The Hartford republican., 1915-10-08
y. ord y Cenicr of Methodist In
HucnCp

per read by Rev. ID. s. Campbell OF
Sacramento, KY, on the beginning
81 Methodism in America and Hart
ford as a center of influence for miles
around:
t n conference at Leeds in Eng
land in l772, at the suggestion OF
Wesley. Thos Rankin was chosen to
superintend the church work in the
promising field of America. George
Shadford accompanied him and in
1873 they landed in Philadelphia.
They soon visited the principle seats
Of Meihodism and found that there
had been a lack of discipline. They
found seven preachers and count OF
I16O members. Soon Rankin re
turned 30 England but not before he
had round In Francis Asbury the
right man to superintend Methodism
in America. Soon a conference was
held and one of the puzzling ques-
JsCLs Was. "What shall we do with
our preachers who do not free their
siavCs2" This was answered by As
bury who said Let us try those in
Virginia another year and suspend
all those in Maryland. Delaware,
Pennsylvania and New jersey"
Benjamin Ogden was sent to Ken
tucky in 1856 to introduce Method
ism here. have his autograph and
il is written in capitals. BEN OGDEN
There was great religious revival
i'm the southern part OF the State in
the latter part of the eighteenth cen
ury and it swept northward to the
Ohio river very quickly. OGDEN lc'.
behind many relatives and descend
ants and some Of them are residents
OF Owensboro now.
Districts began to he established
and in 1904 the Cumberland district
was established and it extended north
from Natchez, Miss, and included
Kentucky. Indiana and Illinois. or
the territory that now compose those
states
On August II and is, 1904. a
quarterly meeting was held at Cham
BrowdCrs near Pond river on the
road from Greenville to Madisonville.
The presiding elder was Lewis Gar
rett and there were twelve other
ministers present: Jesse Walker,
Miles Harper, Joshua Barnes, Thos
Taylor. James EXley, Moses Phelps,
Wiley Ledbett,r. Joshia' Moore Ioh
Travis. BENZ Parker, Taylor Wuilc. .
Cham ErGWder Pleasant EXley. This .
Jesse Walker for the Hartford cir
cuit. lie had this charge however, F.
jointly with the Livingston one. |
Through thb influence of the Rev. f.
Thos. Taylor and others successful /
reviVdls had been held and many had /
joined the church. This resulted in .
the organization of Goshen church. J
two miles of Hartford This is said /
to have been the firstchurch orgahiz /
ed in the County OF Ohio. Soon aft
er Bethel and Nocreek churchce
were organized. The organizations
Of these churches followed a great re-
viyal held by the Presbyterians and
the Methodists. These churches be-
came The nucleus of fine religious
influence that has spread all over
this county and even farther.
ht the session of the Western con-
ference held in 1904 when the Hart
ford district first appears on the list
there was no bishop present and Wm.
Kendrie presided. The Hartford
district then numbered 3O5 whites
and 3 blacks.
Rev. Thos. Taylor, to whom the
church here owes so much. was the
father Of the late II. J. Taylor of
the Hartford bar and he was the
grand father of Mrs. Thompson Nit $
chell, OF Owensboro, and Mrs. Girls |
som of Grissoms landing, both OF
whom We're members of my frs
charge in 1863
In 1906 there had been such
changes in the districts that Hart
ford circuit then reported only 800
~ pmberS. In 1897 VIM. MrKendri,
was presiding elder and Benjamin
Edge and Samuel Sellers were Hart
ford preachers. and Jesse Walker
had been sent as a missionary to the
whole of Illinois. At the first gener-
NJ conference held in 1908 McKen-
drie WAS made "A bishop. At a con- q
ference held soon after he asked, "Is u
there anything against Brother $
Edge" AXley answered. There is u
and then related the following anus y
ing story; when Brother Edge first q
same IN this circuit he all at once
concluded that he must have a gig II
He was too poor to buy one and no. u
body would give him one. So he con- II
eluded that he would make one of j.
IN