History of the
Berkshire Church |
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Mr. G. D. Neilson wrote the following
booklet to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the
Berkshire Methodist Church which was held December 27, 1860. |
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Early Settlers |
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Berkshire was settled in the early part of
the year1800 by Col. Moses Byxbe and a Company from the County of
Berkshire, Massachusetts. Byxbe was the leader of Berkshire for
several years, later selling out and went to Worthington, Ohio. His
next move was to Delaware, Ohio, where he committed suicide in the
river south of the William St. bridge. The first person to die in Berkshire was a lady in 1802, and she was buried in the garden where now lives the McKenzie family. It was thought first that Berkshire
might be the Capital of Ohio and then the county seat of Delaware
Co., but the factor man and no large stream of water changed that.
Byxbe had two sons. The one a staid boy and the other would be
called now, a fast young man. He loved fast horses and always drove
a splendid span of horses. |
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History of Religion |
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Most early Communities were very religious and believed the Sabbath was for worship and rest. Exodus, 20th chapter Verses 8-9-10. The first meeting was held in the yard of Major Brown, the house being built in 1811 and is the brick house on the north east corner of the Village of Berkshire. Later in cabin homes and groves. The second influx of immigrants, coming
later, were of the Episcopal faith and finally built a brick Church,
on the south east corner of the Village. This church had a lovely
memorial window in the south end, and is now being used by Wright
Wormell as a barn. For years it was thought to be the oldest church
west of Pittsburgh, but was later said to be the second oldest. |
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History of The Berkshire Church |
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The Methodist people grew fast in number
and in 1858 they organized as a church, and built the present church
which was dedicated December 27, 1860. It is 100 years old this year
and has always been used for worship and Church school. In order to
buy seats a series of suppers were held. At the dedication
chairs and benches were used.
At first the church had two doors. One on the north and one on the
south. The men using the south part and the women the north door.
The first pastor was Rev. Amos Wilson. Having no organ he would line
the hymns and then sing. According to Miss Mary Carter he was a very
large man and a good singer. To this date there have been 58
pastors. One pastor, Rev. Ralph Alton is now a Methodist Bishop. The
principal leaders in the early years of the church were the
following families: Henry Fisher, Alonsa Fisher, John Frost,
Nathanial Frost, Lewis Carter, Riley Veach, Cyrus Plum, James
Lampman, Monroe Hodgedon, Amaziah Mead, Jerd Utley, John Finch,
Isaac Van Sickle, Riley Lott, Andrew Ryder, Charles Wigton, James
Loresn, Isreal Ports, George Gibson, and many others. D. S. Potter had a good bass voice and it was heard at Worship, church school and funerals. Mrs. Mary Hough, Mrs. Nettie Smith, D. S. Potter, J. R. or G. D. Neilson. sang at many funerals. There have always been many faithful and devoted workers. There is one who should be mentioned mainly, Mrs. Emma Smith Tippett, who for years was most faithful at the organ and piano, regardless of who the pastor was. The Church has been very fortunate in having the following piano and organ musicians. They are as follows: Maude Stark, Minnie Buell, Minnie Searles, Emma Tippett, Fay Carnes, Mary Frost, Mary Shannon, Ellen Grove, Mark Borror, Naomi Smith and Annabel Angel. No doubt there were many choristers. Riley Lott who had a good tenor voice was probably the first, followed by George Ely, T. R. arid J. R. (Fop) Neilson. The Berkshire church was noted for its good choir. The church has furnished the following ministers. Rev. Oliver Webster #7 of the church, Dr. Carl Gage, Rev. George Ely, Rev. Harry Hedden and Asa Griffith who was a settlement worker in Columbus. The church has always been a bulwark of righteous and correct living for 100 years, and it is hoped it will function for many years to come for the betterment of the Berkshire Community. We, as members and friends of the Berkshire Church are grateful to Mr. G. D. Neilson for writing this history.
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Pastors of the Berkshire Church | |||||||||
1. Amos Wilson 2. W. C. Waters 3. James Wheeler 4. S. D. Seymour 5. A. B. Brandenburg 6. P. Plummer 7. D. Webster 8. J. S. Cutler 9. A. S. Moffit 10. B. Albright 11. Alan McLane 12. F. M. Searles 13. H. Safford 14. W. M. Hudson 15. F. M. Hoyt 16. John Witworth 17. H. L. Parish 18. W. B. Farrah 19. S. R. Squires 20. A. K. Owens 21. D. R. Moore 22. S. F. Dunbar 23. Uri Richards 24. J. Matlock 25. D. Lawrence 26. B. F. Bell 27. E. L. Smith 28. M. B. Meade 29. M. Weaver |
30. E. S. Tompkins |
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Berkshire 1906 Return to Berkshire Township Return to Local History Index |
(07/23/2006) |