A History of the Church of the Brethren in the First District of West Virginia
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TN U32-I53 fí HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN IN THE FIRST DISTRICT OF WEST VIRGINIA by FOSTER MELVIN BITTINGER for the District Committee on History BRETHREN PUBLISHING HOUSE Elgin, Illinois Copyright, 1945 by Foster Melvin Bittinger Printed in the United States of America by the Brethren Publishing House Elgin, Illinois »7«tO i7feo nao leoo 1320 iggo iafeo laao \9oo 1920 1940 ECKERUN II m WH TE PIN E •I940 BETHEL EAR .Y 5C?y<TH BRANCH lj 176 BCAr SETTLEMENT I9lf QLO FURhlACE 1783 BEAVE t RUN I94Q WILEY FORD CAPON CHAPEL I860 1 EAR C3AT 1*56 H/RMAN IÏB9Q SENEi ;A BEGINNINGS Di THE MS 1679 git CREEt, •1914 KEYSER li 189 SUN NYSIOE L DISTRICT OF WEST VIRNiGl 193 D PETERSBURG OBERHPLTZEFS 1649 G REENU ND IB98 NORTH I'ORK 11687 KNIOBH V IS6S ALLE JHENV 190I MORGANT ?WN TRANSFEf RED FRO 1 WESTERN PA. IMC 1335 SANDY CREEK : I II155 TE ERA AL TA H 55 EG LON I »87 FAIItVIEW. A ") 'WEST MO C. I. Heckert BEGINNINGS OF CONGREGATIONS IN THE FIRST DISTRICT OF WEST VIRGINIA o o o o 0 o 1940 Name in co t— o e» o o o o o o O o t» i- c- t- CO CO CO OS Member of 00 co CO CO 01 Ol 05 CO CO CO ship Congregation — 40 Bethel Wiley Ford (Transferred from Western Pa., in 1940) — 119 Morgan town MM 88 Petersburg HI 360 Keyser (Preaching in 1896), i 134 Old Furnace — 118 Capon Chapel •> 61 North Fork (Transferred from Virginia) mm 29 Seneca mm 149 Sunnyside mm 206 White Pine — 129 Bean Settlement (Asa Harman baptized 1854) — 63 Harman (Preaching by Thomas Clark 1848). mm 182 Allegheny — 198 Tear Coat — 59 Terra Alta (Preaching prior to 1831 by Elder Sam Arnold) _ 410 Eglon •!<_],__]; Elizabeth Oberholtzer Irom Germany Knobley JLCKeriin fi^t member in district — 189 I I 1 I I 1 I I - — 889 Sandy Creek Arnolds from Frederick, Md., to Manor Land Va _ 158 Greenland now Beaver Run, W. Va., 1785 mm 140 Beaver Run I I I I I I I I Early South Branch Markleysburg congregation Pine Grove Transferred to to Western Pennsylvania Fairview Western Maryland 1887 1 ' I I I I I I I III' C I. Heckert TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION, by Desmond W. Bittinger 7 PREFACE, Story of Writing 9 CHAPTER I Our People in West Virginia 11 a. Location 11 b. Streams of Entry 12 c. Nature of Settlers and Builders 13 CHAPTER II Beginnings Beyond the Sea 17 CHAPTER III Beginnings in West Virginia 21 a. Oberholtzers 21 b. Eckerlins 21 c. The South Branch Church 30 CHAPTER IV The Congregations 33 CHAPTER V Unifying the Work in West Virginia 107 a. Recognition as a State District, and Representation at Annual Conference 107 b. The Institutions and Organizations 108 Religious Education . 108 Camp Galilee HO Council of Boards HI Women's Work Ill Mission Board 112 Ministerial Board 113 The Orphanage 113 Men's Work 114 CHAPTER VI Biographies 116 BIBLIOGRAPHY **8 Western Pennsylvania District First District Middle Pennsylvania District oi MONONGAi West Virginia Key (Unbroken lines indicate county boundaries. Shad ing lines indicate congregational boundaries.) 1. Morgan town 2. Sandy Creek 3. Terra Alta 4. Eglon 5. Harman 6. Red Creek 7. Seneca 8. Allegheny 9. North Fork Northern 10. Greenland Virginia District 11. Petersburg 12. Tear Coat 13. Sunnyside 14. Knobley 15. Bethel 16. White Pine 17. Keyser 18. Beaver Run 19. Old Furnace 20. Wiley Ford 21. Bean Settle ment 22. Capon Chapel Map by C. I. Heckert INTRODUCTION History is continuous; it flows from the past into the future. The stream is ever changing and yet it is always the same. Each of us in our turn becomes a part of this stream of history, for it can flow into the future only through us. It has flowed to where we are through the lives of our progenitors; we are where we are because of them. Others who come after us will be in better conditions or worse conditions than we because of what we do in the stream of history. Hence we are a part of the past and a part of the future; what we do is important for we must not fail either one. To understand where we are and what we are it is helpful to know from whence we came and how we got here. The di rections in which we are tending also become clearer when we are able to see the line of unfolding history for more than one generation. Church history therefore is both interesting and helpful; the church historian lights up the past and focuses a beam of this light into the future. But his task is not easy. He works usually with very incomplete records, and the records he has are often inaccurately kept. Hence his findings are characterized by gaps which he cannot fill and by conflicting information con cerning the parts he can fill. Patiently and painstakingly he must search, and carefully he must sift every finding. It is well that Brethren church history is now being written. Already it is almost too late. Most of the stalwart Brethren of antiquity who preached churches into existence were doers rather than recorders. Their records are written only in the memories of those whose lives they influenced. And some of those are already old and many are gone. The historians must lay hold of that material now or it will soon be gone forever. Bro. Foster M. Bittinger is qualified by birth, experience and training to write the history of the Church of the Brethren in West Virginia. There flows in his veins the mingled blood of most of those about whom he has written. He, like his ancestors, has traveled far to serve the churches of the West Virginia hills and valleys in a manner not vastly dissimilar to that herein de scribed. Wherever he went he collected historical data until this book grew into existence. 8 FIRST DISTRICT OF WEST VIRGINIA This history will stand as a monument to worthy work done by earnest and consecrated men. We believe that by doing that and by casting a ray of light in the direction of an even brighter future it will have fulfilled the purpose of its author. Desmond W. Bittinger. Elgin, Illinois, October 20, 1944. PREFACE For many years there has been an interest in a history of the Church of the Brethren in the First District of West Virginia. For many years a district committee on history had been in exist ence. They had often appealed to each of the various congrega tions to write its own individual history, but little came of it. This committee, composed of Brethren E. T. Fike, B. W. Smith, and A. S. Arnold, had collected some material and kept the in terest alive. In 1938 the writer moved into the district. When a vacancy occurred on the committee by the death of Bro. Arnold, he was placed on the committee to fill the place left vacant. He was also placed on the field as district fieldman, which gave him an opportunity to visit all the congregations of the district. Thus within a short time much valuable material could be collected. There was ready and eager co-operation in every congregation. Many individuals did a great amount of work in trying to find information and answering correspondence. There is not space to mention all here, but to them all go the thanks of the com mittee and of the church. And to the others on the committee who have ever been ready to help, who have placed all available material in their possession at my disposal, who have offered very helpful advice, I wish to give my personal thanks. The material in chapter one on the nature of early settlers is compiled from many sources, but most valuable were the writings of John Kline, and my own observations, for I have lived among these people of the mountains and I love them. Chapter two is included for those who do not have access to a general history of the church. Chapter three contains, I be lieve, much original material never before published in this degree of completeness. In West Virginia histories Eckerlins are erroneously referred to as Eckarlys, etc. This is a more nearly complete story than has ever before been published. The Powers of the South Branch Valley have been an interesting study. The problem of their early church has not been fully solved, but light has been found on it. The material on the congregations, institutions and biographies has been the result of hundreds of interviews, hundreds of written letters or cards requesting information, and the helpful replies of hundreds of 10 FIRST DISTRICT OF WEST VIRGINIA people. Much of this would be unobtainable even now, for the ones who gave the information have already passed on. We have attempted to attain completeness and accuracy in stead of a polished treatment. Certainly we know that time will show omissions. The length of treatment of a biography, for example, is not always an indication of the importance attached to the subject. Limitation is sometimes the result of a lack of information. By decision of the committee, pictures of living ministers have been used only when they themselves supplied them. Where possible and worth while, quotations and sources have been given proper recognition and documentation. We have no claim to complete documentation, but still we ex press appreciation to all whose sources we have used.