I found a very nice little book called "Horn Book of Early History of Perry
township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana 1810-1860." Compiled by George E.
Howard. Privately printed. No date.
The book includes a history of the churches of the township. Churches
covered are:
United Brethren Church
Mennonite Church
Oxford Presbyterian Church
German Reformed Church
Methodist Church
Cedar Bluff Meeting House
I will summarize the information in the booklet.
United Brethren Church: The account begins with Rev. Robert Brown of
Lafayette preaching the first sermon in the woods at Daniel Underhill's
house. Services continued in the homes of settlers until 1834, when Gideon
Chapel was erected in section 22, at the north end of Gideon Cemetery. It
was a frame building. About the same time Rev. Joseph Hershey arrived. He
"promoted the establishment" of several UB churches, including Union Chapel
on his farm in section 16. David M. B. Patton arrived with his mother and
stepfather in 1827. He grew up in the area and went on to become a UB
mninister. In 1888 the congregation built a new building that they named
Zion. The old church was torn down. Members of Gideon Chapel included:
Ephraim Tucker, David Patton, Charles Sewards, Moses Banker, John Gard, John
Robeson, William Powell, Andrew J. Patton, Moses Tucker, Jeremiah Virgin,
Peter Farner, Sidney Arnold, Erastus Robeson, Sewell Cleaver, Gabriel Myers,
M. M. Virgin, and Samuel Weaver. Early members of Union Chapel were Rev.
Joseph M. Hershey, George Carson, Henry Elzy, Julia Ann Smith, Jacob Leslie,
William Whistler, William Hershey, and Laura K. Gober.
The Mennonites in Perry township were led by John Zimmerman, who served the
congregation for 25 years. A church was erected in section 12, a short
distance east of the Fairview church. John Zimmerman owned a Froschouer
Bible, printed in 1536 in Zurich, Switzerland. Church members included the
families of John Zimmerman, Christian Ehresman, Jacob Amstutz, Christine
Shinebeck, C. Salzman, William Amstutz, and Hiram Amstutz.
The Oxford Presbyterian Church was constructed in 1830 about a quarter of a
mile north of the southeast corner of the township. It was probably the
first church building in the township. It was known as the Oxford Meeting
House. It was a log structure with a dirt floor. The founder of the church
was Rev. James A. Carnahan, who founded several churches in this part of the
state, including Dayton Presbyterian church. After a few years the Oxford
church closed and the members transferred to Dayton. The Reformed Church
moved into the building. Members of the Presbyterian church included the
following families: George D. Sharpe, William Wallace, Henry Clapper, Daniel
Darland, William C. Parke, George Warrick, Aaron Perrin, Samuel Brand, Henry
Miller, and William Gaddis.
The German Reformed Church was organized in 1840. They moved into the
building vacated by the Oxford Presbyterian church. In 1928 the church was
closed and most members transferred to the Reformed Church in Mulberry. A
Lutheran congregation also used the Oxford church building. Reformed Church
families included: Fred Landes, Aaron Kern, J. B. Roth, John Bolyard, Roy
Brand, Russell Dunk, Floyd Bolyard, Nathaniel Landes, Elmer Kern, Albert
Mills, Wallace Paul, Charles Moyer, Frank De Long, and Harry Yundt.
A Methodist Church was organized at a very early date, and a log church
building was erected in section 16. The congregation did not last long. No
list of members has survived.
The Cedar Bluff Meeting house was a frame building erected in section 19 in
accordance with the provisions of the will of George N. Foresman, owner of
the Eagle Mill. It was used by groups who had no building of their own, and
burned down sometime after the Civil War. The same will provided for a
school house, but none was ever built. A cemetery was also provided for, and
one was established that contained about twenty graves. Families who
attended church here and were probably buried in the cemetery were: William
Toole, Levi Dickerson, J. Duteels, and John De Witt.