Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1936-06-18

parents from PounSylFdHld, anu
many were the enthusiastic meetings
he attended in the old log building.
| will not try to say that people had
more religion in those days than
now, but they seemed to be more
enthusiastic Many would walk for
miles, carrying lights. | wonder II
we all would nowadays.
Grandfather told of the shouting,
and how happy some would get, and
one instance when a brother shout
ed so loud close to where he SAT
that he went out, and as he passed
the door, brother followed loudly,
"When the Christian prays the devil
runs He passed on out. Another
instance of a lady so happy and
jumping around and clapp1ng her
hands till she made misstep and
one foot went into the pan where
charcoal was being burned for neat.
No stove Or flue connection in those
early days, and the smoke went out
a hole in the roof. / think later
stove was installed in old building.
| have letter I received from
Clark Finley of Kansas, son OF
the late Isaac Finley, regarding the
old church. Dear Charley:-You
asked me about the old Atkins
church. l have always heard it was
the first public building built for
worship in Morgan county. My wife
Ruby's great grandfather VIM AK
ins was it's founder, but the Atkins
history does not give the date, only
says that he was killed by a tree
falling on him in the year 1928,
and his son VIM. Atkins (Ruby's
grandfather) was one Of the first
class leaders as | have heard Henry
Lewis Atkins say when telling about
the church, have heard Ruby's
father, William Atkins, say he had
been there at church when there
was a pile of rock and fire and wood
burning On it in the center of the
building and a large hole in the
roof for the smoke to go out. / do
not remember ever hearing the date
the Atkins family turned the farm
over to the Finleys. You asked me
if l remembered the old church
Yes l do remember going to church
in the old log house.
| was born March "a, 1867, and
the spring of 1869 my father moved
onto the Vest farm, into a house
that Daniel Glass later owned. We
lived in the Vest house until the
fall of 1870, then moved to the old
hewed log house that Uncle Dave
Finley had just vacated and staid
there that winter. | can remember
being at church while we lived
there, and especially do I remember
sitting with my father when good
old shouting brother got out in the
aisle to give his testimony and COM
menced talking very loud, clapping
his hands and jumping up and down
at the end of the bench where l
was sitting, and to make things
more exciting and scary for me,
when the good brother got to jump
ing higher and higher his head got
to hitting the loose boards that had
been laid on poles for ceiling, and
the noise of the ceiling boards go
ing up and down was too much for
a boy three and half years old,
and l did not care to go any more
to that revival; but later one morn
ing | woke up and found man
sleeping in bed at my side. l lay
very still, and after while he
climbed out of bed and l watched
him get down on his knees and lay
his face in his hands. I saw it was
the preacher and that father had
brought him home with him to
spend the night. The spring OF
1871 father bought the Harrison
farm, and many times during the
next three years | attended church
at the old log church. The old log
church was torn down during the
nf nd hn
church erected and dedicated the
following winter. They moved the
pews and the old puncheon benches
out into the grove south of the
and had Sunday school and
preaching until late in the fall The
old church was hewed logs and
mostly oak. 1t was built facing the
east with the door in the east end
and a little raised pulpit about |
eight inches high at the west end of
the aisle, and about five feet square. |
The stove when l knew it was in
the center of the aisle. There were |
a few pews made of lumber, in front |
of the pulpit on each side of the |
aisle, and | think two pews on the |
north side of the pulpit and the !
same on the south side. The seats |
were made of puncheons and had
round legs driven in holes. There |
were two windows in the north side
and the same in the south. There |
was also little four pane sash win |
dow up high in the west end. The |
logs were hauled out and piled along |
the west side of the road west of |
he cemetery. Later some were |
made into fence stakes and used on
he Vest, Niceswanger and Finley |
farms The ministers I remembered
we're Geo. L. Sites, Wakefield, and
| believe Thoburn or Coburn, up to
1874. The three years we lived on
he Harrison farm we attended
church and Sunday school there
Sunday afternoons. I remember
yery well that the attendants were
Toe Vest and family living in the
prick; Hotchkiss young people and
Sally Scott Hotchkiss, David Bu-
,hanan and family, Mr.. Garrett and
amily, Dorans, Amos and Hannah
Finley, Tom and Polk Barkhurst, Il
Joel Smith Clements and Finleys
md several others.
Perhaps some few people can re-
member the old Log church yet, but
t is too far back for the most of us.
As stated, the building now stand
ng was built in 1873, after some
as some wanted 1t