Chapter 4 No.4

Fond du Lac.--First Sermon.--Early Presiding Elders.--Rev. H.W. Reed.--Rev. James R. Goodrich.--Rev. Jesse Halstead the first Pastor.--Rev. Harvy S. Bronson.--First Class.--Quarterly Meeting.--Delegation from Waupun.--Rev. Wm. H. Sampson.--Extended District.--A Disastrous Fire.--Outside Appointments.--Stowe's Chapel.--Preacher's Home--Ethiel Humiston.--Byron.--Rev. Joseph T. Lewis.--Rev. M.L. Noble.--Rev. H.R. Colman.

The first sermon preached in Fond du Lac was delivered at the residence of Hon. Mason C. Darling, by Rev. Jesse Halstead, Missionary to the Brothertown people, on the 17th day of November, A.D. 1839. The meeting, the first of a religious character, was convened at the request of a few families residing in Fond du Lac and its neighborhood, only seven in number, they having learned that the ubiquitious Itinerant had struck their trail, and was making a visit to their settlement. Having been accustomed to religious services in their eastern homes, these few scattered families had felt deeply their privations in these western wilds. The advent of a minister, therefore, opened an era of no common importance. Few and scattered as were the families, some of them living several miles away, the small log house was filled.

From this lowly, rude dwelling the songs of Zion ascended in grateful praise, 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 savage, and arrested his careless footsteps. The voice of prayer was heard, breathing to heaven in fervid accents a recognition of the Divine goodness, and an humble consecration of devout worshippers, and the fair land they had adopted as their home, to God. The Gospel Message heralded the dispensation of grace, mercy and peace alike to all, bearing in its wings the gift of healing, and a glorious prophecy of the coming reign of the Messiah over "the wilderness and solitary place." Under the word, the pentacostal blessing came down on the people and filled the humble sanctuary. To many, the memories of other days, and their dear old homes in the east, were overpowering. The fountains of feeling were opened and tears came welling up from their depths, until they brimmed the eyelids of all, and fell in showers, as when the cloud angel shakes his wings. Those only who have mingled in the first religious meetings of the new settlement, can rightly appreciate the intense interest or gauge the overwhelming emotions of such an occasion.

Fond du Lac appears on the General Minutes at the session of the Rock River Conference, held Aug. 26th, 1840. At that time the entire Territory was included in two districts. The first swept across from the southwest to the northeast, making Platteville and Green Bay its extreme points. And the other embraced the southeastern portion, and extended as far west and north as Watertown and Summit. The Presiding Elder on the latter, the Milwaukee, was Rev. Julius Field, and on the former, the Platteville, Rev. H.W. Reed. The year following the northeastern portion was erected into a separate district, called Green Bay, and Rev. James R. Goodrich was made the Presiding Elder. Brother Reed remained another year on the Platteville District, but during that year it retained only two charges that are at the present writing included within the bounds of the Wisconsin Conference. After this date, the labors of Brother Reed fell within other Conferences, where doubtless a record will be made of them. His visits, however, have not been forgotten. He was a man of kindly spirit and great practical wisdom. Wherever he laid the foundations, they showed the labors of a skillful hand. He still remains in the Itinerancy, and is the Patriarch of Iowa Methodism.

Brother Goodrich, who succeeded him on the Green Bay portion of the district, is also remembered with great pleasure by the people. He remained three years on the district, and during the first two, served the Green Bay station also. He was transferred to the Chicago District in 1844, and was succeeded on the Green Bay District by Rev. Wm. H. Sampson. At the close of the year, Brother Goodrich took a superannuated relation.

Rev. Jesse Halstead was appointed to the Fond du Lac charge, as before stated, and the Mission was made to include both Fond du Lac and Brothertown. He was also continued on the same charge the following year, the circuit now being changed from the Platteville to the Green Bay District.

We have spoken at length of the Brothertown portion of the charge in previous chapters, and may now confine the record to that of Fond du Lac. During this year a class was formed at Taycheedah with Francis M. McCarty as leader.

At the session of the Conference, held Aug. 24, 1842, the name of Fond du Lac again fails to appear on the minutes, showing, doubtless, that, up to this date, it had not assumed sufficient importance as a religious centre to retain the name of a circuit. But at this session a charge appears under the name of Lake Winnebago, with Rev. John P. Gallup as Pastor. This new charge contained so much of the old Fond du Lac Mission as had been separated from Brothertown, and, in addition, it swept down along the west side of the Lake as far as Oshkosh.

At the Conference of 1843, the charge was continued, and Rev. Harvey S. Bronson was appointed the Pastor. The meetings during the year were still held in log houses, Dr. Mason C. Darling, Hon. Edward Pier and Mr. Norman Pier furnishing the accommodations. It was in the residence of the second named that the first class was formed during this year by Brother Bronson. The class was composed of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Olmstead, Mrs. Edward Pier, Mr. and Mrs. Daniel C. Brooks, Mr. and Mrs. Norman Pier and Mrs. Parsons. Brother Charles Olmstead was the first leader.

During his pastorate, Brother Bronson also formed a class at Wilkinson's Settlement, of which a record will be made elsewhere.

In 1844, Fond du Lac again appears on the Minutes as a charge, and Taycheedah is joined with it. Rev. Joseph T. Lewis was appointed the Pastor, and Rev. Wm. H. Sampson the Presiding Elder. At the beginning of this year the meetings were transferred to a frame school house that had been erected in the village. The tide of emigration was now setting strongly in the direction of Fond du Lac and vicinity, and new settlements were being rapidly formed. The charge, following the general drift of things, extended its boundaries, adding several appointments, and among them Waupun.

Soon after our settlement at this place, as detailed in a former chapter, we were informed that a Quarterly Meeting would be held in Fond du Lac, at a given date, in the near future. We decided to attend. The day came, and my father and I started on foot for the Quarterly Meeting. On reaching Fond du Lac we enquired for the Presiding Elder, in order to ascertain the time and place of meeting, and found that he had already gone over to the school house where the meeting was to be held. Being directed, we soon found the place and entered. The Elder sat behind the desk, ready to begin the services. The Preacher in charge sat at his right hand, wearing a thoughtful mood. As we took our seats, both glanced at us, as did several of the congregation, doubtless thinking, "Well there are two more pioneers, and they must be Methodists to come thus to church on Saturday."

As soon as I felt assured that the eyes of the congregation were withdrawn from me, I ventured to look up and take the measure, in turn, of those present. There were, perhaps, twenty-five in attendance. They were so like, in their general appearance, congregations usually seen on such occasions in the east that it was difficult to realize we were in the far west.

The service proceeded, and at its close the Quarterly Conference was held. We tarried, and after the opening services, my father arose and addressed the Elder, stating that we had recently settled at Waupun, and supposed we were outside of the boundaries of any charge. Yet such was the flexibility of Methodist institutions, he had no doubt the boundaries of Fond du Lac Circuit could easily be thrown around Waupun. If so, we would like to be recognized as members of the church. We were received on our credentials, my father as an ordained Local Preacher and I as an Exhorter. Before we left the Quarterly Meeting, it was decided that Brother Lewis should establish an appointment and form a class at Waupun. But of this further mention will be made in a subsequent chapter.

Rev. Wm. H. Sampson, the Presiding Elder of the District, had been a member of the Michigan Conference. On invitation, he was transferred to the Rock River in August, 1842. His first appointment was Milwaukee, of which mention will be made in another place. The next year he was sent to Kenosha, then called Southport, to save the church property which had fallen under financial embarrassment. Having accomplished this task, he was, in July, 1844, appointed to the charge of Green Bay District.

A better selection for the position could not well have been made. He was just in the strength of his early manhood, an able preacher, a sound theologian, a wise administrator, and a man of agreeable presence. The country was new, society in a formative state, and the material limited. Under these embarrassments, it required no little skill to lay the foundations wisely and successfully rear the superstructure.

The District extended from Green Bay on the north to Whitewater on the south, and from Sheboygan on the east to Portage City on the west, and included eight charges. To encompass the labor of a single year required the travel of four thousand miles. The roads were almost impassable, especially in the northern and eastern portions of the District. During certain seasons of the year, the buggy and sleigh could be used, but, in the main, these extended journeys were performed on horseback. A wagon road had been cut through the timber from Fond du Lac to Lake Michigan, but only one family, as yet, had found a home between the former place and Sheboygan Falls.

Between Sheboygan and Manitowoc, a distance of twenty-five miles, there was no house. The road, if such it might be called, was an unbroken line of mud of uncertain depth, and any amount of logs, stumps, roots and stones, to give it variety. The northern portion of the district was a wilderness, and the few points that had been invaded by settlements, were almost wholly inaccessable. In the southern portion the roads were better, but even here, and especially through the Rock River woods, they were not inviting.

The position of Presiding Elder on the Green Bay District at this time was no sinecure. The long journeys, the great exposure and the meager accommodations among the people, were trying in the extreme. But it was found that Brother Sampson was equal to every emergency.

At this time there were only three churches on the District, and these were located at Green Bay, Oneida and Brothertown. Brother Sampson remained a full term on the District, and at its close became connected with the Lawrence University, in connection with which a record of his labors will appear. In this work he was engaged until 1851, when his health failed, and he was stationed at Kenosha. He was recalled the year following, and until the year 1856 performed such services as his broken health would permit. He was now made effective and appointed Professor, but in 1861 he again entered the regular work, being stationed at Whitewater. His subsequent appointments have been, Presiding Elder of Milwaukee District, Pastor of Racine, Janesville, Evansville, Sharon, Milton and Waukau, where he is, at the present writing, doing efficient work. Brother Sampson has given to the cause long service, a noble life; and is an honor to the Conference.

The Fourth Quarterly Conference of the year was held at Fond du Lac. It was at this meeting that I was granted license to preach and recommended to the Conference, as before stated. The meeting was held in the school house and convened on the 31st day of May, 1845. The members of the Quarterly Conference were Rev. Wm. H. Sampson, Presiding Elder, Rev. Joseph T. Lewis, Preacher, Rev. Silas Miller, Local Preacher, Francis M. McCarty, Isaac Crofoot, Joseph Stowe, Charles Olmstead, D.C. Brooks, Cornelius Davis, and myself.

The population of Fond du Lac proper, at the time of our first visit, was very small. It contained seven buildings and numbered only five families, including the family of the Presiding Elder. The school house was the only public building, and for years was used for all public meetings known to civilization. Subsequently this public convenience fell a prey to the devouring element. The papers, in announcing the fire, gravely enumerated the losses incurred by the disastrous conflagration in this wise: "The Court House has been burned, every church in the town has been consumed, and even the school house and all the other public buildings have shared the same fate. There is no insurance, and the loss cannot be less than two hundred dollars."

During the year an appointment was established at the residence of Joseph Stowe, Esq., on the old military road, four miles west of Fond du Lac.

To accommodate the settlement, now rapidly increasing in population, Brother Stowe built a hall for public worship. Two square buildings were erected at a suitable distance from each other, with an open court between. Over this court, and extending from one building to the other, and including the upper part of one of them, the hall was built, thus furnishing an upper chamber. The hall was fitted up with seats and formed a Chapel of no mean pretensions for that early period.

Brother Stowe's Chapel, as the place was sometimes called, soon became a great institution in that region. A class was formed, and, under the leadership of Isaac Crofoot, greatly flourished. A few years after, the leadership passed to the hand of Ethiel Humiston. The members of this class were Joseph Stowe, Priscilla Stowe, Isaac Crofoot, Ethiel Humiston, Almira Humiston, Amos Lewis and Susan Lewis.

The class meetings, as well as the public services at this Chapel, now became objects of general interest. Brother Humiston had been raised under calvinistic teaching, and, until recently, had utterly failed to discover "the way of Faith." But, coming to the light under the special teaching of the Spirit, he had become a most remarkable illustration of this great arm of strength. In short, nothing could stand before his victorious Faith. In this Chapel there were most extraordinary displays of divine power. Nor, under such leadership, need it be deemed strange that revivals sometimes swept the entire circuit of the year. Nor were Brother Humiston's labors confined to his own neighborhood exclusively. He was often invited to other appointments on the charge, and even to other charges, to aid the preachers in their revival meetings, and his labors were always greatly blessed. I have known whole congregations melted to tears under the recitals of his Christian experience. And could a record be made of the wonderful displays of divine grace in the experience and labors of this dear brother, it would be a priceless legacy to the church.

But Brother Stowe was amply compensated for the erection of this temple for the Lord. In one of the remarkable revivals enjoyed in it, and that, too, in the midst of harvest, his son, William Page, now the Presiding Elder of Milwaukee District, was converted. The home of Brother Stowe was always a stopping place for the preachers. The writer, in going up and down the land in his early Itinerant labors, has been often entertained by this dear brother, and his excellent wife and family. Repeatedly, when weary, I have gone to this home of the pilgrims as I would have gone to my own father's house, and in doing so, always found a generous welcome. William, then a lad, was always ready at the gate to take my horse, and the mother, a motherly, godly woman, as ready to spread the table.

Another appointment established this year was that of Byron, where a class was formed by Rev. Joseph T. Lewis on the 18th of July, 1845 The class was at first formed as a branch from Fond du Lac, but has since became the head of an independent charge. The first members were Orrin Morris, Leader, Olive Morris, Abraham Shepherd, Eliza A. Shepherd, Mary C. Shepherd, and Maria Shepherd. The first sermon preached in Byron proper was delivered by Rev. Morgan L. Noble, Pastor of Fond du Lac, January 25th, 1846, and thereafter this place became a regular appointment.

A very comfortable church was built at Byron in 1855, under the labors of Rev. S.V.R. Shepherd, Pastor of the charge. In later years Byron has become distinguished as the place where the Fond du Lac District Camp Meetings are held.

Rev. Joseph T. Lewis was received on trial at the Conference held in Chicago, August 24th, 1842. His first appointment was Elgin, Ill., and his second, Mutchakinoc. He was born in Wales, and, at the time of his appointment to Fond du Lac, had been in America only five years. Such had been his success, however, in acquiring the English language, that he was now able to speak it with remarkable fluency and correctness.

Brother Lewis was a man of robust constitution, above medium height, had a strong face, adorned with a Roman nose, and a piercing eye. He had a vigorous mind, was a thorough student and was already taking rank as a preacher. During his brief year on the charge, he found time not only to master the Conference studies, but, by the aid of the writer, to make considerable progress in the study of Greek. At the end of the year he reported ninety members. His subsequent appointments were: 1845, Sheboygan; 1846 and 1847, Beloit. During his last year at Beloit, he was called from labor to reward. His illness was brief, eight days duration, but he was ready for the Messenger. Just before his departure, he said to his most estimable companion: "Tell my brethren of the Rock River Conference that I die shouting happy." Thus fell, on the 22d day of May, 1848, one of the most promising young men of the Conference. Truly it is said: "God buries his workmen, yet carries on his work." The Conference extended to the accomplished and devoted widow their profound sympathy. Nor will it be amiss to say in this connection, that the widow several years after became the wife of Rev. Stephen Adams, of Beloit, and up to this hour is most highly esteemed by all who have the pleasure of an acquaintance.

In 1845, Rev. Morgan L. Noble was appointed to the Fond du Lac charge and remained two years. He was received by the Rock River Conference in 1843, and was appointed to Du Page Circuit with Rev. Elihu Springer as Preacher in Charge. Brother Noble was a man of superior talent, but his health was not equal to the Itinerancy. At the close of his term at Fond du Lac, he took a location and entered secular pursuits.

In 1847 Rev. Henry R. Colman was sent to Fond du Lac, and also remained two years.

Brother Colman entered the New York Conference in May, 1831, and his first appointment was Warren Circuit, with Rev. Joseph McCreery as his colleague. This charge was located forty miles from his residence and included twenty-four hundred square miles. His visits to his family were few, and the year was one of most severe labor. His receipts were only one hundred and forty dollars, showing that pioneer work had not at that period wholly ceased in the older States. Luzerne, his next field, gave him one hundred and twenty dollars. The next year he traveled Bridgeport, a large, four weeks circuit, and had for colleague Rev. J.G. Whitford. On this charge the receipts for the first two quarters were not equal to his moving expenses. He was next stationed at Ticonderoga, Westport and Essex, and Berne, successively, when he was invited by Rev. John Clark, who was east attending the General Conference of 1840, to come west and take charge of the Oneida Indian Mission. He consented, and at the following session of the Troy Conference he was transferred to the Rock River and assigned to that field, where he arrived September 19th, 1840.

He remained on this Mission five years and was then appointed to Brothertown as my successor. At the expiration of two years he was appointed to Fond du Lac, as above stated, where he contracted a severe cold, but thinking to remove it without difficulty, continued his labors. It was a fatal step. Bronchitis set in and he lost his voice. He was granted a superannuated relation at the session of the Wisconsin Conference, held at Beloit, July 27, 1849. From this attack he has never sufficiently recovered to resume his labors.

The loss of Brother Colman from the work in the Conference was severely felt. Of solid endowments, respectable attainments, large practicable knowledge and excellent administrative abilities, his services seemed almost necessary to the success of the work. We can only refer such difficult problems to the Great Head of the church for solution.

During the nine years of Brother Colman's service in Wisconsin, he was abundant in labor. He was emphatically a man of one work. His salary, like that of his co-laborers, was small, making an average of only two hundred and fifty dollars a year. Certainly this was a small provision for himself, wife and five children. By a judicious investment at an early day, however, he is placed beyond the reach of want. He still lives in the affections of his brethren, and, after a superannuation of twenty-five years, his visits to the sessions of the Conference always assure him a hearty greeting from his old friends.

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