The great centers from which the Church in Wisconsin has radiated were few in number and were fixed upon at an early period in the development of the work. These centers were Green Bay, Sheboygan, Fond du Lac, Aztalan, Racine, and Janesville. Of the first five a record has been made, and, following the line of my labors, Racine should next engage my attention.

At this place the first settlement was made in November, 1834, by Captain Gilbert Knapp, who came on horseback from Chicago. On the second day of January following, Stephen Campbell, Paul Kingston, and Messrs. Newton and Fay arrived, and, as far as I am able to ascertain, were the first Methodists who settled at Racine. At the same time William See and Edmund Weed came to the vicinity, the former settling at the Rapids, where he built a mill, and the latter making a claim on the lands which have since become the homestead of Senator Fratt. Alanson Filer came in November, 1835, and A.G. Knight in April, 1836. In his journey to Wisconsin, Brother Knight traveled on horseback from Wayne County, N.Y., to Chicago, and on foot the balance of the way. Jonathan M. Snow and Nathan Joy came soon after, the latter coming around the lakes in the first three-master that visited Lake Michigan. Rev. Daniel Slauson and William Bull came in September, 1837, traveling in their own conveyance from Detroit. The list of names thus given does not make a full record of the early arrivals, but furnishes, as far as I am informed, such as constituted, with the exception of the first named, the first Methodist Community.

The writer has been unable to ascertain where and by whom the first class was formed, or who constituted the first members. But it is probable that the place was included in Milwaukee Mission as early as 1835, and that the class was formed by Rev. Mark Robinson during that year, or by his successor, Rev. Wm. S. Crissey, the year following. And it is also probable that the gentlemen above named, who were there at the time, and their families, constituted the first members, with Brother Paul Kingston as Leader. The meetings were held in the log residence of the last named, located near the lake, at the foot of Seventh street.

Racine Mission was formed in 1837 and Rev. Otis F. Curtis was the first Pastor. The Mission, reaching from the Illinois State Line to Milwaukee, included appointments at Racine, Southport, Pleasant Prairie, Kellogg’s Corners, Ives Grove, Caledonia and Root River.

In 1839 the charge took the name of Racine and Southport Mission, the Pastor being Rev. Salmon Stebbins. In 1840 Southport was made a separate charge, and the Pastor at Racine was Rev. L.F. Moulthrop. In 1841 the Root River portion was set off and made a separate charge, and Racine was left to be supplied. The following year the Sylvania circuit was formed, and Southport and Racine were again put together, with Rev. James Mitchell as Pastor. In 1843 they were again separated, and the Pastor at Racine was Rev. Milton Bourne. In 1844 the Pastor was Rev. G. L. S. Stuff, and in 1845, Rev. Julius Field.

As before stated, the meetings were at first held in a private house, but as the congregations increased, a public building was rented near the foot of Main Street. After the school house was built, the meetings were removed to it, and it was at this latter place the writer attended a service during his first Sabbath in the State. Soon after the first Church was built, to which we shall have occasion to refer hereafter.

Racine District was created in 1847, and Rev. Chauncey Hobart was appointed the first Presiding Elder. Dr. Hobart entered the Illinois Conference in 1836, the Conference then including Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota. His appointments before coming to the District had been: Rockingham, Iowa, Monmouth, Macomb, Quincy, Rushville, Peoria, Jacksonville, Springfield, and Clark Street, Chicago. After leaving the District, in 1849, he was appointed Presiding Elder of Minnesota District. At the end of his term he was stationed at Spring Street, Milwaukee, and next served one year as Presiding Elder on the Milwaukee District, when, on account of the infirm health of his wife, he returned to Minnesota. Since his return, he has continued to labor on both stations and districts with great acceptability up to the present time.

Dr. Hobart is a man of superior abilities, and his labors have been in special demand. He has been elected five times to the General Conference, and has been seven times appointed to Districts. As a Preacher he is always acceptable, but at times he delivers extraordinary sermons. It requires a great occasion to take the full measure of the man. At such times he has been known to move audiences with overwhelming power. Especially was this the case under the sermon he delivered at a Camp-Meeting held two miles west of Big Foot Prairie, in 1849. On this occasion the tide of feeling rose to such a height that great numbers of the congregation unconsciously left their seats and stood entranced, while the saints shouted for joy, and sinners cried out in the anguish of their souls for mercy.

Having thus spoken of the Presiding Elder of the Racine District, it is fitting that we should now glance briefly at a few of the early charges.

Kenosha, as we have seen, was included in the Racine Mission in 1837, and shared the labors of Brother Curtis. The first class was formed during this term probably by either the Pastor or Rev. John Clark, the Presiding Elder, and consisted of Rev. Reuben H. Deming, Austin Kellogg, Hon. and Mrs. Charles Durkee, Mrs. Harvey Durkee, John W. Dana Martha E. Dana, and Susan Dana. The Presiding Elder, Rev. Salmon Stebbins, held a Quarterly Meeting in Kenosha, then called Southport, November 24th, 1837. The meeting was held in a small log school house standing near the present site of the Simmons Block.

During the following year a revival occurred, which resulted in the conversion of nearly the entire community. The meetings were held in a public building on the North Side, but the erection of a Church immediately followed. As before stated, Brother Stebbins became the Pastor in 1839, and remained also the following year. The succeeding Pastors up to 1845 were Rev. F.T. Mitchell, Rev. James Mitchell, Rev. Wm. H. Sampson, Rev. C.D. Cahoon and Rev. Warner Oliver. At this writing, Kenosha ranks among the leading stations of the Conference.

Brother Stebbins entered the New York Conference in 1822. When the Conference was divided he fell into the northern portion, which took the name of Troy. In this field he labored fourteen years, his charges covering the territory from Albany to the Canada line. At the solicitation of Rev. John Clark, he was transferred to the Illinois Conference in 1837, and appointed Presiding Elder, the District extending from the Illinois State Line to Green Bay. In 1839 he was appointed to the Racine and Southport Mission, as before stated, and remained on the Southport part the following year. After leaving Southport charge he was stationed at Platteville, Lake, Madison and St. Charles. Subsequently taking a location, he became a resident of Kenosha, in the vicinity of which place he still resides.

Brother Stebbins is a man of superior ability, and in his prime enjoyed considerable reputation as a Preacher. He is spending the evening of his life in quiet, trustingly awaiting the change that now cannot be long delayed.

Sylvania was settled by three Kellogg brothers and their families in the spring of 1837, the place being first known as Kellogg’s Corners. Soon after their arrival the ladies, one of whom, Mrs. Seth H. Kellogg, was the daughter of Rev. Ebenezer Washburn, of New York Conference, organized a Sunday School. The neighborhood was connected with the Racine Mission, and a class was formed at an early period, with Seth H. Kellogg as Leader, but I cannot fix the exact date. Nor am I able to state at what time the first Church was completed. It was claimed, however, to have taken precedence in the State.

In the erection of the Church, which was built by Chauncey Kellogg, the young society was assisted by a donation of two hundred dollars from Sunday Schools in New York City. Rev. Julius Field, whose wife was a sister of the Kelloggs, secured the aid, he having been stationed in that city. The Church edifice cost six hundred dollars, and was the building in which I preached the funeral sermon of Mother Washburn some sixteen years later. The veteran, Father Washburn, was also buried at this place. Sylvania was made a separate charge in 1842, with Rev. Milton Bourne as Pastor.

Passing westward, the old Walworth circuit should next claim our attention. It will be remembered that this charge was formed in 1839, taking the south half of the old Aztalan circuit. The first Pastor was Rev. James McKean, who was an earnest and devoted laborer in the vineyard. But as his fields fell on the south side of the State Line at the end of his term, a record will doubtless be made of him elsewhere.

In 1840 the circuit was divided. The southeastern portion was called Burlington and Rochester, with Rev. David Worthington as Pastor, of whom a record has been made in a former chapter, and the name of the old charge was changed to Troy, on which Brother McKean remained as Pastor.

On the new charge there were two classes formed by Brother Worthington during this year. The first was formed in Puffer’s school house on Spring Prairie in the summer of 1840, and included in its membership, Mr. and Mrs. John M. Cowham, Lansing Lewis, and Mrs. Lewis, his mother. Brother Cowham was the Leader.

The other class was organized in Lyonsdale, with Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Lyon, Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher Lyon, Mr. and Mrs. Ansel Waite, Mr. and Mrs. Marshall, and Mrs. Jones. Hon. Wm. P. Lyon, of the Supreme Court, subsequently became identified with the Society. Lyons, as the village is called, is at the present writing a charge of respectable standing, having a good Church and Parsonage. The writer had the pleasure to dedicate the Church during his Pastorate in Racine.

At Troy, a class had been organized by Brother McKean during the latter part of the former year. At this time the members were Daniel Griffin, Sen., Daniel Griffin, Jr., Dr. and Mrs. Brooks Bowman, Mrs. McCracken, Mr. and Mrs. John Spoor, and a Brother Jennings. Brother Spoor was a Local Preacher, the Leader and the S.S. Superintendent.

In 1841, Rev. L.F. Moulthrop was appointed to Troy circuit. He remained the second year and had as a colleague the excellent Rev. Henry Whitehead, so long and well known by the Preachers of the Northwest in connection with the Chicago Book Depository. The circuit at this time included Troy, Eagle, Hart Prairie, Round Prairie, Turtle Prairie, Delavan and Elkhorn.

At Eagle a class was formed consisting of Rev. William Cross, Local Preacher, Mrs. William Cross, and her sister, now Mrs. James Parsons, Mr. and Mrs. A. Hinkley, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas, Mr. and Mrs. Atwater, Mr. and Mrs. Long.

At Round Prairie a class was also formed. The members as far as ascertained were Rev. James Flanders, Local Preacher, Mr. and Mrs. Houghton, Mrs. Norcross, Father Cornice, and Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Cornice.

At Hart Prairie, the services were held in Father Worthington’s log house, where a class was also organized. Father Worthington, his wife, and two sons, Elijah and Theodore, and Mrs. Lewis, were the first members.

At Delavan the meetings were held alternately in Mr. Bradway’s log house in the village, and at the residence of Mr. Phoenix, on the prairie. The class at this place was small, and I am unable to insert in the record more than the names of Mr. and Mrs. Bradway. Delavan has since grown to the position of an influential charge, with an attractive Church and enterprising membership.

Elkhorn at this early day had no class, but, as the County Seat, the village commanded an appointment. For several years the cause moved slowly, but finally won its way to a position. At the present writing, the charge holds a respectable rank in the Conference.

Having thus briefly examined the early history of Racine and the other charges that constituted her immediate surroundings, it is now proper that we should return to the record of the writer’s Pastorate.

Finding that there was no Parsonage, I proceeded to rent a respectable house in a pleasant part of the city, paying for the same an additional one hundred dollars out of my salary. Having settled my family, I adopted my usual method of devoting my mornings to my study, and afternoons to pastoral visiting. I soon passed over the entire membership of the station, making it a special point to secure, as far as possible, a faithful attendance upon the means of grace. The effort was successful beyond my expectations.

The congregation soon filled the Church. And as the interest continued to increase, the aisles and doors were thronged, while large numbers were utterly unable to obtain admission. With this manifestation of interest, it was deemed advisable to enter upon a protracted meeting without delay. We did so, and I preached every night for two weeks. But the result was not satisfactory. We found the spiritual condition was not on a plane with the demands of the work. The vast throng of people had brought upon us a tide of worldly influence that we were unable to withstand. Additional moral force was necessary, and, to secure it, we deemed it better to go into the lecture-room and rely upon the social meetings to develop the requisite spiritual power. With this change there came to the membership the spirit of consecration and a remarkable baptism of the Holy Ghost. Before the end of two weeks we were compelled to return to the audience room. The place was again thronged with people, but the good work went forward. I continued to preach nightly for four weeks. One hundred persons were converted and added to the Church.

With this large increase of members and a corresponding increase of attendants, it was necessary to enlarge the Church edifice for their accommodation. Accordingly the work was undertaken. The rear end of the building was opened, and the edifice was lengthened so as to accommodate nearly one-third more people. In doing this, it was thought advisable to still increase the length by adding twelve feet more for an orchestra, thereby providing for the removal of the organ from the gallery to the rear of the pulpit.

The enlargement, besides furnishing the necessary accommodations for the people, laid a broader financial basis to the charge, by bringing into the congregation a number of families who were able to take the new seats at a good rental. The year passed very satisfactorily.

The Conference of 1856 was held September 17th, at Appleton, Bishop Simpson presiding. As expected, we were returned to Racine. We retained the same house, and found our social relations with the people of Racine exceedingly pleasant. With not a few families a life-long friendship was established, and to the present hour the mention of Racine revives many pleasant recollections. Judge Lyon, who came into the Church this year, and his good lady, and Messrs. Knight, Yout, Adams, Langlois, Jones, Lunn, Slauson, Bull, Lees, Conroe, Kidder, Orr, Jillson, Brewer, Lawrence, with their families, and many others, will never be forgotten.

The labors of the year would afford many pleasing incidents were they permitted to appear in these pages, but their recital would unreasonably swell the volume.

The usual protracted meeting was held, continuing five weeks. The work was very satisfactory, strengthening the converts of the previous year, and swelling the list of accessions. The revival was especially fruitful in the Sunday School, leading many of the young people to Christ. But the labors of the year, as usual, came to a close when we were in the midst of our work, and we were compelled to sunder old associations and form new ones in other fields.