Early, Texas - History (part 6 of 11)

THEBE was a general feeling of an impending crisis on the slavery question as the delegates assembled in the City of New York for the General Conference early in the month of May, 1844. Bishop Andrew had written just a year before : ' ' The state of the church, too, afflicts me. The abolition excitement, I fear, has never presented an aspect so threatening to the union of the Church as it does at this moment. ... I look forward to the next General Conference with no little apprehension. . . . The policy of a majority of the General Conference on this subject, I think, is fully settled, and I greatly doubt whether the South will longer submit to this avowed proscription." 1 But the state of feeling in the North was mild in 1843 compared to that existing in 1844. The more radical anti-slavery element had left the Church in 1843 and set up the Wesleyan Methodist Connection ; but still there was no sense of settled peace, and a new source of irritation had arisen. In January, 1844, after Bishop Andrew had closed his round of conferences, including the one in Texas, he entered into his second marriage relation, this time with a widow in Georgia who owned a family of slaves. 2 Bishop Andrew had been the legal owner of slaves before. In one instance a mulatto girl had been bequeathed to him by an old lady, to be held in trust until she was nineteen years of age, when she was to be sent to Liberia. When she arrived at that age the girl refused to go, and remained with him, legally his slave. In another instance the mother of Bishop Andrew's first wife had left to her a negro boy, who, upon her death without will, had legally fallen to her husband. In both instances his connection with slavery was involuntary, and the laws of his state would not permit of their emancipation. But it was the relation entered into in 1844 that brought upon the Bishop the censure of his brethren at the North. This was, in their view, a voluntary act of becoming a slave-holder, while occupying the high office of a general superintendent of the Church, and when sentiment throughout a large section of the Church had become settled that slavery was an unmixed evil.

When Bishop Andrew reached the seat of the Conference and became apprised of the feeling against him, he immediately resolved to resign his office. But he was dissuaded from this course by the action taken at a meeting of all the delegates from the slave-holding states, when it was resolved that "We unanimously concur in requesting the Bishop, by all his love for the unity of the Church, which his resignation will certainly jeopardize, not to allow himself for any consideration to resign. ' '

Early in the sessions of the Conference a case from the Baltimore Conference came up on appeal. A member of that conference, named Harding, had married a woman who owned slaves. His conference had suspended him "until he gives assurance that he has taken the necessary steps to secure their freedom." The General Conference sustained the action of the Baltimore Conference, by an overwhelming majority. This was a forecast of what might be expected when the graver case of a slave-holding bishop should come up. On May 20 the question relating to Bishop Andrew's case reached the floor, in the presentation and adoption of a resolution of inquiry concerning his connection with slavery. In response to this inquiry Bishop Andrew submitted a statement to a committee of the General Conference, containing the facts as noted above. 3 Upon the receipt of this statement a resolution was offered requesting Bishop Andrew to resign. On the following day the historic "Finley Substitute" was offered, which was as follows :

Whereas, the Discipline of our church forbids the doing anything calculated to destroy our itinerant general superintendency, and whereas Bishop Andrew has become connected with slavery by marriage and otherwise, and this act having drawn after it circumstances which in the estimation of the General Conference will greatly embarrass the exercise of his office as an itinerant general superintendent, if not in some places entirely prevent it; therefore,

Eesolved, That it is the sense of this General Conference that he desist from the exercise of this office so long as this impediment remains.

This resolution was debated upon the floor of the Conference for ten days, when on June 1 it was adopted by a vote of 110 to 68. On the second day following this action a resolution that "it is the sense of this General Conference that the vote in the case of Bishop Andrew s " It was true, then, that one of the bishops of the church had become a slave-holder, though certainly under very peculiar circumstances. Nevertheless, it was a tremendous matter. The personal character of Bishop James O. Andrew was above reproach and above suspicion. During all those terrible ten days when the searching gaze of the General Conference, of the whole church, and, indeed, of the whole nation, was focussed upon him; amid the feverish excitement of that high debate, no railing accusation was brought against him. One who reads his biography will find that his private life was one of exceptional character. . . . But that Bishop Andrew should, in view of the history and exciting agitation of the slavery question in his church, have allowed himself to become connected with slaveholding after he was made a bishop in that church seems not merely 'an indiscretion/ but a very grave and grievous error. . . . If Bishop Andrew did not know the history of the slavery agitation in the church and country, and the attitude of the two sections well enough to have reason for fearing that his marrying a slave-owner would occasion serious trouble, then his ignorance, for a man in Ms position, was inexcusable. If he did know these things and' was indifferent to them, his indifference was more inexcusable. In any case, his position in 1844 was not one to be envied." A History of The Methodist Church, South, by Gross Alexander, D.D., pp. 19, 20.

be understood as advisory only, and not in the light of a judicial mandate," and that final disposition of the case be postponed until the General Conference of 1848, was laid on the table. The last action taken in Bishop Andrew's case was the adoption of a resolution, in response to inquiries of the bishops, that " Bishop Andrew's name stand in the Minutes, Hymn-Book and Discipline as formerly"; that "the rule in relation to the support of a bishop and his family applies to Bishop Andrew" ; and that "Whether in any, and if any, in what work Bishop Andrew be employed, is to be determined by his own decision and action in relation to the previous action of this Conference in his case. ' ' 4

It is not our purpose, nor does it lie within our province, to go into this historic case more at length, nor to dwell upon the causes which here in 1844 divided the Church. The above facts have been set out with a view of showing the reaction in Texas of certain aspects of the case. It should be observed, however, in dismissing the Andrew case, that while it was undoubtedly true that Bishop Andrew's connection with slavery was the occasion for the division, yet division was sooner or later inevitable from an ever-widening divergence of sentiment on slavery North and South. But Bishop Andrew is dead, and all that generation, and slavery has been abolished, and there is no division of opinion on the evil of that institution. The fact that the gulf between the two branches of Methodism, opened in 1844, remains unclosed, is not due so much to "harking back to ancient history," as to fundamental differences of views on Church law, or the relative powers of the episcopacy and the General Conference, differences which exist quite as much to-day as they did when the case of Bishop Andrew first brought them to the surface.

been present in the preliminary meeting of Southern delegates which requested Bishop Andrew not to resign, and as it appears that the action taken was unanimous, they both evidently voted for the resolution. But on most other aspects of the case when it came up in the Conference, including the Harding appeal case from the Baltimore Conference, J. Clark voted with the Northern majority, while Fowler appears voting uniformly with the Southern delegates. On the Finley substitute resolution ' ' during the call for yeas and nays J. Clark asked to be excused from voting, as he was compelled, by the want of health in some members of his family, to remove from Texas. Conference by a vote declined from excusing him." 5 Whereupon J. Clark voted "Yea." To the Declaration of the southern delegates, and to the Protest following the action on the Andrew case and both preliminary steps to the division Clark's name does not appear, but Fowler signed both of these documents. Clark, who had been stationed at Galveston in 1844, had disposed of his effects prior to the meeting of the General Conference and took his family with him to New York. At the close of the General Conference he transferred to the Troy (New York) Conference, and never returned to Texas. 6

The action of the General Conference in Bishop Andrew's case became a subject of general debate in the Church press, North and South, and floods of resolutions and impassioned oratory were turned loose in annual conferences and even in many erstwhile quiet quarterly conferences. In Texas the course of one of her delegates in voting with the North was strongly resented, and his immediate transfer and failure to return added to the odium attaching to his action. An example of the mans Journal G. C., p. 84.

e He subsequently was transferred to the West, and was filling a station in Chicago when he died in 1853. During his pastorate in Chicago he induced a Mrs. Garrett, the wealthy widow of a former mayor of that city, to give property valued at $300,000 toward the founding of "Garrett Biblical Institute."

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Whereas, at the third quarterly meeting Conference for "Washington Circuit, Texas, held at Wesley Chapel on the third day of August, 1844, it was represented to said Conference, that one of our delegates to the General Conference, the Kev. John Clark, had manifestly abused the trust and confidence reposed in him as a delegate to said General Conference, and had even opposed the interests of that portion of the Church which he then represented:

Whereupon, on motion, the chair appointed the following named persons, to wit: John W. Kenney, J. D. Giddings and Enoch King, a committee to draft a preamble and resolutions expressive of the sense of this Conference, in relation to the conduct of our said delegate therein :

Then follows a lengthy preamble of three sections, and a set of eleven resolutions. The action of the General Conference in Bishop Andrew's case is denounced as "the iron tread of a monopolizing Northern majority, trampling under foot common right and common justice, in thus personally attacking our Bishop, and suspending him for no other cause than the gratification of the rabid appetite, the wild phrenzy, and infatuation of the prevailing epidemic of modern abolitionism." Among the resolutions pertaining to Clark's case are the following:

Eesolved, That the intercourse of the Eev. John Clark, was so intimate and extensive with the preachers and people of Texas, that it was impossible for him to be mistaken in relation to their sentiments and feelings upon the all absorbing subject of slavery; and he evidently must have foreseen that questions involving the rights of the South, upon that subject, would become matter of discussion and action before that body.

Resolved, That it is with heartfelt fear and regret that we are obliged to record, that contrary to the known wishes of those whom he had engaged to represent, and in the very face of his obligation, he applied the fratricidal knife to that portion of the Church that had confided her interests to his care. . . . And while we cannot expect to reach him in his retreat to a clime more congenial to his feelings than ours, yet we would deter others from a similar course who hereafter offer to represent us in a like capacity.

By the same resolutions the thanks of the conference were extended to Fowler; the ensuing Texas Conference was requested to take action in the matter ; copies of the resolutions were to be sent to Clark and to Fowler, and publication requested in the Southwestern Christian Advocate and the National Vindicator.

Similar resolutions are found in the minutes of the fourth quarterly conference of the Montgomery circuit, except that Clark's course is characterized by even stronger language. In this paper he is placed in the same class with Judas Iscariot; but before the long and solemn indictment ends he is in a measure forgiven, and told to ' ' Go Clark & sin no more. ' ' The resolutions of the Washington circuit were sent by the pastor, B. B. "Wells, to the Southwestern Christian Advocate, at Nashville, and were published in full. Eesolutions were also adopted at the next session of the annual conference, and these were published. The published resolutions from Texas drew a reply from Clark, which elicited a reply from Wells, and a desultory controversy between them ran in the Church press until 1846, with, no other result than came from numerous other debates which were carried on across the ever-widening chasm between the North and the South/

One is likely to remember the General Conference of 1844 as being wholly absorbed in the overshadowing issue of slavery, but this body found time, by prolonging its sessions, to give the usual attention to other Church interests. The Texas Conference was divided into two conferences, to be named respectively the Texas and the

7 The resolutions and the entire correspondence between Clark and Wells are presented in an article entitled "The Clark-Wells Controversy," by the Eev. E. L. Shettles, in the Texas Methodist Historical Quarterly, January, 1910.

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East Texas Conference, with the Trinity Eiver as the boundary line between them. All of that portion of the Arkansas Conference lying in Texas, known as the ' ' Sulphur Fork" country, was henceforth to be embraced in the East Texas Conference. A resolution introduced by L. Fowler was adopted by the General Conference advising that ' ' all the preachers in Texas, both East and "West, meet together in Conference at their next session, in order the more effectively to form their plans for their future action in both divisions of the work. ' ' Two bishops were elected Leonidas L. Hamline and Edmund S. Janes, both from the North ; but the latter owed his election to the votes of Southern delegates. Bishop Janes was designated to hold the conference in Texas.

The Texas preachers assembled for the last time as one body in San Augustine on January 8, 1845, with Bishop Janes in charge. Chauncey Eichardson was elected secretary. It was really two annual conferences meeting as one body, as separate minutes were kept for the two sections. Wm. G. Booker and L. D. Bragg were admitted on trial into the Texas Conference, and L. S. Friend, Silas W. Camp, Andrew Davis, Enoch P. Chisholm and Daniel Shook into the East Texas Conference. John W. Kenney and John Haynie dropped back into the local ranks, and Orceneth Fisher was granted the superannuate relation. Mordecai and Pleasant M. Yell, John S. Williams and Eobert Guthrie, all from the Memphis Conference, were received by transfer into the Texas Conference, and David L. Bell and Jefferson Shook from the Arkansas Conference, and John W. Fields from -Kentucky entered the East Texas Conference. The membership statistics were as follows :

Of the East Texas membership, the new accession of the Bed River district from the Arkansas Conference contributed 700. There were 65 local preachers, making a total of 6154 members, all classes and colors. Increase over past year, 1129.

There was one figure missing from this conference who, within only a few months had come to be greatly beloved by his Texas brethren. This was Daniel Poe, who together with his faithful wife, had gone to his reward in July, 1844. Poe was born in Oolumbiana County, Ohio, October 12, 1809, and was cut down, therefore, in his thirty-first year. He was converted and united with the Methodist Church in his sixteenth year, and immediately he was appointed a class-leader and licensed to exhort. He attended an academy in Ohio, and later spent some time at Augusta College, Kentucky. In 1832 he was licensed to preach, and soon thereafter was admitted on trial into the Ohio Conference. In May, 1836, he was sent by Bishop Soule as a missionary to the Indians in "Wisconsin, the mission then being in charge of John Clark. Poe's missionary career among the Indians was attended with such success, and he displayed such a spirit of heroism in meeting the conditions of that far western and undeveloped country, as to give him a place in Finley's "Sketches of Western Methodism." Associated with him in this work was Miss Jane West Ingram, formerly a teacher of Pontiac, Mich. In June, 1837, these fellow-workers were united in marriage. As before noticed, Poe had lost a brother in the war of the Texas revolution, and he had visited Texas soon thereafter to look after his deceased brother's affairs. This led to his being suggested as a guide for the company of Ohio preachers who volunteered for Texas in the fall of 1842. Poe was asked if his wife, who was not present, would consent to go to Texas. He assured the conference that he had no fears on that score, saying, "The first time I ever saw her she was among the Brothertown

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Indians alone, teaching the children in the wigwams," and that she would go wherever the conference thought best to send him. Accordingly we find Poe and his wife, with three children the youngest but a few weeks old settled in Texas before the close of the year. Poe served in the Lake Soda district during 1843, but having manifested considerable interest in the improvement of educational conditions in eastern Texas, and having aided in launching the new college at San Augustine, he was appointed to the San Augustine circuit in 1844. Here he served as a sort of local financial agent of the institution, and the teacher of mathematics having resigned early in the year, Poe engaged to fill that place, though the demands of his circuit required extensive traveling and preaching five times a week. In the latter part of June, 1844, his wife was attacked with fever, but after a few days, appearing to be better, Poe left to fill an appointment on his circuit. After preaching Poe was himself taken violently ill. He was the next day conveyed to his home in San Augustine, and found that his wife had relapsed, and that his three children were prostrate with fever. "On Tuesday evening the doctor felt constrained to tell him that his wife was past all hope of recovery. They were unable to see each other, as they occupied separate chambers ; but he sent an affectionate message to her, begging her to commend her soul and her children to God. . . . His disease now made rapid progress, and on Wednesday morning it was told him that his own case was hopeless. He immediately commenced giving some directions in respect to his worldly affairs; but his mind soon began to wander, so that he was unable to proceed. The next morning the Eev. Mr. Fowler, who had been with him before, called again to see him, and found him actually making the passage through the dark valley. He took him by the hand and said, l Daniel, you are going.' He answered in a whisper, 'Yes.' 'And how do you feel?' said Mr. Fowler.

He replied, 'Happy, very happy,' and expired. His wife, in the immediate prospect of her departure, had her three children brought to her, commended them to God in a few words of prayer, gave each of them her last kiss, and requested the friends who stood around her bedside to take care of them until their uncle should come to take them away. Though she was one of the most affectionate of mothers, she gave them up without a chill of distrust, and then shouted 'Glory' till her voice sunk to a whisper, and she, too, was gone. They died within forty minutes of each other, and were buried in the same coffin, immediately in the rear of the Methodist Church in San Augustine." 8 Agreeable to his brother's dying request the Eev. Adam Poe came to Texas in December, 1844, wound up his deceased brother's affairs, and gathered up the three children, who had fully recovered from their illness, and had been taken in charge by different friends, and after a farewell visit to the grave of their father and mother, where "the scene was one of most melting that can be imagined," the children and brother left their dead as a precious memory to Texas Methodism.

We give the appointments for the Texas and the East Texas Conferences for the year 1845, that the reader may be informed of the new conference relations of the preachers who have hitherto belonged to one body. It will be noted that in the East Texas Conference the Sabine district largely supplants the former Lake Soda district, and the new Clarksville district appears. In the Texas Conference the new Washington district appears, covering the upper portion of the old Galveston district. We have come to a period when a great many new names occur in the appointments, too many to introduce one by one as they appear ; and except in a few instances we will leave biographical notices to appear in connection with the death of their subjects.

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In glancing over the above list it will be noted that our young friend, Andrew Davis, whom we left a few chapters back, now appears among the prophets, and goes on his first appointment to the region near where he spent most of his childhood. It will be noted also in connection with Rutersville that Chauncey Richardson fills two places, which he had done also the year before ; and H. S. Thrall is also to do double work. Rutersville College is now to become the separate charge of the Texas Conference, while Wesley College at San Augustine is to occupy the same relation to the East Texas Conference for a short time. The name of J. P. Sneed does not appear in the appointments this year, and there is no recorded disposition of his case otherwise. Sneed had returned to Tennessee to get married, and being absent at the time of conference, and there being no report from him, he was simply left "without an appointment."

Returning to note the course of general Church affairs, the delegates from the slave-holding states at the General Conference of 1844 had met together, before leaving the seat of the Conference, and after consultation had issued an address to the Southern conferences, which included a call to send instructed representatives to meet in a convention at Louisville, Ky., in May, 1845. All the Southern conferences responded by adopting resolutions and electing delegates to the convention. The Texas Conference, at the session reported above, elected Robert Alexander and Littleton Fowler as its represen-

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The delegates were To endeavor to secure a compromise between the North and the South to oppose a formal division of the Church before the General Conference of 1848, or a general convention can be convened to decide the present controversy. But should a division be deemed unavoidable, and be determined on by the convention, then, being well satisfied with the discipline of the Church, as it is, we instruct our delegates not to support or favor any change in said discipline, by said convention, other than to adapt its fiscal economy to the Southern organization. ...

That we appoint the Friday immediately preceding the meeting of the proposed General Convention of the delegates of the Southern and Southwestern Conferences as a day of fasting and prayer for the blessings of Almighty God on said Convention that it may be favored with the helpful influence of His grace, and the guidance of His wisdom.

At the convention held at Louisville, May 1-19, 1845, it was determined that a separate ecclesiastical organization was necessary, and a General Conference was provided for, to be held in Petersburg, Va., in May, 1846. The bond, therefore, is formally and finally broken, and henceforth Texas Methodism, as originally constituted in 1840, is to be a part of the " Methodist Episcopal Church, South."

Chapter Xvi The Yeae 1845-1846

IT was in 1844 that the first Methodist preaching occurred in or near two of the future metropolitan centers of the state San Antonio and Dallas. In March of that year the first Methodist preacher visited Dallas County, near the present locality of Dallas, and in April of the same year a Methodist circuit rider first visited and preached in San Antonio. The latter was already an old town, having sprung into existence as far back as 1718 as a Spanish frontier post and a center of early Catholic missionary operations. In 1840 its population was estimated at 3000, mostly Mexican or Spanish, with a sprinkling of Anglo-Americans and other nationalities. There was a vast stretch of country between the settlements in Texas and San Antonio, as well as between San Antonio and the Mexican border.

In 1844 John W. DeVilbiss was on the Victoria circuit, which included all the settlements on the Guadeloupe Elver, and as far down as Port Lavaca, on the bay. He made a reconnoitering visit to San Antonio this year, the following account of which he records in his " Reminiscences ' ' :

In April of this year (1844), in company with Eev. John McCullough of the Presbyterian Church, I made my first visit to the ancient city of San Antonio. We started at Victoria, and travelled up the Guadeloupe river to Seguin. At this place we procured an escort of Captain Hay's Texas Rangers. . . . "We put up at a hotel kept by Anton Lockmar, an Italian, situated on Soledad street, not far from the convent. It was the outside house in the direction of San Pedro Springs. We took a general look about the city, visiting San Pedro Springs, and the missions below the city. We notified the English-speaking people that we would have preaching on the Sabbath. We met at the county clerk's office on Commerce street. . . . The old building has long since been torn down to give place to a better one. About fifteen persons attended the services. I tried to preach from 1 Tim. iv : 8, and had a good degree of liberty. Rev. Mr. McCullough closed with a very appropriate prayer. On Monday we visited the mill, eight miles below the city, and called at the ranger's camp on the way. At the mill we found Messrs. Kerr & Higginbotham, builders and proprietors of this mill, doing a good business, sawing lumber and grinding corn. The people from Seguin and below on the Guadaloupe had their grinding done here. Mr. Kerr was a strict member of our church, and with his wife and sister-in-law, Miss Martha Ann Higginbotham, were the only members in all that region. Mr. McCullough and I left on Tuesday for Seguin, where we parted, but to meet again in this same city of San Antonio.

At the next conference the Victoria circuit was divided, the upper portion being called G-onzales circuit, with DeVilbiss the preacher in charge for 1845. On his return from conference he was married at Egypt to Miss Talitha Ann Menefee, of a well-known Methodist family of that place, this occurring in February, 1845, Jesse Hord officiating. DeVilbiss decided to locate at Seguin as the headquarters of his new circuit, and here he built his own log cabin for a parsonage. Soon after moving in he and his wife made a visit to San Antonio, which he made a regular appointment on his circuit for the remainder of the year, though no organization was effected until the following year. On this second visit to the old city DeVilbiss preached in the parlor of the same hotel where he had been entertained on his visit the year before. He says : city. Mr. Lockmar fixed up the room in a very neat and proper manner for divine service, with a clean white cloth on the table, a pitcher of water, and comfortable seats for the audience. He also placed on the table a bottle of port wine. I told him I would rather he would remove the wine. He contended that it would greatly assist me in speaking, and that the priests in Italy would not preach at all without some good wine to assist them, and added with emphasis: "This is a first-rate article." I told him that Americans did not approve of such things, so the wine was taken away. Mr. Lockmar was a model of hospitality and politeness. I was kindly entertained free of charge by Messrs. Krump & Lockmar at every visit, and had good congregations once a month during the year.

At the ensuing conference, held at Houston early in 1846, which we have yet to notice, DeVilbiss was returned to the Gonzales circuit. He found upon his return to Seguin that a little surveying had been done and he had been surveyed out of his cabin, the new owner refusing to pay or to treat on the matter at all. DeVilbiss then took up headquarters at San Antonio, locating in the only vacant house he could find some distance below the city, near the Kerr & Higginbotham mill. Here, in order to supplement his living, he taught a small school in his house. He had some difficulty in securing a permanent place for preaching services in San Antonio, but finally secured the use of the court house, situated on the main plaza. He relates that he procured lumber from the mill below the city, and with his own hands made the seats and a pulpit. ''Here we began a small Sunday school which constantly increased in interest," he says. "Some of the members of that Sunday school are now prominent citizens of San Antonio. 1 We had one great annoyance. Just at the hour of preaching a large crowd would assemble in the same plaza and engage in a chicken fighting. The noise of this iniquitous assembly greatly disturbed our worship. I am sorry to say that the leaders in the affair were Americans. ' ' During the year his old friend McChillough moved to the city, and they made an arrangement by which each should preach on alternate Sundays. On the intervening Sundays DeVilbiss preached in the Kerr mill neighborhood, where he continued to make his home. Following the same record we are told :

In June of this year 1846 I organized a class. So far as I am able to recollect it consisted of the following members: Mr. Win. P. Kerr and wife, Miss Ann Higginbotham, Mrs. Tabitha Ann DeVilbiss (the pastor's wife), Mr. M. G. Cotton and wife, and Gustavus Ely, and Martha Lucinda Kerr, who joined on probation. Not long after this organization Mrs. Trumble joined by letter, and in the fall of this year Matt E. Evans, his wife and daughter Miss Augusta Jane, the authoress, 2 came out from Georgia and joined by letter. . . . We took preliminary steps toward building a church in the city. I secured an eligible lot on Valita street, and we elected five trustees, viz : Wm. P. Kerr, Matt E. Evans, M. G. Cotton, Gustavus Ely and Marcus Y. Trumble. Mr. Trumble was not a member of our church, but a good friend of our cause and his wife an earnest and faithful .member.

The work of housing this small congregation in its own building is to be a long and arduous task, to which we will return at a later period. This was a year of scant means and hard living for this far western pioneer, and it was one marked also by great sadness. In June he lost his first-born child, and in August his wife died, whom he characterizes as "a true helpmeet and a faithful servant of the Lord."

So much for the beginnings of Methodism in San Antonio. But before turning from DeVilbiss 's narrative there is a story or two too good to leave unrepeated. During the year 1844 he reports that the Indians were hostile and travel was dangerous. There were seventyeight horses stolen from the neighborhood of Gonzales alone, and four or five men killed within the bounds of his circuit. "On my first round," he says, "as I was passing through the town of Gonzales, near night, on my way to Mr. T. J. Pilgrim's, who lived a mile above town, a man by the name of Jones came out of a saloon and caught my horse by the bridle, saying, Aint you our preacher?"

I told him I was the preacher sent to that circuit. "Well," he said, "you must go and stay with me. We keep the preachers." I saw he was in liquor and tried to beg off. I showed him the plan of the circuit, with Brother Pilgrim's name on it as a house for the preacher, and told him I felt it my duty to go there first. "No, no," he said, "you are to go with me. Pilgrim is a Baptist, and my wife is a Methodist, and you are to stay with us this good night. When we get to the house I '11 show you why I am drinking. ' ' I concluded to go. As soon as I was introduced to the family, Mr. Jones requested me to walk out to the stable with him. There lay a large Newfoundland dog with an Indian arrow pierced right through his heart. "There," said Jones, "was as good a dog as ever wagged a tail. The Indians killed him last night and took out of this stable as good a colt as was ever raised in Gonzales county. Now, look here; do you see that door cheek of heart post oak, six inches wide and one inch thick. See how the red rascals have cut it off with their butcher knives to get the lock chain out? Well, sir, I had a race on that colt which was appointed for to-day. The forfeiture was forty dollars if I did not run. I went down to pay up like an honest man, and on the strength of it got gloriously drunk. Now you understand it all; let us go to supper." I found Sister Jones a very pleasant lady, and spent the night under their roof very agreeably. This man was generally known by the cognomen, " Go it Jones, ' ' or for short, ' ' Goat Jones, ' ' to distinguish him from the numbers of the Jones name who lived in the vicinity. Not very long after this he was converted at a Cumberland Presbyterian meeting, joined that church, and for many years lived a most exemplary Christian life, and an honored and respected citizen. His wife died near the close of the year, and I had the mournful pleasure of preaching her funeral.

In May or June of this year I started from Lavaca, in company with United States Consul Smith, his wife, and two little Mexican girls that Mrs. Smith was raising, to go to Victoria. On account of the green-headed flies, we concluded to go at night, and, as the road was very muddy and much farther, we concluded to cross the prairie, taking the north star as our guide. After we had travelled about three hours our beacon became obscured by clouds, and we had to make our way as best we could. About one o'clock we came to a bunch of timber, and I knew we were lost, as there was no timber between Lavaca and Victoria. There was no alternative then but to stop and wait for the morning. Before I proceed I must say a few things about my friend, Consul Smith. He had a fine education; was an excellent business man, but was lacking in good, practical common sense. He was of low stature, somewhat stooped; was terribly disfigured by small-pox, and withal, lisped very badly. At the place where we stopped, the grass was very tall and thick and the mosquitoes just as bad as they could be. Mr. Smith and I had each a good mosquito bar, so we strung up his bar for Mrs. Smith and the children, and he and I fixed up mine for our accommodation. Mrs. Smith and the children were soon fast asleep, and I had just got off when Mr. Smith called out, "Mithter DeVilbith, I feel a thnake." I told him to lie still; if it was a snake it was under the blanket, and could not hurt us. He quieted down and I went to sleep again. He called again, louder than ever, "I tell you I feel a thnake, and I will not lie here any longer." As soon as he arose I felt a snake, too, and we got up and went to a log near by and fought mosquitoes until daylight. We looked for our snake in the morning, and found a crooked stick lying crosswise under our blanket, so that when I would move it would turn under Mr. Smith, and when he would move it would turn under me. So this was the snake that made us lose our rest.

Unlike the south and southwest Texas country, the rich prairies of northern Texas remained the free range of the Indian and buffalo until the early forties. To encourage a more rapid settlement of the country the Congress of the Bepublic adopted measures looking to the introduction of new colonies of immigrants into Texas. Among other colonization schemes formed were those of W. S. Peters, who contracted during 1841-42 to introduce 800 families into the upper Trinity and Brazos country, and C. F. Mercer, who contracted to settle 600 families in the country between the Peters colony and Bed River. These contracts covered all of the north Texas country, excepting the counties of Bowie, Bed Biver and Lamar, and reached into the lower Panhandle country, including what was later "Greer County." The region on the Trinity, immediately about the present city of Dallas, was first settled in 1842-43. John H. Cochran, a late survivor of the first settlers, has written his recollections of this period, 8 from which the following extract is taken :

Early in 1843, my father, William M. Cochran, moved from Missouri to Texas in an ox wagon, stopping a few weeks in Eed Biver County during a snowstorm. In February of that year he left Eed River County in company with two other families, the Jamisons and the Watsons, and started south. Our family then consisted of my father and mother, two brothers, a sister and myself. There was also in the party a young man by the name of Steve Webb.

All together we came across this then wild and beautiful, but pathless, country, fording White Bock Creek just above where the home of Captain William C. McKamy now stands, and from there we went across the divide and down the branch, which my father afterward named "Farmers Branch.." We stopped near this place with two bachelor brothers, John L. and Simpson Pulliam, two Virginia boys who had preceded us two or three months, and who had come to Texas with Thomas Keenan, an Indian, a man who himself settled in the forks of the branch about 300 yards north of the Pulliam place.

The Year 1845-1846 245

of the Pulliam cabin, near a lone elm tree which still stands there to mark the spot and remind me of a young buffalo which once came running toward me and stopped under the shade of that tree, within three feet of where I was, causing me to make a somewhat precipitate entrance into the house.

During the entire year of 1843 the population of Farmers Branch was limited to John L. and Simpson Pulliam, Thomas Keenan, his wife and three daughters Elizabeth, afterward Mrs. Hiram Vail ; Hannah, afterward Mrs. Thomas Chenoweth, and Mary, who married George Newby; two boys, William and Marion Keenan; my father's family of wife and four children, and the young man, Steve Webb. These sixteen persons constituted the total population of Farmers' Branch in 1843.

About this time a man by the name of John Hewitt planted a late patch of corn in the open prairie, near where Carrollton now stands, and the buffalo took possession of the patch. Mr. Hewitt then moved to Cedar Springs and with Dr. John Cole established the Cedar Springs neighborhood. In addition to Hewitt and his family and Dr. Cole and his family there were in the Cedar Springs settlement in 1843 Jackson and S. Hewitt, Joe Dalton, Dr. W. W. Conover, E. Shirley, and also Al. Hewitt, a negro, who was the first of that race to live in Dallas County.

Between Farmers Branch and Cedar Springs lived a man by the name of Joseph Graham, and one by the name of Browning (for whom Browning's Branch was named). Franklin Fortner later settled on Browning's Branch.

At Dallas was Colonel John Neely Bryan, the father of Dallas. East of Dallas was John Beeman and family and James J. Beeman and family. On the south side of the Trinity River M. Gilbert and family and William Coombes and family settled.

On Cedar Creek were George L. Leonard and family, John W. Wright and George W. Dooley, and on Mountain Creek lived Timothy Carpenter and family.

The above constituted the population of Dallas County in 1843. Those of us who lived here prior to 1845 lived under the Republic of Texas, and were here during the war of the United States with Mexico.

As each succeeding year rolled around the population increased and this then wild country gradually became a prosperous and happy home for thousands of people. With the in- crease in population, the conveniences of churches, school -houses, stores, gins and other evidences of civilization kept pace. So rapid was the increase in population that on July 13, 1846, Dallas County was organized, with John Thomas as Chief Justice, Dr. John Cole as Probate Judge, John C. McCoy as District Clerk, William M. Cochran as County Clerk, and John Hewitt as Sheriff. Benjamin McCracken was the first Tax Assessor. Those settlers who moved into Dallas County during the period between December, 1842, and July, 1845, were mostly from Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky and Arkansas.

Another family which entered this country early in 1844 was that of the Webbs, from whose memorials we get more light on the Cochrans and others, and pick up an important thread in Methodist history. The "Webbs, the Cochrans and the Hughes families were living in 1835 in Maury County, Tennessee. Isaac B. Webb during that year married Mary N. Hughes, a sister of W. H. (' 'Uncle Buck") Hughes. William M. Cochran (the father of the John H. Cochran quoted above), married another sister of W. H. Hughes. The Webbs and the Cochrans later removed to Missouri, but having "read much of the wonderful country lying contiguous to the three forks of the Trinity, they determined to locate permanently there. ' ' 4 Webb came down first on a prospecting tour in the spring of 1843, leaving Cochran in Missouri to make a crop. On his return he gave wonderful accounts of the possibilities of the country, and displayed samples of the black soil he had found. Cochran then came down in the summer or early fall of 1843, leaving Webb to gather the crop and follow later. Mrs. Cochran was doubtless, therefore, the first Methodist to actually settle in what is now Dallas County. From Webb's diary we have: "Commenced moving to Texas October 16, 1843, and four weeks later crossed the Bed River at Beal's Ferry. Stayed in the

4 These facts and the records which follow are from an article, ' ' Early Methodism in Dallas County. " by W. C. Everett, Texas Christian Advocate, Aug. 26, 1920. All the dates bearing upon the first settlement of the Coehrans do not correspond exactly with those given by Cochran.

The Year 1845-1846 247

neighborhood some two months and then moved on to the Colony. . . . Landed at Win. M. Cochran's January 27, 1844." The Webbs lived in the Cochran home nearly two months, and during that time this entry is made in the Webb diary: " March 19, 1844, Thomas Brown, the first traveling Methodist preacher that visited the Colony, stayed all night with me and preached at Wm. M. Cochran's the first sermon in the neighborhood. From Romans 1: 16; hymn, 'From All That Dwells Below the Skies,' tune 'Kedron.' " Webb records that he moved into his own cabin 16x16, on Mustang Branch (now Farmer's Branch) April 19, 1844. During the following year there is this entry: "The first circuit preaching was at my cabin on May 5, 1845, and a society was formed, consisting of five members. Isaac C. Kimble preached good." We have no record of this Isaac C. Kimble, and he must have been a local preacher. We know that Daniel Shook, who was that year on the Fannin circuit, Clarksville district, visited the community and took charge of the work. The names of the members of this first church in Dallas County were as follows : Isaac B. W^ebb, Mary Webb, Mrs. W. M. Cochran, M. F. Fortner and Mrs. Fortner. Wm. M. Cochran was not at that time a member of the church, but joined later. "The first camp meeting in this part of the country," says this old diary, "was held on Joe's Branch in the fall of 1845, and four families camped on the ground." The exact location of this spot, it appears, is not easy to determine. Mr. Everett gives us this information about the first church building: "Webb's Chapel was the first church building in the Colony, and was erected in the spring of 1846. It was located between what is now Cochran's Chapel and Farmer's Branch. No trace of it, so far as I can find, exists to-day. Mrs. Ford, a daughter of Isaac B. Webb, now owns the farm on which it was located. She lives on the corner of McKinney and Bowen Streets, Dallas. The church cost very little money, if any, and was built by the members. No architects were employed, and no ornamental or memorial windows adorned it. It was a plain, substantial log meeting house, and met the requirements for a place to engage in real and sincere worship. That it soon became a community center is evidenced by this entry in the diary : ' The first school in the neighborhood was taught in the meeting house by Thomas Williams from Tennessee. ' This was in the fall of 1846."

The following letter from Isaac B. Webb, dated " Upper Trinity, Texas, May 11, 1845," appeared in the Southwestern Christian Advocate, Nashville, in June of that year:

Brother McFerrin Dear Sir. Believing that a large portion of your numerous readers would be interested in hearing from this new and favored land, I beg leave to submit a few items to them, through your excellent paper, and if this fall under the notice of any of my old friends in Tennessee, and especially of Fruit's Lick class, I would say to them, read this; and then determine whether or not it is your duty and interest to emigrate to this new, but desirable portion of the South-West. This portion of the Republic lies on what is called the forks of Trinity, in latitude 32 degrees North, in what is called Peters' Colony ; a large grant of land made by the government of Texas to Peters and others, for the purpose of settling the public land of the Republic. The company donates three hundred and twenty acres of land to all actual settlers on their grant, who are the heads of families, and one hundred and sixty acres to single men. The land is equal in fertility to any in the West, being of a black, sticky soil, and very deep, with a consistency of about twenty per cent lime. The prairies are large and beautifully undulating and interspersed with . springs, rivulets and fine streams of water, gushing from crystal fountains, and flowing off in bold and living streams, during the year. The timber is somewhat scarce, and chiefly along the water courses, consisting principally of post oak, Spanish oak, ash, chitum, elm, black walnut, and a variety of shrubbery. I have found the country, so far, to be healthy in general. Persons when first settling here, sometimes, have some chills and fevers, but this is generally light, and afterwards they are healthy. The Trinity river is thought to be navigable to the forks ten miles below my residence. We can raise, in this country, good corn, wheat, oats, and all kinds of garden vegetables, and as fine cotton as in any part of the United States. Our crops in the colony are very promising, corn above knee-high, and we are now harvesting our wheat, which is as good as I have seen in any country. We have a class formed here, consisting of eight or ten members, and have circuit preaching every four weeks. There are five appointments within the compass of fifteen miles. Methodism, with its characteristic zeal and untiring perseverence, is pioneering this far west with great success. Let Methodism be stopped and what will be the situation of the frontier settlers ? Literally without a preached gospel for years yet to come. And, Oh, what indescribable anguish it gives us to witness the dark and portentious cloud that hangs over our beloved Zion. We can but give ourselves to prayer, that the God of Israel may direct her destinies. We lift our voices in the Macedonian cry to the local preachers of the States "come over and help us." Here is a wide field for usefulness. Does not duty say, go where you are needed most ? Here many can better their temporal circumstances and be more extensively useful as ministers. Yours, &c.

Isaac B. Webb, the mudsill of Methodism in Dallas County, was a native of Sullivan County, Tennessee, where lie was born June 4, 1802. We have seen that by marriage the Webb, Cochran and Hughes families later became connected, and the first two families were represented in the first little church organized in Dallas County. Several members of the Hughes family later came to this country, and became closely identified with Methodism in many portions of northern Texas. After Jsaac B. Webb moved into Ms own cabin on Farmer's Branch in 1844 he lived continuously in that locality until his death in 1880. What changes lie saw in that time we will return to notice in later chapters.

on Duck Creek in Dallas County. He was a local preacher, and for twenty-five years he ministered in that capacity in that region. In the same year James A. Smith, another local preacher, moved from Mississippi and settled in Dallas County, and for many years he was prominent in church affairs in that county.

Most of the preachers and others who came from the States to Texas were transformed into enthusiastic Texans at once, and became good advertisers for the country. They wrote letters "back home," and many of these letters were published in the Church press and other papers; and the influence these reports had in swelling the stream of immigration to Texas it is impossible to estimate, but it must have been very large. During 1845- 46 the tide of immigration set in to Texas in real earnest. A letter from "Red River" to the editor of the Washington (Texas) National Register (March 21, 1845), says that "not less than 1,000 waggons have crossed Red River into Texas within six weeks." John W. Fields, in a letter to the Southwestern Christian Advocate, remarking about the great inflow of new population, estimates from the best information he could obtain from all sources, that the population of Texas was increasing at the rate of ' * about 500 souls per day. ' ' This, however, was only an example of the disposition to exaggerate which the bigness of Texas seemed to generate in most newcomers. We are informed from an extract from the secular press that German immigrants were coming in by the shiploads, and forming colonies in south and southwest Texas. This increasing German immigration received the attention of our Church at the conference of 1846 in the appointment of a missionary to the Germans in Galveston.

Out of a flood of correspondence from Texas, contained in files of the old Southwestern Christian Advocate, we will present only one other communication, containing reference to another matter which was receiv-

The Year 1845-1846 251

Brother McFerrin, We have good times in Texas. The Lord has been with us at all our quarterly meetings; but more especially our camp meetings. Many have been converted and added to the Church ; but you will hear from the preachers. I will say, if my former letter has not come to hand, we have had a glorious work in the way of temperance. At Caldwell on Monday night, 25th August, we held a temperance meeting. There were in attendance about 75 or 80 persons ; 67 out of that number joined or took the pledge. It is the Washingtonian pledge. On Monday evening, 3 o'clock, September 16th, at our camp meeting, which has been reported to you by the preacher, Eev. Eobert B. "Wells, Washington circuit, out of 225 or 300 persons present, something near 200 took the pledge. On the Franklin circuit our camp meeting closed yesterday morning. We had rather cold times, but few converts. But on Monday evening, 3 o'clock for we devoted Monday evening to that work we had an interesting time on the subject of temperance. There was a speech delivered and the pledge circulated. Out of about 150 persons, something over 90 took the pledge. So you can see we are beginning to do something for our people. I love my old friends in Tennessee and Memphis conference, but, brother, Texas is the country. We have a fine hospitable people; yes, and a people who love their preachers much. Give my respects to the preachers, and tell them that we should like much that the young men would look this way.

The sixth session of the Texas Conference met in Houston January 7, 1846, with Bishop Joshua Soule in charge. 0. Eichardson was again elected secretary. This conference formally ratified the action of the Louisville Convention in declaring for a separate church organization, and all the members declared their adherence to the Southern Church, in accordance with the privileges granted all members of annual conferences in the "Plan of Separation." This action completed the division, so far as the Texas Conference was concerned, and all minutes, records, titles, etc., thereafter bore the name of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Eobert Alexander and Chauncey Richardson were elected delegates to the General Conference, to convene in Petersburg, Va., the following May.

At this session of the Conference Stephen B. Whipple, Thos. B. Wooldridge and Jas. G-. Hardin were admitted on trial. David L. Bell, John S. Williams and Jos. P. Sneed located. In the appointments the three districts Galveston, Eutersville and Washington remained as last year, but C. Richardson was changed from the Rutersville to the Galveston district; M. Yell was changed from Washington to Rutersville district, and Daniel N. V. Sullivan was placed on the Washington district. Robert Alexander was stationed in Galveston. Orceneth Fisher at Houston, and three ' ' stations ' ' appear in the west this year Austin, with H. S. Thrall; San Antonio, John W. DeVilbiss, and Corpus Christi, John Haynie ; but this was done because the missionary treasury was so depleted that missions could not be organized or supported.

Bishop Soule, who was accompanied by his wife, left for New Orleans ; thence he was to make his way up Red Biver toward Marshall, where the East Texas Conference was to assemble. Bishop Soule had not yet formally declared his adherence to the Church, South, but he was soon to do so. He had evidently made up his mind on the matter, and therefore felt thoroughly at home in the Southern conferences.

The first session of the East Texas Conference opened at Marshall on February 4, 1846. The bishop had not arrived at the opening, and Francis Wilson was elected president. Robert Crawford was elected secretary. Bishop Soule arrived on the 6th, and conducted matters to the close. The conference had met under the im- mediate shadow of a great loss, as its most prominent member, Littleton Fowler, had died at his home near (McMahan Chapel on January 29. A more extended notice of Fowler and his death will close this chapter. It seems to have been the custom in those days for the members of conference to wear a badge of mourning during the sessions in memory of deceased brethren, as we find a resolution adopted at this conference "that each preacher of this conference wear the usual badge of mourning during the session of the conference."

Inasmuch as the Delegates from the Southern Conferences, in Convention assembled, in the city of Louisville, in May 1845, found it expedient to organize the Southern Conferences into a separate ecclesiastical jurisdiction, according to the Plan of separation adopted by the General Conference of the M. B. Church, in May 1844, by which every preacher is allowed to attach himself to either division without blame;

Therefore, Resolved, That the roll be now called, and each preacher be required to answer North or South, that we may ascertain the relative position of each member and probationer also, that each preacher be required to state the relative position of the membership where he has travelled during the past year.

The roll being called, all the preachers present, heartily took their position South. Bros. H. D. Palmer, A. J. Fowler, and F. H. Blades, though absent, sent their hearty assent to the South. Bro. Lester Janes, President of the Wesleyan College, sent his request to be transferred to the North, not that he is dissatisfied with the Southern Organization, but because his business requires him at present to remove North.

The question being asked each individual preacher, What is the relative position of the membership? It was found that there were three sisters and two brethren in the bounds of the Conference who were dissatisfied and preferred the North. . . . If there is any further dissatisfaction or murmuring we know it

Whereas, the embarrassed state of our finance has most assuredly made it the duty of this Conference to adopt a rigid and well regulated system of finance. Therefore, Eesolved, That it shall be the duty of each preacher who shall have charge of a circuit or station during the ensuing Conference year, to call a meeting of the Stewards at the earliest possible period, and lay before them his claims, and in case of neglect to do this, he shall have no claims upon the dividend at the next Conference.

Whereas, many of our travelling preachers have been reduced to poverty, and thereby compelled to reduce their work to a local itineracy for want of parsonages ; and believing this to be the time when we should take immediate action on this subject; Therefore,

Eesolved, that each minister or preacher in charge of the respective circuits within the bounds of the Eastern Texas Conference, shall use his influence and best efforts to erect, or cause to be erected (where it is practicable), a good comfortable parsonage during the ensuing Conference year.

At this conference Michael F. Cole, Henry B. Kelsey and Andrew J. Fowler were admitted on trial. Robert Crawford and Henderson D. Palmer took the superannuate relation. Francis Wilson was elected a delegate to the General Conference. 5 A detailed report of the "number in society" throughout the conference is given, extracted from the General Minutes :

5 If more than one delegate was elected there is no account of it in either the scant records of the Conference, or in the General Conference Journal.

Clabksville District

Total membership, white including 48 local preachers 2773 ; colored, 694. Increase over last year, white, 1030; colored, 270. The appointments this year show three districts San Augustine, Geo West, P. E. ; Marshall, S. A. Williams, P. E. ; and Clarksville, Daniel Payne, P. E. ; F. H. Blades was appointed president of Wesley College, and Andrew J. Fowler a professor and Harrison Z. Adams agent for the same institution. " Dallas Mission" appears for the first time in the appointments, with Orin Hatch in charge ; also ' ' Fort Sherman, ' ' afterwards Sherman, with Daniel Shook in charge. Francis Wilson was appointed missionary "to the people of color" within the bounds of the Conference.

nessee, in 1803, the son of Godfrey and Clara Wright Fowler. In 1806 the family removed to Caldwell County, Kentucky, where Littleton grew to manhood. In June, 3-820, he was converted at a camp-meeting held by the Cumberland Presbyterians, and soon thereafter joined the Methodist Episcopal Church. He was admitted on trial into the Kentucky Conference, at Louisville, in 1826, and appointed to the Eed Eiver circuit. A long spell of sickness forced him to return home, and he was not able to take work the following year. In 1828 he was appointed to Bowling Green station. In 1829 he was appointed junior preacher under H. H. Kavanaugh at Louisville station. This church, out of compliment to him, after his appointment to Texas, donated their old church bell to Be installed in the church at San Augustine. Fowler filled various appointments in Kentucky until 1832, when he was transferred to the Tennessee Conference and stationed at Tuscumbia, Ala. He subsequently was appointed financial agent of LaGrange College, Tuscumbia, Eobert Paine, afterwards elected bishop, being president. In this capacity Fowler served until his appointment as a missionary to Texas in 1837. His life and work in Texas are recorded in previous chapters of this history.

Two brothers had preceded Mr. Fowler to Texas, who became well known in the political affairs of the Republic. These were Col. John H. Fowler, who represented Eed Eiver and Lamar counties in the upper house of the Texas Congress in the winter of 1838, and Judge A. J. Fowler, who represented Lamar County in the lower house in 1841-42.

We have before noted that Littleton Fowler was married in June, 1838, to Mrs. Missouri M. Porter. Mrs. Porter was the widow of a merchant who came to Nacogdoches in 1835. Fowler was survived by his wife and two children Mary Pitt and Littleton M. The daughter became the wife of Prof. G. M. L. Smith, who conducted a school for many years in Nacogdoches County, and a son of this marriage was Ellis Smith, who became a prominent member of the East Texas Conference. Littleton M. Fowler was educated at old McKenzie College and entered the East Texas Conference in 1876. Littleton Fowler's widow later married Eev. John 0. Woolam, of the East Texas Conference. She lived to be eighty-four years of age, dying in 1891.

Littleton Fowler, after his marriage, though he continued to serve regular appointments until his death, settled on a farm twelve miles east of San Augustine, and one mile from the McMahan Church, the oldest permanent Methodist society in Texas. Here in 1838 Mr. Fowler was instrumental in the erection of the first "MeMahan Chapel," which has been displaced by two other buildings successively on the same spot. At his home here on January 29, 1846, at the age of only fortythree, Fowler died a triumphant death. His funeral services were conducted, by previous request, by Samuel A. Williams, and the funeral discourse was from a text also of Fowler's choosing "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. ' ' His remains were buried under the pulpit of the old McMahan Chapel, and in the present building, which stands on the same spot, the pulpit covers the grave, and his monument lifts itself into the pulpit, a conspicuous and perpetual reminder of the life and labors of one of the founders of Methodism in Texas.

Mr. Fowler was described as of striking personal appearance, above the ordinary height, of natural and easy manner, free from austerity and frigidness, and one who was at home in all social circles. His early education was very limited, but he possessed unusual intellectual powers, and being a great reader and student all his life, his manner and his preaching created the impression of culture and education. He reasoned accurately and logically, and addressed much of his sermon to the judgment. In the pulpit he would begin in the mildest man- ner, and continue as if in conversation, or as if demonstrating a problem in mathematics; then warming with his subject his eye would kindle, his voice would be lifted, and his closing appeals were always earnest and winning. The impression which Fowler left upon our early history was out of all proportion to the brief span of his life in Texas. He wielded a great personal influence especially upon young men in drawing them into the ministry. Henderson D. Palmer and Daniel Carl were two conspicuous examples of Fowler's influence. The latter surrendered to a call to the ministry while in a private prayer-meeting which Fowler held with him in William Kesee's corn crib in Washington County, on a rainy day in the winter of 1837-38. Fowler's untimely end brought great sorrow to his brethren in the ministry, and cast a gloom over Texas, for he was known in circles beyond the bounds of his own Church.

Chapter Xvii The Year 1846

THE year 1846 was notable on account of several epochal events. One of these was the organization of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Another was the completing of annexation of Texas to the United States, and following annexation in the same year occurred the War with Mexico, which settled the western boundary line of Texas, and established peace along that border. Besides these matters of general interest, the year witnessed many developments of local interest. It was in 1846, as we have seen, that the organization of the first Methodist Church in San Antonio occurred, and it was the year of the building of the first church in " Peter's Colony," as well as the year in which Dallas first appears in the appointments. It was in 1846 that beginnings were made in Corpus Christi, and this point on the southwest, and Dallas and "Fort Sherman" on the northwest are this year the points of our farthest advance westward. In 1846 a society was organized in Collin County by Rev. John Culwell, at the house of A. J. Culwell. 1 This was the year also when Methodism was first premanently established in Austin.

Concerning this last event we need to remember that Methodism in the capital and everything else there was bound up largely with the fortunes of the national government. In 1839, when the government was first moved to Austin, the young city enjoyed a considerable boom, and Methodist preaching was more or less regularly kept up there from that time until 1842, first by John Haynie, and then by Josiah Whipple. But 1842 was a disheartening year at the capital. In March the Mexicans came up and took San Antonio, and they appeared there again in the fall. The Indians continued to protest against the location of the capital in their territory by killing citizens caught off the reservation. President Lamar had had much labor and money expended on the erection of a stockade surrounding the capitol, but, according to a sarcastic local editor, this " would keep out pigs, but it would not turn Mexicans or Indians. ' ' President Houston called his congress to meet capital, and most of the population followed. The number of inhabitants dwindled to less than one hundred; the streets grew up in weeds, and general dilapidation set in. The few citizens who remained were determined to retain the governmental effects, and they prevented, at one time by force of arms, the removal of the national archives, and when a more peaceful state of the country prevailed the government again took up quarters in Austin. In 1846 H. S. Thrall was appointed to Austin. He says he found no church organization of any kind. He organized a prayer-meeting and Sunday school, using the capitol for his services. He had no missionary appropriation and no stewards, and in order to pay expenses he opened a school. Following the return of government and the opening of the legislative body he says he found it difficult to find lodgings, and that he slept for weeks on the floor of a lawyer's office, obtaining his meals at different boarding houses in the city. For such a hard lot he was compensated in some degree by having the governor, senators, legislators and judges for his auditors when he preached at the capitol plenty of honors, but little to eat or wear. " Preached this morning," is an entry he makes for April 26, 1847, "saw in my congregation Gov. Henderson, Gen. Burleson, Ex- Pres. Lamar, Gov. Eunnels, Judge Hemphill, E. M. Pease, and a majority of the members of the Senate and House." To advance a little into the next year, Thrall was returned in 1847. At a quarterly conference, held April 17, 1847, it was determined to build a church. Thrall says that he was that year not only preacher, but teacher, building committee, collector, pay-master and general manager of the building. Wanting funds on one occasion to pay for labor on his church he went down on Congress Avenue and entered the " grocery " of Tom Collins. The crowd gave him a hurrah, and wanted to know his business. He told them his troubles, whereupon they made up the money instantly and sent him away happy. The church was completed that year.

The annals of early Methodism in Austin would not be complete without a word concerning William Stuart Hotchkiss, a Methodist layman of the highest type and of the greatest usefulness. He came from Tennessee and settled in Austin in 1839, before the first sale of lots. He was a member of the first Methodist Church organized there, and through the succeeding fifty years of his life he died in 1889 he served in various capacities as steward, class-leader, Sunday school superintendent and exhorter. By a second marriage he became the father of three Methodist preachers, well known in our later history.

Methodism in Houston, under the pastorate of Orceneth Fisher, came to the front in 1846 more rapidly than had been the case any year before. Mr. Fisher's first task was to clear the new brick church of debt. To accomplish this he made a tour in the States and raised most of the money. He then devoted himself to bringing about the long needed revival in Houston, and this he also accomplished that year beyond all expectations. A correspondent, reporting the meeting in the Southwestern Christian Advocate, says : ' * The Lord is doing a good work for us in our city. We have had a protracted meeting in our church for the last twenty days, and it is now in progress. There are some conversions daily, and the good work seems to be going on. Fortyfour whites and thirty or forty blacks have joined since the meeting commenced, but a larger number have been converted. Some have joined other churches. I believe that I never have seen a greater excitement in religion. In every group of men, from the church to the grog shop, their conversation is on religious subjects."

John Haynie at Corpus Christi had a "station" unlike any other in the country. The population of this place consisted largely of United States soldiers and camp followers, a situation the explanation of which we shall find in the annexation of Texas to the American Union. Texas, peopled as it was largely by citizens of 'the United States, and weak and exposed to enemies which endangered her existence, from the start sought .annexation. But her big neighbor regarded her first overtures with indifference, and granted her only a grudging recognition of her independence. Houston, the first president, then had the offer withdrawn. Lamar, the second president, was opposed to annexation, and in Texas the subject lay quiescent for a few years; but it came to be discussed more and more in the United States. A strong party in the American republic opposed the absorption of Texas, as it held out a prospect of war with Mexico, and a large section of the North was averse to the proposition, as it meant the addition of more slave territory to the Union. The Texas annexation question came to a decisive issue in the presidential campaign of 1844, when "Polk and Texas" won a decisive victory over "Clay and no Texas." Mexico, as well as France and England, used every effort to prevent the consummation of the union; but the voice of the people of the United States and the people of Texas expressed also in a popular election agreed on the matter, and arrange- ments were soon concluded putting the popular will into effect. On February 19, 1846, both the laws and postal service of the United States were extended over Texas, and on that date " President" Anson Jones turned over the affairs of the Eepublic of Texas to J. Pinckney Henderson, the first governor of the new state. Mexico had never acknowledged the independenc of Texas, and had not relinquished its claim to the country, and the Mexican government had notified the United States that it would regard the annexation of Texas as equivalent to a declaration of war. The movement of events, and all the causes, leading up to war with Mexico, are matters to be found in Texas and United States histories. In the winter and spring of 1845-46 an American army under General Zachary Taylor occupied a camp near Corpus Christi, which brought that hitherto insignificant point suddenly into prominence, and explains the sending of a preacher there by the Texas Conference.

As portraying conditions there during Haynie's stay we can do no better than to take Haynie's own account, which is given in a letter to the Southwestern Christian, Advocate, under date of February 15, 1846 :

Bro. John B. McFerrin, You will see from the minutes of the Texas Conference West, I was appointed to this place as missionary this year. I reached here on the 4th inst. I may say to you that Corpus Christi is situated on the Gulf of Mexico, in latitude 27.36 north, and west of the Nueces, some 75 or 100 miles out of what is called settlements; this being one of the depopulated counties. There is no law here ; as the courts have not been organized as yet, and I must say, for a place where there is no law that can be brought to bear on crime, it is not as bad as I expected to find it. True, a few fellows get knocked down once and awhile, or shot or cut with a knife; but it is generally an unruly, drunken fellow, and there it ends, until he gets sober and knocks down some other drunken man, and so on to the end of the chapter. As it was when there was no king in Israel, every man walks in Ms own way or in the way of somebody else. Well, I may tell you how I reached here (as my family is 200 miles from this;) when I reached old Laborde, famous for the struggle of Col. Fannin and his brave comrades, Capt. John T. Price, of the Rangers, politely furnished me an escort through. As to population I suppose soldiers and citizens, there must be somewhere between 5 and 7000 souls; and as to the character, of every hue ; the object of the citizens would seem to be to make money, and they seem to be of almost all nations ; some in houses, and some in cloth camps or cloth houses ; there are said to be some 50 groceries, two Theatres, and I am told some 500 gamblers here. In fact it is the world in miniature, and must be seen to know anything about it satisfactorily. As a place to dispose of Mexican horses and mules, it beats anything I ever expected to see; horses sold from $2 to $20, and mules from $6 to $20, and no man that never saw a Mexican roping a wild horse can form any idea of their dexterity in roping them. The Union Theatre was obtained for me to preach in, and on the Sabbath, the 8th, I preached my first sermon, to a very attractive and well behaved congregation. After preaching, I explained the object of my mission, and that if a house could be obtained, I should like to preach twice on Sabbath and on Thursday night; when Major Brion, the manager of the Theatre, politely stepped forward and offered the use of the Theatre, when not otherwise occupied, which I as politely accepted, as no other house could be obtained, and notified the congregation that they might expect preaching there every Sabbath unless otherwise advised. So you see I have attacked the enemy on his own ground ; what will be the result, God only knows. All things considered I think I have been as well received as I expected; several gentlemen have expressed themselves willing and anxious for my support. Owing to the scarcity of house room, I found some trouble to obtain a place to board and sleep in. Maj. Mann for the time furnished me with a berth in his counting room, which is as good a place as I have found as yet. I have obtained board at $4 a week, so that all my expenses put together will be some $5 a week. I have at least the honor of raising the standard of the cross at this outpost of our zion. . . . What Corpus Christi will be when the army leaves (which I am told will be in a few weeks) I cannot say, as the population seems to be mostly a floating one ; and should they all leave of

The Year 1846 265

The movement during the following month of Gen. Taylor's army toward the Bio Grande had the effect of almost depopulating Corpus Christi, and soon thereafter Haynie returned to his family at Butersville.

The first General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, held at Petersburg, Va., in May, 1846, need not detain us long, as its work was chiefly that of organizing and setting in motion general Church interests. Bishop Soule declared his adherence to the Church, South, and he and Bishop Andrew, William Capers and Eobert Paine, the latter two elected at this conference, made up our first College of Bishops. There was no break or necessary readjustments in Church machinery except in minor matters and in terminology, referring to the Church name. A new missionary society, with E. W. Sehon as secretary, assumed supervision of all missionary interests, and separate publishing interests were instituted. The following action was taken, constituting an important relief measure for the preachers in Texas :

The Committee on Missions respectfully report, that it appears to be necessary for this General Conference to authorize the payment of some money from the Missionary funds, forthwith, for the relief of the most needy of the preachers of the Texas Conferences, no appropriations having been made at the last sessions of these Conferences. Your committee therefore recommend that you adopt the following resolution :

Resolved, That the Missionary Board be requested, and are hereby requested, to appropriate one thousand dollars to each of the Conferences in Texas, for the present relief of the preachers of said Conferences, and forward the same as early as practicable.

passing of Texas Methodism under the jurisdiction of the new Methodist Episcopal Church, South, we close the first section of this history. But before passing from the " Republic" period it is in order to introduce a few of our miscellaneous collection of old letters and records which will help to fill up the picture of the times through which we have been passing.

Times are much as they were when you left, with the exception of the invading war spirit which has in a measure subsided, owing principally to the course pursued by our worthy President ! ! 2 I suppose you have seen Ms celebrated veto message, which taken with his message to the extra session and several other state documents of Ms, is the most foolish and inconsistent thing imaginable. Popular opinion run strongly against him at the time, but has now settled down to a tacit acquiescence, leaving the responsibility on him.

A circular is going the round purporting to be from the citizen soldiers of San Antonio, which states that on last monday week a party of Mexicans appeared in town they were immediately fired on by the Texians who imagined it to be a small robbing party thought to repel them, in this they were mistaken, for it proved to be the advance of an invading army under the command of Gen Don Adrien Woll, finding this to be the case they were compelled to surrender prisoners of war, the number being fifty-three. Gen Woll is represented to be quite a Gentleman allowing them to write this circular to apprise us of their capture and likewise to request of the Texians to treat well any prisoners they might make, as they were "treated well," this is signed by a dozen names among which is Judge HutcMnson, who was holding court, and whose situation was soon changed from a Judge to a prisoner. There is no doubt but that the Mexicans are there but in what force is not known, it is the prevailing opinion here that Mexico is not able to send an invading army and this is to believed to be a marauding party

The Year 1846 267

A letter from Baltimore, written in instalments from Oct. 28 to Nov. 10, 1844, advising a family in Texas of the progress and results of the presidential campaign, reached Washington, Texas, Jan. 20, 1845. Under date of Nov. 3 :

Tomorrow is the election of President and Vice President of these United States, the excitement is high all sorts of sentiments and emblems are resorted to by Both parties the Democratic show on thare (emblems) and go for it strong Texas and Origin our southern and north-western boundary line.

The election excitement has not subsided although the President is made yet excitement now is to get the results together Pensylvania has gone for Polk Va has Do we are all on the qui vive for the returns from N Y which will decide the contest the Whigs are low spirited they are the opposition to annexation

The contest is over, and James K Polk is Elected President of this great Republic. . . . Never was thare so dangerous set of people in the world as the partie denominated the Whig partie I must confess Honestly that my opinion is that the foreigner Holds the balance of power but why have they not got them as well as the Democrat

A farm boy from Burleson County tries "city life" in Houston and G-alveston during the winter of 1844r- 45, and there follow a few sketches from his letters home: teen days from home. My "Pilgrimage" to Houston was a long and tiresome one, it would be too tedious to enumerate the many times we stuck in the mud, and were compelled to unload suffice it to say we arrived safe and sound on the twelfth day sold my cotton for 3% cts per pound and at % past 9 on the evening of the next day embarked for this place.

Business is dull at present, lumber is scarce and the place overstocked with Dutch carpenters, no less than three brigs now lying in port from Bremen . . . board and lodging is four dols per week . . . my lodgings command a view of four churches and the principal part of town. . . . Tomorrow is Sunday I will try and write you an account of the way I spent it, so for the present good night.

Monday 27th Yesterday morning the bell of the catholic church rung for Mass before I was out of bed, and by the time I dressed breakfast was waiting, so this much of the day passed off unimproved. After breakfast I went to the Methodist church in which Sunday school is held here the days of yore came up strong in my remembrance and my feelings were such as I cannot describe after school Mr. Huckins a baptist minister preached Text "Is there no balm in Gilead" &c Judge Longstreet concluded the services by prayer. ... At four Oclock we repaired to the presbyterian bible class held in their church and here let me express my satisfaction at the society here Galveston is not so aristocratic as Houston those in attendance on the bible class were the young ladies and gentlemen (apparently) of the first class in the city, and I was much pleased with them, from here we returned home and after Tea repaired again to the Methodist church and heard a sermon by Judge Longstreet Text "And they all with one consent began to make excuse." The singing carried my mind back to the days of the "old frog eyes" (illegible) the same tunes were sung here tunes that I had forgotten.

Tuesday 28th The brig "Rodney" from New York has just come to anchor outside the wharf, and the steam ship "McKim" from New Orleans having on board Col- Navarro, who has made his escape from Mexico. The military are making preparations to receive him in a suitable manner. . . . Tell Gregg I forgot in my letter to him, to mention what I got for my cotton. You can inform him, there was 450 Ibs and I sold it for 3 dols 5 bits per hundred and I could not have got so much for it but I got it off with a lot of hides, the amount received by me for the cotton was 16.31 cts

Galveston, Feb. 23, 1845 Upon my first coming here times looked quite gloomy nothing to do and expenses heavy, the first week I spent in walking through town, but finding it fatiguing and unprofitable I had almost made up my mind to go to Corpus Christi when I fell into a small job of 8 or 9 days at two dols per day, before concluding this I was engaged again at the same price and have been employed ever since and expect to be for some time to come. ... I find City life agrees with me very well, and should things work round to suit I may settle permanently here.

March 2d This is the anniversary of Texian independence and in honor of the occasion the flags of the shipping are flying, and three salutes were to have been fired, the first I did not hear, being sound asleep (for I sit up late on Saturday nights) the second at twelve, jarred the church in which bro Williams was preaching and unfortunately the vent of one of the guns not being properly stopt one of the persons engaged had an arm blown off the next will be fired to night the Galveston Guards are to parade this afternoon As to day is Sunday to morrow is to be the great day, the occasion will be celebrated by the Sunday schools a eolation will be served in the Methodist Church, and Oration &c

Houston, Dec. 8, 1845 There is one thing that makes against me so much rain and as my work is principally out of doors if it continues I will have to lose a great deal of time which will go very much again the grain the city now is more like a pig stye now than any thing else mud from shoe mouth to half leg deep and if it continues to rain much longer it will be utterly impassable Wm King wrote up in his letter that goods was remarkable cheap but it is all a mistake goods groceries and in fact every thing except coffee is very high Flour is selling at $12 per Barrell and coffee 12cts per pound every thing according . . . now I think of it I sent up that bottle of ink by Alvin and before this reaches you he will have gotten home . . . the first good chance I get after I get some money I will

An extract or two from replies to the above letters may Ibe added. Among other items may be mentioned a strong protest against a charge of $2 postage made by the postmaster at Oaldwell on a bundle of papers sent up from Gralveston. The writer in this case is Isaac S. Addison, father of the young man writing from Galveston :

I laid the floor and hung the doors of the meeting house since the time you left here. Robert Scott brought some plank to make a pulpit to day; so soon therefore as possible, I shall begin to work on it. I am charged by your mother to write to you to get you to buy her two lids for the oven and two for the scillet and to try and get them conveyed here before camp meeting, for her old lids are worn out. ... I have right smart of work engaged here; but when it will be done I cannot tell. I am tired of working and never getting one red cent, no not so much as $1.27 to pay my taxes, my land was sold for this trifle; Niebling had 23,000 acres sold, Lewis's with them; the reason mine and his was sold we did not know the time (illegible) he has redeemed his and mine by paying one dollar on mine and one on his ; I stand pledged to pay him again $2.27 in money, and where I am to get it I know not; nor is this the worst, one quarter has gone, and the second far advanced, and I have not been able to give our Minister any quarterage.

The following letter from "home" is by a younger brother, and contains some observations about the campmeeting at Waugh Camp-Ground which an older head would have overlooked or ignored:

July 8, 1846 We received your letters on yesterday, the day that our camp meeting broke up, and as you desired to hear how we got along I will give you a short sketch of it. It commenced on last Thursday the 2d with very dull prospects, the incessant rains had filled all the streams so that but very few could get there. ... On Thursday night all the preachers that we had was Bro Sullivan & Bro Bragg the meeting commenced with poor prospects on Friday night Brothers Sneed Harden (who was below the Yegua) Cyrus Campbell an Exhorter Bro Belvin a young Preacher arrived on the ground which constituted all our force, a very weak one you must confess to fight the friends of Satan, But notwithstanding the work commenced and but for Bro Sulivan might have went on with power But from some cause or other, he became a great enemy to excitement, he did not like to see people getting religion under an excitement, he wanted them to come coolly and deliberately there was several very warm sermons preached and Exhortations delivered but Old Dan would throw water on it all It continued this way (with but one conversion) till Monday night when Bro Sneed Preached a very .warm feeling sermon and set down. Bro S getting up immediately after he read out a long Hymn and after exhorting a few moments told all those that had made up their minds to get religion to come forward without any excitement of any kind, as he did not like to see people scared into religion. Now just come along without any persuasion or any calling to the Brethren, said sing that good old song "Come ye Sinners poor and needy" perhaps some will come that was just taking it out of the Presiding Elders Hand and the Brethren being nothing loth went to work with a will that soon filled the come Bro Dan got down in the Alter and read off his long Hymn again a half stanza at a time and commented on it as he went along without any singing however when he got down and prayed a long prayer and kept on that way until they just took it out work commenced and before the meeting broke up (which it did at 15 minutes before three) there was eight professed to obtain the pearl of great price

Another letter from a member of the same family, written to the father, who had gone to Houston in the fall to seek work, is of interest in that it informs us of the sort of texts used by the preachers in those days, and contains the first reference we have seen to the " second blessing," or the experience of perfect love. The meeting referred to was a quarterly meeting :