The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1865-11-24
Che a'antotk Ssffrrsonian
CIRCULATION DOUBLE THAT OF ANY
OTHER PAPER IN THE COUNTY.
History of the NJ. u. Church.

HISTORY OF tue VI. ". thufCh.
Philip Embury formed the first
Methodist Society ia America, in
1866 his first congregation consist.
ed of four persons besides himself,
and were gathered in his own house
by Mrs. Barbara Hick, "an elect
Methodist "lady" from Ireland
Preachers were sent over by Wesley,
and the denomination soon extended
to Philadelphia, to Baltimore, to Nor.
folk. 1t held its first Conference in
117S, and its first General Conference
organizing it rs "thc Methodist
Episcopal Church in the United
States Of America } in 1854. What
bave been the results ?
Embury's little congregation OF
five persons has multiplied to thou.
sands of Societies, from the northern.
most settlements of Canada to the
Gulf OF Mexico, from Nova Scotia
to California. The first small con-
ference of 177S, with its 10 preachers
and its |, ,1G0 reported members, has
multiplied to GO conferences, G,S2l
itinerant, S,20j local preachers, 02S,-
$40 members in the Methodist Epis
copal Church alone, exclusive OF the
Southern, the Canadian and minor
branches, all the offspring Of the
Church founded in l76G, and cpisco
pally organized in 17S4.
1t has property in churches and
parsonages amounting to about s27,
100000.
1t has % colleges and theological
schools, with property amounting tt
SS,055, 900 l5S instructors, and s..
S45 students and II academies, with
556 instructors and IT.7Gl students
making q body of IA instructors
and an army of 23,10S students.
Its church property, (churches
parsonages, and colleges, aside from
its II academies and Book Concern,
amounts TO SS0,054,OO0.
Its Book Concern has n capital oI
$685., 900; 500 publishing agents, ed
itors, clerks and operatives with
some thirty cylinder power presses
in constant operation, about 1000
different books on its catalogue, be.
sides tracts, etc; If official periodi-
Gals, with an aggregate cil lculation
of more than 100000 copies per
month
Its Sunday School Union com
priscs 13, 400 schools, more than 100,
600 instructors, nearly 9ls,000 pupils,
and more than 2,500,OO0 library
books. 1t issues nearly $500 pub.
locations, besides monthly circula.
tion of nearly 100000 numbers of its
periodicals.
Its Missionary Society has 1,059
circuits and stations, lbs paid Ia
borers, and 105,675 communicates.
The Methodist Episcopal Church
South has published no statistics
since the rebellion broke out; it has
doubtless suffered much by the war;
but it reported, the last year before
the rebellion, nearly 10000 church
members, nearly 1900 itincrant and
5000 local members. 1t had II pc.
riodical publications, II colleges and
Z? academies, with 5000 Students
Its Missionary Society sustained, al
home and abroad, about $50 mis-
sionaries, and s manual labor schools.
with nearly 500 pupils.
According to these figures the tive
great Episcopal divisions of the de
nomination have had, at their latcs
reports, 1,G2S, $40 members; 0i2l
travelling and l3,205 local preachers
with 10l colleges and academies, ap(
81, LOG students.
Aggregately there are now in tn
United States and Canada, as the re
suits of the Methodism of l7GG
1,012,770 church members, 1865
travelling preachers, $1,000 loca
preachers, nearly 200 colleges an
academies, and more than 50 period
ical publications; 1856, ,l20 commun
cants, in Guiding preachers, IN
nearly 5000, 900 people.