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Show Page 52<br><br>[PHOTO: O. S. WILSON] ing fall, but was hindered by a severe attack of typhoid fever. Recovering from that he remained in charge of two small churches in Southern Indiana until September, 1892, when he entered the work for the Master at Nephi, Utah, under appointment of the Board of Home Missions of the Presbyterian Church. The more than three years spent at Nephi have been years of mingled hope and discouragement. Hope, however, has always come off victor; and now the minister in charge and all the friends of the Mission church look forward to better prospects for the future. <br><br>NEPHI M. E. CHURCH.<br><br> Along in the seventies sometime, Methodist work began in Nephi, and a church was begun, but on account of somebody's blunder the unfinished church had to be sold. Nothing was done by that society afterward until January, 1890, when Rev. H. A. Jones was sent there to open a work. Mr. Jones held services in the courthouse and elsewhere until conference, and Mrs. Jones had a school of thirty scholars at their residence. In July, 1890, Rev. J. D. Gillilan was appointed to this charge, both of school and church. Mr. Gillilan, with $1500 from the Church Extension society, began at once the erection of a brick church, which was dedicated January 4, 1891, free of debt and at a cost of $2500. At the conference of 1891 Eureka was added to Nephi, and the circuit was placed in charge of the same pastor, who was relieved of the work of the school. In 1892 Nephi was again made a separate appointment, and left to be supplied, which was done in the securing of Rev. M. DeMotte, a local preacher from Nebraska. Mr. De Motte left the field in January, and the Rev. John Telfer supplied during the last quarter. ----- Rev. Albert W. Hartshorn, principal of the school, supplied the pulpit during the year ending 1894, and Rev. Samuel Hooper was appointed to the charge. At present writing Rev. John A. Smith of the Montana Conference is the pastor and says: "Our Sunday-school and congregation are on a steady increase, having good congregations Sunday evenings. There is certainly a good future for Nephi. The membership is very small, and there is no Epworth League as yet organized.<br><br> John A. Smith,<br><br> The pastor of the M. E. Church at Nephi, was born in that part of Virginia which afterward became West Virginia, but early in life moved to Jasper, Pike county, Ohio, where he lived with his father on the farm until he became twenty-one, enjoying for the fall and winter months the meager advantages afforded by the country school. He spent some time in the Illinois Normal university, afterward graduating in the university at Lebanon, Ohio. Mr. Smith is quiet and unobtrusive, but an indefatigable worker, and besides receiving the degree of Master of Arts from his Alma Mater in 1891, has almost completed the non-resident course, Ph. B., in the Illinois Wesleyan University. Having spent several years as principal of schools in Illinois, and Nebraska, he was, in 1891, unanimously elected principal of the Indianola schools, and a few days later was made dean of the North Nebraska Conference Seminary. In 1892 he became principal of the Salt Lake Seminary and filled all those places with a good degree of success. [PHOTO: J. A. SMITH.] In 1894 he engaged in public school work at Huntsville, Utah, and in August, 1895, was appointed by presiding elder T. C. Iliff to take charge of the school and church work at Nephi, he having been admitted on trial in the Montana Conference upon the recommendation of the Utah Mission made in June of that year. In 1881 Mr. Smith married Miss Priscilla J. Millburn, a helpmeet, indeed, who for many years has been an invaluable assistant in his work. Two sons bless their home. John A. Smith was converted at Piketon, O., at the age of eighteen, under the ministry of Rev. J. W. Wakefield, and though strongly impressed by the conviction that he should make the ministry his life work and after urged to it by his pastors, yet it was not until 1892 that he preached his first sermon. This was at Wood River, Neb., but a license to preach was not granted until June 12, 1894; then it was given by Rev. J. D. Gillilan, presiding elder. Nephi School-Methodist. In 1890-January-Mrs. H. A. Jones began taking pupils into their home. Her husband had been sent there to open work for the church. Her enrollment was small, only thirty. In the summer of the same year, Rev. J. D. Gillilan and Miss May Franklin began school in filthy rooms that had been used as a saloon. In December a large new brick building was completed for church and school purposes at a cost of $3500, into which the school was now transferred; it enrolled that year sixty-nine. Prof. L. M. Gillilan was the principal for the next year, with Miss Bertha McVay assistant, and Miss Stella F. Herbert in the year following. In 1893-5 it was in charge of Prof. Albert W. Hartshorn and Miss Herbert, the assistant becoming the wife of the principal in 1894, at which time the enrollment was 103. In 1895 Mrs. J. A. Smith, wife of the pastor to»k the present charge, and the school numbers over sixty to date. December 20, 1895.<br><br> Mrs. Priscilla A. J. Smith.<br><br> The principal of the school work is a native of Ohio having been born at Marshall. In early life her parents moved to Illinois where she graduated at the high school at the age of 18. She [PHOTO: MRS. P. J. SMITH.] immediately entered upon the work of teaching, continuing until had marriage in 1886 to Rev. J. A. Smith; and since has taught continuously except for five years-coming to Salt Lake in 1892 with her husband who took charge of the Salt Lake Seminary. Converted at the age of 16, she became a member of the Methodist church, and became at once actively engaged in Sunday school work. After going to Salt Lake, she was a helpful officer of the Epworth League of First church. At present Mrs. Smith is the president of the W. C. T. U. of Nephi. <br><br>TOOELE, METHODISM.<br><br> The first Christian work ever done in this beautiful valley was by Erastus Smith. His commission dates from July 13, 1871. The circuit included the whole of Tooele county. The first organization effected was in August, 1871, when a little band of five children gathered themselves together in the home of the pastor and a Sunday school was formed. In the following month-September 7th-the Tooele academy was started with an enrollment of thirteen pupils. After struggling with the opposition incident to such work at that time, Brother Smith succeeded in closing the school year with an enrollment of thirty-six students. The year following Ophir was added to the work, a Sunday school was or- |
