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Life and Travels of William Conrad
Chapter XI - His First Tour to Ohio
My first tour in the State of Ohio is over forty-three years, and in the winter season truly, for it commenced snowing on the first Saturday night after I left home, and until the following Sunday week. Altogether it was a deep and heavy snow, and I in the meantime quite unwell before I left home, but my appointments were all published, and it was my uniform course to fill all my appointments if able to ride.
My first appointment was at Muddy Creek Church (not far from a Brother Miners) at night, and in striking distance of Lebanon Church in Lebanon City, which meeting house I reached the next day, and made an effort to preach. Elder Samuel Williams was there with me. I lodged with a Brother Sellers that night. The next day I met with the brethren at Clear Creek Church; poorly as I was we had some night meetings; and thence on to Sugar Creek, now called Centerville Church. There I tried to preach and also at night. I lodged for the night with old Brother Broadaway and wife; they, like all the rest, treated me quite kind and done all they could to give me ease, yet I suffered much ups and downs. Next morning, poorly as I was in body, the Lord being my helper, I waded my horse along through the snow that fell over night without a pilot, crossed the Big Miami River on the bridge at Franklin Village, reached the meeting-house of Tapscott Church, and found the appointment for that place was published for two o'clock in the evening. I learned where old Brother Tapscott and wife lived, but when I reached his mansion the old brother and sister was on a visit to the State of Jersey, but their kind son and daughter received me very kindly. I still feel to bare them in kind remembrance, the daughter and her help, for it was their wash-day, yet with all, as soon as they could leave their business, went about getting dinner. But the daughter saw I looked poorly, and inquired of my health; I told her as near as I could that I had and was then suffering much from an obstinate diarrhea; she went away and in a few minutes returned with a cup of composition tea, and told me to drink half of it as soon as cool enough, at last before eating; after taking some dinner I drank the remainder of the tea. I quite soon found relief from the painful scene of affliction that harassed me for the fifteen days and nights preceding, so that in the evening I filled my appointment at the Tapscott Meeting House. I can not now recollect if I preached next day at Tapscott again, it seems to me I did, and lodged with a Brother Shinn that lived above the then little town of Franklin, and on the north side of the Big Miami River; and after meeting next day, staid for the evening and night with Brother Isaac Moses. Next morning I felt so much better in body that I humbly tried to thank God and take courage. Brother Moses agreed to go with and pilot me to the meeting-house of the Church of Christ, called Old Baptists at Winchester. Brother Isaac Moses and myself stopped at his brother's on our way, warmed, and perhaps dined, and his brother I think went on with us to meeting. That evening we got to the village and stopped at old Elder Thomas Childers, after which we walked to the meeting house, being only a few hundred yards from Brother Childers. After the evening meeting we returned to and lodged with Elder T. Childers all night, and next day made another effort to preach at same meeting, house; lodged that night with Brother Joseph Taylor, who in company with Elder T. Childers, Brother Woodfork, perhaps Brother I. Moses, and myself, went on to a Brother Kelley's, formerly from Kentucky. Brother Kelley's daughters geared up the horses hitched to his slay, and Brother Kelley, the brethren, myself, and a portion of the family-his daughters driving the team through the deep snow, a short distance by night, to a house for public worship, called Sharon-an arm so called of the Elk Creek Church-their meeting-house in Trenton. After trying to preach that night at Sharon, as above named, we went back and lodged with Brother Kelley the remainder of the night. The next morning Brother Childers, Brother Woodfork, and myself, cold as the morning was, we set out for Trenton, near the Big Miami, and reached Elk Creek Meeting-house in Trenton in full time to fill our appointment. By this time I became so anxious to hear Elder T. Childers preach, that I plead and succeeded in getting him to preach first that morning, for I felt it was the only opportunity, as he intended returning home after meeting, and moreover I had become quite tired of my poor efforts to preach, so I felt quite gratified in hearing the dear old brother for the first time; I often heard him in after years. After meeting I dined with Brother Potter, a Brother-in-law of Brother Joseph Taylor; the brethren, Elder T. Childers and Woodfork, then left.
I think I tried to preach again that night at the meeting house in Trenton, and went on that night to Brother Beusenbark's, to stay with him the remainder of the night. The next morning, I took my leave of Brother and Sister Bensenbark, and started on to my next appointment, at Rossville Church (now West Hamilton); stopped at Brother Lot Southard's, in said place, and tried to preach for the Rossville Church at their meeting house; alter which, I lodged with Brother and Sister Southard all night; had much conversation that was of such character as we, in those days, did feel in heart was such as become the gospel of Christ. And in the course of our talk, I found, from the general purport, of the conversation, that. Brother Lot Southard's mind was much exercised on the subject of preaching the gospel. I was at that time fully convinced that he would make the effort to preach, and from all I had heard from him, I felt it in heart to say, "go." for I found him sound in the faith of Christ. At that time, not the smallest, spark of heresy, of any grade, did I find about him, in all our conversation. I felt that the interview I had that evening and night with Brother Lot Southard and wife was, at least., one among the most pleasant scenes of my life.
My time to go had now come, to took leave of the Sister and Brother Southard and Isaac T. Sanders (in whose house, in Hamilton City, I, in company with Elder Lewis Conner, preached twice as we journeyed); also took leave of Brother Loutham, a brother of Elder Henry Loutham, both originally from Virginia-the Elder died a few year's ago, near Monticello, Missouri. The Elder Loutham I was also personally acquainted with in Kentucky. We had preached in company. He was an able minister and faithful unto death, and now rests from all his labor and toil. Now alone, through the deep snow, as best, I could, I went to fill my appointment, at a meeting house in which the church at that. place held their meeting The name of the church has left my memory. I reached the place in due time, and found the house opened and afire. I waited some time and concluded no person would come, as the morning was very cold. I got on my horse, Being an entire stranger in that portion of Ohio, as wall as on the beginning of my tour, and so moved onward. I had gotten a few hundred yards, when I met a Brother Hill and family, in a sleigh. After bidding thorn good morning, (the driver and all eyeing me closely), they said they were expecting a stranger to preach for them that day, and that they supposed I was the man. I told them I had learned there was an appointment at that place for me, and that I had found the house, but no people in. "Well," said the driver, who gave his name as Hill, "let us go back to the house and see. We returned to the house, after which a few more came in, and I made an effort to preach to the little congregation, after which, I went home with Brother Hill and family. I think I again tried to preach at Brother Hills' at night. I do not know assuredly, but I think the last named church has gone down.
Thus my first tour in the State of Ohio closed, and I left Brother Hill and family for home next morning, and passing through Cincinnati, reached home in the evening of same day. After which first tour in Ohio, as above, I did not visit any of the chinches in Ohio for the space of five years, or, if at all, in that space of time, not more than twice; after which lapse of time, I visited the churches of Lebanon, Sugar Creek, (now Centerville Church), Tapscott Church, Mt. Pleasant Church, Elk Creek Church and Mill Creek but once in 1847, Pleasant Run Church, Lindville Church and its arm at Log Run; met only once with the church at Lexington, Ohio, in company with Elder E. Stephens; at Middle Run Church often, and at Nettle Creek Church, in all, not more than four times, and all these visits after Elder W. T. Pence began to preach. And at that time Nettle Creek numbered about 140 members, as they told me-the largest number I have known claiming membership at one place, professing to be Old School Baptists. I also visited one church some five miles northeast of the city of Dayton, also the churches, Hebron Church, Walnut Meeting House, claiming to be Old School Baptists. Afterward I visited quite a number of churches, a part of them situated farther northeast than the above named, and others farther northwest, the names of which I have mostly forgotten. The first named churches, most of them, were nearer to me, as regards location, and I visited them oftener.
A few of those tours, though short, among them Elder Lewis Conner was my companion, to Elk Creek Church, at Trenton, and to Mt. Pleasant, Tapscott Church, Middle Run Church and Lebanon. And in 1851 Elder Lewis Conner and myself were at the Miami Association, held that year with the Centerville Church. The Baptists did not get along well at that session. I know it was the last association I ever attended in Ohio. The following Monday morning after that session in Lebanon City, Elder Wilson Thompson and Elder Samuel Williams, in old Sister McFarland's house, settled their unpleasant difficulty in the presence of Elder Lewis Conner, Elder George Marshal, Elder McQuery, Isaac T. Sanders, Millspaw and Brother Loutham, of Rossville Church, to the great satisfaction of all present on that memorable occasion, for that occurrence had such an effect on all that the tears flowed freely, as I yet believe, from every eye, owing to the joy and gladness felt in their hearts because of the settlement of the grave difficulty that had existed between the above named Elders for some time, to the deep affliction of soul among the particular friends and brethren of these then quite prominent ministers among Old Baptists. Immediately after, we mostly all set out for Kentucky, crossed the Ohio, and staid that same night in striking distance to meet the Salem Association of Predestinarian Baptists, convened on Tuesday at 10 o'clock, with their sister church, Crewscreek, Kenton county, Kentucky, their annual meeting for 1851. After the introductory sermon was preached and the churches called, handing in their several letters of the churches, the delegates presented some objections made by Elder Wilson Thompson to the circular letter written for said association by Elder Williams, at the request of Brother John Gaines, whom the Salem Association had, at their last annual meeting, appointed to write the circular for the present meeting. These objections led to quite unpleasant remarks from both of those Elders about the circular letter, as above-Elder Thompson complaining of the doctrine contained in the letter, and Elder McQuery and others supporting Elder W. Thompson's objections to the doctrine, and Elder S. Williams and several brethren in the association supporting the doctrine contained in the letter. So that the contest was rather warm, especially between those two Elders, while those of the company present who had witnessed the settlement and adjustment of the difficulty the Monday morning before in Lebanon City, in old Sister McFarland's house, were now led to conclude that the spirit of strife was again manifest in those two Elders, and served as a damper, manifestly prevalent during the meeting, both in the preaching and hearers. So that it seemed to me that God was not glorified nor the congregation comforted or edified.
As named above, a portion of the churches in Ohio I have visited from time to time, more or less, from the year 1851 and before, to 1871, since which time, owing to a tour in Missouri, in June, 1870, and subsequently a tour in Western Virginia, and in December alter my tour in Missouri, I had a time of extreme hard coughing, from deep and heavy cold, which reduced me much in flesh, and so weakened me down that few, if any, that saw me expected I would survive the heavy attack then pressing me so heavily. But the blessed Lord delivered me, giving me strength to survive the shock.
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