A historical sketch of the Independent congregational church (1902) (14768472894)

Identifier: historicalsketch00wilb_0 (find matches)
Title: A historical sketch of the Independent congregational church
Year: 1902 (1900s)
Authors: Wilbur, Earl Morse, 1866-1956
Subjects: Independent Congregational Church (Meadville, Pa.)
Publisher: Meadville, Pa.
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress



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predominant element among the early set-tlers was of Scotch-Irish origin, strong in itsallegiance to the faith of Calvin and of Knox;and the considerable proportion of Germansettlers was scarcely more favorable to liberalChristianity. Such was the little village, andsuch the general environment, into which thischurch came seventy-five years ago, — certainlyit furnished no bright promise as a field inwhich to propagate Unitarianism. And it isbut stating the truth in its simplest terms to saythat, except for the devoted earnestness and thematerial support of one man and his family,there is little reason to suppose that therewould have been a Unitarian church at Mead-ville even to this day, or that, had it once beenfounded, it would have been long or stronglymaintained. The man chiefly through whose efforts thischurch was organized and maintained for manyyears was Harm Jan Huidekoper; and it isnecessary here to digress a little in order tobring his life into connection with the history
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HISTORICAL SKETCH 5 of the church. Born at Hoogeveen, in the pro-vince of Drenthe, Holland, April 3, 1776, hecame to America at the age of twenty, and set-tled at Meadville late in the month of Novem-ber, 1804, as agent of the Holland Land Com-pany, which had acquired in this part of theState about half a million acres of land. Atthe time this church was founded, therefore, hewas in his fiftieth year, one of the old settlers,and a man of wealth and influence in the com-munity. He had been brought up a strict Cal-vinist, according to the Heidelberg Catechism,and early in life had joined the Dutch Re-formed church; and there is no evidence thathe had either seriously questioned its mainteachings, or, on the other hand, had madethem independently his own. When, however,he found his family of five children growing upabout him, and realized that he was responsiblefor their religious instruction, it became a mat-ter of serious concern with him what he shouldteach them. At about this period,