Thirty Years in the Itinerancy

by W. G. Miller

This paying a Pastor at the end of his term in notes, that shall come back to haunt his successor, is not in keeping with the financial genius of the Church. I once had some sad experience in that line, and since it was not in Milwaukee, I will take occasion to refer to it in this connection. It was at a time when the slip rents were not large, averaging only about two hundred dollars a quarter. In the case referred to, the two hundred dollars of the first quarter of my year, had been absorbed to meet the claims of the outgoing Pastor. And then, as he was still behind two hundred dollars, a note was given him for the balance. By this arrangement, the first half year of my term had been anticipated, and had not the people, finding out the state of the case, come to my aid with a good donation, I must have been greatly embarrassed.

Nor does such mismanagement affect the one man alone. The system entails disaster upon the successive Pastors of the charge. Each man feels that his predecessor has done him a great wrong, when the case may be, the wrong was done by one man several years before, and afterwards his successors have only been carrying it over from year to year. But, however long it may be carried, it still remains as the plague of both the Pastors and the Church.

But in the person of Brother Walker, the system was squelched. Though at the end of his term, owing largely to this irregularity, he was largely deficient in his claim, he balanced the year.

Brother Manwell, the Pastor of Asbury, entered the North Indiana Conference in 1853, was transferred to the Wisconsin Conference in 1857, and had served Green Bay two years, before coming to this charge. The Church accommodations were limited, but he made two good years at Asbury, and was able at their close to report considerable progress. After leaving the city, Brother Manwell served a good class of appointments, and among them Racine, Janesville, Whitewater and Ripon, until 1873, when he was transferred to Upper Iowa Conference. He was a man of kind spirit, pleasant address, and specially successful in leading the social meetings in his charges.

Reference is made to Dr. Cooke in a former chapter, and I need only say in this connection that under his Pastorate Summerfield had a prosperous year.

At Wauwatosa, I found Rev. N.J. Aplin, of whom mention is made in a former chapter. His assistant was Rev. Edward Bassett, a promising young man, who had been converted in the revival at Janesville. The two men worked admirably together, and the year was one of great prosperity to the Circuit. The Circuit was in a flame of revival. And during the year, the beautiful brick Church at West Granville was erected.

The Brookfield class, it will be remembered, was formed by Brother Frink in 1840. The members were: Robert Curren, Leader, Sarah Curren, T.M. Riddle, Adeline Riddle, Gideon Wales, Polly Wales, Mark Johnson, Ann Butterfield, Margaret Underwood, Charles Curran, Frank Morgan, Mrs. Frank Morgan, and Mrs. Fellows. To these were soon added, Mr. and Mrs. Carlton, Mr. and Mrs. Raymond. This Society had already erected a comfortable frame Church, and the neighborhood had become famous as the locality in which the Milwaukee District Camp-Meetings were held.

West Granville Church was located in the neighborhood that was known in the early times by the name of Menomonee. And it will be recollected that Brother Frink organized a class at this point also in 1840. The members of the class were: William Coates, Leader, Sarah Coates, T.J. Rice, Cynthia Rice, Edward Earl, Hannah Earl, Lyman Wheeler, Bigelow Case, Alvira Case, Mrs. Martin M. Curtis, Nathan Wheeler, Jr., William Hudson, Susan Hudson. At the first the class at Menomonee included all the members in that region, but as the country became settled other classes were organized, and among them those at the Haylett, Nelson and Coates neighborhoods. Subsequently these classes concentrated at Menomonee Falls and erected a Church. A new Church has since been built, and at this writing the village constitutes a respectable charge.

At Wauwatosa there was no Church, and Brother Aplin held his meetings in a school house. But in 1869 a fine brick edifice was erected under the Pastorate of Rev. John P. Roe.

Brother Roe resided, at the time of my appointment to the Milwaukee District, on the New Berlin Circuit. During the war he went to the army and served as Chaplain with great acceptability. On his return he rendered effective service as a Local Preacher until 1869, when he entered the Conference and was appointed to Wauwatosa. At the end of two years he was elected Agent of the Lawrence University, and continued two years, performing prodigies of labor, and achieving a grand success in raising an Endowment Fund. But his health finally failed, and he was compelled to retire from the work. At this writing, he is traveling in Europe.