Hello,
We have 84 subscribers on the Switzerland County mailing list and 18 on
the digest list. So, you may want to resend your query to the list
again since we have grown larger. (My names I am researching are:
Robbins, Johnson, Downey, Dennis, Jacobs, Heady, Coombs, Gullion, and
probably a few more).
I thought I would send this information on to the list about Vevay's
churches. There are many surnames mentioned that I thought may be
helpful to some readers.
Ruth Hoggatt
http://www.seidata.com/~bhoggatt/ruth/ingenweb/switz/county.html
"The Swiss Settlement of Switzerland County, Indiana," by Perret Dufour.
As early as the fall of 1817 a sabbath school was commenced in Vevay
by Mrs. CLARKSON wife of Abner Clarkson and Miss Hester WELSH, (daughter
of Dr. & Rev. James Welsh a Presbyterian minister) in the court house
and was continued during the summer for several years
Samuel MERRIL some two years after it was commenced gave it his support
and he became the superintendant.
From about 1814 till 1818 there was preaching frequently, by a Mr.
VAWTER, Mordecai JACKSON, John GRAHAM and others of the Baptist
persuasion--and by Allen WILEY of the Methodist persuasion, and
Occasionally a Presbyterian minister would be travelling, stop at Vevay
and would preach a sermon or two. Daniel DUFOUR from the time of his
first coming to the Colony in 1804 untill as late as 1817 was in the
habit of reading a sermon to the colonists every Sunday. Perhaps, the
Presbyterians were first [to] organize a church in Vevay--For from 1814
until about 1827 there was no organized church in Vevay or its immediate
Vicinity on this side of the Ohio river--but as stated above there was
frequently preaching by Baptist and Methodist ministers or local
preachers up to about 1818 or 1819 when Dr. James WELSH a Presbyterian
minister began preaching weekly on Sabbaths in the Court house and
although there was no regularly organized Presbyterian church, he
continued to preach until his suspension from the ministry by the
Presbyt[e]ry of Cincinnati about the year 1825 (perhaps it was Oxford
Presbyt[e]ry). In 1824 a Presbyt[e]ry was formed in Indiana comprizing
seven ministers, thirty one organized churches, and a missionary
society, and comprized the whole of the state west of a line drawn due
north from the mouth of the Kentucky river.
On the 28th of January 1828 a meeting of those persons friendly to the
Presbyterian Church was held in Vevay for the purpose of electing ruling
elders of the church to be formed in this place. Rev. Ludwell G. GAINES
acted as moderator by order of the Presbyt[e]ry of Cincinnati. Edward
PATTON was clerk of the meeting--Israel R. WHITEHEAD and James G. FRENCH
were chosen to receive and count the votes--William FRENCH, Morgan
PATTON, and David WALKER formerly a ruling elder in the church at Log
Lick were elected.
David WALKER was the father of Judge Charles E. WALKER of Madison,
Ind.
The church thus organized during the winter and spring of 1828 raised
by voluntary subscription about $270, in sums of from $1 to $30, and had
donated to them by Daniel Vincent DUFOUR only son of John James DUFOUR,
the lot on which the present Presbyterian church now stands--and during
the summer and fall of that year, had, erected a brick church edifice
but so badly built that it became very much delapidated. In that
building they worshiped until about 1837 or 1838 when the church having
been reduced by the removal of members to outer parts of the country
became nearly extinct. The buil[d]ing became so delapidated that it was
not considered safe to occupy it, but it was give over to a flock of
sheep that ran about the commons--these sheep going in it during the
heat of the day for shelter.
During this period of time the Church enjoyed the ministerial services
of Revd L[UDWELL]
G. GAINES, Joshua L WILSON R[obert] B. DOBBINS J. THOMPSON __________
THOMAS, Peter MUNFORT John MORRAL, William LEWIS Henry LITTLE, William
J. MONTIETH, James HUMMER and George B. BISHOP.
In 1842 Revd L.R. BOOTH of Allensville came and preached one third of
his time under favorable circumstances in the Baptist Church in Vevay.
In May 1842 with the assistance of J[ohn] M. DICKY of New Washington a
Presbyterian church was reorganized. Horatio WALDO Ann WALDO William
NORRISEZ Mary NORRISEZ and Alexander EDGAR being received on evidence of
their regular standing as church members, Lewis MUNSON, Rebecca MUNSON,
Mehetabel WALDO, Hannah DAVIS and Mary Ann GRAY being received on
examination, were at their own request constituted a Church of Christ.
At a meeting of the members of the church held on the 20th day of
August 1842 at that meeting it was resolved "that the meeting house and
lot belonging to the Presbyterian church at Vevay shall herafter belong
exclusively to that Branch of the Presbyterian church known by the name
of the New School."
At that meeting three Trustees were elected, and they were directed to
have the Meeting house repaired so soon as means could be procured. Rev.
L.R. BOOTH continued to preach for the church until in 1844 when the old
church had been taken down and rebuilt, when the Rev. Hiram WASON who
had been laboring with the people as Minister was in January 1845
ordained and continued to supply the pulpit of that church untill 1857
when [he] removed to Lake County, Indiana. Since Mr. Wason left the
church has been supplied with the labors of Revd A.C. HOVEY, A.S. RIED,
E.C. HASKELL, Henry P. HIGBY, L.R. BOOTH, M.D.A. STEIN, and Thomas
WHALON who is still supplying the pulpit of the church.
The foregoing in relation to the Presbyterian church of Vevay is in
the main correct for they are statements made after examining the
records of the church. In the "Religious Intelligence" column of the
"Cincinnati Gazette" of the 3rd July 1869 is the following--
"The Rev. R. HAMMOND was the first Methodist minister who preached in
the State of Indiana. This was in the year 1819 under a walnut tree near
where the state house now stands."
This statement although it may be true does not therefore show that
Mr. Hammond was the first Methodist minister who preached in
Indiana--for the Revd Allen WILEY preached in Switzerland County as
early as 1814 and it is certain that he preached a funeral sermon in
Vevay in 1816 and Abner CLARKSON who was residing in Madison Ind from
1813 to 1816 heard Mr. WILEY preach in Madison during that time. There
was no regularly organized Methodist church in Vevay until about 1823 or
1825. In 1837 The Methodists built a Brick church on the lot on which
the present "Ruter Chapel" stands previous to which time their meetings
were held in the Court house, the School houses, and the Old
Presbyterian church. The Revds. Mr. [John] STRANGE, Allen WILEY,
[Joseph] TARKINGTON, [Martin] RUTER--Enoch G. WOOD James JONES and H.J.
DURBIN are among the preachers who were on Vevay Circuit and as
presiding Elders whom the writer can now recollect.
The Baptists held their meetings for many years in the school houses
of the town, but more frequently in a log house which stood near where
Ulysses P. SCHENCKS ice house now stands--in that house the writer
frequently heard Rev. John GRAHAM preach. Mordecai JACKSON father of
Ibzan JACKSON of Posey Township Henry D. BANTA frequently preached in
that house and occasionally Mr. CLARK the father of Lewis A. CLARK
preached in that house. Mr. CLARK was blind and had been from his
youth--after being introduced to a person and conversing with him a
short time--he would recollect that person and call him by name so soon
as he heard his voice a long while, yes two or three years after his
first conversation with him--he had a son (Orange CLARK) living in
Mississsippi whom he visited occasionally, travelling all the way by
land having a small boy to accompany him as guide. Once in Vevay the
writer enquired of him "Where are you going" He replied "to see my son
in Mississippi".
At a meeting of the Baptist Church of Christ held in Vevay Switzerland
Co Ind on the 29th day of December 1832 the following persons united
themselves for the purpose of forming an arm of the Regular Baptist
Church. John R. COTTON, Benoit COURVOISSIER, Thomas MORRIS Augustine
COURVOISIER, Frederick L. THIEBAUD, Henriette THIEBAUD, Caroline E.
THIEBAUD, Lucy DALMAZZO, Lydia KIRTLEY, William PRICE and Mordecai
McKENZIE--at which meeting Rev. John WILSON, was called to the chair and
Rev. John R. COTTON appointed Secretary. It was resolved that the first
Saturday and Sunday in February 1833 be the time for organizing this
church and the sister Churches of Indian Creek, Mount Pleasant,
Jefferson Bethel and Long Run be solicited to aid and assist in
organizing this Church. It was also resolved, that this church be called
the "Switzerland Baptist Church. After the church was organized and were
soliciting subscriptions to aid in the building of the house of Worship,
the Committee called on John Francis DUFOUR, who subscribed and gave a
bond for a deed for the South East half of lot No. 71 on the original
plat of the in lots of Vevay, which bond was executed to Henry D. BANTA,
William PRICE and Mordecai McKENZIE, Trustees of the "Swi[t]zerland
Baptist Church" provided a Brick meeting house was built on the same
within 18 months, not less than 30 feet wide by 40 feet long and 13 feet
high between the floor and ceiling. The house was built and completed
and was the one occupied by the Baptists untill their new church edifice
was finished and they removed to it. Some two or three years after the
completion of the building it was represented to John Francis DUFOUR by
the trustees that the bond was lost, but wished him to make the deed
which he did, but as the trustees were "Anti Missionary" they insisted
on having the deed made to the "Regular Anti Missionary Church". The
Church thus organized and in the Church edifice thus erected the Baptist
congregation of Vevay continued to Worship until perhaps in 1873, when
they removed to and occupied their imposing edifice on the South corner
of Main Cross and Pike streets. They have had as ministers who statedly
preached in the Church in Vevay Revd. John WILSON, John R. COTTON,
Henry D. BANTA, Mr. [F.S.] RILEY, Mr. [F.D.] BLAND, Mr. Brand and
others whose names the writer does not now recollect and for the last
three or four years, the Revd T. Warren BEAGLE.
Among the early revivals of religion in this neighborhood may be named
one which Commenced in Craig Towsnhip under the preaching of Revd Henry
D. BANTA and John GRAHAM. They had preaching in several neighborhoods in
that Township, frequently at the house of Mr. THIEBAUD being on the same
farm where Justin THIEBAUD now resides--and these person[s] who were to
receive the ordinance of Baptism, were to meet at Mr. Thiebauds on the
bank of the Ohio river there to be baptized "as there was mcuh water
there." An incident may be very appropriately related here, to show the
depravity of the human heart, when not under the influence of that
Gospel which proclaims "On earth peace good will to man". At a time when
several persons were to receive baptism, and the minister was wading
out to ascertain the depth of water, and condition of the bottom, a
person standing by siezed a good sized dog by the neck and threw it into
the water near the minister exclaiming "There is one of your
congregation baptized."
Daniel DUFOUR frequently had his Swiss neighbors, brothers Sisters,
brothers in law and those who understood the French language to meet on
Sunday when Psalms were sung, and he would read a prayer--and then read
a sermon. This was for many years. One Sabbath he had read a very
impressive and affecting sermon which caused nearly all his bearers and
himself to shed tears. He was relating the circumstance to several among
whom was Joseph MALIN. Malin said to him did you cry--He replied "yes
the sermon was so affecting I be damn[ed] if you had heard it you would
have cry[ed] too."
There have been some very extensive revivals of religion in the County
more particularly among the Methodist[s] during their Camp Meetings and
in 1840 at the Methodist church in this place when upward of 150 were
received into the Church on probation during a meeting which lasted for
about two weeks.
In early days perhaps in 1826 the Universalists had preaching in Vevay
very often. James KIRBY (the grandfather of Samuel E. and James K.
PLEASANTS) had been attending a meeting that was in progress and
prevailed on Abner CLARKSON to attend one evening. On their way home
after the Sermon Mr. KIRBY remarked to Mr. CLARKSON "That's the right
doctrine". A few days after Mr. KIRBY and Mr. CLARKSON were together
talking and during the conversation Kirby remarked "Well Clarkson the
doctrine we heard preached the other night will do very well to live by,
but on ref[l]ecting about it I don't believe it will do to die
by." This Mr. Kirby about 1817 was the owner of a Steam Boat
called "Vesta." It is said that on one dark night when a[s]cending the
river, near to or above the mouth of Big Bone creek, Mr. Kirby who was
captain saw something ahead which he took to be a boat and called out
"Show your light". No light being shown or answer returned, the pilot
was directed to "to go ahead", when the "Vesta" struck a large rock
which for many years was known and named "Kirby Rock". The "Vesta"
sunk.