Stranica 41 [41]
in the biographical sketch, which, with his portrait,
will be found in the chapter devoted to Kitley.
On the 21st of June, 1817, the General Conference
was held at the Elizabethtown Meeting-house (Lyn).
Twenty-two preachers from the wilds of Canada,
and sixty from the State of New York, assembled,
all being entertained in a most hospitable manner
by the Halleck’s, Boyce’s, Row’s, Coleman s, Cas¬
well’s, Brown’s, and many other equally amiable
settlers. |
During the Conference, the flame of revival burst
The old chapel
was filled from eight in the morning until late at
forth and swept over the Province.
night, the meeting being known for many years as
the “ Revival Conference.” Among the converted
were Miss Hallock (daughter of the Rev. William
Hallock), she subsequently becoming the wife of
Wyatt Chamberlayne, and Miss Caswell, who after¬
wards became afhanced to a preacher.
tinued from the itinerant work, but in 1829, again
entered the field as Presiding Elder of the Rideau
Circuit.
Ninian Holmes, of Irish descent, is believed to
have been converted in Elizabethtown, where he
resided during the war of 1812. His memory is
held in veneration by the old people of the Ottawa
and Augusta Circuits. Having served in the army,
he had the appearance of a cavalry man, fully
accoutred. Several of his descendants reside in the
County of Leeds.
Among the ministers in charge of the Oswegatchie
District were the following, want of space prevent¬
ing any extended notice: Joseph Jewell, James
Herron, William Anson, James Aikins, S. Crowell,
N. U. Tompkins, Luther Bishop, Thomas Madden,
Nathan Bangs, Gershom Pearce, J. B. Smith, C.
Hulbert, William Snow, Edward Cooper, Elias
Pattie, John Rhodes, E. Cooper, S. Hopkins, Israel
Chamberlain, John Arnold, Andrew Prindle, Peter
Jones, Thomas McGee, Wyatt Chamberlayne, Robt.
Jeffers, C. N. Flint, T. Goodwin, T. Demorest, R. M.
K. Smith, G. Farr, Philander Smith, William Jones,
William K. Williams, Ezra Healey, Joseph Castle, C.
Wood, and others.
PRESBYTERIANS.
The Rev. John Bethune, a native of Scotland,
came to America before the Rebellion; being a
Loyalist, he was stripped of all his property. Join¬
ing the force in Canada, he was appointed Chaplain
of the Eightieth Regiment. He settled at Cornwall,
where he resided for many years, breathing his last
at Williamstown, September 23rd, 1815.
In 1795, the Presbyterians of Dundas received a
grant of seventy acres of land in Williamsburg,
securing the same year the services of the Rev.
John Eudewig Broeffle, who officiated exclusively
in the German language. His stipend never ex¬
ceeded one hundred dollars per annum. At the
age of seventy-six, he walked fifteen miles to
preach, but never recovered from the over-exertion.
He died at Williamsburg, in 1815, having labored
unremittingly for twenty years for a niggardly
pittance.
The early history of the United Counties is inti¬
mately connected with the life of the Rev. William
Smart. He was one of the pioneers of religion, and
no man did more for the moral and religious in¬
terests of the people than Mr. Smart.
In Augusta, Yonge, and Elizabethtown, the want
was long felt and loudly expressed, that a pastor be
obtained for the establishment of a Presbyterian
Church. After several unsuccessful calls, they ob¬
tained the services of Mr. Smart. This was in the
year 1811. Mr. Smart was at the time persuing his
studies at the Theological Seminary of Gosport,
England, intending to go to India as a missionary.
Accepting the call to Canada, he was ordained a
minister, at the Scotch Church, Swallow Street,
London. He arrived in Elizabethtown on the 7th
of October, 1811, and immediately commenced his
work in various parts of the county, his field of
labor extending from Gananoque to Cornwall, and
from the St. Lawrence to Perth His task was one
of no ordinary character: roads there were none,
while his work was of the most exhausting descrip¬
tion. He was never a robust man, still his health
seldom failed him; with truth may it be said, he
went about doing his Masters work with cheerful¬
ness. We cannot conclude this brief and incomplete
sketch without bearing testimony to the worth of the
deceased. He was simple and childlike, and yet
earnest in his sacred work. So long as the children
of the original settlers maintain their memories, the
name of the Rev. William Smart will be held dear
by them.
Mr. Smart was scarcely inducted into his new
office when war was declared between England and
the United States. This was a sad blow to the
progress of the country, both in a moral and religious
point of view. Men were compelled to leave their
homes to take up the sword. Yet to the credit of
the parties who had been instrumental in bringing
Mr. Smart to Canada, they carried out their pledges
to support him as a minister, paying him a yearly
stipend of $600. It may be of interest to know the