MS 1030 mf - Waterville United Methodist Church (Waterville, Ohio)
MLA Citation
Tags
| Title | MS 1030 mf - Waterville United Methodist Church (Waterville, Ohio) |
|---|---|
| Subject | Church |
| Introduction | The records from Waterville United Methodist Church, Waterville, Lucas County, Ohio (1850-1998) were transferred to the Center for Archival Collections for microfilming in September 2005 with the cooperation of Verna Rose. No restrictions exist on the use of this collection and duplication is permitted for research purposes. The finding aid was prepared by Kathleen Gardner. |
| Agency History | The first Methodist class was formed in Waterville under the pastorate of Elam Day in 1834. At this time it was a part of the Waterville Mission, Ohio Conference, which included preaching in private houses. The district was composed of Wood, Lucas, Fulton, Williams, Henry, Hancock, Ottawa, and Sandusky counties. The members of this first class were Jane Adams, Thomas Gleason and wife, Harriet Farnsworth, Hannah Cross, John Hoag, Elisha Hanson, and Sarah Bailey. Lucina Haskins was with the class in 1835 and in 1840 Whitcomb Haskins, John Pray and his wife joined. Two years after the Ohio Conference was divided and the Michigan Conference was formed, Waterville became part of the Michigan Conference and the Maumee District. It was in this year that Alanson Fleming and Wesley Shortis were appointed circuit preachers. The territory covered by this circuit was large so it was necessary to have two circuit preachers who went from church to church. In 1840 Waterville again changed to the North Ohio Conference, which included the part of the Michigan Conference, which lay in Ohio and some territory from the Ohio Conference on the south. At this time there were thirty-nine members and six probationers and the need for a church building was apparent. In 1841 a church 36 X 50 feet was planned and completed in 1844. It stood on village lot number sixteen, at the corner of Mechanic Street and the River Road. Elder Thomas Barkdull was the first to preach in the finished building. Waterville became a part of a Delaware Conference in 1856 from the western part of North Ohio Conference. The name was changed to Central Ohio in 1860. The Waterville Circuit was discontinued in 1859 and reorganized in 1879. The church was continued locally but the only records kept for this time were those on attendance. The church has the original attendance book from 1850 to 1879. At this time Waterville Circuit was formed or reorganized including the following charges: Whitehouse, Hull's Prairie and Providence (Penny Church), each charge expecting services every two weeks. In the winter of 1912-1913 Waterville received over 100 new members into the church and outgrew its modest quarters. Talks of a new church began and Lot No. 187 at the corner of Fifth Street and Mechanic Street was purchased from Mrs. Henry Cooper for $400. On June 13, 1915 the congregation met at the old church for the last time. Together the men, women and children walked to the new brick church on the hill, where Bishop Moore conducted a dedication ceremony. Extracted from "150 Years of Methodism in Waterville 1834-1984" |
| Order of Microfilming | Roll 1
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