had been spent in making improvements upon the land ,i had selected1 and in the erection of a lumber mill1 of which ,i was in part proprietor4 ,the bearer of the letter found me in the mill1 engaged in rolling logs to the saw and in carrying away the lumber4 ,i opened the letter and glanced at its contents4 ,to my surprise and utter consternation it contained a pressing request that ,i would take charge of the ,brothertown ,indian ,mission until the next session of the ,conference1 as the ,missionary1 ,rev4 ,h4,w4 ,frink1 had been called away by family afflictions4 ,i instinctively folded the letter and then crumpled it in the palm of my hand1 inwardly saying1 ,hast thou found me1 oh6 mine enemy8 ,no rash answer1 however1 was given4 ,this question of duty was certainly assuming grave aspects4 ,for four years it had haunted me at every turn4 ,and even in the wilds of ,wisconsin it was still my tormenter4 ,like ,banquo's ghost1 it would not down at my bidding4 ,i now tried to look the question fairly in the face1 and make the decision a final one1 but found it exceedingly difficult to do so4 ,to yield after so long a struggle1 and especially to surrender all my fondly cherished plans for the future1 appealed at first to my pride1 and then to what ,i conceived to be my temporal interests1 and the appeal for a moment seemed to gain the ascendency4 ,but how then could ,i answer to ,god8 was the startling question that burned into my soul at every turn of the argument4 ,in the midst of my embarrassment the thought was suggested1 ,it is only until ,conference1 and then you can return and resume your business4 ,catching at this straw1 thus floating to me1 and half believing and half hoping that three months of my incompetency would satisfy the church and send me back to my business again1 ,i consented to go4 ,leaving my temporal interests in the hands of my father1 ,i hastened to make the necessary preparations for my new responsibilities4 ,the outfit was provokingly limited4 ,the horse and saddlebags1 the inevitable ,alpha1 if not the ,omega1 of an ,itinerant's outfit1 were wanting1 as such conveniences had hardly1 as yet1 found their way to the northern portions of the ,territory4 ,but in their place were put good walking ability and a small satchel4 ,a few pieces of linen1 a few books1 but no sermons1 were put into the satchel1 and ,i was immediately stepping to the measure of the ,itinerancy4 ,my first point of destination was ,fond du ,lac1 the residence of the ,presiding ,elder1 where ,i must necessarily report for instructions4 ,the walk of twenty-two miles1 with no other companion than a plethoric satchel1 passing from hand to hand as the weary miles1 one after another1 were dismissed1 was not the most favorable introduction to my new departure1 but1 bad as it was1 ,i found relief in the thought that my ,eastern friends1 who had so kindly and repeatedly proposed to give me a comfortable seat somewhere in the ,new ,york ,conference1 were in blissful ignorance of the sorry figure ,i was making4 ,whether ,jonah found his last conveyance more agreeable than the first1 ,i cannot say1 but certain it is1 ,i found my first entrance upon the ,itinerancy a tugging business4 ,i reached ,fond du ,lac before nightfall1 and was hospitably entertained4 ,notwithstanding the cordial reception ,i received1 however1 from both the elder and his good wife1 ,i felt embarrassed by the searching look they occasionally gave me4 ,whether it was occasioned by my youthful1 green or delicate appearance1 or my light1 feminine voice1 ,i could not divine4 ,the conversation soon turned upon the state of affairs at ,brothertown1 and ,i speedily forgot my embarrassment4 ,in the course of the conversation ,i inquired whether the proceeding would not be considered irregular1 to place an exhorter in charge of the ,mission4 ,the elder replied1 ,necessity knows no law1 and1 besides1 our ,quarterly ,meeting at this place will soon be held1 when we will relieve that embarrassment4 ,i was doubtless indebted to this law of necessity for the privilege of holding one office in the church not provided for in the ,discipline1 and one that has seldom if ever been accorded to others4 ,carefully instructed in the best method to manage certain difficulties pending in the ,mission1 ,i took early leave for a further walk of sixteen miles4 ,across the prairie at the head of ,lake ,winnebago1 ,i found the walk very agreeable4 ,passing ,taycheedah1 ,i then struck out into the deep woods that skirt the eastern shore of the lake4 ,i was now between my guide and instructor1 and the difficult work committed to my charge4 ,thought was busy4 ,an oppressive sense of my own insufficiency for so momentous a work1 came over me1 as it had done before1 but never in such overwhelming power4 ,i was now face to face with the great work from which ,i had shrank for several years1 and there was no retreat4 ,imagination lifted the little hills of difficulty before me into mountains that seemed impassable4 ,in the deep shade of the wood ,i found a moss-covered rock for a seat1 and gave myself up to reflection4 ,the troubled currents of the stream ran on this wise4 ,to go forward in my present undertaking may involve a committal to a work that a few short months shall not terminate4 ,in such case1 there will follow a life of toil and sacrifice1 on stinted allowance1 beset with trials and perplexities1 and clouded by cold unfeeling criticisms1 censures and misjudgings1 of both motive and labor1 of which ,i can now entertain no adequate conception4 ,but if this work be not the dictate of duty1 then why this unrest of soul which has so long disturbed the even flow of my religious life1 or why the uniform urgency of the authorities of the church both east and west in this direction8 ,on the contrary1 if my feet are now in the path of duty then why hesitate8 ,a brave soul never falters in the presence of difficulty or peril1 but always deals the strongest blows where the conflict rages the sharpest4 ,the struggle was brief and the result satisfactory4 ,kneeling by the side of the rock1 prayer was offered for ,divine guidance and help1 and there fell on the soul a baptism of serene peace and holy joy1 which hallowed each remaining step of the journey4 ,arriving at ,brothertown the letter of introduction from the ,elder was presented to ,a4,d4 ,dick1 ,esq41 one of the ,stewards4 ,the residence of this brother was located in the central portion of the town1 and gave evidence of good taste and comfort4 ,both himself and wife were members of the church1 and their house the home of ,itinerants4 ,it was now nearly twelve o'clock4 ,i was invited to the parlor where ,i awaited dinner4 ,these few moments afforded an opportunity to survey my surroundings and master the situation4 ,my early reading had introduced me to the ,indian1 both in his native wilds and as seen on the borders of civilization1 the former as the noblest specimen of the natural man on the planet1 and the latter as the most degraded of mortals4 ,but now ,i was in the very presence of the red man and even a guest in his dwelling4 ,nor is it too much to say that my curiosity was not a little excited4 ,my reception1 however1 had been so cordial that ,i soon found myself at ease in my new associations4 ,the letter was opened and read4 ,during its reading ,i noticed that the eye of mine host often wandered from the page to the newly arrived guest4 ,by an occasional glance ,i tried to read the thoughts of the reader1 but found that the dark face was not disposed to be communicative4 ,this much1 however1 ,i think ,i read pretty clearly3 ,well1 the ,elder has sent us a pretty slender specimen as a minister1 but we will try him and see what he can do4 ,the dinner was announced1 conversation became lively1 and before we were aware of it the distinctions of race and color had faded out of sight1 and a life-long friendship was founded4 ,it was now arranged that1 during my stay on the ,mission1 ,i should make my home under this hospitable roof4 ,the ,brothertown people came from the ,state of ,new ,york1 and had now been settled in their western home several years4 ,a log chapel had been erected and school houses provided4 ,the location along the eastern shore of ,lake ,winnebago was excellent1 affording a good soil and water and timber in abundance4 ,along the principal highways the farms had been cleared of timber and brought under a fair state of cultivation4 ,the buildings were mainly constructed of logs1 though in later years1 there had been erected a goodly number of frame residences4 ,brothertown ,mission first appears on the ,general ,minutes in #ahci1 under the name of ,deansburg1 as will appear hereafter4 ,in #ahdj it was called ,fond du ,lac1 as that point had now been added as a regular appointment4 ,the following year1 #ahda1 the charge remained the same1 but the name was changed to ,brothertown1 this name having taken the place of ,deansburg1 in honor of the ,brothertown ,nation4 ,but as this charge will further appear in connection with the labors of its pastors ,i will defer the balance of the record for the present4 ,rev4 ,jesse ,halstead entered the traveling connection in the ,troy ,conference1 was ordained ,deacon in ,september1 #ahcg1 and transferred to the ,illinois ,conference4 ,at the session of the ,conference1 held the same month1 he was appointed second preacher to ,aztalan ,mission4 ,here he took his first lessons in pioneer work4 ,he traveled over a tract of country reaching from the line of the ,territory on the south to ,menomonee on the north1 and from the ,lake ,shore ,missions on the east to ,madison on the west4 ,in these extended journeys he enjoyed the privilege of preaching the first sermon and forming the first societies in many localities4 ,in #ahch he was sent to ,crete ,mission on the ,kankakee1 in the ,state of ,illinois4 ,the following year1 #ahci1 he was sent to ,brothertown1 as before stated1 the name on the ,minutes being ,deansburg4 ,while on this ,mission1 he visited ,fond du ,lac1 and preached the first sermon1 as will appear in another chapter4 ,he remained on this charge only three months1 and was then sent by his ,presiding ,elder1 ,rev4 ,julius ,field1 to supply ,oneida ,indian ,mission for the balance of the year1 that charge having been left to be supplied4 ,in ,january he was visited at ,oneida by the ,presiding ,elder4 ,while here the ,elder fell sick1 and desired ,brother ,halstead to accompany him on his round of appointments4 ,in the line of travel they visited ,madison and intervening charges1 and then went to ,racine1 the home of the ,elder4 ,brother ,halstead now started for his field at ,oneida4 ,it was in the depth of winter1 and the line of travel was through the dense forests along the ,lake ,shore to ,green ,bay4 ,but1 nothing daunted1 our ,itinerant packed his books1 which had been left with ,brother ,stebbins at this place on his first trip to the north1 and other baggage1 and started on his journey4 ,the first day he reached ,milwaukee1 and here he laid in provisions and other necessary outfit1 such as axe1 auger1 c4 ,striking out into the forest he made twenty miles the first day1 but during the afternoon found himself in a severe snow storm4 ,the first night he stopped at a house located at the site of the present village of ,grafton4 ,on rising the next morning he found the snow three feet deep4 ,he laid over one day1 and on the following morning resumed his journey4 ,he only made nine miles1 as he was compelled to beat the track in advance of his horse2 and at night he found quarters at ,port ,washington4 ,the next day he pursued his journey1 but at nightfall found himself without shelter in the woods4 ,he built a fire1 cooked a piece of salt pork to eat with his bread1 and made a supper4 ,but now for the night6 ,he emptied his jumper1 and in it he made a bed1 and1 as nearly as possible1 a coil of humanity4 ,the next morning he found his boots frozen4 ,but1 with a generous amount of tugging1 they yielded to the pressure of his feet1 and he was again on his way1 breaking the roads himself1 thereby aiding his horse in carrying his burden4 ,on the fifth day he found a house in the woods and remained in it for the night4 ,the sixth day he reached ,sheboygan ,falls1 and the seventh day ,manitowoc4 ,the eighth day he tried to reach ,green ,bay1 a distance of forty miles1 but was compelled to camp out for another night1 and take the ninth day to complete his journey4 ,in #ahdj1 ,brother ,halstead was sent to ,fond du ,lac1 his charge including1 also1 ,brothertown1 of which a record will be made in a subsequent chapter4 ,during this year he made a visit to ,oshkosh4 ,he took an ,indian trail on the west side of ,lake ,winnebago1 and after traveling twenty-five miles found himself on the bank of ,fox ,river4 ,he found no way to cross the stream1 and1 it being now dark1 he was compelled to spend the night without shelter4 ,a friendly ,indian came along and joined him in his preparations for the night4 ,the weather was quite cold and they were obliged to maintain a brisk fire to keep from freezing4 ,in this duty they served by turns1 but neither of them had any provisions4 ,on the following day ,brother1 ,halstead returned to ,fond du ,lac4 ,during the year ,brother ,halstead was abundant in labor1 and at ,brothertown there was an extensive revival1 giving large accessions to the charge4 ,the following year1 he was returned to the work1 but the name was changed to ,brothertown4 ,this year was also fragrant with blessing1 and many souls were converted4 ,after leaving ,brothertown ,brother ,halstead was stationed at ,monroe1 and next at ,hazel ,green1 where he had ,rev4 ,i4,m4 ,leihy as a junior preacher4 ,his subsequent charges were ,prairie du ,chien1 ,patch ,grove1 ,mequon1 ,oak ,creek1 and ,brothertown1 when he took1 in #aheb1 a superannuated relation4 ,brother ,halstead was always at his post of duty4 ,in some of his appointments he had long moves1 hard work1 and very small compensation1 but he and his good wife were always equal to the situation4 ,it has been a pleasure to the writer to make this record1 as also that of other veterans of the ,itinerancy4 ,but of the labors1 the sacrifices and trials of such men1 but little can be known here4 ,it is a satisfaction1 however1 to be assured that their record is on high4 ,it is also a pleasure to know with what views they look back upon the past4 ,a line in hand from ,brother ,halstead only expresses the common sentiment of all4 ,i will give it to the reader4 ,among the most pleasant memories of my life1 ,i reckon the hardships endured as an ,itinerant minister of the ,gospel of ,christ4 ,if ,i had another life to give ,i should not hesitate to throw myself into the work again with all the strength and purpose the ,master has given me4 ,rev4 ,hiram ,w4 ,frink was sent to ,brothertown in #ahdb1 and had nearly completed his third year when called away4 ,brother ,frink is also a veteran1 having entered the ,conference in #ahcg1 the year of ,brother ,halstead's transfer4 ,his first appointment was ,sheboygan1 including the territory between ,milwaukee and ,green ,bay1 and extending west as far as ,lake ,winnebago4 ,its principal appointments were ,sheboygan1 ,port ,washington1 ,brothertown1 ,two ,rivers and ,manitowoc4 ,having shipped his trunk to ,manitowoc1 his future home1 ,brother ,frink left ,chicago on horseback1 ,oct4 #bhth1 #ahcg1 for his field of labor4 ,at ,milwaukee1 the necessary outfit was procured to penetrate the deep forests which lay beyond1 including an axe1 steele and punk1 a tin cup1 blankets and provisions4 ,the only road was an ,indian trail1 which pushed its devious way through the forest1 around the swamps1 and across bridgeless streams1 without regard to the comfort of the traveler or the speed of his locomotion4 ,as there were no houses along the line of travel1 ,brother ,frink was compelled to spend the first night in the woods4 ,fortunately1 however1 he found a small1 tenantless cabin by the wayside1 in which he was safe from the wild1 noisy beasts1 that prowled without4 ,the following day he reached ,sheboygan4 ,and this journey was but a sample of the travel and exposures of the year of labor1 on which ,brother ,frink had entered4 ,amid the drifting snows of winter1 and the copious rains of summer1 he was compelled to traverse the dreary1 and almost unbroken forests of his field1 and on more than one occasion he found the night around his camp-fire made hideous by the howling of wolves and the screaming of panthers4 ,but in him the cause found a sturdy pioneer who was equal to the demands of the work4 ,in #ahch1 his appointment was ,elgin1 ,ill41 and1 the following year1 ,watertown1 ,wis4 ,in connection with the last named1 we shall have occasion to refer to his labors in a subsequent chapter4 ,at the close of his year at ,watertown the charge was divided1 and in #ahdj1 he was appointed to ,summit1 the eastern division4 ,in #ahda1 he was returned to ,illinois and stationed at ,sycamore1 and the following year was brought back to ,wisconsin1 and1 as before stated1 appointed to ,brothertown4 ,at the ,conference of #ahde1 he took a location on account of family afflictions1 but returned again to the work as soon as relieved of his embarrassments4 ,his subsequent appointments have been ,grafton1 ,agent for ,tracts and ,sunday ,schools1 ,palmyra1 ,rock ,prairie1 ,albion1 ,dunkirk1 ,fort ,atkinson1 ,footville1 ,burnett and ,markesan4 ,in #ahfe1 he took a supernumerary relation1 but the following year1 being made effective1 he was appointed to the ,bible ,agency1 which position he has continued to hold up to the present writing4 ,brother ,frink is still vigorous1 and is doing effective service4 ,he has kept a cheerful spirit up to the present hour1 and is highly esteemed by his brethren4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,exhorter in ,charge4--,the ,first ,sabbath4--,the ,superb ,singing4--,class and ,prayer ,meetings4--,a ,revival4--,stockbridge ,counted ,in4--,a ,remonstrance4-- ,another ,exhorter ,found4--,decide to ,hold a ,great ,meeting4--,the ,loaves and ,fishes in the ,lad's ,basket too ,few4--,chief ,chicks4--,conversion of a ,noted ,character4--,quarterly ,meeting at ,fond du ,lac4--,licensed to ,preach4--,camp ,meeting at ,clason's ,prairie4--,camp ,meeting at ,brothertown4--,church ,enterprise4--,missionary ,merchant4--,logging ,bee4--,successive ,labors4 ,my first ,sabbath1 ,april #d1 #ahde1 as ,exhorter in ,charge1 gave me an opportunity to take the measure of my new field of labor4 ,the chapel1 as before stated1 was constructed of logs4 ,these were hewn on both sides1 thus giving a smooth appearance both within and without4 ,the logs were halved together at the ends1 and filled between with small pieces of wood laid in morter1 and1 on the whole1 the chapel made a very respectable appearance4 ,it contained rude seats that would accommodate about one hundred and fifty persons1 and furnished standing room in addition for one hundred more4 ,on the advent of the young ,elder1 for it was their custom to call all ministers by that name1 the chapel was packed to its utmost capacity4 ,opening the services with great perturbation of spirit in the presence of so vast a crowd1 ,i proceeded with difficulty until the people arose to sing4 ,instantly ,i was at ease4 ,i was not a stranger to good singing1 for my surroundings had always been fortunate in this particular1 but1 ,i am free to say1 that1 up to that hour1 my ears had never been so thrilled by ,christian melody4 ,the tones were not as mellow as those of the ,african1 but they were more deep and thrilling4 ,inclined rather to a high key1 and disposed to be sharp and piercing1 yet the voices of the vast congregation swept through every note of the gamut with equal freedom4 ,i was thoroughly entranced4 ,and1 on coming to myself1 ,i found my perturbation had left me and my soul was on a plane with the responsibilities of the hour4 ,at the close of the public services1 a class meeting was held under the charge of ,father ,abner1 the leader4 ,this brother was a man of age and experience1 well adapted to his position1 and universally beloved4 ,the meeting was conducted in the usual manner1 and was an occasion of spiritual refreshing4 ,the testimonies were direct and touchingly simple1 usually accompanied with weeping1 and sometimes with the shout of triumph4 ,the singing1 however1 was the principal feature1 both in quantity and quality1 for this highly susceptible people had given this part of the services1 in all their meetings1 a leading place4 ,among the most noted leading voices were those of mine host1 ,alonzo ,d4 ,dick1 ,jeremiah ,johnson1 ,orrin ,johnson1 and ,thomas ,cummock4 ,my labors were now fairly opened1 and ,i soon found abundant opportunities for usefulness4 ,the regular meetings at the chapel were supplimented by others1 principally prayer meetings1 in the more remote parts of the town4 ,these meetings were held on the week-day evenings1 and in a short time became occasions of great interest4 ,i attended them usually1 and found every evening thus employed when not engaged at the chapel4 ,in these excursions through the settlement1 ,i was almost always accompanied by one1 or all of the above named brethren1 to lead the singing1 as ,i found myself1 though belonging to a singing family for three generations1 unable to lead in this branch of the service4 ,and in addition to these1 ,i was also favored with the company of a young man of great worth and precious memory4 ,i refer to ,lewis ,fowler1 an ,exhorter of great promise1 but who soon after fell under the withering touch of consumption1 and passed on to the better land4 ,as these side meetings1 as ,i chose to call them1 were multiplied1 and awakened general interest in their several localities1 we found the meetings at the chapel also gained in numbers and spiritual power4 ,soon the people began to talk of a revival1 and pray for its speedy coming4 ,nor was it long delayed4 ,the work began at one of the side meetings1 where an old backslider was led back to the cross4 ,the next evening1 in another part of the settlement1 there were three seekers at the altar4 ,the ,sabbath now intervened1 and it was deemed advisable to open meetings in the chapel during the ensuing week4 ,here the meetings were held nightly for four weeks4 ,as a result1 seventy-five persons professed conversion4 ,the working force of the ,mission was now put into a more thorough organization4 ,several new classes were formed and the old ones carefully organized1 making six in all4 ,a ,sunday ,school was established1 bringing into its promising field the latent talent of the church4 ,but we had hardly got our home work fully in hand1 when there came an invitation from ,stockbridge1 several miles below1 to extend our labors into that settlement4 ,there had been a ,congregational ,mission among the ,stockbridge nation for many years1 but its condition was not very promising4 ,the chapel was located in the central portion of the reservation1 and the ,mission was now in charge of ,dr4 ,marsh1 a gentleman of education and ability4 ,he divided his time1 however1 between the ministerial and medical professions1 and1 as a result1 the spiritual interests necessarily languished4 ,during the progress of our revival in ,brothertown1 ,brother ,david ,wiggins1 who had recently removed to ,stockbridge1 had been accompanied to the meeting by several of his neighbors1 and they had been converted4 ,this fact will explain the invitation now given4 ,we accepted1 and a meeting was opened1 using the residence of ,brother ,wiggins as a temporary chapel4 ,the meetings1 however1 had hardly been commenced1 when there came a remonstrance from ,dr4 ,marsh4 ,the remonstrance1 which was expressed in very emphatic terms1 assumed that ,i had no right to embrace any portion of the ,stockbridge reservation in my field of labor4 ,but what was ,i to do8 ,some of our own sheep had gone down into ,goshen to find pasturage1 and now a few of the lambs of a strange flock had come to us seeking care and sustenance4 ,must these be left to the bleak winds that were evidently sweeping around them1 to chill their warm blood in their veins and cause them to perish in the wilderness8 ,my answer was respectful but decided4 ,having been placed1 by what seemed to be a providential intervention1 in charge of these souls1 ,i could not withdraw my oversight4 ,the ,doctor laid the matter before the ,presiding ,elder1 but he refused to interfere1 and thus the matter ended4 ,in due time a class was formed1 ,brother ,wiggins was appointed its leader1 and several souls was brought to ,christ4 ,at this place ,i found ,brother ,r4,s4 ,hayward4 ,before my arrival at ,brothertown1 this noble man of ,god1 and his most estimable and talented wife1 had purchased a farm on the ,stockbridge reservation4 ,they had already erected a log house1 cleared a few acres of land1 and founded a home both for themselves and passing ,itinerants4 ,such a surprise1 and such a cordial welcome as ,i experienced1 fall but seldom to the lot of a stranger4 ,brother ,hayward was also an ,exhorter4 ,two ,exhorters together1 what a ministerial force6 ,why1 we began to feel that1 by the help of the ,master1 we could take the whole land for ,christ6 ,plans were immediately formed to extend our field of operations4 ,among these1 we decided to hold a series of two days' meetings1 and1 that they might prove a grand success1 we selected as the localities the grand centres of population4 ,we appointed the first to be held in ,father ,chick's barn1 a mile west of the ,mission ,chapel in ,stockbridge4 ,the day came1 and so did the two ,exhorters4 ,the people from the two nations came in throngs4 ,the barn was filled1 and the groves around it1 until my head grew dizzy in looking at the multitudes and thinking of what was to follow4 ,there was a congregation that might awaken the eloquence of a ,bishop1 and nobody to conduct the services but two young1 inexperienced ,exhorters4 ,the reader may well imagine that there was genuine repentance on the part of the striplings1 and1 may be1 hastily made vows never again to challenge a multitude1 but these did not solve the problem of the hour4 ,of course1 as ,i was ,exhorter in ,charge1 though the youngest man1 ,i had to take the morning service4 ,i was so thoroughly frightened that ,i have forgotten the text1 if ,i took any2 but this point ,i do remember most distinctly4 ,it was my first thought1 on seeing the crowd1 that ,i would take for a text1 ,there is a ,lad here with five barley loaves and two small fishes1 but what are they among so many8 ,but the more ,i thought of it1 the more frightened ,i became4 ,fortunately1 ,i dismissed it before the hour of service arrived1 for ,i seriously questioned whether ,i could furnish the people so generous a feast4 ,how ,i got through the service ,i am unable to say1 for ,i never dared to ask any one1 and my friends1 doubtless out of regard to my youth1 forbore to tell me4 ,as to the afternoon service1 ,i need say nothing1 for1 though respectable1 ,i have no doubt ,brother ,hayward has preached many better sermons since4 ,but whatever was wanting in the public services1 the social meetings of the day were a great success4 ,here the brethren came in with their singing and earnest prayers1 and the sisters with their ,christian testimonies1 until every heart was moved4 ,in this part of the service ,sister ,hayward led off with her accustomed ability and spirit1 making a marked feature of the exercises4 ,the part borne by ,father ,chicks1 as he was called1 the head chief of the ,stockbridge nation1 also added not a little to the interest of the occasion4 ,he had been but recently converted1 and his heart was overflowing4 ,to see such a religious demonstration on his own premises filled him with joy1 and awoke within him the fiery ardor of those other days when his burning words had swayed his people to the good or evil1 as the tempest bends the forest at its will4 ,tall and erect in form1 with a brow to rule an empire1 he rose in the midst of the great assembly and came forward to the stand4 ,every eye was fixed upon him4 ,turning to the writer1 that he might have assistance1 if necessary1 in the use of the ,english1 by the timely suggestion of the right word1 he proceeded to say3 ,me been a great sinner1 as all my people know4 ,for the moment he could go no farther4 ,his noble form shook with emotion1 and his manly face was flooded with tears4 ,the whole audience wept with him1 for his tears were sublimely eloquent4 ,recovering himself1 he simply added1 ,all me want now is to love him1 ,christ4 ,then turning to his people1 with a face as radient as the sunlight1 he began to address them in his own language4 ,i could not understand the import of his words1 but the tones of his voice to our ears were entrancingly eloquent4 ,as he advanced in his address1 his frame1 now bearing the weight of four score years1 grew lithe and animated4 ,soon the whole man was in a storm of utterance4 ,had there been no living voice1 the attitudes and swayings of the body1 the carriage and transitions of the head1 and the faultless1 yet energetic gestures of the hand1 were enough to move the human soul to the depths of its being4 ,but to these were added the human voice divine with its matchless cadences1 now kindling into a storm of invective1 before which the audience shrank1 like shriveled leaves in autumn1 then sinking to sepulchral tones that seemed to challenge a communion with the dead2 now wailing an anguish of sorrow utterly insupportable1 and then rising in holy exultation1 as one redeemed from sin and inspired with the triumphant shout of victory4 ,the address occupied only twenty minutes4 ,but for effectiveness ,i never saw its equal4 ,bending forms and tears1 groans and shouts1 strangely commingled in the scene4 ,eternity alone can reveal the results of the day4 ,among the converts at ,brothertown were several interesting cases4 ,i will only refer to one4 ,it is that of a very noted character1 who feared not ,god1 nor regarded man4 ,this man1 whom ,i shall not name1 was specially bitter against all ministers1 and lost no opportunity to treat them rudely4 ,his family had taken the precaution to notify me of his bearing1 assuring me that my visits to the house would be agreeable to them1 yet they might subject me to abuse on his part1 if not expulsion4 ,i at once resolved to make an effort to reach him1 and in due time found an opportunity4 ,i discovered that he kept a large number of bee hives in his yard1 and ,i concluded that he was fond of bees4 ,having had some experience in that line1 ,i resolved to make my assault from that stand-point4 ,the favorable opportunity came sooner than ,i expected4 ,early one morning1 as ,i was passing the apiary1 ,i found him in trouble4 ,a young colony had left the parent hive and alighted on one of the topmost branches of a tall tree1 and the owner was sending curses after them in a most profane manner4 ,approaching him with the compliments of the morning1 ,i remarked1 ,these young people are starting out in life with pretty lofty notions4 ,the reply was a volley of oaths that showed him to be no novice in profanity4 ,to relieve his embarrassment1 and tranquilize his temper1 ,i suggested that they were not beyond reach4 ,with a new outbreak of oaths1 he replied1 ,the ladder that old ,jacob dreamed of would not be half tall enough4 ,i told him if he would bring me a strong cord and a saw ,i would bring them down for him4 ,he1 half doubtingly1 glanced at my slight form1 then into my face1 as if to assure himself of my sincerity1 and hastened to bring the desired articles4 ,i fastened one end of the cord to my arm1 and the other to the saw4 ,the ascent was then made1 the saw drawn up by the cord1 and the severed limb with its burden let gently down until it dropped in front of the prepared hive4 ,by the time ,i reached the ground the bees had entered the hive1 and the raging spirit of their owner had became tranquil4 ,conversation now turned upon the culture of the bee and its habits1 until the way opened to rise from the temporal to the spiritual4 ,the provident wisdom of the little busy worker1 in laying up the needed store for future use1 was especially commended1 ,but more especially1 it was added1 is this course the dictate of wisdom in such beings as have an eternity before them4 ,i saw that a small act of kindness had won his ear and touched his heart4 ,on leaving1 ,i was cordially invited to call and see the family4 ,the advantage thus gained was prudently improved until1 in process of time1 both himself and family were garnered for the ,master4 ,but the time had now come to lay aside the anomalous position of ,exhorter in ,charge1 and take to myself the appellation of ,preacher in ,charge4 ,under the advice of the ,presiding ,elder ,i still retained my membership on the ,fond du ,lac circuit1 of which ,waupun was a part4 ,the last ,quarterly ,meeting of the year was held in ,fond du ,lac ,may #cast1 #ahde1 ,rev4 ,wm4 ,h4 ,sampson presiding4 ,the meeting was well attended4 ,i was granted a ,local ,preacher's license and recommended to the ,rock ,river ,conference for admission on trial4 ,at the close of the quarterly meeting ,i returned to ,brothertown and made up a company of the good people1 to attend a camp-meeting to be held at ,clason's ,prairie4 ,it was the pioneer camp-meeting in the region1 and1 though the attendance was not large1 it included nearly all the population of the vicinity4 ,there were ten tents1 and as many preachers1 with the ,presiding ,elder in charge4 ,the spirit of the meeting was excellent1 and a goodly number of souls were gathered for the ,master4 ,the services were greatly enlivened1 and clothed with additional interest by the presence of the several brethren whom ,i had brought from ,brothertown4 ,their ready1 incomparable spiritual songs1 earnest prayers and touching narratives of ,christian experience1 awakened intense feeling among all classes1 and gave abundant evidence of the power of the ,gospel to save1 even the red man1 as well as his brother of lighter complexion and more favorable surroundings4 ,another feature of the meeting fastened itself upon my memory4 ,it was the persistence with which the good ,elder pressed me into service on the ,sabbath before the great congregation1 and such a formidable array of ministers4 ,it was indeed a great trial1 but1 as on other occasions where there is a boy preacher around1 there was no escape4 ,and besides1 the effort took on the nature of a trial sermon1 as it was my first effort after ,i had been duly licensed to preach4 ,whether ,i succeeded fairly or not in the estimation of my critics1 ,i am not able to say1 for ,i kept my ear during the balance of the meeting turned the other way1 lest ,i might have my feelings hurt4 ,returning to ,brothertown1 ,i now determined to hold a camp-meeting1 under our own vine and fig tree1 in ,july4 ,the arrangements were accordingly made1 and at the appointed time1 the ,presiding ,elder and several other ministers came to our assistance4 ,they were ,rev4 ,messrs4 ,h4,r4 ,colman1 ,stephen ,jones1 ,joseph ,t4 ,lewis1 ,g4,n4 ,hanson1 ,s4,b4 ,whipple and my dear father4 ,the attendance was large1 the order perfect1 and the results of the meeting specially satisfactory4 ,among the converts were several persons from ,calumet1 a small village of white people adjoining ,brothertown on the south4 ,we now established an appointment in the village1 formed a class and opened a ,sunday ,school4 ,but the time had come in the history of the ,mission when a new and larger chapel must be erected4 ,to further this object1 several boxes of goods had been forwarded to the ,mission by ,ladies ,benevolent ,societies in the east4 ,they were accordingly opened out in the rooms of the vacant ,parsonage1 and1 when not otherwise employed1 ,i installed myself as a salesman of merchandise4 ,it was not a little amusing to begin the erection of a church after this fashion1 but this was not the only queer thing about the building of the ,brothertown ,church4 ,in addition1 the ,missionary put his own hands to the actual labor of preparing the materials4 ,it was done in this wise4 ,it was ascertained that a man in ,stockbridge1 who owned a fine grove of timber1 proposed to give a certain amount of it for the church1 provided the church people would cut it4 ,and it was further found that the owner of a mill in the vicinity would give the sawing4 ,we decided at once to accept both propositions4 ,word was passed among the people1 and on a given day a score or more of men and teams1 with the ,missionary among them1 made an onslaught upon the timber4 ,in a few days the task was accomplished1 and the success of the enterprise guaranteed4 ,the conference year1 however1 expired at this time1 ,aug4 #bjth1 and terminated my labors among this people4 ,well did the ,apostle say1 ,i have laid the foundation and another buildeth thereon4 ,nor was this experience new to the world in the time of ,paul4 ,it was the work of ,david to prepare the materials1 but it remained to ,solomon to build the ,temple4 ,thus it is in every calling of life4 ,but it is more manifestly so1 perhaps1 in the ,itinerancy1 than in any other4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,fond du ,lac4--,first ,sermon4--,early ,presiding ,elders4--,rev4 ,h4,w4 ,reed4--,rev4 ,james ,r4 ,goodrich4--,rev4 ,jesse ,halstead the first ,pastor4--,rev4 ,harvy ,s4 ,bronson4--,first ,class4--,quarterly ,meeting4--,delegation from ,waupun4--,rev4 ,wm4 ,h4 ,sampson4--,extended ,district4--,a ,disastrous ,fire4--,outside ,appointments4--,stowe's ,chapel4--,preacher's ,home--,ethiel ,humiston4--,byron4--,rev4 ,joseph ,t4 ,lewis4--,rev4 ,m4,l4 ,noble4--,rev4 ,h4,r4 ,colman4 ,the first sermon preached in ,fond du ,lac was delivered at the residence of ,hon4 ,mason ,c4 ,darling1 by ,rev4 ,jesse ,halstead1 ,missionary to the ,brothertown people1 on the #agth day of ,november1 ,a4,d4 #ahci4 ,the meeting1 the first of a religious character1 was convened at the request of a few families residing in ,fond du ,lac and its neighborhood1 only seven in number1 they having learned that the ubiquitious ,itinerant had struck their trail1 and was making a visit to their settlement4 ,having been accustomed to religious services in their eastern homes1 these few scattered families had felt deeply their privations in these western wilds4 ,the advent of a minister1 therefore1 opened an era of no common importance4 ,few and scattered as were the families1 some of them living several miles away1 the small log house was filled4 ,from this lowly1 rude dwelling the songs of ,zion ascended in grateful praise1 floating out over the prairie and lingering in the branches of the old forest trees along the river until they fell upon the ear of the roaming savage1 and arrested his careless footsteps4 ,the voice of prayer was heard1 breathing to heaven in fervid accents a recognition of the ,divine goodness1 and an humble consecration of devout worshippers1 and the fair land they had adopted as their home1 to ,god4 ,the ,gospel ,message heralded the dispensation of grace1 mercy and peace alike to all1 bearing in its wings the gift of healing1 and a glorious prophecy of the coming reign of the ,messiah over the wilderness and solitary place4 ,under the word1 the pentacostal blessing came down on the people and filled the humble sanctuary4 ,to many1 the memories of other days1 and their dear old homes in the east1 were overpowering4 ,the fountains of feeling were opened and tears came welling up from their depths1 until they brimmed the eyelids of all1 and fell in showers1 as when the cloud angel shakes his wings4 ,those only who have mingled in the first religious meetings of the new settlement1 can rightly appreciate the intense interest or gauge the overwhelming emotions of such an occasion4 ,fond du ,lac appears on the ,general ,minutes at the session of the ,rock ,river ,conference1 held ,aug4 #bfth1 #ahdj4 ,at that time the entire ,territory was included in two districts4 ,the first swept across from the southwest to the northeast1 making ,platteville and ,green ,bay its extreme points4 ,and the other embraced the southeastern portion1 and extended as far west and north as ,watertown and ,summit4 ,the ,presiding ,elder on the latter1 the ,milwaukee1 was ,rev4 ,julius ,field1 and on the former1 the ,platteville1 ,rev4 ,h4,w4 ,reed4 ,the year following the northeastern portion was erected into a separate district1 called ,green ,bay1 and ,rev4 ,james ,r4 ,goodrich was made the ,presiding ,elder4 ,brother ,reed remained another year on the ,platteville ,district1 but during that year it retained only two charges that are at the present writing included within the bounds of the ,wisconsin ,conference4 ,after this date1 the labors of ,brother ,reed fell within other ,conferences1 where doubtless a record will be made of them4 ,his visits1 however1 have not been forgotten4 ,he was a man of kindly spirit and great practical wisdom4 ,wherever he laid the foundations1 they showed the labors of a skillful hand4 ,he still remains in the ,itinerancy1 and is the ,patriarch of ,iowa ,methodism4 ,brother ,goodrich1 who succeeded him on the ,green ,bay portion of the district1 is also remembered with great pleasure by the people4 ,he remained three years on the district1 and during the first two1 served the ,green ,bay station also4 ,he was transferred to the ,chicago ,district in #ahdd1 and was succeeded on the ,green ,bay ,district by ,rev4 ,wm4 ,h4 ,sampson4 ,at the close of the year1 ,brother ,goodrich took a superannuated relation4 ,rev4 ,jesse ,halstead was appointed to the ,fond du ,lac charge1 as before stated1 and the ,mission was made to include both ,fond du ,lac and ,brothertown4 ,he was also continued on the same charge the following year1 the circuit now being changed from the ,platteville to the ,green ,bay ,district4 ,we have spoken at length of the ,brothertown portion of the charge in previous chapters1 and may now confine the record to that of ,fond du ,lac4 ,during this year a class was formed at ,taycheedah with ,francis ,m4 ,mc,carty as leader4 ,at the session of the ,conference1 held ,aug4 #bd1 #ahdb1 the name of ,fond du ,lac again fails to appear on the minutes1 showing1 doubtless1 that1 up to this date1 it had not assumed sufficient importance as a religious centre to retain the name of a circuit4 ,but at this session a charge appears under the name of ,lake ,winnebago1 with ,rev4 ,john ,p4 ,gallup as ,pastor4 ,this new charge contained so much of the old ,fond du ,lac ,mission as had been separated from ,brothertown1 and1 in addition1 it swept down along the west side of the ,lake as far as ,oshkosh4 ,at the ,conference of #ahdc1 the charge was continued1 and ,rev4 ,harvey ,s4 ,bronson was appointed the ,pastor4 ,the meetings during the year were still held in log houses1 ,dr4 ,mason ,c4 ,darling1 ,hon4 ,edward ,pier and ,mr4 ,norman ,pier furnishing the accommodations4 ,it was in the residence of the second named that the first class was formed during this year by ,brother ,bronson4 ,the class was composed of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,charles ,olmstead1 ,mrs4 ,edward ,pier1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,daniel ,c4 ,brooks1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,norman ,pier and ,mrs4 ,parsons4 ,brother ,charles ,olmstead was the first leader4 ,during his pastorate1 ,brother ,bronson also formed a class at ,wilkinson's ,settlement1 of which a record will be made elsewhere4 ,in #ahdd1 ,fond du ,lac again appears on the ,minutes as a charge1 and ,taycheedah is joined with it4 ,rev4 ,joseph ,t4 ,lewis was appointed the ,pastor1 and ,rev4 ,wm4 ,h4 ,sampson the ,presiding ,elder4 ,at the beginning of this year the meetings were transferred to a frame school house that had been erected in the village4 ,the tide of emigration was now setting strongly in the direction of ,fond du ,lac and vicinity1 and new settlements were being rapidly formed4 ,the charge1 following the general drift of things1 extended its boundaries1 adding several appointments1 and among them ,waupun4 ,soon after our settlement at this place1 as detailed in a former chapter1 we were informed that a ,quarterly ,meeting would be held in ,fond du ,lac1 at a given date1 in the near future4 ,we decided to attend4 ,the day came1 and my father and ,i started on foot for the ,quarterly ,meeting4 ,on reaching ,fond du ,lac we enquired for the ,presiding ,elder1 in order to ascertain the time and place of meeting1 and found that he had already gone over to the school house where the meeting was to be held4 ,being directed1 we soon found the place and entered4 ,the ,elder sat behind the desk1 ready to begin the services4 ,the ,preacher in charge sat at his right hand1 wearing a thoughtful mood4 ,as we took our seats1 both glanced at us1 as did several of the congregation1 doubtless thinking1 ,well there are two more pioneers1 and they must be ,methodists to come thus to church on ,saturday4 ,as soon as ,i felt assured that the eyes of the congregation were withdrawn from me1 ,i ventured to look up and take the measure1 in turn1 of those present4 ,there were1 perhaps1 twenty-five in attendance4 ,they were so like1 in their general appearance1 congregations usually seen on such occasions in the east that it was difficult to realize we were in the far west4 ,the service proceeded1 and at its close the ,quarterly ,conference was held4 ,we tarried1 and after the opening services1 my father arose and addressed the ,elder1 stating that we had recently settled at ,waupun1 and supposed we were outside of the boundaries of any charge4 ,yet such was the flexibility of ,methodist institutions1 he had no doubt the boundaries of ,fond du ,lac ,circuit could easily be thrown around ,waupun4 ,if so1 we would like to be recognized as members of the church4 ,we were received on our credentials1 my father as an ordained ,local ,preacher and ,i as an ,exhorter4 ,before we left the ,quarterly ,meeting1 it was decided that ,brother ,lewis should establish an appointment and form a class at ,waupun4 ,but of this further mention will be made in a subsequent chapter4 ,rev4 ,wm4 ,h4 ,sampson1 the ,presiding ,elder of the ,district1 had been a member of the ,michigan ,conference4 ,on invitation1 he was transferred to the ,rock ,river in ,august1 #ahdb4 ,his first appointment was ,milwaukee1 of which mention will be made in another place4 ,the next year he was sent to ,kenosha1 then called ,southport1 to save the church property which had fallen under financial embarrassment4 ,having accomplished this task1 he was1 in ,july1 #ahdd1 appointed to the charge of ,green ,bay ,district4 ,a better selection for the position could not well have been made4 ,he was just in the strength of his early manhood1 an able preacher1 a sound theologian1 a wise administrator1 and a man of agreeable presence4 ,the country was new1 society in a formative state1 and the material limited4 ,under these embarrassments1 it required no little skill to lay the foundations wisely and successfully rear the superstructure4 ,the ,district extended from ,green ,bay on the north to ,whitewater on the south1 and from ,sheboygan on the east to ,portage ,city on the west1 and included eight charges4 ,to encompass the labor of a single year required the travel of four thousand miles4 ,the roads were almost impassable1 especially in the northern and eastern portions of the ,district4 ,during certain seasons of the year1 the buggy and sleigh could be used1 but1 in the main1 these extended journeys were performed on horseback4 ,a wagon road had been cut through the timber from ,fond du ,lac to ,lake ,michigan1 but only one family1 as yet1 had found a home between the former place and ,sheboygan ,falls4 ,between ,sheboygan and ,manitowoc1 a distance of twenty-five miles1 there was no house4 ,the road1 if such it might be called1 was an unbroken line of mud of uncertain depth1 and any amount of logs1 stumps1 roots and stones1 to give it variety4 ,the northern portion of the district was a wilderness1 and the few points that had been invaded by settlements1 were almost wholly inaccessable4 ,in the southern portion the roads were better1 but even here1 and especially through the ,rock ,river woods1 they were not inviting4 ,the position of ,presiding ,elder on the ,green ,bay ,district at this time was no sinecure4 ,the long journeys1 the great exposure and the meager accommodations among the people1 were trying in the extreme4 ,but it was found that ,brother ,sampson was equal to every emergency4 ,at this time there were only three churches on the ,district1 and these were located at ,green ,bay1 ,oneida and ,brothertown4 ,brother ,sampson remained a full term on the ,district1 and at its close became connected with the ,lawrence ,university1 in connection with which a record of his labors will appear4 ,in this work he was engaged until #ahea1 when his health failed1 and he was stationed at ,kenosha4 ,he was recalled the year following1 and until the year #ahef performed such services as his broken health would permit4 ,he was now made effective and appointed ,professor1 but in #ahfa he again entered the regular work1 being stationed at ,whitewater4 ,his subsequent appointments have been1 ,presiding ,elder of ,milwaukee ,district1 ,pastor of ,racine1 ,janesville1 ,evansville1 ,sharon1 ,milton and ,waukau1 where he is1 at the present writing1 doing efficient work4 ,brother ,sampson has given to the cause long service1 a noble life2 and is an honor to the ,conference4 ,the ,fourth ,quarterly ,conference of the year was held at ,fond du ,lac4 ,it was at this meeting that ,i was granted license to preach and recommended to the ,conference1 as before stated4 ,the meeting was held in the school house and convened on the #cast day of ,may1 #ahde4 ,the members of the ,quarterly ,conference were ,rev4 ,wm4 ,h4 ,sampson1 ,presiding ,elder1 ,rev4 ,joseph ,t4 ,lewis1 ,preacher1 ,rev4 ,silas ,miller1 ,local ,preacher1 ,francis ,m4 ,mc,carty1 ,isaac ,crofoot1 ,joseph ,stowe1 ,charles ,olmstead1 ,d4,c4 ,brooks1 ,cornelius ,davis1 and myself4 ,the population of ,fond du ,lac proper1 at the time of our first visit1 was very small4 ,it contained seven buildings and numbered only five families1 including the family of the ,presiding ,elder4 ,the school house was the only public building1 and for years was used for all public meetings known to civilization4 ,subsequently this public convenience fell a prey to the devouring element4 ,the papers1 in announcing the fire1 gravely enumerated the losses incurred by the disastrous conflagration in this wise3 ,the ,court ,house has been burned1 every church in the town has been consumed1 and even the school house and all the other public buildings have shared the same fate4 ,there is no insurance1 and the loss cannot be less than two hundred dollars4 ,during the year an appointment was established at the residence of ,joseph ,stowe1 ,esq41 on the old military road1 four miles west of ,fond du ,lac4 ,to accommodate the settlement1 now rapidly increasing in population1 ,brother ,stowe built a hall for public worship4 ,two square buildings were erected at a suitable distance from each other1 with an open court between4 ,over this court1 and extending from one building to the other1 and including the upper part of one of them1 the hall was built1 thus furnishing an upper chamber4 ,the hall was fitted up with seats and formed a ,chapel of no mean pretensions for that early period4 ,brother ,stowe's ,chapel1 as the place was sometimes called1 soon became a great institution in that region4 ,a class was formed1 and1 under the leadership of ,isaac ,crofoot1 greatly flourished4 ,a few years after1 the leadership passed to the hand of ,ethiel ,humiston4 ,the members of this class were ,joseph ,stowe1 ,priscilla ,stowe1 ,isaac ,crofoot1 ,ethiel ,humiston1 ,almira ,humiston1 ,amos ,lewis and ,susan ,lewis4 ,the class meetings1 as well as the public services at this ,chapel1 now became objects of general interest4 ,brother ,humiston had been raised under calvinistic teaching1 and1 until recently1 had utterly failed to discover the way of ,faith4 ,but1 coming to the light under the special teaching of the ,spirit1 he had become a most remarkable illustration of this great arm of strength4 ,in short1 nothing could stand before his victorious ,faith4 ,in this ,chapel there were most extraordinary displays of divine power4 ,nor1 under such leadership1 need it be deemed strange that revivals sometimes swept the entire circuit of the year4 ,nor were ,brother ,humiston's labors confined to his own neighborhood exclusively4 ,he was often invited to other appointments on the charge1 and even to other charges1 to aid the preachers in their revival meetings1 and his labors were always greatly blessed4 ,i have known whole congregations melted to tears under the recitals of his ,christian experience4 ,and could a record be made of the wonderful displays of divine grace in the experience and labors of this dear brother1 it would be a priceless legacy to the church4 ,but ,brother ,stowe was amply compensated for the erection of this temple for the ,lord4 ,in one of the remarkable revivals enjoyed in it1 and that1 too1 in the midst of harvest1 his son1 ,william ,page1 now the ,presiding ,elder of ,milwaukee ,district1 was converted4 ,the home of ,brother ,stowe was always a stopping place for the preachers4 ,the writer1 in going up and down the land in his early ,itinerant labors1 has been often entertained by this dear brother1 and his excellent wife and family4 ,repeatedly1 when weary1 ,i have gone to this home of the pilgrims as ,i would have gone to my own father's house1 and in doing so1 always found a generous welcome4 ,william1 then a lad1 was always ready at the gate to take my horse1 and the mother1 a motherly1 godly woman1 as ready to spread the table4 ,another appointment established this year was that of ,byron1 where a class was formed by ,rev4 ,joseph ,t4 ,lewis on the #ahth of ,july1 #ahde ,the class was at first formed as a branch from ,fond du ,lac1 but has since became the head of an independent charge4 ,the first members were ,orrin ,morris1 ,leader1 ,olive ,morris1 ,abraham ,shepherd1 ,eliza ,a4 ,shepherd1 ,mary ,c4 ,shepherd1 and ,maria ,shepherd4 ,the first sermon preached in ,byron proper was delivered by ,rev4 ,morgan ,l4 ,noble1 ,pastor of ,fond du ,lac1 ,january #beth1 #ahdf1 and thereafter this place became a regular appointment4 ,a very comfortable church was built at ,byron in #ahee1 under the labors of ,rev4 ,s4,v4,r4 ,shepherd1 ,pastor of the charge4 ,in later years ,byron has become distinguished as the place where the ,fond du ,lac ,district ,camp ,meetings are held4 ,rev4 ,joseph ,t4 ,lewis was received on trial at the ,conference held in ,chicago1 ,august #bdth1 #ahdb4 ,his first appointment was ,elgin1 ,ill41 and his second1 ,mutchakinoc4 ,he was born in ,wales1 and1 at the time of his appointment to ,fond du ,lac1 had been in ,america only five years4 ,such had been his success1 however1 in acquiring the ,english language1 that he was now able to speak it with remarkable fluency and correctness4 ,brother ,lewis was a man of robust constitution1 above medium height1 had a strong face1 adorned with a ,roman nose1 and a piercing eye4 ,he had a vigorous mind1 was a thorough student and was already taking rank as a preacher4 ,during his brief year on the charge1 he found time not only to master the ,conference studies1 but1 by the aid of the writer1 to make considerable progress in the study of ,greek4 ,at the end of the year he reported ninety members4 ,his subsequent appointments were3 #ahde1 ,sheboygan2 #ahdf and #ahdg1 ,beloit4 ,during his last year at ,beloit1 he was called from labor to reward4 ,his illness was brief1 eight days duration1 but he was ready for the ,messenger4 ,just before his departure1 he said to his most estimable companion3 ,tell my brethren of the ,rock ,river ,conference that ,i die ishouting happy_/i4 ,thus fell1 on the #bb;d day of ,may1 #ahdh1 one of the most promising young men of the ,conference4 ,truly it is said3 ,god buries his workmen1 yet carries on his work4 ,the ,conference extended to the accomplished and devoted widow their profound sympathy4 ,nor will it be amiss to say in this connection1 that the widow several years after became the wife of ,rev4 ,stephen ,adams1 of ,beloit1 and up to this hour is most highly esteemed by all who have the pleasure of an acquaintance4 ,in #ahde1 ,rev4 ,morgan ,l4 ,noble was appointed to the ,fond du ,lac charge and remained two years4 ,he was received by the ,rock ,river ,conference in #ahdc1 and was appointed to ,du ,page ,circuit with ,rev4 ,elihu ,springer as ,preacher in ,charge4 ,brother ,noble was a man of superior talent1 but his health was not equal to the ,itinerancy4 ,at the close of his term at ,fond du ,lac1 he took a location and entered secular pursuits4 ,in #ahdg ,rev4 ,henry ,r4 ,colman was sent to ,fond du ,lac1 and also remained two years4 ,brother ,colman entered the ,new ,york ,conference in ,may1 #ahca1 and his first appointment was ,warren ,circuit1 with ,rev4 ,joseph ,mc,creery as his colleague4 ,this charge was located forty miles from his residence and included twenty-four hundred square miles4 ,his visits to his family were few1 and the year was one of most severe labor4 ,his receipts were only one hundred and forty dollars1 showing that pioneer work had not at that period wholly ceased in the older ,states4 ,luzerne1 his next field1 gave him one hundred and twenty dollars4 ,the next year he traveled ,bridgeport1 a large1 four weeks circuit1 and had for colleague ,rev4 ,j4,g4 ,whitford4 ,on this charge the receipts for the first two quarters were not equal to his moving expenses4 ,he was next stationed at ,ticonderoga1 ,westport and ,essex1 and ,berne1 successively1 when he was invited by ,rev4 ,john ,clark1 who was east attending the ,general ,conference of #ahdj1 to come west and take charge of the ,oneida ,indian ,mission4 ,he consented1 and at the following session of the ,troy ,conference he was transferred to the ,rock ,river and assigned to that field1 where he arrived ,september #aith1 #ahdj4 ,he remained on this ,mission five years and was then appointed to ,brothertown as my successor4 ,at the expiration of two years he was appointed to ,fond du ,lac1 as above stated1 where he contracted a severe cold1 but thinking to remove it without difficulty1 continued his labors4 ,it was a fatal step4 ,bronchitis set in and he lost his voice4 ,he was granted a superannuated relation at the session of the ,wisconsin ,conference1 held at ,beloit1 ,july #bg1 #ahdi4 ,from this attack he has never sufficiently recovered to resume his labors4 ,the loss of ,brother ,colman from the work in the ,conference was severely felt4 ,of solid endowments1 respectable attainments1 large practicable knowledge and excellent administrative abilities1 his services seemed almost necessary to the success of the work4 ,we can only refer such difficult problems to the ,great ,head of the church for solution4 ,during the nine years of ,brother ,colman's service in ,wisconsin1 he was abundant in labor4 ,he was emphatically a man of one work4 ,his salary1 like that of his co-laborers1 was small1 making an average of only two hundred and fifty dollars a year4 ,certainly this was a small provision for himself1 wife and five children4 ,by a judicious investment at an early day1 however1 he is placed beyond the reach of want4 ,he still lives in the affections of his brethren1 and1 after a superannuation of twenty-five years1 his visits to the sessions of the ,conference always assure him a hearty greeting from his old friends4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,green ,lake ,mission4--,waupun4--,first ,class4--,meetings held at ,dr4 ,bowmans4--,revival4--,two ,local ,preachers4--,short ,cut to ,cereseo4--,boxing the ,compass4--,wisconsin ,phalanx4--,first ,society4--,dining ,hall ,chapel4 ,discussions4--,antiquated ,views4--,green ,lake4--,shadrach ,burdicks4--,visit to ,dartford4--,little ,green ,lake4--,the ,new ,chorister4--,markasan4 ,lake ,maria4--,revival4 ,the ,rock ,river ,conference1 for the year #ahde1 held its session at ,peoria on the #bjth day of ,august4 ,at this ,conference ,i was received on trial and appointed to ,green ,lake ,mission4 ,the class admitted this year numbered twenty-three1 and among them were ,wesley ,lattin1 ,seth ,w4 ,ford and ,joseph ,m4 ,walker4 ,green ,lake ,mission1 somewhat undefined in its geographical boundaries1 was intended to include the large tract of beautiful prairie and opening country lying west and southwest of ,fond du ,lac4 ,it took its name from a lake on what was believed to be its northern boundary1 five miles west of ,ripon4 ,as ,i did not attend the ,conference1 ,i awaited the return of the ,presiding ,elder at ,waupun4 ,being informed of my appointment1 ,i enquired after its boundaries4 ,the ,elder facetiously replied1 ,fix a point in the centre of ,winnebago ,marsh1 since called ,lake ,horicon1 and draw a line to the north pole1 and another due west to the ,rocky ,mountains1 and you will have your eastern and southern boundaries4 ,as to the other lines you need not be particular1 as you will find no ,dr4 ,marsh in your way to circumscribe your ambition4 ,at the date of which we write1 a few small settlements only had been formed within the limits of the ,mission1 but emigration was moving rapidly in that direction1 and it was believed that an ample field would soon be found4 ,at ,waupun a class had been formed during the preceding year1 as above stated1 consisting of my father's family1 six persons in all1 as follows3 ,rev4 ,silas ,miller1 ,eunice ,miller1 ,henry ,l4 ,hilyar1 ,malvina ,f4 ,hilyar1 ,ezekiel ,t4 ,miller and myself4 ,this band consisted of three officers and three privates4 ,my father was the ,local ,preacher1 my brother the ,class ,leader1 and ,i the ,exhorter4 ,my mother1 sister and sister's husband were the members4 ,rev4 ,samuel ,smith1 an aged ,local ,preacher1 and father of ,rev4 ,charles ,smith1 a worthy member of the ,wisconsin ,conference1 had settled1 with his family1 in ,waupun during the preceding year1 and had held religious services in private dwellings1 whenever convenient4 ,soon after the class was formed1 ,father ,smith1 as he was called1 and his family identified themselves with the infant society and became efficient laborers in the ,lord's vinyard4 ,at the same time the class was strengthened by the addition of ,dr4 ,brooks ,bowman and his good lady4 ,others were added during the year1 including ,s4,j4 ,mattoon1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,s4,a4,l4 ,davis1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,g4,w4 ,sexmith and ,mrs4 ,f4,f4 ,davis4 ,the class now numbered twenty-two members4 ,a building had been erected by the contributions of the people in the village and country adjacent1 for the purpose of a chapel and a school house4 ,regular services had been held in the new edifice for several months1 both morning and evening4 ,but during the absence of the ,pastor at ,conference1 two ministers of sister denominations came to the village and established appointments1 occupying the house on alternate ,sabbaths1 thereby displacing the former occupants altogether4 ,on taking charge of the work1 ,i called on the new comers and expressed a desire to occupy the house for the regular appointment once in two weeks1 but found they were not disposed to meet my wishes4 ,i suggested that such had been the previous custom and that our appointments were so arranged1 we could not work to any other than a two weeks' plan4 ,but finding them still indisposed to accommodate me1 ,i merely stated to them that the house1 having been built mostly by my people1 and in part by myself1 ,i could claim as a right what ,i had begged as a favor1 but1 since ,i saw they were indisposed to give me the only hour that would accommodate the balance of my work1 ,i should seek a place elsewhere4 ,at this juncture ,dr4 ,brooks ,bowman1 the physician of the village1 generously offered his residence as a temporary chapel1 and it was gratefully accepted4 ,the wisdom of the movement was soon shown by the result4 ,the people came to the private house1 and1 when they could find no room within1 they uncomplainingly stood without4 ,the ,lord poured out his spirit upon the people abundantly4 ,the eldest daughter of our generous host1 as the first trophy of grace1 was converted4 ,other conversions followed1 and in a short time the number increased to twenty4 ,among them were ,william ,mc,elroy and wife and several others1 who became leading and influential members of the church in ,waupun4 ,the opposition soon came to naught1 and the house was left to our peaceable occupancy4 ,the ,local ,preachers rendered valuable services in the protracted meeting1 and also alternated in filling the appointment during my absence in caring for other portions of the charge4 ,father ,smith was not able to visit other neighborhoods1 but my father was abundant in labors1 extending his visits to every part of the charge and preaching usually twice1 and sometimes three times on the ,sabbath4 ,having spent my first ,sabbath at ,waupun ,i next visited ,ceresco1 where a settlement had been made by the ,wisconsin ,phalanx1 a ,fourierite ,association4 ,there was no direct route1 as all previous travel had taken a circuit to the west1 thereby striking the trail from ,watertown4 ,but ,i deemed it best to open a track at the outset across the country to the point of destination4 ,obtaining a horse and saddle1 and substituting a pocket compass for the saddlebags1 as that evidence of civilization had not yet reached the village1 ,i started out on my trip4 ,unfortunately the day was cloudy1 and in the absence of the sun recourse at an early stage of the journey was had to the faithful compass1 but unhappily not soon enough to avoid perplexity4 ,after having traveled some distance1 as ,i believed in the right direction1 ,i fell into a questioning1 whether ,i should go to the right or left of a marsh lying directly before me4 ,the compass was brought to aid in deciding the question4 ,it was poised on the knob of the saddle1 when1 to my surprise1 it seemed to point several degrees too far to the left4 ,i boxed the truant thing again and again1 but could not bring the needle to point in any other direction4 ,so ,i concluded1 if the mountain would not come to ,mahomet1 ,mahomet must go to the mountain4 ,out upon the trackless wilds1 absolutely without any other guide1 it would not do to ignore the compass4 ,but now a new question arose4 ,if the needle tells the truth1 ,i must have been going in the wrong direction for1 perhaps1 some considerable distance4 ,in such case1 it is impossible to conjecture how far ,i may be out of the direct line of travel or how far ,i may be astray4 ,the needle may point to the north pole1 but ,i cannot be sure that1 if ,i follow its guidance now1 ,i will find ,ceresco in the line of travel4 ,but there was no time to be lost4 ,so1 deciding that ,i must follow the compass1 ,i reined my horse into line and started on1 ,i had not gone far1 however1 before ,i found myself confronted by another large marsh4 ,this must be avoided1 and hence ,i made a circuit to the west and passed it1 but in doing so1 much precious time was lost1 and speedily the night drew on4 ,i was now without sun1 stars or even compass4 ,the stillness of the prairie was painful4 ,and the scattered trees of the openings in the deepening shades of the evening looked more like muffled ghosts with huge umbrellas1 than the beautiful groves they had appeared when seen by the light of day4 ,pushing on through the darkness1 ,i soon found ,i was nearer my destination than ,i supposed4 ,leaving the groves on the right and passing over the prairie to the left1 ,i had not gone far when a light was visible in the distance4 ,on approaching1 ,i found that ,i had reached ,ceresco1 where ,i was most hospitably entertained by ,rev4 ,uriel ,farmin1 a ,local ,preacher and a member of the ,association4 ,the ,wisconsin ,phalanx came from the southeastern portion of the ,territory and settled at this point in ,may1 #ahdd4 ,soon after their settlement1 ,rev4 ,wm4 ,h4 ,sampson1 ,presiding ,elder of ,green ,bay ,district1 visited the place and held the first religious service of which ,i can obtain information4 ,not long after the minister in charge of the ,winnebago ,lake ,mission at ,oshkosh visited ,ceresco1 and formed a class of seven members4 ,the names1 as far as ascertained1 were ,rev4 ,uriel ,farmin and wife1 ,mrs4 ,morris ,farmin1 ,mrs4 ,beckwith and ,george ,limbert4 ,the first named was appointed ,leader4 ,the ,association had erected two long buildings1 one for a tenement house and the other for a dining hall4 ,the first was built with a wide hall running from one end to the other4 ,on either side of this hall suits of rooms had been provided for the accommodation of the several families1 giving to each family at least a parlor and one or more sleeping apartments1 according to its needs4 ,here families were as exclusive in their relations as good neighborhood could well require4 ,the dining hall was a long1 narrow building1 giving in its width1 barely room enough for the table1 a row of persons on each side1 and the free movement of the waiters behind them4 ,the tables would accommodate one hundred and fifty at a fitting4 ,in the rear of the dining hall1 there was a large kitchen in which the cooking was done for the entire ,association4 ,the service of the kitchen1 as well as every other department1 was performed by persons who either volunteered or were assigned to their positions by lot1 and were paid by the hour from the common fund4 ,divided into squads1 each section had a foreman or directress1 elected at reasonable intervals4 ,it was expected that all the members would take their meals at the common table1 yet exceptions were allowed in certain cases4 ,it was affirmed that with this division of labor and a common table1 the cost of board for a single individual per week did not exceed fifty cents4 ,the ,association had under cultivation several hundred acres of land and were now putting flour mills in operation4 ,goods were purchased at wholesale by the ,association and re-sold to individuals at the same rate4 ,a school had been established and was under the care of a very competent teacher4 ,thus1 externally1 everything appeared to promise well and the people seemed orderly and happy4 ,but1 like all other enterprises of the same character1 selfishness and corruption finally crept in1 and the institution fell into decay1 and ultimately disappeared4 ,the people of ,ceresco were always gratified to receive the attention of the outside world1 and their hospitalities were proverbial4 ,and1 though not a few of the leading men were professed ,infidels1 they always received ministers gladly and treated them with consideration4 ,they were specially gratified to have religious services held among them1 and the ringing of the bell would generally insure a good audience4 ,the dining hall was used as a ,chapel until a more convenient place was provided in the erection of a large school house4 ,here in the low1 long hall ,i held forth on the following ,sabbath4 ,the position was an awkward one4 ,the table stood in the middle of the hall1 reaching from one end to the other4 ,the congregation was seated on each side in long rows4 ,the preacher stood at the head of the table and threw his message along the narrow defile1 greatly to his own annoyance1 if not the discomfort of the people4 ,to me the task was exceedingly disagreeable4 ,my thin1 feminine voice seemed to spend its volume before it had reached the middle of the line4 ,then1 my rapid manner of speaking seemed to send the words in wild confusion into the distant part of the hall4 ,but ,i soon learned to gauge my voice to the place1 and1 thereafter1 ,i enjoyed unusual freedom of speech4 ,at the close of the services1 the table was spread for dinner4 ,i was assigned the head of the table1 with the ,president of the ,association at my right1 and the ,vice ,president at my left4 ,both of these gentlemen were decidedly ,infidel in their views1 and have since become somewhat distinguished as champions of ,unbelief4 ,they always treated me with courtesy1 however1 and sought to make my visits agreeable4 ,it was their custom to bring up some item in the sermon as the subject of discussion at the table4 ,these discussions often became animated4 ,but1 having been somewhat schooled in that line of things1 ,i always required a definite statement of position on both sides before any discussion could be had on the point assailed4 ,this precaution kept the coast clear1 and made these table conversations profitable4 ,the ,president repeatedly expressed his gratification with the conversations1 and also with the religious services of the day4 ,and on one occasion he took the freedom to say1 ,though ,i am not a believer in ,christianity1 yet ,i think there is nothing in the world that can so effectually harmonize the views and blend the sympathies of the community as these religious services4 ,i took the occasion to suggest to him that his admission carried with it a complete vindication of the claims of religion and a proof of its ,divine origin4 ,on another occasion1 as ,i was mounting my horse to leave1 the ,president expressed a wish that ,i would visit ,fox ,lake and establish an appointment in that village1 assuring me that he had friends there1 very intelligent people1 who would receive me cordially and appreciate my labors4 ,i enquired whether there were not religious services established already in ,fox ,lake4 ,oh6 yes1 he replied1 but they are not up to the times4 ,they are conducted by a ,local ,preacher from ,waupun1 a gentleman whom ,i greatly respect1 but he is quite antiquated in some of his views4 ,i enquired if he was free to state what these views were4 ,he replied3 ,why1 sir1 he retains the old notion that the world was made in six days4 ,well1 was it not1 ,judge8 ,why1 certainly not1 he answered1 any man at all abreast with the times knows better than that4 ,willing to put the ,judge on the defensive whenever ,i could1 ,i said2 ,well1 ,judge1 if it required more than six days1 will you have the goodness to tell me just how long it did take to make it8 ,the ,judge felt the awkward position he was in1 and before he could recover ,i had bidden him good bye and was on my way4 ,nor was he less embarrassed when he came to learn that the old gentleman to whom he referred was my father4 ,having spent the ,sabbath at ,ceresco1 ,i now started in a southwesterly direction to explore the country along the south side of ,green ,lake1 with the purpose to establish an appointment should a suitable location be found4 ,after traveling about three miles1 ,i came to a large log house1 which with its surroundings seemed to say1 ,we have come to stay4 ,hitching my horse to the limb of a tree near the gate1 ,i approached the house4 ,i was met at the door by a lady of fine presence and intelligent bearing1 who invited me to enter and be seated4 ,i began the conversation with the usual compliments to the weather and the beautiful country about ,green ,lake4 ,receiving frank responses to these common places1 ,i next enquired if there were still good locations untaken in the neighborhood4 ,her intelligent face radiated a smile as her sharp eyes gave me a searching glance1 which seemed to say1 ,you can't come any land-seeking dodge on me1 you are a ,minister4 ,changing the conversation1 ,i soon found that the proprietor of the house was a ,mr4 ,dakin1 she1 his sister1 ,mrs4 ,white1 and that she was a ,methodist4 ,at a subsequent visit to ,ceresco ,i had the pleasure to enter her name upon the list of members4 ,passing on ,i came to the residence of ,mr4 ,satterlee ,clark1 since widely known in the ,state1 but he being absent ,i stopped only a few moments and continued my exploration4 ,the next house ,i visited was located near a beautiful spring in a grove of timber4 ,the building was small1 but the surroundings indicated thrift4 ,i rode up to the door and saw a lady at her wash-tub4 ,she threw the suds from her hands and came to the door4 ,in a moment ,i recognized her as a lady whom ,i had known in the ,state of ,new ,york4 ,she did not recognize me1 however1 as ,i had doubtless changed very much since she had seen me4 ,but she was not mistaken in thinking ,i was a ,minister4 ,she invited me to tarry for dinner1 saying her husband would soon be in4 ,when ,shadrach ,burdick1 for that was the name of the husband1 came to dinner he found his house invaded by the irrepressible ,itinerancy4 ,he gave me a cordial welcome1 expressed his satisfaction that his new location did not lie beyond the limits of ,gospel agencies1 and urged me to make his house my home whenever ,i might come that way4 ,i saw that he did not recognize me1 and concluded not to make myself known until the surprise could be made more complete4 ,conversation turned on the character of the settlement1 the number of families and the prospect of opening an appointment4 ,it was known that a few families had settled in the vicinity1 but mine host was not informed as to their religious proclivities4 ,i decided at once to visit every family in the neighborhood4 ,passing down along the shore of ,green ,lake and thence up through the openings to the margin of the prairie1 ,i found a half dozen families4 ,i found also that1 without exception1 they were desirous to have religious meetings established in the neighborhood4 ,receiving unexpected encouragement1 ,i decided to hold a meeting before ,i left4 ,fixing on the most central residence as our first chapel1 we held service on ,wednesday evening4 ,after preaching1 ,i proceeded to form a class1 and received eleven names4 ,brother ,burdick was appointed the ,leader4 ,he demurred1 but ,i was not disposed to excuse him4 ,i then quietly stated to the class that ,i had known their ,leader on the ,crumhorn1 in the ,state of ,new ,york1 where he held the same position1 and ,i was fully persuaded there had been no mistake in the selection4 ,the ,leader was not a little surprised at this turn of things1 and concluded that he had nothing further to say1 yet doubtless thought1 ,how strange it is that lads in so short a time will grow to be men8 ,at a subsequent visit ,i crossed the ,lake in a small boat to explore the neighborhood where ,dartford is now located1 but found no settlement4 ,an appointment1 however1 was opened at this point the following year with ,wm4 ,c4 ,sherwood as the leading spirit4 ,at the present writing1 ,dartford has become a fine village1 has a good ,church1 an energetic society1 and has enjoyed the services of several of the strong men of the ,conference4 ,at ,green ,lake the congregations and class grew rapidly1 and before the expiration of the year the appointment had gained considerable prominence4 ,as soon as a school house was built1 the meetings were removed to it and continued there until #ahgj1 when a fine ,church was erected4 ,leaving ,green ,lake and resuming my journey of exploration1 ,i came to ,little ,green ,lake4 ,here ,i found a four corners with a store on one side and a residence on the other4 ,the residence was occupied by a ,mr4 ,jewell1 whose wife was a relative of ,rev4 ,d4 ,p4 ,kidder1 then in charge of our ,sunday ,school literature4 ,my acquaintance with him soon made me acquainted with this most excellent family4 ,on their kind invitation ,i established an appointment in their house1 which was continued until their removal from the place4 ,it was then removed to the residence of ,mr4 ,roby1 who1 with his wife1 was a member of the church4 ,a small class was now formed4 ,before the expiration of the year the appointment was moved a mile south to the school house in ,mackford4 ,and after a time it was taken down to ,markesan1 a mile west of ,mackford4 ,if was at this place that ,i assumed the role of ,chorister1 the occurrence transpiring in this wise4 ,i announced my opening hymn1 supposing that some one present would be able to lead the singing1 but to my surprise not one was disposed to serve us4 ,i had never attempted such a thing in my life as to raise a tune in public1 and the only claim ,i had ever set up as a qualification was that ,i could put more tunes to each line of a hymn than any one that ,i had ever known4 ,but something must be done1 so ,i concluded to lead off4 ,hunting through the garret of my memory1 ,i brought out old ,balerma for the occasion4 ,to my surprise1 ,i went through the performance very much to my own satisfaction and comfort4 ,and more1 when ,i got along to the third verse1 several persons in the congregation began to follow1 with a manifest purpose to learn my tune4 ,i dispensed with further singing1 and at the close of the service a good brother came forward and remarked3 ,there were several ladies in the congregation who are excellent singers1 and if you had sung a tune with which they were acquainted1 they could have helped you very much4 ,whereupon ,i concluded that if ,i were unable to sing the most familiar tune in the book1 so that a bevy of good singers could discern what ,i was trying to render1 ,i certainly could never succeed as a chorister4 ,i never became the owner of a tuning fork4 ,in the changes which followed in the boundaries of the charges1 ,markesan was assigned first to one and then to another1 but several years ago it came to the surface as the head of a circuit4 ,and it now has a respectable standing as a charge with a good ,church and ,parsonage4 ,resuming my search for new settlement1 ,i next visited ,lake ,maria4 ,here ,i first called at the house of ,mr4 ,langdon4 ,i was kindly received1 and when my errand was made known ,i was pressingly invited to remain for the night1 and hold a meeting before leaving the neighborhood4 ,i consented1 and on the following evening we held service in ,mr4 ,langdon's house4 ,lake ,maria was now taken into the list of appointments and was visited regularly during the year4 ,at my third visit1 which occurred on the #cjth day of ,november1 #ahde1 ,i formed a class1 consisting of ,lyman ,l4 ,austin1 ,amanda ,m4 ,austin1 ,mrs4 ,l4 ,martin1 ,mrs4 ,maria ,langdon1 ,david ,c4 ,jones and ,maryette ,jones4 ,a protracted meeting was held soon after and thirty persons were converted4 ,the fruit of this meeting carried the membership during the year up to twenty-five4 ,among the additions were ,lansing ,martin1 ,wm4 ,hare1 ,mrs4 ,susan ,woodworth1 and others1 who have been pillars in the church4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,green ,lake ,mission ,continued4--,quarterly ,meeting at ,oshkosh4--,rev4 ,g4 ,n4 ,hanson4--,lake ,apuckaway4--,lost and ,found4--,salt and ,potatoes4--,mill ,creek4--,rock ,river4--,rev4 ,j4,m4,s4 ,maxson4--,oakfield4--,cold ,bath4--,fox ,lake4--,gospel vs4 ,whiskey4--,on ,time4--,badger ,hill4--,s4,a4,l4 ,davis4--,miller's ,mill4--,g4 ,w4 ,sexmith4--,burnett4--,william ,willard4--,grand ,river4--,david ,wood4 ,it had been arranged at the ,conference that ,green ,lake and ,winnebago ,lake ,missions should hold their ,quarterly ,meetings together4 ,the first was now to be held at ,oshkosh4 ,in going1 ,i took the trail leading from ,ceresco to ,oshkosh1 and traveled the whole distance without finding a house4 ,but at the intersection of the ,fond du ,lac and ,ceresco trails ,i met ,brother ,sampson1 the ,presiding ,elder4 ,on our arrival at ,oshkosh we found it had been arranged to hold the services on ,saturday in a private house on the south side of the river4 ,the ,elder preached1 and at the close of the service1 the ,quarterly ,conference was convened under a tree1 thereby giving the house to the needed preparations for dinner4 ,rev4 ,g4,n4 ,hanson was the ,pastor at ,oshkosh4 ,he was a single man1 several years my senior1 of a kind and gentle spirit1 given to books and a fair ,preacher4 ,i had known him in the ,state of ,new ,york1 where we were both ,exhorters1 and1 also1 both engaged in teaching4 ,brother ,hanson entered the ,rock ,river ,conference in #ahdd1 and his first charge was ,manitowoc4 ,he had been stationed on the ,winnebago ,lake ,mission at the recent ,conference and was doing a good work4 ,after leaving this charge he rendered effective service in other fields until #aheb1 when1 having almost lost the use of his voice1 he took a superannuated relation4 ,but as soon thereafter as his health would permit1 he entered the service of the ,bible ,cause and for three years proved an efficient ,agent4 ,in this work his field of labor lay mostly in the new and sparsely settled regions of the ,chippewa ,valley1 and along the frontiers of ,minnesota4 ,but here he evinced the same perseverance and self-denial which had characterized his whole life4 ,leaving his most estimable companion1 he took the ,word of ,god1 and though he could no longer give it a living voice1 he bore it joyfully to the families of the land1 through the forest and marshes of those new counties1 often throwing his shadow upon the coming footsteps of the ,itinerant himself4 ,but at last he was compelled to yield to the hand of disease which had long rested upon him4 ,he passed over the river in holy triumph in #aheg4 ,on ,sabbath the meeting was held in a frame building1 the first in the place1 that had been erected for a store4 ,it had been roofed and enclosed1 but there were no doors or windows4 ,rude seats had been arranged and the accommodations were ample4 ,the ,elder preached in the morning and the writer1 as the visiting ,pastor1 in the afternoon4 ,the meeting was well attended and greatly enjoyed by all4 ,the people1 of course1 were mostly strangers to each other1 and1 coming from different parts of the world1 were accustomed to various modes of worship4 ,but they seemed to forget their differences1 and recognize ,christ only as their common ,savior4 ,at this time ,oshkosh was but little more than a mere trading post4 ,the few families there were mostly on farms or claims in the vicinity of the river or lake4 ,during my stay ,i was entertained by ,brother ,william ,w4 ,wright1 whose house1 for many years thereafter1 was a home for the ,itinerant ministers4 ,the ,quarterly ,meeting passed off very pleasantly1 and at its close ,i returned to my work of exploration on the ,green ,lake ,mission4 ,flushed with the achievements of the previous few weeks1 and still sighing for conquests1 ,i now resolved to make a sally in the direction of ,lake ,apuckaway1 lying to the northwest of ,lake ,maria4 ,i found1 on the southern shore1 a few families1 and made arrangements for an appointment in connection with my next round4 ,i then started to return1 but had not gone far1 when ,i found ,i had lost my reckoning4 ,i looked for my compass as eagerly as ,christian for his roll1 but ,i could not find it4 ,this was a double misfortune1 to lose both the way and the guide at the same time4 ,i resorted to the device of the backwoodsman1 and tried to determine my course by the moss on the trees1 but ,i found this to be a great perplexity and abandoned it4 ,i traveled in divers directions and devious ways until nearly overcome with fatigue and hunger1 when ,i suddenly came upon a newly erected log cabin4 ,the logs had been rolled up to form the body1 a roof of shakes had been hastily put on1 there was no chinking between the logs1 there were no windows1 and the only door was a blanket4 ,the floor was made of earth1 and the fireplace was merely a pile of stones in one corner1 from which the smoke ascended through an opening in the roof1 at one corner of the building4 ,i knocked for admittance1 and was kindly received4 ,the good man and his wife had but recently come into the country4 ,he had succeeded in erecting his cabin and putting it in its present condition1 but had been taken ill with the ague and compelled to suspend operations4 ,he had now been so long confined at home that provisions had become scarce4 ,it was meal time4 ,a few potatoes were taken from the embers and placed on a chest1 as a substitute for a table4 ,i was invited to join them in their repast1 using a trunk as a seat4 ,grace was said1 under a special sense of the ,divine favor4 ,a little salt was added1 and the meal was one of the most relishable ,i had ever eaten4 ,several years after1 ,i heard the good brother relate the circumstance in a ,love ,feast1 when he took occasion to say the visit was the most refreshing he had ever experienced4 ,it was certainly such to me4 ,the village of ,kingston has since sprang up in the vicinity1 and has become the head of a circuit4 ,returning again to ,waupun1 ,i now decided to look over the territory in the more immediate vicinity4 ,going to the south of the village five miles1 ,i found ,mill ,creek1 where a small settlement had been made4 ,the most central house of the neighborhood was the residence of ,brother ,david ,moul1 who kindly offered it for a temporary chapel4 ,an appointment was established1 and on the #afth day of ,november a class was formed4 ,brother ,moul was appointed ,leader4 ,the class at the first1 consisted of the ,leader and wife1 ,david ,boynton and wife1 and two others1 but in the revival that soon followed1 the number was increased to twenty-two4 ,brother ,moul was an earnest worker in the ,master's vineyard1 generous in his contributions to support the ,gospel1 and eminently faithful to every trust committed to his keeping4 ,at the end of twenty years1 ,i made a visit to ,mill ,creek4 ,i found ,brother ,moul had erected a fine house and was living in manifest comfort2 but he retained a vivid recollection of the early days and their sacrifices4 ,two relics remained1 both in a fair state of preservation1 which he took great pleasure in showing to me4 ,the first was the old class book that ,i had given him at the time of the organization of the class4 ,it was a single sheet of foolscap paper1 folded together in book form1 and stitched4 ,the names upon it were mostly in my own handwriting1 and the ,leader had carefully made his weekly entries of present and absent1 until the pages were filled4 ,the other object of interest was the old house1 in which the first meetings were held4 ,here we had seen remarkable displays of ,divine power4 ,and as ,i now looked upon the old structure1 the early scenes seemed to return4 ,i could again see the wide room1 filled with rude seats1 ,brother ,moul at the door as usher1 the crowds of people that thronged the place1 the groups of seekers at the mourners' bench1 and the lines of happy faces that were aglow with hallowed expressions of delight4 ,i could again hear the songs of praise as they rang out in the olden time1 full and sweet1 filling the place with rarest melody4 ,nay1 as ,i held communion with the past1 ,i seemed to feel the hallowed influences1 that pervaded the early worshippers1 breathing through all my being1 as of old1 and even fancy myself young again1 and standing before the multitude as an ambassador of the ,master4 ,but the scene1 like the visions of the night1 soon disappeared1 and ,i turned sadly away1 half regretting that ,i was no longer a pioneer1 and permitted to feed the hungry sheep in the wilderness4 ,brother ,david ,boynton1 at this writing1 remains on the old farm1 which has been growing with the passing decades1 until the paternal acres have become a large estate4 ,situated on a prominent highway1 his house1 until the days of railroads1 was the stopping place of all the preachers who needed entertainment at either noon or night4 ,brother ,boynton1 in the person of his son1 ,rev4 ,j4,t4 ,boynton1 of the ,wisconsin ,conference1 has given to the ,itinerant work1 an efficient laborer4 ,leaving ,mill ,creek1 ,i next visited ,rock ,river1 a settlement on the ,fond du ,lac road1 six miles east of ,waupun4 ,my father had visited this place during the preceding year1 and had already established an appointment4 ,brother ,w4,j4,c4 ,robertson1 a gentleman whom we had known in the ,east1 had tendered the use of his house1 and here the meetings were now being held4 ,my first visit occurred on the #ahth day of ,november1 #ahde1 ,in the evening1 ,i held a service and formed a class4 ,the members were ,w4,j4,c4 ,robertson1 ,martha ,robertson1 ,mary ,maxson1 ,mary ,keyes1 ,james ,patterson1 ,charles ,drake1 ,abigail ,drake1 and ,elizabeth ,winslow4 ,the last named subsequently became the wife of ,rev4 ,j4,m4,s4 ,maxson4 ,the first ,leader was ,brother ,robertson4 ,both the congregation and class grew rapidly in this neighborhood1 and the appointment soon took a leading position on the charge4 ,during the ensuing winter a revival occurred1 and gave an accession of twenty-five4 ,from the first1 this ,society has been blessed with a devoted and spiritual membership1 and its prayer meetings have been a living power in the land4 ,as a result1 revivals have been frequent1 and the number saved a host4 ,passing from private houses1 the meetings were held in a school house1 but in course of time the school house became too small1 and a larger one was built1 with a special view to a provision for religious meetings4 ,in later years ,i have held ,quarterly meetings in this building1 when it was thronged with people4 ,on such occasions1 after filling the building to its utmost capacity1 the good brethren would fill the court around it with wagons1 carriages and buggies1 loaded with people4 ,it was at one of these gatherings that the little girl said1 ,why1 ,ma1 only see how full the school house is on the outside4 ,during the past year a fine ,church has been erected4 ,rock ,river was the home of the lamented ,rev4 ,james ,m4,s4 ,maxson1 before he entered the ,itinerant work4 ,it was here that he was led to ,christ1 licensed to preach1 and sent out into the vineyard1 and certainly the church has had no occasion to deplore her share of the responsibility4 ,brother ,maxson entered the ,conference in #ahej1 and filled with great credit1 ,omro1 ,fall ,river1 ,grove street ,milwaukee1 ,oconomowoc1 ,rosendale and ,ripon charges4 ,at the last named place1 he closed his labors ,june #ai1 #aheh4 ,he was a man of great force of character1 a good preacher1 and was thoroughly devoted to his work4 ,he was greatly beloved in his fields of labor1 and his death was deeply regretted4 ,having organized the class at ,rock ,river1 and arranged the plan of appointments to take it into the circuit1 ,i passed on to visit an appointment at the ,wilkinson ,settlement1 which had recently been attached to my charge from the ,fond du ,lac ,circuit4 ,it was situated on the south side of the marsh1 nine miles from ,fond du ,lac and twelve from ,waupun4 ,the school house1 in which the meetings were held1 was located within the limits of the present village of ,oakfield4 ,the class at this place had been formed during the early part of #ahdd1 by ,rev ,h4,s4 ,bronson1 when he was pastor of ,lake ,winnebago ,mission1 and consisted of ,russell ,wilkinson1 ,leader1 and ,alma1 his wife1 ,robert ,wilkinson1 and ,almira1 his wife1 ,eliza ,botsford and ,sarah ,bull4 ,to reach the settlement1 it was necessary to follow the military road towards ,fond du ,lac for some distance1 and then cross the marsh4 ,at times1 the stream in the middle was swollen1 and the traveler was compelled to leave his horse and cross on foot4 ,this was especially true when the ice was not sufficiently strong to bear up the horse1 and such was the condition in which ,i found it on this occasion4 ,so1 leaving my horse1 ,i hastened to cross the marsh1 but when ,i had reached the middle of the stream1 the treacherous ice gave way1 and ,i plunged into the water up to my armpits4 ,i clambered out1 but as the day was intensely cold1 ,i was soon a walking pillar of ice4 ,i was now on the school house side of the stream1 and there seemed to be no alternative but to go on4 ,i would gladly have found a shelter and a fire elsewhere1 but it was out of the question4 ,so1 putting on a bold face1 ,i hastened forward1 and found the people in waiting for the minister4 ,as ,i entered the school house1 with the ice rattling at every movement1 my appearance was ridiculous in the extreme4 ,but not more so than that of the audience4 ,the faces of that crowd would certainly have been the delight of a painter4 ,some of them were agape with surprise and amazement2 others were agonized with sympathy for the poor minister2 and others still were full of mirth1 and would have laughed outright if they had not been in a religious meeting4 ,as to myself1 the whole matter took a mirthful turn4 ,i had been in church before1 when by some queer or grotesque conjunction of affairs1 the whole audience lost self control4 ,i had witnessed mistakes1 blunders and accidents that would make even solemnity herself laugh1 and remained serenely grave4 ,but to see myself in the presence of that polite audience1 standing at that stove1 and turning from side to side1 to thaw the icicles from the skirts of my coat1 was too much for me4 ,i confess it was utterly impossible to keep my face in harmony with the character of the pending services4 ,at ,fox ,lake1 the next point visited1 an appointment had been established by my father during the previous year4 ,the services were now held on ,sabbath afternoon in the tavern4 ,the log house1 thus used for the double purpose of a chapel and a tavern1 was built with two parts1 and might have been called a double house4 ,the one end was occupied as a sitting-room and the other as a bar-room4 ,the meetings were held1 of course1 in the former4 ,but it was bringing the two kingdoms into close proximity to dispense the ,gospel in one end of the house and whisky in the other4 ,in a short time1 a better place was provided1 and the meetings were removed to it4 ,with the better provision for religious services1 came also the ministers of other denominations4 ,we all labored together in harmony1 except in one instance1 where a conflict of appointments caused a momentary ripple4 ,my appointment had long been established1 and1 to the surprise of the people1 another appointment was announced by a young store-keeper of the village for the same hour4 ,the word reached me of this attempt to displace the ,methodists1 when ten miles distant from the place4 ,i took my dinner and rode forward1 without wrath or gainsaying4 ,i reached the place at the hour1 went in and began the services4 ,while the congregation were singing1 the young man and his minister came in4 ,finding me in the desk1 the minister quietly took a seat and listened very attentively to the sermon4 ,but not so the discomfited young man4 ,being placed under the eye of the congregation1 his condition was pitiable in the extreme4 ,but finding after awhile that ,i was master of the ceremonies1 and that no one in the congregation seemed vexed enough to fight for him1 he subsided into a deferential attitude4 ,and1 thereafter1 there were no further attempts to override my appointments4 ,the minister1 or perhaps ,i should say clergyman1 took no offense1 but became in after years a highly valued friend and companion4 ,at this time ,mrs4 ,green was the only member of the ,methodist church in the village4 ,in process of time1 however1 a strong society was established4 ,then came the erection of a commodious ,church and a very pleasant ,parsonage4 ,fox ,lake has been furnished with a line of able ministers1 and has at the present writing a large and cultivated congregation4 ,passing down the stream the following week1 ,i found several families in the vicinity of ,badger ,hill4 ,i immediately arranged an appointment for a week-day evening at the residence of a brother by the name of ,morgan4 ,at the first service held ,december #g1 #ahde1 ,i formed a class of six4 ,brother ,morgan was appointed ,leader1 and at the ,quarterly ,meeting following ,brother ,drinkwater was made steward4 ,some time after1 the class was removed to ,fox ,lake1 it being only three miles distant4 ,i now returned again to ,waupun to spend the ,sabbath4 ,the ,class ,leader at this time was ,s4,a4,l4 ,davis1 who came to the place during the preceding year4 ,brother ,davis was an old neighbor from the ,east1 a noble and true man1 and1 withal1 had been my first ,leader4 ,he was specially adapted to the position2 a man of great faith and ardent impulses4 ,under his ,leadership1 the class was in a most flourishing condition4 ,the late revival had1 however1 so swelled the numbers that a division became necessary4 ,an appointment had already been established at ,miller's ,mill1 and it was now deemed best to so divide the class as to establish the meetings of one of them at this point4 ,the change was accordingly made4 ,the class was formed ,december #abth1 #ahde1 and ,george ,w4 ,sexmith was appointed ,leader4 ,brother ,sexmith was also an old neighbor1 who had come ,west and taken a farm in the vicinity of ,miller's ,mill4 ,under his care1 the class grew rapidly1 and became an efficient company of laborers4 ,several years after he removed to ,fond du ,lac1 and greatly prospered in business4 ,in #aheb ,i had the pleasure to present him with a ,local ,preacher's license4 ,he was employed one year as ,pastor of ,liberty ,prairie circuit1 but his health proved unequal to the ,itinerancy1 and he was compelled to resume his relation as a ,local ,preacher1 in which position he still holds an honored place among his brethren4 ,the next place visited was ,burnett4 ,the services were held in the residence of ,mr4 ,mc,donald1 and a class was formed ,december #adth1 #ahde4 ,the members of the first organization were ,william ,willard1 ,leader1 ,huldah ,ann ,willard1 ,samuel ,c4 ,grant1 ,ruth ,m4 ,grant1 and ,elizabeth ,benedict4 ,the class grew rapidly1 and the appointment took a leading rank on the charge4 ,burnett has since become a charge1 has a good ,church edifice and a strong congregation4 ,brother ,willard became a member of the ,conference1 of whom mention will be made in another chapter4 ,having organized the work at ,burnett1 ,i next visited ,grand ,river4 ,i had passed through this place in the early part of ,autumn4 ,at that time ,i found ,brother ,david ,wood and his son engaged in making preparations for a home4 ,finding they intended to have their cabin completed and the family in it before winter1 ,i engaged to visit them and establish an appointment4 ,on reaching the place to fulfil this agreement1 ,i found that besides this family several others had also settled in the vicinity4 ,at the first meeting1 appointed before there was a family in the neighborhood1 we had a congregation of fifteen persons4 ,the class was formed ,december #aith1 #ahde1 with ,david ,wood as ,leader4 ,the ,alto ,church1 which gives the name to a charge1 has been erected in the vicinity1 and there is at the present writing a strong society4 ,father ,wood1 as he is now called1 still survives1 and takes special delight in referring to this visit of the 'boy preacher4' ,the watch-night meeting was held at ,waupun1 and was an occasion of great interest1 several persons being converted4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,green ,lake ,mission ,continued4--,an ,assistant ,employed4--,quarterly ,meeting at ,waupun4--,love ,feast4--,forty ,miles ,ride1 and ,four ,sermons4--,a ,sermon and its ,fruit4--,portage ,prairie4--,randolph4--,randolph ,centre4--,rolling ,prairie4--,cheney's ,class4--,brandon4--,rosendale4--,reed's ,corners4--,strong's ,landing4--,a ,night in the ,openings4--,rev4 ,uriel ,farmin4--,going to ,conference4--,madison4--,visit at ,platteville4--,bishop ,hamline4--,humorous to ,grave4--,galena ,conference4 ,the work of the ,mission was now well in hand4 ,but already the field was becoming extended and the labor onerous4 ,thirteen regular preaching places had been established1 and invitations were being received weekly to increase the number4 ,to meet this demand1 it was now determined to employ an assistant4 ,the ,quarterly ,meeting was held soon after at ,waupun1 and ,rev4 ,uriel ,farmin was employed by the ,presiding ,elder to assist in filling the appointments4 ,the meeting1 the first of the kind ever held in ,waupun1 was one of rare interest4 ,the revival had just added a goodly number to the membership1 besides greatly quickening others4 ,there were present a number of visitors from the newly formed classes in other parts of the ,mission1 and as a spirit of revival seemed to pervade their respective localties also1 they struck the same plane as those at ,waupun4 ,the ,elder preached the ,word1 in the demonstration of the ,spirit1 and with power4 ,but the meeting reached its climax in the ,sabbath morning ,love ,feast4 ,the house was filled1 and many were compelled to sit on the writing desks at the side of the room4 ,the meeting was opened in the usual order1 by passing to each a crumb of bread and a sip of water1 in token of ,christian regard4 ,christian testimonies followed each other in rapid succession1 interspersed by singing spiritual songs1 for a full hour4 ,at times the tide of feeling rose1 like swelling billows1 to a great height1 threatening to carry the meeting into disorder1 but by giving it a happy change at the right moment1 the ,elder was able to maintain a complete mastery4 ,there were two periods specially critical4 ,one1 when a young lady1 one of the converts at ,waupun1 gave her testimony4 ,standing on a seat1 as there was no other place to stand1 she first related her own experience1 and then1 turning to the young people1 she delivered an exhortation that thrilled the audience with overwhelming emotions4 ,the other was when a ,brother ,mosher1 somewhat eccentric in his exercises1 gave his experience4 ,as he advanced in its recital1 he grew excited and eloquent1 and the ,amens and ,hallelujahs came from every part of the audience4 ,now1 leaping upon the tide of feeling he had raised1 he passed from one to another1 shaking hands and congratulating them1 until he came in front of the desk where sat my father and ,father ,smith1 the two ,patriarchs of the occasion4 ,throwing his arms around their necks1 he fairly lifted them from their seats1 but in a moment1 he discovered his awkward position and resumed his seat4 ,instantly the clear voice of my father was heard in one of those outbursts of song1 which so effectually kindle the fervors of devotion1 or if needed1 stay the flow of feeling4 ,in a moment more1 the meeting had passed the crisis4 ,the ,mission was now put under a new plan1 providing for alternate appointments1 each preacher making the round in four weeks4 ,but while this arrangement was the general order1 the numerous calls received from various localities required frequent changes4 ,in most cases1 however1 the new appointments were crowded between the others4 ,to meet them1 it required three sermons on the ,sabbath1 besides many others during the week4 ,as to myself1 ,i sometimes rode forty miles on the ,sabbath and preached four sermons4 ,on one of these excursions1 ,i became very much exercised on the subject of ,christian holiness4 ,i had before given the subject special thought1 but now it seemed to assume unusual importance4 ,not only did the teachings of our standards bear an unwonted clearness to my perception1 but my heart began to realize its essential value4 ,at my morning service1 ,i preached on the subject1 and as ,i swept over the prairie ten miles1 in the face of a driving storm1 ,i resolved to preach on the same subject again at my noon-day appointment4 ,i did so1 and with much better satisfaction than in the morning4 ,twelve miles more of storm1 and ,i was again before a congregation to preach the unsearchable riches of ,christ4 ,i had now become so full of my theme that ,i concluded to make it the subject of my next discourse4 ,so1 changing my text1 ,i preached on ,gospel purity1 showing that experimental religion presents itself to the conception of the mind under three clearly defined ideas4 ,these are ,justification1 ,regeneration1 and ,sanctification4 ,the drift of thought ran in this wise3 ,by ,justification we mean the pardon of sin4 ,the man1 who finds this grace through ,christ1 stands as fully accepted before the ,law1 as though he had never sinned4 ,by ,regeneration1 we mean that radical change of man's moral and spiritual condition which subjects all the faculties and powers of the soul to the control of the ,divine ,spirit4 ,this work of grace1 wrought in the heart by the ,spirit1 includes not only the entire subjugation of the ,man of ,sin1 but the introduction of the reign of ,christ4 ,these two achievements of grace1 wrought in the subject at the same moment1 we ordinarily call ,conversion4 ,by ,sanctification1 we mean that higher state of grace which contemplates the removal of all sin from the heart of the believer1 and the experience of ,perfect ,love4 ,this last attainment comes to the believer through earnest seeking1 and personal consecration to ,god4 ,in thus going on to perfection1 the believer passes through several phases of experience4 ,he finds that if he shall retain his justified state1 it is necessary to seek advanced attainments4 ,and if he shall be faithful in the use of grace already received1 he will find the ,spirit ever leading him to new fields of experience4 ,as the ,astronomer rests his calculations on worlds already discovered when he looks into the regions beyond1 so the ,christian must maintain his present experience1 if he will know the further revelations of the ,spirit4 ,but the moral perceptions1 quickened by the ,spirit1 will furnish painful revelations to the justified soul4 ,he will discover that there linger still within him remains of the carnal mind4 ,pride1 the love of the world1 selfishness1 self-will1 and sometimes even anger or other evil passion1 will begin to stir in the heart4 ,such revelations will awaken a profound spiritual concern1 and perhaps1 become the subject of temptation4 ,but there need be no alarm4 ,it is but an evidence that the good work1 began in ,regeneration1 has not been fully completed by entire ,sanctification4 ,the tree has been cut down1 but the shoots around the old stump show that there is vitality still in the roots4 ,the ,mightier than the strong man must now come and pluck up the roots4 ,the work of eradication thus accomplished1 the absolute reign of ,christ will be established4 ,the heart will now become the ,garden of the ,lord1 without briar1 thorn1 or thistle4 ,relieved of these hindrances1 the graces will speedily acquire maturity4 ,at the close of the sermon1 a good sister referred in very earnest terms to the discourse1 and was grateful for the ministry of a man who so well understood the deep things of ,god4 ,instantly the thought came1 ,ah1 yes6 but there must be a great difference between merely understanding the theory1 and realizing a happy experience of the power4 ,a hasty supper was eaten1 and ,i was away for another ten miles to my evening appointment4 ,the snow was still falling1 and the winds were driving it fiercely across the prairie1 rendering the track invisible4 ,out on the prairie1 my noble horse dashed forward with great speed1 but ,i scarcely noted the distance1 as my thought was busy4 ,the question that was ringing through my heart was this3 ,how can you preach to others what you do not know yourself8 ,at length ,i resolved2 and scarcely stopping to measure the movement1 or estimate the consequences1 ,i was on my knees1 engaged in prayer4 ,my first conscious thought of my surroundings was awakened by the wrestling of my horse1 as my right hand held him firmly by the lines4 ,then came the suggestion1 ,this is a very unpropitious time to settle a matter of this importance4 ,with a fractious horse by the rein1 a terrible storm sweeping over the prairie1 and an already blind snow-path1 you had better defer the matter for the present4 ,my reply was1 ,it is time these questions were settled1 and ,i propose to settle them now ,but the snow-path is nearly filled2 you will lose your way and perish4 ,i still replied1 ,it is time these questions were settled1 and ,i propose to settle them now4 ,but it is getting dark1 and your congregation will be waiting for you4 ,you had better go forward1 fill your appointment1 and then attend to this matter4 ,the ,lord helped me to reply once more1 ,it is time these questions were settled1 and1 ,god helping me1 they shall be settled now4 ,instantly the light broke upon me1 and ,i was able to reckon myself dead unto sin1 but alive unto ,god1 through ,jesus ,christ my ,lord4 ,i was found in due time at my appointment1 preaching from the text1 ,he is able to save unto the uttermost all who come unto ,god by him4 ,learning that a settlement had been made on ,portage ,prairie1 at a point where ,mr4 ,langdon1 of ,lake ,maria1 had erected a lumber mill1 ,i resolved to visit the locality4 ,i found ,mr4 ,langdon had erected a small house1 and had already moved his family4 ,i was welcomed to his new home and again invited to make his house a chapel until better accommodations could be secured4 ,i accepted the kind offer1 and thus ,cambria was made a regular appointment4 ,i visited the few scattered families in the vicinity1 and found sufficient material to organize a small class4 ,the class was formed on the #ajth day of ,january1 #ahdf1 and at the beginning included ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,irwin ,mc,call1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,wm4 ,wilson1 ,mrs4 ,maria ,langdon1 and ,mrs4 ,h4 ,w4 ,patton4 ,cambria has since been largely settled by emigrants from ,wales4 ,in ,march1 ,i visited ,randolph and opened an appointment at the residence of ,father ,griffin4 ,at the present writing1 the village has become a respectable station1 with a good ,church and ,parsonage4 ,i also opened an appointment at the residence of ,mr4 ,torbit1 at ,randolph ,centre1 which place has since become the head of a circuit4 ,in ,may following1 ,i formed a class on the north end of ,rolling ,prairie1 with ,bro4 ,greenleaf1 a ,local ,preacher1 as ,leader4 ,wm4 ,a4 ,cheney and family settled on ,wedge's ,prairie in the early part of this year4 ,his house was immediately opened for religious meetings4 ,but before ,i could arrange my plans to visit the neighborhood1 my father1 who was always on the alert to carry the ,gospel ,message to the destitute1 established an appointment4 ,on his invitation ,i held a meeting there1 on the third day of ,june1 #ahdf1 and organized a class4 ,the following were the first members3 ,wm4 ,a4 ,cheney1 ,leader1 ,sophronia ,cheney1 ,abigail ,cheney1 ,d4,s4 ,cowles1 ,ann ,cowles1 ,henry ,moore1 and wife4 ,at this time ,brandon had not taken form or name1 but1 on its appearance1 the honors and emoluments of this society passed over to its keeping4 ,rosendale and ,reed's ,corners were next visited4 ,at the first ,i held services in the house of ,mr4 ,sanborn1 after whom the prairie at that time was called1 and at the latter1 the meeting was held in the residence of a ,brother ,lee1 a brother of the celebrated ,dr4 ,luther ,lee4 ,rosendale has since become a very pleasant station1 with its convenient ,church and ,parsonage1 and ,reed's ,corners is a prominent appointment in the ,brandon charge1 and has also a fine ,church4 ,having heard frequent reference made to ,strong's ,landing1 on the ,fox ,river1 ,i resolved to visit the place4 ,on approaching the bank of the stream1 ,i looked sharply in all directions to discover the town1 but there were no evidences of human skill within the range of my vision4 ,concluding that ,i had struck the river at the wrong place1 ,i first passed down the stream for a mile1 but failing to find any settlement ,i turned back4 ,i now went up the stream for a considerable distance1 and found a trail that seemed to lead down to the margin of the river4 ,following it to the water1 ,i found a small canoe tied to a tree4 ,the light now dawned upon my understanding4 ,this was ,strong's ,landing4 ,not having prophetic vision1 ,i was unable to see the city of the future1 sitting so gracefully on the banks of the ,fox4 ,again the ,itinerancy was ahead of the pioneer4 ,leaving the site of the future city of ,berlin1 ,i hastened to return to ,waupun1 but a starless night overtaking me on the way1 ,i spent its weary hours where the village of ,brandon now stands1 under the branches of a friendly tree4 ,the labors of the year were now drawing to a close4 ,the regular appointments had multiplied until they numbered twenty-four4 ,the membership had gone up from a small figure to two hundred1 and the spiritual interests were in a highly satisfactory condition4 ,my labors had been very arduous during the entire year1 but had been well sustained until the latter part of the winter1 when my health failed1 resulting doubtless rather from exposure than labor4 ,i was now laid aside for several weeks1 but through the blessing of ,god and the skill of ,dr4 ,bowman1 my physician at ,waupun1 my health so far rallied that it was believed to be safe to proceed with my work4 ,my colleague had rendered effective service1 proving to be a true yoke-fellow in every particular4 ,besides taking his full share of the regular appointments1 he also gave a large portion of his time to the special labors of the charge4 ,he was not expected1 at the outset1 to give his whole time1 but he soon became so fully identified with the work that he was almost constantly employed4 ,in the severe labors of protracted meetings1 and in the wide travel of the circuit of appointments1 he was equally self-forgetting and faithful4 ,he was a man of good attainments1 kind spirit1 studious habits1 and an acceptable preacher4 ,the charge being in a formative state1 and the necessities of the preachers small1 the financial receipts from the people were very limited4 ,my own were only thirty-six dollars1 and those of my colleague could not have been greater4 ,in tracing the work on ,green ,lake ,mission1 ,i have been thus specific for two reasons4 ,i desired1 in the first place1 to give the reader an inside view of the relations of the ,itinerancy to frontier life1 and in the second1 note the beginnings of a list of charges that have since constituted a ,presiding ,elder's ,district4 ,the ,rock ,river ,conference met this year in ,galena1 ,ill4 ,and as it was necessary for my father to attend the ,conference to receive ,elder's orders1 we decided to make the journey in a buggy4 ,the first day1 passing through ,beaver ,dam1 we reached ,fountain ,prairie1 where we were entertained by ,rev4 ,e4,j4 ,smith1 of whom further mention will be made hereafter4 ,at noon on the following day we reached ,madison1 and were entertained by ,rev4 ,r4,j4 ,harvey1 the ,pastor of the charge4 ,madison at this time was a small village1 but1 besides the ,capitol1 contained several buildings of respectable size and appearance4 ,the first ,methodist sermon preached in ,madison was delivered by ,rev4 ,salmon ,stebbins on the #bhth day of ,november1 #ahcg4 ,brother ,stebbins was then the ,presiding ,elder of of the ,district1 which extended along the western shore of ,lake ,michigan1 from the ,state line to ,green ,bay4 ,on visiting ,madison1 he was entertained by the contractor1 who was erecting the ,state ,house1 and who also kept a hotel4 ,on learning that ,brother ,stebbins was a minister1 this gentleman invited the entire population to a meeting in his bar-room1 and here the first sermon was preached4 ,and ,i am informed that the people were so pleased with the services that on the following morning ,brother ,stebbins was presented with a collection of fourteen dollars4 ,brother ,stebbins again visited the capital ,july #aeth1 #ahch1 and spent the ,sabbath1 preaching twice to respectable congregations4 ,but as ,madison1 now in the ,west ,wisconsin ,conference1 has fallen more directly under the eye of ,rev4 ,dr4 ,bronson1 and will doubtless appear in the ,western ,pioneer4 ,i need not anticipate its historical incidents4 ,passing on our way we were entertained the following night by a gentleman residing on the line of travel1 some twenty miles beyond the ,capital1 by the name of ,skinner4 ,the following day we reached ,platteville1 where we were to spend the ,sabbath4 ,it was now ,friday night4 ,early the next morning1 we received an invitation to spend the afternoon1 in company with others1 at ,major ,roundtree's1 with ,bishop ,hamline4 ,we went4 ,the company was composed mostly of preachers1 on their way to ,conference4 ,among them were the ,mitchells and ,haneys4 ,of the first1 there were ,father ,mitchell1 a grand old ,patriarch1 ,john ,t4 ,james1 and ,frank4 ,of the latter1 there were the ,father1 ,richard1 ,william1 ,freeborn1 and ,m4,l4 ,but the central figure among them all was the good ,bishop4 ,of full form1 compact frame1 broad forehead1 and strong features1 he would be selected in any group as a princely man4 ,and yet1 withal1 his spirit was as gentle as that of a child4 ,though one of the intellectual giants of the country1 and one of her greatest orators1 he still seemed so humble in spirit that ,i felt myself drawn towards him at once4 ,in such a presence the conversation was necessarily restrained4 ,dismissing1 for the time1 the freedom of debate1 anecdote and repartee1 that so often characterize ministerial gatherings1 the interchange of thought took on a more serious tone4 ,only once was there an exception4 ,referring to the labors of some distinguished man of his acquaintance1 one of the leading brethren and prince of story tellers1 whose name ,i need not mention1 proceeded to relate an anecdote4 ,immediately the tides of feeling began to rise1 and1 as the story advanced to its climax1 they broke over all restraint4 ,an immoderate laughter followed1 in which no one joined more heartily than the brother himself4 ,the storm of merriment1 however1 had hardly passed1 when the ,bishop1 in one of those indescribably solemn tones for which he was distinguished1 said1 ,brethren1 ,i always find it difficult to maintain the proper spiritual equilibrium without a good deal of prayer4 ,then1 turning to the offending brother1 he added1 ,brother1 will you lead us in prayer8 ,the entire company instantly fell upon their knees4 ,but the poor brother6 ,what could he do8 ,pray he must1 for the entire company were on their knees1 waiting for him to begin4 ,so1 making a virtue of necessity1 he made the venture4 ,but1 ,i am free to say1 it took a good deal of coasting before the good brother could get his craft well out to sea1 and headed towards the desired haven4 ,during the balance of the visit anecdotes were at a discount4 ,on ,monday we went forward to the ,conference1 that ,i might appear before the ,committee of ,examination4 ,the ,committee were ,revs4 ,salmon ,stebbins1 ,n4,p4 ,heath1 and ,s4 ,stover4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,appointed to ,watertown4--,aztalan the ,mother of ,circuits4--,divisions and ,subdivisions4--,rev4 ,s4,h4 ,stocking4--,watertown4--,church ,enterprise4--,sickly ,season4--,quarterly ,meeting at ,burnett--,rev4 ,a4,p4 ,allen4--,elder ,sampson ,ties a ,knot4--,conference of #ahdg4--,returned to ,watertown4--,financial ,pressure4--,opens a ,school4--,the ,coat ,sermon4 ,at the ,galena ,conference1 ,green ,lake ,mission was divided into two four weeks' circuits1 requiring the labor of four men4 ,in view of my impaired health1 ,i was sent to ,watertown1 the ,cabinet believing that ,i would here find less labor and exposure4 ,watertown1 up to the preceding year1 had been a part of the old ,aztalan circuit1 and as this circuit was the mother of charges in this part of the ,territory1 it is proper that our respects should first be paid to her4 ,the old ,aztalan circuit was organized at the session of the ,illinois ,conference of #ahcg1 and embraced all the settled portion of the ,territory east of ,madison and west of the ,lake ,shore ,missions4 ,the first preachers were ,rev4 ,samuel ,pillsbury and ,rev4 ,jesse ,halstead1 and the year was one of extended travels and great exposure4 ,during the year appointments were established at ,aztalan1 ,whitewater1 ,meacham's ,prairie1 ,east ,troy1 ,spring ,prairie1 ,elkhorn1 ,burlington1 ,round ,prairie1 ,menomonee1 ,prairieville1 ,oconomowoc1 and ,watertown1 and at several of them classes were formed4 ,brother ,halstead's horse became disabled1 and during a portion of the year this indomitable pioneer1 with saddle-bags on his arm1 made on foot1 the entire round of appointments4 ,brother ,pillsbury was also a man of sterling qualities1 and rendered effective service4 ,the ,quarterly ,meetings of this year were held by ,rev4 ,salmon ,stebbins1 the ,presiding ,elder1 at ,aztalan1 ,meacham's ,prairie1 ,troy1 and ,burlington4 ,at the ,conference of #ahci1 ,aztalan circuit was divided4 ,the eastern part was called ,walworth1 and ,rev4 ,james ,mc,kean was appointed its ,pastor4 ,the western part1 retaining the ,rock ,river ,valley1 was now called ,watertown1 and ,rev4 ,h4,w4 ,frink was appointed the ,pastor4 ,both charges were now put in the ,milwaukee ,district1 with ,rev4 ,julius ,field as ,presiding ,elder4 ,brother ,frink was now a young man1 and this was his third charge4 ,leaving the seat of the ,conference1 he returned to ,elgin1 his last field of labor1 filled his saddle bags with clothes and books1 mounted his horse as a true knight of the ,itinerancy1 and was away for new perils and new conquests4 ,in his journey to what was then deemed the wilds of ,wisconsin1 he passed through ,elk ,grove1 ,wheeling1 ,indian ,creek1 ,crystal ,lake1 ,pleasant ,prairie1 ,east ,troy1 ,whitewater1 ,fort ,atkinson and ,aztalan4 ,the last named was the head of the ,mission1 as a class1 the only one on the charge1 had been formed at this place4 ,without much regard to boundaries1 it was the work of the ,pioneer to find the scattered sheep in the ,wilderness4 ,to do this1 he was obliged to undertake long and wearisome journeys1 through exposed and almost trackless regions4 ,without roads1 without bridges1 and without shelter1 our young ,itinerant pushed his way through the forests1 swimming the streams1 when fords could not be found1 and seeking shelter under the overhanging branches of the trees1 in the absence of the friendly cabin4 ,as the result of these extended journeys and herculean labors1 ,brother ,frink1 during the year1 formed classes at ,fort ,atkinson1 ,jefferson1 ,piperville1 ,oconomowoc1 ,summit1 ,baxter's ,prairie1 ,waukesha1 ,poplar ,creek1 ,brookfield1 ,wauwatosa1 ,granville1 ,menomonee1 ,lisbon and ,north ,prairie1 but was unable to gather sufficient materials to form one at ,watertown4 ,brother ,frink1 however1 enjoyed the honor of preaching the first sermon in this locality4 ,as there was no school house or other public building that could be had1 a small log house1 twelve feet square1 on the west side of the river1 was secured4 ,here the services were held during the balance of the year4 ,the ,missionary was kindly received by all classes of people1 and when in the place was usually entertained by ,hon4 ,wm4 ,m4 ,dennis1 since ,bank ,comptroller of the ,state1 and ,patrick ,rogan1 a gentleman whose religious affiliations were with the ,catholic ,church4 ,at ,fort ,atkinson1 ,brother ,frink preached and formed the class1 in the residence of ,jesse ,roberts1 during the winter of #ahci and #ahdj4 ,the members of the first class were ,jesse ,roberts1 ,betsey ,roberts1 ,franklin ,roberts1 ,sarah ,roberts1 ,martha ,fellows1 ,anson ,stone1 and ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,harrison4 ,the first ,church was built in #ahej1 and ,fort ,atkinson became a separate charge in #ahed4 ,it now ranks among the first charges in the ,janesville ,district4 ,the class at ,jefferson was formed in the summer of #ahdj1 and the members were ,jacob ,fellows1 ,martha ,fellows1 ,mary ,fellows1 and ,john ,masters4 ,the name of the circuit was again changed in #ahda1 ,watertown being dropped and ,aztalan restored4 ,a change was also made in the name of the ,summit charge1 which was now called ,prairieville4 ,another dismemberment again befel the old ,aztalan circuit this year4 ,the southern portion1 lying down the ,rock ,river1 was cut off and joined to territory that had been developed in ,rock ,county1 from the east and south1 and out of the united parts ,janesville charge was constructed4 ,on the old ,aztalan charge ,rev4 ,john ,hodges became the ,preacher1 and on the ,janesville ,rev4 ,alpha ,warren4 ,by these changes ,aztalan was again reduced to the condition of a ,mission4 ,in #ahdb1 ,rev4 ,c4,g4 ,lathrop was appointed to ,aztalan1 of whom a further record will be made in a subsequent chapter4 ,both ,aztalan and ,janesville were now transferred from the ,platteville ,district to the ,rock ,river1 a new ,district that had just been formed1 with ,rev4 ,s4,h4 ,stocking as ,presiding ,elder4 ,brother ,stocking entered the traveling connection in ,oneida ,conference1 and after filling a respectable class of appointments for a term of years1 came to ,illinois at an early day4 ,he was stationed at ,chicago in #ahci1 at ,rockford in #ahdj1 and was ,presiding ,elder of ,mt4 ,morris ,district in #ahda1 ,rock ,river #ahdb1 ,ottawa #ahdc and #ahdd1 and ,milwaukee in #ahde4 ,brother ,stocking was highly esteemed by his brethren1 and was an excellent laborer1 but1 his health failing1 he was compelled to take a superannuated relation soon after the writer entered the work4 ,he is spending the evening of life at ,beloit4 ,in #ahdc ,rev4 ,stephen ,jones was sent to ,aztalan4 ,in #ahdd the charge was again divided and ,watertown charge was formed1 ,brother ,jones being transferred to the new charge4 ,rev4 ,asa ,wood was now sent to ,aztalan1 and remained one year1 when he was succeeded by ,revs4 ,c4,n4 ,wager and ,s4 ,b4 ,whipple4 ,at the ,conference of #ahed the honors and emoluments of ,aztalan circuit passed over to the keeping of ,lake ,mills1 which charge at this writing holds a respectable rank in the ,conference4 ,watertown1 at the time of my appointment1 had been a separate charge one year4 ,a ,church edifice had been commenced1 and a class formed4 ,the members were ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,walter ,andrews1 ,mr41 and ,mrs4 ,heber ,smith1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,calvin ,bunton1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,wm4 ,a4 ,dutcher1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,elihu ,higgins1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,albert ,cook1 ,mrs4 ,simeon ,ford1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,cheney ,adams1 ,mr4 ,sands ,cook1 and others4 ,the financial ability of the charge was moderate1 and hence the erection of the ,church required a great effort4 ,our meetings were held in the school house until the ,church edifice was enclosed1 plastered1 and furnished with temporary seats4 ,the fall of #ahdf was a season of unusual sickness1 fevers in various forms being the principal ailment4 ,along the valley of the ,rock ,river1 the affliction became so flagrant that scarcely a family escaped4 ,and in some families1 so universal were its ravages1 that not one member was left in condition to care for the balance4 ,in this state of things hundreds suffered1 and not a few even died for want of kindly attention4 ,repeatedly1 when riding through the country to visit the sick and bury the dead1 ,i found flags of distress hung out over the dwellings of sick families1 where not one was able to bring a pail of water1 or provide a morsel of food4 ,in such cases ,i installed myself master of ceremonies1 kindled fires1 brought water1 administered medicines1 and then went forward to render the same class of services to others4 ,in attending funerals in the surrounding neighborhoods1 ,i sometimes found there were not well people enough to bury their dead4 ,after performing the sacred functions of my office as a minister1 ,i was obliged to aid1 with my own hands1 to let the coffin down to its final resting place4 ,though still frail from my illness during the previous year1 ,i stood this strain for two months1 when ,i was prostrated by an attack of bilious fever4 ,during the first week of my illness a physician made two visits to my boarding place1 and this was more than he could give to the greater portion of his patients4 ,the family with whom ,i boarded were all sick1 and ,i was dependent for care mostly upon such snatches of service as others could spare from pressing demands at home4 ,at the end of a week1 believing my chances of recovery1 under such circumstances1 precarious1 ,i ordered my horse and buggy1 and started for ,waupun1 thirty miles distant4 ,my friends remonstrated1 and thought me insane2 but1 fortunately1 they were too ill to prevent the movement4 ,the attempt was perilous1 indeed1 but by the aid of stimulants1 which ,i had provided with special care1 and a will-power that nerved itself for the occasion1 ,i made the passage safely4 ,at the end of four hours ,i was comfortably housed at the residence of ,dr4 ,bowman1 who bestowed upon me skillful medical treatment1 while his family gave me careful and faithful nursing4 ,at the end of four weeks ,i was able to return to my post of duty4 ,the sickness had now mostly passed1 and ,i was able to enter more fully upon the regular labors of the charge4 ,i now adopted a plan of systematic labor1 giving the forenoons to my study and the afternoons to pastoral visiting4 ,and ,i soon found that earnest and devoted labor brought its reward4 ,a revival speedily followed1 which added a goodly number of probationers4 ,but the holidays were approaching1 and it was expected that ,i would spend a portion of them at ,waupun1 where1 it was hinted1 an event would transpire in which ,i might have a personal interest4 ,anticipating the time several days1 ,i went as far as ,clason's ,prairie1 and turned aside to assist ,brother ,holmes1 the ,pastor of the charge1 for a few evenings in a protracted meeting4 ,returning1 ,i proceeded on my way to ,burnett4 ,by arrangement1 ,i met ,brother ,sampson here1 and spent the ,sabbath with him1 it being his ,quarterly ,meeting on the ,waupun charge4 ,the preachers on the circuit were ,revs4 ,a4,p4 ,allen and ,henry ,requa1 the latter being employed by the ,elder as an assistant4 ,brother ,allen was a man of mature years1 though he had been in the work only a short time4 ,he was a man of decided talent1 but so full of queer ways and witty sayings that these seemed to give him his status in the general estimation of the people4 ,he filled several leading charges in the ,conference1 and served a full term as ,presiding ,elder on the ,racine ,district4 ,but wherever he might be1 the same tendency to create laughter was ever present4 ,if an exception ever came to my knowledge1 it must have been the one that is said to have occurred on a former charge at one of his outlying appointments4 ,it is related that at this point the people had not shown much regard for the visits of the preacher or the sanctity of the ,sabbath1 spending the day either in rioting or in the pursuit of their secular business4 ,becoming disgusted with this state of things1 ,brother ,allen announced at the close of his services1 that on the occasion of his next visit1 he would preach his farewell sermon4 ,the day came1 and the people1 shocked at the idea of being left without meetings1 came out in large numbers1 leaving for once their business and sports4 ,the services were opened in due form4 ,on arising to announce the text1 the ,preacher told the people that he had come prepared to preach his farewell sermon1 and he was glad that so many had come out to hear it4 ,he presumed they knew the reason of his purpose to leave them1 and hence he need not consume time over that matter1 but would proceed at once to announce as his text1 the following passage of ,holy ,writ3 ',oh1 full of all subtlety and mischief1 thou child of the devil1 how long wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the ,lord4' ,having repeated the text with emphasis1 he looked over the congregation very gravely1 and said1 ,ladies and gentlemen1 you will perceive that ,i have chosen a pretty hard text4 ,now it is not polite for people to go out of meeting during the preaching1 and if any of you think that this text is too severe for you1 you had better go out before we begin the sermon4 ,as might have been expected1 none were disposed to go4 ,well1 then1 said the ,preacher1 if you are not disposed to go1 ,i will begin4 ,i intend to show1 in the first place1 that you are all full of subtlety and mischief4 ,in the second place1 ,i intend to show that you are all the children of the devil1 and in the third place1 ,i intend to put to you the straight question1 whether you intend to cease from thus perverting the right ways of the ,lord4 ,the preacher1 at this point1 again1 paused and looked over the congregation4 ,now you will say1 he added1 this is going to be a hard sermon4 ,so it is1 but if any of you think you can't sit to hear the truth told you1 or in other words1 to have your portraits taken1 you had better leave now1 for it is not polite to go out during the sermon4 ,it was now too late to go1 if any one felt inclined4 ,so the sermon proceeded1 and commanded respectful attention to its close4 ,before leaving1 the ,preacher was invited to continue the appointment1 and consented to do so4 ,but to return to the ,quarterly ,meeting4 ,the people came in great numbers1 and the services throughout were deeply impressive4 ,on ,saturday evening1 several souls were converted1 and on the ,sabbath others were added to the number4 ,but the crowning meeting was held on ,sabbath evening4 ,before the hour of service had arrived1 the school house was full1 the seats even having been removed to furnish standing room4 ,and yet crowds of people were coming from all directions4 ,i finally proposed to the ,elder1 that if he would put a man in my place in the school house1 ,i would go over to the nearest neighbor's house and hold another service4 ,the private house was soon filled1 and in each congregation there were several conversions4 ,on ,monday1 ,january #dth1 #ahdg1 ,brother ,sampson accompanied me to ,dr4 ,bowman's at ,waupun1 where he officiated in introducing the ,doctor's eldest daughter to the ,itinerancy4 ,returning to ,watertown1 ,i held protracted meetings at all the outlying appointments1 and had the happiness to witness many conversions4 ,but the year was one of hard labor and small financial receipts4 ,at its close ,i found my receipts from the charge were forty-four dollars and my board4 ,the forty-four dollars were put into the ,church enterprise1 and ,i drew on my private funds for my incidental expenses4 ,the ,conference met in ,clark ,street ,church1 ,chicago1 ,aug4 #aath1 #ahdg4 ,i passed my ,conference ,examination1 was ordained ,deacon by ,bishop ,waugh1 and reappointed to ,watertown4 ,watertown was now placed in ,milwaukee ,district1 with ,rev4 ,elihu ,springer1 as ,presiding ,elder4 ,at the beginning of the new year we opened house-keeping in the upper rooms of a house on the corner of ,fourth and ,main ,streets4 ,the first floor was occupied as a residence by ,judge ,enos4 ,the year opened encouragingly4 ,the ,church in the village required two sermons on the ,sabbath1 and ,i had established other appointments in the country which required three a week1 besides funeral sermons4 ,the appointments were ,higgins and ,bennetts on the south of the village1 and ,piperville1 ,concord and ,newhouse on the east4 ,at several of them1 during the winter1 protracted meetings were held1 in addition to the one held in the village4 ,at each several conversions occurred1 making a fair aggregate in all4 ,these extensive labors taxed me severely1 and finally brought on an attack of fever4 ,i was taken during ,sunday night1 after preaching in ,watertown both morning and evening4 ,the attack was so violent that before morning ,i had become deranged1 and my life was despaired of4 ,but through my wife's faithful watching and the good ,providence of ,god1 ,i was able to resume my labors in three weeks4 ,it now became apparent that a severe financial pressure was upon us4 ,i had spent what ,i could immediately command of my own funds1 and the good brethren had contributed so generously out of their scanty means1 to place the ,church in condition for use1 that they could not meet the ,pastor's salary4 ,i saw clearly that some other provision must be made4 ,while casting about to find my direction1 a ,providential opening occurred4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,hoyt1 the ,episcopal clergyman1 who had been keeping a ,latin school for some time in the village1 was compelled through illness to desist from teaching4 ,fortunately1 ,i had gone down several times at his request1 and relieved him in hearing his classes in ,greek and ,latin4 ,this little kindness1 added to the fact ,i was one of the ,school ,commissioners of the county1 naturally directed attention to me1 as the person to open a select school in the village4 ,i embraced the opportunity4 ,the ,trustees kindly consented to the use of the ,church for the purpose4 ,as the seats were only temporary1 they were easily adjusted to the new order of things1 and a school of sixty students was soon organized4 ,this new demand upon me greatly abridged the pastoral work1 but there seemed to be no other way to live4 ,before ,i could realize anything1 however1 from the school1 we found ourselves in very considerable embarrassment4 ,in this emergency1 my wife opened her doors for a few boarders1 which met the immediate demands of the table4 ,but at this juncture of our affairs1 an incident occurred that afforded relief in another direction4 ,my coat had become1 through long wear and exposure1 not a little seedy4 ,on entering the pulpit one ,sabbath morning ,i found a note lying on the ,bible4 ,i opened it and read as follows3 ,will ,mr4 ,miller have the goodness to preach this morning from the ,text1 ',i have put off my coat1 and how shall ,i put it on8' ,the note was written in a delicate hand and gave evidence of no ordinary cultivation4 ,at the conclusion of the reading1 ,i gave a searching glance over the congregation1 but could make no face present plead guilty to the accusation of impertinence4 ,the opening exercises of the service were not concluded before my course of action was decided upon4 ,i read the note to the congregation1 and stated that ,i had just found it on the desk4 ,i further stated that ,i was at a loss to determine whether it was intended as a sneer at my old coat1 or whether the writer really desired an exposition of the text named4 ,but1 believing that no one could so far forget a due sense of propriety as to deride honest poverty1 or scoff at so faithful a servant as my old coat had been1 even though it now began to show signs of age1 ,i chose to take the latter view of the case4 ,with this conviction1 ,i should proceed to make the text the subject of the discourse4 ,after giving the connection and context1 ,i proceeded to define the subject of coats1 arrange them into classes and set forth their uses4 ,the spiritual application was not difficult1 but it needed a little skill to cut the several styles so that each one could recognize his own pattern and appropriate the right garment4 ,of course1 ,i remarked1 every one has heard of the garment of self-righteousness1 though it may be that none in this congregation are aware of ever having seen it4 ,yet1 should you chance to look upon it1 with its straight seams and buckram collar1 ,i am quite sure you would not prefer it to my old coat1 unseemly as it may appear4 ,thus the sermon went on1 to cut to order and fit to measure1 until all the most flagrant styles of coats had been disposed of1 being careful1 meantime1 to institute the comparison in each case with the old coat before the audience4 ,the discourse was perfectly ludicrous1 but1 like all of its kind1 it took amazingly4 ,its financial success was1 doubtless1 all that the writer of the note had intended4 ,on the next ,sabbath morning the minister walked into church with a new outfit of wearing apparel1 from the crown of the hat to the soles of the boots4 ,watertown1 from the first1 was an unpromising field for ministerial labor4 ,the leading influences at the beginning1 if not directly opposed1 were almost wholly indifferent to the claims of religion4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,waukesha--,old ,prairieville ,circuit--,changes--,rev4 ,l4,f4 ,moulthrop--,rev4 ,hooper ,crews--,rev4 ,j4,m4 ,walker--,rev4 ,washington ,wilcox--,upper and ,nether ,millstones--,our ,new ,field--,revival--,four ,sermons--,platform ,missionary ,meetings--,the ,orator--,donning the ,eldership--,the ,collection4 ,the ,general ,conference of #ahdh divided the ,rock ,river ,conference and formed the ,wisconsin4 ,the first session of the new ,conference was held at ,kenosha ,july #abth1 and ,i was stationed at ,waukesha4 ,it will be remembered that ,prairieville was included in the ,watertown charge in #ahci1 and formed one of the appointments established at that early day by ,brother ,frink4 ,in the following year1 when the ,summit charge was formed1 ,prairieville fell into the new circuit4 ,in #ahda ,prairieville took the name of the charge1 and henceforth became the mother of circuits in this portion of the ,territory4 ,rev4 ,john ,g4 ,whitcomb was appointed to the charge in #ahdb1 and ,rev4 ,l4,f4 ,moulthrop in #ahdc4 ,brother ,moulthrop entered the ,conference in #ahdj1 and was first appointed to the ,racine ,mission4 ,in #ahda he was stationed at ,troy1 where he performed a vast amount of labor and gathered many souls for the ,master4 ,he remained a second year and had for a colleague ,rev4 ,henry ,whitehead1 so well known in connection with the ,chicago ,depository4 ,on coming to ,waukesha he had ,rev4 ,s4 ,stover as a colleague4 ,at the close of his term ,brother ,moulthrop retired from the work1 but was re-admitted to the ,conference in #ahei1 it being conceded that so valiant a veteran should be permitted to spend the balance of his life in connection with the ,conference4 ,prairieville ,circuit at this time extended from the lake towns to ,watertown1 and into ,washington county as far as settlements had penetrated4 ,as stated in a former chapter1 ,brother ,frink had passed over this region in #ahci1 and had formed classes during the ,conference year at several places1 but it now remained for his successors to extend the field4 ,in doing this ,brother ,moulthrop opened an appointment at ,wauwatosa and in several other neighborhoods4 ,at ,prairieville1 the class formed by ,brother ,frink consisted of ,mr4 ,owen1 ,leader1 ,mrs4 ,owen1 ,richard ,smart1 ,truman ,wheeler1 ,mrs4 ,truman ,wheeler1 ,hiram ,wheeler1 ,mrs4 ,hiram ,wheeler1 ,theophilus ,haylett and ,horace ,edsell1 and to these were soon after added1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,winters1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,joseph ,hadfield1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,alexander ,henry1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,daniel ,clark1 ,sarah ,packham1 ,mr4 ,blodgett1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,john ,bromell1 ,john ,white1 and ,rev4 ,jonas ,clark4 ,brother ,henry was soon after made the ,leader4 ,the members of the class at ,summit were ,john ,merical1 ,leader1 ,levi ,merical1 ,john ,merical1 ,jr41 ,philip ,scheuler1 ,mary ,scheuler1 ,maria ,l4 ,frink1 ,sarah ,taft1 and ,sarah ,hardell4 ,prairieville charge was now in the ,chicago ,district1 and ,rev4 ,hooper ,crews was the ,presiding ,elder4 ,during this year he assisted ,brother ,moulthrop in holding a protracted meeting at ,prairieville1 and large numbers were converted4 ,brother ,crews was one of the choicest men in the ,conference4 ,he began his ministerial work when what is now the great ,northwest was yet in its infancy1 and has mingled in the discussion and settlement of all the great questions which have arisen4 ,his appointments have placed him in the front rank of his compeers1 and among them all1 none have made a better record1 or will go from labor to reward leaving a profounder regret among the people4 ,at the ,milwaukee ,conference in #ahdd1 ,prairieville charge was divided4 ,the northern portion was set off and erected into the ,washington ,mission1 with ,rev4 ,j4,m4 ,snow as ,pastor1 of whom a record will be made in another chapter4 ,brother ,moulthrop remained on the old charge1 and was able to take care of what remained without an assistant4 ,the following year1 #ahde1 the charge again required two men1 and ,revs4 ,g4,w4 ,cotrell and ,miles ,l4 ,reed were appointed1 and had a year of great prosperity4 ,this year ,pewaukee was detached from the ,prairieville charge and added to ,washington ,mission1 and as this change drew the latter to the southward1 the name of ,washington was dropped1 and that of ,menomonee substituted4 ,brother ,snow remained on the charge4 ,brother ,reed was a young man of great promise1 but his career was of short duration4 ,at the close of his year at ,prairieville1 his failing health compelled him to leave the work4 ,remaining1 however1 in the village1 he was greatly useful and highly esteemed as a ,local ,preacher4 ,in #ahdf1 the ,pastors of ,prairieville circuit were ,rev4 ,washington ,wilcox and ,rev4 ,j4,m4 ,walker4 ,both of these devoted and earnest men were abundant in labor4 ,protracted meetings were held at nearly all of the principal appointments1 and large numbers were converted4 ,it is affirmed that the junior preacher was engaged seventy five successive days in these meetings4 ,it is not a matter of surprise that a severe illness followed4 ,brother ,walker entered the ,conference1 as before stated1 in the class or #ahde1 with the writer4 ,his first circuit was ,elkhorn4 ,during the year he had extensive revivals at both ,delavan and ,north ,geneva4 ,after leaving ,prairieville he was sent to ,geneva1 where he again had a prosperous year1 and also found an excellent wife4 ,his next field was ,rock ,prairie1 to which he was sent in #ahdh4 ,here he had over two hundred conversions4 ,the following year he was sent to ,union ,circuit1 with ,rev4 ,james ,lawson as colleague1 and was returned to the same the next year4 ,but in the early part of the year he was removed to ,beloit1 to supply a vacancy4 ,his next appointment was ,whitewater1 where he succeeded in completing a ,church1 and his next field was ,beaver ,dam4 ,in #ahee he was appointed ,presiding ,elder of ,beaver ,dam ,district1 which post he filled with great acceptability4 ,his subsequent appointments have been ,spring ,street ,station1 ,milwaukee1 ,chaplain of the ,thirty-,eighth ,regiment1 ,beaver ,dam1 ,oshkosh and ,green ,bay4 ,at the last named1 he is at the present writing doing effective service4 ,in #ahdg ,prairieville ,circuit was changed to a station1 under the name of ,waukesha4 ,brother ,wilcox was returned1 and during the year built up a strong congregation1 giving the station a front rank among the first charges of the ,conference4 ,brother ,wilcox entered the traveling connection in the ,east and came to the ,illinois ,conference at an early day4 ,he was stationed in ,galena in #ahci1 and before coming to ,waukesha he had served ,dubuque1 ,mineral ,point1 ,dixon1 ,elgin and ,sylvania4 ,at the close of his term at ,waukesha he was appointed ,presiding ,elder of ,fond du ,lac ,district ,at the end of three years he was sent to the ,madison ,district1 where he remained a full term4 ,his subsequent appointments fell within the bounds of the ,west ,wisconsin ,conference1 in all of which he acquitted himself creditably4 ,his last field was ,baraboo ,station1 where he passed from labor to reward1 leaving to his brethren the record of a spotless life and unswerving devotion to the ,master's work4 ,brother ,wilcox was an able minister of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,he was a man of large intellect and strong convictions4 ,his sermons embodied cardinal truth1 and with him mere word painting was a sham4 ,sometimes he was thought to be severe1 but it was the severity of what he conceived to be truth4 ,in debate1 on the ,conference floor1 or in discussion before an audience1 he was a giant4 ,at times he would seem to push his antagonist relentlessly1 but it was only following his inexorable logic to its findings4 ,the same thoroughness entered into all he did4 ,on a committee it was his habit to go to the bottom of things4 ,especially was this true in the ,conference examinations4 ,i remember distinctly the examination that was had the year ,i graduated to ,elder's orders4 ,with him as chairman1 and another strong man1 whom ,i need not name1 as second1 we were under the fiery ordeal seven sessions4 ,i have never ceased to wonder that anything was left of us1 after having been thus ground between the upper and nether millstones4 ,and yet there was no unkindness1 for in his feelings he was as tender as a child4 ,the fact is1 this noble man could never do anything by halves4 ,if the faithful discharge of duty1 the persistent adherence to the right1 and unsparing self-denial1 constitute the standard of nobility1 then ,washington ,wilcox4 had a right to claim his patent4 ,at ,waukesha1 a respectable ,church edifice had been erected in #ahda and #ahdb4 ,at a later period a small ,parsonage had been built1 and on our arrival it was in readiness to receive us4 ,the public services of the ,sabbath were held at half-past ten in the morning and at one in the afternoon4 ,the latter had been so arranged to accommodate families in the country1 who desired a second service before returning home4 ,the plan1 however1 did not fully satisfy the people in the village1 as it failed to provide for an evening service4 ,it was suggested that in a village1 a certain class of people could be induced to attend an evening service that would not go to any other4 ,to test the matter1 ,i opened an evening service4 ,the arrangement proved satisfactory1 and was continued1 though it involved the necessity of having three services a day4 ,the good seed of the kingdom1 scattered among the crowds who gathered at the evening service1 in due time began to bear fruit1 and an extensive revival followed4 ,as the good work in the village increased1 and the number of converts was multiplied1 the people of the surrounding neighborhoods became also interested1 and attended the meeting4 ,many of these were induced to accept the obligations of a holy life1 and as a result1 invitations began to multiply1 requesting me to open appointments in their respective localities4 ,i now selected five of the most central neighborhoods and established in them week-day evening services4 ,but as the summer drew on1 they were discontinued except two1 and these1 as the most promising1 were assigned to the ,sabbath1 and were filled on alternate days at four o'clock in the afternoon4 ,to meet these appointments1 in addition to the regular services in the village1 required four sermons each ,sabbath4 ,as to the propriety of undertaking this amount of labor1 ,i need say nothing4 ,some may deem it an evidence of zeal1 but others that of folly4 ,during this year the ,milwaukee ,district established a system of platform missionary meetings on the several charges4 ,to further the object1 it was decided to appoint two or three ministers to attend each meeting1 and by dividing the labor throughout the district1 bring thereby all the preachers upon the platform4 ,on several of these occasions1 ,i found myself associated with a brother who was beginning to attract considerable attention as a speaker4 ,we usually put him on the programme for the closing speech1 that he might furnish the rousements1 as ,bishop ,morris would say1 for the collection4 ,and in this particular we were seldom disappointed4 ,the good brother was always ready for what might be called a flaming speech4 ,and though he always ran in much the same channel1 his craft1 to use a figure1 was always full-rigged and under full sail4 ,but1 to change the figure1 and bring it more fully into harmony with the department of nature1 from which the brother had evidently derived his name1 ,i might say his pinions were always full fledged and in full tension for a lofty flight4 ,unfortunately1 however1 he could never fold his wings in time to make a graceful descent when he desired to come down to the plane of ordinary mortals4 ,in the descent he would sometimes swap ends so many times1 that it was a marvel that a broken neck was not the result4 ,but to his own mind these airy flights were always sublime1 and especially so when he struck the quotation1 which usually closed each missionary speech1 that placed the herald of the ,gospel on the highest pinnacle of time1 and made him look back over the vista of receding ages and forward over the hill-tops of coming time1 and lift up his voice until it should echo from mountain top to mountain top1 from valley to valley1 from river to river1 from ocean to ocean1 from isle to isle1 and from continent to continent1 the whole earth around4 ,of course the collection always followed this speech1 and if it proved to be pretty good1 a few additional feathers went into the pinions for the next flight4 ,on one of these occasions our orator became greatly elated with his success1 and rallied me upon the difference between the broad1 velvety wing of the miller and the long1 sharp pointed wing of his species4 ,the opportunity was too good to be lost4 ,i replied1 ,well1 my brother1 ,i had a thought last night1 when ,i saw you towering to such dizzy heights in your speech4 ,what was it8 he enquired1 eagerly4 ,oh6 ,i replied1 ,i would hardly dare to tell you4 ,yes1 yes1 said he1 let us have it4 ,i still hesitated1 until the several brethren present joined him in his persistent request4 ,well1 ,i answered1 if you insist upon it ,i will state it4 ,when ,i saw you making your lofty flights1 ,i thought if you could only have a few feathers plucked from the wings of your imagination and placed in the tail of your judgment1 you would make a grand flyer4 ,the next flight was made with greater caution4 ,the balance of the year at ,waukesha was given to the ordinary demands of the work4 ,to the ,church there had been large accessions and to the ,parsonage a welcome guest1 in the person of our eldest daughter4 ,the ,wisconsin ,conference for #ahdi was held at ,platteville4 ,i crossed the ,state in a buggy and was assigned to ,father ,mitchell's for entertainment4 ,to enjoy the hospitality of this truly ,christian gentleman and veteran patriarch for a week was a privilege that would mark an era at any time in a man's life4 ,at this ,conference ,i was ordained an ,elder by ,bishop ,janes1 and received my appointment for a second year at ,waukesha4 ,rev4 ,elihu ,springer was returned to ,milwaukee ,district for the third year4 ,at my first ,quarterly ,meeting the ,elder insisted on a reconstruction of my work1 in which he was joined by the ,local ,preachers and several other brethren of the charge4 ,the noon-day sermon was dispensed with and the ,sabbath afternoon appointments were given mainly to the care of the ,local ,preachers4 ,these were ,william ,carpenter1 ,hiram ,crane1 and ,miles ,l4 ,reed1 a trio of noble and devoted men4 ,assisted by these faithful men and a united and earnest church1 the work grew upon our hands1 and this second year was also blessed with a precious revival4 ,it was in connection with this revival and the garnering of the converts that the controversy arose between us and the ,baptist friends on the subject of baptism4 ,as many of our converts had not enjoyed favorable opportunities to become informed on this subject1 the ,pastor was desired by formal request to preach a sermon on the mode of baptism4 ,this was done1 and soon after the official board requested a copy for publication4 ,the writer1 supposing it was merely intended to secure a few copies through the columns of the village newspaper for convenient reference1 hastily furnished the discourse4 ,instead1 however1 of procuring a few slips only1 it was published in pamphlet and given a more extensive circulation4 ,in due time it was taken up by the ,pastor of the ,baptist ,church and reviewed at length in his pulpit4 ,on the following ,sabbath the reviewer was himself reviewed1 and here ended the controversy4 ,it is a question whether such controversies are really beneficial4 ,they usually engender strife and party feeling1 and not unfrequently alienate the servants of our common ,master4 ,but that such was not the case in this instance is pretty evident from the fact that at the session of our ,conference in ,waukesha the following year1 the writer was requested to fill on the ,sabbath the pulpit of his former antagonist4 ,on this charge also the writer took his first serious lesson in ,church trials4 ,the matter in question arose out of a misunderstanding between a man and his wife1 growing out of a want of interest1 perhaps1 on the part of the one1 and jealousy on the part of the other4 ,like other inexperienced administrators whom ,i have known1 in trying to make crooked things straight1 ,i invoked an agency that became a fire and a sword in my hand4 ,neither the ,church nor the individuals concerned derived any advantage in the result1 and though the wisdom of the administration was never called in question as far as ,i knew1 yet ,i could not suppress the conviction that ,church trials can only be commended as a last resort4 ,it is much easier to awaken than allay the spirit of strife4 ,abating this discordant note1 which did not long disturb the harmony of the ,church1 the two years we spent on this charge are freighted with most precious memories4 ,full of incident1 and fragrant with blessing1 they form a bright link in the chain of our itinerant life4 ,happy in our work1 with only occasional calls for special services abroad1 the years passed swiftly and joyously4 ,referring to services abroad reminds me of the ,quarterly ,meeting ,i held for the ,presiding ,elder1 on what was then called ,howard's ,prairie1 some twenty miles distant4 ,seated in my buggy with my wife and child1 ,i started on ,friday afternoon for the place4 ,we reached the neighborhood at nightfall4 ,we were directed by the ,elder to call on a given family for entertainment1 the gentleman being the most wealthy ,methodist in the settlement4 ,we halted the buggy at his gate1 and ,i went in to crave his hospitality4 ,as ,i approached the door and addressed myself to the master of the premises1 he put on a frigid expression of countenance1 and answered me coldly4 ,i decided at once that ,i would not make myself known1 but try the spirit of the man4 ,i inquired whether there was to be a ,quarterly ,meeting in his neighborhood4 ,he replied in the affirmative4 ,i then inquired where the ,methodist preachers put up when they came into the settlement4 ,he said1 ,they usually put up at the second house further on4 ,i concluded the old gentleman was not expecting company until the ,presiding ,elder should come1 and so concluded we had better go on4 ,as ,i retired the old gentleman looked sharply after me1 but doubtless thinking so small and young a man as ,i then was could not be the ,elder1 he permitted me to go on my way4 ,we went on to the house indicated1 and inquired of the gentleman at the gate whether the ,methodist preachers who visited the settlement usually found entertainment with him4 ,he replied1 ,i am not a ,methodist myself1 but my old woman is one1 ,i believe1 and she sometimes takes in the preachers on her own hook1 but she is not at home to-night4 ,why didn't you stop up at the white house on the hill8 ,he is the loudest ,methodist in this neighborhood4 ,i inquired1 ,who lives up here in this small house that we have just passed8 ,oh1 said he1 that is my son1 the ,class-,leader4 ,it was now quite dark4 ,i returned to the buggy and asked my wife how she liked the ,presiding ,eldership4 ,she laughed heartily1 and said1 ,the fact is1 they are all waiting for the ,presiding ,elder1 for no one would ever take you for one4 ,i concluded she was right1 and on returning to the ,class-,leader's house ,i made bold to announce myself in due form4 ,we were most hospitably entertained1 and were so pleased with our kind host and hostess that we felt constrained to decline1 the next day1 urgent invitations from both of the large houses4 ,my wife has often queried since as to what became of the pies and cakes that were intended for the ,presiding ,elder on that occasion4 ,the services of the ,sabbath were held in a school house4 ,at the close of the morning sermon the ,pastor1 ,rev4 ,jesse ,halstead1 volunteered to carry the hat through the congregation1 to receive the collection for the ,presiding ,elder4 ,after performing this service1 he requested the good people to sing while he should count the funds4 ,on completing the count1 he found a deficiency1 and concluded to carry the hat again4 ,he started and moved leisurely along1 taking special pains to afford all an opportunity to contribute1 until he came to the dear man1 whose acquaintance ,i had made the night before4 ,he now paused1 placed the hat on the desk1 under the face of the reputed miser1 put his hands in his pockets1 and looked unconcernedly over the congregation1 remarking1 ,well1 brethren1 there is no great hurry about this matter4 ,if you have not got the money with you1 we will give you plenty of time to borrow it from your neighbor4 ,this new feature in the programme directed all eyes to the brother in whose custody the hat had been placed4 ,for a moment he was frigid1 but under such a concentration of piercing rays as were now turned upon him1 he soon began to melt4 ,turning to his neighbor1 he borrowed a contribution1 whereupon the hat moved on4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,milwaukee--,early ,history--,first ,sermon--,rev4 ,mark ,robinson--,first ,class--,rev4 ,john ,clark--,trustees--,rev4 ,james ,ash--,rev4 ,david ,worthington--,rev4 ,julius ,field--,rev4 ,john ,crummer--,first ,church--,rev4 ,john ,t4 ,mitchell--,rev4 ,sias ,bolles--,lantern ,convert--,second ,church--,rev4 ,a4 ,hanson--,rev4 ,dr4 ,ryan--,john ,h4 ,van ,dyke--,rev4 ,f4,m4 ,mills--,rev4 ,james ,e4 ,wilson--,walker's ,point--,first ,class--,rev4 ,wm4 ,willard4 ,the ,conference of #ahej was held ,june #bfth at ,beloit1 ,bishop ,hamline presiding4 ,brother ,springer was returned to the ,milwaukee ,district1 and ,i was appointed to ,spring ,street ,station1 ,milwaukee4 ,the charge included the entire city except ,walker's ,point1 where a ,mission had been established1 but before speaking of the ,station in connection with my labors1 ,i should1 in harmony with my general plan1 first refer to its earlier history4 ,in doing this1 ,i can only give in these pages the briefest outline1 and refer the reader1 who may desire further information1 to a pamphlet entitled ,milwaukee ,methodism1 published by the writer in #ahgc4 ,the name of ,milwaukee has1 doubtless1 come down to us from some extinct tribe of the aboriginal inhabitants of the country1 as there seems to be nothing that will fully answer to it in any of the tongues now in use4 ,in #afhj ,zenobius ,membre mentions the river of ,melleoke1 flowing into ,lake ,dauphan1 in latitude forty1 with an ,indian village at its mouth4 ,three generations later ,lieut4 ,gorrell visited ,milwacky ,river1 and found a village on its bank1 with an ,indian trader4 ,another interval of a generation occurred1 and ,solomon ,juneau appeared and took up his residence in ,milwaukee in #ahah4 ,other fur traders came soon after1 but the real settlement of the country did not begin until #ahce1 when nine families came1 forming the nucleus of the future city4 ,the first ,protestant sermon preached in ,milwaukee was delivered by a ,methodist clergyman in ,june1 #ahce4 ,the meeting was held in a log house1 erected by ,dr4 ,enoch ,chase for a residence1 near the mouth of the river4 ,milwaukee ,mission was organized by the ,illinois ,conference in the summer of #ahce1 and ,rev4 ,mark ,robinson1 who had been admitted that year1 was appointed to the charge4 ,the ,presiding ,elder of the ,district1 which extended from ,chicago to ,green ,bay1 was the veteran pioneer1 ,rev4 ,john ,clark4 ,the ,presiding ,elder visited ,milwaukee during this year and preached a sermon in the residence of ,dr4 ,chase1 this being at that time the principal place in which meetings were held4 ,both the ,pastor and ,presiding ,elder were entertained by the ,doctor4 ,the population of the village was very small1 but before the expiration of the ,conference year ,brother ,robinson was able to form a class of four members4 ,these first members were ,david ,worthington1 ,mrs4 ,samuel ,brown1 ,mrs4 ,j4,k4 ,lowry1 and ,mrs4 ,farmin4 ,in the autumn of #ahcf ,rev4 ,william ,s4 ,crissey was sent to ,milwaukee4 ,the congregations were now growing1 and it was found expedient to provide some place1 other than a private residence1 for the meetings4 ,the ,society was not able to build1 and to rent a suitable place seemed impossible4 ,in this embarrassment a carpenter's shop belonging to two members of the church1 ,w4,a4 and ,l4,s4 ,kellogg1 was deemed the most feasible arrangement4 ,this building1 located on the corner of ,east ,water and ,huron ,streets1 was a frame structure1 and stood on posts4 ,beneath and all around it was a pond of water1 and to gain an entrance a narrow bridge was constructed from the street to the door4 ,the first ,quarterly ,meeting was held in this place by ,rev4 ,john ,clark1 on the #hth and #ith of ,january1 #ahcg4 ,at this meeting the ,pastor reported the conversion of ,mr4 ,j4,k4 ,lowry1 doubtless the first in the village4 ,the legal organization of the ,church1 according to the laws of the ,territory1 was effected ,july #bb;d1 #ahcg1 with ,elah ,dibble as ,chairman and ,w4,a4 ,kellogg as ,secretary4 ,the first ,trustees were ,elah ,dibble1 ,david ,worthington1 ,w4,a4 ,kellogg1 ,l4,s4 ,kellogg1 ,j4,k4 ,lowry1 ,jared ,thompson and ,joseph ,e4 ,howe4 ,the fourth ,quarterly ,meeting was held ,july #bith1 and the ,pastor reported a membership of forty-five4 ,in ,september1 #ahcg1 ,rev4 ,james ,r4 ,goodrich was appointed to the ,station and ,rev4 ,salmon ,stebbins to the ,district4 ,among the members enrolled at this time ,i find the names of ,thomas ,mc,elhenny1 ,jared ,thompson1 ,local ,preacher1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,l4,s4 ,kellogg1 ,wm4 ,a4 ,kellogg1 ,theresa ,kellogg1 ,ophelia ,kellogg1 ,amelia ,kellogg1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,alexander1 ,david ,worthington1 ,a4,t4 ,wilson1 ,mrs4 ,samuel ,brown1 ,mrs4 ,henry ,miller1 ,mrs4 ,j4,k4 ,lowry1 ,james ,ash1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,elah ,dibble1 and ,sisters ,adams1 ,church1 ,james and ,vail4 ,during this year ,leader's ,meetings were established1 and at the one held ,march #abth1 #ahch1 ,james ,ash1 ,david ,worthington1 ,francis ,metcalf and ,hiram ,johnson received ,exhorter's license4 ,the first named became subsequently a member of the ,conference1 traveled several years acceptably1 was greatly beloved by all his brethren1 and finally died within the bounds of ,new ,berlin ,circuit4 ,brother ,worthington was a clerk in ,solomon ,juneau's store4 ,in #ahdj he entered the ,conference1 was stationed at ,burlington and was returned the following year4 ,in #ahdb he was stationed at ,davenport1 ,iowa1 and thereafter his fields of labor fell within that ,state4 ,he held an honored place among his brethren1 represented them in the ,general ,conference1 and a few years since closed a useful life and passed to his home on high4 ,the other brethren became ,local ,preachers1 and the former departed this life in ,christian triumph at ,appleton1 ,nov4 #c1 #ahfc1 while the latter has become a successful business man1 and is awaiting his summons4 ,thus the infant society of ,milwaukee need not blush for her first contribution to the ,ministerial staff of the church4 ,in #ahch ,rev4 ,wellington ,weigly was appointed1 but as the great financial disaster had prostrated the business of the country1 leaving the people in poverty1 he only remained a short time1 and the pulpit was largely left to the care of ,brother ,thompson1 the ,local ,preacher4 ,in #ahci ,rev4 ,julius ,field was appointed to the ,district1 and the charge was left to be supplied4 ,brother ,field entered the ,new ,york ,conference in #ahba1 and before coming west had filled leading appointments1 including ,new ,york city4 ,he was transferred this year to the ,illinois ,conference1 and assigned to the ,district4 ,he remained two years1 and was then appointed ,general ,agent of the ,bible ,society for ,northern ,illinois1 ,wisconsin and ,iowa4 ,he served in this field four years1 was then stationed1 in #ahde1 at ,racine1 but at the close of the year was re-transferred to his old ,conference1 where he continued to render effective service1 with but brief intervals1 up to #ahga4 ,having now completed a half century of labor1 he was invited by his ,conference to deliver a semi-centennial sermon4 ,having taken a superannuated relation1 ,brother ,field1 happy in spirit1 is spending the evening of life among his friends1 and awaiting the call of the ,master4 ,the pastorate of ,milwaukee was soon filled by ,rev4 ,daniel ,brayton1 a superannuated member of the ,troy ,conference4 ,it was now determined to build a ,church4 ,hon4 ,morgan ,l4 ,martin came forward and generously donated a lot1 situated on the east side of ,broadway1 and between ,biddle and ,oneida ,streets1 but the financial derangement still continuing1 it was not deemed advisable to undertake the erection of the building4 ,at the ,general ,conference of #ahdj1 the ,illinois ,conference was divided and the ,rock ,river took its northern territory4 ,rev4 ,john ,crummer was this year appointed to ,milwaukee4 ,as the carpenter's shop could no longer be had as a chapel1 the meetings passed from one private house to another for a time4 ,but this state of things could not long continue4 ,the erection of a ,church was decided upon1 and before the close of the year the edifice was completed4 ,it was dedicated by ,rev4 ,julius ,field in ,may1 #ahda4 ,the building remains at this writing1 on the same lot1 but placed with the side to the street1 it has been fitted up for residences4 ,at the session of the ,rock ,river ,conference in #ahda1 the ,milwaukee ,district was discontinued1 and the city was placed on the ,chicago ,district4 ,rev4 ,john ,t4 ,mitchell was appointed to the ,district1 and ,rev4 ,sias ,bolles to the station4 ,brother ,mitchell was one of ,nature's noblemen4 ,tall and erect in form1 high and broad forehead1 symmetrical and shapely cut features1 dark and lustrous eyes1 his bearing was princely4 ,such was ,brother ,mitchell in the years of his strength4 ,he was second to no man in his ,conference or ,state as a pulpit orator4 ,in #ahdd he was elected ,assistant ,book ,agent1 ,cincinnati1 where he served the church with distinguished ability4 ,after leaving this position he re-entered the regular work in the ,cincinnati ,conference1 from the ranks of which he passed on1 several years ago1 to the companionship of the white-robed in ,heaven4 ,brother ,bolles1 on coming to the city1 first proceeded to liquidate the indebtedness of two hundred dollars on the ,church1 and then entered upon a protracted meeting1 which resulted in an extensive revival4 ,among those converted was a ,german ,catholic boy1 of whom the following incident is related3 ,the first night he attended the meeting1 ,brother ,bolles preached on the duty of ,christians to let their light shine4 ,taking the instruction of the ,preacher in its most literal sense1 the young man greatly surprised the good people on the following evening by stalking into church bearing a well-lighted lantern4 ,on enquiring of the young man the reason for so strange a procedure1 he answered3 ,why1 the ,priest said ,i must let my light shine1 and so ,i have brought it with me4 ,the ,preacher carefully explained his sermon1 bringing it down to the capacity of his auditor1 and had the pleasure to see him thoroughly converted4 ,many years after1 ,brother ,bolles was happily surprised to meet his convert1 who had grown into a ,christian gentleman of exalted position in society4 ,in #ahdb1 ,rev4 ,wm4 ,h4 ,sampson was sent to ,milwaukee1 of whom a record is made elsewhere4 ,the following year ,rev4 ,james ,mitchell was appointed1 and it was decided to enter upon a new ,church enterprise4 ,a lot was purchased ,july #c;d1 #ahdd1 of ,john ,clifford1 on the northwest corner of ,west ,water and ,spring ,streets4 ,at the time of the purchase the location was considered by not a few to be unfortunate1 as the population at that period on the west side was quite limited1 and it was even hinted that a leading member of the ,board of ,trustees had unduly influenced the selection in order to enhance the value of certain property in the vicinity4 ,but whatever may have been the complications of the case at the beginning1 certain it is that it was found in due time to be a very excellent location4 ,the building1 forty-five by ninety feet in size1 was commenced soon after1 and carried forward as rapidly as possible to completion4 ,it was a brick structure1 trimmed with stone4 ,standing with its front to ,west ,water1 the side was turned to ,spring ,street4 ,on the first floor there were four stores fronting ,spring ,street1 and having cellars in the basement beneath them4 ,the auditorium was on the second floor above the pavement and was reached by a broad flight of steps in the front of the edifice4 ,between the outside entrance and the auditorium there was a vestibule with a class room on either side1 and above it a commodious gallery4 ,the auditorium was finished in a neat yet plain manner1 and furnished sittings for about six hundred people4 ,the whole structure cost upwards of ten thousand dollars4 ,to defray the current expenses and erect such an edifice taxed the good people to the utmost limit of their resources1 besides imposing on them a heavy indebtedness4 ,but there was no lack of courage1 and the good work went forward4 ,in #ahdd the ,milwaukee ,district was again revived and ,rev4 ,james ,mitchell was assigned to it1 and ,rev4 ,f4,a4 ,savage was sent to the station4 ,in #ahde the station was left to be supplied1 and ,rev4 ,abram ,hanson was called to fill the pastorate4 ,finding it difficult to rent a house1 ,brother ,hanson procured a boarding place for himself and good lady with ,mr4 ,lindsay ,ward1 where he spent the year and founded an abiding friendship4 ,he was a man of superior pulpit ability and engaging manners4 ,the congregation filled the new ,church edifice1 and many valuable accessions were made to the membership4 ,brother ,hanson after leaving ,milwaukee filled several important charges1 and then retired from the work4 ,for several years he served as the representative of our national government at ,liberia1 where he fell under the fatal malaria of the ,african coast1 and passed on to the better country4 ,the next session of the ,conference was held ,aug4 #ab1 #ahdf4 ,at this ,conference ,rev4 ,s4,h4 ,stocking was continued on the ,district1 and ,rev4 ,w4,m4,d4 ,ryan was appointed to the station4 ,mr4 ,ryan entered the ,ohio ,conference in #ahci1 and came by transfer to the ,rock ,river ,conference in #ahdd4 ,after spending two years in ,chicago1 where he had wrought a good work for the ,master1 he was sent to this charge4 ,the fame of the ,preacher had preceded him1 and he was greeted by immense congregations4 ,his ministry formed an epoch in the history of the church4 ,he brought the same earnest manner1 the same fiery eloquence1 and the same shrewd business tact that had characterized his labors in ,chicago and elsewhere1 and which have since placed him in the front rank of successful laborers in ,baltimore1 ,philadelphia1 and the ,metropolis of the nation4 ,the stores in the ,church edifice were rented or sold for a term of years to liquidate the indebtedness of the society1 and the church was placed on a substantial financial basis4 ,but ,mr4 ,ryan could hardly feel at home among his new associates1 and in this new field of labor4 ,his earlier associations were formed in a more southern latitude4 ,the ,puritan type of society that1 traveling westward on a line from ,new ,england1 had struck ,milwaukee1 was not congenial to his tastes and not wholly in harmony with his methods of ministerial labor4 ,at the end of nine months he was invited to a pastorate in the city of ,baltimore1 and he deemed it advisable to accept the invitation4 ,his place in ,milwaukee was filled by ,rev4 ,francis ,m4 ,mills1 who came1 by exchange with ,mr4 ,ryan1 from the charge in ,baltimore to which the latter had been invited4 ,mr4 ,mills filled out the balance of the year4 ,among the accessions to the charge this year was ,hon4 ,john ,h4 ,van ,dyke4 ,soon after his arrival1 though a young man1 he became an official member1 and has continued to hold positions of trust to the present writing4 ,a man of thorough mental training1 sound judgment1 and unswerving integrity1 he cannot fail to command the respect and esteem of all4 ,his legal abilities have specially fitted him for the ,presidency of the ,board of ,trustees1 the position he has long held1 while his superior business sagacity has been of great service to the church in guiding her through the extraordinary trials she has been called to endure4 ,nor has he proved less valuable financially4 ,being possessed of large means1 he is generous towards the ,church and the benevolent enterprises of the city4 ,in #ahdg ,rev4 ,elihu ,springer was appointed to the ,district1 and ,rev4 ,francis ,m4 ,mills was returned to the station4 ,brother ,mills was an able preacher1 but in his style of delivery was almost the reverse of his predecessor4 ,he was a noble representative of ,baltimore ,methodism1 but his health suffered from the bleak winds of the ,lake1 and at the close of his term he was compelled to seek a milder atmosphere4 ,the following two years ,rev4 ,james ,e4 ,wilson was stationed at ,milwaukee4 ,brother ,wilson came to the ,conference from the ,protestant ,methodist ,church1 in which he had held a prominent position both as a ,preacher and ,secretary of the ,conference4 ,he was a man of genial spirit1 affable manners1 and commanding eloquence4 ,his sermons were well prepared1 and especially in given passages1 were delivered with an unction and pathos that could not fail to produce an abiding impression4 ,the great concourse of people who waited upon his ministry attested how highly he was appreciated by those who were permitted to listen to his weekly ministrations4 ,a revival occurred during the winter1 and at the close of the year he was able to report one hundred and sixty-four members and thirty-nine probationers4 ,during the pastorate of ,brother ,wilson an unhappy controversy arose between the managers of the ,sunday ,school and the leaders of the social means of grace with reference to the hours of meeting4 ,the ,official ,board decided in favor of the ,school1 and an alienation of feeling was the result4 ,a few of the disaffected withdrew1 organized a ,wesleyan ,church1 and called ,rev4 ,mr4 ,mc,kee as their ,pastor4 ,though an unpleasant affair1 the old church moved on as usual4 ,but as another charge was now growing up in the southern part of the city1 it is proper that ,i should refer to it before closing this chapter4 ,in the fall of #ahdg ,osmond ,bailey and a few others became specially interested in establishing regular religious services at ,walker's ,point4 ,soon after a class was formed consisting of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,osmond ,bailey1 ,mrs4 ,capt4 ,stewart1 ,mrs4 ,warren4 ,mrs4 ,almena ,waite1 ,mrs4 ,worden1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,daniel ,waite and ,m4,s4 ,velie4 ,at the ,conference of #ahdh1 the small society was erected into a ,mission with ,rev4 ,warner ,oliver as ,pastor4 ,the ,meetings were held in a school house1 located on lots eleven and twelve1 in block one hundred and one4 ,brother ,oliver was a man of fine talent1 but was compelled to give a portion of his time to business1 through the financial feebleness of the charge4 ,in #ahdi ,rev4 ,william ,willard was appointed to the charge4 ,it will be remembered that this good brother was a member of the class formed at ,burnett in #ahde4 ,he entered the ,conference in #ahdg1 and had been stationed two years at ,aztalan4 ,he was an earnest laborer1 and under his administration the work was encouragingly prosperous4 ,the congregations were growing and the people were beginning to agitate the measure of building a ,church4 ,after leaving ,walker's ,point1 ,brother ,willard remained in the regular work1 with a few brief intervals1 for many years1 doing efficient service for the ,master4 ,at this writing he is in ,nebraska1 using such openings as may offer to help forward the good work4 ,hiving thus briefly sketched the beginnings and progress of the good work in the city up to the time of my appointment1 ,i will defer the balance of the record for the next chapter4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,spring ,street1 ,milwaukee--,first ,sabbath--,promising ,outlook--,the ,deep ,shadow--,rev4 ,elihu ,springer--,rev4 ,i4,m4 ,leihy--,revival--,missionary ,meetings--,dedication at ,sheboygan--,ravages of the ,cholera--,death-bed ,scenes--,the ,riot--,bishop ,waugh--,camp ,meeting--,scandinavian ,work--,rev4 ,c4 ,willerup4 ,the ,spring ,street ,station had now attained the reputation of being the first charge in the ,conference4 ,the ,church edifice1 as we have seen1 was decidedly respectable1 both in size and character4 ,the membership was enterprising1 and full of the spirit of labor4 ,in its official ,board were found ,l4,s4 ,kellogg1 ,g4,f4 ,austin1 ,john ,h4 ,van ,dyke1 ,geo4 ,e4,h4 ,day1 ,james ,seville1 ,j4,c4 ,henderson1 ,w4,w4 ,lake1 ,wm4 ,rowbotham1 ,george ,southwell1 ,wm4 ,r4 ,jones1 ,wm4 ,l4 ,boughton1 ,john ,kneene1 ,wm4 ,cossentine1 ,c4,f4 ,larigo and ,charles ,randall4 ,and during the year ,john ,kemp1 ,cornelius ,morse1 ,mitchell ,steever1 ,c4,c4 ,chamberlin and ,henry ,seiler were added4 ,my salary was fixed on the basis of the old ,disciplinary allowance3 ,quarterage1 #baf2 ,table ,expenses1 #bjj2 ,house ,rent1 #abe2 ,traveling ,expenses1 #e2 making a total of #edf4 ,this amount would be considered a small allowance at the present time1 but at that early day it was believed to be a generous provision for a family of three persons4 ,my first ,sabbath1 always a trial day to the ,preachers as well as the people1 passed without any special disaster4 ,perhaps it was owing in part to the presence of the ,presiding ,elder1 who sat at my back4 ,whatever he or the people may have thought1 ,i certainly felt that ,i was a mere stripling going out with nothing in my hand but a sling and a pebble4 ,nor did it relieve my embarrassment when ,i saw the great congregation1 and remembered that they had enjoyed for two years the ministry of the most eloquent man in the ,conference4 ,it is said that a minister ought always to be ready to preach or to die4 ,i think1 on that occasion1 if ,i had been permitted to choose between them1 ,i would have accepted the latter4 ,as it was1 ,i very nearly did both4 ,and that ,i really did neither1 ,i have always considered a special intervention of ,providence4 ,on the part of the people there was evidently a suspension of judgment4 ,they were doubtless puzzled by my contradictory appearances4 ,in form ,i was slight and fragile1 not weighing more than one hundred and thirty pounds1 but in my face1 though only twenty-eight years of age1 ,i bore the appearance of being ten years older4 ,at the close of the service a large number of people remained and gave the new ,minister a hearty greeting4 ,it was timely1 giving me to realize ,i was not quite gone to the land of shadows4 ,i was informed afterwards that one good brother went home from the service and told his wife1 who had not been present1 that he had shaken hands with the new ,minister and his daughter4 ,no1 father1 said the daughter1 that lady was not the ,minister's daughter1 but his wife4 ,well1 replied the father1 she must be his second wife1 for she looks young enough to be his daughter4 ,whether this opinion should be interpreted as complimentary to the ,minister or his wife1 ,i was never fully able to decide4 ,having passed the crisis1 the first ,sabbath1 and survived the following week1 ,i now began to adjust myself to my work4 ,i was happy to find that the good people were strongly attached to ,prayer and ,class-,meetings4 ,this gave an assurance that there were at least some efficient laborers in the ,church1 who could be relied on if we should find ourselves in a revival4 ,i also found that the people could endure a large amount of pastoral visiting4 ,these discoveries were enough for a start1 and ,i entered upon the work without delay4 ,about this time ,i was called to attend a funeral in one of the families that had gone out from the church the previous year1 and were now members of the ,wesleyan organization4 ,the next ,sabbath morning this family and several others were in my congregation4 ,in the opening prayer ,i made the poor slave a special subject1 as ,i often did4 ,at the close of the service1 the head of one of the families came forward and stated that ,mr4 ,mc,kee1 the ,pastor of the ,wesleyan ,church1 had gone to the ,conference1 and hence they were without services for a few ,sabbaths4 ,but as for his part1 he did not care if he never came back1 for ,i was abolitionist enough for him4 ,in a few weeks ,rev4 ,t4 ,orbison was sent to the city1 in the place of ,mr4 ,mc,kee4 ,after the first ,sabbath1 he called on me and said that he found his people quite disposed to return to the old ,church1 and that in consequence1 he had dispensed with his services the previous evening1 and attended our ,church with them4 ,he was now inclined to advise them to return1 as he saw no occasion for two organizations4 ,the leading members having previously decided to return1 the balance now joined them in the movement1 while those who had been gathered from other organizations1 returned to their respective homes4 ,brother ,orbison1 in coming to this country from ,ireland1 fell among the ,wesleyans on his arrival1 and became identified with them1 supposing they were the same body he had left at home4 ,on learning his mistake1 he now came over to us1 and for many years was a worthy member of the ,wisconsin ,conference4 ,after doing faithful service for many years1 and winning the esteem of all1 he laid aside the armor and took up the everlasting crown of rejoicing4 ,the work of the year was now well begun4 ,the house was filled with people1 the finances were in excellent condition1 and everything indicated a year of special success1 ,but how strangely light and shadow1 hopes and fears1 rejoicing and mourning commingle in this life6 ,while we were thus full of hope1 and even exultant over the indications of a prosperous year1 little did we imagine that we were then on the threshold of a deep affliction1 arising from the sudden death of our ,presiding ,elder4 ,brother ,springer left the city to hold his ,quarterly ,meetings at ,watertown and ,oconomowoc1 the writer accompanying him to the city limits4 ,on the #bast of ,august he closed his ,quarterly ,meeting services at ,watertown1 took dinner at the ,parsonage with the ,pastor1 ,rev4 ,david ,brooks1 and then rode on to ,oconomowoc4 ,he stopped for the night with ,brother ,worthington1 ate sparingly1 and retired at the usual time4 ,at three o'clock in the morning he was seized by the cholera4 ,the attack1 severe at first1 soon became alarming4 ,medical aid was called1 but without avail4 ,he lingered until six o'clock ,p4,m41 and passed away in great peace4 ,his family were sent for1 but failed to reach him before his departure4 ,the ,funeral ,sermon was preached in the ,spring ,street ,church by the writer1 from ,second ,timothy1 #d4 #f-h4 ,brother ,springer was received on trial by the ,illinois ,annual ,conference in ,september1 #ahcc4 ,his appointments before coming to ,milwaukee ,district had been1 ,carlinville1 ,iroquois1 ,oplaine1 ,saminoc1 ,bristol1 ,lockport1 ,joliet1 ,st4 ,charles1 ,mineral ,point and ,hazel ,green4 ,brother ,springer was a man of commanding presence4 ,in form erect1 full and athletic1 with a broad1 high forehead1 and an intellectual face4 ,the whole cast of the man indicated strength4 ,he was a sound theologian1 an able ,preacher and a wise and vigilant administrator4 ,he was emphatically a true man1 and1 as a ,presiding ,elder1 very popular4 ,the loss of such a man1 at forty years of age1 was a great disaster to the ,conference4 ,soon after the death of ,brother ,springer1 ,rev4 ,i4,m4 ,leihy was appointed as his successor on the ,district4 ,brother ,leihy entered the ,conference in #ahdc1 and before coming to the ,district1 had been stationed at ,hazel ,green1 ,elizabeth1 ,mineral ,point1 ,platteville1 ,southport1 and ,beloit ,he was a man of marked ability both as a ,preacher and administrator4 ,his leading endowment was strength1 and on some chosen subject1 a subject to which he had given special attention1 his preaching was overwhelming4 ,he was a man of immense will force1 and not a whit behind the chief of his brethren in his devotion to the ,master's cause4 ,neither storms nor other impediments deterred him from his work4 ,with a face set as a flint against every obstacle in his path of duty1 he drove straight on to fulfil the convictions of his dauntless spirit4 ,by some he was thought to be severe1 and not a little exacting1 but those who knew him best were tolerant of his idiosyncrasies1 and were prepared to assign him a chief place among his brethren4 ,after completing his term on the ,district1 he filled several important appointments1 but finally located and removed to ,california1 where at the present writing1 as for several years past1 he is again engaged in the regular work4 ,during the fall and early winter there was manifest a growing spiritual interest among the people1 which culminated ultimately in an extensive revival of religion4 ,the protracted meeting continued five weeks1 and resulted in the conversion of seventy-five souls4 ,the plan of holding ,platform ,missionary ,meetings was continued during this year1 and largely increased the contributions of the people4 ,while on my way in company with ,brother ,leihy1 to attend such a meeting at ,port ,washington1 ,i formed the acquaintance of ,brother ,jesse ,hubbard and his good lady at ,mequon1 where we halted for dinner4 ,for many years this residence was the home of ,itinerant ,preachers and the nucleus of ,christian society in that region4 ,the dedication of the ,german ,methodist ,church at ,sheboygan occurred in ,april of this year4 ,i went down to perform the service in a steamer1 but when ready to return1 the waves were running too high for the boat to make the pier4 ,the mishap left my ,pulpit without a supply for the ,sabbath1 an event which seldom transpired1 but gave me an opportunity to make the acquaintance of our people in that part of the ,conference1 and the pleasure of preaching twice at ,sheboygan and once at ,sheboygan ,falls4 ,during the summer of #ahea the cholera raged in ,milwaukee in a most appalling manner4 ,the whole city was a hospital4 ,for several days together it was claimed there were fifty deaths per day4 ,though earnestly entreated to leave the city1 as many others had done1 ,i declined1 feeling that my life was no more precious than the lives of others4 ,besides1 it seemed to me1 if there is ever a time when a people need the aid of their ,pastor1 it is when they are in peril and affliction4 ,when at the height of its ravages1 ,i repeatedly attended six funerals a day1 and visited a dozen sick persons4 ,the very men whom ,i met at a funeral one day1 ,i would bury the next4 ,mingling thus daily with the sick and dying1 ,i could not well escape myself4 ,i suffered two attacks during the season1 but through great mercy1 the lives both of myself and family were spared4 ,during this terrible visitation ,i had frequent opportunities to test the value of the ,christian religion4 ,so marked was the difference between the death-bed scenes of ,christians and the unconverted that even ,infidels themselves could not refrain from referring to it4 ,as if to teach the people this great lesson1 there were a few instances of triumphant deaths1 and a few of the opposite class4 ,one good sister1 as she was gliding across the stream1 enquired1 ,is this ,jordan8 ,she was told it was4 ,how calm and placid are its waters1 she added4 ,i expected to find the billows running high1 but1 glory to ,jesus6 there is not a ripple upon all the stream4 ,unlike this scene was the death of a young man who had sent for me in great haste4 ,on entering the room1 ,i recognized him as a young man whom ,i had repeatedly urged1 during our meeting of the previous winter1 to give himself to the ,saviour4 ,he was now in the throes of dissolution and ,i could hardly hope to reach him4 ,wild with frenzy1 he seemed to pray and curse with the same breath4 ,as a momentary interval occurred between the paroxysms1 ,i sought to arrest his attention and divert his thought to ,christ4 ,he turned his piercing eyes on me and said1 ,oh6 it is too late4 ,last winter1 if ,i had yielded to your kind admonitions1 all would now be well1 but it is too late1 too late4 ,another paroxysm seized him1 and he was lost to all consciousness1 and soon ceased to breathe4 ,another event occurred this year of which mention should be made in this connection4 ,it is the notorious riot4 ,i quote from ,milwaukee ,methodism4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,leahy1 a minister in the ,protestant ,methodist ,church1 after visiting several of the principal cities of the ,union1 came to ,milwaukee4 ,having spent many years in a monastery1 and having become convinced of his error1 he now sought to enlighten the people on the subject of the confessional4 ,he proposed1 in coming to the city1 to give a course of lectures in a public hall during the ensuing week4 ,on the intervening ,sabbath he was invited to occupy several of the ,pulpits of the city4 ,he had already filled one in the morning1 another in the afternoon1 and then came to the ,spring ,street ,church in the evening4 ,the house was filled as usual4 ,he opened the services in the regular order1 took his text and began the delivery of his sermon4 ,immediately a crowd of strange men began to press in at the door and push along up the center aisle4 ,at a given signal1 a rush was made towards the ,pulpit4 ,comprehending the situation in an instant1 the ,pastor1 from his position in the ,pulpit1 ordered them back1 and at the same time directed the men nearest the aisle and altar to intercept their advance4 ,a stone was hurled at the ,pastor's head1 but it missed its mark and crashed against the wall in the rear of the ,pulpit4 ,but ,l4,s4 ,kellogg1 ,l4,l4 ,lee and others stood firmly in the aisle and dealt some vigorous blows in response to the clubs and other missiles with which they were being severely bruised4 ,at this moment ,dr4 ,waldo ,w4 ,lake1 who was sitting in the altar1 drew a revolver which he on leaving home had put in his pocket1 expecting after service to visit a patient in an exposed part of the city1 and instantly the rioters fell back and retreated through the entrance to the street4 ,during the conflict the audience room was a wild scene of confusion4 ,the ladies became greatly alarmed1 and required the attention of a large number of gentlemen in making their escape from the building4 ,the door being thronged with the rioters1 the principal egress was found to be the windows next to the street1 and these were elevated a full story above the pavement4 ,ladders1 wagons1 and other impromptu scaffolding were provided1 and large numbers of ladies were rescued in this way1 while others were crowded against the sides of the room until the rioters had withdrawn4 ,after quiet had been restored measures were taken to convey the speaker safely to his lodgings at the hotel4 ,but a good number of revolvers1 carried by a posse of earnest men1 were a sufficient protection against all evil-minded persons that thronged the streets on the way4 ,the city was rocked with excitement4 ,early next morning a meeting was held in the ,church edifice that had thus been made the scene of a riotous assault4 ,the populace interpreted the affair rightly4 ,it was not so much an attack upon a ,protestant ,church as an assault against the freedom of speech1 one of the most sacred rights of the people4 ,after expressing suitable indignation against the actors and abettors of the riot1 and resolving to protect the freedom of speech so long as it should not offend against public morals1 the meeting appointed a committee to wait on ,mr4 ,leahy1 and1 on behalf of the community1 guarantee him protection in his rights4 ,under this protection a lecture was given in the ,free ,congregational ,church1 and another on the public square1 when1 all danger of assault having disappeared1 he was permitted to go on his way4 ,the only persons seriously hurt were ,l4,l4 ,lee and ,l4,s4 ,kellogg4 ,the first was compelled to carry a hand in a sling for a long time1 and the latter was considerably injured by a blow from a club on the head4 ,the blood ran freely1 but he was able to attend the ,law and ,order ,meeting the following morning4 ,his speech on the occasion became a watchword among the people4 ,he said in a very resolute manner1 ,our ,fathers fought for freedom1 both civil and religious1 and if we have got to fight the battle over again ,i am ready1 and ,i am willing that my blood should be the first to flow4 ,the city appropriated one hundred and fifty dollars to repair the damages done to the ,church edifice4 ,bishop ,waugh made us a visit near the close of the year4 ,he was on his way to the ,conference to be held at ,waukesha1 and went with us to the ,camp-,meeting at ,brookfield4 ,spring ,street ,station made no inconsiderable part of the ,meeting4 ,she pitched a tent that would accommodate one hundred and fifty persons1 and it was well filled from the beginning to the end of the ,meeting4 ,it was a ,meeting of great power4 ,none who heard the exhortations of the good ,bishop at the close of his ,sunday morning sermon can ever forget it4 ,after holding the vast congregation spell-bound for more than an hour in the delivery of the sermon1 the old man1 with locks as white as the driven snow1 came down from the stand1 and1 standing on a seat in the ,altar1 began to invite mourners4 ,the motives of the ,gospel were presented one after another1 the tide of feeling rising1 until the ,bishop was master of the occasion1 and seemed to sway the people at his pleasure4 ,the ,bishop's voice grew grandly eloquent as his great soul rose to the level of the effort1 and before it and its burden of truth1 the people began to bend1 then brake1 and finally flew to the ,altar4 ,nor did the exhortation cease until the ,altar was literally crowded with seeking penitents4 ,the ,scandinavian work was this year opened in ,wisconsin4 ,to further this object the ,missionary ,management at ,new ,york sent forward ,rev4 ,c4 ,willerup1 placing him at the beginning under my care4 ,on reaching the city he found the population using the ,scandinavian language too small to organize the work1 and we deemed it advisable to explore the interior4 ,to do this he must have an ,itinerant's outfit1 consisting at least of horse and saddle-bags4 ,while he was employed in settling his family in a rented house1 ,i visited the market and purchased a horse for him and the other necessary articles1 using my own funds until drafts should be received from the ,missionary ,treasury4 ,the desired location for the first ,mission was found at ,cambridge1 where ,brother ,willerup organized a ,society and subsequently erected a ,church edifice4 ,from this small beginning has since grown a family of charges and a line of able ,ministers1 constituting a ,presiding ,elder's ,district4 ,the ,conference year had now come to a close4 ,many changes had occurred in ,spring ,street ,station4 ,in consequence of the cholera1 and the consequent stagnation of business1 large numbers of the people went into the country4 ,but notwithstanding this depletion1 such had been the number of accessions1 one hundred and seven in all1 that ,i was able to report one hundred and fifty-seven members and sixty-three probationers1 making a total of two hundred and twenty4 ,the financial plan1 adopted at the beginning of the year1 that of collecting the funds in the classes1 had proved a success4 ,at the close of the year1 the ,pastor was fully paid1 and the ,society was out of debt4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,conference of #ahea4--,presiding ,elder4--,presentation4--,give and ,take4--,fond du ,lac ,district--,quarterly ,meeting--,rev4 ,j4,s4 ,prescott4--,footman vs4 ,buggies--,fond du ,lac4--,two ,churches4--,greenbush ,quarterly ,meeting--,rev4 ,david ,lewis--,pioneer ,self-,sacrifice4--,finds a ,help-,meet4--,sheboygan ,falls4--,rev4 ,matthias ,himebaugh4--,oshkosh--,first ,class4--,church ,enterprises4 ,the ,conference for #ahea was held ,june #beth1 at ,waukesha4 ,the ,sessions were deeply spiritual1 and were characterized by general harmony among the preachers4 ,at this ,conference the ,committee on ,periodicals1 of which ,i was a member1 reported in favor of the establishment of a ,north ,western ,christian ,advocate1 and the report was unanimously adopted4 ,in the arrangement of appointments ,i was assigned to the ,fond du ,lac ,district4 ,the appointment was a great surprise to myself1 and doubtless to others4 ,besides1 it was not in harmony with my judgment or wishes4 ,it seemed to me to be an unwise measure to take so young a man1 only twenty-nine1 from the companionship of books and the details of the ,pastoral office1 and place him on a ,district where both of the ,departments of labor1 so essential to success in the ,ministry1 must necessarily be abridged4 ,and in the next place1 it appeared to me that1 since there were so many other men in the ,conference1 who were better qualified than ,i for the position1 my appointment was but doing violence to the work4 ,but ,i soon came to the conclusion that when an appointment has been made there is no further need to debate the question4 ,in such a case1 the sooner both the ,ministers and people adjust their views to the new order of things1 the better for all concerned4 ,accepting this view1 ,i hastened to conform to the situation with as good grace as possible4 ,and to aid me perhaps a little1 several of the preachers surprised me by the presentation of a cane4 ,i had heard it remarked that when a man used a cane1 it was an evidence that he had a weak place somewhere between the crown of the head and the sole of the foot4 ,i was now puzzled to know what the cane meant4 ,there was doubtless a weak spot somewhere1 in the opinion of the brethren4 ,it must of course be either in the ,district or the incumbent4 ,but my query as to which was soon answered4 ,dr4 ,bowman1 my father-in-law1 was traveling soon after in company with a good brother1 when the conversation turned upon the appointments of the recent ,conference4 ,it had not proceeded far when the brother remarked1 in referring to my appointment1 ,the ,conference must have been hard up for material when it appointed that young stripling ,presiding ,elder4 ,the mystery of the cane was now explained4 ,the good brethren of the ,conference doubtless thought the matter could be helped out by the use of a cane4 ,but a sharper joke than that was passed upon the people of ,fond du ,lac4 ,only six years before they had given me license to preach1 and sent me to the ,conference1 and now1 in sending me back so soon1 the ,conference seemed to say1 ,brethren1 we return you as good as you gave4 ,i have heard it said that sometimes ,quarterly ,conferences grant licenses with the implied understanding that the recipients are not expected to serve the home ,church1 but are good enough to preach to less highly favored people abroad4 ,if this course had been adopted by these ,fond du ,lac brethren as their policy1 certainly it was a cruel joke to return the labor of their hands on such short notice4 ,but fortunately ,i was not supposed to know anything about this matter1 and hence1 on the principle that where ignorance is bliss1 'tis folly to be wise1 ,i had nothing to do but to gather up my family and hasten to my new field of labor4 ,fond du ,lac ,district at this time embraced that portion of the ,state lying ,north and ,east of the city of ,fond du ,lac1 and included thirteen charges4 ,a few of the charges could be reached by steamers on the ,fox and ,wolf ,rivers and ,lake ,winnebago1 but the balance could only be visited by the stage or private conveyance4 ,i chose to adopt the latter4 ,having provided board for my wife and child with ,rev4 ,m4,l4 ,noble1 and secured a horse and buggy1 ,i was ready to enter upon my work4 ,the ,first ,quarterly ,meeting was held at ,fond du ,lac4 ,the ,church edifice was unfinished1 and the celebrated school house having been burned1 as stated in a former chapter1 the ,meeting was held in the ,court ,house4 ,at that time the building1 though now so dingy1 was new1 and aspired to be the most respectable edifice in the village4 ,to prepare the ,court ,house especially for the ,quarterly ,meeting1 the floors were newly carpeted with sawdust1 even then a famous product of the village1 and the seats well broomed4 ,the place was crowded with people1 and the occasion one of rare interest4 ,the ,gospel was dispensed from the ,seat of ,justice1 the ,sacrament was administered within the ,bar1 now vacated by the lawyers1 and the people knelt outside to receive the sacred emblems4 ,several of the ,members present had attended the ,quarterly ,meeting in the school house six years before1 and among them were a few who had known me from my boyhood4 ,it afforded me great pleasure to meet them and receive their friendly greetings4 ,rev4 ,j4,s4 ,prescott1 the ,pastor at ,fond du ,lac1 had been bred to the legal profession in the ,state of ,ohio4 ,he came to ,wisconsin as a ,local ,preacher1 and joined the ,conference in #ahdf4 ,he had been stationed at ,sheboygan1 ,waupun1 and ,green ,bay4 ,he was a man of sharp1 decisive movements1 sometimes angular in his opinions and measures1 but full of energy and not afraid of hard work4 ,he kept no horse1 even when on the largest circuits1 as he could not afford to wait for so laggard a conveyance4 ,in this particular he became notorious1 and marvelous stories are related of his pedestrian abilities4 ,it is affirmed that1 on one occasion1 in going to the ,conference1 he walked from ,waupun to ,platteville1 and reached his destination in advance of the long line of ministerial buggies that were headed in that direction4 ,carrying the same energy into every ,department of his work1 he always left his footprint behind him4 ,but his most devoted friends would sometimes question the wisdom of his measures4 ,even in the small village of ,fond du ,lac1 he had now two churches in process of erection4 ,but such was his skill in raising funds at home and abroad that one of them was dedicated by ,bishop ,ames at the close of the year and the other by the writer in the year following4 ,subsequently he served for several years as ,agent of ,lawrence ,university1 and then entered upon the project of founding an ,institution of learning at ,point ,bluff4 ,the selection of a location1 however1 was unfortunate1 and his expectations were only partially realized4 ,after this disaster he addressed himself to business pursuits4 ,the ,fond du ,lac charge had now gained an influential position in the ,conference4 ,among her membership she had several leading business men4 ,and in addition1 this place had now become the home of ,rev4 ,h4,r4 ,colman and ,rev4 ,m4,l4 ,noble1 the last two ,pastors of the charge4 ,my next ,meeting was held on ,greenbush ,circuit4 ,this charge was midway between ,fond du ,lac and ,sheboygan1 and had been established only two years4 ,its ,eastern portion had been opened from ,sheboygan1 and its ,western from ,fond du ,lac4 ,it had neither ,church nor ,parsonage1 and the ,minister lived in a shanty4 ,the ,quarterly ,meeting was held in ,mr4 ,tunis ,burhite's barn1 about nine miles east of ,fond du ,lac4 ,i found the ,pastor1 ,rev4 ,david ,lewis1 at his post4 ,as was his wont1 he had made every needed preparation1 and had brought out nearly the entire strength of his charge4 ,the barn was filled with people1 and the neighborhood taxed to its utmost to entertain the visitors4 ,nor was it surprising that1 with such a preparation1 the ,meeting was an occasion of rare interest4 ,for months and even years after1 it was referred to with great satisfaction4 ,at the time the opinions of people were found to differ4 ,one good sister said in my hearing1 ,i think it is better to have old men like ,elder ,wilcox for ,presiding ,elders1 rather than such young men1 because they can keep a meeting steady and not let the people get so excited4 ,but at the close of the services a veteran ,local ,preacher said1 ,the old ,elder gave us a straight talk this morning4 ,both remarks were suggestive1 and ,i resolved to bear myself with becoming dignity4 ,brother ,lewis entered the ,rock ,river ,conference ,august #bdth1 #ahdb1 and was sent as ,junior ,preacher to ,indian ,creek1 ,ill41 a four weeks' circuit1 the labor of which greatly taxed his strength4 ,his next appointment was ,manitowoc1 the charge extending from ,port ,washington to ,two ,rivers1 and requiring one hundred and fifty miles of travel to each round of appointments4 ,through these dense forests1 as ,i have had occasion to remark in a former chapter1 the roads were almost impassable1 with long distances intervening between residences1 and involving great fatigue and exposure4 ,like the good ,brother ,frink1 who preceded him in this field1 he was compelled to swim rivers1 suffer hunger and endure fatigue1 that would appall a man of less nerve4 ,during the winter his horse became disabled and he made the entire round on foot1 carrying his provisions in a knapsack4 ,such were the trials and exposures of the pioneers who planted the standard of the ,cross in the ,sheboygan ,woods1 as this region was called4 ,they were indeed heroic men4 ,there were a few scattered sheep in the wilderness1 and these were gathered into the fold4 ,at ,manitowoc1 ,brother ,lewis formed a class4 ,in #ahdd ,brother ,lewis was sent to ,pewaukee1 where he had eleven appointments4 ,though at the beginning of the year there was no class on the charge1 at its close ,brother ,lewis1 was able to report sixty-five members4 ,it was during this year that our sturdy pioneer took to himself a worthy helpmeet1 in the person of ,miss ,adelia ,morley1 who1 as an inmate of the ,presiding ,elder's family1 spread the table for the writer's first meal as an ,itinerant4 ,brother ,lewis was next appointed successively to ,root ,river1 ,kankakee1 and ,brothertown1 in which charges he enjoyed his usual share of hard work and spiritual prosperity4 ,in #ahdi he was appointed to ,sheboygan ,falls4 ,the circuit was very large1 taking the entire tract of country between the ,lake and ,fond du ,lac1 but the year was one of marked success4 ,finding the ,parsonage under a mortgage that imperiled the safety of the property1 ,brother ,lewis stepped forward and offered his horse1 saddle1 and a dollar and a half1 all the money he had1 in liquidation of the indebtedness4 ,they were accepted1 and as a result1 the dear brother traveled his circuits on foot for two years before he was able to procure another horse4 ,such is the sterling material out of which the early ,itinerants were made4 ,with such men in the field1 it is not a matter of surprise that1 under the ,divine blessing1 the ,wilderness and solitary place were made to rejoice4 ,at the close of his labors on this circuit1 ,brother ,lewis was again sent to ,manitowoc for one year1 when1 the ,greenbush charge having been created1 principally out of the west part of his former work1 he was appointed to it1 as before stated4 ,after leaving ,greenbush he was stationed at ,west ,bend1 ,columbus and ,fall ,river1 ,oneida ,indian ,mission1 ,new ,london1 ,markesan1 ,caldwell's ,prairie1 and ,new ,berlin4 ,at the ,janesville ,conference in #ahgj1 ,brother ,lewis1 having served the church nearly thirty years with great devotion1 took a superannuated relation4 ,at this writing he is residing in ,fond du ,lac1 maintains a happy frame of mind1 and is still doing what he can for the cause4 ,he certainly deserves well of his ,conference4 ,sheboygan ,mission1 the next point visited1 appears on the ,minutes1 as stated in a former chapter1 in #ahcg1 with ,rev4 ,h4,w4 ,frink as ,pastor4 ,during this year ,brother ,frink formed a class at ,sheboygan1 consisting of the following members3 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,morris ,farmin1 ,uriel ,farmin1 ,benjamin ,farmin1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,elder ,farmin1 and ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,mc,creedy4 ,at the close of this year ,sheboygan disappears from the list of appointments1 but in #ahdc the ,manitowoc mission appears with ,rev4 ,d4 ,lewis as ,pastor1 and ,sheboygan1 it will be recollected1 is named as one of the appointments4 ,in #ahde1 however1 the name re-appears1 and ,rev4 ,joseph ,t4 ,lewis was sent to the charge4 ,from this time until #ahdi the strength of the circuit consisted largely in the outlying appointments4 ,but at this date ,sheboygan ,falls was erected into a separate charge1 taking from ,sheboygan its several interior appointments4 ,rev4 ,daniel ,stansbury1 the ,pastor1 had commenced his labors in #ahdi1 and was now on his second year4 ,the ,membership numbered only thirty-three1 but ,brother ,stansbury had achieved a great work in the erection of a large and convenient ,church edifice4 ,i had visited the village the preceding year1 as before stated1 to dedicate the ,german ,church1 and had formed a very agreeable acquaintance with this truly noble man and his most estimable family4 ,brother ,stansbury was from ,baltimore1 and brought with him to ,wisconsin a goodly portion of the warm and cheerful type of ,baltimore ,methodism4 ,he was received on trial by the ,wisconsin ,conference in #ahdi1 and hence ,sheboygan was his first appointment4 ,his subsequent appointments were ,janesville1 ,union1 ,portage ,city1 ,beaver ,dam1 ,berlin and ,janesville ,district4 ,in ,july of his second year on the ,district1 and while preaching at his ,quarterly ,meeting on ,cambridge circuit1 he was stricken down by paralysis4 ,he was taken to his home in ,janesville1 where he lingered in extreme feebleness until ,oct4 #bh1 when he died in great peace4 ,brother ,stansbury was a man of warm impulses1 practical mind1 and abundant labors4 ,in the protracted meeting1 his rare gifts of prayer and exhortation1 made his labors a grand success1 and1 in the bright world beyond1 it will be found that his comparatively short ministry gathered a large harvest of souls4 ,i next visited ,sheboygan ,falls4 ,the charge first appears on the ,minutes in #ahdi1 it having been created out of the interior portions of the ,sheboygan circuit4 ,its first ,pastor1 as we have seen1 was ,rev4 ,david ,lewis4 ,in #ahej1 the following year1 ,rev4 ,matthias ,himebaugh was appointed to the work4 ,at this time the field embraced fifteen appointments1 and required the travel of two hundred miles each month4 ,like his predecessors1 ,revs4 ,j4,s4 ,prescott and ,d4 ,lewis1 ,brother ,himebaugh traveled this circuit on foot4 ,the ,society in the village consisted of thirteen members1 and included the names of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,l4 ,cheeseman1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,parrish1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,goodell1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,sully1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,jackson1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,waite1 and others4 ,the public meetings were held in a school house outside of the village1 and the prayer meetings in private houses4 ,a lot had been purchased for a ,church and ,parsonage1 and the latter had been partly built4 ,on the arrival of ,brother ,himebaugh a hall was obtained in the village for the meetings1 and soon after he commenced a subscription for a ,church4 ,a revival occurred during the winter1 and there were a goodly number of accessions1 but they did not bring very much financial strength4 ,the ,society1 though small and in moderate circumstances1 were very enterprising and generous in their effort to erect a ,church1 subscribing towards the building one-fifth of their entire property4 ,having secured pledges1 amounting to twelve hundred dollars1 the ,pastor now led a strong force of volunteer laborers in the manual labor of the undertaking4 ,felling the first tree for the timber in the woods with his own hands1 ,brother ,himebaugh gave the keynote to the movement4 ,nor did he stay his hand until he had expended sixty days of labor4 ,after accomplishing what he could at home1 he visited ,milwaukee1 ,chicago1 and several towns and cities in the ,erie1 ,pittsburgh and ,genesee ,conferences1 to obtain aid to complete the enterprise4 ,the edifice1 forty by sixty1 with a basement1 was so far completed that the lecture-room was ready for dedication in ,december1 #ahea4 ,with this good work accomplished1 our ,quarterly ,meeting at ,sheboygan ,falls was an occasion of great rejoicing4 ,brother ,himebaugh entered the ,erie ,conference in #ahci1 then twenty years of age4 ,his first circuit was ,red ,bank1 on the ,alleghany ,mountains4 ,at the end of eleven years he was transferred to the ,wisconsin ,conference1 and ,sheboygan ,falls was his first charge4 ,after leaving this work1 he was stationed in the ,north ,ward charge in ,fond du ,lac4 ,here he also did a good work towards completing the ,church edifice1 which had been begun by ,brother ,prescott4 ,he also had a good revival during the year4 ,in #ahec1 ,brother ,himebaugh was stationed at ,oshkosh1 where he performed prodigies of labor1 preaching during a portion of the first year1 on every other ,sabbath1 four sermons1 and walking fourteen miles4 ,he also gathered large accessions1 which rendered the charge self-sustaining thereafter4 ,his subsequent appointments have been3 ,madison1 ,madison ,district1 ,appleton1 ,appleton ,district1 ,agent of ,lawrence ,university1 and ,assistant ,superintendent of the ,western ,seaman's ,friend ,society4 ,at the present writing1 he still holds the last named position1 and represents the ,bethel interests in this city4 ,he is yet strong physically and intellectually1 and bids fair to give to the good cause many additional years4 ,oshkosh was the next place visited4 ,instead of finding1 as in #ahde1 a few small cabins1 ,i now found a respectable village and a flourishing ,church4 ,the first ,methodist sermon delivered in ,oshkosh was preached by the veteran pioneer1 ,rev4 ,jesse ,halstead1 at the residence of ,mr4 ,webster ,stanley1 in #ahda4 ,the place was now taken into the list of his appointments1 and was supplied by ,brother ,halstead with considerable regularity4 ,at a subsequent visit he was accompanied by his ,presiding ,elder1 ,rev4 ,james ,r4 ,goodrich4 ,the services were again held in the residence of ,mr4 ,stanley1 and at this meeting1 which was held in the fall of #ahda1 the first class was formed4 ,the members were3 ,ira ,aikin1 ,mrs4 ,aikin1 his mother1 ,rachel ,aikin1 his sister1 ,mrs4 ,chester ,ford1 ,miss ,ann ,brooks1 and ,mrs4 ,electa ,wright4 ,brother ,aikin was the first ,leader1 but soon after ,brother ,william ,w4 ,wright and his wife becoming members1 the ,leadership passed over to ,brother ,wright4 ,before other provision was made1 the meetings were held at the residences of ,mr4 ,stanley1 ,mrs4 ,electa ,wright and ,william ,w4 ,wright1 but subsequently they passed to the school house and ultimately to the ,court ,house4 ,in #ahdb1 ,rev4 ,john ,p4 ,gallup was appointed to the ,winnebago ,lake ,mission4 ,his plan of labor gave to ,oshkosh every fourth ,sabbath1 and the intervening time was filled by ,rev4 ,clark ,dickinson1 a highly esteemed ,local ,preacher1 and others4 ,a revival occurred this year that brought into the ,church the larger portion of the people living in ,oshkosh and vicinity4 ,rev4 ,harvey ,s4 ,bronson was the ,pastor in #ahdc1 and was succeeded the following year by ,rev4 ,joseph ,h4 ,hurlbut4 ,the first ,church edifice was erected under the ,pastorate of ,rev4 ,robert ,everdell in #ahea4 ,being the ,presiding ,elder of the ,district at that time1 the writer performed the dedicatory service4 ,the building was enlarged in #ahef and again in #ahfa4 ,under the ,pastorate of ,rev4 ,wm4 ,p4 ,stowe there were large accessions1 and he found it necessary to enlarge again1 when in #ahgj the writer was called to preach the re-opening sermon4 ,the mother charge at this writing ranks among the leading stations of the ,conference1 and rejoices in the companionship of two promising daughters4 ,the first is located on the ,south ,side1 where a lot was purchased and the contract for a building let1 under the ,pastorate of ,rev4 ,j4,m4 ,walker1 in #ahfh4 ,the charge was organized the following year1 and under the successive ,pastorates of ,revs4 ,c4,w4 ,brewer and ,joseph ,anderson1 the ,church was completed and the station assigned an honorable place in the ,conference4 ,the other1 located in the ,western part of the city1 was erected into a separate charge at the last ,conference session1 a ,chapel having been previously built4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,fond du ,lac ,district ,continued4--,green ,bay4--,first ,settlement4--,rev4 ,john ,clark4--,first ,sermon4--,first ,class4--,col4 ,ryan4--,first ,methodist4--,first ,church ,enterprise4--,good ,society4--,heretical ,bonnet4--,various ,changes4--,rev4 ,r4,p4 ,lawton--,church ,disaster--,purifying the ,temple--,rev4 ,s4,w4 ,ford4--,oneida ,indian ,mission4--,oneidas4--,missionaries4--,q uarterly ,meeting4--,council4--,chief ,jake4--,interpreter4--,rev4 ,henry ,requa4--,his ,dying ,message4 ,green ,bay1 the next point visited1 is the oldest town within the bounds of the ,wisconsin ,conference4 ,its site was explored by ,jean ,nicollet in #afci1 but its settlement did not begin for more than a century thereafter4 ,in #aghe it contained seven families1 and in #ahaf there were one hundred and fifty inhabitants located in the village and its vicinity4 ,the population now began to increase more rapidly1 and in #ahai there were sixty dwellings and five hundred inhabitants4 ,green ,bay was made a ,united ,states trading port in #ahae1 with ,col4 ,john ,bowyer as ,indian ,agent4 ,and on the #afth of ,july of the following year1 ,col4 ,john ,miller commenced the erection of ,fort ,howard4 ,the first frame house built1 and perhaps the first in the ,state1 was erected in #ahbe1 by ,col4 ,e4 ,childs4 ,col4 ,samuel ,ryan came to ,green ,bay in #ahbf and was the first ,methodist1 as far as ,i have been able to ascertain1 who settled within the bounds of the ,wisconsin ,conference1 and was probably the first in the ,state4 ,from the time of his arrival until #ahcc1 the religious ,meetings were held in the ,garrison school house and in an old ,commissary store4 ,thereafter1 and until a ,church was erected1 the services were held in a new yellow school house1 or in the ,garrison building at ,fort ,howard4 ,at the ,general ,conference1 which was held in ,philadelphia in #ahcb1 action was taken looking to the extension of the ,missionary work of the ,church in the ,northwest4 ,in furtherance of this object1 ,rev4 ,john ,clark1 then of the ,new ,york ,conference1 was sent out as ,superintendent of the work4 ,this eminent ,minister and able administrator1 whose special record ,i need not enter in these pages1 as his ,life has been published1 arrived at ,green ,bay ,july #bast1 #ahcb4 ,immediately after his arrival he began his labors1 preaching the first ,methodist sermon within the limits of the present boundaries of the ,wisconsin ,conference4 ,the sermon was delivered in the ,fort1 to both soldiers and citizens4 ,the first class was formed by ,brother ,clark immediately after1 the services being held also in the ,fort4 ,this class consisted of four members1 as follows3 ,col4 ,samuel ,ryan1 ,sen41 ,mrs4 ,sherman1 ,mrs4 ,gen4 ,brooke1 and a young man whose name cannot be given4 ,mrs4 ,brooke was the wife of the ,commandant of the ,fort1 and ,col4 ,ryan was the ,leader4 ,col4 ,ryan was born in ,ireland1 ,may #bb;d1 #aghi1 and in early youth entered upon the military profession4 ,he was in the engagement between the ,shannon and ,chesapeake off ,boston ,harbor1 fought ,june #ast1 #ahac1 and during the conflict was severely wounded4 ,he was converted at ,sackett's ,harbor1 ,n4,y41 under the ministry of ,rev4 ,mr4 ,irwin1 in #ahba4 ,in #ahbb and '#bc1 he resided at ,sault ,st4 ,marie1 and while there was ,leader of a class4 ,during the year there was no ,minister at the ,sault1 but ,brother ,ryan held religious services regularly among the soldiers1 and as the fruit of his labors1 seventy souls were converted4 ,on coming to ,green ,bay1 as above stated1 in #ahbf1 he resumed his labors1 and continued to devote himself to the good work in that locality for twenty-six years4 ,the ,land ,office1 in which he held the first place1 being now1 #aheb1 removed to ,menasha1 he also took up his residence in that village4 ,brother ,ryan was a man of ardent temperament1 full of vivacity1 and not a little eccentric1 but a true soldier of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,as in his youth his dauntless spirit never cowered in the presence of an earthly foe1 so1 in maturer years1 he was a fearless champion for the spiritual reign of the ,master4 ,honored by all1 the ,patriarch is now1 leaning upon the top of his staff1 with his dimned eye looking across the river1 ready to move on at any moment4 ,one of the early laborers at ,green ,bay was ,rev4 ,george ,white1 who came from ,oneida ,conference1 ,n4,y4 ,he was stationed at ,green ,bay in #ahce1 ,brother ,clark having been assigned to the ,presiding ,eldership4 ,under the labors of the new ,pastor1 the work continued to prosper4 ,on the #b;d day of ,february1 #ahce1 ,brother ,clark reported to the ,christian ,advocate and ,journal as follows3 ,brother ,white is in the spirit of his work1 and the ,lord is blessing his labors in the conversion of souls1 both in the ,fort and among the citizens4 ,the first ,church enterprise was entered upon in #ahcf1 when a lot was donated to the ,society for the purpose of erecting a ,church edifice4 ,the ,deed was given on the #fth day of ,september1 #ahcf1 by ,john ,jacob ,astor1 ,ramsey ,crooks1 ,emily ,crooks1 ,robert ,stewart and ,eliza ,stewart1 and was executed by ,james ,duane ,doty1 their attorney4 ,the ,trustees of the ,society1 to whom the ,deed was made1 were ,philip ,w4 ,nicholas1 ,francis ,mc,carty1 ,george ,white1 ,thomas ,p4 ,green1 ,william ,white1 ,edwin ,hart1 and ,john ,p4 ,gallup4 ,the edifice was completed during the year1 but in the effort the ,society became seriously involved1 and were compelled to mortgage the property4 ,the indebtedness hung as an incubus on the ,society for ten years1 and finally1 through some strange mismanagement1 the property was sold at a great sacrifice to the ,roman ,catholics4 ,at the session of the ,illinois ,conference1 held ,sept4 #bg1 #ahcg1 ,rev4 ,philip ,w4 ,nicholas was sent to ,green ,bay1 and ,rev4 ,salmon ,stebbins was assigned to the ,district4 ,the congregations had now become highly respectable both in numbers and position4 ,hon4 ,m4,l4 ,martin had settled at ,green ,bay1 and his good lady1 who was a ,methodist1 had become a member of the ,society4 ,sister ,martin had been raised in affluent circumstances1 and was a lady of fine culture and rare judgment4 ,her husband1 a member of the legal profession1 and subsequently a ,delegate to ,congress and ,member of the ,constitutional ,convention of the ,state1 was a man of good attainments and superior abilities4 ,his family not only formed the nucleus of cultivated society1 but also furnished a pleasant home for the ,itinerant4 ,besides this excellent and cultured family1 the congregation embraced ,col4 ,ryan and family1 as before stated1 ,mrs4 ,gen4 ,brooke1 and ,mrs4 ,capt4 ,kirby ,smith1 whose husband was killed in the ,mexican ,war1 she being now the wife of ,gen4 ,eaton1 ,quartermaster ,general of the ,u4,s4,a4 ,in addition1 ,gov4 and ,mrs4 ,doty were constant attendants upon the ,chapel1 as were also ,gen4 and ,mrs4 ,marcy1 whose daughter1 ,mrs4 ,george ,b4 ,mc,clellan1 was born here1 and the most excellent of all the officers1 ,capt4 ,merrill and his young wife4 ,referring to the class of society that constituted at first the class and congregation at ,green ,bay1 reminds me of a case of ,church discipline which occurred there about the days of which ,i am now writing4 ,it happened on this wise3 ,one of the young members of the class1 and perhaps the youngest1 for she had but recently come ,west as the bride of a distinguished citizen whose name has already been mentioned1 had become the owner of a new bonnet4 ,the lady herself had never1 though fashionably raised1 shown a fondness for gaudy apparel1 but1 being obliged to send to ,detroit for all millinery accommodations1 she sometimes felt constrained to wear articles that were not selected in harmony with her tastes4 ,the new bonnet fell somewhat into this category4 ,if ,i were gifted in that line1 ,i would attempt a description of the new comer1 but1 as ,i am not1 ,i will simply say it was made in the height of the then fashion1 with a small crown and a very high1 flaring front1 with ornaments atop4 ,on the ,sabbath following its arrival1 the good sister put on her bonnet as innocently as in childhood she had ever said ,our ,father at her mother's knee1 and went to ,church4 ,she walked modestly to her seat1 bowed her head as usual1 and the services proceeded4 ,she certainly felt devout1 and she had not the remotest idea that there was anything in the ,church that could disturb the devotion of others4 ,but alas6 for poor human nature4 ,a horrible nightmare was that moment lurking under the wings of the beautiful dream of our innocent sister4 ,in that highly respectable congregation1 there were evil eyes that could not look at the ,minister or close in prayer4 ,they were fixed upon the gaudy bonnet4 ,at the close of the services comment was rife4 ,some of the good plain people christened the newly arrived1 ,the ,methodist ,flower-,pot1 while others looked exceedingly unhappy4 ,but there was one resolute brother who could not permit matters to go on in this way1 and hence the case was brought before the ,church4 ,the zealous brother stated the case and declared that if ,mr4 ,wesley's rule in regard to high heads and enormous bonnets meant anything1 this was the time to put it to the test and prove its efficacy4 ,he further stated that it was better to begin at the top round of the ladder and work down1 rather than take up some offending sister from a lower round as an example4 ,of course all things were now ready for a decapitation1 but judge of the surprise of the brother1 when the good sister showed herself not to be very high-headed1 though big-bonneted1 by offering the offensive article to her accuser1 to manipulate into orthodox form1 if he were pleased to do so1 otherwise it would have to remain1 like ,mordecai at the ,king's gate1 steadfast and immovable4 ,the bonnet was not manipulated1 and the good sister continued to wear what neither her accuser nor any other person in ,green ,bay could put into another form4 ,before the expiration of his second year1 ,brother ,nicholas gave up the ,pastorate of the charge1 and his place was supplied by ,rev4 ,stephen ,p4 ,keyes4 ,in #ahci1 ,rev4 ,f4,a4 ,chenoweth was appointed to the charge1 and ,rev4 ,julius ,field was assigned to the ,district4 ,in #ahdj ,green ,bay was left to be supplied1 and ,rev4 ,boyd ,phelps was employed as the supply1 and the charge was assigned to ,platteville ,district1 with ,rev4 ,h4,w4 ,reed as ,presiding ,elder4 ,the following year1 #ahda1 the ,green ,bay ,district was formed1 with ,rev4 ,james ,r4 ,goodrich as the ,presiding ,elder1 and his name appears also as ,pastor of the charge1 but it is probable that ,brother ,phelps also assisted him in the ,pastorate as a supply4 ,in #ahdb the appointments remained the same1 but in #ahdc ,rev4 ,g4,l4,s4 ,stuff was appointed to the station4 ,brother ,stuff and ,brother ,keyes are remembered with great pleasure at ,green ,bay1 as men of sterling qualities and marked ability1 but as their labors have mostly fallen within the ,rock ,river ,conference1 their record will doubtless be made in connection with that field4 ,in #ahdd1 ,rev4 ,wm4 ,h4 ,sampson was appointed to the ,district1 as stated elsewhere1 and ,rev4 ,c4,n4 ,wager to the station4 ,he was followed in #ahde by ,rev4 ,t4,p4 ,bingham1 and the year following by ,rev4 ,r4,p4 ,lawton4 ,brother ,lawton entered the ,rock ,river ,conference this year1 and in this1 his first appointment1 acquitted himself creditably4 ,as this good brother1 who may be set down as one of the pioneers of the ,conference1 began his labors1 so he has continued to the present hour4 ,his appointments after leaving ,green ,bay1 have been ,dixon1 ,ill41 ,delavan1 ,mineral ,point1 ,waukesha1 ,reed ,street1 ,milwaukee1 ,palmyra1 ,grafton1 ,root ,river1 ,elkhorn1 ,delavan1 ,east ,troy1 ,evansville1 ,rosendale1 ,wautoma1 ,plover1 ,new ,london1 ,hart ,prairie1 ,utter's ,corners1 ,footville1 and ,jefferson1 where he is located at this writing4 ,brother ,lawton is a good preacher1 has a genial spirit1 and is devoted to his work4 ,he has passed over the greater portion of the ,conference1 and has a host of friends wherever he has been stationed4 ,rev4 ,a4,b4 ,randall was sent to ,green ,bay in #ahdg1 and it was during this year that the ,church edifice was sold4 ,this ,church was dedicated1 doubtless1 by ,rev4 ,john ,clark1 and had been used for ten years for religious purposes1 yet it is surprising to find how much of time and labor it required to purify it after it fell into the hands of the ,catholics4 ,i am told that they spent days of labor and nights of vigil1 exhausted miniature rivulets of holy water1 and pounds of precious gems1 frankincense1 and myrrh1 exorcising the devils and scattering the ,methodist imps of darkness from the holy place4 ,the balance of the money1 after paying the indebtedness1 was applied to the purchase of the ,second ,church1 which was still in use at the time of my visit4 ,on coming to ,green ,bay ,i found ,rev4 ,seth ,w4 ,ford as ,pastor1 who was commencing his second year on the charge4 ,he was in the midst of a revival1 and the charge appeared to be in a prosperous condition4 ,the ,quarterly ,meeting passed off very pleasantly1 and gave me the opportunity to share the hospitality of ,hon4 ,m4,l4 ,martin and his excellent family4 ,i also visited the ,fort1 and had the pleasure to enjoy the companionship of ,col4 ,ryan and his family4 ,brother ,ford entered the ,conference in #ahde1 as a classmate of the writer1 and passed with him through the course of graduation4 ,i have referred in a former chapter to the seven sessions through which we passed between the upper and nether millstones4 ,whether the result was flour or bran in the estimation of the ,committee would have been forever hidden from us1 doubtless1 had not the good brethren1 after our election to ,elder's orders1 moved that ,brother ,ford and myself be a ,committee to examine those of the class who had not been before the ,committee4 ,with our own experience fresh in our minds1 ,i have no doubt the balance of the class had an easy passage4 ,brother ,ford's fields of labor had been ,hamilton ,grove1 ,macomb1 and ,oneida ,indian ,mission4 ,in each he had made a good record1 and was now rapidly rising in his ,conference4 ,since he left ,green ,bay he has continued to hold good appointments1 and has served his ,conference six times as its ,secretary4 ,though slender in form1 and apparently not vigorous in health1 he has nevertheless taken his full share of work and is highly respected by his brethren4 ,the ,oneida ,indian ,mission1 lying twelve miles to the northwest of ,green ,bay1 next claimed my attention4 ,seated in my buggy1 ,i was soon at the ,parsonage1 where ,i found ,rev4 ,henry ,requa1 the ,missionary1 and his kind family4 ,the ,oneidas came from the ,state of ,new ,york4 ,a few of them came as early as #ahba1 but through some hitch in the negotiations with the ,menomonees for the lands constituting the ,reservation1 the removal did not become general until #ahcb4 ,meantime1 a ,mission had sprung up among the western branch of the nation4 ,in #ahbi a young ,mohawk1 who had been converted in ,canada1 began the good work and established meetings4 ,among the early ,missionaries the names of ,rev4 ,mr4 ,poe and ,rev4 ,john ,clark are especially fragrant1 but ,i have been unable to find satisfactory data until #ahdj1 when ,rev4 ,henry ,r4 ,colman was appointed to the ,mission4 ,brother ,colman remained until #ahde1 when he was succeeded by ,rev4 ,c4,g4 ,lathrop4 ,brother ,ford followed next1 and remained until #ahej1 when he was succeeded by ,brother ,requa4 ,meantime1 the old log church had given place to a respectable frame edifice4 ,there was also a good frame ,parsonage1 occupied by the ,missionary1 and a school house1 in which a school was kept either by the ,missionary or some one employed by him4 ,the membership at this time numbered one hundred and twenty-five4 ,the ,quarterly ,meeting was held on ,saturday and ,sabbath1 as on the other charges4 ,on ,saturday the ,quarterly ,conference was held1 composed of the official members1 but it was somewhat unique in its method of transacting its business4 ,the ,conference was opened with singing and prayer4 ,the next thing in order was an address from the ,elder1 or ,big ,missionary1 as he is called4 ,the address simply expressed the gratification of the ,elder with his visit1 and the encouraging things he has heard of the good work of ,god among them1 and then suggested such items of business as would require their attention4 ,this done1 ,i took my seat1 for what more could ,i do4 ,the business must now be done in a strange language1 and in the method of the red man4 ,after sitting in absolute silence for some minutes1 the head ,chief of the ,nation1 ,big ,jake1 as he is called1 being one of the ,stewards1 turned to a brother on his right and spoke a few words1 and received a reply4 ,then turning to another1 he did the same1 and thus continued to address each personally1 until all had been consulted4 ,at intervals there were long pauses1 indicative1 as ,i judged1 of the gravity of the matter to be considered4 ,at the end of an hour the ,council had completed its work4 ,the ,chief then arose in a very dignified manner1 but without ostentation1 and1 calling to his aid an interpreter1 proceeded to reply to the opening address4 ,he began his speech by expressing thanks1 on behalf of himself and people1 that the ,big ,missionary had come once more to see them4 ,he next referred to the good work that had been performed by the ,missionary1 and the special blessing of ,god upon his people4 ,and in conclusion1 he reported the items of business they had considered1 and the action taken in each case4 ,if anything further was desired at any time1 it was always presented in a most respectful manner4 ,in this case it was represented that they needed some repairs on the ,church1 and a bell1 and they desired that the ,missionary might be permitted to go abroad and raise the necessary funds4 ,permission was granted1 and the ,missionary1 taking several fine singers of the ,nation with him1 went to ,new ,york1 ,boston1 and other places1 and secured the needed help4 ,at the close of the public services came the hand shaking4 ,the ,missionary understood the matter and detained me in the ,altar for a moment1 ,commencing with the ladies and ending with the children1 every person in the ,church came forward and shook hands with the ,elder4 ,i was greatly pleased with ,chief ,jake4 ,he was a man of stalwart frame1 standing with head and shoulders above the people around him4 ,that giant frame supported a large head1 adorned by an expressive face4 ,his movement was dignified simply because he was a born nobleman1 and did not know how to appear other than like a prince4 ,he was benevolent and tender to all who were trying to do right1 but he was a terror to evil-doers4 ,standing for his people or the rights of the oppressed1 he was absolutely invincible4 ,brother ,requa entered the ,conference in #ahdg1 after having been employed one year as second preacher at ,waupun4 ,he was appointed to ,brothertown in #ahdg1 to ,lowell in #ahdh1 and ,fond du ,lac in #ahdi1 ,here his health partially failed1 and1 in consequence1 he was sent to ,oneida4 ,from the first1 ,brother ,requa attracted attention as a ,preacher4 ,the first time ,i heard him was at the ,camp-,meeting at ,sun ,prairie1 in the summer of #ahdf4 ,he had only recently been converted1 and was now called out to exhort at the close of a sermon4 ,he had been known in the community as an ,infidel1 which greatly increased the interest felt by all when he arose to speak4 ,but the first utterance of his eloquent tongue1 so full of feeling and so decided in its tone1 disarmed all criticism4 ,as he advanced1 he threw off restraint1 until he was master of himself and the congregation4 ,once free1 he seemed to lose sight of all but the condition of a perishing world4 ,with lost men he reasoned1 expostulated1 entreated1 until it seemed that the whole audience was moving towards the ,altar4 ,while at ,oneida1 as before stated1 he went ,east to raise funds for the ,mission4 ,wherever he went1 he was recognized as a man of rare eloquence4 ,throngs followed him from ,church to ,church1 and1 as might be expected1 his mission was a great success4 ,on his return with the bell1 the people were overjoyed4 ,for the first week after it was hung in the steeple1 it was kept going1 almost night and day4 ,the friends came from every part of the reservation1 and no one was satisfied until his own hand pulled the rope4 ,and so high did the enthusiasm run that one man said1 ,as soon as we get able1 we will put one on every house in ,oneida4 ,after ,brother ,requa left ,oneida1 he served one year as ,agent of ,lawrence ,university1 and was specially engaged in raising an ,indian ,scholarship ,fund4 ,his appointments subsequently were3 ,janesville1 ,fond du ,lac ,district1 ,oshkosh1 ,sheboygan ,falls1 ,sheboygan1 ,brandon and ,ripon4 ,in ,march1 #ahfe1 his second year at ,ripon1 he went as a ,delegate of the ,christian ,commission to the army4 ,his field of labor was ,little ,rock1 ,ark4 ,while here he was taken ill with the chronic diarrhoea1 and on the #aith of ,may departed to his home above4 ,during his illness1 he was attended by his old friend1 ,brother ,a4 ,b4 ,randall4 ,just before he died1 he requested his attendant to bear this message to his brethren of the ,wisconsin ,conference3 ,tell them that ,henry ,requa died at his post4 ,he then added1 ,take my ashes back to be interred among my brethren4 ,i have labored with them for twenty years past1 trying to preach ,jesus4 ,my present acceptance with ,god is a great comfort to me now4 ,i am very unworthy1 but ,i believe there are some in glory who call me father4 ,in looking over my whole life ,i cannot see an act upon which ,i would risk the salvation of my soul2 the best of them need washing in the blood of ,jesus4 ,i know ,i have a home in glory4 ,how precious ,jesus is4 ,jesus1 ,i love thee for what thou hast done for me4 ,i will praise thee forever4 ,brother ,requa was a man of ardent temperament1 and at times impulsive1 but he was a true man and a faithful minister4 ,his attachments were strong and abiding4 ,he loved the work in which he was engaged1 and was very generally popular among the people4 ,a born ,radical1 he was liable to push matters beyond what more conservative minds deemed wise1 and it is possible that in some instances his extreme methods defeated his purpose1 but even then1 no one questioned the rectitude of his heart4 ,in the death of ,brother ,requa the ,conference sustained a severe loss4 ,his remains were interred in ,college ,hill ,cemetery1 at ,ripon4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,fond du ,lac ,district ,continued4--,appleton4--,early ,history4--,rev4 ,c4,g4 ,lathrop--,lawrence ,university4--,incipient ,stages4--,charter4--,trustees4 ,agent4--,first ,board of ,instruction4--,buildings4--,faculty4--, rev4 ,dr4 ,cooke4--,rev4 ,dr4 ,cobleigh4--,rev4 ,dr4 ,mason4--,rev4 ,dr4 ,knox4--,rev4 ,dr4 ,steele4 ,leaving ,oneida1 ,i next visited ,appleton1 where ,i was kindly received by ,rev4 ,c4,g4 ,lathrop1 the ,pastor1 and his good wife4 ,though three years had scarcely passed since the echoes of the woodman's axe first rang through the forests of this locality1 yet ,i found ,appleton to be a village of considerable pretensions4 ,the location of ,lawrence ,university at this point1 and the great promise of business1 given by its almost unparalleled water-power1 had already drawn together an enterprising community4 ,good buildings had been erected1 and the village was putting on an air of thrift4 ,the first sermon preached in ,appleton1 and probably in ,outagamie ,county1 was delivered by ,rev4 ,wm4 ,h4 ,sampson1 ,oct4 #h1 #ahdh1 in a shanty occupied by ,brother ,john ,f4 ,johnson and family4 ,the first class was formed by ,rev4 ,a4 ,b4 ,randall1 the ,pastor of ,oshkosh circuit1 whose charge included ,appleton1 in ,february1 #ahdi4 ,the first members were ,robert ,r4 ,bateman1 ,leader1 ,robert ,s4 ,bateman1 ,mary ,bateman1 ,amelia ,bateman1 ,electa ,norton1 ,theresa ,randall1 ,l4 ,l4 ,randall1 ,j4,f4 ,johnson and ,d4,w4 ,briggs4 ,brother ,randall organized the first ,sunday ,school in ,march1 #ahdi1 with ,robert ,r4 ,bateman as ,superintendent4 ,the meetings were held in private houses until the ,chapel of the ,institute was ready for use4 ,they were held in the ,chapel thereafter until the first ,church was erected4 ,in ,june1 #ahed1 the corner-stone of the ,church was laid by ,edwin ,atkinson1 ,dr4 ,edward ,cooke officiating4 ,the lecture-room was occupied during the following winter1 and the ,church was dedicated by ,dr4 ,n4,e4 ,cobleigh in ,june1 #ahee4 ,the ,quarterly ,meeting1 the first held in ,appleton1 was convened in the ,institute ,chapel1 ,sept #bg1 #ahea4 ,the members of the ,quarterly ,conference present were ,c4,g4 ,lathrop1 ,r4,o4 ,kellogg1 ,jabez ,brooks1 ,d4,l4 ,atwell1 ,george ,e4 ,havens1 ,charles ,levings1 ,john ,day1 ,h4,l4 ,blood1 ,a4,c4 ,darling1 ,l4,l4 ,randall1 ,d4,c4 ,weston1 ,william ,rork1 and ,j4,f4 ,johnson4 ,the meeting was well attended1 and the services indicated a healthy spiritual condition4 ,rev4 ,curtis ,g4 ,lathrop entered the ,rock ,river ,conference in #ahdb1 and his first appointment was ,aztalan4 ,before coming to ,appleton he had been stationed at ,lancaster1 ,oneida ,indian ,mission1 ,green ,lake and ,fall ,river4 ,after leaving ,appleton his fields of labor have been ,green ,bay1 ,oneida1 ,indian ,mission1 ,presiding ,elder of ,watertown ,district1 ,menasha1 ,neenah1 ,waupaca1 ,dartford1 ,fox ,lake1 ,vinland and ,randolph4 ,he took a superannuated relation in #ahfh1 but during #ahgj and #ahga he was able to serve as ,chaplain of the ,western ,seaman's ,friend ,society1 at ,washington ,island4 ,having removed to ,nebraska1 he was made effective in #ahgd and transferred to the ,nebraska ,conference4 ,brother ,lathrop is a man of vigorous mental endowments4 ,he is an able ,preacher1 has a reliable judgment1 and possesses a kind spirit4 ,he hates shams and thoroughly detests the superficial4 ,he never hangs out a flag to catch the popular breeze1 and does not turn the prow of his craft down the stream4 ,his convictions are strong1 but ,curtis ,g4 ,lathrop is the soul of integrity1 and is most highly appreciated where best known4 ,the ,lawrence ,university1 located at ,appleton1 deserves special notice1 it being the first1 and1 at the present writing1 the only school of the ,church within the bounds of the ,conference4 ,in the ,spring of #ahdf1 ,rev4 ,wm4 ,h4 ,sampson received a letter from ,h4 ,eugene ,eastman1 ,esq41 of ,green ,bay1 informing him that a gentleman in ,boston1 ,mass41 proposed to donate ten thousand dollars to found a school in the ,west4 ,and as the gentleman entertained an exalted opinion of the adaptations of the ,methodist ,church to the work contemplated1 he was authorized to give the proposition that direction4 ,the conditions on which the trust must be accepted were1 that the ,school should be located on the ,fox ,river between ,neenah and ,green ,bay1 and that an additional ten thousand dollars should be contributed by other parties4 ,brother ,sampson submitted the proposition to the ,conference1 which met in ,august1 and was instructed by that body to continue the correspondence1 and1 if possible1 reduce the negotiations to a definite form4 ,in ,december following1 ,rev4 ,reeder ,smith1 who had been employed as ,agent of the ,school at ,albion1 ,mich41 came to ,fond du ,lac1 bearing the proposition directly from ,hon4 ,amos ,a4 ,lawrence1 the gentleman referred to4 ,not finding ,brother ,sampson at home1 he went down to ,brothertown and secured the co-operation of ,rev4 ,h4,r4 ,colman in making an exploration of the ,fox ,river4 ,they went to ,green ,bay1 thence to ,kaukauna1 and1 accompanied by ,george ,w4 ,law1 ,esq41 thence to ,grand ,chute1 the present site of ,appleton4 ,after looking over the grounds now constituting the campus of the ,university1 they passed on to ,oshkosh1 and thence to ,fond du ,lac4 ,brother ,sampson had now returned1 and it was decided to hold a meeting in ,milwaukee for consultation4 ,the meeting was convened ,december #b #hth1 #ahdf1 and was composed of the following members of the ,conference3 ,wm4 ,h4 ,sampson1 ,henry ,r4 ,colman1 ,washington ,wilcox1 and ,wm4 ,m4,d4 ,ryan4 ,to these were added ,reeder ,smith1 ,geo4 ,e4,h4 ,day1 and doubtless several others whose names ,i have not been able to learn4 ,at this meeting a ,charter was drafted for the ,lawrence ,institute1 and ,rev4 ,reeder ,smith was sent to ,madison to lay it before the ,legislature4 ,the ,charter received the signature of ,gov4 ,dodge1 ,jan4 #ag1 #ahdg1 and the following gentlemen were constituted the first ,board of ,trustees3 ,henry ,dodge1 ,loyal ,h4 ,jones1 ,jacob ,l4 ,bean1 ,wm4 ,h4 ,sampson1 ,n4,p4 ,talmadge1 ,henry ,r4 ,colman1 ,h4,s4 ,baird1 ,wm4 ,dutcher1 ,m4 ,c4 ,darling1 ,m4,l4 ,martin1 ,geo4 ,e4,h4 ,day1 ,d4,c4 ,vosburg1 and ,reeder ,smith4 ,the first meeting of the ,board was to have been held in ,fond du ,lac1 ,june #cj1 #ahdg1 but as there was not a quorum present1 the meeting was adjourned to ,sept4 #c;d4 ,at this meeting the ,board was duly organized by the election of the following officers3 ,hon4 ,m4,c4 ,darling1 ,president2 ,hon4 ,n4,p4 ,talmadge1 ,first ,vice ,president2 ,h4,s4 ,baird1 ,esq41 ,second ,vice ,president2 ,rev4 ,wm4 ,h4 ,sampson1 ,secretary1 and ,hon4 ,morgan ,l4 ,martin1 ,treasurer4 ,rev4 ,reeder ,smith was appointed ,agent4 ,geo4 ,w4 ,law1 ,esq41 and ,hon4 ,john ,f4 ,mead now offered a donation of thirty-one acres of land each1 on condition that the ,institute should be located at ,grand ,chute4 ,the offer was accepted1 and the location was made1 the name of the place being soon after changed to ,appleton4 ,in due time the ,law ,tract was conveyed to the ,trustees1 but1 by some strange mismanagement1 to say the least1 on the part of the ,agent1 the ,mead land was conveyed to another party1 and it was lost to the ,institute4 ,at the ,conference of #ahdh1 ,brother ,sampson was appointed ,principal1 and was expected to serve as ,agent until the building to be erected was ready for occupancy4 ,in pursuance of this arrangement he left ,fond du ,lac1 ,sept4 #gth1 to enter upon his new field of operations4 ,he took the steamer to ,neenah1 and then obtained an ,indian ,dug-out for the balance of the journey4 ,as the craft carried no sail1 he was compelled to put her before the white ash breeze across ,lake ,butte des ,morts1 and down the river to the point of destination1 his craft being nearly swamped by a gale on the ,lake4 ,on the #hth of ,september he began to cut a road to the grounds and clear the brush from the campus1 thereby making the beginning of both the ,institute and the city of ,appleton4 ,the lumber for the building of the ,preparatory ,department was purchased of ,hon4 ,m4,l4 ,martin1 and was delivered at ,duck ,creek4 ,the timber was furnished by ,col4 ,h4,l4 ,blood4 ,through the indomitable energy of ,col4 ,blood and the co-operation of the agents1 the building1 seventy by thirty feet in size1 and three stories high1 was ready to receive students on the #abth day of ,november1 #ahdi4 ,the ,faculty with which the school opened were ,rev4 ,wm4 ,h4 ,sampson1 ,principal1 ,rev4 ,r4,o4 ,kellogg1 ,professor of ,ancient ,languages1 ,mr4 ,james ,m4 ,phinney1 ,professor of ,mathematics1 and ,miss ,emeline ,m4 ,crooker1 ,preceptress4 ,the first catalogue1 published in the fall of #ahej1 showed a list of one hundred and five students1 which was certainly a very creditable beginning4 ,the name of the ,institute was now changed to ,lawrence ,university4 ,a record of the early years of struggle and sacrifice necessary to found the ,university would fill a volume1 and cannot be given at length in these pages4 ,having been a member of the ,board for nearly a quarter of a century1 ,i could say much of the noble men who performed double service on half pay1 but such a recital cannot here be given4 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,edward ,cooke was installed ,president of the ,university ,june #bi1 #ahec4 ,at the same time the corner stone of the ,college building was laid by ,hon4 ,m4,c4 ,darling1 ,rev4 ,alfred ,bronson1 ,d4,d41 delivering the address4 ,the edifice1 a substantial stone structure1 one hundred and twenty by sixty feet1 and five stories high1 was pushed forward to an early completion by the untiring energy of the agents1 ,rev4 ,j4,s4 ,prescott and ,col4 ,h4,l4 ,blood4 ,for college purposes the building ranked among the first in the ,west4 ,in both ,students and ,faculty ,lawrence ,university has been fortunate from the beginning4 ,as to the former1 she has sent out not a few representative men to the several occupations of life1 several of whom will find mention in these pages4 ,as to the latter1 she has enjoyed the labors of a class of instructors whose names have found an honorable place in both the clerical and literary circles of the ,commonwealth4 ,of ,rev4 ,wm4 ,h4 ,sampson1 the first head of the ,faculty1 a record has been made in a former chapter1 and it would afford me pleasure to refer at length to the several members of the first ,faculty1 as also to all the ,professors who have followed1 but ,i find it will be impossible to do so in these brief pages4 ,rev4 ,edward ,cooke1 ,d4,d41 the first ,president1 entered the ,new ,jersey ,conference in #ahdc4 ,he was a graduate of the ,wesleyan ,university1 ,middletown1 ,conn4 ,his first appointment was ,principal of the ,pennington ,male ,seminary1 ,n4,j4 ,in #ahdg he was transferred to the ,new ,england ,conference1 and stationed at ,saugus4 ,his subsequent appointments were ,union ,church ,charlestown1 ,d4 ,street1 ,centenary1 and ,hanover1 of ,boston1 ,mass4 ,he was transferred to the ,wisconsin ,conference in #ahec1 having been elected ,president of the ,university4 ,as a ,president he was very popular1 and during his administration of six years had the satisfaction to see the ,institution rise from a feeble preparatory school to a full-fledged ,university4 ,in addition to the ordinary duties of his position1 he was largely concerned with the financial matters of the enterprise1 but in every portion of the work ,dr4 ,cooke showed great wisdom1 tact and devotion4 ,and during his term he laid the friends of education in the ,state under lasting obligations4 ,after leaving the ,university1 he was stationed at ,summerfield ,church1 ,milwaukee1 but1 returning to ,boston at the close of his term1 he was elected ,principal of the ,wesleyan ,academy1 ,wilbraham1 ,mass41 where he has enjoyed great success in his administration4 ,dr4 ,cooke is a man of fine presence1 and a good ,preacher4 ,genial in spirit1 full of anecdote and well read1 he is very companionable4 ,he has a multitude of friends in ,wisconsin4 ,rev4 ,nelson ,e4 ,cobleigh1 ,d4,d41 was elected ,professor in #ahed4 ,he was also a graduate of the ,wesleyan ,university4 ,on coming ,west1 he was first elected ,professor in the ,mc,kendree ,college1 ,ill41 from which position he came to ,appleton4 ,his first visit to these northern wilds1 as ,appleton was then called1 was a memorable one4 ,it was a ,commencement occasion1 and in connection with the other exercises1 the annual ,missionary ,meeting was held4 ,under the leadership of ,dr4 ,cooke1 ,brother ,cobleigh was appointed to deliver one of the addresses4 ,there were three speakers appointed as usual1 and the second place was assigned to ,dr4 ,cobleigh and the last to ,dr4 ,cooke4 ,the first speech1 brief and to the point1 was made1 and as ,chairman ,i introduced ,dr4 ,cobleigh4 ,the speech opened in a quiet1 clear1 and common-sense way1 none expecting more than a good1 average effort4 ,but before the speaker had proceeded far1 his sentences began to grow intense1 and the blood began to shoot upward in deep1 livid lines along the neck and face1 and wreathe his forehead4 ,all eyes were turned upon him1 and each hearer began to feel the kindlings of a strange inspiration4 ,but the speaker was lost to everything except his theme4 ,he dashed on from one burning thought to another1 carrying his audience with him1 in such storms of eloquence as had never before enchanted the walls of the ,university ,chapel4 ,at the expiration of a full hour1 the great orator came to himself and resumed his seat1 amid the shouts of the people4 ,as soon as quiet intervened1 ,i introduced ,dr4 ,cooke4 ,the ,doctor came forward and stated that as the speakers had been limited to thirty minutes each1 and as his good friend1 ,dr4 ,cobleigh1 had used an hour1 without any fault of his own1 however1 as he could not help it1 he would not attempt to make a speech himself1 but would adopt the last half of the last speech1 which was infinitely better than he could do if he were to speak4 ,the fine turn of the ,doctor was taken with a good zest4 ,after serving the ,university several years1 ,dr4 ,cobleigh went back to ,mc,kendree ,college as ,president4 ,he next served as ,editor of ,zion's ,herald1 in ,boston1 then was ,president of our ,college in ,tennessee1 and at the last ,general ,conference he was elected editor of the ,advocate at ,atlanta1 ,ga4 ,but his work was soon finished1 and he passed on to join the great and good who have entered the ,heavenly gates4 ,dr4 ,r4,z4 ,mason came to the ,university as a ,professor in #ahee1 and continued to hold this position until the resignation of ,dr4 ,cooke1 when he succeeded to the ,presidency4 ,he remained at this post until the election of ,dr4 ,steele1 when he entered upon business pursuits in ,appleton4 ,the ,presidency of ,dr4 ,mason was distinguished by great anxiety and severe labor4 ,like the ,presidents who went before1 and those who have followed1 he was greatly burdened with the financial management4 ,the several schemes which had been adopted to secure an ,endowment ,fund for the ,university1 had not fully met expectations1 and in consequence1 an indebtedness had been incurred4 ,to lift this incumbrance became the special concern of ,president ,mason4 ,he traveled over the ,state1 visiting the charges in person1 and taking subscriptions wherever they could be obtained4 ,and ,i am happy to say that through his great ability in this direction1 and his unbounded persistence1 the work was carried forward to a grand success4 ,rev4 ,loren ,l4 ,knox1 ,d4,d41 was another member of the ,faculty4 ,brother ,knox had also given the greater portion of his life to educational work4 ,his successful administration of the interests of leading institutions of learning in the ,east had fully prepared the ,board to expect in him a valuable accession to the ,faculty1 and they were not disappointed4 ,he was found to be a thorough scholar1 a wise and careful instructor1 and a ,christian gentleman of the highest and purest style4 ,after leaving the ,university1 ,dr4 ,knox did good service in the pulpit for several years1 but1 finally1 his health so far failed that he was compelled to take a superannuated relation4 ,at the present writing he is residing at ,evanston1 where he is giving such attention to literary work as he finds himself able to perform4 ,rev4 ,geo4 ,m4 ,steele1 ,d4,d41 the ,president of the ,university at this present time1 is a man of fine literary attainments1 an able administrator1 a superior preacher1 and a writer of pronounced reputation4 ,he is also a graduate of ,middletown1 and has had considerable experience as an instructor4 ,he was elected ,president of the ,university in #ahfe1 and has more than met the highest expectations of the ,board4 ,in addition to his duties at the head of the ,faculty1 he has given his personal attention largely to the financial interests of the ,institution4 ,in this particular he has achieved a grand work1 both in managing the current expenditures1 and in increasing the ,endowment ,fund4 ,the ,doctor is a great acquisition to the ,university1 and is highly esteemed by his brethren4 ,the ,conference have delighted to honor him in all appropriate ways1 and especially in sending him to both ,general ,conferences which have occurred since he became a member of the body4 ,having thus paid our respects to ,appleton and the ,university1 we are prepared to pass on to other fields4 ,to complete the round there were two charges yet to visit1 but as these will claim our attention hereafter ,i need not refer to them now1 except to give an incident that transpired at the ,quarterly ,meeting held on one of them4 ,the meeting was held in a school house4 ,the new schoolteacher1 a nice youngster1 concluded to lead the singing4 ,gathering a few young people around him1 and displaying a tuning-fork1 he was ready for the services to begin4 ,i gave the hymn commencing1 ,come1 ,holy ,spirit1 ,heavenly ,dove4 ,when ,i had finished the reading1 the chorister arose with superlative dignity1 and gave the key4 ,unfortunately1 the choir dropped a tone or two too low1 and the first verse was sung at that disadvantage4 ,discovering the blunder1 the key was again given1 but the singers were now getting nervous1 and instead of rising1 they went still lower1 as they sang1 ,look how we grovel here below4 ,certainly the chariot wheels of ,pharaoh did not roll more heavily than the numbers from that orchestra4 ,i remembered old ,balerma1 and felt deeply for them4 ,but our young knight of the tuning-fork was not to be vanquished4 ,with a dash he brought the fork down upon the desk1 and gave the key again4 ,but alas6 for all human expectations6 ,the choir dropped down to a dead monotone1 as they went on with the next verse3 ,in vain we tune our formal songs1 ,in vain we strive to rise2 ,hosannas languish on our tongues1 ,and our devotion dies4 ,both the choir and congregation felt a relief when the ,minister said1 ,let us pray4 ,having completed the first round of the ,district1 ,i returned to ,fond du ,lac to begin the second4 ,but it is not my purpose to give the details of each round or year1 as the labors of a ,presiding ,elder are too monotonous to furnish a record that would be entertaining to the general reader4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,fond du ,lac ,district ,continued4--,baraboo ,conference4--,lodi ,camp ,meeting4--,fall ,river4--,revival at ,appleton4--,rev4 ,elmore ,yocum4--,revival at ,sheboygan ,falls4--,revival at ,fond du ,lac4--,rev4 ,e4,s4 ,grumley4--,revival at ,sheboygan4--,rev4 ,n4,j4 ,aplin4--,camp-,meeting at ,greenbush4--,rev4 ,a4,m4 ,hulce4--,results of the ,year4--,janesville ,conference4--,omro4 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,golden4--,the ,cowhams4--,quarterly ,meeting4--,my ,father's ,death4--,close of the ,term4 ,the ,conference of #aheb was held at ,fond du ,lac1 ,sept4 #ast1 and was presided over by ,bishop ,ames4 ,this was the first ,conference held by the good ,bishop after his election to his high office4 ,the visit was also the first the good people of ,northern ,wisconsin had enjoyed from a ,bishop of the ,church4 ,both parties appeared delighted with the acquaintance4 ,on the ,sabbath preceding the session of the ,conference1 the new ,church in the upper town was dedicated by the ,bishop1 the preachers of the ,conference generally being in attendance4 ,at this ,conference ,i performed my first labor in the ,cabinet4 ,i felt the responsibility to be one of great gravity1 but sought to bear it in the fear of ,god4 ,in fact1 the adjustment of the appointments had been the subject of careful thought and earnest prayer during the last three months of the year4 ,from the first ,i felt that the adjustment of the ,ministers and their work required the nicest discrimination and the most absolute self-abnegation4 ,resolving to discharge my duty fearlessly1 and yet fully in the spirit of the ,golden ,rule1 ,i entered upon the responsibility4 ,whether ,i succeeded or not1 is a matter ,i have referred to the day when ,the ,books shall be opened4 ,there were but few changes made in the appointments in the ,district1 as ,i then cherished1 as ,i have since1 the conviction that changes1 other than by limitation1 should only be made for grave reasons4 ,fond du ,lac was divided into two charges1 ,rev4 ,m4 ,himebaugh1 of whom a record has been made1 being sent to the ,north ,ward1 and ,rev4 ,ezra ,tucker to the ,south ,ward4 ,the year in both charges was generally prosperous4 ,brother ,tucker was a new man in the work1 and entered upon his labors with great zeal4 ,having the new ,church1 and the inspiration usually experienced in such cases1 he was encouraged with an extraordinary promise of success1 but before the expiration of the year he fell sick1 and was compelled to suspend his labors4 ,after resting two years he was again able to resume work4 ,he filled several appointments thereafter in the ,wisconsin ,conference1 and then removed to ,minnesota1 where1 on both stations and ,districts1 he has rendered effective service4 ,rev4 ,jabez ,brooks was appointed to ,oshkosh1 but as he was still needed in the ,professorship he had formerly held in the ,lawrence ,university1 ,i changed his appointment4 ,brother ,brooks subsequently filled out the balance of ,brother ,tucker's year at ,fond du ,lac1 and was then stationed at ,jackson ,street1 ,milwaukee4 ,he was subsequently made ,president of the ,hamline ,university1 and at the present writing is ,professor in the ,state ,university of ,minnesota4 ,dr4 ,brooks1 for such is his present title1 is a prime man in every respect4 ,scholarly1 logical1 clear-headed1 kind-hearted and diligent1 he is a general favorite1 wherever known4 ,during this year a ,camp-,meeting was held on the ,district4 ,the ground selected was ,father ,bower's ,grove1 on the east shore of ,lake ,butte des ,morts1 six miles above ,oshkosh4 ,the meeting was held ,june #hth1 #ahec4 ,the attendance was good1 there being ten tents on the ground1 and there were fifty conversions4 ,the year closed pleasantly1 and on my way to the ,conference1 to be held at ,baraboo1 ,aug4 #cast1 ,i attended a ,camp-,meeting at ,lodi4 ,the meeting had been appointed with a view to intercept the ,bishop and the ,preachers on their way to the ,conference4 ,the attendance was large and the meeting spirited4 ,bishop ,scott came early in the week1 and before ,friday night there were not less than sixty-five ,preachers in attendance4 ,after preaching twice1 the ,bishop left on ,saturday1 as he was to dedicate the new ,church in ,baraboo on the ,sabbath4 ,as it was desirable also for the ,presiding ,elder to go forward with the ,bishop1 ,i was requested to remain and take charge of the ,camp-,meeting until ,monday4 ,i consented on condition that the ,bishop would take the clergy with him to the dedication4 ,i selected a few men from the ,fond du ,lac ,district1 and a few others from the vicinity of the meeting to remain with me1 and the balance mostly went with the ,bishop4 ,the change in the state of affairs1 as ,i anticipated1 was felt immediately4 ,the ,laity1 who must always form the basis of a successful meeting1 now came forward and took hold of the work4 ,on ,saturday night the ,spirit fell on the people in great power4 ,before the conclusion of the sermon it was manifest that there would be1 to change the reference1 an abundance of rain4 ,in the ,prayer ,meeting which followed1 not less than thirty souls were converted4 ,on ,sabbath the meeting went forward with great spirit4 ,but the climax was not reached until ,sabbath evening1 when1 at the close of a sermon by ,brother ,himebaugh1 the whole audience seemed to respond to the invitations of the ,gospel4 ,the ,altar was thronged and the adjacent seats were filled far back into the congregation4 ,it was impossible to tell how many were forward as seekers1 or how many were converted1 but those immediately engaged in the work1 expressed the belief that not less than one hundred persons passed into the ,kingdom of ,grace4 ,the meeting had now received such momentum that it was impossible to close it on ,monday4 ,it was put in charge of brethren who were not immediately needed at the ,conference1 and was continued nearly the entire week4 ,on this trip to the ,conference1 ,i was permitted to enjoy the companionship of ,rev4 ,n4,j4 ,aplin1 who rendered signal service in the meeting on the ,sabbath4 ,the ,conference at ,baraboo was one of unusual interest4 ,the greetings of the ,preachers were cordial1 as they always are where persons make sacrifices and put forth labor in a common cause4 ,it was the first visit of ,bishop ,scott to the ,conference1 and his urbanity and self-sacrificing labors endeared him to all4 ,the business of the ,conference was done in the spirit of the ,master1 but an unhappy trial made the session a very protracted one4 ,this being the second year of my ,presiding ,eldership1 the ,disciplinary limit required several removals1 but ,i need not give them in detail1 as they can be ascertained1 if desirable1 by consulting the ,minutes4 ,on our return from the ,conference we reached ,fall ,river on ,saturday evening1 and remained there over the ,sabbath4 ,on arriving at the forks of the roads on the crown of the prairie1 the several ,preachers who were in company halted for a proper distribution among the good people4 ,rev4 ,a4,p4 ,allen1 the inimitable joker1 who had served as ,pastor on the charge1 installed himself master of ceremonies1 and proceeded to divide up the company4 ,after assigning the balance to their respective quarters1 he said1 ,now1 ,i guess the young ,presiding ,elder and the old ,pastor had better go to ,aunt ,martha's1 as that is the place where they do up the chicken-fixings scientifically4 ,we were delightfully entertained by ,rev4 ,e4,j4 ,smith and family1 with whom1 it will be remembered1 ,i became acquainted in #ahde4 ,on ,sabbath morning1 accompanied by ,brother and ,sister ,smith and their daughters1 now ,mrs4 ,pedrick and ,mrs4 ,coe1 of ,ripon1 we attended religious services at the school house in ,fall ,river1 where the serving fell to the lot of the writer4 ,at the beginning of the new year1 special attention was given to the finances in the several charges4 ,and during the first round the work was planned for the winter campaign4 ,fixing on the localities where ,i could render special assistance to the ,pastors1 it was arranged to commence the services with the ,quarterly ,meetings1 and if the work should require more than the following week1 ,i could return after the succeeding ,quarterly ,meeting had been held4 ,the first meeting was held at ,appleton1 ,rev4 ,elmore ,yocum being the ,pastor4 ,this noble man1 one of the excellent of the earth1 came to the ,conference in #ahdi by transfer from the ,north ,ohio ,conference1 and was appointed ,presiding ,elder of the ,platteville ,district4 ,at the close of his term1 he was stationed at ,appleton1 where his family could enjoy special educational advantages4 ,at the end of two years he was made ,presiding ,elder of the ,appleton ,district1 and at the close of his term went to the ,west ,wisconsin ,conference1 as he had become identified with the ,educational ,institution at ,point ,bluff4 ,both as ,pastor and ,presiding ,elder ,brother ,yocum was deservedly popular4 ,the meeting at ,appleton awakened intense interest4 ,the good work grew upon our hands from day to day1 until the business of the village was largely suspended during the hours of religious service4 ,all classes fell under the good influence1 and both students and citizens shared in the result4 ,one hundred and thirty souls were converted4 ,the next meeting was held at ,sheboygan ,falls4 ,as ,i drove into the village1 the severest storm of the winter was raging1 and by ,sabbath morning the snow was two feet in depth4 ,during the following night the winds piled it into drifts that made the roads nearly impassable4 ,what was to be done8 ,the prospect certainly looked dubious4 ,but it occurred to me that a little preparation for the meeting would be of service1 and this could now be done before the crowd should rush in upon us4 ,we decided to go on4 ,illustrating the saying1 ,where there's a will there's a way1 the good people opened the streets in the village1 and a small congregation was brought together4 ,the ,spirit of ,god came down in sweet1 melting influences1 and1 under the ,divine inspiration1 the faith of the ,church grew strong4 ,before the end of the week the place was filled1 and souls were being converted4 ,the ,pastor was ,rev4 ,r4,w4 ,barnes4 ,and as soon as the meeting was well established1 the ,pastors of the other ,churches1 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,marsh1 of the ,congregational1 and ,rev4 ,mr4 ,lull1 of the ,baptist1 came in with their people4 ,they were received cordially1 and set at work as opportunity offered4 ,besides these1 several of our own ,laymen gave themselves almost wholly to the work4 ,among these1 ,rev4 ,l4 ,cheeseman1 a ,local ,preacher1 and ,e4,t4 ,bond1 ,esq41 a merchant1 deserve special mention4 ,too much cannot be said in praise of these lay workers and the ,church generally4 ,with their ,pastor1 they were instant in season and out of season4 ,after the regular labor of the evening was concluded1 it was no uncommon thing for them to organize a second meeting for such of the seekers as had not obtained a satisfactory evidence of conversion4 ,here1 in prayer and ,christian ,conference1 they would labor until midnight1 and in some instances until the dawn of day4 ,the shout of victory usually signalled the close of the meeting4 ,a more thorough work than this ,i never witnessed4 ,i left the meeting twice before its close to attend to my work elsewhere1 and was brought back by a messenger4 ,during the meeting one hundred and fifty souls professed conversion1 and among them were both men and women1 who have since shown themselves to be valiant soldiers for ,prince ,immanuel4 ,the next meeting was held in the ,south ,ward charge1 ,fond du ,lac4 ,the ,pastor1 ,rev4 ,e4,s4 ,grumley1 who had been appointed to the charge at the recent ,conference1 entered the ,north ,ohio ,conference in #ahdb4 ,he had been stationed at ,lower ,sandusky1 ,bucyrus1 ,ashland1 ,shanesville1 ,ohio ,city1 ,tiffin1 ,sandusky ,city and ,norwalk4 ,since his transfer to the ,conference in #ahea1 he had been two years at ,council ,hill4 ,after filling his term in ,fond du ,lac he was1 for a full term1 ,presiding ,elder on ,racine ,district4 ,after leaving the ,district he continued to hold respectable appointments until #ahga1 when his health failed and he was compelled to take a superannuated relation4 ,brother ,grumley was a man of small frame and apparently of feeble health1 yet he was able to do effective work to the last4 ,he had a sound head1 and a heart equally sound4 ,he was a good ,preacher1 and a superior ,pastor4 ,revivals usually attended his labors1 and he was always highly esteemed by the people4 ,the meeting at ,fond du ,lac immediately followed the one at ,sheboygan ,falls4 ,with my family ,i left the latter place in time to reach ,fond du ,lac at noon on ,saturday4 ,but through detention ,i was just driving into the city as the bell was ringing for the service4 ,hastily caring for my horse1 ,i went immediately to the ,church4 ,before the services were concluded1 ,i saw evident assurances that the ,pastor had been making careful preparation for the work before us4 ,the opening sermon was addressed to the ,church1 and found a ready and hearty response4 ,before the ,quarterly ,meeting had passed1 it was manifest that a glorious revival was impending4 ,seekers of religion came to the ,altar and found a prepared ,church to lead them to ,christ4 ,the meeting went on from night to night1 and before the end of the week1 each night brought scores of seekers4 ,the good ,pastor was now at home4 ,in prayer1 in exhortation1 and in labor at the side of the seeker1 he was a tower of strength4 ,among the laity there were also several excellent laborers1 who rendered valuable services in the meeting4 ,the revival reached all classes1 from youth to old age1 and gave to the ,church many reliable accessions4 ,at the beginning1 sister ,churches joined largely in the meeting1 but as the work extended among their people1 they opened meetings at their own places of worship4 ,the change1 however1 did not check the revival4 ,it swept on through the community1 and all the ,churches shared in the harvest of souls4 ,during this year ,sheboygan was also favored with a revival4 ,rev4 ,n4,j4 ,aplin1 the ,pastor1 came to ,wisconsin during the previous year4 ,he came from ,western ,new ,york1 where he had been engaged in business1 bringing a note of introduction from ,rev4 ,moses ,miller1 my uncle1 who had been for several years his neighbor4 ,i employed him at once1 for the balance of the year1 at ,charlestown1 a new charge that ,i had just formed4 ,he was admitted on trial at the ensuing ,conference1 and appointed to ,sheboygan4 ,after leaving ,sheboygan1 ,brother ,aplin's appointments have been3 ,manitowoc1 ,waukesha1 ,brookfield1 ,watertown1 ,beaver ,dam1 ,oconomowoc1 ,berlin1 ,geneva1 ,sun ,prairie1 ,sharon1 and ,clemensville4 ,at the last named place1 he is still rendering the cause effective service4 ,brother ,aplin has been a successful man1 and has seen1 at various times1 extensive revivals under his labors4 ,he is a man who seeks not his own but the things of ,christ4 ,at ,sheboygan he was assisted in his meeting by ,fay ,h4 ,purdy1 ,esq41 of ,palmyra1 ,n4,y41 with whom he had enjoyed an acquaintance in the ,east4 ,brother ,purdy had already become distinguished as the ,lawyer ,evangelist4 ,under the united labors of these devoted and earnest men1 there was a great quickening in the ,church1 and though the population of the town was largely ,german1 there was an accession to the ,church of forty members4 ,it was during this ,conference year the celebrated ,greenbush ,camp ,meeting was held4 ,the meeting was held in ,june1 #ahed4 ,the people came in great numbers1 and many of them were fresh from their revivals at home4 ,on invitation1 ,brother ,purdy came to the meeting and brought with him1 from ,western ,new ,york1 ,rev4 ,amos ,hard1 ,seth ,h4 ,woodruff1 ,esq41 and several others4 ,the meeting was one of great power4 ,large numbers of professing ,christians entered into a new consecration to ,god1 and many souls professed conversion4 ,throughout the week1 the meetings continued to increase in spiritual interest1 but culminated in the services of ,sunday night4 ,after the close of the sermon1 seekers were invited to the ,altar4 ,then followed prayers1 singing1 and ,christian testimony without intermission1 until the morning light broke upon the encampment4 ,the prayers of the penitent and the shouts of the saved greeted every hour of the night4 ,the voices of prayer and song did not cease until the meeting was closed on ,monday4 ,nor did the formal closing of the services in the grove close the meeting4 ,it was now adjourned to the school house in the village1 where the services were continued with unflagging interest4 ,but there now came an interchange of labor4 ,whenever it was necessary to look after domestic affairs1 the meeting was left in the hands of others1 and on returning its duties were again resumed4 ,thus by these changes there was no cessation of the meeting throughout ,monday1 ,monday night1 and a portion of the following day4 ,this meeting is still referred to with great interest by those who were permitted to participate in its thrilling exercises4 ,the ,pastor of ,greenbush at this time was ,rev4 ,a4,m4 ,hulce4 ,he was a young man in the work1 having been received into the ,conference at its last session4 ,both himself and good lady were fully engaged in the work1 and greatly assisted in perfecting the arrangements for the meeting4 ,brother ,hulce was a well-read man1 a good thinker1 and earnestly devoted to his work1 but his health was not equal to the toil and exposures of the ,itinerancy4 ,after laboring a few years he was compelled to retire to the local ranks1 in which position he still holds an honorable place4 ,other charges than those mentioned also shared in the revivals of the year1 giving a net result for the ,district of nearly one thousand conversions4 ,my labors throughout the year were severe1 making an average of nearly seven sermons per week4 ,the ,conference for #ahed was held at ,janesville1 and ,i was returned to the ,district for a fourth year4 ,several changes of ,ministers were made1 several new fields were opened1 and six new men were brought into the ,district4 ,omro was one of the charges to claim my attention at the beginning of this year4 ,it had now assumed considerable importance1 it being the home of the ,brother ,cowhams4 ,james ,m41 the elder1 was the ,recording ,steward1 ranking among the most efficient ,i have ever known1 and ,john ,m41 the younger1 was a leading spirit in all ,church work1 becoming subsequently a ,local ,preacher of most excellent standing4 ,the ,pastor of the charge was ,rev4 ,t4,c4 ,golden1 who entered the ,conference in #ahej1 and had been stationed at ,cascade and ,sheboygan ,falls4 ,he was a man of mark4 ,of a vigorous mental development and logical cast1 he early became an able ,preacher and commanded a leading place in the ,conference4 ,after leaving ,omro1 he was stationed in ,fond du ,lac4 ,he was then transferred to the ,west ,wisconsin ,conference1 and stationed at ,la ,crosse1 after which he served several years as ,presiding ,elder with great acceptability4 ,at the present writing he is a ,presiding ,elder in the ,upper ,iowa ,conference4 ,dr4 ,golden1 for such is his present title1 has made a most gratifying record4 ,a ,quarterly ,meeting held at ,brother ,john ,m4 ,cowham's during this year1 is remembered with great pleasure4 ,this dear ,brother had built both a house and a barn of large dimensions1 and the meeting1 to be held in the latter1 awakened general interest throughout the circuit1 bringing together a multitude of people4 ,every house in the neighborhood was filled with guests1 and the balance1 not less than fifty in number1 were entertained at what was called the ,cowham ,mansion4 ,but great as was the outpouring of the people1 the manifestations of the ,spirit were still more extraordinary4 ,under the preaching of the ,word1 the ,holy ,ghost fell on the people4 ,the shout of redeemed souls and the cry of penitents1 ,what shall ,i do to be saved8 commingled strangely together4 ,and yet1 out of the apparent discord1 there came the sweetest harmony4 ,the minor strains were lost in the rapturous paeans of the major movement1 as each seeking soul received the new song4 ,the days of the ,fathers seemed to have returned to the ,church1 when1 under the ,pentecostal baptism1 believers fell to the floor1 and multitudes were saved in a day4 ,it was during this year that ,i was called to experience a severe trial in the death of my dear father1 which occurred on the #cjth day of ,may1 #ahee4 ,after remaining at ,waupun six years1 he removed1 in #ahej1 to ,waupaca1 where he purchased the lands comprising the site of the present village1 laid out the town and erected a lumber mill4 ,soon after his arrival he opened religious services1 preaching the first sermon and organizing the first class4 ,in due time1 others came to his assistance1 and a small ,church was built4 ,waupaca having been taken into the regular work1 my father now visited the adjacent neighborhoods and established religious meetings1 preaching usually two or three times on the ,sabbath4 ,not a few of these early appointments ultimately became the nucleus of independent charges4 ,my father's illness was brief4 ,in the latter part of the winter he met me at my ,quarterly ,meeting at ,oshkosh1 but1 to the regret of the people1 he was unable to preach4 ,he felt that his work was nearly done1 and in referring to the matter1 said3 ,i have no occasion to feel anxious about it1 since1 through ,divine help1 ,i have been permitted to preach1 on an average1 about two sermons a week for thirty years4 ,i visited him two weeks before his death1 and found his mind tranquil and his ,faith unwavering4 ,when ,i enquired as to his state of mind1 he said1 ,it is like a sunbeam of glory4 ,he continued in the same satisfactory frame1 until he passed over the river to join the white-robed throng in the ,heavenly realm4 ,the multitudes who gathered with tearful eyes around his grave1 gave but a fitting expression of their high appreciation of a noble life4 ,the labors of my first term as ,presiding ,elder were now drawing to a close4 ,though my labors had been arduous1 yet such had been the kindness and co-operation of both ,preachers and people1 ,i felt an interest in them4 ,during the four years the ,district had nearly doubled its strength1 and was now ready for a division4 ,feeling that it was due to myself1 being so young a man1 and due to the ,church also1 that ,i should now go back to station work1 ,i favored at the ,conference a resolution asking the ,bishop to appoint no man to a ,district for a second term until there had been an intervening service of two years on circuits or stations4 ,the action of the ,conference doubtless1 sent me to a station instead of a ,district4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,conference of #ahee4--,the ,new ,departure4--,mission ,committee4--,the ,slavery ,controversy4--,triumph of ,freedom4--,wisconsin ,conference ,rule4 ,conference ,report4--,election of ,delegates4--,appointed to ,racine4--,detention4--,the ,removal to the ,new ,charge4--,stage1 ,dray1 and ,steamboat4--,new ,bus ,line4 ,the ,conference for #ahee was held at ,racine on the #bith day of ,august1 and was presided over by ,bishop ,janes4 ,during the session ,i was quartered with ,rev4 ,moses ,adams1 a superannuated member of the ,black ,river ,conference4 ,the business of the ,conference was transacted with the usual dispatch1 and there were only two items which engrossed unusual attention4 ,these were the distribution of the missionary appropriations and the election of delegates to the ,general ,conference4 ,as to the first1 a new departure was made in the organization of the ,committee on ,missions4 ,the ,presiding ,elders of the ,conference had been hitherto appointed on this ,committee4 ,but now a few restless spirits1 who fancied that1 as seen from their limited opportunities to judge correctly1 the appropriations had not been judiciously made during the past few years1 determined to appoint this ,committee from among the ,pastors4 ,the ,elders1 well knowing that the farcical proceeding would in time come to naught1 concluded to offer no opposition to the movement4 ,the ,committee was accordingly appointed and proceeded to the discharge of its duties4 ,at the first meeting1 however1 it was found that the ,committee was unable to proceed for want of information4 ,at the next meeting1 to remedy this difficulty1 the brethren who had occupied ,mission fields the previous year were invited to be present4 ,this measure was found to afford only a partial relief1 as these brethren knew nothing of the border territory that ought now to be organized into new fields4 ,the next move was to ask all the ,pastors to meet the ,committee at the next session4 ,to afford room to accommodate the ,committee and its invited guests1 the audience room of the ,church was appropriated for an entire afternoon4 ,here the great work of the ,committee was entered upon in right good earnest1 with the special champions of the movement as managers of the exhibition4 ,but now1 alas6 for the success of the meeting1 there was too much light4 ,at once a large number of fields that had been supposed to be self-supporting was brought forward1 and their respective representatives were so successful in setting forth their feeble and helpless condition1 that many of them were entered upon the list by the ,committee as ,missions4 ,the question as to the number of ,missions having been settled1 the next thing in order was the amount of money that should be given to each4 ,from the information already received1 the amounts were jotted down briskly until the entire list had been gone over4 ,the footings were now made1 and to the ,committee the result was appalling4 ,they had appropriated three times the amount of money at their disposal4 ,then came the rub1 which had been so often experienced by the ,presiding ,elders4 ,the ,missions must be cut down in two ways4 ,first1 all that could possibly manage to get through the year without aid must be struck off the list1 and then such as remain will need to be cut down to the lowest possible figure4 ,but still brave1 our ,committee would not see their impending defeat1 and proceeded at once to the labor of cutting down4 ,one of the champions had been a surgeon in his time1 and had cut human flesh with becoming recklessness1 but now he1 as well as the entire ,committee1 struck a new experience4 ,to strike ,missions off the list1 and cut down the appropriations to others1 is comparatively an easy task in the quiet and secluded confines of a committee room1 but to do either in the presence of the very men who expected to occupy those fields the coming year1 and who knew the poverty of the people1 was quite another thing4 ,the flood-gates of speech-making had been opened by the ,committee1 and it was now impossible to close them4 ,the balance of the afternoon was given to stormy debate1 and into what disorder the meeting might have drifted1 if the coming evening had not made its appearance1 it is impossible to conjecture4 ,the next day the ,committee took another new departure1 and invited the ,presiding ,elders1 who had studied these matters and looked the ground carefully over for a whole year1 before them4 ,the ,committee were now able to complete their labors and make such a report as had usually been presented to the ,conference4 ,but the ,conference became fully satisfied that this experiment needed no duplicate1 and1 for years after1 the mention of the ,committee of the ,whole on ,missions1 did not fail to excite mirth4 ,early in the session1 the election of delegates to the ,general ,conference occurred4 ,as ,i was too young to be thought of in that connection1 ,i was permitted to sit quietly and take notes4 ,the only issue of any great importance in the election was the slavery question4 ,and as this institution had already been put in issue in the general elections of the country1 it could not well be left out on this occasion4 ,so it was made the chief subject of discussion4 ,to be a thorough-going anti-slavery man was the stubborn test of qualifications for a delegate4 ,and that there might be no mistake on this point1 it was deemed advisable to have an able committee present to the body as a platform a report that should make the absolute prohibition of slavery its chief plank4 ,but before ,i make further reference to the report it will not be amiss to refer briefly to the subject of slavery in its relations to the ,church4 ,at the organization of the ,church in this country1 and for years thereafter1 the testimony she gave against ,american ,slavery was distinct and unequivocal4 ,both the ,ministers and people were agreed that the ,institution was1 as ,mr4 ,wesley was pleased to call it1 ,the sum of all villanies4 ,agreeing in this1 they further believed that1 as a relic of barbarism1 it would soon pass away4 ,under this conviction they hardly deemed it necessary to enter up any very stringent enactments against it1 save that it might be well as a temporary arrangement to provide that there should be no traffic in slaves4 ,under such a regulation matters passed on for a term of years4 ,but in due time it was found that the tendency of events was not altogether satisfactory4 ,at the outset1 the ,church had been planted in the central portion of the ,atlantic ,states1 and had then grown rapidly southward1 giving the balance of power to the ,conferences where slavery existed4 ,at this juncture1 also1 by a remarkable change in the commercial affairs of the country1 the cotton crop of the ,south began to find an increasing demand and appreciate in value1 thereby giving an increased value to slave labor4 ,with this change came at once the multiplication of slaves and large returns4 ,to own slaves and cultivate cotton now became the ruling inspiration of the people4 ,at the first the ,church stoutly opposed the insetting tide1 but as the waves of commercial life grew strong and swept around her1 the power of resistance grew more feeble from year to year1 until finally some of her own people began to plead extenuation and even tolerance4 ,the conflict was now open1 and the result seemed questionable4 ,with the conscience of the ,southern portion of the ,church asleep or dormant1 the anti-slavery side of the issue came finally to depend upon the ,church in the ,north for statement and defence4 ,at this stage of the conflict the controversy became sectional1 the ,south upholding and the ,north seeking to remove the evil4 ,thus the contest raged for years1 until the ,south1 growing strong on her ill-gotten gains1 and arrogant from her success with the supple-kneed politicians of the ,north1 put the ,church in the ,north upon the defensive by demanding toleration1 if not actual adoption4 ,the issue was made in trying to foist upon the whole ,church a slave holding ,episcopacy4 ,this last act was the feather1 if such it might be called1 that broke the camel's back4 ,the effort was thwarted by the ,north only through the timely aid of a few of the ,central ,conferences4 ,at this the ,south took offence1 as is well known1 and seceded1 carrying with them more than half a million of members and a portion of the ,church property4 ,to secure the latter1 it is true1 long and bitter litigations followed the separation4 ,and it is generally accepted in the ,north that the decision which gave it to the ,south took its shape from the political complexion at the time of the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states4 ,it was now thought that the question of slavery was put to rest4 ,but alas6 for human foresight4 ,it still remained that the ,general ,rules1 which permitted members to hold slaves1 provided they did not buy or sell1 had not been changed4 ,and it was soon found that the awakened conscience of the ,north could not rest until the last vestige of the nefarious institution was swept from the ,church4 ,agitations1 therefore1 followed1 and each succeeding ,general ,conference found this question to be still the troubler of ,israel4 ,nor was the question left alone to the care of the ,general ,conference4 ,each annual ,conference was also agitated by it4 ,but it was evident to all that a serious embarrassment must be overcome to secure a change of the ,general ,rules4 ,the ,constitution of the ,church has a provision which1 to effect a change1 requires a two-thirds vote in the ,general ,conference1 and a three-fourths vote in all the ,annual ,conferences4 ,to obtain the requisite vote with these provisions1 it will be seen1 can only be realized on such questions as can command great unanimity of sentiment4 ,if the entire ,south had gone off in the separation1 the trouble would have been at an end1 but1 as we have seen1 the border ,conferences remained with their brethren of the ,north1 and aided them in fighting the first battle with the slave power4 ,but now1 when the question of a change of rule was brought forward1 they took the other side1 and in doing so were able to furnish enough votes to defeat the proposed measure4 ,and the question1 which was now agitating the ,annual ,conference1 was the framing of such a rule as would meet the approval of the great body of the ,church1 and pass it along the line of the ,conferences to secure their favorable consideration before taking it to the ,general ,conference4 ,at the preceding session of the ,wisconsin ,conference such a rule had been framed and sent on its way to the several ,conferences to obtain their approval4 ,this was called the ,wisconsin ,conference ,rule1 and read as follows3 ,the buying1 selling1 or holding of a human being as a slave4 ,this rule received very general favor among the ,northern ,conferences1 but was rejected of course by those lying along the border4 ,at the ,conference now in session in ,racine1 as before stated1 a report was submitted touching this matter4 ,and it was intended to so set forth the sentiment of the ,conference as to make it a test of eligibility in the election4 ,i subjoin an extract from the resolutions adopted3 i,resolved1_/i ,that we contemplate with feelings of deep humility and sorrow before ,god1 that the ,m4 ,e4 ,church has any connection with the system of ,american ,slavery1 and that we will not cease our efforts for extirpation until the last ligament is severed4 i,resolved1_/i ,that we record with gratitude1 the favor with which the ',new ,rule1' proposed by our ,conference at its last session1 has met in so many of the ,conferences in which it has been acted upon1 and we believe that the principle involved in it is the standard at which the ,church should and will soon arrive4 i,resolved1_/i ,that whether or not the next ,general ,conference adopt it as a substitute for our present ,general ,rule on ,slavery1 we earnestly request that body to so modify the ,chapter on ,slavery as to prevent the admission of any slaveholder into the ,m4 ,e4 ,church1 and secure the exclusion of all who are now members1 if they will not1 after due labor1 emancipate their slaves4 ,this report was adopted with remarkable unanimity1 but when the vote was taken for delegates1 it so happened that at least two of the men who had been most clamorous in its support1 failed to secure an election4 ,this result1 however1 did not come from a real difference in sentiment on the main question1 but from a desire to send to the ,general ,conference a delegation that would not defeat the desired end by a manifestation of zeal without prudence4 ,the ,chairman of the ,committee1 however1 was elected to lead the delegation4 ,the ,delegates were ,p4 ,s4 ,bennett1 ,i4 ,m4 ,leihy1 ,edward ,cooke1 ,elmore ,yocum and ,chauncey ,hobart4 ,during the session of the ,conference1 a meeting of the principal members of the ,church and congregation at ,racine was held1 to take into consideration the condition and wants of the charge4 ,the deliberation had resulted in laying before the ,presiding ,bishop a request for the appointment of the writer4 ,the appointment was accordingly made4 ,but a removal to the charge was attended with no little difficulty4 ,during the latter part of the spring term of the ,lawrence ,university1 the typhoid fever appeared among the students1 and in several instances proved fatal4 ,to prevent the like result in other cases1 the inhabitants opened their doors to receive sick students who could not be suitably cared for in the dormitories of the ,college4 ,four of these were taken by ,mrs4 ,miller1 and1 in every case1 it was believed that their lives were only saved through her kind intervention and care4 ,this kindness to others1 however1 proved disastrous to her and the family4 ,before her charge was well off her hands1 she was herself attacked by the same malignant disease4 ,then followed weeks of suffering on her part1 and not a little interruption of my work as ,presiding ,elder1 especially unfortunate in the closing part of the year4 ,she passed down to the borders of the grave1 and on two occasions the beating of the pulse seemed to cease1 but in the good providence of ,god she was spared4 ,her return to health1 however1 was slow1 and meantime her sister1 now ,mrs4 ,gov4 ,c4 ,k4 ,davis1 of ,minnesota1 who resided with us at the time1 was taken with the same disease4 ,this latter case was also a severe one1 and for several weeks delayed our removal to the new charge4 ,but as soon as it would do to attempt the journey1 we were on our way4 ,unable to walk1 ,i was obliged to carry the invalid from the house to the carriage1 and from the carriage at ,menasha to the steamboat4 ,we reached ,fond du ,lac in the evening and tarried for the night4 ,the following morning we took the stage for ,sheboygan4 ,the roads were excellent and the coach comfortable1 but it was necessary to carry the invalid literally in my arms the entire distance4 ,on arriving at the shore end of the pier at ,sheboygan1 the steamboat1 at the other end1 gave a signal for her departure4 ,hastily leaving the coach and sending the family forward with all possible dispatch1 ,i chartered a common dray1 the only conveyance at hand1 placed a trunk upon it1 took the invalid in my arms1 seated myself on the trunk1 and bade the driver to put his horse on his best speed4 ,the race was a most creditable one1 and before the boat had time to get under way1 we were nicely on board1 to the great merriment of all concerned4 ,but out of one trouble1 we were soon into another4 ,we had hardly reached the open lake before the boat encountered a heavy sea1 which brought sea-sickness to all of the company for the balance of the journey4 ,but in this misfortune we were not alone4 ,rev4 ,e4 ,s4 ,grumley1 the newly appointed ,presiding ,elder of the ,racine ,district1 and his family1 had also come on board at ,sheboygan1 and were now our companions in travel1 as also in misery4 ,tossing amid the waves1 the progress of the steamboat was slow1 and we did not reach ,racine until after midnight4 ,we were happy to gain a landing1 but we found ourselves without a conveyance to the hotel4 ,not even the common dray was at hand4 ,but1 nothing daunted1 we groped amid the darkness until we came upon the buggy of the ,presiding ,elder1 which fortunately had been landed from the same boat4 ,the invalid was soon placed in it1 and1 adopting a style of travel that might have seemed unusual by daylight1 in due time we were at the hotel4 ,the following morning we were sought out by the good people and kindly cared for1 being assigned to quarters with my late host and his obliging family4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,racine4--,its ,early ,history4--,subsequent ,growth4--,racine ,district4--,rev4 ,dr4 ,hobart4--,kenosha4--,rev4 ,salmon ,stebbins4--,sylvania4--,the ,kelloggs4--,walworth ,circuit4--,burlington and ,rochester4--,lyons4 ,troy ,circuit4--,first ,class at ,troy4--,eagle4--,round ,prairie4--,hart ,prairie4--,delavan4--,elkhorn4--,pastor ate at ,racine4--,revival4--,church ,enlargement4--,second ,year4--,precious ,memories4 ,the great centers from which the ,church in ,wisconsin has radiated were few in number and were fixed upon at an early period in the development of the work4 ,these centers were ,green ,bay1 ,sheboygan1 ,fond du ,lac1 ,aztalan1 ,racine1 and ,janesville4 ,of the first five a record has been made1 and1 following the line of my labors1 ,racine should next engage my attention4 ,at this place the first settlement was made in ,november1 #ahcd1 by ,captain ,gilbert ,knapp1 who came on horseback from ,chicago4 ,on the second day of ,january following1 ,stephen ,campbell1 ,paul ,kingston1 and ,messrs4 ,newton and ,fay arrived1 and1 as far as ,i am able to ascertain1 were the first ,methodists who settled at ,racine4 ,at the same time ,william ,see and ,edmund ,weed came to the vicinity1 the former settling at the ,rapids1 where he built a mill1 and the latter making a claim on the lands which have since become the homestead of ,senator ,fratt4 ,alanson ,filer came in ,november1 #ahce1 and ,a4,g4 ,knight in ,april1 #ahcf4 ,in his journey to ,wisconsin1 ,brother ,knight traveled on horseback from ,wayne ,county1 ,n4,y41 to ,chicago1 and on foot the balance of the way4 ,jonathan ,m4 ,snow and ,nathan ,joy came soon after1 the latter coming around the lakes in the first three-master that visited ,lake ,michigan4 ,rev4 ,daniel ,slauson and ,william ,bull came in ,september1 #ahcg1 traveling in their own conveyance from ,detroit4 ,the list of names thus given does not make a full record of the early arrivals1 but furnishes1 as far as ,i am informed1 such as constituted1 with the exception of the first named1 the first ,methodist ,community4 ,the writer has been unable to ascertain where and by whom the first class was formed1 or who constituted the first members4 ,but it is probable that the place was included in ,milwaukee ,mission as early as #ahce1 and that the class was formed by ,rev4 ,mark ,robinson during that year1 or by his successor1 ,rev4 ,wm4 ,s4 ,crissey1 the year following4 ,and it is also probable that the gentlemen above named1 who were there at the time1 and their families1 constituted the first members1 with ,brother ,paul ,kingston as ,leader4 ,the meetings were held in the log residence of the last named1 located near the lake1 at the foot of ,seventh street4 ,racine ,mission was formed in #ahcg and ,rev4 ,otis ,f4 ,curtis was the first ,pastor4 ,the ,mission1 reaching from the ,illinois ,state ,line to ,milwaukee1 included appointments at ,racine1 ,southport1 ,pleasant ,prairie1 ,kellogg's ,corners1 ,ives ,grove1 ,caledonia and ,root ,river4 ,in #ahci the charge took the name of ,racine and ,southport ,mission1 the ,pastor being ,rev4 ,salmon ,stebbins4 ,in #ahdj ,southport was made a separate charge1 and the ,pastor at ,racine was ,rev4 ,l4,f4 ,moulthrop4 ,in #ahda the ,root ,river portion was set off and made a separate charge1 and ,racine was left to be supplied4 ,the following year the ,sylvania circuit was formed1 and ,southport and ,racine were again put together1 with ,rev4 ,james ,mitchell as ,pastor4 ,in #ahdc they were again separated1 and the ,pastor at ,racine was ,rev4 ,milton ,bourne4 ,in #ahdd the ,pastor was ,rev4 ,g4 ,l4 ,s4 ,stuff1 and in #ahde1 ,rev4 ,julius ,field4 ,as before stated1 the meetings were at first held in a private house1 but as the congregations increased1 a public building was rented near the foot of ,main ,street4 ,after the school house was built1 the meetings were removed to it1 and it was at this latter place the writer attended a service during his first ,sabbath in the ,state4 ,soon after the first ,church was built1 to which we shall have occasion to refer hereafter4 ,racine ,district was created in #ahdg1 and ,rev4 ,chauncey ,hobart was appointed the first ,presiding ,elder4 ,dr4 ,hobart entered the ,illinois ,conference in #ahcf1 the ,conference then including ,illinois1 ,wisconsin1 ,iowa and ,minnesota4 ,his appointments before coming to the ,district had been3 ,rockingham1 ,iowa1 ,monmouth1 ,macomb1 ,quincy1 ,rushville1 ,peoria1 ,jacksonville1 ,springfield1 and ,clark ,street1 ,chicago4 ,after leaving the ,district1 in #ahdi1 he was appointed ,presiding ,elder of ,minnesota ,district4 ,at the end of his term he was stationed at ,spring ,street1 ,milwaukee1 and next served one year as ,presiding ,elder on the ,milwaukee ,district1 when1 on account of the infirm health of his wife1 he returned to ,minnesota4 ,since his return1 he has continued to labor on both stations and districts with great acceptability up to the present time4 ,dr4 ,hobart is a man of superior abilities1 and his labors have been in special demand4 ,he has been elected five times to the ,general ,conference1 and has been seven times appointed to ,districts4 ,as a ,preacher he is always acceptable1 but at times he delivers extraordinary sermons4 ,it requires a great occasion to take the full measure of the man4 ,at such times he has been known to move audiences with overwhelming power4 ,especially was this the case under the sermon he delivered at a ,camp-,meeting held two miles west of ,big ,foot ,prairie1 in #ahdi4 ,on this occasion the tide of feeling rose to such a height that great numbers of the congregation unconsciously left their seats and stood entranced1 while the saints shouted for joy1 and sinners cried out in the anguish of their souls for mercy4 ,having thus spoken of the ,presiding ,elder of the ,racine ,district1 it is fitting that we should now glance briefly at a few of the early charges4 ,kenosha1 as we have seen1 was included in the ,racine ,mission in #ahcg1 and shared the labors of ,brother ,curtis4 ,the first class was formed during this term probably by either the ,pastor or ,rev4 ,john ,clark1 the ,presiding ,elder1 and consisted of ,rev4 ,reuben ,h4 ,deming1 ,austin ,kellogg1 ,hon4 and ,mrs4 ,charles ,durkee1 ,mrs4 ,harvey ,durkee1 ,john ,w4 ,dana ,martha ,e4 ,dana1 and ,susan ,dana4 ,the ,presiding ,elder1 ,rev4 ,salmon ,stebbins1 held a ,quarterly ,meeting in ,kenosha1 then called ,southport1 ,november #bdth1 #ahcg4 ,the meeting was held in a small log school house standing near the present site of the ,simmons ,block4 ,during the following year a revival occurred1 which resulted in the conversion of nearly the entire community4 ,the meetings were held in a public building on the ,north ,side1 but the erection of a ,church immediately followed4 ,as before stated1 ,brother ,stebbins became the ,pastor in #ahci1 and remained also the following year4 ,the succeeding ,pastors up to #ahde were ,rev4 ,f4,t4 ,mitchell1 ,rev4 ,james ,mitchell1 ,rev4 ,wm4 ,h4 ,sampson1 ,rev4 ,c4,d4 ,cahoon and ,rev4 ,warner ,oliver4 ,at this writing1 ,kenosha ranks among the leading stations of the ,conference4 ,brother ,stebbins entered the ,new ,york ,conference in #ahbb4 ,when the ,conference was divided he fell into the northern portion1 which took the name of ,troy4 ,in this field he labored fourteen years1 his charges covering the territory from ,albany to the ,canada line4 ,at the solicitation of ,rev4 ,john ,clark1 he was transferred to the ,illinois ,conference in #ahcg1 and appointed ,presiding ,elder1 the ,district extending from the ,illinois ,state ,line to ,green ,bay4 ,in #ahci he was appointed to the ,racine and ,southport ,mission1 as before stated1 and remained on the ,southport part the following year4 ,after leaving ,southport charge he was stationed at ,platteville1 ,lake1 ,madison and ,st4 ,charles4 ,subsequently taking a location1 he became a resident of ,kenosha1 in the vicinity of which place he still resides4 ,brother ,stebbins is a man of superior ability1 and in his prime enjoyed considerable reputation as a ,preacher4 ,he is spending the evening of his life in quiet1 trustingly awaiting the change that now cannot be long delayed4 ,sylvania was settled by three ,kellogg brothers and their families in the spring of #ahcg1 the place being first known as ,kellogg's ,corners4 ,soon after their arrival the ladies1 one of whom1 ,mrs4 ,seth ,h4 ,kellogg1 was the daughter of ,rev4 ,ebenezer ,washburn1 of ,new ,york ,conference1 organized a ,sunday ,school4 ,the neighborhood was connected with the ,racine ,mission1 and a class was formed at an early period1 with ,seth ,h4 ,kellogg as ,leader1 but ,i cannot fix the exact date4 ,nor am ,i able to state at what time the first ,church was completed4 ,it was claimed1 however1 to have taken precedence in the ,state4 ,in the erection of the ,church1 which was built by ,chauncey ,kellogg1 the young society was assisted by a donation of two hundred dollars from ,sunday ,schools in ,new ,york ,city4 ,rev4 ,julius ,field1 whose wife was a sister of the ,kelloggs1 secured the aid1 he having been stationed in that city4 ,the ,church edifice cost six hundred dollars1 and was the building in which ,i preached the funeral sermon of ,mother ,washburn some sixteen years later4 ,the veteran1 ,father ,washburn1 was also buried at this place4 ,sylvania was made a separate charge in #ahdb1 with ,rev4 ,milton ,bourne as ,pastor4 ,passing westward1 the old ,walworth circuit should next claim our attention4 ,it will be remembered that this charge was formed in #ahci1 taking the south half of the old ,aztalan circuit4 ,the first ,pastor was ,rev4 ,james ,mc,kean1 who was an earnest and devoted laborer in the vineyard4 ,but as his fields fell on the south side of the ,state ,line at the end of his term1 a record will doubtless be made of him elsewhere4 ,in #ahdj the circuit was divided4 ,the southeastern portion was called ,burlington and ,rochester1 with ,rev4 ,david ,worthington as ,pastor1 of whom a record has been made in a former chapter1 and the name of the old charge was changed to ,troy1 on which ,brother ,mc,kean remained as ,pastor4 ,on the new charge there were two classes formed by ,brother ,worthington during this year4 ,the first was formed in ,puffer's school house on ,spring ,prairie in the summer of #ahdj1 and included in its membership1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,john ,m4 ,cowham1 ,lansing ,lewis1 and ,mrs4 ,lewis1 his mother4 ,brother ,cowham was the ,leader4 ,the other class was organized in ,lyonsdale1 with ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,thomas ,lyon1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,fletcher ,lyon1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,ansel ,waite1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,marshall1 and ,mrs4 ,jones4 ,hon4 ,wm4 ,p4 ,lyon1 of the ,supreme ,court1 subsequently became identified with the ,society4 ,lyons1 as the village is called1 is at the present writing a charge of respectable standing1 having a good ,church and ,parsonage4 ,the writer had the pleasure to dedicate the ,church during his ,pastorate in ,racine4 ,at ,troy1 a class had been organized by ,brother ,mc,kean during the latter part of the former year4 ,at this time the members were ,daniel ,griffin1 ,sen41 ,daniel ,griffin1 ,jr41 ,dr4 and ,mrs4 ,brooks ,bowman1 ,mrs4 ,mc,cracken1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,john ,spoor1 and a ,brother ,jennings4 ,brother ,spoor was a ,local ,preacher1 the ,leader and the ,s4,s4 ,superintendent4 ,in #ahda1 ,rev4 ,l4,f4 ,moulthrop was appointed to ,troy circuit4 ,he remained the second year and had as a colleague the excellent ,rev4 ,henry ,whitehead1 so long and well known by the ,preachers of the ,northwest in connection with the ,chicago ,book ,depository4 ,the circuit at this time included ,troy1 ,eagle1 ,hart ,prairie1 ,round ,prairie1 ,turtle ,prairie1 ,delavan and ,elkhorn4 ,at ,eagle a class was formed consisting of ,rev4 ,william ,cross1 ,local ,preacher1 ,mrs4 ,william ,cross1 and her sister1 now ,mrs4 ,james ,parsons1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,a4 ,hinkley1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,thomas1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,atwater1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,long4 ,at ,round ,prairie a class was also formed4 ,the members as far as ascertained were ,rev4 ,james ,flanders1 ,local ,preacher1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,houghton1 ,mrs4 ,norcross1 ,father ,cornice1 and ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,nelson ,cornice4 ,at ,hart ,prairie1 the services were held in ,father ,worthington's log house1 where a class was also organized4 ,father ,worthington1 his wife1 and two sons1 ,elijah and ,theodore1 and ,mrs4 ,lewis1 were the first members4 ,at ,delavan the meetings were held alternately in ,mr4 ,bradway's log house in the village1 and at the residence of ,mr4 ,phoenix1 on the prairie4 ,the class at this place was small1 and ,i am unable to insert in the record more than the names of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,bradway4 ,delavan has since grown to the position of an influential charge1 with an attractive ,church and enterprising membership4 ,elkhorn at this early day had no class1 but1 as the ,county ,seat1 the village commanded an appointment4 ,for several years the cause moved slowly1 but finally won its way to a position4 ,at the present writing1 the charge holds a respectable rank in the ,conference4 ,having thus briefly examined the early history of ,racine and the other charges that constituted her immediate surroundings1 it is now proper that we should return to the record of the writer's ,pastorate4 ,finding that there was no ,parsonage1 ,i proceeded to rent a respectable house in a pleasant part of the city1 paying for the same an additional one hundred dollars out of my salary4 ,having settled my family1 ,i adopted my usual method of devoting my mornings to my study1 and afternoons to pastoral visiting4 ,i soon passed over the entire membership of the station1 making it a special point to secure1 as far as possible1 a faithful attendance upon the means of grace4 ,the effort was successful beyond my expectations4 ,the congregation soon filled the ,church4 ,and as the interest continued to increase1 the aisles and doors were thronged1 while large numbers were utterly unable to obtain admission4 ,with this manifestation of interest1 it was deemed advisable to enter upon a protracted meeting without delay4 ,we did so1 and ,i preached every night for two weeks4 ,but the result was not satisfactory4 ,we found the spiritual condition was not on a plane with the demands of the work4 ,the vast throng of people had brought upon us a tide of worldly influence that we were unable to withstand4 ,additional moral force was necessary1 and1 to secure it1 we deemed it better to go into the lecture-room and rely upon the social meetings to develop the requisite spiritual power4 ,with this change there came to the membership the spirit of consecration and a remarkable baptism of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,before the end of two weeks we were compelled to return to the audience room4 ,the place was again thronged with people1 but the good work went forward4 ,i continued to preach nightly for four weeks4 ,one hundred persons were converted and added to the ,church4 ,with this large increase of members and a corresponding increase of attendants1 it was necessary to enlarge the ,church edifice for their accommodation4 ,accordingly the work was undertaken4 ,the rear end of the building was opened1 and the edifice was lengthened so as to accommodate nearly one-third more people4 ,in doing this1 it was thought advisable to still increase the length by adding twelve feet more for an orchestra1 thereby providing for the removal of the organ from the gallery to the rear of the pulpit4 ,the enlargement1 besides furnishing the necessary accommodations for the people1 laid a broader financial basis to the charge1 by bringing into the congregation a number of families who were able to take the new seats at a good rental4 ,the year passed very satisfactorily4 ,the ,conference of #ahef was held ,september #agth1 at ,appleton1 ,bishop ,simpson presiding4 ,as expected1 we were returned to ,racine4 ,we retained the same house1 and found our social relations with the people of ,racine exceedingly pleasant4 ,with not a few families a life-long friendship was established1 and to the present hour the mention of ,racine revives many pleasant recollections4 ,judge ,lyon1 who came into the ,church this year1 and his good lady1 and ,messrs4 ,knight1 ,yout1 ,adams1 ,langlois1 ,jones1 ,lunn1 ,slauson1 ,bull1 ,lees1 ,conroe1 ,kidder1 ,orr1 ,jillson1 ,brewer1 ,lawrence1 with their families1 and many others1 will never be forgotten4 ,the labors of the year would afford many pleasing incidents were they permitted to appear in these pages1 but their recital would unreasonably swell the volume4 ,the usual protracted meeting was held1 continuing five weeks4 ,the work was very satisfactory1 strengthening the converts of the previous year1 and swelling the list of accessions4 ,the revival was especially fruitful in the ,sunday ,school1 leading many of the young people to ,christ4 ,but the labors of the year1 as usual1 came to a close when we were in the midst of our work1 and we were compelled to sunder old associations and form new ones in other fields4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,conference of #aheg4--;,janesville4--,early ,history4--,first ,sermon4--,the ,collection4--,first ,class4--,first ,church4--,first ,donation4--,rev4 ,c4,c4 ,mason4--,missionary ,anniversary4--,rev4 ,a4 ,hamilton4--,rev4 ,d4,o4 ,jones4--,the ,writer's ,pastorate4--,the ,great ,revival4--,the ,recipe4--,old ,union ,circuit4--,first ,class4--,evansville4--,rev4 ,henry ,summers4--,new ,church4 ,conference of #aheh4--;,beloit4--,early ,pastorates4--,church ,enterprise4--,second ,year at ,janesville4 ,the ,conference for #aheg was held ,june #bfth1 at ,spring ,street1 ,milwaukee1 ,bishop ,ames presiding4 ,at this ,conference ,i was stationed at ,janesville4 ,janesville1 holding a central position in the southern portion of the ,state1 was the initial point of settlement at an early period1 and in after years1 became the focal as well as the radiation center of ,church operations4 ,on the #aeth day of ,november1 #ahce1 a company consisting of six men started from ,milwaukee with an ox-team and wagon1 the latter containing provisions1 tools1 etc41 for the ,rock ,river ,valley4 ,on the #ahth they arrived where ,janesville now stands1 and immediately proceeded to build a log cabin opposite of what is called the ,big ,rock4 ,this was the first settlement in ,rock ,river ,valley4 ,two of their number1 however1 had explored the southern portion of the ,territory in the preceding ,july4 ,at that time there were but two white families in ,milwaukee1 and only one between that place and ,janesville1 that of ,mr4 ,mc,millen1 who lived at what is now called ,waukesha4 ,on the #bc;d of ,april1 #ahcg1 the first ,united ,states ,mail entered ,janesville4 ,it contained one letter1 and this was for the ,postmaster1 ,henry ,f4 ,janes4 ,the mail was brought by a man on horseback1 whose mail route extended from ,mineral ,point to ,racine4 ,the post-office at ,janesville for several months consisted of a cigar box1 which was fastened to a log in the bar-room4 ,small as it was1 it was found to be amply sufficient to contain all the letters then received by the citizens of ,rock ,county4 ,the first sermon preached in ,janesville was delivered by ,rev4 ,jesse ,halstead in ,september1 #ahcg4 ,brother ,halstead1 then on ,aztalan circuit1 on coming to this place found a small log house1 which enjoyed the appellation of a tavern4 ,he accepted entertainment in common with other travelers1 but1 it being soon known that he was a ,minister1 he was invited to preach4 ,he consented1 and the services were held in the bar-room4 ,the liquors were put out of sight1 and the ,minister made the bar his pulpit4 ,the audience consisted of a dozen persons4 ,the next religious services of which ,i can obtain information1 were held in the summer of #ahch4 ,they were held in an oak grove on one of the bluffs east of the village4 ,i am not able to find any one who can furnish me the name of the ,preacher1 but am assured that he was a ,methodist1 and that he did not neglect that special feature of a ,methodist service1 the collection4 ,this last part of the exercises1 ,i am assured1 made a vivid impression on the mind of the party to whom ,i am indebted for this item of history4 ,and it came in this wise3 ,when the hat was passed he threw in a bill1 an act so generous that it could not fail to call attention to the contributor4 ,the next day he received a call from the ,minister1 who desired him to replace the wild-cat bill by one of more respectable currency1 as those kind of bills were beginning to be refused throughout the ,territory4 ,in #ahci ,rev4 ,james ,f4 ,flanders made an occasional visit to ,janesville and preached to the people4 ,his first sermon was delivered in the bar-room of the public house1 which stood on the present site of the ,myers ,house4 ,subsequently he preached in an unoccupied log house opposite where ,lappin's ,block now stands4 ,the services were next held in school houses1 some log and others frame1 until the erection of the ,court ,house in #ahdb4 ,thereafter the court room was occupied and used alternately by the different religious denominations4 ,the ,rev4 ,james ,mc,kean was the first ,minister who preached regularly in ,janesville4 ,the place was taken into the ,troy circuit in #ahdj1 and ,brother ,mc,kean visited it once in four weeks4 ,this year ,rev4 ,julius ,field held the first ,quarterly ,meeting in ,janesville4 ,in the spring of #ahda1 ,brother ,mc,kean formed a class and appointed ,j4,p4 ,wheeler ,leader1 but during the following winter the members all left the place4 ,janesville appears first in the ,minutes as the head of a charge in #ahda1 with ,rev4 ,alpha ,warren as ,pastor4 ,at this time it was connected with ,platteville ,district1 and the ,presiding ,elder was ,rev4 ,h4,w4 ,reed4 ,brother ,warren was succeeded by ,rev4 ,boyd ,phelps1 who organized a class in the spring of #ahdc1 consisting of nine or ten members1 with ,john ,wynn as ,leader4 ,rev4 ,lyman ,catlin1 who came in #ahdd1 was the first resident ,pastor4 ,he was formerly a ,professor in ,mt4 ,morris ,seminary4 ,during the winter his wife1 who was a lady of fine culture1 taught a select school in the village4 ,brother ,catlin preached in ,janesville on the morning of each ,sabbath1 and in the afternoon alternated between ,union and ,johnstown4 ,the following year1 ,rev4 ,t4,w4 ,perkins was appointed to the charge1 but in consequence of ill health1 he was soon obliged to resign4 ,his place was supplied by ,rev4 ,stephen ,adams1 of ,beloit4 ,in #ahdf ,rev4 ,john ,luccock was the ,pastor1 and was followed the next year by ,rev4 ,wesley ,lattin1 who remained two years4 ,brother ,lattin was very popular with all classes1 and his labors were blessed with an extensive revival4 ,during his ,pastorate the ,society erected a small frame church1 #ce by #be feet in size4 ,it was opened for worship in the fall of #ahdh4 ,the location was on the opposite side of ,centre ,street1 and a little west of the present edifice4 ,a ,parsonage was also erected the same year4 ,both of them1 however1 were sold when the grounds were purchased for the new ,church4 ,it was during the ,pastorate of ,brother ,lattin that the first donation party ever held in ,janesville1 was given4 ,the company assembled at the residence of ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,john ,wynn1 where ,brother ,lattin boarded4 ,the ladies furnished the table with all the luxuries the village afforded1 and the affair was considered a grand success4 ,brother ,lattin was followed successively by ,revs4 ,j4,m4 ,snow1 ,o4,f4 ,comfort1 and ,daniel ,stansbury4 ,during the winter of #aheb ,brother ,stansbury held a series of meetings1 assisted by ,rev4 ,c4,c4 ,mason1 which resulted in a considerable addition to the membership of the ,church4 ,finding that the little ,church was now becoming too small to accommodate them1 the ,society decided to build a more commodious house of worship4 ,it was commenced in the spring following1 and was located on the corner of ,jackson and ,centre ,streets4 ,this is the edifice now occupied by the first charge1 is built of brick1 and is #ge by #de feet in size4 ,the building was not fully completed until during the ,pastorate of ,rev4 ,henry ,requa1 in #ahee1 but it was so far advanced that it was dedicated in ,july1 #ahec1 by the pioneer veteran1 ,rev4 ,john ,clark1 of the ,rock ,river ,conference4 ,the severe labors of ,brother ,stansbury overtaxed his strength1 and he was compelled to seek rest4 ,brother ,mason was employed to fill out the balance of the year4 ,brother ,mason was a ,local ,preacher from ,england1 had lost one limb1 and though somewhat eccentric1 he held a high rank as a pulpit orator4 ,he was often not a little surprised with the queer ways of this country4 ,i remember to have met him at the ,janesville ,conference several years later4 ,he was put up to preach1 as usual on all great occasions1 and delivered a grand sermon4 ,the following evening the ,missionary ,anniversary came1 and at the close of the speeches1 the meeting proceeded to constitute ,life ,memberships4 ,this was a new role to the old gentleman1 but1 soon comprehending the movement1 he launched into it with all his soul4 ,the good ,bishop was made a ,life ,member1 then his wife1 then the ,missionary ,secretary1 and so on in a spirited manner4 ,as each proposition was made1 the good brother planked his dollar1 little dreaming of the length of the road upon which he had entered4 ,but as the memberships were multiplied1 his purse fell under the law of subtraction1 until it contained but one dollar more4 ,just at this moment some zealous brother proposed to be one of ten to make the ,presiding ,elder of the ,janesville ,district a ,life ,member of the ,conference ,missionary ,society4 ,it was no time for parley about that remaining dollar1 for the ,janesville ,district must not be outdone by the other ,districts in gallantry1 so down went the last dollar4 ,but it had hardly reached the table before the giver was hunting for his crutches4 ,such was the generous nature of the man1 however1 that he would have stood his ground to the coming of the morning if he had been advised in advance of the character of the ,anniversary exercises4 ,in #ahec ,rev4 ,j4,w4 ,wood was stationed at ,janesville1 and ,rev4 ,henry ,requa in #ahed and #ahee4 ,brother ,requa was very popular1 drew large audiences1 and realized an accession of fifty members4 ,at the ,conference of #ahee a new charge was formed on the east side of the river1 and ,rev4 ,c4,c4 ,mason1 who had been received on trial1 was appointed as its first ,pastor4 ,in #ahef1 ,rev4 ,a4 ,hamilton was appointed to ,janesville1 and ,rev4 ,d4,o4 ,jones to ,east ,janesville4 ,brother ,hamilton came to the ,conference this year by transfer from the ,oneida ,conference1 where he had done effective work for several years4 ,at the close of the year in ,janesville he was made ,presiding ,elder of ,watertown ,district1 where he remained two years4 ,in #ahei1 by a reconstruction of the ,districts1 he was assigned to ,beaver ,dam ,district1 where he remained the other two years of his term4 ,for a number of years thereafter he served on circuits and stations4 ,his health now failed and he took a superannuated relation4 ,brother ,hamilton was a good and true man1 of a metaphysical turn of thought1 well versed in theology1 and an instructive ,preacher4 ,brother ,jones entered the ,conference in #ahea1 and had been stationed at ,elk ,grove1 ,richland ,city1 ,muscoday1 and ,green ,bay4 ,since he left ,janesville1 he has taken a respectable class of appointments1 filling them creditably to himself and acceptably to the people4 ,he is genial in spirit and warm in his attachments4 ,he is still in the enjoyment of good health1 and promises years of efficient service4 ,this brief record brings us to the date of my appointment4 ,at the recent session of the ,conference1 the charge on the east side of the river was left to be supplied1 and as it had1 up to this time1 developed but little strength1 twenty-six members only1 it was deemed best to let it go back to the old charge4 ,i found the ,church edifice in good condition1 but without class or prayer-rooms4 ,the external appearance was decidedly respectable1 and the accommodations within1 both in respect to size and furnishing1 equal or superior to any other ,church in the village4 ,the ,parsonage1 a small and inferior building1 had been recently sold to liquidate in part the indebtedness remaining on the ,church1 and this involved the necessity of renting a house for my family4 ,after becoming settled in our new home1 the first special work was to complete the payment of the ,church debt4 ,this was soon arranged1 and ,i was at liberty to direct my attention more particularly to the spiritual interests of the charge4 ,my first labor in this direction1 as in all my former charges1 was to look well after the people at their homes1 and the second1 to see that the social means of grace were well arranged and properly sustained4 ,and ,i soon found in ,janesville1 as ,i have always found1 that they are the key to successful labor4 ,it is possible by corresponding adjustment of pulpit labor to excite the attention of the community1 and thereby secure large congregations1 but such a result is not a certain index of true success4 ,in the forum1 as on the platform1 it may be otherwise1 but in the building up of ,christ's kingdom1 there must be a spiritual basis2 for his kingdom is a spiritual kingdom4 ,in these days of special clamor for superior pulpit attractions to draw the crowd1 there is a strong temptation to court popular favor by adjusting both the themes and style of address to the pulpit in such a way as to withold from the people the only spiritual food that can give life to a dead soul4 ,such a ,ministry in the eyes of the world may be deemed a great success1 but to such as judge not after the outward appearance1 it is known to be a dead failure4 ,while it utterly fails to bring souls to ,christ1 it is also disastrous to the ,church itself4 ,the mighty adhesive forces1 which bind the hearts of ,christians to each other1 can only subsist on the marrow of ,gospel truth1 and if this is wanting1 dissension will soon appear1 and the ,church suffer disintegration4 ,holding these views1 strengthened as they had been by my former experience and observation1 ,i resolved1 at whatever cost of reputation1 to adhere to them in ,janesville4 ,the result proved their wisdom4 ,with the revival of the prayer and class meetings1 and the utterance of plain ,evangelical truth from the pulpit1 came a speedy manifestation of spiritual interest and growth4 ,and so marked had this indication of the presence of the ,spirit become1 that ,i felt justified in opening a protracted meeting with the watch-night services4 ,the meeting grew in interest from night to night1 and in a short time the ,altar was filled with penitents4 ,thus opened a meeting that continued four months1 resulting gloriously to the charge4 ,nearly three hundred persons professed to be converted1 and near two hundred of them were received on probation4 ,during the meeting ,i preached nearly every night1 and sometimes in the afternoons4 ,but ,i was greatly assisted in the meeting by ,revs4 ,j4,b4 ,cooper and ,i4,s4 ,eldridge1 of whom mention will be made in another chapter4 ,rev4 ,a4,b4 ,bishop1 now a valuable member of ,minnesota ,conference1 was also1 though young1 a good laborer in the meeting4 ,among the laymen who rendered special service was ,brother ,j4,l4 ,kimball1 who1 with his daughter ,emily1 had been for years the principal reliance in the singing1 both in the choir and social meetings4 ,referring to this good brother brings up an incident of the meeting4 ,brother ,k4 had long been recognized as the financial man and the singer of the ,church1 but could never take a part in the social services with any comfort to himself4 ,in one of the meetings ,i suggested that in these matters as in others1 practice would relieve the case4 ,he concluded to try it1 and for two weeks spoke a few words as opportunity offered4 ,but he finally told the congregation that my recipe would not work4 ,others might be able to talk their way to ,heaven1 but he was satisfied that1 as for himself1 he would have to pay his way1 if he ever got there4 ,the pleasant remark seemed more in keeping1 when it was remembered that he was always a generous contributor to every good cause4 ,while many of the converts were from among the young people1 not a few were persons of mature years1 and some of them in affluent circumstances4 ,the large increase of members rendered it necessary to reconstruct the classes1 but the want of class rooms retarded this branch of our work4 ,several of the classes were assigned to meet during the week at private houses1 and four of them met in the audience room at the close of the morning service4 ,by placing a class in each corner1 with the understanding that when one of them commenced to sing1 all the others should join1 the plan worked very well4 ,after the singing each class took up the thread where it had been dropped1 and proceeded with the service4 ,usually the ,pastor sat in the ,altar to give the responses to the exercises of each as they seemed to require them4 ,sometimes not a little confusion occurred1 but it was taken in good feeling by all1 and the meetings were profitable4 ,we also organized meetings outside of the village4 ,school houses and private dwellings were used for this purpose1 and these meetings not only accommodated the people of the several neighborhoods adjacent to the village1 but gave the needed religious employment to the ,local ,preachers and other members of the ,church4 ,the meetings were held in the afternoons of the ,sabbath1 and sometimes1 to hold the plan in countenance1 the ,pastor himself would go out and deliver a sermon4 ,at first it was feared by some of the good brethren that these side meetings would detract from the regular services of the ,church1 but the result proved that1 on the contrary1 they gave an increase of both interest and attendance4 ,for the people1 thus edified and interested1 came into the village and thronged the ,church4 ,but the year was now drawing to a close4 ,by request of the preceding ,conference1 the ,conference session had been changed to spring4 ,the year had been one of severe labor1 but its compensations were abundant4 ,i was able to report a membership1 including probationers1 of three hundred and six4 ,two events in my own family clothed the year with special interest4 ,the one1 the conversion of our eldest daughter1 then nine years old1 and her reception into the church1 the other1 the birth of our son4 ,they were both occasions of devout thanksgiving to ,god4 ,during this year ,i made a visit to ,evansville1 a charge that seems to hold a central position in the ,conference west of ,janesville4 ,the first settlement was made in this vicinity in the fall of #ahci1 when six families came into what was then called the town of ,union4 ,these early settlers were ,rev4 ,boyd ,phelps1 ,rev4 ,stephen ,jones1 ,erastus ,quivey1 ,samuel ,lewis1 ,charles ,mc,millin1 and ,john ,rhineheart4 ,during the winter and spring religious meetings were established in private houses1 ,rev4 ,boyd ,phelps preaching the first sermon4 ,in the following spring and summer1 the settlement was enlarged by the arrival of ,ira ,jones1 ,jacob ,west1 ,john ,t4 ,baker1 ,rev4 ,john ,griffith1 ,hiram ,griffith1 ,david ,johnson1 ,john ,sale and their families4 ,the heads of all these families being members of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church1 they applied to ,rev4 ,samuel ,pillsbury1 in charge of the ,monroe circuit1 for recognition4 ,he visited them1 established an appointment and formed them into a class in ,august1 #ahdj4 ,the class was organized at the residence of ,hiram ,griffith1 located about one mile northwest of the present site of ,evansville4 ,at the first organization the members were3 ,jacob ,west1 ,leader1 ,margaret ,west1 ,boyd ,phelps1 ,local ,preacher1 ,clarissa ,phelps1 ,stephen ,jones1 ,local ,preacher1 ,isabel ,jones1 ,john ,griffith1 ,local ,preacher1 ,belinda ,griffith1 ,john ,t4 ,baker1 ,jemima ,baker1 ,ira ,jones1 ,sarah ,j4 ,jones1 ,john ,rhineheart1 ,deborah ,rhineheart1 ,alma ,jones1 ,samuel ,lewis1 ,sarah ,lewis1 ,charles ,mc,millan1 ,miriam ,mc,millan1 ,jane ,brown1 ,erastus ,quivey1 ,sally ,quivey1 ,hiram ,griffith1 ,sally ,griffith1 ,david ,johnson and ,kizziah ,johnson4 ,soon after ,john ,sale and ,jane ,sale also became members4 ,of this number1 at least two became ,itinerant ,preachers4 ,the first1 ,rev4 ,boyd ,phelps1 filled several appointments in the ,conference1 and was ,presiding ,elder of ,beaver ,dam ,district4 ,he then removed to ,minnesota1 where he has also rendered effective service4 ,the second1 ,rev4 ,stephen ,jones1 was my predecessor at ,watertown1 but only continued a few years1 when he entered secular pursuits4 ,at one time he was a member of the ,state ,legislature4 ,rev4 ,james ,ash was sent to the ,monroe ,circuit in #ahdj1 and his work embraced ,union4 ,he remained two years1 and was very successful in his work4 ,the first ,quarterly ,meeting was held in the house of ,brother ,jacob ,west1 by ,rev4 ,h4,w4 ,reed1 in the fall of #ahdj4 ,in #ahdb ,union was attached to the ,madison circuit1 and the ,pastor was ,rev4 ,s4,p4 ,keyes4 ,during this year a log school house was erected on the present site of ,evansville1 for the double purpose of school and religious meetings4 ,this building was used for public worship until the summer of #ahdg4 ,from #ahdc to #ahde ,union was connected with the ,janesville circuit4 ,in #ahde the ,union circuit was formed1 with ,rev4 ,asa ,wood as ,pastor4 ,it was assigned to the ,platteville ,district1 with ,rev4 ,henry ,summers as ,presiding ,elder4 ,brother ,summers was a veteran representative of the ,methodist ,preacher of the olden time4 ,he entered the work when ,illinois was yet in her maidenhood1 and from the first was a recognized power in the land4 ,genial in spirit1 full of anecdote1 abundant in labors1 an able ,preacher1 a faithful administrator1 and a devoted servant of the ,master1 he enjoyed the esteem of all4 ,but ,i need not enlarge1 as doubtless a record will be made of his labors in ,illinois1 where his fields of labor were principally located4 ,under the labors of ,brother ,wood1 a frame church1 #de by #cj feet in size1 was erected1 the location being in the block now occupied by ,j4 ,r4 ,finch as a store in the village of ,evansville4 ,the building was dedicated by ,brother ,summers in ,june1 #ahdg4 ,but it will be necessary to omit further details of these early years4 ,old ,union1 the mother of charges west of ,janesville1 has been well represented in the ,itinerant ranks4 ,in addition to ,brothers ,phelps and ,jones1 to whom reference has been made1 she has sent into the field ,revs4 ,james ,lawson1 ,j4,h4 ,hazeltine1 ,george ,fellows1 and ,a4,a4 ,hoskins4 ,in #ahee1 ,evansville ,station was created1 with ,rev4 ,e4,p4 ,beecher as ,pastor4 ,the ,janesville ,district was also established this year1 with ,rev4 ,j4,w4 ,wood as ,presiding ,elder4 ,under the ,pastorate of ,rev4 ,george ,w4 ,de ,lamatyr1 which begin in #ahfd1 the new ,church was erected1 costing some six thousand dollars4 ,it was dedicated by ,rev4 ,dr4 ,fallows in the fall of #ahfg4 ,at the present writing ,evansville is recognized as a charge of excellent standing4 ,the ,conference of #aheh was held ,may #abth at ,beloit1 ,bishop ,morris presiding4 ,at this ,conference the writer was elected ,secretary1 and ,revs4 ,s4 ,w4 ,ford and ,george ,fellows ,assistants4 ,the session was brief and harmonious4 ,beloit is located on the line between the ,states of ,illinois and ,wisconsin1 and was at first connected with ,roscoe ,circuit1 a charge lying on the ,illinois side4 ,the class was probably informally organized by ,brother ,thomas ,mc,elhenny1 the first ,leader1 in #ahci4 ,the following year ,rev4 ,milton ,bourne1 ,pastor of ,roscoe ,circuit1 established an appointment and recognized the infant ,society4 ,the members1 besides ,brother ,mc,elhenny1 were ,tyler ,blodgett1 ,mrs4 ,m4,m4 ,moore and ,sister ,lusena ,cheney4 ,the ,pastors of ,roscoe ,circuit1 during its supervision of ,beloit1 in addition to ,brother ,bourne1 were ,revs4 ,james ,mc,kean1 ,o4,w4 ,munger1 ,john ,hodges1 ,alpha ,warren1 and ,zadoc ,hall4 ,beloit was made a separate charge in #ahdf1 with ,rev4 ,joseph ,t4 ,lewis as ,pastor1 to whom reference has been made in a former chapter4 ,during this year the ,society entered upon a ,church enterprise4 ,the lot was purchased by ,rev4 ,stephen ,adams and ,brother ,thomas ,mc,elhenny4 ,the ,society was feeble1 and the erection of the building1 a substantial stone structure1 required a great effort and many sacrifices4 ,to purchase the lime1 three hundred and fifty bushels1 ,brother ,adams sold his only cow4 ,little can those who come after realize the sacrifices the early pioneers were called to make to render the later years happy and prosperous4 ,the ,church thus begun under the ,pastorate of ,brother ,lewis was not fully completed until #ahdi1 when it was dedicated by ,bishop ,janes4 ,the death of ,brother ,lewis in the midst of his second year1 was a severe loss to the charge4 ,but the good brethren were not discouraged1 and pushed forward the work4 ,beloit has been highly favored in her ,pastors1 among whom may be found such men as ,a4,p4 ,allen1 ,i4,m4 ,leihy1 ,j4,m4 ,walker1 ,p4,s4 ,bennett1 ,s4,w4 ,ford1 ,j4,w4 ,wood1 ,john ,nolan1 ,r4,m4 ,beach1 ,c4 ,scammon1 ,w4 ,lattin1 ,p4,b4 ,pease1 ,c4,d4 ,pillsbury1 ,w4,p4 ,stowe1 ,l4,l4 ,knox1 ,w4,w4 ,case1 ,c4,r4 ,pattee1 ,a4,c4 ,higgins1 and ,g4,s4 ,hubbs4 ,at the close of the ,conference we returned to ,janesville for a second year4 ,there still being no ,parsonage ,i purchased a residence1 thereby securing a pleasant home4 ,the plan of supplying outside appointments was continued during the summer1 and in some instances ,sunday ,schools were also opened4 ,the religious interest continued1 and the ,church was filled with people4 ,at the expiration of their probation one hundred of the converts were received into full membership1 and1 in the following fall and winter1 many others4 ,during the winter a revival again visited the charge1 which greatly strengthened the converts of the previous year1 and added to their number4 ,the two years spent in ,janesville to us were exceedingly pleasant1 and gave us a goodly number of life-long friends4 ,the ,sunday ,school had become very prosperous1 the charge was now out of debt1 and the finances self-supporting4 ,and more than all1 we left a united and happy people4 ,janesville has since enjoyed her full share of able and successful ,pastors4 ,several years ago1 she divided into two bands1 and has now two good ,churches1 two good congregations1 and two able ,ministers4 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,conference of #ahei4--,presiding ,elder4--,milwaukee ,district4--,residence4--,district ,parsonage4-,visits to ,charges4--,spring ,street4--,asbury4--,rev4 ,a4,c4 ,manwell4--,brookfield4--,west ,granville4--,wauwatosa4--,rev4 ,j4,p4 ,roe4--,waukesha4--,rev4 ,wesley ,lattin1--,oconomowoc4--,rev4 ,a4,c4 ,pennock4--,rev4 ,job ,b4 ,mills4--,hart ,prairie4--,rev4 ,delos ,hale4--,watertown4 ,rev4 ,david ,brooks4--,rev4 ,a4,c4 ,huntley4--,brookfield ,camp-,meeting4 ,the next ,conference session was held ,april #bjth1 #ahei1 at ,sheboygan ,falls4 ,the excellent ,bishop ,baker presided1 and ,i was again elected ,secretary4 ,it was at this ,conference the trial of ,rev4 ,j4 ,w4 ,wood was had4 ,he had been the ,presiding ,elder of the ,janesville ,district1 but1 having obtained a divorce from his wife on the ground of desertion1 instead of the one cause named in the ,new ,testament1 and married another1 he had been suspended during the year4 ,the trial resulted in his expulsion4 ,the case was carried to the next ,general ,conference on ,appeal1 and that body sustained the action taken by the ,conference4 ,the disability thus hanging over the ,presiding ,elder of the ,janesville ,district1 rendered it necessary that some one should be appointed to represent the ,district in the ,cabinet4 ,the ,bishop appointed me to this duty1 thus imposing severe labor for the session4 ,since ,i was appointed to represent the ,district at the ,conference1 it was generally supposed that ,i would be continued the following year1 my term having expired at ,janesville4 ,but on the contrary1 ,i was assigned to the ,milwaukee ,district4 ,this arrangement made ,waukesha my place of residence1 as the ,milwaukee ,district had erected at this village a ,district ,parsonage4 ,the inevitable concomitant of the ,itinerancy1 the moving season1 passed in the ordinary course of events1 and left us comfortably located in our new home4 ,the ,district at this time included nineteen charges4 ,the larger portion of them could be reached by railroad1 but a sufficient number lay off the line of public conveyance to render it advisable to keep a horse and buggy1 and hence they were obtained4 ,soon after reaching my new field of labor1 my attention was called to the financial condition of the ,district ,parsonage4 ,i found that a small debt had come down from the erection of the building1 which had been increased from year to year by accruing interest and repairs1 until at this time the entire indebtedness amounted to nine hundred and thirty-one dollars4 ,meantime there had been1 during the preceding year of financial pressure1 such a depreciation of property in the village1 that the building was now worth but little more1 if any1 than the amount of indebtedness4 ,in looking the matter over1 ,i saw at a glance that it would be much easier to build a new house in a desirable location than to pay an old debt of this magnitude4 ,but there were other interests to be considered4 ,the money for the erection of this ,parsonage had been given in good faith by the people1 and if it were now permitted to pass out of the hands of the ,trustees1 there would be a shock to the confidence they had reposed in the administration of the ,church4 ,and in the next place1 this money had been borrowed of innocent parties1 and it was but right that it should be returned4 ,with these views1 ,i undertook to save the property1 but ,i am free to say it was the most thankless financial task ,i had ever undertaken4 ,i gave the first one hundred and fifty dollars1 and then divided the balance among the charges of the ,district4 ,in passing around to my ,quarterly ,meetings1 the amounts in most cases were pledged1 and the larger portion finally paid4 ,yet the collections were not fully completed before the end of my term4 ,milwaukee at this time still retained its three charges1 and they were now in charge respectively of ,rev4 ,j4 ,m4 ,walker1 ,rev4 ,e4 ,cooke1 ,d4,d41 and ,rev4 ,a4,c4 ,manwell4 ,as stated in a former chapter1 ,brother ,walker had served his full term on the ,beaver ,dam ,district1 where he had been very popular4 ,he entered upon his field with great spirit1 but found himself greatly embarrassed by the unhappy financial condition of the charge4 ,besides the indebtedness remaining on the ,church1 there remained considerable arrears on the salaries of preceding ,pastorates4 ,this paying a ,pastor at the end of his term in notes1 that shall come back to haunt his successor1 is not in keeping with the financial genius of the ,church4 ,i once had some sad experience in that line1 and since it was not in ,milwaukee1 ,i will take occasion to refer to it in this connection4 ,it was at a time when the slip rents were not large1 averaging only about two hundred dollars a quarter4 ,in the case referred to1 the two hundred dollars of the first quarter of my year1 had been absorbed to meet the claims of the outgoing ,pastor4 ,and then1 as he was still behind two hundred dollars1 a note was given him for the balance4 ,by this arrangement1 the first half year of my term had been anticipated1 and had not the people1 finding out the state of the case1 come to my aid with a good donation1 ,i must have been greatly embarrassed4 ,nor does such mismanagement affect the one man alone4 ,the system entails disaster upon the successive ,pastors of the charge4 ,each man feels that his predecessor has done him a great wrong1 when the case may be1 the wrong was done by one man several years before1 and afterwards his successors have only been carrying it over from year to year4 ,but1 however long it may be carried1 it still remains as the plague of both the ,pastors and the ,church4 ,but in the person of ,brother ,walker1 the system was squelched4 ,though at the end of his term1 owing largely to this irregularity1 he was largely deficient in his claim1 he balanced the year4 ,brother ,manwell1 the ,pastor of ,asbury1 entered the ,north ,indiana ,conference in #ahec1 was transferred to the ,wisconsin ,conference in #aheg1 and had served ,green ,bay two years1 before coming to this charge4 ,the ,church accommodations were limited1 but he made two good years at ,asbury1 and was able at their close to report considerable progress4 ,after leaving the city1 ,brother ,manwell served a good class of appointments1 and among them ,racine1 ,janesville1 ,whitewater and ,ripon1 until #ahgc1 when he was transferred to ,upper ,iowa ,conference4 ,he was a man of kind spirit1 pleasant address1 and specially successful in leading the social meetings in his charges4 ,reference is made to ,dr4 ,cooke in a former chapter1 and ,i need only say in this connection that under his ,pastorate ,summerfield had a prosperous year4 ,at ,wauwatosa1 ,i found ,rev4 ,n4,j4 ,aplin1 of whom mention is made in a former chapter4 ,his assistant was ,rev4 ,edward ,bassett1 a promising young man1 who had been converted in the revival at ,janesville4 ,the two men worked admirably together1 and the year was one of great prosperity to the ,circuit4 ,the ,circuit was in a flame of revival4 ,and during the year1 the beautiful brick ,church at ,west ,granville was erected4 ,the ,brookfield class1 it will be remembered1 was formed by ,brother ,frink in #ahdj4 ,the members were3 ,robert ,curren1 ,leader1 ,sarah ,curren1 ,t4,m4 ,riddle1 ,adeline ,riddle1 ,gideon ,wales1 ,polly ,wales1 ,mark ,johnson1 ,ann ,butterfield1 ,margaret ,underwood1 ,charles ,curran1 ,frank ,morgan1 ,mrs4 ,frank ,morgan1 and ,mrs4 ,fellows4 ,to these were soon added1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,carlton1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,raymond4 ,this ,society had already erected a comfortable frame ,church1 and the neighborhood had become famous as the locality in which the ,milwaukee ,district ,camp-,meetings were held4 ,west ,granville ,church was located in the neighborhood that was known in the early times by the name of ,menomonee4 ,and it will be recollected that ,brother ,frink organized a class at this point also in #ahdj4 ,the members of the class were3 ,william ,coates1 ,leader1 ,sarah ,coates1 ,t4,j4 ,rice1 ,cynthia ,rice1 ,edward ,earl1 ,hannah ,earl1 ,lyman ,wheeler1 ,bigelow ,case1 ,alvira ,case1 ,mrs4 ,martin ,m4 ,curtis1 ,nathan ,wheeler1 ,jr41 ,william ,hudson1 ,susan ,hudson4 ,at the first the class at ,menomonee included all the members in that region1 but as the country became settled other classes were organized1 and among them those at the ,haylett1 ,nelson and ,coates neighborhoods4 ,subsequently these classes concentrated at ,menomonee ,falls and erected a ,church4 ,a new ,church has since been built1 and at this writing the village constitutes a respectable charge4 ,at ,wauwatosa there was no ,church1 and ,brother ,aplin held his meetings in a school house4 ,but in #ahfi a fine brick edifice was erected under the ,pastorate of ,rev4 ,john ,p4 ,roe4 ,brother ,roe resided1 at the time of my appointment to the ,milwaukee ,district1 on the ,new ,berlin ,circuit4 ,during the war he went to the army and served as ,chaplain with great acceptability4 ,on his return he rendered effective service as a ,local ,preacher until #ahfi1 when he entered the ,conference and was appointed to ,wauwatosa4 ,at the end of two years he was elected ,agent of the ,lawrence ,university1 and continued two years1 performing prodigies of labor1 and achieving a grand success in raising an ,endowment ,fund4 ,but his health finally failed1 and he was compelled to retire from the work4 ,at this writing1 he is traveling in ,europe4 ,at ,waukesha1 the ,pastor was ,rev1 ,wesley ,lattin1 who had been returned for a second year4 ,this noble and true man was received into the ,conference1 as before stated1 in the same class with the writer4 ,his first appointment was ,sycamore1 ,ill41 with ,rev4 ,stephen ,r4 ,beggs as ,preacher in charge4 ,brother ,lattin had been stationed in ,waukesha in #aheb1 and had now returned in #aheh and #ahei4 ,the year was a prosperous one4 ,a good revival crowned his labors1 and all the interests of the ,church were kept in a healthy condition4 ,in the department of ,pastoral labor ,brother ,lattin was not inferior to any man in the ,conference4 ,filled with the spirit of charity himself1 he was always able to diffuse the same kindly feeling among the people4 ,nor is it too much to say1 he was universally beloved4 ,of an easy and graceful delivery1 and plain1 practical thought1 his ,ministry was always agreeable and useful4 ,after leaving ,waukesha1 he was stationed successively at ,beloit1 ,fond du ,lac1 ,waupun1 ,ripon1 ,appleton1 and then returned again to ,waukesha4 ,but here his health failed and he retired from the work for two years1 but having removed to ,kansas where his health rallied again1 he was transferred to the ,kansas ,conference in #ahgb4 ,since going to ,kansas1 our dear brother has had the misfortune to lose his wife and son4 ,they were traveling to a neighboring town with a horse and buggy4 ,in trying to ford a river the waters proved too strong for the faithful horse1 and they were all swept down the stream together1 and were drowned4 ,in this great sorrow ,brother ,lattin has the sympathies of all his brethren of the ,conference4 ,oconomowoc was at this time under the ,pastoral charge of ,rev4 ,thomas ,wilcox4 ,it will be remembered that a class was formed at this place by ,brother ,frink1 in connection with his labors on the ,watertown ,circuit4 ,the members were3 ,george ,w4 ,williams1 ,leader2 ,mrs4 ,george ,w4 ,williams1 ,jonathan ,dorrity1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,day ,dewey4 ,in #ahdj it was connected with ,summit1 and retained ,brother ,frink as ,pastor4 ,in #ahdc it was connected with ,prairieville ,circuit1 and shared the services of ,revs4 ,l4,f4 ,moulthrop and ,s4 ,stover4 ,before the erection of the ,church1 the meetings were held in a hall over a cooper shop4 ,the ,church enterprise was commended under the ,pastorate of ,rev4 ,s4,w4 ,martin1 a lot being donated for the purpose by ,john ,s4 ,rockwell1 ,esq4 ,under the ,pastorate of ,rev4 ,a4,c4 ,pennock1 the ,church was put in condition for use1 and on the #c;d of ,february1 #ahej1 the writer was called to dedicate the basement4 ,the second ,church enterprise was commenced in #ahfg1 tinder the labors of ,rev4 ,george ,fellows1 and was completed during the ,pastorate of ,rev4 ,wm4 ,r4 ,jones in #ahfh4 ,it was dedicated by ,bishop ,thomson4 ,oconomowoc has grown to be one of the strongest and most desirable appointments in the ,conference4 ,at the time of my visit in #ahej the charge had been divided1 giving to ,rev4 ,a4 ,c4 ,pennock the ,oconomowoc portion1 and ,rev4 ,job ,b4 ,mills the northern appointments4 ,brother ,pennock entered the ,conference in #ahdh1 and was appointed to ,west ,bend4 ,the following year1 as above stated1 he was sent to ,oconomowoc1 but here his health failed1 and he was compelled to rest a year4 ,in #aheb he was re-admitted and again appointed to ,oconomowoc1 with ,rev4 ,t4,o4 ,hollister as ,assistant4 ,during this year he was greatly afflicted in the loss of his wife1 and before the expiration of the year he was sent to ,waukesha to supply the place of ,brother ,lattin1 whose health had failed4 ,in #ahec ,brother ,pennock was stationed at ,asbury1 ,milwaukee1 but1 his health again failing1 he decided to go to ,minnesota at the end of the year4 ,he remained in ,minnesota1 doing effective work until #ahfd1 when1 becoming satisfied his health was unequal to the ,itinerancy1 he located4 ,at the present writing he is residing in ,madison4 ,he has a clear head and a warm heart4 ,brother ,mills came to ,wisconsin from ,washington1 ,d4,c41 in the ,spring of #ahdh4 ,after stopping in ,milwaukee a few months1 and receiving license to exhort from ,spring ,street ,station1 he removed to ,oconomowoc1 where he was granted a ,local ,preacher's license4 ,being employed1 as before stated1 on the north part of ,oconomowoc charge1 he found ten appointments and seven classes committed to his care1 which gave him abundance of labor4 ,he was admitted into the ,conference at its next session1 and returned to his former field4 ,his subsequent appointments in ,wisconsin were ,bark ,river1 ,palmyra1 and ,root ,river4 ,in #ahed he was sent to ,minneapolis ,mission in ,minnesota1 having ,rev4 ,david ,brooks as his ,presiding ,elder4 ,in this place1 now so flourishing a city1 he was compelled to hold his meetings in a loft over the ,post ,office4 ,but1 notwithstanding these disadvantages1 he formed a class1 and his good wife organized a ,sabbath ,school4 ,in #ahef ,brother ,mills took a transfer to the ,peoria ,conference1 now ,central ,illinois1 and in #ahfd1 on account of blindness1 was compelled to take a superannuation4 ,at this writing he is residing at ,oconomowoc1 but1 on invitation1 often goes abroad to assist the brethren in their work4 ,he is a grand1 good man1 and his labors are always appreciated4 ,the next charge visited was ,hart ,prairie4 ,this ,circuit had once formed a part of the old ,troy charge of the early times1 but1 after undergoing various changes1 it was now a charge by itself4 ,it had a small ,church and a most interesting congregation4 ,here ,i was the guest of ,rev4 ,richard ,fairchilds1 a ,local ,preacher of large intelligence and extensive influence4 ,the ,pastor was ,rev4 ,delos ,hale1 who entered the ,conference in #ahed4 ,he had shirked duty for several years1 and had been known as a reliable business man at ,summit4 ,but finally1 accepting his responsibilities1 he was appointed first to ,oak ,creek1 and then ,west ,bend4 ,he was now on his second year1 and was in the midst of a revival4 ,at my visit in the following summer1 ,i attended a ,camp-,meeting on grounds a short distance east of the ,church4 ,the meeting was largely attended1 and many souls were brought into the ,kingdom4 ,i was greatly pleased with my visit to ,watertown4 ,the ,church ,i had left in an unfinished condition in #ahdh1 was completed by ,rev4 ,david ,brooks two years later1 when ,i returned and performed the dedicatory service4 ,brother ,brooks entered the ,rock ,river ,conference in #ahdd1 and was stationed at ,dixon1 ,illinois4 ,on coming to ,watertown1 he entered upon his work with spirit1 and success crowned his efforts4 ,after leaving ,watertown1 he rendered effective service in the regular work until #aheb1 when he was elected ,agent of the ,lawrence ,university4 ,in #ahec he was appointed ,presiding ,elder of the ,minnesota ,district1 since which time he has continued to labor on both stations and ,districts in that field with great acceptability4 ,brother ,brooks is a man of sterling qualities4 ,sound in the ,faith1 circumspect in demeanor1 faithful in his work1 and true to every interest of the ,church1 he could not fail to make a good record4 ,i found ,rev4 ,a4,c4 ,huntley the ,pastor at ,watertown4 ,brother ,huntley entered the traveling connection in ,western ,new ,york1 and came to the ,wisconsin ,conference by transfer in #aheh4 ,he had already held a protracted meeting1 and a large number had professed conversion1 giving considerable additional strength to the charge4 ,the ,church edifice had now become too small to meet the demands of the charge1 and ,brother ,huntley had entered upon the labor of enlargement4 ,in this good work he had not only planned and superintended1 but had also put his own hands to the actual labor4 ,he succeeded so well in the enterprise1 that he finally decided to make the extension large enough to furnish also a good ,parsonage in the rear of the ,church edifice4 ,the dedicatory services were conducted by the writer on ,saturday1 ,july #afth4 ,the ,brookfield ,camp-,meeting was held in the latter part of ,june4 ,the grove on the farm of ,robert ,curren1 ,esq41 was secured for a term of years1 and through the assistance of ,brothers ,aplin and ,bassett1 and the brethren on adjacent charges1 it was well fitted up for the purposes of a ,camp-,meeting4 ,at this meeting we adopted the plan of making our ,camp-,meetings self supporting4 ,instead of relying upon the brethren in the neighborhood to do all the work and keep open doors for the week1 we determined to pay our own bills1 and thus permit the good people in the vicinity to enjoy the meeting1 as well as those who came from abroad4 ,the change was deemed a great improvement4 ,there was a good show of tents1 and the attendance was large4 ,the preaching was excellent1 as the good brethren were more intent upon saving souls than ventilating their great sermons4 ,the meeting resulted in the conversion of many souls1 while the membership was greatly quickened4 ,in these latter days the question is sometimes raised1 ,of what advantage are these ,camp-,meetings1 now that we have good ,churches in which to worship ,god8 ,the question might be answered by another1 ,of what advantage is it to have picnics and other excursions in the open air1 and pleasant groves1 since we have houses to dwell in and restaurants to supply the cravings of the appetite8 ,the fact is1 ,camp-,meetings are as thoroughly in harmony with the laws of ,philosophy as they are in keeping with the principles of ,religion4 ,to intensify either the mental or spiritual forces1 it is necessary to break up1 at times1 their monotonous habits1 and send them off into new channels of thought and feeling4 ,a lesson may be learned in this direction from the picnic excursion4 ,it is not the little ones alone who1 relieved of the confinement of the parlor1 gambol in half frantic ecstasy1 but the sedate matron and the grave sire renew their youth1 and in their exhuberance of spirit1 join in the recreations with the zest of childhood4 ,the same law obtains in ,camp-,meetings4 ,why not go out into the woods1 beneath the spreading branches of the trees1 or even under the uncurtained canopy of ,heaven1 and enjoy a grand unbending of the spirit8 ,with the shackles thrown off that have so long fettered the soul1 what a ,heaven of felicity there is in its conscious freedom4 ,the eagle1 long confined in a cage1 after stretching his wings to satisfy himself that he is really free1 gambols in the air with an indescribable ecstasy4 ,so there are thousands of ,christians shut up in the ,churches who are dying for a little spiritual freedom4 ,their poor souls need a holiday4 ,let them go out to a good thorough-going ,camp-,meeting1 and obtain a new lease of life4 ,and in saying this1 ,i am not advocating undue license4 ,i am only pleading for the inalienable rights of a human soul4 ,such freedom of spirit is entirely consonant with the highest culture and absolute decorum4 ,communing thus with nature in her purest and most lovely moods1 the soul is dwelling in the vestibule of ,god's own sanctuary4 ,no wonder that prayer and song find such grand perfection in the ,camp-,meeting4 ,it is there they find their highest inspiration4 ,but another advantage of the ,camp-,meeting lies in the unbroken chain of religious thought and feeling which it affords4 ,in the ordinary experiences of life1 the secular and the religious strongly mingle and intercept each other4 ,but in the tented grove the secular is shut away from the mind1 and the religious holds complete mastery4 ,one service follows another1 and one religious impulse succeeds another so rapidly that the soul finds no interval for communion with the world4 ,and as the ore1 by long tarrying in the furnace1 where no breath of cooling currents can reach it1 flows as a liquid and is ready to take any form1 so the soul1 held in hallowed communion with the ,divine spirit1 is prepared to receive the perfect image of ,god4 ,to the soul who has no knowledge of these delightful experiences1 there hangs a mystery around the ,camp-,meeting1 but to ,christians the whole subject is as clear as the noon-day4 ,like the disciples on the mount of transfiguration1 they are prepared to say1 ,master1 it is good for us to be here4 ,with them ,christ is the central figure1 and it is his presence that hallows the temple in the wilderness4 ,it is sometimes objected that the exercises at ,camp-,meetings are too boisterous1 and lead to extravagances4 ,to this objection there are two replies4 ,first1 it must be conceded that ,camp-,meetings are not the only meetings that may be denominated boisterous4 ,at political meetings1 and on other occasions1 ,i have witnessed the equal1 at least1 of anything ,i have seen at ,camp ,meetings4 ,but the other reply is more to the point4 ,no one can well deprecate the boisterous and extravagant in religion more than ,i do1 and yet ,i accept both as a necessity4 ,to move men to right action1 they must be swayed by right influences4 ,if men were susceptible to the good1 then gentle influences might sway them1 but as they are steeped in evil1 and largely lost to the better influences1 the sterner only can reach them4 ,if this shall be found to be true in the individual1 then certainly it is more emphatically true of men in the aggregate4 ,to move a multitude1 then1 to the acceptance of ,christ1 the congregation must be put under an intense moral pressure4 ,and it will be found that the measure of pressure that will move the great mass1 will sometimes move individuals of peculiarly sensitive temperament over into the extravagant4 ,now in such cases1 one of two things must be accepted4 ,we must be content to leave the great aggregate unmoved1 or we must endure the irregularities that are sometimes seen1 not only at ,camp-,meetings1 but in all revivals of religion4 ,we cannot accept the former1 for it involves the ruin of perishing souls4 ,then1 accepting the latter1 we may not condemn what cannot be avoided1 if the great end of ,christian effort shall be realized4 ,human nature is a very strange combination1 and it must be taken as it is4 ,the religion of ,christ proposes to save men1 and to do so it must take us as we are4 ,the wonder is not that it can make so little out of us1 but rather1 that it is able to make even a few fair specimens1 while the balance of us are only indifferent ones4 ,yet ,i rejoice to know that even the poorest of us are vastly better than we would have been had it not been for the revelation of ,christ in us4 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,whitewater ,conference4--,report on ,slavery4--,election of ,delegates4--,whitewater4--,early ,history4--,rev4 ,dr4 ,bannister4--,general ,conference4--,member of ,mission ,committee4--,conference #ahfj4--,rev4 ,i4,l4 ,hauser4--,mrs4 ,i4,l4 ,hauser4--,rev4 ,j4,c4 ,robbins4--,the ,rebellion4--,its ,causes4--,fall of ,sumter4--,extract of ,sermon4--,conference #ahfa4--,rev4 ,j4,h4 ,jenne4--,rev4 ,s4,c4 ,thomas4--,rev4 ,g4,c4 ,haddock4--,colonelcy4--,close of ,term4 ,the thirteenth session of the ,wisconsin ,conference was held ,oct4 #ac1 #ahei1 in the village of ,whitewater1 and was presided over by ,bishop ,ames4 ,the year had been of less than seven months duration1 as by request of the ,conference1 the time of holding the sessions had been changed back to the ,fall4 ,when the change was made in the first place1 from ,fall to ,spring1 it was believed by many that such an arrangement would be a benefit to the ,preachers1 by giving them1 for the winter1 the products of their gardens4 ,but1 after a trial1 it was found that the roads were generally much worse in the ,spring than in the fall1 and if the ,conferences were delayed so as to find good roads for moving1 the ,preachers would reach their new fields too late to plant their gardens4 ,hence1 after trying the experiment1 it was thought best to return to the ,fall4 ,at this ,conference the election of delegates to the ,general ,conference again occurred4 ,the slavery question was now rife1 and of course this election could not be held without making it an issue4 ,during the early part of the ,conference this subject became the general theme of conversation1 and1 ,i might add1 the discussions and the prayers4 ,in short1 every man who was in danger of being struck with a vote must certainly show his colors on the slavery issue4 ,an able ,committee was formed1 and a careful report rendered4 ,and when the vote was taken on the report1 all eyes were on the alert to see how each candidate voted4 ,as the ,report on ,slavery is not lengthy1 ,i will insert it as taken from the ,conference ,minutes3 #a4 ,that the assertion that the ,m4,e4 ,church is constitutionally pro-slavery1 whether that assertion be made by our professed friends or by our enemies1 is a base slander4 #b4 ,that we recommend to the next ,general ,conference so to change the ,general ,rule on ,slavery as to prohibit the buying selling or holding a human being as a slave4 #c4 ,that we concur with the ,providence ,conference in recommending to the next ,general ,conference so to change the ,general ,rule on ,slavery as to read3 ',slavery1 the buying or selling of men1 women or children1 with an intention to enslave them4' #d4 ,that we concur with the ,erie ,conference in recommending to the next ,general ,conference so to change the ,general ,rule on ,slavery as to read3 ',the buying1 selling1 holding or transferring of a human being1 to be used in slavery4' ,it will be observed that the ,wisconsin ,conference preferred the wording of her own proposed ,rule1 yet such was her anxiety to secure action by the ,general ,conference1 that she was willing to adopt any other form of words1 if the same sentiment should be explicitly incorporated4 ,and by concurring in those sent from the ,providence and ,erie ,conferences1 and at the same time re-affirming her own1 which was going the circuit of the other ,conferences1 she hoped to see some one of them reach the approaching ,general ,conference1 with the recommendation of a sufficient number of the ,annual ,conferences1 to make it a law at once on the action of that body4 ,with this intense interest thrown around the subject1 it is not a matter of surprise that the votes of the candidates1 on the adoption of the report1 were carefully watched4 ,but in some cases even a fair and unequivocal vote was not enough4 ,committees were self-constituted1 or perhaps caucus-constituted to interview candidates1 much after the modern style1 to see whether they were sound on the main question4 ,and as ,i had now become sufficiently advanced in years to be considered a candidate1 ,i was waited on by such an inquisitorial body4 ,i told the good brethren that ,i was not a little surprised to find any one in doubt as to my position4 ,oh1 said they1 we are not really in doubt as to your position1 but we would like to understand how strong your convictions are1 as you have not attended our meetings4 ,yes1 said ,i1 and perhaps you will say that by neglecting your meetings1 ,i have shown a want of zeal for the cause4 ,if so1 ,i wish to state my position4 ,in the first place1 ,i have never felt it to be my duty to make a great show of valor1 as long as the enemy is out of reach4 ,and in the second place1 ,i am in a different position from many of our present abolitionists1 and should bear myself accordingly4 ,they are young converts1 and having just come into the kingdom1 they must get up a tremendous shout1 so as to satisfy their new associates that their conversion is genuine4 ,but as to myself1 ,i was always an abolitionist4 ,i have never uttered a word1 written a sentence1 or cast a vote that did not look in that direction4 ,why1 then1 should ,i go into a spasm on the eve of an election8 ,whether my little speech had anything to do with the result of the ballot which placed me at the head of the delegation or not1 it is impossible to divine4 ,but of one thing ,i felt assured4 ,i had freed my mind1 as the old lady said1 and felt better4 ,the balance of the delegation were ,i4,m4 ,leihy1 ,s4 ,c4 ,thomas1 ,e4 ,cooke1 and ,p4 ,s4 ,bennett4 ,at this ,conference1 ,i was also appointed the ,chairman of a ,committee ,to ,collect ,historical ,facts4 ,thus early did the ,conference indicate a desire that the record of her devoted and pioneer men should not be lost4 ,whitewater1 the seat of the ,conference1 was a thriving village of two or three thousand inhabitants1 and gave the ,conference a most hospitable entertainment4 ,this place was settled ,april #ast1 #ahcg1 by ,mr4 ,william ,barren1 who was joined by ,mr4 ,calvin ,prince in the middle of the same month4 ,the first sermon was preached in the fall of the same year by ,rev4 ,jesse ,halstead4 ,whitewater became a separate charge in #ahdc1 with ,rev4 ,alpha ,warren as ,pastor4 ,during this year a class was formed4 ,the members were3 ,j4,k4 ,wood1 ,leader2 ,mrs4 ,j4,k4 ,wood1 ,henry ,johnson1 ,a4,r4 ,eaton1 ,mrs4 ,a4,r4 ,eaton1 ,mrs4 ,dr4 ,clark1 ,mrs4 ,j4,j4 ,stearin1 ,roxana ,hamilton1 and ,miss ,whitcomb4 ,the meetings were held in private houses until the new brick school house was built4 ,they were then held in the school house until the ,church was erected4 ,the first ,church was commenced under the ,pastorate of ,rev4 ,j4 ,harrington in #ahdi1 and was completed under that of ,rev4 ,j4,m4 ,walker in #aheb4 ,it was dedicated by the last named1 ,feb4 #eth1 #aheb4 ,the ,church was enlarged under the ,pastorate of ,rev4 ,a4,c4 ,huntley4 ,whitewater ,station erected a new brick ,church1 one of the finest in the interior1 under the ,pastorate of ,rev4 ,c4,n4 ,stowers1 which was dedicated by ,bishop ,merrill ,oct4 #aith1 #ahgc4 ,at this writing1 ,whitewater ranks among the leading stations of the ,conference1 having a good congregation and a most enterprising ,society4 ,at the close of this ,conference ,i was returned to the ,milwaukee ,district4 ,there were only a few changes made in the appointments of the ,preachers4 ,at this ,conference the name of ,rev4 ,henry ,bannister1 ,d4,d41 ,professor in ,garrett ,biblical ,institute1 was transferred from the ,racine to the ,milwaukee ,district1 and he was made a member of the ,summerfield ,quarterly ,conference4 ,dr4 ,bannister entered the ,oneida ,conference in #ahdb1 and for two years served as ,professor of ,languages in the ,oneida ,conference ,seminary4 ,at the ,conference of #ahdd1 he was appointed ,principal1 and held that position with distinguished honor until he was elected to a ,professorship in the ,garrett ,biblical ,institute4 ,at the present writing he is still at the ,institute1 doing efficient work4 ,nearly a third of a century he has devoted to teaching1 dividing his time almost equally between the ,seminary and the ,institute4 ,dr4 ,bannister is one of ,nature's noblemen1 and his membership in any ,conference is an honor to the body4 ,the ,wisconsin ,conference has recognized his worth1 and has sent him three times as one of her delegates to the ,general ,conference1 and on one occasion was pleased to put him at the head of the list4 ,but he is not the property of a ,conference2 he belongs to the whole ,church1 and is the peer of his brethren in any convocation she may assemble4 ,the ,general ,conference met in ,buffalo1 ,n4,y41 in ,may1 #ahfj4 ,the agitation known as the ,nazarite movement was then raging through ,western ,new ,york1 and it was understood that several cases would come before the ,general ,conference on appeal from the expelled members of the ,genesee ,conference4 ,i was requested to go down to the troubled ,district and look the ground over before the opening of the ,conference4 ,i did so1 but found the movement too far advanced to avoid a rupture of the ,societies in many of the charges4 ,several of the men who had taken an appeal had stultified themselves and vitiated their appeals1 by forming ,societies on the basis of the new movement2 and though they disclaimed all intention to establish another ,church1 the formation of these ,societies1 it was held1 could be interpreted in no other way4 ,having thus become members of another ,church their appeals1 which contemplated their restoration to the former ,church1 could not be entertained4 ,but the great question before the body was the new ,rule on ,slavery4 ,at the beginning1 the subject was given to one of the large ,committees1 of which the writer was a member4 ,the late ,bishop ,kingsley was the ,chairman1 and the ,committee met almost daily for three weeks4 ,the report to the ,general ,conference was made to cover the whole ground1 and accepted the basis which had been advocated so long by the ,wisconsin ,conference4 ,on its presentation a long discussion followed1 and it was believed that the requisite two-thirds vote would be obtained4 ,but judge of our surprise when1 on taking the vote1 we found the measure had been lost by a few votes1 and these had been mostly given by the delegation of the troubled ,district in ,western ,new ,york4 ,but though the majority were thus defeated in their effort to change the ,general ,rule1 they passed a chapter that declared it to be unchristian to hold slaves1 as well as to traffic in them4 ,the war1 however1 soon followed1 and the logic of events1 disposed of the ,slavery question4 ,at this ,conference ,i was elected a member of the ,general ,mission ,committee at ,new ,york1 which rendered it necessary for me to visit the city annually for four years4 ,the ,conference of #ahfj was held ,sept4 #bfth1 at ,janesville1 ,bishop ,scott presiding4 ,at this session the ,conference received ,rev4 ,i4,l4 ,hauser1 and he was sent as a ,missionary to ,india4 ,brother ,hauser is of ,austrian1 ,german and ,french descent4 ,his mother's family were ,german1 and the ,hauser name is over six hundred years old in ,vienna1 ,austria4 ,his grandmother on his father's side was directly descended from one of the ,huguenot families driven out of ,france by the revocation of the edict of ,nantes4 ,coming to ,america1 the family settled in ,pennsylvania1 where ,brother ,hauser was born1 in #ahcd4 ,his family came to ,wisconsin and settled at ,delavan in #ahej4 ,he graduated from ,lawrence ,university in #ahfj4 ,during his senior year he was ,president of the ,college ,missionary ,society1 and when writing to ,rev4 ,dr4 ,durbin1 requesting him to preach the annual sermon at ,commencement1 he stated that he would soon be through ,college and be ready for duty1 but he did not know just what it was1 and wished advice4 ,the reply came for him to send the name of the ,pastor of the ,church4 ,the names of ,rev4 ,m4 ,himebaugh1 ,pastor1 and ,rev4 ,dr4 ,knox1 one of the ,professors1 were sent4 ,three days after his graduation1 having reached his home1 he received a letter from ,bishop ,simpson1 asking him to come at once to ,evanston4 ,from there the ,bishop sent him to the ,erie ,conference1 then in session at ,erie1 ,penn41 where he was ordained and appointed to the ,mission in ,india4 ,returning to ,wisconsin1 he was united in marriage with ,miss ,jeannette ,shepherd1 of ,kenosha1 ,sept4 #acth4 ,starting for their field of labor1 they sailed from ,boston on the vessel ,sea ,king1 and after a tedious and stormy voyage of one hundred and thirty-eight days1 they reached ,calcutta4 ,from there1 after an eleven days' journey of one thousand and three miles up the valley of the ,ganges1 they arrived at ,bijnour1 forty-five miles from where the river ,ganges flows out of the mountains into the plains of ,india4 ,here they labored six years1 their field comprising a ,district of nineteen hundred square miles1 with a population of nearly one million1 being fifty-four miles from the nearest ,mission ,station4 ,four schools were organized1 in which twenty teachers were employed1 and six languages were used in the various studies4 ,when the schools were first started not two natives in the ,district could speak ,english1 but after six years nearly six hundred had been taught in the schools to both read and speak it4 ,regular services in the ,chapel1 such as preaching1 ,sunday ,school1 class and prayer meetings1 were held in the ,urdu language for the native ,christian ,church4 ,brother ,hauser also conducted the ,church of ,england service each ,sabbath morning for five years1 for the few ,english residents stationed there1 as they had no ,chaplain4 ,besides studying the several languages of the country1 preaching in the bazaars and other public places to tens of thousands of people1 instructing the native preachers and teachers1 looking after and giving employment to the native ,christians1 he was appointed by the ,publishing ,committee of the ,mission to translate the ,discipline into the ,urdu language1 having the honor of making the first translation of that book into any ,eastern tongue4 ,but in the midst of his labors1 sickness fell upon himself and family4 ,diptheria attacked himself1 his wife1 and two of his children4 ,one little girl died of that disease1 and shortly after another from fever4 ,brother ,hauser's throat became seriously affected1 and he was compelled to retire from the work4 ,with his family1 he made a tour of several months through the ,himalaya ,mountains1 to within eight miles of the borders of ,thibet4 ,in this tour he was not unfrequently twenty thousand feet above the sea1 but failing to recover his health1 he1 in #ahfh1 returned to the ,united ,states1 after an absence of eight years4 ,since his return1 he has devoted his labor to the publication of the ,christian ,statesman1 the only ,protestant religious paper published in ,wisconsin4 ,being undenominational1 the paper1 patronized by all the ,protestant ,churches1 has attained a wide circulation4 ,brother ,hauser is a man of great energy1 and is doing a grand work for the ,churches of ,wisconsin4 ,mrs4 ,hauser is a lady of very superior talent4 ,in their ,mission field she took her full share of the work1 and since her return1 she has not only been one of the best contributors to the ,statesman1 but has largely identified herself with the ,woman's ,foreign ,missionary ,society work in the ,state4 ,both on the platform1 and in the general work of the ,society1 she holds a high rank4 ,and in addition to this work1 she is now preparing a volume of sketches of ,women in ,heathen ,lands4 ,at the close of the preceding year1 the ,summerfield ,quarterly ,conference requested my appointment to the ,pastorate of that station4 ,the ,bishop at first was inclined to grant the request1 but finally came to the conclusion that ,i ought to remain on the ,district4 ,this left the charge to be supplied1 and ,i secured the services of ,rev4 ,j4,e4 ,wilson1 then of ,ohio1 but who had formerly served ,milwaukee1 as stated in a preceding chapter4 ,summerfield was just in the midst of her financial embarrassment4 ,the indebtedness was about fifteen thousand dollars1 and threatened to overwhelm the charge4 ,but the good brethren were steadfast1 and through great labor and sacrifice1 aided by ,rev4 ,s4,c4 ,thomas1 succeeded in meeting their obligations4 ,brother ,wilson rendered effective service1 but at the close of the year returned to his home in ,ohio4 ,rev4 ,j4,c4 ,robbins was appointed this year to the ,spring ,street ,station4 ,brother ,robbins entered the ,north ,indiana ,conference in #ahdd4 ,his appointments were ,winchester1 ,plymouth1 ,clinton1 ,hagerstown1 ,williamsburg1 ,knightstown1 ,doublin and ,lewisville4 ,he was transferred to the ,wisconsin ,conference in #ahee1 and stationed at ,north ,ward1 ,fond du ,lac4 ,his subsequent appointments were ,waupun1 ,berlin and ,empire4 ,the year opened finely1 and during the winter ,brother ,robbins held a protracted meeting1 which resulted in the conversion of many souls4 ,but the ,society met with a severe loss this year1 in the destruction of their ,church by fire4 ,brother ,robbins remained a second year at ,spring ,street1 and again enjoyed a good revival4 ,after leaving the city1 he has been stationed at ,racine1 ,waukesha1 ,sheboygan ,falls1 ,waupun1 ,berlin1 ,green ,bay1 ,hart ,prairie1 ,sharon and ,footville4 ,at the present writing1 he is at the last named place1 seeking to gather sheaves for the ,master4 ,this year intense excitement prevailed throughout the country4 ,the ,presidential election1 which placed ,abraham ,lincoln at the head of our national affairs1 occurred in ,november4 ,and during the following months1 the rebellion was taking form in the ,southern ,states1 but did not culminate in open rupture until the middle of ,april4 ,but before stating the position of the ,conference and ,church in the pending struggle1 it will be proper to refer to the causes which produced the conflict4 ,in the settlement of the ,united ,states1 two distinct types of society planted themselves in the two great centres of the ,atlantic ,coast4 ,the one made ,new ,england the theater of development1 and the other the ,eastern cordon of the ,southern ,states4 ,from the first center1 the population moved westward through ,new ,york1 ,pennsylvania1 and the ,prairie ,states1 to the ,mississippi4 ,from the other1 the settlements extended through the savannahs of the ,south to the ,gulf4 ,the emigrants in the ,north were mainly those who came to the ,western world to find an asylum from the religious persecutions to which they had been subjected at home4 ,in the ,south1 society was largely established under the sanctions of royalty4 ,these two facts will account for the radical differences existing between the people of the two sections4 ,in the ,north1 society very naturally accepted the political doctrines of personal equality and universal freedom4 ,in the ,south1 the people as naturally adhered to their aristocratic ideas1 and held to the doctrine of privileged classes4 ,the two types of society1 thus placed side by side1 were now given an open field1 in which the contest for supremacy could not long be delayed4 ,in geographical position1 it would seem that the advantage was decidedly with the ,south4 ,and the same may be said of the patronage bestowed by the home governments4 ,but notwithstanding the high mountain ranges1 the deep forests1 and the sterile coasts of ,new ,england1 her people cut their way through every obstacle1 and soon stood face to face with their aristocratic neighbors4 ,a collision of ideas was now inevitable4 ,the ,south1 quick to discover the unheralded force of ,yankee character1 took the alarm and declared that ,mason and ,dixon's line should divide between her and her neighbor4 ,here was deposited the first egg in the nest1 from which has been hatched the terrible brood of vipers which1 under the name of ,state ,rights1 has involved the country in a most desolating war4 ,it was on this line that ,calhoun planted his standard when he sought to inflame the ,south against the ,north4 ,and it was on this fatal line that his followers1 thirty years after1 sought to overturn the decisions of the ballot-box1 and establish a ,southern ,confederacy4 ,with what result1 the record of the conflict affords an answer4 ,on the #acth of ,april1 #ahfa1 the rebels opened fire on ,fort ,sumter1 and on the #adth ,major ,anderson and his brave men were compelled to surrender their stronghold4 ,as the news of this attack and surrender swept along the telegraphic wires throughout the ,north1 a most intense patriotism awoke in the heart of every loyal citizen4 ,the people assembled on the corners of the streets1 in halls1 in places of business1 and in short1 at every convenient place of resort1 to discuss the situation1 and feed the flames of patriotism4 ,everywhere men and money were offered to support the government1 without stint4 ,the press teemed with burning words1 and the pulpit was outspoken in characterizing the rebellion and vindicating the government4 ,the writer was in ,milwaukee when the news of the surrender of ,fort ,sumter reached the city4 ,on ,sabbath1 ,april #bast1 ,i preached a sermon1 from which the following extract is taken4 ,i quote from ,rev4 ,mr4 ,love's ,history of ,wisconsin in the ,war4 ,but1 ,ladies and ,gentlemen1 the war is inevitable4 ,its coming may be hastened or retarded by the shaping of events during the next thirty days1 but that war is upon us1 and a civil war1 of a most frightful character and most alarming proportions1 is to my mind no longer a question4 ,you can no more prevent it than you can stay the leaping floods of ,niagara1 or quench the king of day in the palm of your hand4 ,it is the legitimate offspring of an 'irrepressible conflict' of ideas as antagonistic as light and darkness1 as diametrically opposed to each other as right and wrong1 truth and error4 ,the ,bible declaration1 that ,god hath made of one blood all the nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth1 so beautifully set forth in our ,declaration of ,independence1 and teaching the great lesson of universal equality and universal freedom1 forms the corner-stone of our institutions4 ,but a plague spot is found in the opposing doctrine of caste and privileged classes1 which finds illustration in ,american slavery4 ,this war of principles has already culminated in a collision at ,fort ,sumter1 and it would be contrary to all history to arrest the tide of war at this stage4 ,the antagonism is too direct1 and the conflict too heated to quench the flame till rivers of blood shall pass over it4 ,the act of the ,south in firing on ,sumter is none other than a rebellion1 and that of the most inexcusable and wicked character1 against the best government on earth2 and ,i am free to confess that ,i am filled with horror when ,i contemplate the result of this suicidal act on their part1 an act that must lead to years of war1 as far as human ken can see1 and the most fearful desolations in its train4 ,but1 gentlemen1 there is no alternative4 ,the glove is thrown to us1 and we must accept it4 ,if our principles are right1 and we believe they are1 we would be unworthy of our noble paternity if we were to shrink from the issue4 ,let there1 then1 be no shrinking from the contest4 ,the battle is for human liberty1 and it were better that every man should go down1 and every dollar be sacrificed1 than that we should transmit to the coming millions of this land other than a legacy of freedom4 ,were it not that good men have gone down into the dust and smoke of the battle1 there would not be to-day a government on the face of the globe under which a good man could well live4 ,and since ,god in his ,providence has brought us to this hour1 ,i trust that by his help we shall not prove unworthy of the trust--the noblest ever given to man--committed to our keeping4 ,there can be no question as to the result4 ,we shall triumph1 and with the triumph we shall win a glorious national destiny4 ,the next ,conference session was held in ,fond du ,lac ,sept4 #ah1 #ahfa1 ,bishop ,baker presiding4 ,the session was one of unusual excitement4 ,the war had been begun1 the terrible ,bull ,run defeat had occurred1 and already seven regiments of our brave boys had gone to the front4 ,and with the seventh1 one of our own members1 ,rev4 ,s4,l4 ,brown1 had gone as ,chaplain1 while several others were either in the ranks or looking in the same direction4 ,in the matter of furnishing men1 ,wisconsin was already ahead of the call made upon her1 but such was the devotion of her people to the ,old ,flag1 that ten other regiments could have been sent during the year4 ,at this session1 the ,conference adopted a very able ,report1 written by ,rev4 ,j4,h4 ,jenne1 on the state of the country1 showing a deep interest in the issue before the ,nation1 and pledging her unwavering support to the ,government4 ,brother ,jenne entered the traveling connection in ,maine1 and came to the ,wisconsin ,conference by transfer in #ahef4 ,his first appointment was ,agent of the ,lawrence ,university4 ,his next appointment was ,presiding ,elder of ,appleton ,district1 where he remained four years4 ,his subsequent appointments have been ,janesville1 ,janesville ,district1 ,lake ,mills1 ,hart ,prairie1 ,allen's ,grove1 ,union ,grove1 ,lyons1 and ,waupun4 ,at the present writing he is on his second year at the last named place4 ,brother ,jenne is an able ,minister of the ,new ,testament4 ,he is a man of large brain and profound research4 ,well versed in all the questions of the day1 as well as in the writings of the ,fathers1 he is able to furnish a high standard of pulpit labor4 ,he is a1 true man1 has a genial spirit1 and to persons who can strike his plane of thought he is companionable4 ,at this ,conference ,i was returned to the ,district for a fourth year1 and ,rev4 ,s4,c4 ,thomas was appointed to the ,summerfield ,church4 ,brother ,thomas entered the ,erie ,conference in #ahdb1 and1 before coming to ,wisconsin by transfer in #ahea1 had been stationed at ,conneautville1 ,geneva1 ,ravenna1 ,willoughby1 and ,fredonia1 besides serving two years as ,agent of the ,alleghany ,college4 ,after coming to ,wisconsin1 he had served ,spring ,street1 ,platteville1 ,jackson ,street1 and had been ,agent of the ,lawrence ,university for five years4 ,he now remained two years at ,summerfield1 when he returned again to the ,agency of the ,university4 ,in #ahfd he was made ,presiding ,elder of the ,milwaukee ,district1 where he remained four years4 ,he next served four years as ,presiding ,elder of the ,janesville ,district1 when he was appointed to ,fort ,atkinson4 ,at the present writing he is at ,lyons4 ,this outline completes a record of nearly a quarter of a century of labor in ,wisconsin4 ,brother ,thomas is a man of good business habits1 a careful administrator1 and a good ,preacher4 ,he loves the theology and economy of the ,church for which he has so long expended his energies4 ,he is wise in counsel1 closely attentive to all the trusts committed to his keeping1 and has a host of friends4 ,rev4 ,george ,c4 ,haddock1 ,pastor at ,waukesha1 was received into the ,conference the previous year1 had been at ,port ,washington one year1 where he had been a supply a part of the previous year1 and was now appointed to ,waukesha4 ,he remained two years1 and did a good work4 ,during the first year1 the new stone ,church was built in the place of the old frame building that had been burned during the former year4 ,and during the winter following1 the charge was blessed with a good revival1 and among the fruits gathered into the ,church1 was our second daughter1 then ten years of age4 ,after leaving ,waukesha1 ,brother ,haddock's appointments have been ,clinton1 ,oshkosh1 ,ripon1 ,appleton1 ,division ,street1 ,fond du ,lac2 ,fond du ,lac ,district1 and ,racine1 where he is laboring at this writing4 ,brother ,haddock is a man of mark4 ,early in life he acquired the printer's trade1 and subsequently devoted several years to the business of editing and publishing secular papers4 ,soon after his conversion he entered the ,ministry1 and in less than two years he was received into the ,conference4 ,during the fifteen years of his connection with the ,conference1 he has been an earnest and successful laborer1 making full proof of his ,ministry4 ,brother ,haddock has a large intellectual development1 a warm heart1 an eloquent tongue1 and an intense spiritual activity4 ,what he does must be done at once1 and done thoroughly4 ,he has an ardent hatred of shams1 and despises all clap-trap4 ,both in sermons and debate1 he strikes home1 and woe be to the luckless pate that has the temerity to dash under his well-aimed strokes4 ,and yet under all this seeming severity1 there dwells a spirit as kind and manly as ever throbbed in a human bosom4 ,during this1 the closing year of my term on the ,district1 my labors were very extended4 ,besides the regular duties of a large ,district1 ,i added that of aiding in raising regiments for the war4 ,at all suitable times and places1 ,i held war meetings1 as they were called1 and addressed the people1 often finding immense crowds congregated in groves and other convenient localities4 ,it was in connection with these services that ,i was nominated for the ,colonelcy of a religious regiment1 to be raised out of the ,churches of the city4 ,but such were my responsibilities at home1 where the ,government needed all the support it could obtain1 it was deemed inadvisable for me to accept4 ,and on further thought it was considered better for the service to avoid such distinctive organizations4 ,during my term on the ,district1 the annual ,camp ,meeting at ,brookfield greatly prospered4 ,permanent tents were erected1 and the ,meeting gave considerable promise of stability4 ,and on these grounds from year to year many persons1 were brought into the liberty of the ,gospel4 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,conference of #ahfb4--,the ,war4--,position of the ,conference4--,rev4 ,j4,m4 ,snow4--,appointed again to ,spring ,street4--,dr4 ,bowman4--,changes4--,rev4 ,p4,s4 ,bennett4--,rev4 ,c4,s4 ,macreading4--,official ,board4-,the ,new ,church ,enterprise4--,juvenile ,missionary ,society4--,conference of #ahfc4--,rev4 ,p4,b4 ,pease4--,rev4 ,george ,fellows4--,rev4 ,samuel ,fallows4--,rev4 ,r4,b4 ,curtis4--,rev4 ,d4,h4 ,muller4--,third ,year4--,pastoral ,work4--,revival4 ,visit to the ,army4--,illness4--,close of ,term4 ,the ,conference of #ahfb was held ,oct4 #ast at ,kenosha1 ,bishop ,janes presiding4 ,the country was now in the full tide of war4 ,during the year several members of the ,conference had gone out as ,chaplains1 ,rev4 ,h4,c4 ,tilton with the ,thirteenth ,regiment1 ,rev4 ,c4,d4 ,pillsbury with the ,twenty-,second1 and ,rev4 ,samuel ,fallows with the ,thirty-,second4 ,this was the hour for brave words1 and the ,wisconsin ,conference had them to give4 ,nor was it in words alone that she was prepared to sustain the ,government4 ,such was the patriotism of the body that her ranks might have been seriously depleted at any time1 if it could have been done with safety to the interests of the country4 ,but it was conceded that the ,government must now have a vigorous support at home4 ,partisan feeling in the late canvass had greatly demoralized the people1 and a strong moral influence was needed to rightly shape the tone of public sentiment4 ,in fact1 it was necessary throughout the struggle that the ,churches1 under the lead of the clergy1 should act the part of ,aaron and ,hur1 in sustaining the ,government4 ,the ,report adopted by the ,conference on the state of the country gave no uncertain expression of sentiment4 ,assuming the position dictated by the most lofty patriotism1 she pledged the country an unwavering support until the flag of the ,commonwealth should again wave in peaceful triumph over the entire land4 ,recognizing human freedom as the issue in the conflict1 she deemed it alike the duty of the citizen and the ,christian to prosecute the war4 ,at this ,conference the death of ,rev4 ,jonathan ,m4 ,snow was announced1 and his obituary placed upon the ,minutes4 ,brother ,snow1 after spending a short time in ,racine1 entered the ,illinois ,conference in #ahch4 ,his appointments were ,elgin1 ,princeton1 ,mount ,morris1 ,geneva1 ,washington1 ,sylvania1 ,troy1 ,janesville1 ,mineral ,point and ,madison4 ,at the close of his labors at ,madison1 in #aheb1 he retired from the active work1 but in #ahei1 he was re-admitted and granted a superannuated relation4 ,brother ,snow was a decisive man1 earnest1 energetic and persevering4 ,he performed his full share of pioneer work1 and deserves an honorable mention among the ,fathers of the ,conference1 ,in compliance with the request of the ,spring ,street ,station1 ,milwaukee1 ,i was this year appointed to its ,pastorate1 my term on the ,district having expired4 ,at the earliest possible moment1 ,i entered upon the work of my new field4 ,but at the opening of the year we were called to pass under a cloud4 ,i refer to the death of ,dr4 ,bowman1 the father of ,mrs4 ,miller4 ,the ,doctor had been compelled1 through illness1 to surrender his practice in ,iowa1 and had now been with us three years4 ,his death was peaceful1 and his assurance triumphant4 ,dr4 ,bowman came to ,wisconsin in #ahdj1 residing1 as we have seen1 first at ,troy1 and subsequently at ,waupun4 ,in early life he was a skeptic1 and continued in unbelief1 until after his elevation to a ,judgeship in ,michigan4 ,he was converted through the influence of his wife1 and united with the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church4 ,distinguished in his profession1 reliable in his religious convictions1 and devoted to the ,church1 he was an arm of strength to the cause in its early struggles in the ,west4 ,during the interval since my former ,pastorate in #ahea and the present1 various changes had occurred at ,spring ,street4 ,the ,society had lost two ,churches by fire1 and ,summerfield charge had been formed4 ,the successive ,pastors had been ,revs4 ,s4,c4 ,thomas1 ,chauncey ,hobart1 ,p4,s4 ,bennett1 ,milton ,rowley1 ,c4,s4 ,macreading1 ,e4 ,robinson1 ,j4,m4 ,walker1 and ,j4,c4 ,robbins4 ,to several of them reference has been made in former chapters4 ,we will now refer to others4 ,rev4 ,p4,s4 ,bennett entered the ,black ,river ,conference in #ahch1 and remained a member of that body until #ahdi1 when he was transferred to the ,wisconsin ,conference4 ,among the several charges he filled in his old ,conference1 were ,norfolk1 ,bangor1 ,brownville1 ,salina1 ,cleveland1 ,van ,buren and ,red ,creek4 ,in ,wisconsin he had been stationed at ,platteville1 ,beloit1 and ,waukesha4 ,after leaving ,spring ,street1 he was made ,presiding ,elder of the ,milwaukee ,district1 where he remained four years4 ,his subsequent appointments were ,racine1 ,appleton1 ,agent of ,lawrence ,university1 ,green ,bay1 and ,appleton ,district4 ,at the close of his term on this ,district1 he retired from active labor1 having given to the ,church a long1 devoted1 and efficient service4 ,brother ,bennett is well read in the literature of the ,church1 and loves her doctrines with a true heart1 fervently4 ,during his active labor he was faithful to every trust confided to his keeping1 was a good ,pastor and a successful ,presiding ,elder4 ,and at the present time1 it needs only an attack upon the doctrines or usages of the ,church to bring him to the front in their defence4 ,he is emphatically a true man4 ,rev4 ,c4,s4 ,macreading came from ,new ,england1 where he had held leading appointments in the ,providence and ,new ,england ,conferences for many years4 ,he had located1 and had come ,west1 seeking a field of labor4 ,coming to ,milwaukee1 he found the charge vacant1 by the removal of the former ,pastor on account of affliction in his family1 and was employed by the ,elder4 ,he served his full term1 and at its close the people were reluctant to part with him4 ,brother ,macreading was a man of superior preaching talent2 had an earnest spirit1 and a warm heart4 ,at ,spring ,street1 the ,lord greatly blessed his labors in the conversion of souls1 several of whom remain to this day to bless the ,church with their wise counsel and devoted services4 ,in entering upon the labor of the year1 it was my first concern to retrieve1 if possible1 the disaster which had befallen the ,society in the loss of the ,church4 ,but to do this1 it was deemed important to put every branch of the work in the best possible condition4 ,in this endeavor ,i had the earnest co-operation of the ,official ,board1 composed at this time of ,rev4 ,t4,t4 ,greenwood1 ,rev4 ,edwin ,hyde1 and ,messrs4 ,john ,h4 ,van ,dyke1 ,j4,b4 ,judson1 ,a4,j4,w4 ,pierce1 ,walter ,lacy1 ,cornelius ,morse1 ,daniel ,petrie1 ,jonathan ,crouch1 ,james ,seville1 ,h4,w4 ,goodall1 ,thomas ,greenwood1 ,o4,h4 ,earl1 ,j4,r4 ,cocup1 ,james ,cherry1 and ,lawrence ,harrison4 ,the spiritual condition of the ,society was excellent1 and the class and prayer meetings were in a flourishing condition4 ,the next thing to be done was to organize the financial department4 ,in doing this ,i submitted a new plan1 called the ,card ,system1 for raising the current expenses4 ,the plan provided for monthly payments1 and was operated through the use of cards4 ,these were so prepared as to contain a subscription on one side1 and rulings for entering the payments monthly on the other4 ,the subscriptions were to be made at the beginning of the year1 and each subscriber was expected to hand to the collector the several amounts promptly4 ,the plan worked admirably1 and placed the finances in a healthy condition4 ,during the winter we held a series of meetings1 which resulted in a considerable accession to the membership4 ,but this success was only preparatory to the ,church enterprise before us4 ,the hall that had been used as a chapel was small and inconveniently located4 ,better accommodations must be had4 ,by the middle of the year the necessity became so urgent that the ,pastor could hardly preach1 pray or visit without making this subject his principal theme4 ,finding that the financial basis was quite limited1 it was decided to erect a business block1 thereby providing for a subsequent income1 should the enterprise entail an indebtedness upon the ,society4 ,the precaution1 however1 was unnecessary1 as the unparalleled liberality of the people not only met the demands of the enterprise1 but provided for a former indebtedness4 ,ground was broken for the new edifice on the fifteenth day of ,july1 and the ,church was dedicated by ,rev4 ,dr4 ,eddy on the twenty-third of ,january following4 ,the ,juvenile ,missionary ,society was formed this year1 and thereby the ,sunday ,school became an efficient agency in raising ,missionary money4 ,in our plan1 each class in the ,school constituted a ,missionary ,society1 taking a distinctive name4 ,the gatherings of the class for a month went into a common fund1 and was reported at the monthly meeting4 ,this meeting was held on the last ,sabbath of each month1 and was usually made an occasion of special interest4 ,the year now closing had been full of work4 ,besides my regular labor1 and the responsibilities of the ,church enterprise1 ,i had rendered considerable service in raising regiments for the war1 by delivering addresses in various portions of the ,state4 ,from the beginning of the conflict1 ,i greatly desired to go forward with the brave boys and share with them the burdens and perils of the camp and field4 ,but it was the view of many of my friends1 and especially of the ,central ,war ,committee of the ,state1 that ,i was doing a better service for my country at home1 in seeking to shape public sentiment1 than ,i could render by leading a regiment in the field4 ,accepting their judgment1 ,i endeavored to fulfil my mission to the best of my ability in the field to which ,i seemed to be specially called4 ,the ,conference of #ahfc was held ,oct4 #ast1 at ,waukesha1 and was presided over by ,bishop ,scott4 ,the body again adopted a strong report in support of the ,government4 ,at this ,conference ,delegates to the ,general ,conference were again elected4 ,they were ,h4 ,bannister1 ,s4,c4 ,thomas1 ,c4,d4 ,pillsbury and ,m4 ,himebaugh4 ,at the close of the session ,i was returned to ,spring ,street4 ,my fellow ,pastors in the city were ,revs4 ,p4,b4 ,pease and ,george ,fellows4 ,brother ,pease entered the ,wisconsin ,conference at its session in ,fond du ,lac1 ,sept4 #ast1 #aheb4 ,his appointments had been ,aztalan1 ,wauwatosa1 ,palmyra1 ,appleton1 ,kenosha1 and ,beloit4 ,he remained two years at ,summerfield4 ,his subsequent appointments have been ,spring ,street1 ,appleton ,district1 and ,janesville ,district1 where at the present writing he is doing a good-work4 ,brother ,pease has a clear head1 a sound understanding1 and positive convictions4 ,his pulpit ministrations are impressive and practical1 his administration wise and reliable1 and his intercourse with the people agreeable and spiritual4 ,wherever he has labored he has left a record of ability and fidelity4 ,brother ,fellows entered the ,wisconsin ,conference in #aheb1 in the same class with ,brother ,pease4 ,he was stationed at ,wauwatosa1 ,grafton1 ,hartford1 ,oconomowoc1 ,beaver ,dam1 and ,kenosha4 ,he located in #ahei1 was re-admitted in #ahfb1 and appointed to ,asbury the same year4 ,here he had been engaged in the erection of a new ,church4 ,during this year the building was completed1 and the old ,church changed into a ,parsonage4 ,the ,church was dedicated by ,rev4 ,dr4 ,eddy1 assisted by ,rev4 ,dr4 ,tiffany4 ,in #ahfd ,brother ,fellows located1 and for two years served ,madison ,station4 ,he returned to the ,conference in #ahff1 and was appointed to ,oconomowoc4 ,his subsequent fields of labor were ,waukesha1 ,neenah1 ,menasha1 and ,cotton ,street1 ,fond du ,lac4 ,in #ahgb he accepted a ,bible ,agency1 and in #ahgd was appointed ,presiding ,elder of ,waupaca ,district4 ,brother ,fellows is a man of energy1 and will doubtless make an efficient ,presiding ,elder4 ,on the ,spring ,street charge the new year opened auspiciously4 ,the accessions of the former year1 in connection1 with the better ,church accommodations1 had given to the work a broader basis1 and afforded the promise of wider usefulness4 ,from month to month throughout the year1 the stakes were strengthened and the cords lengthened4 ,and at its close there was a general feeling of grateful satisfaction4 ,in #ahfd the ,conference was held ,oct4 #eth at ,oshkosh1 ,bishop ,scott presiding4 ,at this session ,rev4 ,samuel ,fallows was elected ,secretary4 ,brother ,fallows1 after his graduation from the ,state ,university1 devoted several years to the profession of teaching1 in connection with the ,galesville ,university1 in the ,northwestern part of the ,state4 ,he came to the ,wisconsin ,conference in #ahfa1 and was stationed at ,oshkosh4 ,before the expiration of the year1 however1 he went out as a ,chaplain in the army1 in the service of the ,thirty-,second ,regiment1 and at the ,conference of #ahfb1 he received his appointment to that post4 ,having returned from the army his next appointment1 in #ahfc1 was ,appleton ,station4 ,he was reappointed to the same charge in #ahfd1 but before the expiration of the year he became interested in raising a regiment of one hundred days' men1 and went out as ,lieutenant ,colonel4 ,he graduated to the ,colonelcy while in the service1 and was brevetted as ,brigadier ,general on his return home4 ,the war having closed before the expiration of the ,conference year1 he returned to the regular work1 and received his appointment in #ahfe to the ,summerfield ,station4 ,after serving three years at ,summerfield1 he was appointed in #ahfh to ,spring ,street4 ,here he drew to his ministry a large congregation1 and had an extensive revival1 thereby hastening the erection of a new ,church4 ,the building during the second year was enclosed1 but was not completed until the close of the following year4 ,brother ,fallows enjoyed a successful ,pastorate at ,spring ,street1 but before the expiration of his second year1 he was appointed by the ,executive of the ,state to the position of ,superintendent of ,public ,instruction4 ,he remained in this position until his second term expired1 ,jan4 #a1 #ahgd1 when having been elected ,president of the ,illinois ,wesleyan ,university1 he was transferred to the ,illinois ,conference4 ,brother ,fallows was a man whom his brethren delighted to honor4 ,though still a young man comparatively1 he had served his ,conference as ,secretary nine years1 and had been sent once as a ,delegate to the ,general ,conference4 ,he is a man of superior culture1 pleasant voice1 and entertaining address4 ,his genial spirit is a perpetual sunshine1 and his conversational interviews1 the fragrance of summer4 ,in his addresses and sermons1 the beautiful predominates4 ,he was born an orator1 and he has never been able to shake off the enchantment4 ,it is not his fault that he is generally popular4 ,at this session the ,conference adopted another report of the state of the country4 ,it was full of patriotism1 pledging an unwavering support to the ,government4 ,the chairman of the committee was ,rev4 ,r4,b4 ,curtis4 ,brother ,curtis entered the ,maine ,conference in #ahde1 and in that ,conference and the ,east ,maine he filled the following appointments3 ,bingham1 ,corinth1 ,onoro1 ,frankfort1 ,searsport1 ,brick ,chapel1 ,bangor1 ,bangor ,district1 and again ,brick ,chapel4 ,he was transferred to the ,wisconsin ,conference in #ahfb1 and was appointed to ,janesville4 ,his next appointment was ,delavan1 where he remained three years4 ,while here his health failed1 and at the ensuing ,conference he was compelled to take a superannuated relation4 ,he passed from the earthly to the heavenly home1 in ,appleton1 ,may #bast1 #ahgb4 ,brother ,curtis was a man of rare endowments and sublime piety4 ,in his mental development1 there was an almost absolute equipoise between the imagination and the logical powers4 ,in his logical dissections of error and defence of truth1 a keener blade has seldom1 if ever1 leaped from its scabbard4 ,under his masterly imagery his audiences were sometimes chained to their seats1 as if held by the toils of an enchantment4 ,with such extraordinary elements of popular address1 it is not surprising that he held a high rank in the pulpit4 ,nor was he deficient in his other qualifications as a ,minister of ,christ4 ,when ,brother ,curtis fell from the walls of ,zion1 it might have been truly said1 ,a ,prince in ,israel has this day exchanged the earthly for the ,heavenly ,crown4 ,during this year ,rev4 ,d4,h4 ,muller was ,pastor of ,asbury ,church4 ,brother ,muller entered the ,conference in #ahfa1 coming from the ,biblical ,school at ,evanston4 ,his first appointment was ,menasha1 and his second ,oshkosh4 ,and from the last named he came to ,asbury4 ,he remained two years1 was successful and highly esteemed2 but at the close of his term he took a transfer to the ,genesee ,conference4 ,he has held leading appointments in that ,conference up to the present1 and has also graduated to the dignity of a ,presiding ,elder4 ,brother ,muller is a man of superior talent1 genial spirit and fine conversational powers4 ,his name is fragrant in all the charges he served in ,wisconsin and the ,conference regretted his transfer from the ,state4 ,i was again returned to ,spring ,street1 and the salary was now placed at thirteen hundred dollars4 ,with the new ,church full of people1 with every department of ,church work thoroughly organized and in successful operation1 ,i was now permitted to devote my labor to the regular pastoral work4 ,as far as possible1 the forenoons were given to my study and the afternoons to pastoral visiting4 ,in a city like ,milwaukee1 this last department of labor is absolutely indispensable4 ,it is not intended in this form of expression to intimate that it can be dispensed with in any other field1 for it cannot1 but simply to indicate the impossibility of caring rightly for the souls of men in a great city1 if this form of labor shall be neglected4 ,in a large city1 the population is constantly changing1 and unless the ,pastor shall be on the alert in looking up the people1 members of his own flock1 to say nothing of others1 will drop out of sight4 ,soon they will feel that the band of union between them and the ,church has been severed1 and they have become outcasts4 ,the result of such a state of things1 will be either recklessness of life1 or a seeking of other ,church alliances4 ,in either case1 the charge itself suffers loss4 ,in addition to this class of cases that need the eagle eye of the ,pastor1 there is a constant influx of population4 ,these coming people1 in large numbers1 will fail to find churchly affiliations unless there is some one who shall seek them out at their new homes1 and invite them to attend the means of grace4 ,i know it will be said1 ,let the members of the ,churches do this4 ,i grant that the open field for this kind of labor is inviting to the ,church members1 but suppose they do not enter it1 what then8 ,shall the work be left undone8 ,besides1 the work can be done effectively only1 through systematic arrangement1 and this feature can only be given to it through the supervision of the ,pastor4 ,he only can know the entire ground1 and become the nucleus around which the membership will be able to rally4 ,it would greatly aid the ,pastor in his work1 if all new-comers would immediately report themselves at the ,parsonage or the ,church4 ,but as all such are usually burdened with many cares and perplexities during the first weeks or months in making a new home1 the only way to reach the desired result seems to be through the vigilant maintenance of pastoral visiting4 ,during the winter ,i held a protracted meeting1 which gave an addition of forty-seven probationers4 ,i felt the fatigue very much1 and at the close of the meeting found it necessary for a time to abridge my labors4 ,in ,march following1 the ,official ,board granted me leave of absence to engage for six weeks in the service of the ,christian ,commission4 ,i was assigned to service at ,city ,point1 and along the lines of ,gen4 ,grant's army1 before ,richmond and ,petersburgh4 ,leaving ,milwaukee ,march #adth1 and passing through ,chicago1 ,pittsburgh1 and ,philadelphia1 ,i entered the ,james ,river at ,fortress ,monroe1 and reached ,city ,point on the #bast4 ,after calling at the headquarters of ,gen4 ,grant1 and preaching once in the ,chapel at the headquarters of the ,christian ,commission1 ,i went along the line of the army1 first to the north of ,point of ,rocks1 twenty miles1 and then to the south1 twenty miles1 as far as ,hatch's ,run1 making forty miles in all4 ,in these excursions ,i preached in the several ,chapels as opportunity offered1 and rendered such assistance as ,i was able1 in making the necessary preparations for the forward movement of the army1 which was expected to occur in a few days4 ,but ,i soon found that the exposures along the front were too great for my system1 in its enfeebled condition4 ,i contracted a severe cold1 which rendered it necessary to leave the lines4 ,i returned to ,city ,point1 and was advised to leave at once for ,washington1 where ,i could obtain the desired medical treatment4 ,i took the steamboat the very afternoon the army was put in motion4 ,by the time ,gen4 ,grant had taken ,gen4 ,lee1 ,i had taken ,washington4 ,the physicians here believed that my lungs were seriously compromised1 and advised me to go to the seashore4 ,i went immediately down to ,brooklyn1 and became the guest of my cousin1 ,col4 ,j4,t4 ,hildreth4 ,my family and friends at ,milwaukee at once became alarmed1 and ,mrs4 ,miller came down4 ,but through skillful treatment1 good nursing1 and a kind ,providence1 the indications soon changed for the better1 and at the end of two months ,i was able to return to my people4 ,on reaching the city the friends gave us a reception1 and left us over two hundred dollars4 ,i was able to resume my labors soon after1 and the balance of the year passed pleasantly4 ,i had now completed my full term of three years4 ,during this time ,i had received into the ,church about two hundred members1 and after allowing for removals and other changes1 the net increase had been about half that number4 ,though the people had been greatly taxed in building their new ,church1 it was found that the benevolent collections had considerably increased4 ,the ,missionary1 collection advanced during the first year from seventy-five dollars to two hundred and twenty4 ,the second year it was two hundred and sixty-two1 and the third1 three hundred and forty4 ,the ,sunday ,school had now reached an aggregate of four hundred scholars1 and the ,library six hundred volumes4 ,among the accessions of the term1 there were several who gave considerable financial strength to the charge4 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,conference of #ahje4--,the ,war ,closed4--,lay ,delegation the ,next ,question4 ,rev4 ,george ,chester4--,rev4 ,romulus ,o4 ,kellogg4--,missionary to ,china4--,rev4 ,l4,n4 ,wheeler4--,appointed to ,fond du ,lac ,district4--,marriage of our ,eldest ,daughter4--,removal to ,fond du ,lac4--,rev4 ,t4,o4 ,hollister4--,state of the ,district4--,rev4 ,j4,t4 ,woodhead4--,waupun4--,rev4 ,d4,w4 ,couch4--,lamartine4--,rev4 ,i4,s4 ,eldridge4--,horicon4--,rev4 ,walter ,mc,farlane4 ,the ,conference of #ahfe was held ,oct4 #dth in ,summerfield ,church1 ,milwaukee1 ,bishop ,baker presiding1 and assisted by ,bishop ,ames4 ,rev4 ,samuel ,fallows was elected ,secretary1 and ,revs4 ,wm4 ,p4 ,stowe1 ,e4,d4 ,farnham and ,r4,w4 ,bosworth ,assistants4 ,the relentless war that had raged for four years had now closed4 ,the clouds had lifted from the fields of conflict1 and the ,conference was now able to take note of the past and anticipate the future of the country4 ,the report adopted at this session1 presented by the ,committee on the state of the country1 was a masterly document4 ,it recognized the fact that the ,wisconsin ,conference1 since its organization1 had exhibited a bold and manly opposition to ,american ,slavery4 ,that the recent rebellion1 aiming its blows at the ,government1 bought by the blood of ,revolutionary patriots1 was the outgrowth of the institution of ,slavery4 ,and that the ,conference1 in common with the ,laity1 and loyal citizens of the ,north generally1 had acquitted herself nobly1 in standing by the ,government in its hour of trial1 and1 having rendered this service as a ,christian duty1 she had nothing to take back4 ,looking out upon the future1 she also anticipated the coming day when equal rights should be accorded to all1 irrespective of color or nationality4 ,the question of ,slavery and the frightful war it had entailed upon the country having passed away1 the ,conference now took up the subject of ,lay ,delegation4 ,and since the subject is new to many1 it may not be improper to devote to it a brief examination4 ,the question has been raised1 ,how came it to pass that in the organization of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church1 the ,laity were not associated with the ,ministry in the ,conferences8 ,the question is a legitimate one1 and deserves a considerate answer4 ,it should be remembered that the establishment of the ,church was rather a growth than an organization4 ,this one fact accounts1 doubtless1 for the peculiar feature referred to4 ,had there existed at the outset a large body of ,christians1 including ,ministers and ,laymen1 awaiting an organization1 at the time ,mr4 ,wesley began his labors1 it is possible that he might have so combined them in appropriate relations as to secure a united responsibility4 ,but such was not the state of the case4 ,in the strict sense of the word1 ,mr4 ,wesley had no ,church1 and no people out of which to organize one4 ,and it is possible that he began his labors without an expectation of organizing a ,church4 ,his great concern1 overleaping every other consideration1 was to save souls4 ,in this work he was ready to call to his aid such instrumentalities as gave the best promise of the desired result4 ,it was but natural that1 whenever he met a congenial spirit1 there should be an affiliation4 ,in such case a unity of effort would necessarily follow4 ,in this manner there grew up around ,mr4 ,wesley a company of men1 who were recognized as his helpers4 ,with the multiplication of these assistant laborers1 it became advisable to reduce the co-operative effort to a systematic plan4 ,to adopt a plan of labor and give it efficiency1 the organization of ,conferences became a necessity4 ,the first ,conferences were composed of ,mr4 ,wesley and his helpers1 and could not embody ,laymen1 as no ,church had been organized4 ,this state of things continued during the life time of ,mr4 ,wesley in ,england1 and as he gave the ,church in the ,united ,states its first organization1 the same system was introduced here4 ,subsequently1 as the work extended and the ,conferences multiplied1 it was but natural that they should all take the same character4 ,nor would there have been any special need for a change1 perhaps1 if there had been no changes in the character of the work to be done4 ,but with the erection of ,churches1 the founding of schools1 and the creation of the ,book ,concern and ,church literature1 the ,conferences1 having these interests in charge1 need the presence and aid of ,laymen4 ,at the ,general ,conference of #ahfd1 action had been taken inviting the membership to vote on the subject1 and also to elect provisional ,delegates to the ,general ,conference of #ahfh4 ,the action of the ,wisconsin ,conference fully endorsed the movement and the body faithfully complied with its provisions4 ,at this session the ,conference made a record of the death1 of three of its members1 ,revs4 ,henry ,requa1 ,george ,chester and ,romulus ,o4 ,kellogg4 ,to the first named1 reference has been made in former chapters4 ,brother ,chester came to this country in #ahdi1 from ,england1 where he had been converted under the labors of ,rev4 ,james ,caughey4 ,he was received into the ,wisconsin ,conference in #ahea1 and was appointed to ,prairie ,la ,crosse4 ,his subsequent appointments were ,willow ,river1 ,madison ,circuit1 ,waterloo1 ,columbus1 ,burnett1 ,fox ,lake1 ,footville1 ,evansville1 and ,shopiere4 ,at the last named place he was attacked with typhoid fever1 and1 after an illness of three weeks1 passed away in holy triumph1 with the words1 ,glory6 ,glory6 ,glory6 upon his lips4 ,brother ,chester was a true man1 and a successful ,minister of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,brother ,kellogg came with his parents to ,milwaukee in #ahcf4 ,he prepared for ,college at ,rock ,river ,seminary1 ,mount ,morris1 graduated at the ,wesleyan ,university1 ,conn41 in #ahdi1 and served as ,professor of ,languages in the ,lawrence ,university for five years thereafter4 ,he was received into the ,wisconsin ,conference in #ahfb1 and was appointed to ,fort ,atkinson4 ,he was reappointed the second and third years1 but1 during the latter1 his nervous system gave way under his devoted and trying labors1 and he passed to the bright beyond4 ,brother ,kellogg was a man of fine culture1 genial spirit1 faithful to every trust1 and universally beloved by all who knew him4 ,the ,conference at this session was again called upon to send one of its members abroad as a ,missionary4 ,rev4 ,l4,n4 ,wheeler was sent to ,china4 ,he was presented at the ,conference with an album containing the photographs of the donors as a token of remembrance4 ,the writer was selected to make the presentation speech1 as he had known him from his childhood4 ,brother ,wheeler1 before he engaged in the ,ministerial work1 devoted several years to editing and publishing secular papers4 ,he entered the ,conference in #aheh1 and had been stationed at ,two ,rivers1 ,byron1 ,empire1 ,manitowoc1 and ,sheboygan4 ,having been advised with by the ,mission ,board at ,new ,york during the year1 as to his qualifications1 ,i was prepared to expect the appointment1 fully persuaded that it would prove both creditable to the ,conference and profitable to the ,mission field4 ,while abroad ,brother ,wheeler had charge for some time of the ,mission press4 ,he rendered efficient service in the ,china ,mission during the seven years of his absence4 ,but1 on account of failing health1 he was compelled to return in #ahgb4 ,he is now stationed again at ,manitowoc4 ,he is a man of superior talent1 and is greatly esteemed4 ,i had now completed my term of three years on the ,spring ,street ,station1 and my next appointment was very much in doubt4 ,i had been solicited to accept invitations to several stations1 and also the ,fond du ,lac ,district1 but in each case ,i assured the good brethren that ,i deemed it best to let the ,bishop and his ,cabinet decide without prejudice1 and assign me work where they believed ,i could serve the general cause to the best advantage4 ,had ,i allowed myself a preference1 it would have been some quiet station of moderate responsibility1 where ,i could have rallied my enfeebled health4 ,besides1 ,i had a doubt whether ,i ought to be put on a ,district so soon again1 after having completed two full terms before ,i reached my fortieth year4 ,but it is vain to speculate in advance4 ,at the close of the ,conference1 ,i found myself appointed ,presiding ,elder of ,fond du ,lac ,district4 ,the appointment was a surprise to both myself and family4 ,but accepting the situation as a legitimate feature of the ,itinerancy1 we entered at once upon the needed preparations for a removal to ,fond du ,lac4 ,the removal1 however1 was to be preceded by an event that1 by separating the family1 would render the change exceedingly trying4 ,i refer to the marriage of our eldest daughter to ,capt4 ,frank ,p4 ,lawrence1 of ,racine1 thereby breaking a link out of the chain that had so long and pleasantly bound us together in the family circle4 ,but1 having previously learned that life's difficulties are best overcome by turning towards them a brave bearing1 we prepared for the nuptials4 ,on the morning of the #agth of ,october a few friends came in at the breakfast hour1 and our daughter passed into the keeping of another4 ,though fully satisfied with the arrangement1 the occasion imposed upon me the most difficult duty of my life4 ,the ceremony was performed in connection with the family devotions1 and quite unmanned me4 ,assembled in the parlor1 ,i took my usual place to lead the devotions4 ,the ,scriptures were read1 and my daughter presided as usual at the piano4 ,thus far everything maintained its accustomed order4 ,but when we knelt in prayer1 and ,i closed my eyes to all visible things1 the invisible came trooping in throngs to my already burdened thought4 ,then came the vivid recollection of the many happy years we had spent together as a family1 the many sweet hours we had spent together in that parlor1 with music and song1 in which our dear daughter had ever been the central figure1 and the now sad fact of an immediate separation4 ,the chain must now be broken1 and its then brightest link snatched away to gladden another home1 while our own circle must be broken forever4 ,with these thoughts rushing upon me1 it is not a matter of surprise that ,i was quite overwhelmed with feeling1 and found utterance almost impossible4 ,how ,i passed through the prayer and the ceremony that followed1 has never been quite clear to me1 but ,i was told that nothing was omitted that could be deemed essential to the occasion4 ,the wedding party was soon after dismissed with our blessing1 and we at once began the preparations for our own trip to the cars1 to occur in the afternoon of the same day4 ,we reached ,fond du ,lac at nightfall1 and were kindly entertained by ,rev4 ,j4,t4 ,woodhead and his family4 ,the following day we were invited to the pleasant home of our old friend1 ,c4,o4 ,hurd1 who1 with his most excellent family1 gave us a kindly greeting and cared for us until the arrival of our goods4 ,my predecessor on the ,district was ,rev4 ,theron ,o4 ,hollister1 a man full of faith and the ,holy ,ghost4 ,brother ,hollister was received into the ,conference at its session in ,baraboo in #ahec1 and his first charge was ,summit4 ,his subsequent fields of labor were ,fort ,atkinson1 ,lake ,mills1 ,greenbush1 ,sheboygan ,falls1 and ,fond du ,lac1 where he succeeded to the ,district4 ,at the close of his term on the ,district he was appointed to ,oconomowoc1 next to ,waukesha1 and the year following to ,hart ,prairie4 ,here his health utterly broke down1 and at the following session of the ,conference in #ahfh1 he was compelled to take a superannuated relation4 ,he now removed to ,salem1 in ,kenosha ,county1 where he died ,march #ac1 #ahfi1 aged forty-seven4 ,brother ,hollister was a man of robust frame1 and1 generally1 good health4 ,he was an earnest man1 and whatever he did was done with all his strength1 of both mind and body4 ,with limited early opportunities1 and too intensely occupied in after years with the practical labor of the ,ministry1 to retrieve the loss he had sustained1 he did not aspire to a knowledge of books4 ,but in all the active labor of leading souls to ,christ1 he was a workman who needed not to be ashamed4 ,he swept over the ,district like a storm1 instant in season and out of season1 laying his strong hand on every part of the work1 and pushing it forward4 ,and no doubt it was the work that he did on the ,district that laid the foundation of the disease which terminated his useful life4 ,an overtaxed brain fell a prey to mental disability1 and our good brother went to his reward4 ,fond du ,lac was under the pastoral care of ,rev4 ,j4,t4 ,woodhead4 ,this excellent brother entered the ,conference in #aheh1 and before coming to ,fond du ,lac1 had been stationed at ,greenbush1 ,berlin and ,ripon4 ,he was now on his third year in his present field4 ,brother ,woodhead's early opportunities were limited1 but with great devotion to his calling1 he had carefully improved his time after entering the ,ministry4 ,he was accepted by his people as a man of rare excellences1 happily blending in beautiful harmony both ,faith and ,works4 ,in the pulpit1 his manner is not always graceful1 but it is never disagreeable4 ,his discourses abound with ,evangelical truth1 set off usually in fine delineations of ,scriptural scenes and characters4 ,he has extraordinary dramatic talent1 and only needs the culture of the schools1 in addition to his present gifts and graces1 to place him in the front rank as a speaker4 ,brother ,woodhead is one of the best ,pastors ,i have ever known4 ,the ,fond du ,lac ,district at this time numbered twenty charges4 ,to visit each quarterly on the ,sabbath was impossible1 unless ,i chose to hold two on adjacent charges1 the same day4 ,and this plan ,i did not deem advisable1 believing that it tends to break down ,quarterly ,meetings altogether1 by dividing the interest4 ,i chose rather to visit each charge regularly semi-annually1 and the feebler ones more frequently1 if possible4 ,the intervening ,quarterly ,meetings were held by the ,pastors1 except they chose to procure supplies4 ,my first ,quarterly ,meeting1 held at ,fond du ,lac1 was an occasion of rare interest4 ,having been granted license to preach1 and sent into the ,itinerancy by these brethren1 they were disposed to assert a special interest in the ,presiding ,elder4 ,besides1 the ,society1 under the ministrations of ,brother ,woodhead1 was in a happy spiritual condition1 a satisfactory pledge of a good meeting4 ,as it is my purpose to write up more particularly1 as far as space will permit1 the charges and ,ministers of the ,conference1 than my own labors1 ,i shall not undertake to follow in order my visits to the several charges4 ,during the present year1 as well as the three following1 ,i shall simply refer to such items as will further this object1 well knowing that the adoption of any other plan would involve the issue of several volumes instead of one4 ,waupun came early on the list4 ,many changes had occurred at ,waupun during the twenty years which had intervened since my ,pastorate in #ahde4 ,i found a small frame ,church and one of the best ,parsonages in the ,conference4 ,the ,society had become strong both financially and in numbers4 ,i was happy indeed to meet old friends with whom ,i had labored in other years1 and especially the converts of the early times1 now grown to be pillars in the ,church4 ,but with our rejoicing there also came the shadows of sadness4 ,many had gone over the river4 ,and since my visit1 others still have gone1 and among them1 ,brother and ,sister ,william ,mc,elroy4 ,but they were ready4 ,rev4 ,d4,w4 ,couch was the ,pastor at ,waupun4 ,he entered the ,conference in #aheg1 and before coming to ,waupun had been stationed at ,bristol1 ,pleasant ,prairie1 ,geneva1 and had also served as ,agent of the ,northwestern ,seaman's ,friend ,society4 ,after leaving ,waupun his appointments have been ,janesville in the ,wisconsin ,conference1 and ,mineral ,point in the ,west ,wisconsin4 ,at the last ,conference he was appointed ,presiding ,elder of the ,madison ,district1 where he is rendering effective service4 ,brother ,couch is a very useful man1 having unusual ability to adjust himself to such work as requires special adaptations4 ,he has a great fund of anecdote1 and is able to make a draft on this reserve whenever needed4 ,he has special control of the purses of the people1 and hence is in great requisition wherever there is a call for funds1 and especially at ,church dedications4 ,he is a pronounced success4 ,at ,lamartine my ,quarterly ,meeting also revived old recollections4 ,the charge now embraced ,rock ,river1 where ,i formed a class in #ahde1 and also the ,society that held their services1 at an early day1 in ,brother ,stowe's ,chapel4 ,a ,church had now been built at ,lamartine1 the centre of the charge1 and also a ,parsonage4 ,the charge was now in a flame of revival4 ,with the praying band at ,rock ,river at one end of the ,circuit1 and ,brother ,humiston and his devoted laborers at the other1 an almost continuous revival was but the normal condition4 ,but in addition1 ,i now found the circuit under the charge of ,rev4 ,i4,s4 ,eldridge1 one of my old co-laborers at ,janesville4 ,brother ,eldridge entered the ,conference in ,april1 #ahei1 and before coming to ,lamartine had been stationed at ,utter's ,corners1 ,palmyra1 ,wauwatosa1 and ,byron4 ,he was now on his second year1 the charge having enjoyed during the former one great prosperity4 ,after leaving ,lamartine1 ,brother ,eldridge's appointments have been ,horicon and ,juneau1 ,fox ,lake1 ,brandon1 ,sheboygan ,falls1 ,burnett1 and ,eagle4 ,brother ,eldridge is yet in the vigor of his strength1 and gives promise of many years of usefulness4 ,while his great forte is revival work1 he has mental and spiritual force enough to amply sustain every other department of a ,minister's obligation4 ,during the earlier portion of his work1 his incessant labor in protracted meetings greatly abridged his opportunities for study1 but ,i presume in later years he has endeavored to retrieve the loss sustained4 ,at this writing he is again at ,eagle1 where his accessions are already climbing the second hundred4 ,at ,horicon ,i found ,rev4 ,walter ,mc,farlane1 ,pastor of the ,horicon and ,juneau charge4 ,this dear brother and his most estimable lady gave me a hearty welcome1 and made me feel at home in a few moments4 ,i found the charge in a prosperous condition1 and the ,pastor in high esteem among the people4 ,brother ,mc,farlane is a ,scotchman by birth4 ,he entered the ,conference in #ahef1 and was stationed at ,cascade4 ,his following appointments were ,oconto1 ,vinland1 ,two ,rivers1 and ,empire4 ,he was now on his second year in his present charge4 ,after leaving ,horicon1 he was stationed at ,byron4 ,while on this charge he and his good lady took great interest in fitting up the ,camp-,meeting grounds of the ,fond du ,lac ,district4 ,a fine ,preacher's stand was erected1 comfortable seats were provided1 and many permanent tents were built4 ,the meetings during this period became far-famed and highly profitable4 ,the great burden of looking after all local matters was sustained by this good ,brother1 as the ,pastor of the charge1 and the administration was always highly acceptable4 ,after leaving ,byron1 his appointments were ,winneconne1 ,bristol1 ,sylvania1 and ,granville4 ,in this last named charge1 he is at this writing doing effective work4 ,brother ,mc,farlane is well versed in ,theology and ,biblical criticism4 ,he has a large fund of information on all subjects of general interest1 and is able to make himself an interesting companion among the people4 ,he has an intense dislike to the superficial1 and is never satisfied with the examination of any subject until he can feel the firm foundation beneath him4 ,in his sermons he seeks to give reliable information on specific subjects rather than spin glittering generalities4 ,firm as the ,highlands of his native home1 and balmy as her valleys1 he is none other than a highly esteemed brother4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,conference of #ahff4--;,centenary ,year4--,lay ,delegation4--,reconstruction4--,returne d to ,fond du ,lac ,district4--,seven ,sermons a ,week--,rev4 ,o4,j4 ,cowles4--,beaver ,dam4--,a ,good ,record4--,fall ,river4--,early ,history4--,columbus4--,rev4 ,henry ,sewell4--,conference of #ahfg4--;,election of ,delegates4--,cotton ,street4--,rev4 ,r4,s4 ,hayward4--,rev4 ,a4,a4 ,reed4--,general ,conference4--,conference of #ahfh4--,rev4 ,t4,c4 ,wilson4--,rev4 ,h4,c4 ,tilton4 ,rev4 ,john ,hill4--,rev4 ,isaac ,searles4--,rev4 ,j4,b4 ,cooper4--,an ,incident4--,close of the ,term4--,progress ,made4 ,the ,conference of #ahff was held at ,ripon1 ,bishop ,clark presiding4 ,the ,secretaries were the same as the preceding year4 ,the ,centenary of ,american ,methodism occurred this year1 and the month of ,october had been set apart for the purposes of a celebration4 ,the writer had been designated to preach a ,centenary sermon during the session of the ,conference1 but as ,i was called to ,waupun to attend the funeral of my brothers's wife1 on the day the services were to have been held1 the good ,bishop kindly consented to occupy the pulpit for me4 ,the collections during the ,centenary year were mostly given to ,educational purposes1 the ,lawrence ,university1 the ,garrett ,biblical ,institute1 and the ,evansville ,seminary being the beneficiaries4 ,the first named received perhaps fifteen thousand dollars4 ,the subject of ,lay ,delegation again engaged the attention of the body4 ,while fully sympathizing with the general movement1 the ,conference anticipated the contemplated change by inviting the several ,district ,steward's meetings to elect three ,delegates from each ,district to visit the ensuing session of the ,annual ,conference1 and co-operate with that body in its deliberations1 as far as the polity of the ,church would permit4 ,the invitation was accepted1 and at the next session the ,delegates were cordially received4 ,at this time the question of the ,ecclesiastical ,reconstruction of the ,south was beginning to agitate the ,church4 ,the ,conference1 always radical on all the great questions of the day1 took advanced ground1 and consistently adhered to its positions throughout the discussion4 ,the subsequent history of the ,southern work has fully justified the action taken4 ,with this session of the ,conference began the ,cabinet work of my third term as ,presiding ,elder4 ,adhering to my former convictions1 ,i favored only such changes in the appointments as were dictated by the law of the ,church and stern necessity4 ,in connection with the appointments1 an effort was made to secure my assignment to the station in ,fond du ,lac1 but when it was known that a ,committee from the ,official ,board was in attendance upon the ,conference1 the ,ministers and ,laymen of the ,district entered a vigorous remonstrance4 ,the ,bishop kindly enquired whether ,i had any suggestions to make4 ,i answered1 ,i have never interfered in making my own appointments2 and it is too late to begin now4 ,as you and the ,cabinet understand the case1 having had a full representation from both sides1 ,i will step aside and let you decide the matter4 ,after an absence of an hour1 ,i returned1 and found my name still at the head of the ,district4 ,at the close of the session ,i returned to ,fond du ,lac and entered upon another year of taxing labor4 ,the work was growing rapidly1 and it was necessary to reconstruct and enlarge several of the ,churches1 and build others4 ,in several localities we succeeded in a consolidation of the work1 thereby making it possible to erect several ,churches4 ,instead of maintaining feeble appointments at contiguous school houses1 we found it better to combine two or more of them1 and build a ,church in a central locality4 ,in this way the ,mulleton1 ,hingham1 ,leroy1 ,markesan1 ,lake ,maria1 and several other ,churches found an existence4 ,during the winter season of this year1 ,i was largely engaged with the several ,pastors in protracted meetings4 ,and during the first half of the year1 ,i preached on an average seven sermons a week4 ,the ,pastors were a band of devoted and earnest workers1 and the year was one of remarkable success4 ,at ,fond du ,lac a charge of ,pastors occurred1 as the term of the former ,pastor had expired4 ,his successor was ,rev4 ,o4,j4 ,cowles4 a young man of excellent promise4 ,he was a graduate of ,cornell ,college in #ahfj1 and of the ,garrett ,biblical ,institute in #ahfc4 ,he entered the ,conference the same year1 and had been stationed at ,kenosha1 ,berlin1 and ,appleton4 ,after his two years of service in ,fond du ,lac1 he was stationed three years each at ,racine and ,oshkosh4 ,brother ,cowles is a man of superior talent and excellent spirit4 ,he is one of the rising men of the ,conference1 and bids fair to take a front rank4 ,at this writing he is stationed at ,whitewater1 where he is in the midst of a gracious revival4 ,beaver ,dam ,station was added this year to the ,district4 ,beaver ,dam was settled by members of the ,presbyterian ,church1 and hence its earliest religious services were held by the ,ministers of that denomination4 ,the first ,methodist appointment was established by ,rev4 ,a4,p4 ,allen in #ahdf1 being then ,pastor of ,waupun ,circuit as my successor4 ,rev4 ,henry ,requa1 as before stated1 was employed by the ,elder as his assistant4 ,during the year these earnest laborers held a protracted meeting1 which resulted in several conversions4 ,the first class was formed by ,brother ,allen1 and consisted of ,l4,h4 ,marvin1 ,leader1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,peters1 ,bennett ,gordon1 and ,mrs4 ,reuben ,dexter4 ,brother ,marvin still resides at ,beaver ,dam4 ,the meetings were held in ,l4,h4 ,marvin's cabinet shop1 until other provision could be made4 ,the first ,church1 a frame building twenty-six by forty feet in size1 was commenced by ,brother ,allen in the winter of #ahdf and '#dg1 and completed the following year by ,brother ,requa4 ,the building was enlarged under the ,pastorate of ,rev4 ,i4,m4 ,leihy in #ahei4 ,under the ,pastorate of ,rev4 ,a4,a4 ,reed in #ahgj and #ahga1 a large brick ,church was erected1 the writer being invited to lay the corner-stone the first year1 and preach the dedicatory sermon the second4 ,during ,brother ,reed's ,pastorate a great revival also occurred1 under the labors of ,mrs4 ,maggie ,n4 ,van ,cott1 which added greatly to the strength of the ,church4 ,at the present writing1 the ,pastor is ,rev4 ,isaac ,wiltse1 of whom mention will be made in a subsequent chapter4 ,fall ,river and ,columbus were assigned to the ,district this year from the ,janesville ,district4 ,at the organization of the work they constituted one ,circuit1 but had now grown to be independent charges4 ,fall ,river ,society was organized in the log house of ,clark ,smith1 on ,fountain ,prairie1 by ,rev4 ,stephen ,jones in #ahdd1 the locality being at the time connected with the old ,aztalan ,circuit4 ,the members were ,rev4 ,e4,j4 ,smith1 of whom mention is made elsewhere1 his wife1 ,martha ,smith1 ,clark ,smith1 ,sarah ,smith1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,aaron ,e4 ,houghton4 ,brother ,e4,j4 ,smith was appointed ,leader4 ,a log school house1 the first built in the county1 was erected soon after1 and the meetings were transferred to it4 ,the population grew rapidly1 being attracted by the beautiful location1 and in due time there was a strong society4 ,under the energetic and effective labors of the ,leader and his talented lady1 this society was instrumental in the conversion of many souls4 ,in process of time a mill was built on the stream at ,fall ,river4 ,a fine school house was soon after erected1 and the meetings removed to it1 as the locality had become more central than the one on the ,prairie4 ,at the present writing1 ,fall ,river holds a most respectable rank as a charge1 has a good ,church1 and a convenient ,parsonage4 ,columbus was visited by ,rev4 ,stephen ,jones in #ahdd1 he having been appointed to ,aztalan ,circuit the preceding autumn4 ,he preached the first sermon in the log dwelling house of ,brigham ,campbell1 but ,i am unable to fix the date4 ,nor am ,i able to give the organization of the first class1 but it is probable that during the early years the members in this locality were connected with the ,society on ,fountain ,prairie4 ,in #ahei ,columbus was made a station1 and ,rev4 ,henry ,colman was appointed ,pastor4 ,the ,society built their first ,church1 a frame structure1 in an unfortunate location1 but have now displaced it by a fine brick edifice1 which they have placed in the central portion of the village4 ,it is one of the best ,churches in the interior of the ,state4 ,the present ,pastor is ,rev4 ,henry ,sewell1 who entered the ,conference in #aheh4 ,his appointments have been ,porter1 ,edgerton and ,stoughton1 ,orfordville1 ,utter's ,corners1 ,emerald ,grove and ,maxonville1 ,sun ,prairie1 ,lake ,mills1 ,oconomowoc1 and ,columbus4 ,brother ,sewell is one of the most efficient men of the ,conference4 ,at ,sun ,prairie1 he built a ten thousand dollar ,church1 and has succeeded in completing the enterprise at ,columbus4 ,in revival work ,brother ,sewell has met with rare success1 usually increasing the membership of his charges at least one hundred per cent4 ,the ,conference of #ahfg was held ,oct4 #b;d at ,beaver ,dam1 ,bishop ,simpson presiding1 and the same ,secretaries were re-elected4 ,the action of the ,conference on the subject of ,lay ,delegation will appear in the following resolutions3 i,resolved1_/i ,that we are in favor of the representation of the ,laity in ,annual and ,general ,conference4 i,resolved_/i1 ,that our ,delegates to the next ,general ,conference be instructed to use their influence in favor of such representation4 ,having thus laid down the platform1 the ,conference next proceeded to elect the ,delegates to the ,general ,conference1 resulting in the choice of ,g4,m4 ,steele1 ,w4,g4 ,miller1 ,samuel ,fallows1 ,henry ,bannister1 and ,c4,d4 ,pillsbury4 ,two other subjects specially engaged the attention of the ,conference at this session4 ,i refer to the ,sabbath ,question1 and ,ministerial ,education4 ,appropriate resolutions were adopted1 and measures taken to give efficiency to the timely expression of sentiment4 ,my work on the ,district opened at ,cotton ,street1 ,fond du ,lac4 ,this charge1 under the name of ,arndt ,street1 or ,north ,fond du ,lac1 had been merged in the ,division ,street ,station1 and was now re-organized with ,rev4 ,m4,d4 ,warner as ,pastor4 ,a new ,church had been commenced during the preceding year1 and it was now completed4 ,the dedicatory services were conducted by the lamented ,dr4 ,t4,m4 ,eddy4 ,brandon was the next charge visited1 the ,pastor being my old friend ,rev4 ,r4,s4 ,hayward1 whose acquaintance1 it will be remembered1 ,i made as an ,exhorter at ,brothertown4 ,brother ,hayward entered the ,conference in #ahej1 and had been stationed at ,waupaca1 ,dartford1 ,metomon1 ,berlin1 ,wausau1 and ,sheboygan4 ,he then served as ,presiding ,elder on the ,waupaca ,district a full term1 and was subsequently stationed at ,vinland and ,omro4 ,in all these fields he had acquitted himself creditably1 and was now doing a good work at ,brandon4 ,after leaving ,brandon1 he has served ,north ,oshkosh1 ,clemensville1 ,menasha1 ,utica and ,zion4 ,at the last named he is now hard at work for the ,master4 ,rev4 ,a4,a4 ,reed1 who had just completed a three years' term at ,brandon1 was now at ,sheboygan ,falls4 ,this charge was continuing to hold a fair rank in the ,conference1 and during ,brother ,reed's ,pastorate received many accessions1 and also improved the ,church property4 ,brother ,reed entered the ,conference in #ahei4 ,his appointments had been ,empire1 ,lamartine1 ,byron1 ,greenbush1 and ,brandon4 ,at the close of a three years' term at ,sheboygan ,falls1 he was sent to ,beaver ,dam1 where he succeeded1 as before stated1 in erecting a fine ,church1 and greatly multiplying the membership4 ,his present field1 the ,agency of the ,lawrence ,university1 is one of great labor4 ,but in this work1 as well as in whatever may be assigned him1 ,brother ,reed is a grand success1 and will accomplish his task4 ,the ,general ,conference met in the month of ,may of this year in ,chicago4 ,during the session ,i was entertained by an old ,milwaukee friend1 ,capt4 ,j4,c4 ,henderson1 long known on the ,lakes as the ,sabbath keeping ,captain4 ,the two great questions that came before the body were ,lay ,delegation1 and the admission of the ,delegates from the newly formed ,conferences in the ,south4 ,both measures received the approval of the ,general ,conference1 but as they were brought to the attention of the reader through the periodicals of the ,church1 ,i need not burden these pages with a further reference to them4 ,the ,conference of #ahfh was held ,oct4 #ast at ,racine1 ,bishop ,ames presiding4 ,the term of ,rev4 ,joseph ,anderson on the ,waupaca ,district having expired1 one of the young1 men of the ,conference was appointed as his successor4 ,i refer to ,rev4 ,t4,c4 ,wilson4 ,this promising brother graduated from the ,lawrence ,university in #ahei1 and was admitted to the ,conference in #ahfb4 ,before being appointed to the ,district he had been stationed at ,east ,troy1 ,clinton1 and ,neenah4 ,his labors on the ,district were highly appreciated1 and1 at the close of his term in #ahgb1 he was appointed ,presiding ,elder of the ,appleton ,district1 where he is1 at this writing1 still employed in the good work4 ,he is recognized as a man of thorough scholarship1 a good ,preacher1 and a successful laborer in the vineyard4 ,at the close of the ,conference1 the writer was returned to the ,fond du ,lac ,district for a fourth year4 ,on the ,district there were but few changes1 but among them was the bringing of two new men to ,fond du ,lac4 ,rev4 ,h4,c4 ,tilton1 appointed to ,division ,street1 entered the ,maine ,conference ,july #bast1 #ahda4 ,his appointments in that ,conference were ,mount ,desert1 ,deer ,island1 ,steuben1 ,north ,penobscot and ,north ,bucksport4 ,at the division of the ,conference he fell into ,east ,maine1 and1 before coming ,west1 was stationed at ,frankfort1 ,hampden1 ,bangor1 ,rockland and ,damariscotta4 ,brother ,tilton came to the ,wisconsin ,conference by transfer in #aheg4 ,his appointments have been ,summerfield1 ,janesville1 ,janesville ,district1 ,racine ,district1 ,asbury1 ,division ,street4 ,court ,street1 ,janesville1 and ,appleton4 ,brother ,tilton is a veteran in the work1 having been in the ,itinerancy nearly thirty-four years4 ,having possessed a vigorous constitution and firm health1 he has taken his full share of privation and hard work4 ,his services have always been in special demand1 and he has not spared himself4 ,he is a man of vigorous intellect and a ready delivery1 his pulpit efforts always commanding the attention of the people4 ,at this writing he is building in ,appleton one of the best ,churches in the ,conference4 ,rev4 ,john ,hill entered the ,north ,indiana ,conference in #ahee4 ,his appointments were ,elkhart1 ,la ,grange1 ,la ,grove1 ,indianapolis1 ,anderson1 ,greenfield and ,fort ,wayne4 ,he came to the ,wisconsin ,conference by transfer this year1 and ,cotton ,street was his first charge4 ,his next appointment was ,summerfield1 ,milwaukee1 and the last was ,bay ,view4 ,here he was thrown from a wagon by the sudden starting of the horse1 and1 falling upon his head1 received a severe injury1 from which he died in twenty-four hours4 ,brother ,hill was a man of small frame1 but a large brain and a generous heart4 ,his style of speech was clear1 distinct and rapid4 ,he could reason a question with great force1 and could fringe the most commonplace subjects with wit and humor4 ,he was a true man1 a good ,preacher1 and a faithful ,pastor4 ,rev4 ,isaac ,searles was this year stationed at ,brandon4 ,he entered the ,rock ,river ,conference in #ahda1 and was appointed to ,indian ,creek ,circuit4 ,his subsequent appointments in that ,conference were ,sycamore1 ,cedar ,rapids1 ,rock ,island1 ,union ,grove1 and ,hazel ,green4 ,in #ahdh1 at the division1 he fell into the ,wisconsin ,conference4 ,in ,wisconsin his appointments were ,dodgeville1 ,lindon1 ,platteville1 ,madison ,district1 ,fox ,lake1 ,fall ,river1 ,dartford1 ,beaver ,dam ,district1 ,watertown1 ,waukesha1 ,east ,troy1 and now ,brandon4 ,at this place his health failed1 and1 after lingering2 until ,december #hth1 #ahgj1 he was called to the ,father's house3 above4 ,his death was triumphant4 ,his last words were1 ,jesus is mine1 ,jesus is mine4 ,he saves me to the uttermost4 ,i am standing on the ,rock4 ,thus passed away a4 noble man1 a true friend1 and a veteran ,minister4 ,rev4 ,j4,b4 ,cooper was this year employed to supply ,byron charge4 ,this excellent brother entered the traveling connection in the ,state of ,new ,york1 where he filled several appointments1 but1 his health failing1 he took a superannuated relation in #ahed1 and came to ,janesville4 ,in #aheg he rendered special service1 as before stated1 in the great revival of that year1 and in #ahfj re-entered the regular work in the ,wisconsin ,conference4 ,his charges have been ,evansville1 ,delavan1 ,hart ,prairie1 ,byron1 ,randolph and ,rosendale1 where he is stationed at the present writing4 ,brother ,cooper is a good specimen of the ,itinerant ,preacher4 ,his manner is affable1 his spirit genial1 and his hand diligent4 ,in all his charges he is deservedly popular4 ,at one of the ,quarterly ,meetings of this charge1 ,i was approached1 at the close of the morning services1 by a gentleman who enquired whether ,i came from the ,state of ,new ,york4 ,on learning that ,i did1 he further enquired whether ,i attended1 when a boy1 ,prof4 ,mc,laren's ,academy at ,gallupville4 ,i informed him that ,i was there several years4 ,well1 said he1 are you the one who measured the shote8 ,i replied1 ,tell me about it1 and we will see4 ,he then related the following incident3 ,at the time to which ,i refer there was a boy about thirteen years old who was very proficient in figures1 and the ,professor took great pleasure in giving him difficult problems to solve during the dinner hour4 ,on one of these occasions1 as the ,professor was going across the green for his dinner1 the boy met him and asked for a problem4 ,looking up1 he saw a half grown hog near by1 and quickly replied1 ',give me the cubic inches of that shote4' ,and1 supposing he had got a good joke on the boy1 he passed on4 ,but as soon as he was fairly out of sight1 the boy called together several other boys1 and stated the case to them1 adding1 ',now1 boys1 if you will help me to catch that shote1 we will show the ,professor a thing that they have never done in ,edinburgh4' ,the boys consented1 and his hogship was soon made a prisoner4 ,under a vigorous vocal protest1 he was then dragged to the back end of the ,academy building1 and plunged into a half hogshead of water4 ,after his release1 of course1 the vacant space in the hogshead1 caused by the displacing of the water1 represented the actual size of the shote4 ,in five minutes more1 the cubic inches were obtained1 and on the return of the ,professor the answer was ready for him4 ,the story was well told1 and ,i was obliged to confess to the impeachment4 ,during this1 the last year of my second term on the ,fond du ,lac ,district1 my strength was taxed to its utmost4 ,besides the regular ,quarterly ,meetings1 ,i had made it my earnest concern to aid all the ,preachers on the ,district in their work as far as possible4 ,during the winter this service was largely rendered in protracted meetings1 and during the summer in ,church enterprises4 ,in fact1 the latter branch of labor had been made a specialty during the entire term4 ,and as a result1 two ,churches had been dedicated in ,fond du ,lac1 three on the ,chilton charge1 three on the ,hingham work1 one on the ,byron1 two on the ,markesan1 one on the ,brandon1 one on the ,rosendale1 one on the ,fox ,lake1 one on the ,empire1 and one on the ,horicon and ,juneau1 besides quite a number that were remodeled and largely improved4 ,including both classes1 we had had on the ,district during the term twenty-two ,church enterprises4 ,extensive revivals had occurred1 and we were now able to report an increase of eight hundred and seventy-seven members4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,conference of #ahfi4--,stationed at ,ripon4--,first ,visit4--,rev4 ,e4,j4 ,smith4--,rev4 ,byron ,kingsbury4--,sabbath ,school4--,early ,record of the ,station4--,church ,enterprises4--,rev4 ,william ,morse4--,rev4 ,joseph ,anderson4--,revival4--,church ,enlargement4--,berlin4--,early ,history4--,rev4 ,isaac ,wiltse4--,conference of #ahgj4--,returned to ,ripon4--,marriage of our ,second ,daughter4--,a ,happy ,year4--,close of our ,labors4 ,the ,conference of #ahfi was held ,september #bc;d at ,appleton1 ,bishop ,scott presiding4 ,my term on the ,district had now expired1 and a new appointment must follow4 ,several of the strongest charges opened their doors1 but for reasons that were quite satisfactory both to myself and the good people1 ,i was stationed at ,ripon4 ,the following week ,i started for my new field of labor4 ,as before stated1 ,i had visited this locality in #ahde1 it then being known as ,ceresco4 ,but1 besides a casual visit and a week's stay during the session of the ,conference1 ,i had enjoyed limited opportunities to maintain an acquaintance with the people or the charge4 ,i reached the city ,saturday afternoon1 and immediately1 satchel in hand1 started down ,main ,street to find some one who might invite me to lodgings4 ,i had not gone far when ,i saw a gentleman hastily crossing the street to intercept me4 ,on approaching ,i found it to be ,rev4 ,e4,j4 ,smith1 a ,local ,preacher1 to whom reference has been made in former chapters in connection with ,fall ,river4 ,i had learned of his removal to ,ripon1 but was hardly prepared to meet my old friend so suddenly1 and receive such a hearty greeting4 ,an invitation to lodgings immediately followed1 and ,i joyfully accepted1 remembering the kind hospitality this noble family had given me in other days4 ,after chatting over the past1 and taking some refreshments1 my old friend took me out to a multitude of introductions among the brethren4 ,i found them all cordial1 and began to feel quite at home among them4 ,passing down ,main ,street1 we visited the ,church1 a building of respectable size and comparatively new1 and passing down still further into the borders of what was formerly known as ,ceresco proper1 we found the ,parsonage4 ,this little walk of ,saturday gave me an outline of the lay of things1 and helped me to poise my head and arrange my thoughts for the ,sabbath4 ,the ,sabbath gave me a fair congregation1 and at the close of the service we enjoyed a good ,class ,meeting1 ,led by my old friend1 ,e4,j4 ,smith4 ,and as one of the living members of the class1 ,i found also an old acquaintance of my boyhood and later years1 ,albert ,cook4 ,there were also a few friends of other days still residing in ,ripon1 and several who had come from other places to reside in the city1 to join in the cordial greeting that was given me4 ,the ,sunday ,school1 under the charge of ,rev4 ,byron ,kingsbury1 so well known throughout the ,state in the ,sunday ,school work1 met also at the close of the morning service4 ,it was in a flourishing condition1 as it could not well be otherwise with such a ,superintendent4 ,the ,superintendent introduced the new ,pastor to the school1 and playfully asked them if they thought the new ,pastor was as good-looking as the old4 ,quite to my surprise1 they answered in the affirmative4 ,in the few remarks that followed ,i accounted for the good looks of both the former ,pastor and the present on the score that ,i was the ,father and the former ,pastor was one of my boys1 as ,i had introduced him to the ,conference some years before4 ,this little sally reconciled the children to the new state of things1 and secured me a kindly greeting from all of them4 ,since my ,pastorate in #ahde1 a variety of changes had passed over the place and the ,church4 ,i found ,ripon no longer a small settlement1 nestled in the little valley between the bluffs1 but a veritable city1 now largely perched on the brow of the prairie1 with its numerous business houses1 its ,churches1 and its ,college4 ,the ,church1 instead of being a small class with its meetings first in the dining hall and afterwards in the small school house1 was now a large ,society1 and comfortably quartered in a respectable ,church edifice4 ,but all these changes had not come in a day4 ,the ,circuit of twenty-four appointments1 of which ,ripon was only one1 had been divided and subdivided until they had become nearly a score of charges4 ,to trace these changes in detail would weary the reader1 and hence ,i have only referred to them incidentally1 as they have fallen into the line of my subsequent labors4 ,in this connection1 ,i must confine myself to ,ripon and its immediate vicinity4 ,the first ,quarterly ,meeting of which ,i can find a record was held in ,ceresco by ,rev4 ,j4,m4 ,walker1 ,oct4 #aeth1 #ahee1 ,rev4 ,william ,stevens was then the ,preacher in charge4 ,the official members were3 ,george ,limbert1 ,local ,preacher1 ,z4 ,pedrick1 ,recording ,steward1 ,thos4 ,p4 ,smith1 ,steward1 and ,david ,s4 ,shepherd1 ,class ,leader4 ,there were at this time four classes connected with the charge1 and these were located at ,ripon1 ,ceresco4 ,rush ,lake1 and ,utica4 ,at the fourth ,quarterly ,meeting of this year there were two ,sunday ,schools reported4 ,one at ,ceresco1 with thirty-three scholars1 and one at ,ripon1 with twenty-one4 ,the following year1 #ahef1 ,rev4 ,r4 ,moffat was sent to the charge4 ,utica was now put into another charge1 and ,democrat ,prairie attached to ,ceresco4 ,during this year1 a small frame ,church was built in ,ceresco1 on the east side of the street1 and about forty rods south of the ,ceresco mill4 ,the pioneer ,church was used until #ahfj1 when it was sold to ,mr4 ,w4,h4 ,demming1 who removed it to its present location for a cooper-shop4 ,from #ahef to #ahfj1 while the services in ,ceresco were thus held in the small ,church1 the meetings in ,ripon were held in the ,city ,hall1 which was rented for the purpose4 ,when the new ,church was built1 the congregations were united4 ,the new ,church1 under the ,pastorate of ,rev4 ,william ,morse1 was commenced in ,may1 #ahfj1 and the lecture-room was ready for use in ,march1 #ahfa4 ,the audience room was not completed until the ,pastorate of ,rev4 ,j4,t4 ,woodhead in #ahfb4 ,brother ,woodhead was succeeded by ,rev4 ,joseph ,anderson4 ,brother ,morse had entered the traveling connection in the ,state of ,new ,york1 had located1 and had come ,west1 seeking health for his wife4 ,the death of ,brother ,maxson1 of which mention is made in a former chapter1 had left ,ripon without a ,pastor1 and ,brother ,morse was employed to fill the vacancy4 ,besides filling out the unexpired year1 he remained two years on the charge1 and during his ,pastorate there were many accessions4 ,he filled several other appointments subsequently in the ,conference with great acceptability1 but on account of family affliction1 he was finally compelled to retire from active labor4 ,at this writing he is in ,western ,iowa1 where he does what he can to help on the good cause4 ,he is a man of sweet spirit1 and is highly esteemed by all his brethren4 ,brother ,anderson entered the ,wisconsin ,conference in #aheb1 and was stationed at ,south ,grove1 in ,racine ,district4 ,his subsequent appointments had been ,milton1 ,geneva1 ,sheboygan ,falls1 ,fond du ,lac ,district1 and ,appleton4 ,on the stations1 and during his four years on the ,district1 he had done efficient work1 and was now brought to ,ripon as the successor of ,brother ,woodhead1 where he was well received4 ,after leaving ,ripon1 his appointments have been1 ,presiding ,elder on the ,waupaca ,district four years1 ,waupaca ,station1 ,second ,church1 ,oshkosh1 and ,omro1 his present field4 ,brother ,anderson is a man of large frame1 and gives evidence of unusual physical strength4 ,he has a strong head1 a kind heart1 and is inclined to the humorous4 ,he can tell a good story in a social circle1 and can relate a good anecdote in the pulpit4 ,in the latter he is gifted in the line of similes1 which often in his hands make the sermon interesting and profitable4 ,he gives promise of many more years of usefulness4 ,at ,ripon1 the ,sabbath having passed1 steps were taken to place the ,parsonage in readiness to receive the ,pastor's family4 ,those noble women1 ,mrs4 ,kingsbury1 ,mrs4 ,smith1 and others1 not only aided in the necessary provision1 but actually gave their personal superintendence to the arrangement of the furniture4 ,a new carpet was put down in the parlor2 a new stove in the sitting room1 and such other measures taken as were deemed necessary to render the coming and stay of the ,pastor's family agreeable to them4 ,and when the family came on ,thursday1 they found the rooms warm1 the table spread1 and the house filled with happy faces1 warm hearts and ready hands1 to give them a cordial greeting4 ,such a reception1 given by such a people1 robs the ,itinerancy of half its burdens1 and gives to the relations of ,pastor and people an exquisite setting4 ,the preliminaries settled1 ,i took up my work in the order ,i had been accustomed to follow whenever assigned to station work4 ,knowing the importance of the pastoral as well as the pulpit labor1 ,i had always been accustomed to adhere strictly to a division of labor1 giving the forenoons to my study1 and the afternoons to pastoral visits4 ,by this arrangement ,i found ,i could give to the study all the time necessary to fully employ a healthy brain1 and yet find time to pass over in consecutive order the entire list of families in regular attendance upon the ,church1 three or four times a year4 ,the prosecution of this plan in ,ripon soon filled the house with people1 and also added greatly to the spiritual prosperity of the membership4 ,during the winter considerable revival interest pervaded the congregation1 which had now come to fill the ,church to suffocation1 and not less than seventy-five persons professed conversion4 ,the students from the ,college came to the ,church in great numbers1 and several of them were found among the converts4 ,during the winter1 a lecture course was instituted1 under the auspices of the ,literary ,society connected with the ,college1 and ,i was requested to give the first lecture4 ,the flattering manner in which the effort was spoken of by the press brought other invitations1 and ,i yielded to several of them1 though my time was too much occupied with my regular work to indulge myself far in this direction4 ,at this time ,i was also employed to do considerable work in connection with the press4 ,besides becoming one of the corresponding editors of the ,index and the ,n4,w4 ,advance1 two papers published in ,milwaukee1 ,i accepted the position of a ,local ,editor on the ,fond du ,lac ,commonwealth1 and in this capacity represented ,ripon and its vicinity in its columns4 ,during the winter1 ,i was called to ,onion ,river to dedicate the new brick ,church that had been built on the ,hingham charge1 and in the following summer ,i was called to ,oshkosh to re-open the ,first ,church1 which had been enlarged and greatly improved by the ,rev4 ,wm4 ,p4 ,stowe4 ,frequent calls were also made upon me for addresses on ,temperance and other subjects4 ,i yielded as far as consistent with my other obligations1 but made in these cases1 as ever in the course of my labors1 all such calls yield to the pressing demands of my regular ,ministerial work4 ,but at this stage of our work1 another enterprise lay immediately before the good people of ,ripon4 ,the ,church could no longer accommodate the crowds of people that thronged it1 and an extension became necessary4 ,a united and generous effort1 however1 soon rendered this necessary improvement a fixed fact4 ,by an extension of the length and reconstruction of the basement1 and suitable refitting1 the ,ripon ,church became not only commodious1 but1 in size1 the second ,church in the northern portion of the ,conference4 ,on one of the beautiful days of ,june1 ,i concluded to make a visit to ,berlin4 ,taking my family in a carriage1 we passed over a delightful country and along pleasant roads1 wondering at the change that had come over that region since ,i made my wild excursion in this direction in #ahde1 to find ,strong's ,landing4 ,i now found ,berlin a pleasant city and the home of many valued friends1 whom ,i had known elsewhere4 ,berlin1 though now aspiring to be a charge of respectable standing1 had its beginning1 like all others1 in the day of small things4 ,the first ,methodist sermon was preached by ,rev4 ,mr4 ,bassinger in ,september1 #ahej4 ,the services were held in the office of a warehouse4 ,berlin was now connected with ,dartford1 and became a regular appointment4 ,brother ,bassinger formed a class in connection with the first service in the warehouse4 ,the members were ,reuben ,tompkins1 his wife1 and two daughters1 ,mrs4 ,kellogg and ,mrs4 ,mc,elroy4 ,until a ,church was built the meetings were held1 after leaving the warehouse1 first over ,mr4 ,bartlett's store1 and afterwards over ,mr4 ,alexander's clothing store4 ,the first ,church was built under the ,pastorate of ,rev4 ,j4 ,pearsall in #ahea4 ,it did good service for several years1 and was then sold4 ,it is now used as a blacksmith shop4 ,the second church1 the present respectable edifice1 was built in #aheh by ,rev4 ,d4 ,stansbury1 and was dedicated by the late ,dr4 ,t4,m4 ,eddy4 ,the ,parsonage was built by ,rev4 ,d4,o4 ,jones in #ahfb4 ,rev4 ,isaac ,wiltse1 the ,pastor at ,berlin at this time entered the ,wisconsin ,conference at its ,april session in #ahei4 ,his charges before coming to ,berlin were ,wautoma1 ,kingston1 ,door ,creek1 ,lowell1 ,liberty ,prairie1 and ,dartford4 ,since leaving ,berlin1 his appointment has been ,beaver ,dam1 where he is now doing a good work for the ,master4 ,brother ,wiltse is one of those men who usually remain on a charge as long as the law of the ,church will permit4 ,he is a young man of a clear understanding and genuine piety4 ,as a ,preacher he holds an excellent position in the ,conference1 and he is not less esteemed as a ,pastor4 ,avoiding all effort to make a show in the world1 he furnishes a large stock of ,gospel truth in his sermons1 and puts into his administration an equal share of common sense4 ,the next session of the ,conference was held ,oct4 #ab1 in ,janesville4 ,we were returned to ,ripon1 as expected by all4 ,but the year opened with another of those occasions which strangely unite both joy and sorrow4 ,on the third day of ,november1 a happy group were met at the ,parsonage1 to celebrate the marriage of our second daughter1 ,laura ,eunice1 and ,mr4 ,jesse ,smith1 of ,fond du ,lac4 ,this event took to ,fond du ,lac our second and only remaining daughter1 leaving us alone with our son1 now twelve years of age1 as the only representative of young life in the household4 ,those only who have thus felt the shadows one after another creeping around the home hearth1 can realize the desolation of feeling that broods over the parental heart on such occasions4 ,but there is no time in this life to estimate its losses4 ,the duties of the day are ever upon us1 and we must away at their call4 ,the ,church enlargement had been completed1 and every indication gave promise of a successful year4 ,our associations were exceedingly pleasant1 and the ,church1 at peace in all her borders1 was in a healthy spiritual condition4 ,during the winter a revival again blessed the labors of ,pastor and people4 ,the following summer was one of great comfort4 ,the two years spent at ,ripon were among the most happy of all our ,itinerant life4 ,not a jar had disturbed the fair fabric of our dreams1 not a ripple had disturbed the happy flow of feeling4 ,and1 strongly entrenched in the confidence and good feeling of all the people1 we closed the year in full expectation of a return and another successful term4 ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,conference of #ahga4--;,election of ,delegates4--,laymen's ,electoral ,convention4--,temperance4--,the ,sabbath4--,rev4 ,thomas ,hughes4--,appointed to ,spring ,street4--,third ,term4--,wide ,field4--,rev4 ,c4,d4 ,pillsbury4--,rev4 ,w4,w4 ,case4--,the ,norwegian ,work4--,rev4 ,a4 ,haagenson4--,the ,silver ,wedding4--,results of the ,year4 ,the ,conference of #ahga was held in the ,summerfield ,church1 ,milwaukee1 ,oct4 #aa1 and was presided over by ,bishop ,simpson4 ,at this session the election of ,delegates to the ,general ,conference again occurred4 ,the ,conference was entitled to five clerical ,delegates1 and the ,laymen to two4 ,the ,conference elected ,g4,m4 ,steele1 ,c4,d4 ,pillsbury1 ,henry ,bannister1 ,p4,r4 ,pease1 and ,w4,g4 ,miller4 ,the ,laymen's ,convention elected ,hon4 ,wm4 ,p4 ,lyon1 of the ,supreme ,court of the ,state1 and ,r4,p4 ,elmore1 ,esq41 of ,milwaukee4 ,judge ,lyon being unable to attend1 his place was filled by ,prof4 ,h4,a4 ,jones1 of ,lawrence ,university4 ,at this session provision was made to hold a ,methodist ,state ,convention at ,madison during the following summer4 ,able reports were also adopted on the subject of ,temperance and the observance of the ,christian ,sabbath1 showing that the members of the body kept abreast with the demands of the times4 ,this year the ,conference was called to make a record of the death of two of its members1 ,rev4 ,isaac ,searles1 and ,rev4 ,thomas ,hughes4 ,as reference has been made to the first named in a former chapter1 it need not be repeated in this connection4 ,brother ,hughes was a native of ,wales1 and had been connected with our ,welsh work4 ,alter serving two years in the ,welsh ,mission in ,oneida ,conference he came to ,wisconsin in #aheg4 ,he settled in ,fond du ,lac county1 and for several years supplied the ,welsh ,mission in ,nekimi1 preaching also at times to the ,english population in that neighborhood4 ,his death occurred in ,utica1 ,n4,y4 ,he was a man of strong mind1 amiable spirit1 and thoroughly versed in the doctrines of the ,bible and the standards of the ,church4 ,besides this depletion of the ,itinerant ranks1 three of our brethren had been called during the year to go down into the deep shadows of domestic affliction1 in the loss of their companions1 ,revs4 ,william ,teal1 ,warren ,woodruff and ,h4,h4 ,jones4 ,the obituaries of these devoted co-laborers were inserted in the ,conference ,minutes4 ,during the session of the ,conference1 ,mrs4 ,miller and myself were entertained by the ,misses ,curry1 whose generous hospitality made our stay with them exceedingly pleasant4 ,we also visited many of our old friends in the city as opportunity permitted1 little dreaming of the surprise that was awaiting us4 ,the ,conference closed in the usual manner by the reading of the appointments4 ,but judge of our surprise to find ourselves assigned for a third time to the ,pastorate of ,spring ,street ,station1 ,milwaukee4 ,to say we were surprised indeed would be but to state the truth1 and yet to say we were pained we could not1 for who that has ever known the good people of ,old ,spring ,street1 could ever deem it an affliction to be stationed among them4 ,however1 when we looked upon the weeping eyes of several of our dear ,ripon friends in the congregation1 and thought of the many others at home1 we would have been other than human if our eyes had not also filled with tears4 ,nor is it too much to say1 that we did not know how much we were attached to the good people of ,ripon and our work there1 until we found ourselves so suddenly separated from them4 ,but on the other hand1 what could we say8 ,we came first to ,milwaukee when in our youth4 ,we came again to the ,milwaukee ,district in #ahei1 and to the station in #ahfb1 giving to the first four years of severe labor1 and to the last three of the most successful years of our ,itinerant life4 ,we had known this people as it seldom falls to the lot of ,itinerants to know a people4 ,with not a few we had knelt at the ,altar of ,god1 when they passed into the spiritual kingdom4 ,the names of very many of them had been entered by the writer's hand on the records of the ,church4 ,with many we had bowed our heads in recognition of their deep sorrow1 and with many had clasped hands in the day of their rejoicing4 ,and now1 to be sent back to a third ,pastorate within a period of twenty years1 could not be deemed less than a great privilege4 ,but to our work4 ,following my life-long custom1 the first ,sabbath of the new ,conference year found me at my post of labor4 ,i was happy to find the charge in a good spiritual condition1 and hence ,i was able to take up the work in its ordinary line of service4 ,my first care was to arrange a complete system of pastoral labor1 still entertaining the conviction that upon the faithful prosecution of this branch of the ,ministerial work depended1 in a good degree1 the success of the pastoral function4 ,and in this branch of service ,spring ,street ,station imposes a vast amount of labor4 ,as the mother ,church of the city1 her membership is widely scattered1 and her congregations large4 ,yet the ,pastor1 with a careful husbanding of time1 and an earnest effort1 can pass over the field as often as the exigencies of the work require4 ,he may not always visit each family as often as they desire1 for there are many in every ,church who have a very limited idea of the amount of labor1 care and thought the pastoral office imposes1 but he will be able to meet all reasonable demands4 ,the new ,church had been completed during the preceding year1 and had been dedicated by ,rev4 ,drs4 ,eddy and ,ives on the ,sabbath before ,conference1 ,oct4 #hth1 #ahga4 ,the building is a fine brick structure1 one hundred feet in length by eighty in width at the transepts4 ,besides the auditorium1 it has a large lecture-room1 three parlors1 a ,pastor's study1 a library room1 and a convenient kitchen4 ,the entire cost of buildings and grounds1 including the ,parsonage1 was sixty thousand dollars4 ,at the dedication subscriptions were obtained to meet the indebtedness of twenty thousand dollars with a satisfactory margin4 ,the new year opened with all the ,church appliances in vigorous operation4 ,the class and prayer meetings were well attended1 and the intervening evenings were occupied by the meetings of the ,ladies' ,aid1 the ,literary and other ,church societies4 ,the ,sunday ,school1 under the superintendence of ,rev4 ,edwin ,hyde1 was in a flourishing condition1 ranking1 doubtless1 as one of the most numerous and successful schools of the city4 ,the ,milwaukee ,district was now in charge of ,rev4 ,c4,d4 ,pillsbury1 who entered the ,maine ,conference in #ahdc4 ,he filled the following appointments in that ,conference3 ,dover1 ,atkinson1 ,sagerville1 and ,exeter4 ,at the division in #ahdh1 he fell into the ,east ,maine ,conference1 where his appointments were ,machias1 ,summer ,street1 ,bangor1 ,agent of ,east ,maine ,seminary1 and ,presiding ,elder of ,bangor ,district4 ,he was transferred to the ,wisconsin ,conference in #aheg1 and stationed at ,racine as the writer's successor4 ,his subsequent appointments have been ,racine ,district1 ,chaplain of the ,twenty-,second ,regiment1 ,beloit1 ,agent of the ,freedmen's ,aid ,commission1 ,janesville ,district1 and ,milwaukee ,district4 ,after leaving the ,district ,brother ,pillsbury has been stationed at ,bay ,view and ,menasha1 but1 his health failing1 he took a supernumerary relation at the last ,conference1 and at this writing is residing at ,minneapolis4 ,he has done considerable literary work1 in connection with his ,ministerial labors4 ,brother ,pillsbury has a well balanced mind1 and is thoroughly versed in the great questions of the day4 ,he is sound in theology and faithful in administration2 a good1 strong ,preacher1 and is universally respected1 both as a man and a ,minister4 ,asbury ,church was greatly delighted with the return of ,rev4 ,w4,w4 ,case to its pastorate4 ,he entered the ,erie ,conference in #ahei1 and in that ,conference he had been stationed at ,ellington1 ,cattaraugus1 and ,little ,valley4 ,he was transferred to the ,wisconsin ,conference in #ahfd1 and had now been stationed three years each at ,edgerton and ,beloit4 ,during his year at ,asbury1 he had gathered a fine congregation1 and was now in great esteem among the people4 ,he remained three years at ,asbury1 and was then stationed at ,division ,street1 ,fond du ,lac1 where he is at the present writing1 serving the second year4 ,brother ,case is still a young man1 and is blessed with a pleasant countenance1 agreeable manners1 and an affable spirit4 ,in social life he is a great favorite4 ,he is well read1 and has an entertaining delivery4 ,in the selection of his pulpit topics1 and in the manner of their treatment1 he dwells more in the sunshine than in the storm4 ,he has already reached a position among his brethren that gives promise of great usefulness in the ,master's work4 ,it has not been my purpose to embody in these pages a record of the exceedingly interesting and prosperous work among our ,german brethren1 as their branch of ,methodistic labor in the ,state has developed an ,annual ,conference of its own1 and richly deserves a volume for its proper presentation4 ,but as our ,norwegian brethren are connected with our own ,conference1 a brief reference to their work will not be out of place4 ,it will be recollected that in a former chapter reference was made to the beginning of the work in our ,state4 ,we will now refer to the opening of the good work in ,milwaukee4 ,in the spring of #ahfd1 the writer was holding a protracted meeting in the ,spring ,street ,methodist ,episcopal ,church4 ,at one of the meetings there came to the ,altar as seekers1 two ,norwegians4 ,as the meetings progressed1 others came with them1 until there were some twelve persons on probation and in full membership1 who used the ,scandinavian language4 ,during the following summer1 it was deemed advisable to form them into a class by themselves1 and as they resided in the vicinity of the ,asbury ,church1 put them in connection with that charge4 ,rev4 ,p4,k4 ,rye1 then stationed at ,racine1 came down a few times and furnished them services in their own language4 ,at the ensuing session of the ,west ,wisconsin ,conference1 in which the ,scandinavian work was then placed1 ,milwaukee was connected with ,racine charge1 and placed under the care of ,rev4 ,a4 ,haagenson4 ,the society was duly organized by the new ,pastor on the #beth day of ,march1 #ahfe4 ,brother ,haagenson was greatly blessed in his labors1 and before the end of the year purchased the ,german ,baptist ,church1 located on ,walker ,street1 between ,hanover and ,greenbush4 ,the cost of the building and lots was eight hundred dollars4 ,brother ,haagenson remained until #ahfh1 when he was succeeded on the ,milwaukee and ,racine ,mission by ,rev4 ,n4 ,christopherson1 who remained until the close of #ahgj4 ,in #ahga1 ,milwaukee and ,ashipun were put together1 with ,rev4 ,c4,o4 ,trider as ,pastor4 ,the erection of a new ,church1 twenty-eight by forty-five feet in size1 was commenced in ,december1 and in ,may1 #ahgb1 the lecture-room was dedicated by ,rev4 ,a4 ,haagenson4 ,at the present writing1 ,brother ,haagenson is the ,presiding ,elder of the ,norwegian ,district1 and has also charge of the ,station1 having in the latter portion of his work ,rev4 ,o4 ,hanson as an ,assistant4 ,brother ,haagenson is a man of deep piety and earnest purpose4 ,studious and laborious1 he furnishes an excellent type of a ,methodist ,preacher4 ,his labors are onerous1 but his work is in a highly prosperous state1 and is making a record of many conversions4 ,on the fourth of ,january1 #ahgb1 we celebrated our silver wedding4 ,we had made a note of our wedding anniversary with considerable regularity from year to year1 but had never until now celebrated any of the epochs which are so often made to divide the years of married life4 ,in this instance we deemed it advisable to depart from our usual custom1 since twenty-five years seems to be a point from which both the past and future may be seen ordinarily with considerable distinctness of outline4 ,and further1 it was now probable that the whole family could be brought together1 an event which could not be looked upon with any great degree of assurance as probable at any future time4 ,the entertainment was given in the evening in the ,parsonage1 and was attended by about one hundred persons4 ,spring ,street and the other ,churches of the city were well represented4 ,but in addition to these1 there were delegations present from all the charges we had served in the ,conference1 each bringing the hand of greeting from our old friends to cheer us4 ,a record of the occasion1 however1 would be incomplete if ,i were not to state that the silver ware of the house was increased by an addition valued at nearly five hundred dollars4 ,but every rose has its thorn4 ,never before were we obliged to sleep with one eye open to guard our treasures4 ,the year now drew to a close1 and1 counting up the results1 we found that fifty-one members had been received1 the ,pastor's salary1 amounting to twenty-three hundred dollars1 had been paid1 the ,church debt had been reduced to ten thousand dollars1 and that to meet the balance there were subscriptions1 including organ fund1 of fifteen thousand dollars4 ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,conference of #ahgb4--,rev4 ,a4,p4 ,mead4--,rev4 ,a4 ,callender4--,rev4 ,win4 ,p4 ,stowe4--,rev4 ,o4,b4 ,thayer4--,rev4 ,s4 ,reynolds1--,revival under ,mrs4 ,van ,cott4--,conference of #ahgc4--,rev4 ,henry ,colman4--,rev4 ,a4,a4 ,hoskin4--,rev4 ,stephen ,smith4--,illness4--,conference of #ahgd4--,rev4 ,dr4 ,carhart4--,rev4 ,geo4 ,a4 ,smith4--,rev4 ,c4,n4 ,stowers4 ,the ,conference of #ahgb was held ,oct4 #ith1 at ,division ,street ,church1 ,fond du ,lac1 ,bishop ,haven presiding4 ,the ,woman's ,foreign ,missionary ,society1 having been fully recognized by the ,general ,conference1 was made the subject of a highly appreciative report1 in which the ,conference extended to the ladies of the ,church a cordial welcome to this new field of effort1 and pledged them a helping hand in the good work4 ,at this session ,rev4 ,a4,p4 ,mead was appointed ,presiding ,elder of ,waupaca ,district4 ,brother ,mead graduated from the ,garrett ,biblical ,institute in #ahfa1 and was the same year admitted into the ,conference4 ,his appointments had been ,sharon1 ,elkhorn1 ,kenosha1 ,bay ,view1 and ,lyons1 when he was sent to the ,district4 ,he remained only two years on the ,waupaca ,district1 and was then appointed to the ,fond du ,lac ,district4 ,brother ,mead is a man of genial spirit and large practical sense4 ,his sermons are replete with ,evangelical truth1 and produce an abiding impression4 ,his intercourse with the people and ,preachers is instructive1 and his administration cannot fail to prove a blessing to the ,district4 ,at this session of the ,conference1 the decease of ,rev4 ,aurora ,callender1 among others1 was announced4 ,brother ,callender entered the ,pittsburg ,conference in #ahbh1 and was first stationed at ,franklin1 a circuit located on the slope of the ,alleghany ,mountains1 and in the neighborhood of the ,oil ,regions4 ,before coming to ,wisconsin1 his appointments were ,meadville ,circuit1 ,meadville1 ,springfield1 ,cuyahoga ,falls1 ,chardon and ,middleburgh4 ,coming to ,wisconsin1 he was stationed1 in #ahej1 at ,sylvania4 ,his subsequent appointments were ,geneva and ,elkhorn1 ,union1 ,hazel ,green1 ,dodgeville1 ,mineral ,point ,district1 ,norwegian ,mission ,district1 ,clinton1 and ,agent of ,american ,colonization ,society1 ,subsequently he filled several charges as a supply1 and departed this life in the midst of his work at ,pickneyville1 ,ill41 ,oct4 #bc;d1 #ahga4 ,brother ,callender was a veteran pioneer4 ,capable of great physical endurance1 possessing a vigorous intellect1 well skilled in theology and ,methodist law1 his labors were abundant and of a substantial character4 ,in his earlier years1 especially1 his ,ministry led many souls to the ,cross4 ,at this ,conference ,i was returned to ,spring ,street ,station1 and1 ,brother ,pillsbury's term on the ,district having expired1 ,rev4 ,wm4 ,p4 ,stowe was appointed ,presiding ,elder4 ,brother ,stowe1 it will be remembered1 was converted in his boyhood in his father's chapel4 ,when grown to man's estate1 he took up the trowel and thereby procured funds to secure his education4 ,he graduated from the ,lawrence ,university as a member of the ,second ,class1 in #aheh4 ,he entered the ,conference the same year1 and was stationed at ,sheboygan4 ,the following two years he was stationed at ,port ,washington1 but before the close of the second year his health failed1 and he retired from the work4 ,in #ahfb he accepted the ,chaplaincy of the ,twenty-,seventh ,regiment1 but the year following he was re-admitted and stationed at ,sharon4 ,his subsequent appointments were ,beloit1 ,racine1 ,oshkosh1 and ,summerfield1 ,milwaukee1 in all of which charges he has left the fragrance of a good name and the legacy of substantial fruit4 ,as a ,presiding ,elder1 he is deservedly popular4 ,brother ,stowe has a large frame1 tends to corpulency1 and shows great physical vigor4 ,with large perception1 he reads men and surroundings aptly4 ,in the pulpit1 he puts ideas in logical relations1 and aims at an object4 ,his sermons abound in illustrations1 strung on a strong cord of ,evangelical truth4 ,rev4 ,o4,b4 ,thayer was stationed at ,summerfield ,church1 having become a member of the ,conference in #ahgj4 ,he had been stationed at ,court ,street ,church1 ,janesville1 and at ,appleton4 ,in both these charges he had developed a high standard of pulpit talent4 ,he remained at ,summerfield two years1 and was then appointed to ,kenosha1 where1 at the present writing1 he is preaching to fine congregations4 ,rev4 ,s4 ,reynolds1 ,state ,agent of the ,american ,bible ,society1 was also a member of the ,ministerial fraternity of ,milwaukee4 ,this good brother came to the ,conference by transfer from ,iowa4 ,he has been engaged for many years in his present work1 and has gained a reputation1 second to none1 in the management of the laborious and manifold responsibilities of his position4 ,in his addresses he deals in stubborn facts1 and never fails to interest the audience4 ,he is vigilant in looking after the details of his trust1 but he needs a word of caution as to his health4 ,his great labor is evidently overtaxing his strength4 ,my salary was again fixed at two thousand three hundred dollars4 ,a new system of finance was now adopted1 called the ,envelope ,system4 ,in its principal features1 it was similar to the ,card ,system1 introduced during my former term1 but contained several additional provisions to render it more effective4 ,the new plan succeeded admirably1 giving to the station1 at the end of the first quarter of the year1 the extraordinary record of having fully paid the ,pastor's salary1 and every other claim for current expenses1 besides liquidating several bills for improvements on the ,church and ,parsonage4 ,and it is proper to add that the current year closed with several hundred dollars in the ,treasury4 ,the regular work of the station opened this year encouragingly4 ,a general quickening followed1 and by mid-winter there had been half a score of conversions4 ,mrs4 ,maggie ,n4 ,van ,cott1 who had been engaged for a year to assist us1 now came to our help4 ,the meeting continued five weeks1 under this most extraordinary laborer1 and resulted in the conversion of near four hundred souls1 about two hundred of whom united with the ,spring ,street ,church4 ,the ,conference of #ahgc was held ,oct4 #ae1 at ,whitewater1 ,bishop ,merrill presiding4 ,at this session ,rev4 ,henry ,colman1 who had repeatedly served as ,assistant1 was elected ,secretary of the ,conference4 ,brother ,colman graduated from the ,lawrence ,university as a member of the ,first ,class in #ahef4 ,he entered the ,west ,wisconsin ,conference in #aheh1 and filled one appointment in that ,conference1 when1 in #ahei1 he was transferred to the ,wisconsin ,conference and stationed at ,columbus4 ,in #ahfj he was stationed at ,green ,bay1 and the following year at ,asbury1 ,milwaukee4 ,in #ahfc he was appointed ,principal of the ,evansville ,seminary1 where he remained four years4 ,after leaving the ,seminary1 he has held a respectable class of appointments1 and is now doing effective work at ,fort ,atkinson4 ,he is a man of clear head and honorable1 ,christian impulses4 ,having a thorough knowledge of ,biblical criticism1 he has for several years rendered the ,sunday ,schools of the ,state a good service by furnishing in the ,christian ,statesman a weekly exposition of the ,lesson4 ,in keeping with the provision of the ,discipline1 adopted at the recent session of the ,general ,conference1 for the ,trial of ,appeals1 the ,conference elected her quota as follows3 ,w4,g4 ,miller1 ,o4,j4 ,cowles1 ,joseph ,anderson1 ,j4,w4 ,carhart1 ,p4,b4 ,pease1 ,p4,s4 ,bennett1 and ,w4,p4 ,stowe4 ,but as there were no cases to be tried1 the brethren elected were compelled to wear empty honors4 ,at this ,conference1 the writer again returned to ,spring ,street1 it being the third year of the third term of my ,pastorate among this people1 and the thirtieth ,conference year of my itinerent labors4 ,brother ,stowe was also returned to the ,district1 and ,rev4 ,a4,a4 ,hoskin was appointed to ,asbury1 and ,rev4 ,stephen ,smith to ,bay ,view4 ,brother ,hoskin entered the ,conference in #ahfg1 and before coming to the city had been stationed at ,milton1 ,shopiere1 and ,menomonee ,falls4 ,he is a young man of fine culture1 genial spirit1 and great industry4 ,his sermons embody the fundamental truths of the ,gospel1 and their manifold relations to practical life1 and are highly appreciated by the people4 ,besides being a good ,preacher1 he is also a poet of considerable reputation4 ,brother ,smith entered the ,conference in #ahef1 and his first appointment was ,sylvania4 ,his subsequent appointments have been ,elkhorn1 ,sharon1 ,geneva1 ,manitowoc1 ,fort ,atkinson1 ,delavan1 ,first ,church1 ,janesville1 and ,bay ,view4 ,on all these charges he has left the evidences of earnest and devoted work for the ,master4 ,at ,bay ,view1 the present year has been one of extraordinary success4 ,the revival that transpired under his labors swept through the entire community1 and gave an accession of more than one hundred members1 a majority of whom were heads of families4 ,brother ,smith is a good ,preacher1 filling his sermons with a clear exposition of ,evangelical truth4 ,and his ,ministry has ever been a benediction to the people of his respective charges4 ,the year opened in ,spring ,street ,station with unusual promise4 ,the social meetings were well attended1 the congregations were large and attentive1 the ,sunday ,school1 the largest in the city1 prosperous1 the several societies were doing effective work1 and the finances were in an excellent condition4 ,with this outlook1 we were anticipating a glorious year1 but how uncertain are all human expectations6 ,during the delivery of the morning sermon on ,sabbath1 ,april #bfth1 #ahgd1 the writer was taken violently ill4 ,the attack proved to be the prostration of the nervous system1 resulting from overworking the brain1 a difficulty that had been foreshadowed by several premonitions during the preceding year4 ,my condition at the first was perilous1 but after four hours of skillful medical treatment and careful nursing1 the crisis passed4 ,then followed weary weeks of watching and waiting4 ,meantime1 ,i received the earnest sympathy of my people1 and the kind assistance of my brethren in the ,ministry1 who generously proposed to supply my pulpit4 ,the ,conference of #ahgd was held at ,oshkosh1 ,bishop ,foster presiding4 ,i was able to attend and answer to my name1 but could spend but little time in the ,conference room4 ,whenever present ,i seemed to myself1 as ,i must have seemed to others1 like a dismantled ship1 stranded on the beach4 ,i was most kindly treated by all the brethren1 being relieved of every burden1 and assured of abiding sympathy4 ,at this ,conference ,rev4 ,j4,w4 ,carhart1 ,d4,d41 was stationed1 by request of the people1 at ,oshkosh4 ,brother ,carhart entered the traveling connection in the ,troy ,conference1 and came to the ,wisconsin ,conference by transfer in #ahga1 being stationed at ,racine4 ,he had just completed a full term1 and hence ,oshkosh is his second appointment in the ,conference4 ,he is a man of superior culture1 fine preaching ability1 and cannot fail to give character to the pulpit1 wherever he may be stationed4 ,rev4 ,george ,a4 ,smith was stationed at ,spring ,street as my successor4 ,brother ,smith entered the ,conference in ,april #ahei1 his first appointment being ,principal of the ,evansville ,seminary4 ,his subsequent appointments were ,milton1 ,emerald ,grove1 ,lyons and ,spring ,prairie4 ,in his last field his health failed through intense mental application1 and he was compelled to retire from the work4 ,after five years of rest he was again able to resume his labors1 being stationed first at ,pleasant ,prairie1 and next at ,kenosha4 ,brother ,smith is in the strength of his manhood1 has a vigorous mind1 is a fine thinker1 uses clear-cut and well selected language1 has a most amiable spirit1 and his ,ministry cannot fail to be a grand success anywhere4 ,brother ,stowers came to the ,conference by transfer in #ahfg1 and first served as ,professor in the ,lawrence ,university4 ,in #ahfi1 having been elected ,president of the ,upper ,iowa ,university1 he was transferred to the ,upper ,iowa ,conference4 ,he returned1 however1 to the ,wisconsin ,conference the following year1 and was stationed at ,janesville4 ,his next charge was ,whitewater1 where1 during his three years' ,pastorate1 he achieved great success in the erection of a fine brick ,church1 and in securing large accessions to the membership4 ,brother ,stowers is a man of great energy and decided talent4 ,he has an excellent voice1 a ready utterance1 and abundant illustrations1 which render his pulpit labors attractive4 ,he is an able and successful ,minister4 ,at the adjournment of the ,conference1 the ,preachers hastened to their new fields of labor1 perhaps hardly thinking1 in their eagerness to be at their work1 of the tearful eyes that were looking after them1 and the aching hearts of those brethren who1 no longer able to go out with them to the battle1 were compelled to languish in hospitals1 or linger by the wayside4 ,as for myself1 ,i returned to ,milwaukee1 and retired to the quiet home a few personal friends in the city and elsewhere had assisted me to build1 and where ,i now write this1 the last line of ,,thirty ,,years ,,in ,,the ,,itinerancy4