Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1903-12-31
and game and fresh fish could be had
for the hunting.
Deficiency in Salary.

Deficiency in Salary.
The salary promised me was $500
OF this the board of home missions
gave for the first year $3.50, and Of
the remainder Kirkville paid one-thirt
and Ottumwa two-thirds This was
paid in full the first year, and almost
IN full the second year, but for sever
al succeeding years there was consid
cradle deficiency. After the disas
trous financial failures of 1857 wher
half the bank bills in circulation be
came worthless, when immigration
mad almost ceased, and when two sea
sons OF crop failure had occurred, il
was impossible for our handful of PEG
pie to do much towards the pastors
support. In 1857 their entire contri
buttons including minister's salary
was $225, and next year $500. But
they did what they could and their
welcome and cooperation were SC
cordial as to dispel all feelings of dis.
couragement.
Dependent on Missionary Field.
Il was wholly dependent on the
missionary field for support. MY faith.
err a well-to-do Ohio farmer. died when
! was a boy of Is. MY share in his es-
tate, together with over $1,000 which
l mad earned as teacher, had been ex-
pended in my collegiate and theolog-
zeal course; so that when licensed at
the age of rs years l was not SIS from
square with the world When start
ing from Greenfield, Ohio, for Ottum-
wa. borrowed from an old neighbor
OF my father. $500. This was repaid
several years later in full by my moth
er and my brothers. Out of this loan
| paid travelling expenses and for
things needful for our first housekeep-
ing, and s120 for a good saddle horse
for my itinerating work.
Struggles for Existence.
The demands Of hospitality were
from the founding of our home yery
Observation-Disclosures which nv eff
flcient helpmeet always met cheerful
~ and satisfactorily. In the summer
OF 1901 was Frustrated by sun stroke
which disabled me for three months
ana which kept me under the weather.
Tor two years and which may have had
something to do with my subsequent
loss of hearing.
For several years after 1857 the
struggle for existence upon the part
and for existence and usefulness on
the part of the pastor was a severe
one. had managed to buy half acre
OF ground and had built a three room.
ed mouse OF cottonwood lumber. and
so mad ceased paying house rent but
instead, was paying 10 per cent on
borrowed money.
AT the end of five years our mem
oersh1p was about sixty, including sew
eral encouraging instances of CONVEX
slons; our small house of worship was
well nlled with regular and interested
hearers; the Wednesday evening pray
er meeting was sustained; and a small
but interesting Sabbath school was in
regular operation with an enrolment
Of about fifty.
War Decreases Congregation.
Al the end of ten years the civil
war was just closing, in which from
The families connected with our church
some eighteen enlisted soldiers had
served In Iowa regiments, six of these
ming soldier graves. They were: Da-
vld Bosworth, w. W. Farley, Henry H. |
Huklll, Albert Dougherty, Robert Ly-
ons, James Lyons. The others from
the church who left to serve their
country We're: DR.. w. L. Orr, Philip
kiester, James S. Porter, T. j. Porter.
John G. Holloway, Ralph Holloway,
Moeris Holloway, Isaac Newton Hollo-
way, Benjamin R. Chambers, John ST.
mons, Nathan F. Manroe, Richard n.
Warden.
Plans for New Church.
In four instances the superintend-
emit of our Sabbath schools had resign
ed to go out as soldiers-W. w. Farley.
DR.. j. S. Porter, DR.. w. L. Orr. and P.
k1ester. The pastor had been princi-
pal OF the Ottumwa seminary from the
autumn of 1869, aided by two assist
ants, and himself engaged in the class
room about one-half of each day. He
was also county superintendent of
schools for two years, 1853 and 1864.
The attendance and interest in the
church and it's services had increased
A lot had been pur-
chased and rock for foundation plac-
ed upon it, toward the erection of
larger and better house of worship.
The full enrolment OIL members from
eAS LII ~ Vi 6ctulAdIlOu 5udu Reached lOJ,
but death and dismissals and absen-
tees reduced the actual membership to
about eighty, with an enrolment of
about seventy-fiye in the Sunday
school.
Dr.. McElroy's Resignation.
At the close of my pastorate of al
most fourteen years we had commo-
dious and neat house of worship, which
had cost about $500 and which repre-
sented an amount of effort and self
denial on the part of a small congrega-
ton of small means, which, Judge,
has never been equalled in the history
Of any church in Ottumwa. The at
tendance upon all the services was
good, and we were favored with en-
accessions. But the pas
tors health had been unfayorable and
seriously affected. Teaching, and do
ing the work of a pastor, and acting
as chairman of the building committee,
the soliciting, collecting of
funds, and settling with the workmen
ali this meant something of over ex.
ertion and led to his resignation. The
total enrolment in April, 1869, had
reached 235 but the net membership
was much less and the effective mem
bership was about 120 with about so
in tho SUNDAY school MS,