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Show Page 2<br><br>Smith, J. A., Methodist Episcopal, Nephi. Smith, J. A. L., Presbyterian, American Fork. Smith W. S., Presbyterian, Payson. Snow, E. H., Methodist Episcopal, Corinne. Steelman, H. B., Baptist, Salt Lake. Squires, M. U., Baptist, Mercur. Thompson, J., Presbyterian, Richmond. Todd, A. C., Presbyterian, Springville. Twede, O. O., Methodist Episcopal, Richfield. Waynick, G. C., Methodist Episcopal, Salt Lake. Wilks, Joseph, Methodist Episcopal, Provo. Wilson, O. S., Presbyterian, Nephi. Wishard, S. E., Presbyterian, Ogden. Wood, Galen, Christian, Ogden. Salt Lake City, Utah.<br><br> SYNOPTICAL HISTORY OE THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.<br> By Rev. W. S. Hawkes, Superintendent for Utah and Idaho.<br><br> In the Providence of God the Congregationalists were the first to establish regular Protestant Christian services in Utah January 1, 1864. Rev. Norman McLeod, then in Denver, was instructed by the American (Congregational) Home Missionary Society to proceed to Salt Lake City and begin gospel work, which he immediately did, establishing himself in "Daft's Hall;" he also held services at Fort Douglas. Mr. McLeod was a man of resolution and zeal, and threw himself into the work with such earnestness as to greatly disturb the leaders of the Mormon church and to gather about him all the Christians and most of the non-Mormons, such as Hebrews and others. Two Sunday-schools were organized and had large attendance; the church work grew apace and in a few weeks resulted in the organization, February 14, 1864, of the First Congregational church. In 1866 the pastor went East to testify before a committee of Congress regarding the state of affairs in the Territory of Utah; he had awakened so much antagonism that his friends did not think it safe for him to return. It was about this time that Dr. Robinson, the superintendent of the Congregational Sunday-school, was foully assassinated on the street. The shepherds being smitten, the flock was for a time scattered; but this work had taken the brunt of the hatred and opposition and prepared the way for the representatives of other Christian denominations to begin and prosecute their work. The Congregational work was practically suspended until 1872, when Mr. McLeod returned and tried to re-gather his flock. The opposition was still directed against him personally, and he finally withdrew, and in December, 1873, Rev. Walter M. Barrows reached the city, soon drew around himself the scattered Congregational people, and on May 24, 1874, reorganized the church, which from that date has had a steady and prosperous growth. In Mr. McLeod's first year his adherents, which company was composed of nearly all non-Mormons in Salt Lake City, purchased a lot on the south side of Third South street, just west of Main street, and built the historic Independence hall (33x59 feet) at a cost of $7500. Two thousand dollars of this amount came from friends of the movement in California and the balance was raised in Salt Lake City. It is an interesting fact that some of the other Christian denominations began their work in this same Independence Hall, which was afterward long the home of the First Congregational church, till they built their present beautiful structure on First South street. In 1880 this church assumed self-support, the first Christian church in Utah to do so, and for many years the only one. This same year Mr. Barrows was elected one of the secretaries of the Congregational Home Missionary society, and entering his larger field resigned his charge here to another minister. In 1876 "work was begun in Ogden, continued for a while, then was suspended and resumed in 1883, to go forward thereafter uninterruptedly. In 1878 the Congregational school work began in Utah, which has since had such an extended growth in Mission schools, academies and Salt Lake College. During these years the Congregational missionary work of the whole Rocky Mountain region was in the care of Rev. C. C. Creegan, now district secretary of the Foreign Missionary Society and located at New York City. In 1880 he made an extended tour of his field and organized a church at Park City, which has had the usual experiences of our western churches, but is now strong and has been self-supporting more than a year. In 1881 the Rocky Mountain Home Missionary field was divided, and Utah, Idaho, West Wyoming and West Montana put in charge of Rev. D. L. Leonard, who began to push the work in Utah. In the latter part of that year Rev. David Peebles, who had been in missionary work among the southern freedmen, came to this field, labored at Sandy, Bountiful, Farmington and Hooper, and is now located with a home of his own at Roy, formerly Hooper station, near Ogden. Other good men followed, and work was begun at Lehi, Provo, Echo, Coalville and at other points in Salt Lake City. These missions have had all the variety which is such a marked feature of Utah work. Churches have resulted at Sandy, Provo, Coalville, Lynne Village, or Five Points, of Ogden and at Slaterville, and the Phillips in the Tenth ward and the Plymouth in the Nineteenth ward of Salt Lake. In 1887 Superintendent Leonard resigned and Rev. W. S. Hawkes, a Massachusetts pastor, was appointed to the work and reached the Territory November 1st of that year. In the nine years of his service the number of churches has only doubled, there now being ten Congregational churches in Utah. There might have been, more, but it has been his policy to organize only as they could have suitable care, and that fewer with able pastors would accomplish more for the cause of Christ in the end than many weak ones feebly served. Some of those who have done faithful work in Utah in past days are now occupying prominent positions in other parts of the country as pastors of large churches, or in other responsible positions, one being a United States Senator, one Utah's representative in Congress, another a professor in the Pacific Theological Seminary, Oakland, Cal., while a third is superintendent of Home Missions in Washington. The Congregational work is now in a hopeful condition; its missionaries are able, devoted, wise, patient and united; united among themselves, and thus feel strong, and feel much stronger because united in strong and loving, fellowship with all other Christians. If the growth of church work in Utah is slow and often its life feeble, it yet presents a unity among all Christian denominations that is an example to the rest of the world.<br><br> Rev. Winfield S. Hawkes, Superintendent of Congregational Home Missionary work in Utah and Idaho, was born in South Reading, now Wakefield, Mass., June 11, 1844, descended from one of the families that settled in Lynn, Mass., in 1630. He was educated in the public schools of his native town, which were among the best in that State, served in the army as a private in the Eighth Massachusetts Volunteers in 1864, entered business, but was urged by his pastor, Rev. Charles R. Bliss, afterwards the secre- [PHOTO: W. S. HAWKES, Superintendent Congregational Missions.] tary of the New West Education Commission, which conducted so many successful Christian schools in Utah, to enter the Gospel ministry. He graduated from the Hartford Theological Seminary in 1868, and was ordained as pastor of the Second Congregational church of South Windsor, Conn., and later was pastor of the First Congregational church of Fairhaven, Mass., then for nine years of the Congregational church of South Hadley Falls, Mass., from which place he came to Utah in 1887. At first his field was all of Utah and Idaho, with Western Wyoming and Western Montana, including the cities of Butte and Helena; now it is all of Utah and all of Idaho, except the "Pan-Handle" which is attached to Eastern Washington. In 1884 Amherst College of Massachusetts conferred on him the honorary degree of A. M.<br><br> THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.<br><br> At the laying of the corner-stone of our present building, Col. O. J. Hollister prepared a historical sketch, from which the following extracts are taken, bringing the history up to 1890. "In November, 1864, the Gentiles of this city organized a society called the Young Men's Literary Association. |
