Saltcreek Township, Pickaway County, OH

Church History & Records

 

As early as 1805 a Baptist Church was organized in the southwestern part of the township. It was called the Salt Creek Baptist Church until 1812, when the Lemuel Church uniting with it, the name was changed to Union Baptist Church. The first meetings were held at the dwellings of the members until a meeting-house was erected in section 28, which was constructed of hickory logs. In 1841 or 1842 a church building was erected at Prairie View (now Whisler) at a cost of about $2,000. Rev. Benjamin Case, who was the first pastor of the society, is supposed to have organized it. This church has been out of existence for 30 years or more.

Another early church of the township was the German Reformed Church, organized at Tarlton about 1807 by Rev. George Wise, of Lancaster. About the same time a German Lutheran society was formed, and the societies shortly afterwards united in the erection of a log meeting-house. About 1830 they put up a log and frame building, which continued to be used by the two societies for some years. The German Reformed society erected a brick church of their own prior to 1861, in which year the Lutherans built a frame church edifice. The German Reformed society continued to prosper until sundry innovations 'upon established usage were introduced into the church by Rev. Samuel Jacobs, who finally joined the Cumberland Presbyterians, taking most of his church with him. The litigation over the ownership of the church property that followed resulted in favor of the new organization, and the remnant of the original society built a frame house in the southeastern part of Tarlton. About 30 years ago the German Reformed society fell into difficulties, their church was sold at sheriff's sale and the society disbanded.

St. Jacob's Evangelical Lutheran Church at Tarlton was organized November 8, 1861. A Lutheran society had' existed at Tarlton, however, from a very early date, the meetings having been held as stated in the preceding paragraph, in the same building with the German Reformed society until the organization of St. Jacob's Church and the erection of the present church building, which is a frame structure valued at $1,200. The following have served as pastor of St. Jacob's Church since 1882: Revs. J. E. Wesner, W. H. Fishburn, G. W. Hudson, James F. Beattes, W. L. Hunton and J. M. Wenrich, of Stoutsville, the present pastor, who took charge in 1891. The present membership of the society is 125. Orestes Mowery is superintendent of the Sunday-school, which has a membership of 50.

Tarlton Presbyterian Church.--The Cumberland Presbyterian Church at Tarlton was finally changed to a Presbyterian Church, of which Rev. W. W. Carhart, of Whisler, is now pastor. The church property is valued at $1,500; while the building, as has been indicatedin a preceding paragraph, is an old one, the property has been improved by the building of cement walks and presents a very creditable appearance. The present membership of the church is 115. Harvey Mowery is superintendent of the Sunday-school, which has a membership of 100.

Whisler Presbyterian Church.--In February, 1859, a Cumberland Presbyterian Church at Prairie View (Whisler) was organized by Rev. Archibald Brice at the Oak Grove M. E. Church, the society comprising some 10 or 11 members at its formation. Until the completion of their house of worship, a frame structure, erected in the fall of 1860, which is still doing service, the society met in a frame school-house. Some time ago, the society became a Presbyterian Church, and is now known as the Whisler Presbyterian Church. The church building is valued at $1,000. The society has also a good parsonage at Whisler, built about 10 years ago at a cost of $1,800. The church has a membership of about too. Rev. W. W. Carhart is pastor. The flourishing Sunday-school connected with this church has a membership of about 125; the superintendent is Mrs. Nellie Quillen.

Jerusalem Church, or the Stumpf Church as it is frequently styled, was organized' by Revs. George Wise and Jacob Leist about the year 182o as a German Reformed society. Rev. Jacob Leist was one of the earliest of the pioneer preachers of this region. He came to Salt Creek township in its early settlement, began preaching soon after his arrival and continued in the ministry for a great many years. He proved a valuable accession to the settlement and during the long period of his ministry was highly esteemed for his moral worth. He married Elizabeth Shoemaker, daughter of Judge Jacob Shoemaker and fixed his residence where Leistville now stands, there residing until his death. The church services were held in a schoolhouse, located in the northeast corner of section 26, until 1831, when a brick house of worship was built. The present, neat, brick church was erected in 1877 at a cost of $3,000. Rev. Henry King and Rev. Jacob Leist--the former a Reformed minister and the latter a

Lutheran--preached to the church for upwards of 25 years. Rev. Mr. Weaver is now pastor.

In 1819 or 1820 members of the German Reformed and Lutheran denominations residing in the western part of the township built a log meeting-house, in which services were held for a number of years, although no organization was ever effected. A United Brethren society was subsequently formed there, and occupied the house for some years, when it disbanded. The meeting-house finally burned down.

The Dresbach U. B. Church was organized about 1820 at the house of George Dreisbach ; among the first members were George Dreisbach and wife, Henry Dreisbach and wife, John Dreisbach and Elizabeth Whitesel. The appointment has been for many years on the Pickaway Circuit, which now embraces four appointments : Pontius, Morris, Dresbach and Fairview. The pastor of the circuit is Rev. O. M. Martin, who succeeded Rev. D. W. Lambert in September, 1906. In 1829 the present brick church on the north line of the township was built. Until six years ago, when the parsonage at Circleville was bought, the pastor of the Pickaway Circuit resided at Tarlton. The church has a present membership of 42. In 1841 a general conference of the United Brethren churches of the United States was held at the Dresbach Church.

The Tarlton U. B. Church was organized about 1840 by Revs. Lewis, Ambrose and Joshua Montgomery and consisted of eight members. The building was erected two or three years later and stands just north of the county line. Before the erection of the church, the society held its meetings at the house of Jacob Larick. The church was formerly quite prosperous.

The Tarlton M. E. Church was organized sometime before 1825. The first meetings of the Methodists in this township were held at a very early date at the house of Abraham Monnett. The Tarlton church was formerly in the Adelphi Circuit, Chillicothe District, which embraced 20 appointments in Pickaway, Vinton, Ross, Fairfield and Hocking counties. In 1841 Tarlton Circuit was formed from Adelphi with seven appointments, of which the Tarlton church and Haller's Chapel were the only ones in Pickaway County. In 1870 South Perry Circuit was detached from Tarlton, leaving the latter with four appointments : Tarlton,

Pickaway County ; and Hopewell, Amanda and Oakland, in Fairfield County. The meetings of the Tarlton church were held in the log schoolhouse until 1840, when a church edifice was erected. The following were the pastors of the Adelphi Circuit up to the time the Tarlton Circuit was formed : Revs. E. H. Field, George C. Crum, William Westlake, Philip Nation, John Stuart, John W. White, John Stuart, Wesley Roe, Benjamin Ellis, David Lewis, Benjamin Ellis, J. B. Austin, Charles C. Lybrand, Richard Daughty, James Parsons and Richard Daughty. The first preacher, after the formation of the Tarlton Circuit, was Rev. Daniel Poe, who was followed by Revs. James Laws, Alexander Morrow, Joseph Morris, David H. Sargent, John M. Clark, Andrew Carroll, E. T. Webster, John W. Steele, McCutcheon, Gortner, Fink, Howard, Bennett,. Anderson, Kirkman, G. G. West, L. Whitehead, John T. Miller, Isaac F. King, Benjamin Ellis, John T. Miller, Andrew Carroll, Benjamin Ellis, Thomas R. Taylor, W. F. Filler, B. Wolfe, Ross, Sibley, Weir, Ebright, Hall, Hanawalt, Thomas Hall, Pickets, McClintock, T. S. Thurston, Isaac Mackey and Berry, who was pastor in 1879. Rev. R. A. Blair of Adelphi, is the present incumbent. The church has a membership of about 100. The church building is valued at $3,000 and the parsonage, a seven-room structure, is valued at $1,500. The Sunday-school, of which William Shoemaker is superintendent, has a membership of about 80.

The Whisler M. E. Church, formerly known as the Oak Grove M. E. Church, was organized in 1858 by a union of the Warren schoolhouse class and that at Hallers Chapel. A church building was put up that summer and dedicated in the fall of the year by Rev. Mr. Felton. About two years ago the society built a new frame church at Whisler at a cost of $2,000 and the name was changed to Whisler M. E. Church. Rev. J. L. Landsittle, of Adelphi, is pastor. The church has a membership of about 50 members. George Fox is superintendent of the Sunday-school, which has a membership of about 50.

Union Chapel of they M. E. Church is a frame building valued at $1,000, situated in Salt Creek township near the home of S. S. McClelland.

The English Evangelical Lutheran Church at Tarlton was formed by Rev. Nathan B. Little in 1835 with about 30 members. The church building of the Old School Presbyterians was occupied as the place of worship until 1841, when the. society erected the church building at Tarlton they have since used. For the last seven or eight years services have not been held regularly. A minister has been engaged who will serve both this church and the English Evangelical Church at Circleville. The church is not in a flourishing financial condition. The membership is only 20, whereas in 1879 it was about 6o; nearly all the former members have died or moved away. The Sunday-school, of which Miss Ida Mowrey is superintendent and James Porter of Leistville, assistant superintendent, has a membership of 30.

In January, 1875, a church of the Evangelical Association was formed at Pleasant View, two miles north of Whisler, composed of about 20 members. The church building was erected the following summer and was dedicated September 5, 1875, by Rev. R. Dubs. Rev. S. E. Rife was the first pastor. Other early pastors of this church were Revs. Hankey, Wingard, Ellenberger, Munn, Rinehold and Evans. This organization has been split into two societies. both of which worship in the same church building. Rev. Davis, who lives near the church, is pastor of one, and Rev. Stumpf, who lives at Stoutsville, is pastor of the other.

Source: HISTORY OF PICKAWAY COUNTY, OHIO AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS, EDITED AND COMPILED BY HON. AARON R. VAN CLEAF.  CIRCLEVILLE, OHIO

 

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Tarlton Presbyterian Church