The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-03-30

"A Duryea, read a paper on THE
Old Pittston Circuit" of which
the following is part:
The pioneers OF Methodsn have ever been her
local preachers. The first preaching in the Wyo.
ming Valley and surrounding territory done
10y ono Aiming owen blacksmith and a local
preacher His nrst recorded preaching was in
17Ss, aud three ycars later the first Methodist
class vas formed by Colonel John Butler. Later
I Aiming Owen visited some Of the societies In the
east and was there licensed 70 preach. Tor
three .cdts he was the only Methodist preacher
in the ,dllc". Later he became a travelling
preacher, lahorCd with great zeal and died al the
age OF IS wears Tho first ordained Methodist
preacher sent among the people OF this valley
was ono Nathaniel ". Bills lie came from the
Hudson valley and was the nrst Methodist itin.
Grant preached 10 enter the Wyoming Valley
From that time until the time tn write
about thi, territory called the Wyoming cir.
cult
Prosecutions haIdships aud toll were the lot
NJ the carly itncrant ot those days In li9s
there were only six preachers for the three cir.
cuts. which covered about the same amount
ot TERRITORY now comprises Wyoming confer
cnyc. Jo,hu gltcnan was the preacher in
charge oi Seneca Sircuit John Leach and David
\ iuuhdm were in charge Of Tiorl circuit and
James Moore, David stevens and Benjamin Bid.
lack were on the Wyoming circuit Benjamin
Bdlacl. Wa, q noted hero N the Revolutionary
var he died in 1873. The first writing in this
old circuit record gives rs these facts:
A,it'stou circuit, divided in ls3s-io embraced
ne Territory lying III Lackawanna Valley,
rlain.,Illc, adjoining Wlkcs.Birre station
PC south and tlrbondalc station the
Bad mountain on the west and the east
b', mountain on the east embracing the
ng appointments:
lv, now Pcckyillc. Providence, Harrison,
r1uton; German street rtt.ton; Marcy's,
ms school house, Thompsons school
rllin,vc.
sketch begins with Oneida conference,
hanna district Pttston circuit First
lv meeting and conference held at Blake.
which where the village OF Oily.
now stands, Oct. 0, ISL David Holmes,
ding elder; Thomas Wilcox, preacher in
Igc; Henry pibcam, associate; Alanson
Id and William sillsby local preachers; Ezra
wtou and George rrice, cxhorters; William
kmau and Joan Sillsby. stewards.
he recording secretary was authorized TO
nd the sum OF S2l2 for record book, bet
ter book can uc bought tor - cents at the pres
ent time.
The sabbath schools were always suspended
during the winter and it was not always easy
to resuncct them when spring came. At this
second quarterly conference Brother Wilcox rc.
poIts credit saary OF - for washing. The
,l4,, at BlKciy gets credit salary Of SI.25
Tor pair OF boots for II. Pilbolm,
settlement was made Qsi2) with the preachers
what they had received before each received
.i2n, in addition to which William Skman
pledged to raise for each - more and gave them
= ccrtincItc tor Sl1.7l as balance due from
Pitt,tun circuit Tho preachers, for travelling
| circuit is large and larger than the present
| Mtonhng district, received each the sum of 500.
Inc first quarterly conference OF the next year
0NiD was held at Lackawanna on -ov. 20. vii.
! Ham Rounds was the preacher in charge. His
table and Ucl expenses were estimated at Sl21.l7.
The resolution oi the last quarterly conference
relative to the division of the district and
changing the name oi the circuit to LaCklwannl
D. adopted hy the annual conference held at
ilkc,.Blrrc on Aug. q, 1873. The name OF the
strict l. Wyoming: Silas Comfort first prcsd
Z elder. The district embraces the following
cults and stations: WilkesBarre, Wyoming
hover Northumberland, Mehoopiny, SINNERS
ly, Coyiugton, runkhannock, Springvillc Alb
lton, Llckawlnna. Carbondalc, Canaan. Salem.
tl;awIXru, Ilonc>ddlc, Bethany and Beech
nd.
he Ilchawarnl circuit at this time had the
lowing preaching places: Blakcly, German
Get, Providence, Harrison. Tedricks, LdCka.
nna, Marcy school house. Pittston Ferry,
mp,ou', scnoo house, PlanSville.
~ the nlst quarterly conference OF 1873 held
the Plains, Sdn Comfort, presiding elder;
Ipiuctus owen, preacher in charge; the salary
the preacher fixed at 500. Moving eX
,cnsc,, So table expenses, S6j travel 81; a
deficiency at the close OF the year about equal
10 what he had received
This year Osji), ,Ac first in the Brick church,
the preacher is oycrpad to the amount OF 81. 80.
ihis has happened few times since. At the
Fourth quarterly conference ot the year it was
Voted to ask conference to set Pittston apart
ts station, and this was afterwards granted.
PMS charge was then To embrace the following
preaching places: The Brick church, Taylor.
vile, Hyde Park and all territory lying between
these points
About this time Us40 there must have been
some trouble with some incorporate ones in the
church ior the following resolution VA, passed:
Resolved, That the members of this quarterly
meeting conference upon all hitting occasions
impress upon the members OF the same that the
taking, buying, selling or using ardent spirits
Is a test OF membership.
Brother Smith received SiJ1 Or his years la.
hor This was The largest amount any preacher
had received mp Ia hi, time
The presiding elder ,hj, year G>iD received
for his service, as iollpws: Cash. Sj.5S; Sli.2a in
trade at the store a, Harrison, onc.half ton of
hay, 50; two bushels OF apples, % cents.
Mr. L. d. Soper. the college socre-
taIy of the Pennsylvania Young Mems
christian association stata committee,
1vho is in town as the guest Of Nh q
r, Bower, will speak at the sur
day afternoon meeting of the Young
Mems Christian association, in their
rooms i'm the Guernsey building. Mr.
Soper is the son of a prominent pio-
neer missionary to Japan; he was rorn
In Japan, and talks Japanese uiir 4
7natlVe, He is very popular with the
school and college men of The state
among whom, as successor TO thn ,.te
Hugh Beaver, he has been doing OIL
cial work fOr the state committee.
The meeting will b. held at }.i5 ana
is open to all men,
The Drummer Evangelist" Rev, w.
Fl, Williams, held iou Anti-Saloon
league meetings this week at Latin.
Anderson, Wanamie and Chinchilla He
went to Harrisburg yesterday in the
interest of the work of the league and
will return To speak in the city sun
day, March 81. 1880 a. M, African
Methodist church; 7.30 p m, Green
sidge Baptist church Subject Mt both
meetings will b. "Thc Last Romp with
the Tiger"
Miss Elizabeth Wilson, city secretary
under the American committee Of the
Young Women's Christian associati ion,
bs the guest of our local association.
on Sunday afternoon at 3.45 o'clock
she Will conduct the gospel service in
the central rooms. All women and girls
hre urged to come 20 this service
U'ueSQaV pNpniOu Shp will Ia at tha