Friday, August 7, 2009

A List of the Ministers Who Have Cared for the Spiritual Needs of the Stockbridge Indians

The image below is from the Winnebago Presbytery's website. The design at the right appears to be their logo.
The title of this post is taken verbatim from an entry in the records of the John Sergeant Memorial Presbyterian Church (it can be obtained on microfilm from the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia). Anyway, here's the list produced about as close to verbatim as I can get (unfortunately, the right edge has been cut off so dates of death are not visible on my photocopy):


1. Oct. 1734 to (illegible) Rev. John Sergeant b.1710 [ordained] Aug 31, 1735

2. Aug. 1749 to July 1751 Mr. Timothy Woodbridge [was the schoolteacher (for many years), but deserves credit for caring for the spiritual interests of the Stockbridge Indians nonetheless (especially after John Sergeant's early death).]

3. July 1751 to 1758 Rev. Jonathan Edwards

4. Nov. 1758 to 1775 Rev. Stephen West, D.D. b.1735 [?] [ordained] June 13, 1709[?]

5. 1775 to 1824 Rev. John Sergeant, jr b. 1781 [date of ordination not given]

[Unfortunately, Samson Occum is not mentioned in the document]

6. July 1827 to March 1829 Rev. Jesse Miner b. 1781 [died in present-day Wisconsin, 1829]

7. May 1, 1830 to 1848 Rev. Cutting Marsh [born 1800]

8. 1848 [1845 is arguably more accurate] to 1884 Rev. Jeremiah Slingerland [died 1884]

9. Oct 1888 to Oct 1888 Rev. A.W. Williams

10. April 1889 to April 1891 Rev. Thomas Knox Fisher

11. July 1891 to Feb 1892 Rev. Thomas Haug

----------------------- Services discontinued ----------------------------

12. July 1910 to Dec. 1917 Rev. Charles Kilpatrick

13. July 1, 1921 Rev. J.A McGreaham

14. May 1926 [Rev.] F.G. Westfall - Ordained at Caro, Michigan, June 15, 1897 by Flint Presbytery

15. Sept. 6, 1930 Rev. David Hillegas

16. Nov. 1, 1935 - Rev. Louis J. Albert


Of course there were ministers from other denominations in this period of time, but - with the exception of Samson Occom - this is an accurate record of the succession of the Calvinist ministers that served the Stockbridge Mohicans from 1734 to 1891 and then again from 1910 to about 1937.

The historian of the group appears to be Rev. Kilpatrick, who accompanied William Dick, one of the elders of his church, on a trip to Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Entries after Kilpatrick's time were recorded by each succeeding minister.

1 comment:

  1. I have a piece of genealogical trivia for you. Jonathan Edwards was the grandfather of Aaron Burr, who along with his mother lived with him for a while after his father's death.

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