'
T PI E COUKI E R
VETERANS OFTHE PULPIT
Methodist Ministers Grew Gray in the Service and
Retire to Private Life with the Consciousness of a Life
Work Well Done JH Jt. Jt Jt JL Jt
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I REV. JESSE L. FORT
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Jesse L. Fort was born In Warren
county, Ky., May 1, 1816. His father,
of German descent, was a farmer anil
a slaveholder. The farm was situated
near the Mammoth cave, and the set
tlement at that time was a very scat
tered one indeed.
Until he was seventeen, young Fort
remained on the farm assisting his
father with the work. Schools were
very far apart and the elder Fort, hav
ing lost an older son shortly after his
return from a distant school, refused
to send any of the remaining children
away for an education. In 1S30, while
attending a Baptist revival, Jesse was
converted and later joined the church,
taking an active part. When seventeen
he was apprenticed to a tanner, for
whom he worked for three years. This
man was a very ardent follower of
John Wesley, and he succeeded in in
teresting the young helper in the work
of the Methodist church, which he
later joined and became a class leader
before removing to Illinois in 1S36.
The Forts located near Monmouth. In
that vicinity for four years the young
man served as class leader, exhorter
and local preacher, under such Meth
odist leaders as William and Richard
Haney, W. D. M. Trotter and Peter
Cartwright, the latter serving as pre
siding elder of the district in which
Fort labored. During this period the
young preacher obtained his first start
toward a book education from the pub
lic schools of Sangamon county. In
August, 1840, when fairly launched up
on his life work, he married Miss
Martha McChesney. From that time
until he assumed a traveling connec
tion in 1851 he maintained direct touch
with the church and its work. One of
his most noteworthy tasks during that
period being his connection with the
building of the First Methodist church
at Petersburgh, 111. Timbers for this
building had to be hauled overland
from Burlington, la., a distanaw of
about 100 miles. Cartwright made par
ticular mention of this structure in his
autobiography.
After having established a traveling
relation, in 1851 he was ordained deacon
at the conference which met that year
at Jacksonville, by Bishop Waugh. At
this time he was transferred to the
Missouri conference and later appoint
ed to the Bloomlngton circuit in Macon
county. After serving for one year on
this work he was appointed in suc
cessive years to the Ridgely, Fillmore,
Savannah and Rockport circuits.
Missouri was a very dangerous place
for Methodist ministers then, and the
"northern preachers," as they were
termed, had to face even personal daii
Ber while carrying on their work.
Several times mobs drove them from
their appointments, and once while
serving on the Rockport circuit, which
then embraced nearly all of the Mis
souri towns along the Iowa line, a
mob formed, the express purpose of
which was to do away with the preach
er Fort, who, contrary to his father's
early views, was opposed to slavery
Fortunately, the ruffians were forced to
abandon their search without finding
the intended victim.
In 1855 Bishop Simpson, at the Mis
souri conference, which met at St.
Louis that year, ordained the Rev. Mr.
Fort as an elder In the church. The
next year he was transferred to th
Iowa circuit and was located at Glen
wood, where he remained for two years
In charge of the church work. During
his stay at Glenwood he visited Ne
braska and preached at Plattsmouth.
what was said to be the tlrst sermon
ever delivered in that town. After serv
ing the Iowa appointment he withdrew
for a short time from active work in
the church. About this time his wife,
who had been a devoted co-laborer in
the work, died.
After losing all of his investment in
a Methodist seminary which was start
ed at a small town. Louden, near Glen
wood, he joined the Kansas-Nebraska
conference at the meeting, which was
held In Leavenworth in 1S39. His first
appointment was to the Falls City
charge. When he visited the town he
could find no suitable location for his
family, and he removed to Nebraska
City, where he preached as supply for
a time. While located at this place he
married Miss Mary A. Gates, of Zanes
vllle. O.. who was at that time visit
ing in the west. The next year he was
placed in charge of the Methodist
church work at Plattsmouth.
The Nebraska conference was formed
in 1S61 at Omaha and of the thirteen
charter members but three are living,
namely: Hiram Burch. H. T. Davis
and J. L. Fort. From this conference.
Rev. Mr. Fort was given the Peru dis
trict. There he remained for two
years, during the time suffering a phy
sical injury which has caused him more
or less spinal trouble ever since. This
injury finally compelled him to accept
a superannuated relation to the church
at the Nebraska conference which met
at Brownvllle that year. The doctors
advised a trip west and in company
with a wagon train he crossed the
plains in '64. This outing partially re
stored his health although he suffered
financially, the Indians running off
with the principal part of his outfit.
On returning from the trip across the
plains he was appointed by the Ameri
can Bible society to be superintendent
of its work in Nebraska and Colorado.
He was thus engaged for two years
and then in 1S67 he removed with his
family to Omaha. There he received
the appointment as chaplain of the
senate of the Nebraska legislature,
then in session. Two years later he
located In Council Bluffs, having been
made the agent for Pottawattamie
county for the American Bible society.
He remained in this work until 1879
when, having nearly regained his
health, he applied for an active work
in the Nebraska conference again. This
request was granted and he was placed
on the Palmyra circuit. While serving
here his second wife died. In 1S73 he
drew the upper Nemaha appointment
at the annual conference. During the
year he mairied Miss Mary H. Free
man of Palmyra. Work on the Sal
tillo circuit was long and arduous, the
settlements being far apart and the
roads mere cattle trails. His health
not permitlng further active work he
again assumed a superannuated posi
tion and in 1S73 moved to Peru that his
sons might have an opportunity of at
tending the state normal school. After
a three years' residence in the town he
removed across the Missouri to the
farm of one of his sons in northern
Missouri. The outdoor life agreed with
him and he was soon ready to take up
active work in the church. From 1S77
until 1SS5 he served in the following
places: Honeywell circuit, 1S7D; agent
American Bible society. Nodaway
county. 1SSI: Hopkins, 1SS2. Other sup
ply charges were filled until 1SS5 when
his health not permitting further work,
he retired from active service in the
church and returned to Nebraska
where he lived on a farm near Palmyra
until 1.S91, when he removed to Douglas
that a son might attend tin- Methodist
academy then just established in that
place. After a ten years' residence in
that town he removed In January, 1101.
to University Place, where he now re
sides. . V J"
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Thirty-tlm-e years of at-tlve labor for
the upbuilding of the .Methodist church
is the record made by Elder II. T
Davis, one of the tirst resident pastors
in Lincoln and a veteran presiding
elder. During his church labors Ne
braska has taken a prominent place In
the list of states. Lincoln has become
its capital city instead of an unpromis
ing frontier hamlet, and the Methodists
of the city have recently dedicated one
of the linest churches in the state.
When Elder Davis arrived in Lin
coln In 1S6S, sixteen members of the
Methodist church met for worship in
a small shack occupying the site on
which the building of the Lincoln
Transfer company now stands near
Tenth and Q streets. There was a $400
mortgage on the structure and no par
sonage for the minister. At the end of
the tirst year the church was far too
small for the congregation. The mort
gage had been paid.
Under the direction of the pastor and
the trustees, the building was sold for
school purposes and a church costing
$3,000 was erected on the present site
of St. Paul's. Elder Davis stayed three
years on this charge and closed his
term of service with a membership roll
of 202.
At this time the congregation had
given their building the name of the
First M. E. church, of Lincoln. In
1883, the name was changed to St.
Paul's.
Elder Davis was next chosen pre
siding elder on the Lincoln district
and remained four years on this
charge. The Omaha district was his
next assignment. Next he was sent
to the Nebraska City circuit. After
remaining the limit on these charges
he again took up his ministerial duties
and was assigned to congregations in
Beatrice and Tork.
At the latter place Rev. Mr. Davis
was pastor for three years and pre
siding elder of the district one year.
In 1SS6 there were many calls from
the people of South and West Lincoln
for help In new churches. Grace M.
E. church was in a flourishing condi
tion and a new congregation was or
ganized at Sixteenth and A streets
under the name of Trinity M. E.
church.
Elder Davis was the first pastor. The
growth of the new church was rapid,
and in three years the membership
numbered 260. Today it is one of the
strongest branches of the Methodist
organization in Lincoln.
Since that time Rev. Mr. Davis has
continuously served as presiding elder
on the various districts In the state.
In church circles he is well and fa
vorably known and has a host of
friends in all denominations.
Elder Davis is a native of Indiana,
and attended college In Terre Haute.
In 1857 he was married, and eleven
years later moved to Nebraska. He
bravely grappled with all the obstacles
In the way of spiritual work in a new
country, increasing the membership
and arousing interest In church work.
Wherever he has been assigned, he has
usually remained the full time allowed
by the conference rules, anil he is re
garded as one of the most ardent work
ers among the ministers of Lincoln and
the Nebraska conference.
V -2 ?
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Hiram Burch was born in London.
Canada. December 11th, 1S29. Nine
years later his parents, sturdy Scotch
people, moved their worldly possessions
southward to Winnebago county. 1 Hi
REV II. T DAVIS
v ,
mils, where they located on a farm six
miles east of what Is now Uockford
Here young Huron remained for four
teen years. His education, as far as
school work was concerned, during
that time was confined to the common
country schools. Early In life he had
become a christian and had Joined the
Methodist church and. while still mak
ing his home nominally with his par
ents at Rockford, had spent a year on
the Dubiniue circuit in Iowa preach
ing under the direction of the presiding
elder.
In lS.'C his health causing him much
apprehension, he decided to go south
to see If It could not be benefitted. Ac
cordingly that fall he went overland
to Texas, where he remained for
eighteen months. In the spring of ',"
he returned northward to Kansas,
where he was employed by the church
authorities to organize a mission cir
cuit north of a line running west from
St. Joseph. After spending the sum
mer in this work he joined the Iowa
conference, which then Included Ne
braska territory and was appointed to
the charge of the work at Hrownvllle.
After making one trip to Hrownvllle
his appointment was changed to Ne
braska City, where he arrived in No
vember of 1S33. At this place he In
augurated the work of building Meth
odist churches in th then practically
new territory of Nebraska. In 1836 the
first Methodist church in Nebraska
was built and dedicated under his di
rection. And In this same building a
year later was held the second meeting
of the Kansas-Nebraska conference,
which had held its tlrst session the
year before In Lawrence. At this con
ference meeting Rev. Mr. Burch and
Rev. James Griflln of Kansas were or
dained deacons, the tlrst ordinations
made by Methodist church authorities
in the state.
After two years of service at Ne
braska City he was appointed to take
charge of the church Interests at
Plattsmouth. where he remained but
one year. Florence, then the active
rival of Omaha, was the scene of his
next labors. There he served until
1S60, when under conference orders, he
was returned to Brownvllle, his first
appointment. Frequent changes was
the rule in those days and a year later
he was appointed to the Pawnee City
charge where he served for two years
and was then returned to the Missouri
river towns, being located at Peru. At
this latter place, besides attending to
his duties as pastor, he served as the
financial agent for an association
which built and offered to the Meth
odists of the state as an academy
building what was later the tlrst build
ing used at the state normal, now lo
cated at Peru.
The corner stone for this building
was laid in 1S63 and the building com
pleted n, year later. On account of its
inaccessible location the Methodists of
the state thought best not to locate
their school at that place and the build
ing was placed in charge of private
parties, who for a time conducted an
academy. In 1S67. when the capital
was located at Lincoln and the various
other state institutions thought neces