The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-05-26
Hartford County MOrmons,

Hartford County MOrmons,
After a lapse of thirty years, Har-
ford county has a return of Mormon
ism, and number of its citizens are
not q little exercised at its reappear-
ance. 1t is, thought that the ideas OF
that creed have been working in that
section of the community for several
years, but the first public meeting
since the revival OF the doctrine took
place Sunday three weeks ago. The
second public meeting was held on
May 8. Both these meetings were
held at the house of Joseph Eckert,
shoemaker and farmer, residing
near the Rocks of Deer Creek, on the
southeast side of the Rocks. Sunday
there was no meeting, but the sub
iect was the topic of general CONVEX
sation all over that region. The sect
is known as the United Brethren of
the Latter Day Saints. AT the last
meeting, between go and 100 persons
were present, the males outnumber-
ing the females 8 or to 1.
The meeting was organized by
Joshua Fowler, farmer, residing in
the immediate neighborhood on a
farm of about 80 acres belonging to
his mother. He is said to be an intel
ligent man, though not we'll educated.
File was raised in Philadelphia, and
came to Hartford county eight or nine
years ago. His mother at that time
was housekeeper for the late E. STAN
ley Rogers, at Rocks of Deer Greek.
He married a Miss Matthews, of
Fawn Grove, York county. Pa, a
daughter of DR.. Matthews, who form
erly lived in Hartford county and
was Mormon preacher. This DIR.
Matthews kept store at Deer Park,
fifth district Hartford county. He
preached the Mormon doctrine in
Hartford until he became unpopular
and ruined his business. He then
moved out West with his family.
Fowler by marrying this daughter of
DIR. Matthews is said to have become
charged with Matthew's Mormon no.
tons. Fowler is about % years of
age, slim, and sandy haired. He is
plain in dress, fair in manners, of
good address, and if he had education
would be good speaker. In open
ing the meeting he did not state its
object. He said that he ought to be
at home as his wife was sick. but AL
mighty God had relieved him of the
charge and sent his wife's sister down
to take care of her while he came to
the meeting. Those present, he said,
were not like the MormOns of Utah,
but were opposed to polygamy. He
belonged, he SAID, to the original
Mormon Church, not to Brigham
Young's part of it, and was a follow
er of Smith, He introduced his
brother-in-laW, Monteville O. Mat
thews. of New Park. York county,
Pa, as the regular Mormon preacher.
Matthews lives near Fawn Grove,
Pa, near the Maryland line, is a
clock member by trade, and is about
forty years OF age. Though he has
little education, he has fOrcible way
of speaking. Matthews prayed be-
fore he commenced his sermon. He
preached the divine institution of the
Mormon Church of the prophet JO-
seph Smith, but repudiated the
church of Utah, which he held had
departed from the true faith in en-
grating polygamy upon the original
Mormon doctrine. In fact, the Har-
ford county Mormons appear to be
small fragment of a body which is
quite numerous in Iowa and Illinois.
A good deal of suspicion is, however,
entertained of the movement lest it
may cloak polygamIst tendencies,
such as is declared were manifested
thirty years ago.-BdLto. San.