HISTORY OF METHODISM

ON THE CONNECTICUT WESTERN RESERVE, OHIO.

BY REV. ALFRED BRUNSON.

THIS Reserve is one hundred and twenty miles long, and averages forty-three miles and three quarters in breadth, and contains an area of three millions three hundred and sixty thousand It is bounded on the east by Pennsylvania, on the south by the forty-first degree of north latitude, west by a line parallel with the western line of Pennsylvania, one hundred and twenty miles distant, and north by Lake Erie.

acres.

It derived its name from the following circumstances :-At the time Charles II., king of England, was granting charters to the colonies on this continent, the geography of it was but little known. The country had been explored only as far west as the mountains, and the adventurer, after passing the dividing ridge, seeing the waters run to the west, supposed they emptied themselves into the great western ocean, which had been discovered by the Spaniards, distant, probably, as far as the Atlantic was on the east. from this view of the continent, the king, in granting a charter to the colony of Connecticut in 1662, extended the territory thereof between the forty-first and forty-second degrees of north latitude, from Rhode Island to the great western ocean.

And

Charters for other colonies were given in the same way, and others again were so bounded as to cross these grants, which led to considerable collision among the colonists afterward. The Wyoming country on the Susquehannah river, in Pennsylvania, was settled by people from Connecticut, authorized by the government of that colony, which claimed all that part of Pennsylvania lying between the two lines above named, by a charter dated anterior to that of William Penn. The colony of Virginia also claimed under her charter, to run her northern boundary north-west from old Point Comfort to the great western ocean;' which would include the south and west part of Pennsylvania, including fort Pitt, this Reserve, and all the north-west part of the continent. These conflicting claims led to some difficulty between the colonies.

But the concerns of the revolutionary war called the attention of the parties from the dispute; and the Wyoming settlement being principally destroyed by the British, Indians, and Tories, and fort Pitt being a military post, the matter rested till the close of the war, when the bounds and claims of all the states were finally settled. Virginia relinquished her claims to the territory, included in the states of Maryland and Pennsylvania, and to what was called the territory north-west of the Ohio,' reserving the right of soil to the lands lying between the Sciota and the Little Miami, for the purpose of remunerating her revolutionary soldiers, which is now called 'The Virginia Military District.' And Con

necticut relinquished her claim to all her chartered limits, west of the east line of the state of New-York, reserving three millions three hundred and sixty thousand acres, west of the western line of Pennsylvania, which lies as above described, and is called The Connecticut Western Reserve.'

Of this Reserve five hundred thousand acres off the west end, now constituting Huron county, were appropriated to the relief of those who suffered in the revolutionary war by the enemies burning their towns, and are called The Fire Lands.' Thirty thousand acres were sold to Gen. Parsons, to remunerate him for services done the state; and the remaining two millions eight hundred and thirty thousand acres were sold by the state, to a company formed for that purpose, for the round sum of one million two hundred thousand dollars, or about forty-three cents per acre. This money constitutes the most if not all of the Connecticut School Fund;' the avails of which is said to pay nearly half the expense of the common schools in that state.*

The company purchased these lands in the year 1795, the year of Wayne's treaty with the Indians, by which the Indian title was extinguished as far west as the Cuyahoga. And in the summers of 1796 and 1797, the lands were surveyed into townships of five miles square, and distributed to the purchasers in proportion to their respective payments; to some a township, or more, or less, as the case required; which was surveyed again into smaller tracts by the owners, and put into the market as suited their convenience.

The first settlement was formed by the surveyors, at Cleveland, in 1796. In 1797 the settlement in Youngstown was commenced, and in 1798 those of Warren, Canfield, Deerfield, Harpersfield, and Burton. From this time the country has settled with such rapidity, that now it is divided into eight counties, and contains, according to the last census, about one hundred and twelve thousand inhabitants, of the most thriving and enterprising character.

* Some difficulties arise in giving the exact area, price per acre of this Reserve, &c, on account of the conflicting data I have to go by. The state of Connecticut, it seems, intended to reserve just three millions of acres; but when the reservation was surveyed, it contained, according to the map taken from those surveys, about two hundred and ten townships of five miles square each. And as each township of that size must contain sixteen thousand acres, the whole area must contain three millions three hundred and sixty thousand acres. The note appended to Sumner's Map of the Reserve, gives the length at one hundred and twenty miles, and the average breadth at fifty-two, and the area at just three millions of acres. But this length and breadth would give an area of three millions nine hundred ninety-three thousand and six hundred acres, which is nearly one million too much. But as the length is known to be one hundred and twenty miles, and the breadth, according to the map, cannot be over forty-three miles and three quarters, the area must be neither more nor less than three millions three hundred and sixty thousand acres. And as it is known that the fire lands contain five hundred thousand acres, and that General Parsons' purchase was thirty thousand acres, the remainder must be two millions eight hundred and thirty thousand acres. And as the purchase money of this remainder is known to have been one million two hundred thousand dollars, the price per acre must have been nearly forty-three cents.

The face of the country is sufficiently level to make beautiful farms, and sites for towns; and sufficiently rolling to give water fall for mills and manufacturing establishments. In many places falls can be obtained of from ten to one hundred feet in the space of a few rods, on streams of considerable depth. The inhabitants are mostly from New-England; and they brought with them the habits, manners, intelligence, and enterprise of those states. And consequently the settlements, schools, churches, &c, are mostly of the New-England stamp. There is one college, to which is attached a theological seminary, under Presbyterian influence, and five or six incorporated academies on the Reserve; beside district schools in every township, which are considerably assisted by funds drawn from the county treasury, and some selected schools supported by the proprietors.

Methodism was introduced into the Reserve nearly with the first settlers. The first society was formed in Deerfield in 1801,. by the voluntary association of some members who had emigrated from Massachusetts, consisting of Lewis Day, Lewis Ely, their families, and a few more. The next year a society was formed in Hubbard, in the same way, at George Frazier's, who had emigrated from the eastern shore of Maryland. In the year 1802 Henry Shual, (then an exhorter, but now a local preacher,) went from Georgetown, Pa., nearly forty miles through the woods, to hold a meeting with the brethren in Deerfield, and as he was pleased with the country, he made a purchase, and soon after settled his family there. In the same year William Veach, now a local preacher, and Amos Smith, a local preacher, settled in Hubbard, and Obed Crosby, a local preacher, settled in Vernon.

The first regular Methodist preacher who came to the Reserve, was Shadrach Bostwick, who was transferred from the NewYork conference, held that year at Ashgrove, to the Baltimore conference in 1803, and stationed a missionary at Deerfield. He formed a circuit of a few appointments, which he travelled by following Indian trails, marked trees, bridle paths, &c; but in the winter was obliged to desist travelling for want of roads and bridges: he returned sixteen members to conference that year. In the same year, on the 10th of August, Noah Fidler, who travelled the Shenango circuit in Pennsylvania, came over the state line into Hubbard, and received the little society, which consisted of ten or twelve members, into his circuit. And in 1804 brother Bostwick was continued on Deerfield, and extended his circuit to Hubbard and Vernon, distant nearly fifty miles from Deerfield, and returned to conference that year thirty members. At this time Thornton Fleming was presiding elder.

In 1805 brother Bostwick located, and the few appointments on the Reserve were attached to the Erie circuit, which was under the charge of David Bert and Joseph A. Shukelford, who returned five hundred and fifty-five members; but what part of these were on

the Reserve it is now impossible to tell. That year was distinguished in the annals of old Erie circuit for an extensive revival of religion; but whether it extended to the Reserve I am not able now to tell. This country at that time was included in the Monongahela district, Baltimore conference. And this year James Hunter was presiding elder.

In 1806 Thornton Fleming returned to the district, and Robert R. Roberts and James Watts rode the circuit. In 1807 Erie circuit was rode by C. Reynolds, A. Daniels, and T. Divers. In 1808 by Job Guest and William Butler. In 1809 by J. Charles, J. M. Hanson, and J. Decellum. What number of members were on the Reserve in these years, I have not the means of stating, but the numbers must have increased considerably fast, as we find that thirty increased to three hundred and thirty-seven in the space of five years.

In 1810 the Reserve was again put into a circuit by itself, called Hartford, and rode by James Charles and James Ewin, who returned three hundred and thirty-seven members. Jacob Gruber presiding elder. In 1811 the circuit was called Trumbull, and rode by William Knox and Joshua Monroe, who returned four hundred and forty-five members.

In 1812 a new district was formed, called Ohio, Jacob Young presiding elder; and the circuit being divided, Thomas J. Crocknell and John Somerville rode Trumbull, and returned in six months four hundred and forty members; and Abraham Daniels rode Grand river, for the same length of time, and returned one hundred and forty members; making in all five hundred and eighty. This year the Ohio conference met for the first time, in Chilicothe, October 1. And from this time forward the minutes for any given year, in the Ohio and Pittsburg conferences, (within which the Reserve is included,) were taken in the fall of the year, previous to the one in which they appear in the printed minutes. Thus the minutes for 1813 were taken in October, 1812. And to preserve a proper distinction in dates, I shall hereafter give both years, a part of which was included in the conference year; it being understood that the first year named in each date was the year (in the fall of which) the preachers came on the circuits, districts, &c; and the second year named is the year (in the fall of which) the preachers left the circuits, and returned the numbers attached to their respective circuits, and the year in which their appointments appear in the printed minutes. It was in the fall of this year, 1812, that I moved my family on the Reserve, and have since that time had more or less of a personal acquainte ance with the movements of Methodism in the country.

1812-13. The appointments were, OHIO DISTRICT, Jacob Young presiding elder. Trumbull circuit, James M'Mahon. Grand river, John M'Mahon and Robert C. Hatton. But brother Hatton was soon removed to Erie circuit. And Trumbull and Grand

river circuits were united again, and rode by the two brothers, (M'Mahons,) who returned six hundred members.

1813-14. OHIO DISTRICT, Jacob Young presiding elder. The circuit was this year called New Connecticut, and rode by John Solomon and Oliver Carver, who returned, according to the minutes, eleven hundred and ten members.

1814-15. OHIO DISTRICT, Jacob Young presiding elder. James M'Mahon and Lemuel Lane on the circuit, who returned eleven hundred and ten members.

1815-16. OHIO DISTRICT, David Young presiding elder. (Though by a change Jacob Young continued on the district.) Mahoning, John Waterman and Shadrach Ruark. Grand river, Samuel Brown. But brother Brown was soon removed to another circuit, and brothers Waterman and Ruark rode the whole, and returned only four hundred and eighty-six members. What was the cause of this great reduction in numbers I am not able to state precisely; but it is my impression that it was occasioned by correcting an error in the returns of 1814, which was not corrected the next year, because the preacher in charge was prevented from attending conference, by sickness in his family; and as is usual when no returns are made, the old numbers are taken.

1816-17. OHIO DISTRICT, James B. Finley presiding elder. Grand river and Mahoning, Henry Baker and John P. Kent, transferred from Erie, who returned six hundred and twenty-five members. During this year a new circuit was formed, west of the Cuyahoga, called Huron, which returned one hundred and fortyeight members, making in all seven hundred and seventy-three. 1817-18. OHIO DISTRICT, James B. Finley presiding elder. Grand river and Mahoning, Daniel D. Davidson and Ezra Booth; to whom was soon after added by the presiding elder, Edward H. Taylor. Huron, John C. Brook. But brother Brook, finding ample room for a four weeks' circuit east of it, which he called Cuyahoga, did not go west of the Black river. And brother Finley gave me a list of the few appointments left out, which I soon succeeded in enlarging into a four weeks' circuit, called Huron, and returned one hundred and forty-two members. In the returns for this year, Grand river and Mahoning is credited on the minutes with six hundred and forty-eight members; but Cuyahoga and Huron have no credit. But the latter I know to have had one hundred and forty-two members, and I suppose the former to have had at least two hundred and fifty, making in all ten hundred and fifteen.

1818-19. From this time the Reserve is included in two or more districts. The appointments and numbers were as follows. OHIO DISTRICT, J. B. Finley presiding elder. Mahoning, Calvin Ruter and John Steward, who was exchanged in six months with Samuel Adams. Numbers returned from Mahoning this year six hundred and seventeen.