Buffalo County, Nebraska - Chapter 10: Rev. David Marquette First Religious Services Held in Buffalo County -, 1916

School Organized First Religious Services Held

The first preaching services held in the county appears to have been in the winter of 1869-70. These services, a series of meetings, were held in "the first schoolhouse," elsewhere described, and were conducted by Rev. D. Marquette, a Alethodist missionary, who is still living (1908) and now resides at University Place, Neb. As related, a pleasing and interesting feature of these meetings was the sweet singing by the Owen family, Mrs. David Owen, her two daughters and son, Joseph. As singers the Owen family seems to have been gifted, as it is related that two other daughters of this family, who resided in Utah, were members of the choir and sang regularly in the great ]Mormon Tabernacle at Salt Lake City, Utah. The writer is greatly indebted to Reverend Marquette for the following account of this series of meetings and of his labors in Buffalo and adjoining counties:

"Replying to your inquiry concerning my work as missionary in the bounds of Buffalo County, I take pleasure in stating the following facts : In the spring of 1869 I was appointed pastor of Wood River Mission, a 'circuit' which consisted of a straight line from Silver Creek Station just west of Columbus, to Gibbon Siding, ten or twelve miles east of Fort Kearney, embracing all intermediate points where there were people enough, including Grand Island where wife and I lived. I visited and held services at three places west of Grand Island - 'Pap' Lamb's ranch ten miles west but on Wood River, and at Wood River Station, holding the services at the station or at Jackson's store, about a mile northwest of the station. I am not sure whether W^ood River railroad station and Jackson's store on the old freight road (overland trail) keeping close to the stream of Wood River, were either or both in Buffalo County. You will probably know more about the county lines than I do, these cutting no figure in my work in those days, my circuit embracing part of Platte and all of the inhabited portions of Merrick, Hall and Buffalo counties. At Wood River there was no class organized, and it is certain, from a study of the annual conference minutes, that no one had gone, as pastor, any farther west than 'Pap' Lamb's, where there was an organization ; however, I went as far west as 'Gibbon Siding.' which I suppose is identical with the present Village of Gibbon. During the winter of 1869-70 I held a series of meetings which resulted in a gracious revival and in the conversion of about twenty and in the organization of the first class in the bounds of Buffalo County, and for that matter the first Methodist organization in all the territory now embraced in the West Nebraska Conference. I cannot now, after the lapse of thirty-eight years, recall the names of any who formed that historic first class. The meetings were held in an old board house which was open in many places, and the weather being cold, the people who crowded the house laid down buffalo robes on the floor and hung shawls up at the sides of the house to keep out the cutting winter wind and make the room endurable. We recall a sturdy and very pious German by the name of George Stearley, who with his excellent wife, lived on Wood River some two or three miles east of Gibbon Siding. He was not, at that time, preaching and could not have preached in English. He was the only one in that country who could lead in public prayer ; when called upon to do so, he would usually, in deference to his English speaking brethren, begin his prayer in English, but would soon cut loose and pass over into German and make an excellent impression by his manifest earnestness and sincerity, though we could not understand a word he said. This couple by their royal hospitality, entertaining in their home the missionary and his wife, and the pleasant hours we spent there are among our precious memories of those times. But a royal hospitality was characteristic of nearly all of those early settlers and thereby greatly added to our comfort in sharing their humble dwellings and scanty fare with the preacher and his wife. Hoping this brief statement will assist you and expressing my appreciation of your effort to write a history of your county, I am,

Both prayer meetings and a Sunday school were held in this old schoolhouse but the church organization mentioned by Rev. Mr. Marquette seems to have fallen through, as it has not been learned that the organization existed at the time or after the arrival of the colony in 1871. The "Pap" Lamb referred to was a stage driver for the Western Stage Company and is highly spoken of by those now living who knew him. The Mr. Jackson mentioned is James Jackson, now a merchant of Wood River. Mr. Jackson is of English descent and with his young wife came to what is now Hall County in i860. In 1864 he engaged in the mercantile business at a point some miles west of the present Village of Wood River and has continued this business to the present time. Religious (preaching) services were held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, and their home was popularly known as the "Preacher's Roost." Mr. Jackson attended the series of meetings held by Rev. Mr. Alarquette in the old schoolhouse and states that there w^as great interest and the attendance taxed to the utmost the capacity of the house in which the meetings were held.

The George Stearley mentioned will be readily recalled by early settlers in the county. After the arrival of the colony he took a homestead on section 22 in Shelton Township. On this homestead Mr. Stearley planted several acres of timber which he took much pride in cultivating and caring for and in time his homestead came to be one of the choice farms in the township. Mr. Stearley was licensed as a local preacher in the United Brethren Church, and took an active part in the affairs of the church. The United Brethren organization in the immediate vicinity of where he resided was one of the strongest in the state. Mr. Stearley resided on his homestead until his death, which occurred August 27, 1897.